Page 3 of 6

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2018 9:37 am
by ozzy rum
Hey all, fired up the still for its 1st run yesterday, found 2 leaks in the cooling jacket that was it so far, i couldent get a full rolling boil going in the keg, i think i had the gas burner a lil to far away going to tweak things a bit today and do another cleaning run, stay tuned...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2018 9:41 am
by EziTasting
:dance: exciting times!

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2018 10:02 am
by bluc
:clap: :dance:

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sun Jul 29, 2018 3:28 pm
by ozzy rum
2nd cleaning run today with a tweak in the heating things now run nicely.

Tomorrow will pick up a box of cheap wine and run that through it, next week some time i will pick up a 60lt fermenter and make up a 30lt sugar wash and do a few of those to get feel for how she runs then do a rum wash...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 10:17 am
by ozzy rum
Hey all, with doing cheap wine run, in a 50 lt keg what is the min amount i should run, i have enough to get 2 4lt casks...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 11:14 am
by bluc
Add water and make sure element is covered. Allow for the amount it will drop as its distilled also so you dont expose element. If on gas i would just top up with water to half full.....

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 11:22 am
by ozzy rum
Cheers for that i running gas...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Mon Jul 30, 2018 3:00 pm
by bluc
Keep an eye on output so you dont boild dry..

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 10:21 am
by ozzy rum
Morning all, well the cheap wine run has been done and went off with out a hitch, about to lay down my 1st TPW :happy-partydance:

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 10:41 am
by Nathan02
I would do a cfw or wbab wash mate. Tpw wont go to well through a pot as they carry over flavour

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 10:57 am
by ozzy rum
Nathan02 wrote:I would do a cfw or wbab wash mate. Tpw wont go to well through a pot as they carry over flavour


Cheers for that at this point i not overly worried about taste for this run and next as they will be getting to know how it all works and the feel for it all before i start to lay down any good runs...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 3:24 pm
by woodduck
Go for a flavored wash. Running a still isn't rocket science and you'll make something drinkable straight up. Tomato whiskey probably won't be the nicest stuff to drink. If you feel you stuff the first run or 2 up just sgick them back through the still. Ya can't go too far wrong. Trying to make cuts on a pot stilled tomato wash will be hard work too I image.

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:48 am
by ozzy rum
Morning all and thanks for the advice/feed back, i have a mate with a t500 and she has a filter and asked her if i could put the tpw run through after i am done and she is going to let me, then i will go from there as to what i will do next with it.

The next run i will try the cfw, still havent found any molasses worth buying as yet, there is one place in town that has it but it is very watery...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:49 pm
by Professor Green
Not wanting to sound like a complete arse (even though I am); It's not the plastic EZ Filter that comes with the T500 is it? I wouldn't put my spirits in the same room as that let alone use it to actually filter any of them. Spirits + plastic = :naughty:

If I were in your shoes, I would put theTPW run down to experience, keep the resultant spirits aside for future cleaning runs and crack on with a proven flavoured wash.

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 2:17 pm
by ozzy rum
Yes tend to agree with what ya sayin prof green :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Only have a 30lt fermenter went to get a 60lt one but guy at hbs was sold out and wont have any more till end of week...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2018 3:07 pm
by ozzy rum
Did my 1st proper run with the still using the tpw ended up with about 5 lts of 40%.

Still was still producing was coming off at about 15% but ran out of gas so pull the plug.

Getting ready to lay down my 1st rum wash, picked up some molasses...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2018 1:32 pm
by ozzy rum
Afternoon all, have my 1st 25lt rum wash in on day 2 of ferment been sitting at about 35c.

Have ordered a 10lt barrel, should have it in about 2 weeks :-D

Now a question when using dunder in next ferment how much should be used? i want to do 3 25lt strip runs then do a spirit run with all 3 strip runs and and all advice welcome...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2018 2:06 pm
by bluc
The more you add thew more likely you are to have a stuck ferment from low ph. Add some calcium carbonate oyster shells shell grit etc when you pitch the yeast or keep dunder to about 10%. From memory I think mac uses about 25% :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 8:22 am
by ozzy rum
Morning all, did my 1st rum strip rum yesterday and all went well have 4.5lts in the demijohn.

Had a but of a taster wile it was coming off at 45% mmmmm toffee with notes of vanilla, going to lay down another was today with 4 lts of dunder...

Re: DIY build help

PostPosted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 8:51 am
by dans.brew
ozzy rum wrote:Morning all, did my 1st rum strip rum yesterday and all went well have 4.5lts in the demijohn.

Had a but of a taster wile it was coming off at 45% mmmmm toffee with notes of vanilla, going to lay down another was today with 4 lts of dunder...


That amount should be right... thats roughly what i get doing a strip run on a 25lt charge, stripping down to 20%.
Prob best only tasting when you do your spirit run as all the diff cuts will be heavily smeared since your output isn't controlled.
With my rum i use about 6-8ltrs or so of dunder.