Home Distiller

Gday ya'all, SC here from down under. Been quietly reading away for a couple of years here, learning, thinking, taking it all in. Been brewing beer and whatnot in the meantime with great success, took a long time to get partial grain going and get a product that was far better than storebought. Seen some old timers and their poison stills, stock pot, half inch copper, silastic, turbo yeast, dont throw away the heads or tails... fun times. So i know what not to do lol. Been making a few runs with a pot still (all SS and copper) and using the flour and water paste for sealing. The second wash, twice distilled then aired, added with essence. Thought it was OK. After a week sitting in the bottle somehow its magically rounded out, and damn im never buying the commercial stuff again!
So im pretty excited, getting nearer to finishing my boka, not the ideal size but its all i could get hold of. 1.75 inch or in our measurements downunder here 44mm copper column, 900mm high, single helix condensor with coldfinger. Sorry to say, ball valve on the takeoff, and a liebig condensor jacketed around the takeoff as well. Got a stainless bowl and soon taking delivery of my keg, will gas heat it and do the runs outside to begin with but looking for electric elements that will be suitable. This forum and the parent site have been a huge help the whole way along, couldnt solder very well before starting this, now with lots of tips and threads on here ive got a blackbelt in soldering copper and stainless haha. Trick was using the right flux...

Anyhow i have questions to ask, and am keen on any input, constructive criticism and whatnot, thought id best introduce myself here first, now im off to use the search function before i ask any questions so i dont get scalded for asking questions! If i was going to ask questions id be asking how detrimental it is to be using 1.75 inch column instead of the minimum 2 or preferred 3 that you all use? Not much if any mention of it, but the only easily available size for me here...

Welcome to the forum, a lot of people have built stills out of 1-1/2". The biggest complaint is diameter equals speed. My 2" VM with a 10 gallon wash would take me 12 + hours to do a run so I am close to finishing my 4" still (same run should take about 3 hours).

Hi essjay 44mm gee thats an unusual size is that bathroom waste pipe ? think I have some 40mm here but I don't think I've seen that size so what state are you from , I'm in Vic but from SA

Gday, yeah im over here in WA, more or less a different country from you guys in the east!
Took the ol measuring stick to my pipes to clear the confusion, turns out its 2 inch (woohoo!) lol that clears things up, good news for me it makes information more readily available! I think when i was told it was 44ml the guy was talking ID, and one end was a tad squashed. I took him at his word anyhow, damn maybe i coulda found nice convenient fittings for it... haha

Thanks for the replies Im planning on the old standby, beer keg, as a boiler, gas heasting at first but electric elements are looking good too. If it takes me 12 hours im going to have to plan in advance, or do stripping runs in the pot still and save up enough.... hmm this could mean a slight redesign, glad i havent got the keg now haha. Off to read some more now...

I suppose rather than clutter up other threads i will carry on posting here, even if its only for myself to refer back to at a later date, though id love any feedback/input.

99% dont on the reflux setup, need a means to heat it and a triclamp, very close now!
On the pot still front iv been playing a bit, i know how frowned upon they are but i thought id start with the worst and work my way up. I distilled some old homebrew that wasnt the nicest, wasnt the nicest out of the pot either but three trips through and it got at least drinkable haha. Tiniest beer smell to it still but goes well with a bourbon essence in it.
Tried the evil and frowned upon still spirits turbo classic. Didnt try to push massive abv, 6kg sugar in a 25l wash. But I can see why its frowned upon, sour bread smell while its fermenting, dont call it turbo for nothing, an airlock is useless with that stuff. The smell doesnt improve any while distilling and a bit of that smell through in the end product. Im throwing away about 500ml at the start, massive overkill but for now safer rather than sorry. Tasting the heads as it gets out and starting to learn how you guys all do it by taste and smell alone, though thats probably for the same wash every time. And the stink in the house brought on complaints from the wife, which is a hobby killer in itself.
So i tried another home brew store product, Essencia super 6. Same idea, yeast and nutrients in a packet. Except this one ferments low and slow, i went 5kg sugaar in a 21l wash, it took over 10 days to ferment out, with no smell until you stick your head in the bucket, then a strong cider/white wine smell to it. Added finings just to see the difference as well, amazed at how much solids fall out and how crystal clear it came out. The only mention on here of the essencia super6 i could find was on against it lumping it in with all other turbos and one for it saying its not the same.
Count me as another not the same, one run through the pot still and it came out fantastic, the very hearts of it were odourless and tasteless, with either side of that having just a faint whiff and taste of sweetness.

