Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Just starting out and need some advise? then post it in here.

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby thedapperbenz » Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:45 pm

Lowie wrote::)) There's your first mistake mate "guaranteed to be good". You only think it's good because that's all you've ever drank, or you've drank some crap home hooch that's been made by people that rely on commercial home brew shop advice. Personally, I no longer buy commercial spirits (or beer for that fact) as it's not that good - that's how craft beer has gown so rapidly. BTW, I reckon some of your assumptions are a bi ton the high side too.



Haha ok got me there... maybe I should’ve said guaranteed to be what I like. But I agree with you 100% which is why I’m giving this so much thought.. I want to get into it, but I know I’m as impulsive as they come, so just trying to avoid throwing money and time away. I’ve been posting here pretty much in the hope that I’m way off and someone will correct me. I think I’m a little high on the costs side, but I also think I’m a little low on the output side, so I’m leaning toward this being something that will at least pay for itself, whilst giving me something new to learn (and hopefully if I can get good enough, something to make me think the store bought stuff is garbage as well).

The only experience I’ve had with home brew is from a cousin that brews a shit load of beer. 1/ I don’t really like beer, 2/ I dread going over there because then I have to drink it and pretend it’s nice.. and it’s absolutely awful.

If I could produce something as good as JD (my fav.. and I know it’s not the best there is, but I like it) and/or Rebellion Bay rum, then I’d be over the moon. Especially if I pulled 10L of it! Haha
Last edited by thedapperbenz on Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
thedapperbenz
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:42 am
equipment: 2" copper Pot Still / shotty
50L keg boiler (electric)
Hopes & dreams

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby Plumby » Wed Apr 25, 2018 4:57 pm

My last rum spirit run was 46 litres of low wines at 40%abv. Out of this I took 12 litres of hearts @62% that I put on oak. I was very harsh with my cuts so I might have had a better yield if I was a bit looser with them.
In 2-3 months when I'm ready to bottle it ill get 26 odd 700ml bottles of rum for around $60, that's $2.30 a bottle, add a dollar a bottle for electricity and that's $3.30 or $5 a bottle if you go on the high side, for a 700ml bottle of 40% abv rum that will not give me a hangover and taste better than anything at the bottle shop.
Plus you get the satisfaction of knowing you made it yourself and you know what is in it.
Last edited by Plumby on Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Plumby
 
Posts: 1175
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:19 am
Location: South East Queensland
equipment: 50 litre keg boiler with a 2200watt element and a 2 inch pot still called Shaniqua with a 32mm over 19mm 800mm long liebig condenser attached.

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby thedapperbenz » Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:06 pm

Boom.. sold.

That is insane. I think my math was way off.. I was assuming I’d pull only 10% of the low wines in the spirit run as desirable.

You’ve been doing it a while obviously, but how hard is it to actually get something comparible to JD or a commercial (decent) rum?
thedapperbenz
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:42 am
equipment: 2" copper Pot Still / shotty
50L keg boiler (electric)
Hopes & dreams

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby Plumby » Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:46 pm

On the hobby scale nearly impossible to make an exact clone, you can however make a very nice drop in the style of spirit you like commercially.
Plumby
 
Posts: 1175
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:19 am
Location: South East Queensland
equipment: 50 litre keg boiler with a 2200watt element and a 2 inch pot still called Shaniqua with a 32mm over 19mm 800mm long liebig condenser attached.

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby scythe » Thu Apr 26, 2018 8:51 pm

I think most hobby stillers find it hard to include the right amount of garbage to get an exact replica of a commercial spirit.
scythe
 
Posts: 1860
Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 6:34 am
Location: Central West NSW
equipment: Dreaming of a 4" bubbler

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby Nino » Thu Apr 26, 2018 11:05 pm

scythe wrote:I think most hobby stillers find it hard to include the right amount of garbage to get an exact replica of a commercial spirit.


:text-+1:
Nino
 
Posts: 354
Joined: Sat Jun 13, 2015 10:33 am
Location: Adelaide S. Aust
equipment: Black Mangus reflux still and 30lt boiler. 4" Modular pot still from FSD. Now a 50lt keg boiler with 2 2400 watt heating elements and a controller. 5 plate bubbler with a 500mm packed section

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby db1979 » Fri Apr 27, 2018 7:34 am

We don't try to replicate the hangovers too...
db1979
 
Posts: 1760
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:47 pm
Location: South of the big smoke in banana bender land.
equipment: Eve - 4" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (sieve plates), 330 mm packed section on a keg boiler with 2 x 2000 W elements.
Currently having a makeover: 2" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (1" bubble caps, no sight glasses...maybe not for much longer!) on a bain-marie boiler.

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby wynnum1 » Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:55 am

scythe wrote:I think most hobby stillers find it hard to include the right amount of garbage to get an exact replica of a commercial spirit.


I think there is some unwritten law that limits quality of mass produced alcohol to limit drinking .
wynnum1
 
Posts: 1494
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:18 pm

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby thedapperbenz » Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:00 am

haha jokes aside, you're all convincing me to get into this even more...

