Home brewer wishing to go distiller

[Pollock]

Hey guys,

I have been an avid home brewer for a few years. I tried a friend of a friends apple pie that he sent to our deer camp this last week, and it has me wanting to make my own. I am wanting to distill neutral spirits so I can produce flavored varieties like I tasted last week. I know the ropes of all grain mashing and such, but know nothing in regards to fabricating a still. I do have a few extra stainless 15.5 gallon kegs laying around and would like to make a reflux still. Are there some books that will teach me everything or what do I need to look at to find detailed plans. Thanks for having me and I can't wait to get the build on.

Cheers from Missouri

[rad14701]

Greetings, Pollack...

This site IS your book... No need clouding the waters when you can find everything you need to know right here, for getting started at least... I'm not saying we don't encourage other independent research for specific types of information but that would be related more towards something like yeast research that is well beyond information needed to get started...

You are looking for reflux column design information if you want to make neutral spirits... I'll be the first to say that you can't go wrong with the Bokakob dual slant plate design... From a ease of build and low cost standpoint, it can't be beat... It's also a great performer... Another option would be a dual reducer liquid management column like the one linked in my signature...

We're here to help you along as you start your journey...

Good luck...

[mash rookie]

Beer brewers are way ahead of most beginers. You will do great. Take your time and look over all the still options. Most are easy to build and there are many great recipes (that you will have no problem with) in tried and true section.
Welcome aboard Pollock.
MR

[Bushman]

+2 with what has been said, I also like my VM still and thought it was easy to make. We have some great designs in the reflux design section, I would consider RAD's second design for flexibility or with the right connector you can build two columns, a reflux and a pot still to fit on the boiler. With your experience with beer the conversion to a pot still and making some whiskey or rum should be a natural!

[blind drunk]

Home brewing is a gateway hobby

Welcome aboard.

[Pollock]

How much volume can one distill at a time using a 15 gal keg. I'm not looking into mass production here but with work school beer brewing the gym and family filling my schedule as is. I was just curious as to how much each session will make. I know when I start my 6.5 gal beer batch I'll have 5 gal in the primary. Nice to know what to expect ahead of time

[Braz]

There are way too many variables (still type/design, makeup of the wash) to give a concrete answer.

I think a 10 gallon still charge is about the most you want to put in a 15.5 gal. keg. Some washes can have a tendency to foam and in those cases even 10 gal. might be pushing it.

As to what you can get out of it? Again too many variables, but lets say you have 10 gal of wash at 10% alc content. In theory you'd get 1 gal of 100% spirit. Of course that is nonsense because you can't get 100%, and you only want to keep 50-60% of the total output from the still anyway. Just to give you an idea I'll try to outline my typical pot still method (for brandy, rum, etc.). This is from my most recent grape brandy run:

Start with 20 gal. fermented & cleared wash at ~12%
Run 10 gal. through the still to strip the alc out, keeping everything down to ~10% ABV (about 5 hours)
Do the same with the other 10 gal.

Combine the "Low Wines" from the two strip runs and dilute to 30-40% (around 6 gal @ 35%)
Run the low wines for the spirit run. (Another 5 hours - Yield ~ 10-11 liters total output)(I ferment in Gallons but I distill in Liters)
Make your heads and tails cut (net yield ~6.8 liters @ 70%, diluted to yield 7.6 liters @ 63% aging strength)
After aging and further diluting this should yield ~12 liters of 40% (80 proof).

As you can tell, this is not a single day project.

[Pollock]

Ok so that gives me a good ballpark figure. So I should be able to distill about 4 times a year and keep me with enough spirits to play with and share with my fam. Good deal. So it will be worth it. Now I have to read up the posts. I understand the heads and tails terms. But there are several terms on the site I still don't quite get yet.

Cheers

[LWTCS]

Friends and family???
Shoot,,,they show up empty handed (no sugar) drink down all the work,,,,,then take a bottle home and never return the glass.

Good luck and God speed

[Bushman]

Friends and family???
Shoot,,,they show up empty handed (no sugar) drink down all the work,,,,,then take a bottle home and never return the glass.

Good luck and God speed

LWTCS are we related, I think I make four runs a year just for my son (who by the way is learning a bit of the trade so I don't always have to be the supplier).

[Braz]

I'm thinkin' if you can get by with four runs a year you just ain't drinkin' enough.

[Ian Jay]

.. show up empty handed (no sugar) drink down all the work,,,,,then take a bottle home and never return the glass.

Spot on! I must put that on the doormat and a T shirt!

[Pollock]

Lol well don't forget I homebrew also and I usually have a hundred or so bottles in the fridge I have my friends and fam trained fairly well. If they are given brew and don't return bottles. Then no more brew.

[OlympicMtDoo]

Just had to chime in and agree with everyone else, welcome abord Pollock. Hang on to your glass, I have a pretty fair inventory of outstanding glass myself. The apple pie is pretty good aint it.

[Prairiepiss]

Welcome aboard.
I would like to say 10 gal charge Bra talked about is a good number for AG runs. But if your going for a neutral using something like Birdwatchers or my favorite All Bran I think 12 to 13 gallons is not out of the question. I run between 12 and 13 gallons in mine on a regular basis. But I am running All Bran at 10%. I would stay under the 10 gallons if going All Grain.

Boka slant plate is a good starter. And look up easy flange for your column keg connection. Easy and the price is right.

[itchy]

welcome aboard,, i too stated out home brewing years ago,,, then got into distilling a bit but never really understood it,,a few good runs but nothing to brag about.. i got out of it about 5 years back and sold everything off,, right now im wishing you lived closer to pennsylvania as i need a empty keg and you need to make a still,,, could of worked out nicely,,,,lol,,, you'll find everything you need to know by just reading the older posts and re reading,, if you do a search on something you need a answer to you'll read a dozen things that dont help,, but you'll get a dozen answers to questions you didnt think of yet.. i seriously sit here for hours just reading,,, lol i got no life,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,