Course i could move on now and look back in hindsight and have a 'what was i thinking' moment, but for now comparing the hearts of that to a bottle of vodka, not much in it to my nose or tongue. Like i said im starting at the bottom and working my way up, so next to try is a birdwatchers recipe. But at this point i wouldnt hesitate to use the essencia super 6 again, so its win win either way; if birdwatchers is indeed far superior and this essencia is a horrible turbo, then im about to find a higher quality drink than iv ever had before! And if its on par, then im already happy with it and birdwatchers is half the total price.

Found a local source for molasses, wheat, oats, sweetfeed and cracked corn, so theres a few more recipes i can have a go at. Onwards and upwards!

Hi ya listen if ya bout to move on to sugar washes and rum give Lowens yeast a try . You can buy it in any woolies store and most other supermarkets , its cheap and as good as any for all those sugar ferments including the sugar head grain mashes . When/if ya start getting into the cooked mashes , fruit washes ect then ya will want a more specific yeast

G,day bloke from NSW.

essencia is a horrible turbo

I could be wrong but I don't think it is. I think its distillers yeast no urea.
I've been making UJSSM and the difference in total yield is marginal.
It will be cheaper and great quality.

Yup got bulk lowan in the fridge, i bake a lot as well so always have a stash of lowans in the fridge. Cheers for the reples, hadnt thought about cooked grain mashes needing a specific yeast, sorta makes sense though from my beer brewng, shoulda guessed that. Another reason to stay away from em for now haha.
Oh well, so far its a pack of essencia and some sugar, will be birdwatchers recipe next up. difference in cost isnt all that much in the end, couple of dollars, if its cheaper then bonus, im more going for a decent quality drink than cheapest and fastest.

Hows the ujssm going, what is the end result of that like? And then what are you doing to it after, drinking it as shine or adding essence or on chips? Its caught my eye but i wouldnt know what to aim to do with it, on chips i would asume but that might be way off the mark haha. Got some of my neutral in a jar with bourbon chips, amazed how quick it takes on the colour and odour, havent tasted it yet.

Essjay, your gonna do fine. Way to go on the research first!!! I wish others that come here were more like you in willing to put in the time reading... keep up tha good work mate!!!

Hows the UJSSM going, what is the end result of that like? And then what are you doing to it after, drinking it as shine or adding essence or on chips?

Doing a few generations for a spirit run ATM. Take only a couple of liters out each time to drink, I like it as white dog but others prefer it with oak. Using charred oak staves, I stress age it in the kegerator for a couple of weeks, then it goes into the back shed for a few months (doing Christmas drinks now).

Each generation is better. Corn taste in the original will bother some drinkers but I love it.

Set up a permanent fermenter (60litres) made a cart for it in the corner of the shed and put it on wheels so I can move it when it is in the way. It is up to generation 4 and is ready to go once about every 3-4weeks. Using Lowman's yeast as well.

BTW I have had some over-oaked results with Vodka using chips. It seems to add masses of tannin really quickly. I generally only leave it till the colour is about right, then add an essence to get it about right for the lolly-water drinkers. The chips will do a second jar if you do two on the first go-round then combine for a single second batch. If you get the oak right you will need way less essence. Be careful chips make heads even more nasty, make sure of your cuts and if you over oak it you will need to re-distill.

Cool, thanks for the tips, will put the info to good use! And corn flavour in it sounds strangely appealing to me haha might have to put one of my fermenters to permanent use for it.