I absolutely love JD (don't mind MM either... or at a stab, Devil's Cut if it's on sale), or Rebellion Bay Rum. I take it that whilst I won't be able to replicate them, that won't be the aim.. the aim will be to better them. Looking forward to it now!
thedapperbenz
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:42 am
equipment: 2" copper Pot Still / shotty
50L keg boiler (electric)
Hopes & dreams

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby warramungas » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:38 am

Aim will be to make something you like to drink.
I've got a partial cordial Tennessee bourbon I like to make for the smell and the taste but it doesn't have the colour or depth of a purchased bourbon. I think its a lot to do with the years that commercial bourbons are able to sit in a barrel.
Learn to make something different you're happy with as its pretty much impossible to get an exact clone.
I made a buccaneer bob rum that my mum still raves about whenever she comes over and she does love her rums.
warramungas
 
Posts: 1436
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 9:38 pm
Location: Nor Perth
equipment: 180 litre fermenter x 2
30 liter boiler
PDA-1
2" four plate modular bubbler
2" one meter long LM column
110 liter boiler with 25 liter (max) inline thumper
4" x 4 plate bubble cap still

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby Clickeral » Sun Apr 29, 2018 11:31 am

thedapperbenz wrote:haha jokes aside, you're all convincing me to get into this even more...

I absolutely love JD (don't mind MM either... or at a stab, Devil's Cut if it's on sale), or Rebellion Bay Rum. I take it that whilst I won't be able to replicate them, that won't be the aim.. the aim will be to better them. Looking forward to it now!


What state are you in? if your in Vic I can probably give you some tasters, I haven't run my gear in awhile as I have so much atm

Have a 50L rum ferment that's been ready to go for awhile now haha
Clickeral
 
Posts: 300
Joined: Mon May 06, 2013 6:54 am
Location: Victoria
equipment: 5 Hectoliters of Fermenting space (120L temp controlled)
12 Plate modular procap bubbler with 1020mm stainless packed sections and super reflux condenser
50L Milk can boiler 2x 2400w or 70L kettle (2x 2200w)
3v nanobrewery mashing

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby thedapperbenz » Tue May 01, 2018 12:28 pm

Clickeral wrote:
thedapperbenz wrote:haha jokes aside, you're all convincing me to get into this even more...

I absolutely love JD (don't mind MM either... or at a stab, Devil's Cut if it's on sale), or Rebellion Bay Rum. I take it that whilst I won't be able to replicate them, that won't be the aim.. the aim will be to better them. Looking forward to it now!


What state are you in? if your in Vic I can probably give you some tasters, I haven't run my gear in awhile as I have so much atm

Have a 50L rum ferment that's been ready to go for awhile now haha


haha thanks mate, very generous of you but I'm in Sydney!

Sounds like a good position to be in :P
thedapperbenz
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:42 am
equipment: 2" copper Pot Still / shotty
50L keg boiler (electric)
Hopes & dreams

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby Dig Brinker » Wed May 02, 2018 1:11 am

I make a pretty close to JD type drink using a modified CFW or BWKO recipe and aging on oak and toasted cherry wood. And I have some rum aging in a barrel that contained port for 27 years that is quickly becoming absolutely fucking delicious. And I also make a damn fine gin, if I do say so myself. Plus my mates rave about it.
With enough research and patience you will definitely end up with something that you enjoy. Plenty of info here so get reading, start learning & get stilling!! :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Dig Brinker
 
Posts: 552
Joined: Sun Dec 20, 2015 5:46 am
Location: South of Melbourne
equipment: 4 inch 4 plate bubbler on keg boiler

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby Darwin award » Wed May 02, 2018 9:34 am

Hmm. Common mistakes made when one first starts getting into stillin;

Buying stuff from the HBS and listening to the advice of the HBS dude...They are there to make money, not to help you make good product...you are on the right track coming here...wish I did before I started out

Getting into stilling because you really like (insert spirit brand here) and want to make a copy of it at home...As has been said a few times in this thread, you'll struggle to make something as bad as they do, primarily I think it's because they use continuous distillation and you wind up with heads in the shop-bought-shit....

staring out small...Counter-intuitive, but a 50 ltr boiler and simple liebig / potstill setup can see you making some pretty nice stuff and the boiler can then be used if you go to a bubbler later on (recommended)..a modified Keg works very well and can be sold pretty easily if you decide this isn't for you

Cost questions...If you just want to imbibe Ethyl cheap as can be then TPW vodka mixed with OJ does the trick @ less than $7.00 a bottle...but much more rewarding to make something nice...from scratch.

Hobby...The greatest joy this hobby brings me is when things go wrong...or right.....and it isn't that they go wrong or right, its the Ah-ha! moment when I figure out WHY that worked or it didn't, I'm currently reading up on everything I can find about esterfication and dunder/muck-pits...It's been a long time since I sat down with a paper written in my field of current employment and read it with similar interest and excitement....The more I learn, the more I understand how little I know about distilling....

Make what suits your climate...I've tried whiskey a few times and now I make and almost exclusively drink, rum and gin
Darwin award
Site Donor
 
Posts: 318
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2015 10:57 am
equipment: Reflux still 1x store bought 1x home made copper 1 x eBay pot still....1 FSD Neutralizer set up and happy in it's new home

Re: Cost effectiveness of distilling...

Postby Astro » Wed May 02, 2018 11:56 am

thedapperbenz wrote:Boom.. sold.

That is insane. I think my math was way off.. I was assuming I’d pull only 10% of the low wines in the spirit run as desirable.

You’ve been doing it a while obviously, but how hard is it to actually get something comparible to JD or a commercial (decent) rum?


mate jokes aside and ill get caned for this but i love bundy rum :oops:
i started stilling because i was going through way to much of the stuff and it was expensive, was spending more on grog then my morgage lol

after a heap of reading i got a pot and mcrum recipe and away i went, not tooting my own horn but what i make shits all over bundy, so make what ever it is you want to replicate and 95% sure you'll be pleasantly surprised at the results :music-deathmetal:
Astro
 
Posts: 192
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:39 am
Location: goldfields vic
equipment: 2" pot and 2" bok on 50ltr elec keg boiler

Previous

Return to Beginners Questions



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 17 guests

x