Hi from southside Brisbane.

by **Bootross** » Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:23 pm

Hi all, I've been lurking on the forum for a couple of weeks now trying to absorb as much information as possible, but I think its time to come out of the shadows and say g'day.

I used to distill about 8 years ago using my housemate's still spirits super reflux still, using turbo+clear+carbon and thought it was OK, but always had a 'hooch' flavour to it.

I've been eargery reading about TPW, and am keen to get back in the game. Fortunately I have another mate that also owns a super reflux still and is heading overseas for a couple of years. Being the stand up guy that I am, I've offered to take care of it for him while he's away.

I managed to rustle up a 70L food safe drum from tilkey for the princely sum of 27.50, and I've been acquiring sugar from the supermarket at an inconspicuous rate for a while, to the point that the missus is giving me a hard time about my stockpile. Got my lowans yeast, Epsom salt and citric acid, the only thing I'm waiting on is my adhesive thermometer to stick on the barrel so I don't cook my yeast.

I'm exited at the prospect of having a bubbler one day to begin making proper rum instead of using essences, but I'm a little time-poor at the moment as well as being regular-poor too, so in reality its probably a little way into the distance.

Looking forward to becoming a valuable member of this friendly community.

by **Kimbo** » Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:14 pm

Welcome to the forum Bootross,
sounds like your well on your way mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **Bushy** » Tue Oct 15, 2013 11:47 pm

Hey Boots :greetings-waveyellow:

by **CHEROKEE** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:03 am

Go straight for the Bubbler (preferably the six inch) for the Time Poor considerations. Then you'll have more time for
everything else, including the fermentations and the rest of the day. Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **Smbjk** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 5:57 am

Welcome mate. Great to hear another brisbane brewer :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: . I'm on the western suburbs :D. Plenty of info and help on this siight so you wont go wrong. Why dont you have a look at building a 2"pot still. Easy to make and cheap as. I even have a spare keg that you can use as a boiler if your interested :D also pot stills will make a great rum or what ever flavoured spirit you want also great for striping your tpw so you can make a great natural in your reflux still :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **dogbreath vodka** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 6:13 am

Welcome Boots....
We all have to start somewhere in this hobby and you can't get any better than here.
:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I'm an ex Brisbane boy ... Redlands was a nice area ... at the time.

Take your time and you will learn heaps not only here but with your own experiments.

Cheers
DBV

by **BackyardBrewer** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 6:37 am

Welcome mate. You can never have enough sugar. When the wife says "do we need anything from the shop?" I always answer "MORE SUGAR!":-)

by **Dominator** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 6:38 am

Welcome mate. Like the other blokes have said, a 2" pot still will make you a nice rum. You could possibly even get an adapter so it will mount on your mates still spirits boiler. Don't worry about acquiring your sugar in inconspicuous amounts. I went to coles the other day and got 20kg of sugar, a box of corn flakes and some bakers yeast, infact I always get my sugar in bulk from the supermarket. :shifty:

by **Bootross** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 7:39 am

CHEROKEE wrote:Go straight for the Bubbler (preferably the six inch) for the Time Poor considerations.

I was thinking more along the lines of a 4 inch bubbler, 6 seems like it might be overkill at this stage. You'd need some serious power to push a 6 inch, but a 4 inch will run happily at 2400w from what I understand. If I find that I need more capacity, I can always build a 6 later on down the track.

Smbjk wrote: Why dont you have a look at building a 2"pot still. Easy to make and cheap as. I even have a spare keg that you can use as a boiler if your interested

I might do that, I actually have about 800mm of 50mm copper in the shed already and also a keg that I've partially modified for element, drain and fill port. I might punch out some neutral to tide me over with what I've got then see if I can't cobble together a pot still to start making the real deal.

Dominator wrote:You could possibly even get an adapter so it will mount on your mates still spirits boiler. Don't worry about acquiring your sugar in inconspicuous amounts.

The adapter sounds like a good idea, is it an off the shelf item, or will I need to build something myself?
It's easy enough to grab 2kg of sugar every time the missus or I go to the shop, and I like the idea if flying under the radar. You never know who might be behind you at the checkout.