Unfortunately iv seen first hand the long term effects of a dodgy pot stiller who makes no cuts, uses turbo express and dextrose exclusively. Where he lives 40 degrees is a cool day, but no excuse, he has a supermarket, he could do better. Dont think he had access to all this sort of info when he began and he wont change, but he is loopy, dont want to blame the booze but.. No cuts, everything that comes out gets drunk. Maybe about 50ml down the drain but thats all.
So it intruiged me, but a quick google led me here to read read read and re-read before starting. To the point now where im pretty sure i wont poison myself haha done the headache test, didnt get one, huzzah.
Still got lots of questions and experimenting to do, but can always drink or re-run the results, so everyones a winner!

Heres another question, we all avoid plastic and rubber like the plague, but then people talk about storing/oaking in jars, and some are shaking it on a daily basis. what about the plastic/rubber jar seal inside the lid? o_0

Heres another question, we all avoid plastic and rubber like the plague, but then people talk about storing/oaking in jars, and some are shaking it on a daily basis. what about the plastic/rubber jar seal inside the lid? o_0

This is less important where the ABV is 40% but 65% is better for oaking (yes I checked back-to-back).
Best to use preserving jars.
They have a rubber ring and can be sealed with minimal contact with the alcohol.
Rings are inexpensive and can be replaced when used.
The US jars are called Ball Mason, the Australian version is Fowler Vacola.
I recycled my grandmothers Fowler jars and use those regularly,
I use a set of 12 Ball mason Quart jars for making cuts and I put 700ml in each,
In addition I have a set of 6 half gallon jars for oaking.
The other alternates people seem to use are goons when you can get them and 5liter demis from the LHBS.

I scored my jars from these people, their service to me has been awesome, think express delivery next day... to the eastern states at least:

http://www.ozfarmer.com/food-preserving ... ng-bottles" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Would appreciate any other options people are using...

BEST LINK EVER!!! Damn i love this site. Those jars are awesome, especially the one thats listed ad being *for* moonshine, a jar with a handle, perfect! I make a bit of jam and preserves too, those jars are cool i like em. Been eying off the vacola stuff, looks like i have reason to get some now too. Since getting my own house been right into growing and making my own wherever practical. Got a lot of fruit trees just coming into being properly productive, got the creative juises flowing. Hmmm cape gooseberry liqueur... Mulberries, strawberries, heaps of passionfruit, lemons, limes, apples, elderflower, sugar cane, lots of others and plenty of herbs spices and veggies too. So much to do so little time

Iv been using the big moccona coffee jars, leaving a lot of head space and never letting liquid touch the top. Hope this is ok... only been in there at 40% so i should be ok i hope! They have a plastic-ish seal at the top. I bought some decanters as well at local markets, some have corks (not 100% on what grade of cork) and some have the same plastic-ish seal at the top as the coffee jars. Some are just glass so theyl be fine but the angels miht get their share. Some of the decanters are labeled with spirit brands like black douglas, presumably they are designed to be ok with spirits? Again to be safe im just leaving head room in there and not tipping them around and keeping the stoppers dry.
Been making limoncello and arancello for a long time with store bought vodkas, got a few done now that are fully home grown, just the way i like! Also made a kick ass strawberry liquer with neutral and YO brand fruit syrup from a chinese grocery, has every flavour under the sun and with how good this comes out i will be heading back to try more! Couldnt have done it safely and deliciously without the info on this site! Still learning but damn never had results this good this quick with beer...

Essjay, I like to use half gallon mason/ball jars. They have a nice design. Wide mouth. When full, I can easily test the abv with my hydrometer because they are tall enough when its under about 55%. I like to place a coffee filter on top of the mouth, then the lid, then put the ring on fairly tight. It is my hope that the paper will act as a barrier/filter if the rubber gasket were to melt. I have no proof that this works since I've never noticed the rubber melting, but it makes me feel better about that gasket being in there...

Thanks wacabi1 filter papers are a great idea.

