gday gday from SA and a few noob questions

[googe]

My first pot cost about $60 to make, I got offered a keg for free but gave the dude $40 just because he was being decent, I brought a 3 ring burner for $50 then I found one down the road in hard rubbish for free :angry-banghead: . Just used the bottle and hose off bbq. So cost me bugger all really and im still using the same still. but, after you do build your first it's down hill from there, bubblers, parts, ten tons of solder, it's very addictive :laughing-rolling: . Like bt said, ask around, you would be amazed at how people will help if you ask, there ARE some good people in the world.

[hubs]

well i guess i wont be getting into this hobby :(

apparently you need a bit of coin to get started in this art form... ive tryed to look at a few bits and pieces but it all seems fairly pricey i emailed mcstill enquiring about an entry level sort of still to get started in but apparently " I just think you would be wasting your time and effort with such a low budget and still size." was what i got :(

i mean is there no way to just get started in this hobby without having to sink $500-1000 for some semi professional setup, it would be a bummer if i did sink that sort of money and didnt want to continue stilling. for that sort of cost i would get a homebrew beer kit, kegs and a fridge, fermenter... the whole works.


All you fellas on here are great, friendly, awesome people hopefully ill see yous on the beer side of things ;)

good luck to all and thanks for the info while ive been here.

Look at pricing another way. How much is a bottle of grog you buy and how long it lasts you until consumed. Calculate that over a period of time, say 12 months if you`re a regular drinker. Up front costs might be a put off, but if you look at the long term amount, you could`ve bought now and started to save money. You brew beer by the sounds of it and lets say one batch turns out not so good. What do you do? Distill it, no waste.

[Kimbo]

Hi King,
that's fine, you don't have to pay anyone anything to get a still.
Just keep going to the bottle shop, and when you are forking out $30 odd bucks per bottle remind yourself that you could have made it yourself for $2 :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[bt1]

+1 kimbo,

true that....

I get a bit peeved at ppl saying start up costs are too much...Geez if you do your homework like googe mentioned $60 FFS..how good is that?

Apart from cost you get to be involved..truly a passion..it's hell better than sitting on your butt .... you get to learn grow and develop skills.


said enough
bt1

[Urrazeb]

1K will sort you out no worries, and once you start chances of stopping are slim trust me.

savings continue for much longer than the pain of the initial outlay

[SBB]

My first pot cost about $60 to make, I got offered a keg for free but gave the dude $40 just because he was being decent, I brought a 3 ring burner for $50 then I found one down the road in hard rubbish for free :angry-banghead: . Just used the bottle and hose off bbq. So cost me bugger all really and im still using the same still.

Way to go Google :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:
This doesn't have to be an expensive hobby to get into, just takes a little initiative and a bit of work to do it the cheap way as you've proved.
I cant even begin to imagine trying to use a 5L still for that matter, Imagine trying to make decent cuts :handgestures-thumbdown:
King you really would be better to take your time , scrounge the bits you need and then have a crack at building your own keg based pot still , That is if you need cheap.

[theking123]

Thanks for the responses fellas..

i wasnt making you out to be an outright mug mcstill, i apologize if it come across that way BTW my apologies for leaving out the sorry part.. Although you say $200 is such a low budget but then go on to say i could be setup for $240? I mentioned the shitty chinese stills as a reference sorry if i wasnt clear on that.. i mean theyre pretty much plug n play with no hassels and i mean really what entry level distiller wouldnt want something that easy? when i first started looking at this hobby i didnt think id be up for building a still eh eh. Obviously i have to do some research into how i can make one of these keg stills as i know fuck all about them, im unsure of how to wire them up etc is there a how to on it? my first inquiry was to get someone to build me on as im unsure of what to do.

Of course im not keen on paying $40 for a bottle of jds everytime, and id love more then nothing then to brew my own and i know i would be addicted straight away hence how i am with brewing beer..

i havent researched properly, so my bad..

so what parts would i be looking at here? if anyone could please help?

Heating element
Keg
Gaskets??

what else would i need??

[Kimbo]

Hi King,
All good mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:
what i would recommend is have a look at the recipes, decide how you want to make your hooch ie, with essences or grains.
if you want to go down the essence road, you will need a Bok to make a neutral spirit.
If grains is what you decide (and i recommend) then a pot still is the way to go.
Also, have a look at the Co-op, check out the DIY kits. All this put together will help you decide. ;-)

[theking123]

Thanks for the speedy reply kimbo..

in your opinion why would grains be better then essence flavourings? is it just the wow factor you get from using grains, is it significantly better?? i would be happier either way but wouldnt mind the easier road for simply learning purposes.

sorry to be a noob but whats a BOK

http://aussiedistiller.com.au/webstore/ ... duct_id=50

mcstills pot still looks amazing, is it just a matter of connecting the premade copper still piping to the keg as well as a heating element and starting up from there? is there any other ideal equipment?

[BackyardBrewer]

Essences just aren't close. Sorry but they're so fake. Say you want a peach schnapps. You can buy a tiny bottle of chemical artificial flavouring, add some sugar shake it up and drink...

... or you can get fresh peaches and steep them in neutral for a month then filter it and let it mature for another 2 weeks and drink...

One tastes exactly like fresh peaches and one tastes fake.

Ever had a banana lolly? Damn tasty sweetie. But it ain't no banana:-)

Grain is a different beast to essences, it's what the real stuff is made from. By all means go the essences, I still use them for gin now and again but I'd prefer to use real coffee in my kahlua than a bottle of essence. The difference is incredible.

[Kimbo]

No worries mate,
I prefer using grains because:
- cheaper
-more variable to suit your taste.
- a pot still is usually cheaper and easier to build.
-I now rarely visit the brew shop

Bok- this is a type of reflux still needed to get a flavourless spirit in one run.
-generally a more complex still, which depending on how it's built can be detuned to run as a pot still.
-the flavourings can work out quite expensive, but lots of people swear by them (I never had much luck)

that pot still in the Co-op is very good value for money and comes with Mac's Phone number for support :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[theking123]

wow well said..

well obviously the road to take is grains.. i love the way you said "ever had a banana lollie? its sweet but it aint no banana" haha gold.

so im looking at a pot still, as per recommended for grains.

i guess i have to kindly ask mcstill and order his pot still kit if hes up for it.. are the kits easy to piece together?

[Kimbo]

. are the kits easy to piece together?

Yes, check out the Soldering thread in the "tips from the workench" page :handgestures-thumbupleft: