Some Random Tips

[Geoff]

Just a few tips from my own and others experience. Please add some more if you can.

1. To maximise your wash after derment. Some say rack to another container, I simply run the wash into the boiler after settling, when it gets to the tap level, slowly tilt the fermenter until the first bit of milky wash from the bottom is visible. Stop there. In an 800ml jar, take it to nearly full with the mucky stuff from the fermenter. Discard the rest. Funny thing will hapen over a couple of weeks. A clear fluid will separate over the dead yeast in the jar. This can be syphoned off and tipped into the next wash. It will have as much as 100ml of C2H5OH.

Also, take the temperature at the end of the distilling run to about 92 degrees, collecting these tails. Tip these into the next wash. There is still quite a bit of alcohol in this.

2. Put an old PC to use in your distillery or shed. Make an excel spreadsheet and fill it with useful stuff like

-notes about what is in each wash and your yield
-flow rates and temperature settings relevent to your still
-a calculator for diluting your end product
-temperature correction for your hydrometer
-calibration graph for your demijohn eg height of filling liquid vs. volume
-iventory list of your bottle colection
-wash temperaure calculator ( I made my own)

This puts all useful info to you in 1 spot and gives useful info for improving your product or fixing problems.

3. Carbon can be re-used, depending on purity of your distillate. (eg with a Pure Distilling still, I get 3 re-uses)

Boil the used carbon in a saucepan for 20 minutes with plenty of water. Sieve out the water. Then place on alluminium foil in a cold oven spread evenly, then set to 160 degrees. Leave for about 1/2 hour or until dry. Then place in jar for next time.

4. Use a medicine cup from the chemist as a measure for adding flavouring to your neutral.

5. Cotton wool stuffed into the neck of a funnel is a better (and cheaper) filter for carbon removal from neatral than coffee filters. Just be careful not to have it too tigfht or it will drip too slowly. Try to find funnels with wide necks.

6. Watch out for counterfeit stills. They are around. The easiest way to avoid is buying from authorised agents.

7. A wool blanket or old towel placed around the boiler when it it is first heating will speed it up on cold days.

8. Distilling conditioner to stop foaming is essential in smaller stills (5-25 lite) using turbo washes.

[Sam.]

6. Watch out for counterfeit stills. They are around. The easiest way to avoid is buying from authorised agents.

What do you class as counterfeit and whats the problem with that?

[Geoff]

6. Watch out for counterfeit stills. They are around. The easiest way to avoid is buying from authorised agents.

What do you class as counterfeit and whats the problem with that?

I have seen a copy of a Pure Distilling still sold by a local HBS and bought by a friend of mine. It was poorly made and I have learnt it was made by a bikie gang (Melbourne). It was not labelled as Pure Distilling, it did not come with any instructions. I also does not work properly, tends to flood. I'd say that this brand of still is easier to copy since it is copper.

[busman]

7. A wool blanket or old towel placed around the boiler when it it is first heating will speed it up on cold days.

Don't try this if using gas :angry-fire:

:angry-extinguishflame:

:handgestures-thumbupright:


Bikies selling stuff retail huh? The drugs guns 'n hookers market must be slow :text-lol:


Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread. So my random tip:

Start your spirit run early in the day, it may take longer than you expect.

[Sam.]

Huh, had not even considered anything bought at a brew shop would be a knock off, you would be rather pissed off after handing over all that cash :angry-banghead:

Anway my tip: Dont lean your copper head up against the shed drying at an angle otherwise it will fall over on the conrete and bend the shit out of it :crying-green:

[QLD.Andy]

Never ever ever ever leave your still unattended for more than a couple of seconds.
Things can go bad real quick.

[Frank]

This is in the 'new to distilling' section so......

- when in doubt, do research first, ask questions second and act third. There's no such thing as a dumb question especially compared to a dumb action :angry-banghead:
- if your end product is not up to expectations, pour it back in the still and 'retry' next run. It'll be better.
- if storing neutral/base distilled spirit in demijohns/bottles/etc, safe idea is to have clearly marked labels with ABV% included and secure, childproof storage location too.
- esp when you start out, try to put some away for a few months. It's a tough call but the wait will be worth it!!
- enjoy the distilling 'journey', not just the end product...that's the way to make a new hobby a regular and successful one ;)