HELP for a Neville novice

[Bob Burbanx]

Hi Guy's

I have a few questions if you have the time to humour me. I have read heaps but would like a few things cleared up please.
Is there anybody who regularly enjoys and makes bourbon from a neutral spirit using essence & chips etc or Is it a definite waste of time.
Can I still get a vodka neutral from a pot still?
Stripping is just a fast dsitill I take it.But How do you do speed up a still ?
I am a little confused with the UJSM recipe can anybody spell it out to me how the stripping and the 2nd geration thing works
do I keep adding yeast and sugar every generation or is it only in the beginning ?
Where do you buy bulk cracked corn in the southern suburbs of sydney?
Why are people so unkind ? (Sorry that was Kamal)
Where do you buy a beer keg and how do you get an element for it?
How do you boil up 20 litres of mash easily? Do you do it in the still ? or on the stove.

I mix bourbon with coke anyway and am wondering if all the extra effort making corn mash etc is really worth the hassle.
Although I am quite looking forward to making a mash and I think the pot still is the way to go rather than the reflux still. I think......
I used to be indecisive but now I am not so sure. lol
Thanks for any help.

Cheers

Bob

[Geoff]

I make bourbon from neutral, with a reflux still so that is what I wil comment on. Just because you mix with coke there is no reason not to make good bourbon. In fact I reckon for mixing you need a good robust flavour. A lot of people say that the quality and flavour profile does not matter when you mix with cola. If that was true then you may as well just drink vodka and cola. The main reason to mix is to weaken the alcohol strength for social drinking. There are times when I mix and times when I drink neat. It is just what you want at the time and it is up to you, do what you like and please your own palate, not somebody elses.

Lately, I have been soaking with Essencia chips roughly as per the instructions. When soaking is done I mix Still Spirits classic American bourbon as per normal concentration. This makes a superb bourbon with good balance of flavours. Much more complexity than either method alone and makes a good rocks drink or mixer. I have tried just the chips alone and while nice and woody, there is a lot of flavour missing if you have it with cola.

I also separate out about 6 chips beforehand and char them with a heat gun as I like the smokiness. The flavour is closer to JB but nothing like JD which I dont like much anyway, prefer wooded flavours.

[bluess57]

Kegking.com.au for a beer keg. Was 55 plus delivery. You will need to remove the spear.
Kegking does sell a 2400w. Element for heating keg but many people have been unhappy with the element.
I'm going with gas heating.

Keep searching and reading for useful resources.
Good luck

[Bob Burbanx]

Thanks Geoff and Bluess for your responses.
Geoff that was exactly what a needed to know regarding bourbon essences.
You have swung me back to the reflux still. I like JB also and the SS American bourbon with the charred chips sounds like a winner.
I would prefer the reflux still due to it's ease of use and less stilling runs as I am very time challenged at the moment.

[Cane Toad]

Hey Bob,I can't comment on essences,as I do all mine through a bubbler,then just add oak,I have got my brews down just about spot on.After aging on oak for roughly 4 months,I decant,dilute to 40% then add 75ml of McWilliams port,RR to be exact,to every bottle,and I nor my acquaintances can tell the difference between it and JB Small Batch,except the headache :laughing-rolling:
As for heating,I ATM am on gas,but will be changing over to electricity shortly,no real reason,except I've got a big kick arse genset wired into the shed which needs to be run anyway,and diesel cost me nuffin :D
Kegs,check out the local scrap metal dealers,you'd be surprised :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Elements,spend the bit extra and get a fitting or even two welded to the keg,and use the 1" BSP size elements,you can buy em anywhere :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[haze]

Kegs not hard to find for free or cheap once you decided you want one. Id also suggest you weld on 3x bsp fittings (2 for elements and one for a ball valve tap in the bottom) Dont buy the kegking elements, i did and i regret it as they are already showing signs of the plastic opening up and becoming dangerous. I wish i just welded 2 bsp fittings on while i was welding other stuff and used a diff element. Watch the co op store on this site as they look like they are about to start selling them. Otherwise check out http://www.aussiedistiller.com.au/viewt ... =30&t=1485

Just make sure you have the power in your home/shed to run 2 at the same time cos it will overload a single outlet.

Ive enjoyed using essences and now oak as well its allowed me to quickly build up my stocks so i always have something to drink. Ive been fermenting the Tomato Paste Wash (tpw). I think mastering the clean neutral is a good first challenge if you get a reflux. If your anythink like most ppl with this hobby then you will be motivated to try more and thats where i am now trying out UJSM to see if i can get some more character.

Corn is easy and cheap to get from a Stock feed place. Cracked corn,Maize, cracked maize whatever. Just make sure its preservative free cos i think theres some corn birdfeed out there that has preservatives that would stop your mash going sour.

I cant comment how well my boka runs in pot still mode but im about to try it in a couple weeks. If that goes reasonably well then ill be happy i went the boka option rather than pot.

yeh stripping is a fast distill. Instructions on how to do it will depend on your still choice.

I boil 20lt in a urn that i have. Whatever floats your boat.

[emptyglass]

Well, the best thing you can do is throw away the Kamal record. Its harmful to your health.
But you have to begin the begin (sorry, that was Kamal)
HBS essences are good enough to turn something boring into something ok. But if you want to jump from ok to great, just use oak + time.
"but who has time?"
Stripping and 2nd gen. Don't get too hung up about it. Have a bit more of a look at the "backset" part of the recipie. This should explain it. Your first mash is a "sweet" mash. Still drinkable, its just a taste choice. Most seasoned bourbon drinkers dont like the taste so they save it, and run it through the still later on. Search "feints" when you have the time.
The backset give flavor to the second ferment.
You need to add sugar each time (yeast fuel), if you like a corny taste, change some of the corn each gen. The other way is to do gen after gen on the same corn, and ditch it when it gives no more flavor (about 7 or 8 times)
A keg is considered the most convenient, workable solution to the boiler problem. It can be heated with gas or electric. Its attainable and there is a good knowledge base on how they perform. Plus, just about every mod do-able is on the net somewhere. They are the "commodore" of the distilling world.
If you want bourbon, you want a pot still. It will teach you how to make "cuts", so you don't wake up with a hangover.
A reflux still like a boka, offset head, nixon-stone is meant for neutral (vodka, gin)
If you want to put in a big effort, or are cashed up, a plated column is about as good as it gets.

"I used to be indecisive but now I am not so sure. lol"
I used to be conceited, now i'm perfect, lol. Or as my dad used to say, "Hey, I resemble that!"

[Bob Burbanx]

Kudos bourbon connoisseurs !
I now know a lot more about bourbon than I did before.
It may take me a couple of goes by the sound of it but I will enjoy the challenge.
I can't wait it make my first bottle, it just bring a tear to my eye .
Pot still and UJSSM sound like the winner, maybe a bit of port (Thanks Cupcake)
Look forward to hearing how the Boka goes in pot still mode Haze.
Great advice too empty glass. Kamal needed more bourbon and he wouldn't have given a shit if people were unkind.