Thanks for the warm welcome fellas, hopefully down the line I'll have useful information to contribute to this brilliant knowledge base.

by **monkey** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 11:02 am

Welcome mate.

I know what you mean about the time and money poor just finished collecting copper to start my bubbler build. I work on mine while the family sleeps so no power tool noise allowed :angry-banghead:

I'm on the north side of Brissy if you want any tips on where I have gotten my stuff together from the locals just give me a shout.

by **Smbjk** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 11:35 am

monkey wrote:Welcome mate.

I know what you mean about the time and money poor just finished collecting copper to start my bubbler build. I work on mine while the family sleeps so no power tool noise allowed :angry-banghead:

I'm on the north side of Brissy if you want any tips on where I have gotten my stuff together from the locals just give me a shout.

:text-+1: I know of a few good places. United metals near portside (before gateway bridge turn off) has heaps and heaps of 2" 3" and 4" at the moment :handgestures-thumbupleft: :D

by **Bootross** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:16 pm

Smbjk wrote: I know of a few good places. United metals near portside (before gateway bridge turn off) has heaps and heaps of 2" 3" and 4" at the moment

Thanks for the tip, I saw you mention that in a different thread recently, I really should head up there and grab a couple of metres of 4", just in case ;-)

by **tipsy** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 12:29 pm

BackyardBrewer wrote:Welcome mate. You can never have enough sugar. When the wife says "do we need anything from the shop?" I always answer "MORE SUGAR!":-)

:)) My missus is getting sick of hearing that.

Welcome Boots

by **Smbjk** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 3:41 pm

Bootross wrote:
Smbjk wrote: I know of a few good places. United metals near portside (before gateway bridge turn off) has heaps and heaps of 2" 3" and 4" at the moment

Thanks for the tip, I saw you mention that in a different thread recently, I really should head up there and grab a couple of metres of 4", just in case ;-)

Theres heaps there and if you ask them nicely they will cut to length for you if the piece is too big :D

by **Bootross** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:19 pm

I don't understand what you mean by "if the piece is too big". I'd say your still is too small of you have any copper left over. 8-}

by **Smbjk** » Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:25 pm

Bootross wrote:I don't understand what you mean by "if the piece is too big". I'd say your still is too small of you have any copper left over. 8-}

Some of the pieces are over 2m long so if you ask them they will cut down to a more appropriate size so you don't buy too much and waste money :handgestures-thumbupleft: my 1m piece of 3" the other day cost $40

by **Bootross** » Mon Oct 21, 2013 10:45 am

Well, I've got my first tpw bubbling away in the laundry, put it down Friday night

It's ~75L with:
16kg sugar
about 700g of leggos "no added salt" tomato paste
1/2tsp Epsom salts
3/4tsp citric acid
about 200g lowans yeast.

Initial SG was 1080 and temp is currently sitting at 27C.
I'm getting about 2 bubbles per second through the airlock, does that sound about right?

I was also wondering if anybody could give me some insight into what a weet-bix wash smells like?
I'd like to give one a go after my TPW clears to compare the two. The TPW just smells "yeasty" which doesn't bother me or the boss of the laundry, but i don't want to get her offside by brewing a weet-bix wash if the smell isn't as subtle.

by **monkey** » Mon Oct 21, 2013 10:50 am

Haven't done a Weet-Bix wash yet however your TPW sounds it's under way nicely. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

by **colsmename** » Mon Oct 21, 2013 4:15 pm

monkey wrote:Haven't done a Weet-Bix wash yet however your TPW sounds it's under way nicely. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Hi, I did a weetbix wash, and cleaned it up in my pot, I wouldn't call it a neutral, but I wouldn't call it totally flavourless either, anyway the TPW has worked fine for me, as has the rum and Mc whiskey, specially after I learned to use the alcometer properly.........lol, But so far it's been fun working it all out now that I've worked out the difference between ABV and proof, I'm enjoying twice as much. :-D

by **Bootross** » Mon Oct 21, 2013 7:02 pm

colsmename wrote:Hi, I did a weetbix wash, and cleaned it up in my pot,

How would you compare the smell of the fermenting weet-bix to the TPW?