New member, building a keg still setup
Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2021 8:17 pm
Thank you for allowing me to join this forum, I have already read many articles and learned a lot. This is my weekend of relaxation and research to begin the keg still project I am planning.
My background is a professional pub brewer for 8 years, and an accomplished homebrewer with 13 medals in my state over the years. I have tons of regulated fermentation space and equipment already. I always wanted to get into distilling but it was extremely taboo in my state to say the least. However, a few local distilleries began opening and the products are very nice. Which made me finally decide to make my own experiments to enjoy. As a Jack of All trades, I believe this is the logical step to take.
Over the years working for my small company gone corporate, I have taken personal possession of some kegs no longer needed at the brewery, and was originally planning on converting them into a beer pilot batch setup and just never did. My 5 gallon stovetop brewing setup makes enough beer for myself to drink, and ultimately I have been switching over to spirits instead. So now I have three 1/2 barrel sankes, and four 1/6th bbl minis. I was thinking about making the 5 gallon keg into a boiler for my stovetop, but honestly don't think I could make enough product quickly enough to satiate my fiancees and my own consumption rates. Besides, its really tall and skinny, not sure how the burner would keep the heat in. I am thinking of using the 15 gal keg as the boiler and the 5 gallon as a thump, or simply running the 15 as a pot still, maybe with with a reflux water cooled tower.
I want to fabricate what I can, but I will likely buy a pre made condenser unless I get experience with copper working. This is where my questions arise. I read that the larger the column diameter is, the faster and more efficient your runs will be, so would I benefit from running a reducer (2" to 3") into a 3" column into the thump, or reflux? Or should I stick with simple 2" into the bend where it reduces to 1/2" into the thump or condenser? If I run a thump, does the column off the pot need to be short?
I am planning on making whiskeys with corn, rice, barley, wheat and rye. I also want to make sugar rum, and I have interest in Vodkas and clean neutral spirits but not as much interest as I have with making blue corn whiskey, and chinese sticky rice whiskey. Of course also the true to tradition corn moonshine. I have read and watched videos all about thumps, and the reflux columns, and standard pot stills. What I don't quite understand is when running a pot still, they say to distill the spirit again... is that simply cleaning the pot out and adding the low volume first run with lots of head space?
I appreciate your time, and look forward to discussing with you, excited to take the plunge into a fresh new hobby.
My background is a professional pub brewer for 8 years, and an accomplished homebrewer with 13 medals in my state over the years. I have tons of regulated fermentation space and equipment already. I always wanted to get into distilling but it was extremely taboo in my state to say the least. However, a few local distilleries began opening and the products are very nice. Which made me finally decide to make my own experiments to enjoy. As a Jack of All trades, I believe this is the logical step to take.
Over the years working for my small company gone corporate, I have taken personal possession of some kegs no longer needed at the brewery, and was originally planning on converting them into a beer pilot batch setup and just never did. My 5 gallon stovetop brewing setup makes enough beer for myself to drink, and ultimately I have been switching over to spirits instead. So now I have three 1/2 barrel sankes, and four 1/6th bbl minis. I was thinking about making the 5 gallon keg into a boiler for my stovetop, but honestly don't think I could make enough product quickly enough to satiate my fiancees and my own consumption rates. Besides, its really tall and skinny, not sure how the burner would keep the heat in. I am thinking of using the 15 gal keg as the boiler and the 5 gallon as a thump, or simply running the 15 as a pot still, maybe with with a reflux water cooled tower.
I want to fabricate what I can, but I will likely buy a pre made condenser unless I get experience with copper working. This is where my questions arise. I read that the larger the column diameter is, the faster and more efficient your runs will be, so would I benefit from running a reducer (2" to 3") into a 3" column into the thump, or reflux? Or should I stick with simple 2" into the bend where it reduces to 1/2" into the thump or condenser? If I run a thump, does the column off the pot need to be short?
I am planning on making whiskeys with corn, rice, barley, wheat and rye. I also want to make sugar rum, and I have interest in Vodkas and clean neutral spirits but not as much interest as I have with making blue corn whiskey, and chinese sticky rice whiskey. Of course also the true to tradition corn moonshine. I have read and watched videos all about thumps, and the reflux columns, and standard pot stills. What I don't quite understand is when running a pot still, they say to distill the spirit again... is that simply cleaning the pot out and adding the low volume first run with lots of head space?
I appreciate your time, and look forward to discussing with you, excited to take the plunge into a fresh new hobby.
