Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hi all, I have been readign these posts and getting used to how things are done, I have just started getting back into home brewing and thought to step it up a notch.

I was about to buy an air distiller but from the posts here, thought to leverage your experience and as luck woudl have it, I found an old 5L reflux still for sale in my suburb.

So anyway, went to the local HBS and got loaded up with about $50 of stuff to make the wash (looking for cheaper alternatives) and after I put in the ingredients I stuck in my hydrometer, but the hydrometer sat way above the measurement guage. Anyway, I had no option but to go ahead, any ideas if there is any other oppportunity to measure the alcohol and shoudl I be using a hydrometer different to a beer hydrometer (was told this would be ok to use)

Much appreciate the advice in advance,

Pete

Welcome mate. I've moved your post here so you can introduce yourself and the lads can say g'day.

What do you mean 'above the measurement'?

Forget the HBS shit mate, have a crack at the TPW :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Hi Zak, thanks and hey lads.

Im Pete, from WA and have been getting back into home brewing afetr a few years of going commercial, love the idea of making spirits.Im actually a whisky drinker but as I bought a reflux still, will try and settle for vodka.

Basically, using a beer hydrometer, the water line (the hydrometer) was sitting way above the measurement indicators. the photo doesnt really make it more understandable. If you can decifer the photo you can see that the hydrometer sits too high above the liquid to get a reading.

But I really want to continue with this wash and try and get somethign from it.

Yep, have been reading the TPW is the way to go, will def try that next time.

Hard to tell from the pic, but that looks like it might be an alcometer. For wash (rather than spirits), you'll need a hydrometer. Hydrometers usually have colours zones and measure specific gravity (SG), in a scale of .99xx to 1.xx. If this is scaled from 10 to 100, this is only for spirits.

Thanks for the reply here, this is defnitely a hydrometer, maybe its faulty. But the other issues is, how do I proceed in determining the final percentage when I havent been able to get an initial reading?

Hi mate, test your hyrometer in water, it should read 1.000, if it's broken it'll read different.
If it's an alcometer it'll sit up like it's doing and read 0%

Welcome mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

If it's a dedicated beer hydrometer it may have a smaller scale than most peoples, what is the highest gravity it will read?

Most people use one that will go high enough for wine and spirits.

Also as said your cheapest alternative will be a TPW instead of home brew shop turbo junk :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Homer Brewer wrote:Hi Zak, thanks and hey lads.

Im Pete, from WA and have been getting back into home brewing afetr a few years of going commercial, love the idea of making spirits.Im actually a whisky drinker but as I bought a reflux still, will try and settle for vodka.

Basically, using a beer hydrometer, the water line (the hydrometer) was sitting way above the measurement indicators. the photo doesnt really make it more understandable. If you can decifer the photo you can see that the hydrometer sits too high above the liquid to get a reading.

But I really want to continue with this wash and try and get somethign from it.

Yep, have been reading the TPW is the way to go, will def try that next time.

What's the black stuff floating in that pic?

Welcome mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Wobblyboot wrote:

Homer Brewer wrote:Hi Zak, thanks and hey lads.

Im Pete, from WA and have been getting back into home brewing afetr a few years of going commercial, love the idea of making spirits.Im actually a whisky drinker but as I bought a reflux still, will try and settle for vodka.

Basically, using a beer hydrometer, the water line (the hydrometer) was sitting way above the measurement indicators. the photo doesnt really make it more understandable. If you can decifer the photo you can see that the hydrometer sits too high above the liquid to get a reading.

But I really want to continue with this wash and try and get somethign from it.

Yep, have been reading the TPW is the way to go, will def try that next time.

What's the black stuff floating in that pic?

I reckon it's that carbon packet stuff the hbs sells - more stuff to rip the punter off.
I would have sworn that's an alcometer, but if you'r a home brewer then you should know your gear.
BTW - welcome dude. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Cheers,
Lowie

hi all and thanks for the warm welcome

haha, yeah i would have asked the same question regarding the black stuff and your right, hbs sold me sugar with carbon in it and my wife still says it smells funky anyway.

well i could be misled here sorry maybe it is an alcometer.

moving forward, can i still underdtand the alcohol % of this?

Welcome Homer Brewer :greetings-waveyellow:
No major reason why it's vital to know the alcohol potential of a wash to run it, just as long as you followed some kind of established recipe. Hydrometers are pretty cheap, and I'd recommend getting one, but if you have added the yeast your specific gravity will already be dropping. Without measuring the starting SG and the final gravity your left with only calculations that use the quantities of water and sugar to determine the probable yield.
But like I said you can just run it when it stops bubbling and see what you get.
Happy stilling :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Homer Brewer wrote:Thanks for the reply here, this is defnitely a hydrometer, maybe its faulty. But the other issues is, how do I proceed in determining the final percentage when I havent been able to get an initial reading?

No need for a initial reading measure your ingredients established recipe and it will be the same each time

thats perfect, thanks for this advice and speak soon.

G-day to another Westy,I like ta taste the wash as it progresses,the level of sweetness is a good indicator of were ya are,from very sweet at the start to no sweetness at all and a slightly dry finish at the end,hydrometers will help and everyone should have one in my book ,most have an estimated alcohol potential on them as well wich from your starting gravity will give ya an idear of final volume ,and its certainly nesasary to have an alcometer for dilution of final product and dilution for spirit runs wich should not exeed 40%ABV.cheers hillzabilly :handgestures-thumbupleft:

thanks Hillzabilly, I am always keen to double check where I can.

if i csn asknyour opinion, for Perth tap water i have been filling the fermenter and leaving the water to flash off the chlorine. good idea or makes no difference?

any chance of a clearer pic

i dont think i can, not unless i open the fermenter, but i will see what the hydrometer looks like in normal water

hi not sure if this post is live anymore but i took a reading in tap water and it read 1.000 so all looks good there. cant seem to add the photo will keep trying

What's the highest reading? It's possible that with a turbo aiming at 20% roughly 8kg per 25L that the hydrometer just doesn't go high enough.

If it's bubbling it'll be fine. Give it a week after its finished bubbling and run it.