A couple of firsts...
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2021 1:46 pm
It's been a wild couple of months with lockdowns lifting and work travel starting and home renos half done!
In the meantime, I read and read and decided despite the advice to build a CCVM, a potstill was: a) within my skillset, b) within my budget, c) would get me making what I enjoy quickest.
So I built my first still, a pot still on a 50L keg, an electric element with a controller. no pics yet sorry.
after a vinegar run and a sacrificial run, I did a fancy molasses rum (2 fermenters) and stripped both. discovered a leak so fixed that (first repair), but only collected some of the product I should have got, so no spirit run yet. I decided to start a dunder pit while I was at it (first dunder pit). Since then I discovered my local stockfeed does stock molasses for about $1.05/kg, so just starting an all molasses rum and I can use those strip runs at last!
I then did an all bran, when stripping it smelled delicious (and the few 100ml "hearts" i stole tasted good after airing) so I decided to "tweak it", and did 2 more fermenters of All-bran but with a bit of LME and some oven-toasted oats for a bit more flavour (first experiment).
Last night, I officially did a 1.5 run using the above and the low wines from the first all-bran run to get my first spirit run! It smells and tastes all right, it's just a sugar head so I'm not expecting the smoothest sipper on earth but I tried to be careful with cuts. Tonight, I do my first blending!.
All in all, nice to actually get some product I can drink! (and age).
Lucky I've kept one fermenter busy with beer in the meantime to keep me hydrated.
In the meantime, I read and read and decided despite the advice to build a CCVM, a potstill was: a) within my skillset, b) within my budget, c) would get me making what I enjoy quickest.
So I built my first still, a pot still on a 50L keg, an electric element with a controller. no pics yet sorry.
after a vinegar run and a sacrificial run, I did a fancy molasses rum (2 fermenters) and stripped both. discovered a leak so fixed that (first repair), but only collected some of the product I should have got, so no spirit run yet. I decided to start a dunder pit while I was at it (first dunder pit). Since then I discovered my local stockfeed does stock molasses for about $1.05/kg, so just starting an all molasses rum and I can use those strip runs at last!
I then did an all bran, when stripping it smelled delicious (and the few 100ml "hearts" i stole tasted good after airing) so I decided to "tweak it", and did 2 more fermenters of All-bran but with a bit of LME and some oven-toasted oats for a bit more flavour (first experiment).
Last night, I officially did a 1.5 run using the above and the low wines from the first all-bran run to get my first spirit run! It smells and tastes all right, it's just a sugar head so I'm not expecting the smoothest sipper on earth but I tried to be careful with cuts. Tonight, I do my first blending!.
All in all, nice to actually get some product I can drink! (and age).
Lucky I've kept one fermenter busy with beer in the meantime to keep me hydrated.