Been making limoncello and arancello for a long time with store bought vodkas, got a few done now that are fully home grown, just the way i like! Also made a kick ass strawberry liquer with neutral and YO brand fruit syrup from a chinese grocery, has every flavour under the sun and with how good this comes out i will be heading back to try more!

Thats the way. We have loaded citrus trees here right now and I've got some spare neutral. Might do some liquers as well.

Im liking the filter papers idea too, will give it a go. Got plenty here, i chill then filter the limoncello and others so have them on hand. Got an arancello infusing has some madarin peels in there as well for something different, smelling fantastic. Got surplus of limes as well, might do a lime one too.

Was gifted 2L of molasses, wondering if its worth scaling down a rum recipe to use just the 2L, or doing it full 25L and making up the difference with dark brown sugar, i know molasses is only approx 70% sugars so can do the math and adjust. Smaller wash would be good tho as i have to split the 25 to fit in two lots with my current setup. On that note, fit an exhaust to a yamaha R6 today, the factory exhaust bolts together with - get this - a two inch stainess steel tri-clamp setup! So i scored the clamp and a slip on two inch tri clamp ring, almost like a union/olive part of a compression fitting. Definitely think i can use at least the clap for a keg to column fitting, maybe even the slip ring to solder to the column base. Stainless and its on the outside of the exhaust so besides a good clean it will be fine to use, wasnt in the exhaust path at all, on the outside of the exhaust pipe. But ii took of the cover to start ding the job and there was just a 'hey, i recognise that fitting!' moment haha.

OK, so did some reading and then put two 20l washes on today, a birdwatchers in one fermenter and my own adulteration of the rum recipes in tried and true. Only had two litres of molasses so i put that, 2kg raw sugar, a pinch of epsom salts which probably arent needed, tiny pinch of citric acid also probably not needed, and for luck a heaped tablespoon of tomato paste, also likely not needed but seen it on one recipe somewhere honest! Bought myself a new canister of lowan yeast thinking i was almost out, only to find the one in my fridge was brimming to the top full. oh yeah thats right i *was* almost out so i bought another and poured the rest into the new one... bonus! wont run out for a while anyway. So a good sprinkle of lowans over it all, been a couple hours now and they both have an interesting cap on them, audibly fizzing away and airlocks doing their thing. Looking good, time will tell!

Yeah mate i put TP and raw sugar in as well a all the bloody molasses down here has sulfur in it so i do it to counter that , might not need to but hey it works

Just got back home from going out to the movies with the wife, i walked in the door and smelt molasses, went 'mmm yum' she walked in and went 'oh my god what is that horrible smell?!'
Oh dear looks like a fermenter destined for the shed... not good when it can range from minus 1 to over 42... celcius by the way here. Oh well will see if this lot is worth it, if it is then will need to arrange something to continue. Seems like its all working very well only went on today and looking in the rum batch its fizzing looks like a giant glass of coke fizzing away haha. If i get a captain morgans ish product then thatl buy me permisson lol and i like the molasses smell! Birdwatchers one is doing its thing as well though not with as much fervour. Not much of a smell coming from that one so thats a winner already. This ones the next installment of me slowly moving away from turbos, had to try it and see to get a baseline, turbo classic is sour tasting and smelling and horrible. essencia super 6 im pretty happy with to be honest. If birdwatchers can match or exceed it then thatl be my staple.

R6? Bikes here are all Italian and Austrian. They don't have tri-clamps.

essencia super 6 im pretty happy with to be honest. If birdwatchers can match or exceed it then thatl be my staple.

Doubt'n that the birdwatchers will match it for overall output but there should only be a couple of liters in it. Even the SS turbo won't match it if you ferment it right out, but the essentia will take an extra week or so.
We've been fairly cold here as well I've been making some kegs of Lager. It is normally too hot here to make them so we make pale ales.

