Airstill Guide.

[zwagerman9]

I would like to do a rough airstill guide and any added comments that are informative I'd like to add, I feel that Frank may comment.
More of a guide for novice stillers who go to the LHBS and think, Airstill, Sounds great.
Quick comments here being that, if you are reading this and contemplating an airstill and using it as a comparison to other stills at the LHBS etc T500 etc etc, stop, think, and read.
If i could redo it I'd love to have got a kegstill with a leibig condensor first.
Quick cost comparison.
As a KIT cost note that.
Still Spirits T500 - $900
Airstill Kit Combo $470 (what I paid)

This is the higher cost of buying keg and leibig condensor.
Depending how technically minded you are you can either
get a 50l Sanke Keg for $55 from Kegking,
Or get a 50l Sanke Keg with keg fittings removed and predrilled hole for element at $100,
Keg King Element $50 - I know people will cringe as they are not highly recommended (posts here on where to get other good elements would be good, not sure if there are any other non weld elements like keg kings)
This is a high quote to either build your own leibig or buy of other people who are happy to accomodate on AD or ebay (Not sure on ebay reputation, input here)
Leibig $200.
So when we add up an expensive cost being
$350 for a 50l Keg Pot Still with Leibig condensor
Or you can knock off over $100 to Drill your own holes in your keg an dissassemble. This is a rough quote.

Questions about kegs,
A 50l Keg with an element works out cheaper than buying a boiler and adding a different head to it.
You can dissasemble your own keg, its a bit fiddly but once you get it you save time and money. (look up dissasemble keg youtube)
Drilling your keg requires either a Hole saw, or a step drill bit, remember its stainless steel (look up how to drill stainless steel youtube)

What you will need,
It is easy to obtain a fermenter at relatively cheap costs, you will need one.
You will need a hydromoter
An Alcomotor.
A funnel.
You will need to read about cuts,
Carbon filtering sounds awesome right? well it is useful, but also cheaper to do if you dont buy Still Spirits Filter products, $100 + for a couple of plastic cups etc.
There are other methods, active carbon granules, DIY filters, Look it up (add more info here if possible.

Stil spirits turbo products appear great but are also expensive, it is cheaper to get a good spirit yourself with a bit of time and effort.
The Tomotoe Paste Wash is a highly reputable wash, *look under Tried and True Recipes on forum Board*.
As cuts are harder to make with an airstill but not totally impossible.
My TPW run through an airstill
5-6kg of Sugar
I small tin of Tomatoe Paste - Homebrand etc
Half a lemon squeezed in
Quarter of a tin of Lohans Bread Making yeast - cheap.
4 litres boiling water, add sugar, add tomatoe paste, add lemon juice, top to 25litre mark and pitch yeast.
I prefer warmer starts when I ferment my washes and find that breadmaking yeasts are capable of this, 30-34 degree starts.
OG 1.70 - 1.80 FG - 0.990 - 0.995

The most efficient way to run this through an airstill is to,
I put 1 litre of TPW in the still and turn on the boiler, leaving the fan off, I put 3litres in a pot over the stove and heat to high until boil starts, once boil commences add to still spirits Boiler, attach lid, and wait 15-30 mins to commence stilling spirits.
I discard the first 100ml,
And collect two pint glasses of wash, -1000ml per run, I then collect this into 4litre demijohns for the whole batch of TPW, I will run 50litres over two to three days through the trusty airstill.
Once finished my run's I will dilute my spirit down to 40% with water. And double distill my collected 40% low wine.
Same method, 1 litre in boiler, 3 litres on the stove,
I will use 7 glasses,
1st glass 100ml as foreshots - either down the drain or collect as window cleaner,
2nd glass 200ml - Heads will add to low wines for restill
3rd glass 200ml - Heads will use 100ml to keep as spirits and 100ml back to low wines for restill
4th glass 200ml - Hearts will keeps
5th glass 200ml - Hearts will keep
6th glass 200ml - Tails will use 100 ml to keep and 100ml back for low wines for restill
7th glass 200ml - Tails will add to low wines for restill - This is a very distinguishable smells, like cardboard.

