Hi

[tokboy]

Hi All, just wanting to say Hi. Lots of great information here. I'm just starting out and have a copperhead still with the reflux and pot head. Ready to run a Turbo wash on Friday and a corn mash on Sunday. I was wondering if anyone has tried the Honey Shine recipe? 1 gallon honey, 5 gallons water and yeast? Was thinking of giving it a ago. Just not sure on what type of yeast to use.

Regards
Brian

[Andy]

hey mate. i havnt tried it but i know honey takes a very very long time to ferment.
there is a recipe that uses honey called honey oat vodka. its just a neutral that is infused with honey and oats. its very tasty!

[SBB]

G'day Tok
Making a good spirit from Honey is pretty tricky from what Ive read around the traps, you'd be better off sticking to a few of the tried and proven recipes before going down the honey path.
When you say you have a corn mash ready to run do you mean a real mash or a sugar head?

[Kimbo]

Hi tok, welcome to the forum.
Id love to do a honey wash, but honey is far too expensive :crying-blue:

[Sam.]

Welcome mate, what's a gallon? :laughing-rolling:

[Woodsy71]

Welcome mate, what's a gallon? :laughing-rolling:

:shifty:

[tokboy]

Thanks Guys, might take the advice and hold of for a while. It looks like I can get some honey for $10 litre. Will try some other ones out first.

[Andy]

have a look around at markets and country fairs if you go ahead with a honey wash. you should be able to get it for about $7 a kg.

[Yummyrum]

Hi tokboy.
Never distilled any. But I have made afew meads .EC1118 yeast works well .
Certainly in meads , the type of honey can make a huge difference to end flavour.

My dads neighbour in NZ did however ferment quite a lot of honey as he had a good cheap supply.
He used to pot still it and the honey definitely carries over.....Fine if thats what you are after but bloody awefull as a base for essences :puke-huge:

[tokboy]

The corn grits, dried fruit, bread yeast came out ok through the pot condenser. Fruity smell and taste with a slight burn at the end. It came out at 45%. Should I run it through the carbon filter or leave it. Will it loose its flavour if run through the carbon?

Thanks

[Andy]

is it actually burnt (did some grit or solids get into the boiler and get burnt).
carbon will take some of the flavour away, that is what carbon filtering is designed to do. However there are some commercial bourbons that are charcoal filtered, so maybe beneficial, maybe not.

45% is probably way too low ABV to collect. should be running close to 80% for bourbon. its best to keep this a low wines and then do another fermentation and collect all the low wines, then do another run of all the low wines together.

Also have you made cuts? this could explain why you have 45% abv
http://www.aussiedistiller.com.au/viewt ... f=41&t=874

[tokboy]

Hi Andy, no its not burnt, I strained it and let it settle before running it. The instructions on the still said to take the first 150mls and then stop when the temp gets to 97degrees.

Thanks for the link on cuts.

[SBB]

Tok you really need to look carefully at that link Andy has posted for you and try your best to work out how to make your cuts, you will never make a good spirit without learning about that part of distilling. It is the secret ingredient between really bad booze and and really good.

[Sam.]

Also use those instructions for your still next time you go to the toilet, it's the most use you will get out of them ;-)

If you are using it as a potstill you want to go off output rate and ABV, temp is related to ABV but it is much better to use a parrot IMO.

You really don't need a parrot or a thermo to run a pot, just do your spirit run with a nice slow stream and collect all in small jars to do your cuts, you will know when the run is done when it either tastes like shit or it is very weak due to little alcohol left :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[MacStill]

Welcome to the forum... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[kiwikeg]

Gidday, here's a honey recipe the distills well. viewtopic.php?f=32&t=2684
I assume coz you have a copperhead still your in nz?
EC118 is good for honey also White Labs makes a specific honey mead liquid yeast.
Bread yeast does well on honey too.