I can see how that may have been read, but when i say if it can match or exceed it im talking quality not quantity, im not going for as much as i can make as cheap as i can make, im going for good quality drinkable spirit that i can make easily enough myself and experiment, tweak, change, improve as i do with my beer, cider, bread and everything else i like to make. So starting my experiments from the worst case scenario i did some turbo, then the essencia which by comparison im reluctant to put in the same group as a turbo, slow ferment and a much nicer product, but soon will have the birdwatchers to compare to that as well and my view on the essencia may change too. Thats why i started at the bottom, good to have a reference point! haha.

As for the bikes, the r6 was the only one yet iv found a triclamp on thats why i was so surprised! We get a good mix of everything here, we have austrian and italian bikes too. But they are horribly unreliable when you subject them to 42 degree days, you see them lined up on the roadside overheating along with the harleys lol. And in the dirt bikes, well, you know what KTM stands for right? Keeps Taking Money! Keeps me in business repairing them though, they seem to have all the right ideas but they dont always work out in practice...

Molasses still smelling awesome (and my wife still not likng the smell) but being nosey and inquisitive as i am, i couldnt help taking the lid off the birdwatcher to see what that was smelling like, to my surprise smells very clean and mild, and smells almost identical to the essencia super 6. Led me to do some more digging on the super 6, just cos, found its quite different from the 'turbo' yeasts, more like yeast plus a few of the ready to go powdered nutrients and ph buffers that you can buy yourself anyway. Wonder how itd go if i dehydrated a bunch of tomato paste and ground it to powder and mixed with yeast, home made premix haha. scoop of this, sugar, water, good to go. Not worth the effort obviously but amusing thought to me at least.

Bubbling away nicely, cant wait for these to finish, very keen to try them out, but cant rush these things. I scored 32 750ml spirit bottles with cork caps, yes spirit grade cork, the lot of them for $15, i collect those sunday, believe i may need them!

umm essjay you can buy dehydrated tomato in powder or flake so unless ya getting ya paste for less than free i would have to concur

you can?! Cool havent seen it, well i wonder if its economical to do that then lol be easier to store anyhow. Was just musing to myself for the most part though.
Sent the missus some links to liquer recipes on this and *ninja edit by myself cos i mentioned the name of another forum which im not a member of but doe come up on google when searching* site, came home to find she is making some cherry liquer tonight, on top of the passionfruit, limoncello, arancello, mixed citrus, mandarin and strawberry ones she has made so far. I have standing orders to produce more neutral lol and thats fine by me.

Welcome to HD

Cheers been lurking a few years learning and whatnot but right into the swing of things now. My rum came out good hope it ages well, giving it the time it deserves. Bird watchers stalled, might can it and try again paying more attention to things like ph and take proper readings this time

Hey high five on ya rum finishing reasonable quick , don't forget there's likely a tad of sulfur in ya molasses so don't chuck any acid in ya backset , may even need a small amount of alkaline I did with the one I put back down today

Ah hah, I'm glad Iv got some knowledgeable people looking out for me, yeah finished real quick and dry, sad the bird watched didnt do the same but it smelt dead on like the essencia super 6 Iv done before which comes out really clean so that's encouraging, will chuck another couple on when I can get to the shop for more yeast food (read: sugar)

Is there a nice way to save/store some backset? Im off to use the search function but you seem knowledgeable I the matter, if it's all good to save a bit in the fridge for a week of two or some other way that would clean it all out and do a couple bird watchers or similar to replenish my stock of neutral, then get some more rum and maybe a ujssm down too, but if there is no good way to keep the backset on the back burner then I guess it's now a dedicated fermenter lol

Scratch that, search function to the rescue! Seems I missed some pretty handy info, looks like I chucked a lot of flavour down the drain, only kept a small amount of dunder, and only kept little of the run oils too, knew I was keeping them but the missus was at me to finish up for dinner so I didn't run much into the tails at all, not a bi deal on neutral but on rum d'oh! Oh well good reason to begin again, least my cobbled together recipe works, and Iv got a base reference point to compare to which is always good.

Don't sweat it Its personal taste if ya use them or not I don't some do obviously , I might have to try it one day just smells like pus to me (Rum oils/tails)