I am left with maybe 600-700 ml spirit which I dilute to 50 percent ABV with bottled water or tap water, once diluted I end up with maybe 2litres of 40percent spirit.

Per 50 litres TPW through an airstill I will get 3-4 double distill runs
collecting roughly 6-8 litres of good spirit at the cost of $20-24 dollars in wash products. I dont count time as money cause I enjoy this hobby.
I plan On running UJSM through this week, and will update on that also.

If i missed anything useful please add,
Also if you find this thread useful inform me, otherwise I will delete it :P
I do not claim to be the master by all means, I still only have an airstill, moving up to keg potstill, just thought it would be useful and avoid silly questions that I asked everyone when I joined this forum and continue to ask.

Haha

Cheers

Rae

[mikejwoodnz]

OK - that's a lot of useful information up there. I will start a new thread "Air Stills 101 : which one and why :" to share my experinces with 3 basic models of Airstills available. My preference, as you will see, is for the 750 watt "Water Distiller". :dance:

[Firedragon]

Thanks for the info. I'm experimenting with air still myself and like to hear how others are using theirs. :-D

[zwagerman9]

Running USJM through airstill.
I make up USJM from HD or this applies with Mcstills bourbon recipe as well but just clarification on how I run it through the airstill.
Recipe as stated on sites.
From a 4 litre run, as stated above, 1 litre in the boiler, 3 litres in the pot over the stove (this helps the process along alot quicker) then once to heat/boil poured SAFELY into the airstill, fan applied.
Discard 100ml,
Then I collect 1000ml all up, final abv down to 30%ish ABV. I collect with 2 pint glasses for initial runs for convenience and they are higher as the airstill likes to drip all over the place sometimes and that's wasted product.
This run is just collecting low wines and to be re-run with 5th generation of USJM.
Its always good to have 5l demijohns or equivalent.
So backset explained, a Sour mash is considered 25% backset, so from my 4 litre wash, condensed down to 2 litres in the airstill, I collect 1 litre, and store this into a 5 litre demijohn with each run, I keep this until my last run of my 25litre wash.
I tend to get roughly 4 to 5 runs from a 25litre USJM because of lees/corn.
On my final distillation of the 1st generation as I collect the last drop of wash, I will add maybe 5 litres back onto the lees/corn. Run my wash through my airstill, collect my 1000ml low wines, collect my 1 litre of backset.
I tend to top up the FV in the morning which I will generally use a big stock pot, add 4-5 litres backset into pot, add 5kg of sugar to backset, heat and dissolve sugar (not to boiling point) add maybe a litre of cold water to reduce temp as to not kill all my yeasties and pour into fermenter.
Then top up to 25litres, I like my temp to be at 30'c or slightly above and fermentation kicks off nice and quickly for 1-2-3rd generations.
I find with lohans bread yeast they survive quite well in high temps and make for a great start to fermentation at warmer temps.
Repeat this process up to your 5 generation where your mash will be sour.
With my 5th gen and 6th gen run.
I tend to put 2 litres of wash abv 10-12% sour mash, and 2 litres of 40% low wines, then take cuts as mentioned above with TPW runs.
USJM - Best stored on toasted oak at 65% is the general consensus, Oak chips etc. Plenty of information in oaking and ageing.

Cheers

Rae

What I find helpful,
Storage of low wines as there will be quite a bit, a cheap solution as Ive found is a 19litre Big W stainless steel stockpot, for $19 dollars, and glad wrap under the lid to stop dirt falling through the breather hole in the lid. Not as pretty as demijohns but you get the idea.

