Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hey fellas,

Just received a StillSpirits Turbo500 condenser and Mangrove Jack's boiler for my birthday. I know, i know, another HBS still system, but it wasn't my decision obviously.

I've read a fair bit on here if late and decided to register so I could ask the same questions as everyone else haha.

My mum has been destilling her own liquor for about ten years now, and she still does the old turbo wash and HBS flavour for her Jack Daniels knockoff. I really don't mind drinking it myself (although she charges me per bottle), but I thought lately I'd like to try it myself after a few discussions with her.

I got my gift and thought wow, now it's my time to (moon)shine.

I really want to run TPW's to make some nice whiskey with oak barrels and dominos. But I have my heart set on a grain wash, like MacWhiskey or a weetbix/bran wash ( can I even do this in a reflux T500?).

Hopefully down the line (when their website is no longer down for maintenance) I'll have a look at the pot lids from 5 stars. I'd love to learn this hobby to the best of my ability.

Based in Maitland (NSW).

Hi birdman, welcome to the forum. First up, your mum shouldn’t be selling her booze and I hope that’s not what you’re planning on doing. The selling of home brewed alcohol is illegal and we do not tolerate it here on this forum.

If that’s not your plan and you’re here to learn how to make quality spirits then welcome and enjoy the hobby :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Thanks Doubleuj. Nah that's not the case. Just a tin on her fridge when I snavel some so she can make more. Not for profit for her or for me. I have enough hobbies and sports to keep me busy without dedicating mass time for other people's drinking habits.
Mitch.

Hey dude, welcome. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Don’t worry about only having a T500, my bud in town has one and makes primo booze with it. I’ve only got an entry level still myself and I’m amazed at the stuff I can make with it.
I’d be stoked to get a T500 as a present. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

G'day birdman, welcome :greetings-waveyellow:

The T500 will be fine mate it just limits you to neutral spirit that's all. If you decide you want to do more later on you can always get a pot or bubbler.

Good luck mate.

woodduck wrote:G'day birdman, welcome :greetings-waveyellow:

The T500 will be fine mate it just limits you to neutral spirit that's all. If you decide you want to do more later on you can always get a pot or bubbler.

Good luck mate.

Thanks Woodduck,
When you say neutral spirits... Does this mean my T500 won't be able to handle a grain wash or it simply isn't worth it until I change the head on the boiler?

Means you can make vodka basically. You wont get true rum or whiskey flavour from a still like yours..
You can distill any wash you want you just wont get the flavour :handgestures-thumbupleft:

bluc wrote:Means you can make vodka basically. You wont get true rum or whiskey flavour from a still like yours..
You can distill any wash you want you just wont get the flavour :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers big nuts. I'll stick with vodka and flavouring it the cheats way :D

Mitch

:laughing-rolling:

Dunno if anyone is reading fresh posts/replies, couldn't be bothered making a new post.

Just after a quick answer, do I need to make cuts with a reflux still.
If I do a TPW, do I need to filter at all or just water down and flavour?

Thanks in advance.

Birdman85 wrote:Dunno if anyone is reading fresh posts/replies, couldn't be bothered making a new post.

Just after a quick answer, do I need to make cuts with a reflux still.
If I do a TPW, do I need to filter at all or just water down and flavour?

Thanks in advance.

Yep to cuts! Do cuts with product from any still mate.
Just water down after doing cuts and flavour. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Birdman85 wrote:Dunno if anyone is reading fresh posts/replies, couldn't be bothered making a new post.

Hundreds of people have read your posts bud, but unfortunately they have been answered near a thousand times and could be found from the search function or even better reading the entirety of the newbie corner ;-)

Thanks Dan, and sorry for inconveniencing ya Sam. Had a look and a discussion with the old girl. Just washing my first batch now (shitty turbo batch that came with it).

Have just started a steady trickle after throwing my fores. Trying to maintain 57, has a nice smell to it so far so I'll keep the heads and hearts together and try and separate the tails for the next cook.

Will let sit for a day or two before run this batch thru the still spirits ez filter that came with it.

Going to start a TPW shortly but will see how it comes out to whether I filter it post cook.

Gotta get back to the still. Thanks guys. A little elated I'm achieving something.

:shock: you really should not be drinking heads either :puke-huge: shit is nasty..

Haha... Thanks bluc, I don't know if I'll be using any of it yet. That turbo wash is nasty. Only yielded 2500ml, and with cuts none of it is very crash hot on the old sniffer.

I'll be batching the TPW now to ferment.

Just triple filtered my first batch. Turned 2.7l or thereabouts into about 5l. Am very happy with it and can't wait to see how my next batch (TPW) goes.

Put 3l down as a Tennessee Whiskey essence. The remaining 2 and a bit I put 1L on medium toast domino's and 1L on oak bourbon staves.

Anyone tell me if I'm doing this wrong. I used about 175g of staves and 2 of the domino's (which doesnt seem enough, but I used the search function).





Mitch.

Uh yeah thats a bit wrong.
Generally 10g/L is what people go for.
Those jars dont look like they hold 17L but correct me if im wrong.

Time will get it to colour properly.
Some leave it for 6weeks if they cant wait 6months

I use 15gms/ltr of oak for first month and then take 2/3 out for longterm aging. Longer is certainly better in my experiences, if you can wait that is! :laughing-rolling:
I work on making my rum 12 months before im gonna start drinking it... well worth it. In this time the rum flavour really builds in body and flavour from the oak.

Good evening my fellow alcoholics... :shifty: :shifty: ...I mean enjoyers of the finer things in life.

Been using my t500 for 18 months now and am really pleased with the product. But I would now love to progress to the next step of running grain washes since I'm only really making brown spirits.

So, I have been reading for days and am struggling to make sense of alot of it.

The next step is obviously a pot or bubbler...but for finances sake I think I'm leaning towards my T500 boiler, a power regulator (although I don't understand what this is for), and an alembic lid/column. Whether I try and ask a mate to help me make it or save up for a 5star.

Another question (sorry). Can you do a grain wash in a pot in a single run....and when people do strip runs (with a pot) and then the final alcohol run (in a reflux), wouldn't that strip the flavours and end up making a neutral anyway???

Sorry to bombard you all. Just don't want to go to my HBS as we all know what route they'll lead me down, and they don't believe in strip running :handgestures-thumbdown:

Thanks
Mitch

The only control you have with a pot still is how much power you apply and thereby the rate of production. The faster you run, the more smearing of heads tails and hearts occurs and a "dirty" product, Hence the power controller.

While a bubbler is a reflux still, it only generally is used with 3 to 5 plates (at hobby level) and is essentially a pot still with a series of thumpers. The main reason for one at hobby level is to avoid doing stripping runs

You can do a pot stilled product in a single run, it is the preferred method for some washes to preserve flavors, fruits are a good example there.

Multiple distillations helps separate the heads from the hearts, hearts from the tails and gives a cleaner product, usually at the expense of flavour, much is down to personal preference.

A thumper added to a pot still is also an option vs a multi plate bubbler or strip and spirit runs on a normal pot.

You have much research to do, in the library there is a good read called "the complete distiller" its a good place to start