Stock pot gin still

Simple pot still distillation and construction with or without a thumper.

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EricTheRed
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by EricTheRed »

Smooths out the cycling.
Worked for me on my 5 L on the induction
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MooseMan
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by MooseMan »

Ok, I'm sold!

I'll be asking around the family too, someone is sure to have an old one at the back of the cupboard!
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EricTheRed
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by EricTheRed »

try get one of those flat jobs - the ones with the small ridge but mostly flat
work brilliantly for pancakes and flapjacks as well! :D (Bonus)
good hunting!
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Steve Broady
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by Steve Broady »

Around here, a large cast iron griddle of any quality is stupid expensive, even in antique stores. If you have a Wal Mart nearby, go look in the camping section. I have a 16” skillet which I think I paid around $20 for. It’s by far the worst piece of cast iron cookware I’ve ever owned (or was before I ground it smooth and seasoned it properly), but it should be large enough for your purposes and the rough surface finish won’t matter here.
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MooseMan
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Re: Stock pot gin still

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Steve Broady wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 5:45 am Around here, a large cast iron griddle of any quality is stupid expensive, even in antique stores. If you have a Wal Mart nearby, go look in the camping section. I have a 16” skillet which I think I paid around $20 for. It’s by far the worst piece of cast iron cookware I’ve ever owned (or was before I ground it smooth and seasoned it properly), but it should be large enough for your purposes and the rough surface finish won’t matter here.
EricTheRed wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 5:13 am try get one of those flat jobs - the ones with the small ridge but mostly flat
work brilliantly for pancakes and flapjacks as well! :D (Bonus)
good hunting!
I can be dumb sometimes...
I just realised what you guys are trying to point me at!

Here in Wales we have something we call Welsh cakes, and they are cooked on a thick, heavy cast flat griddle!
It didn't even occur to me, but one of the "Nannas" will have one of these!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_c ... c%2C%20lit.
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EricTheRed
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Re: Stock pot gin still

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😁😁 chuckled at that
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MooseMan
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by MooseMan »

Ok thanks for the steers guys, I got a thick cast plate from my mum, (She's 90 and the griddle plate is older than me!) so I'm planning a run this week with it.

After a bit more reading on how people run gins, I fancy a basket to get the citrus peels up out of the boil and into the vapour path, so decided on a simple and quick way to do it.

I use those stainless steel mesh balls intended for making tea, to dry hop my beers and ciders in corny kegs, and I discovered a long time ago that the little flip over retaining clip to keep the 2 sides closed is held on with a pin that is not stainless steel but a non ferrous alloy of some kind, as it slowly digests when left in high ABV, acidic cider!

So I drill the pin out, remove the clips and just use a short bit of copper as retainer clips and that led me to the obvious use for one!
IMG_20230313_184328_028.jpg
IMG_20230313_184311_959.jpg
IMG_20230313_184152_905.jpg
Soldered in a little copper hook to hang it under the riser!
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NZChris
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by NZChris »

Some of those posters who said they put peel in the basket may have moved on and might not be doing that any more. I don't. I use less citrus and either put it in the pot with everything, or put it in the gin basket with the rest of the botanicals.

Keep good records of what you do and use them to evolve your own recipes/methods.
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by MooseMan »

Cheers for the heads up Chris. I really like orange forward gin, so I'm trying to develop something with a big, bold orange nose but less orange going through the taste and a more juniper/dry/piney body.
Any suggestions welcome!

Not sure I'd call my records "Good" but I'm keeping them! I just record bot weights per litre, a note on my initial and subsequent smell/taste thoughts, and anything else I feel is pertinent to that batch.
I'm only 3 batches in though, so I can step it up.

I do have plans for several different local flowers to go in the basket once they appear in the summer, so I did it with that in mind too.
I'm very excited to see what Meadowsweet does to the taste profile, it makes a superb floral wine but needs a lot, so I'm hoping in gin, not so much.
It's also high in Salicylic acid, as a bonus! (Yes, I jest but there is a truth in there)
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Re: Stock pot gin still

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Did a run today with peels (10g Satsuma) in the basket instead of in the boil and I must say, on initial tasting it's very minimal in comparison.
I think I prefer it in the boil!
Next run I'm going to go with 30g in the basket and see if I get much bigger aromas.
Otherwise I'll just keep the basket for the flower experiments come summer.

I tried to run with my newly acquired hot plate under the boiler but it's got a rim that interferes with my pot base curve, so I'm going to have to grind it.

I did insulate the pot for this run and also put a chunk of thick copper plate in the boiler, and that seemed to help keep the cycling right down. I was getting consistent 78abv right through the first 430ml I collected, then pumped up the heat and ran another 200ml for my tails bottle.
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The Baker
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by The Baker »

I tried to run with my newly acquired hot plate under the boiler but it's got a rim that interferes with my pot base curve, so I'm going to have to grind it.

Can you sit a metal disc between the hot plate and the boiler.
Flat on one side and curved on the other?


Rather than grind the boiler itself!

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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by MooseMan »

Thanks for the input Geoff.

I was intending to grind the curved rim of the hot plate rather than the boiler, but I've had another thought.
If I was to cut a disc of aluminium checker plate and put that in between the two, would the checker plate create too much separation and waste input energy from the hob?
I have 5mm thick Ali checker plate.
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by The Baker »

Yeah, sorry, I meant the hot plate.
Some flat scrap steel would probably be better but I am no engineer.
I don't like the idea of checker plate....

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Re: Stock pot gin still

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The Baker wrote: Thu Mar 16, 2023 5:24 am Yeah, sorry, I meant the hot plate.
Some flat scrap steel would probably be better but I am no engineer.
I don't like the idea of checker plate....

Geoff
No I don't think checker plate is the one either, but I don't have access to burning gear to cut steel plate.

Yet another scrounging visit to the scrappies on the weekend I think!
The copper chunk in the boiler is smoothing the cycling for now at least.
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Re: Stock pot gin still

Post by The Baker »

No I don't think checker plate is the one either, but I don't have access to burning gear to cut steel plate.

Hacksaw.

Geoff
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