[Frank]

@Z9
mate your TPW results appear similar (I end up with 'about' 2 litres, double distilled @ 40%abv per 25l, 5kg sugar, TPW wash). FYI, I dont throw away foreshots on strip runs AND cut 100ml foreshots and 250ml heads on final runs ...then collect to 60%ABV after that. Never bothered with feints with an Airstill :oops: ...... I also put some copper offcuts in the still for all runs (cant add copper to the vapour path so...better than nothing, I reckon :think: )

+1 on forget plastic filters, I dont both with filtering at all (a good airing helps though), good idea to preheat washes too. I'd suggest that using a DWWG or UJSM wash will benefit more from an Oak stick soak than a TPW.

I am surprised at the Airstill cost for you and am sure making a reasonable, copper potstill still can be cheaper than that.

[zwagerman9]

I was trying to suggest oak on the USJM, will clarify.
I no longer filter either, generally on my double distill I'll air overnight, guess hearts, top in min head an tail, and just put in demijohn with rolled coffee filter so its always airing out.
I do the same when I mix with my SS whiskey profile kit, but only for a week, mix at 50%abv and coffee filter in the lid.
Ive got minimal spirit on some carbon granules and occasionally shake, but double/triple distilled hearts is as good as it gets I think.

With the airstill prices I put a generic cost of the "kit" which you MUST HAVE states LHBS. :P

Potstill is finished now. Will post on potstills shortly.
Managed it alot cheaper than buying an airstill, or a T500.

Cheers

Rae.

Im presuming this will help some master air-distiller :P for clarity and direction. But ill presume someone will think Im writing nonsense. :text-lol:

[Boomgate]

Thanks for posting this Zwaggerman, I am considering buying an airstill still, even though hardcore brewers recommend against it. I am aware of the limitations now thanks to your post and the posts of others. The air still is simply "less scary" than a pot or reflux still, I guess you could call it a gateway still :) I am not planning on making tens of litres at a time, because to be honest... I am a bit of an alcoholic and if I have 20 litres in the house it will be drunk. I want my booze to be a special event. So it is an airstill for me to start with, and then I will move up/across to a pot or reflux still if I feel I need to.

[crow]

Hi, look I take some offence to being referred to as a hardcore Brewer. Myself and the other members took the time to answer your questions honestly and unbiasedly for your benefit only.
You asked what members thought of an air still and did they think it was a mistake for you to get one. The answer you got was unanimous. You have chosen to ignore all the advise you were offered and that is your right and parogative but having a swing at those that that attemped to help you isn't

[Boomgate]

Hi, look I take some offence to being referred to as a hardcore Brewer. Myself and the other members took the time to answer your questions honestly and unbiasedly for your benefit only.
You asked what members thought of an air still and did they think it was a mistake for you to get one. The answer you got was unanimous. You have chosen to ignore all the advise you were offered and that is your right and parogative but having a swing at those that that attemped to help you isn't

Hi Croweater... I did not mean hardcore as an offensive term at all, I am really sorry if you took it that way, it was certainly not my intention.. It was meant as a term of deference to those who know a lot more than me.

Once again, my apologies.

[Merlot]

@Z9
mate your TPW results appear similar (I end up with 'about' 2 litres, double distilled @ 40%abv per 25l, 5kg sugar, TPW wash). FYI, I dont throw away foreshots on strip runs AND cut 100ml foreshots and 250ml heads on final runs ...then collect to 60%ABV after that. Never bothered with feints with an Airstill :oops: ...... I also put some copper offcuts in the still for all runs (cant add copper to the vapour path so...better than nothing, I reckon :think: )

+1 on forget plastic filters, I dont both with filtering at all (a good airing helps though), good idea to preheat washes too. I'd suggest that using a DWWG or UJSM wash will benefit more from an Oak stick soak than a TPW.

I am surprised at the Airstill cost for you and am sure making a reasonable, copper potstill still can be cheaper than that.

I have bent a few small copper nails that I shoved up the vapour path it seems to work ok...
Cheers

[Aussiedownunder01]

How would you like a few copper nails rammed up your vapor path :))

[Merlot]

I dont think I would like that... :naughty: