Canberra noob

[semperviridis]

G'day all

I am a Canberra based noob who has been through the same as many on this forum.
-bought a T500 (both alembic and reflux)
-used it a few times with all the other stuff that stillspirits sell you
-started researching how to really do it and found this forum
-rejected turbo yeast and plastic contact with product
-managed to knock out several (20+ now) batches of gin (all very drinkable, no hangovers)
-diversified into rum made with pure molasses wash, whisky from grain and bourbon from corn (came out great like JD but I wouldn't do it agin without a proper mash cooking and sparge infrastructure... renewed respect for beer home brewers as a result, WHS nightmare from bags splitting with 8kg of boiling corn soup dumping back into the the boiler)
-now using very clear neutrals (thanks to all the advice on patience in fermenting and cuts when producing) to produce half decent limoncello (and other citrus varieties) which are very much in demand.

I got into this after a holiday in fox glacier in NZ south island, and after asking what gin was in a cheesecake dessert I was introduced to the locals who distil and barter (not sell, obviously) their own product which is made from home grown juniper berries- apparently one side of the big mountain there is a microclimate akin to the part of Macedonia where the good stuff grows. I have been trying to make a gin that comes close to what i drank there.

I am no however seeking the 'next step', which beyond:
i. replacing plastic with copper
ii. mucking about with heat belts to try to keep wash fermentation going in the middle of a canberra winter
iii. trying to find some way to curb the enthusiasm of the t500 boiler
iv. trying to find the best NON turbo yeast/nutrient mix for dextrose to produce a 'banker' recipe

consists of
a. wondering whether to stick with the old t500 and modify it to give a bit more control
b. looking for advice on what a step UP from the old t500 would be
c. attempting calvados form scratch (i.e. pressing apples next autumn) and making mead into 'honey b' (wildbrumby used to do one)'

the 4 hrs i spend watching the T500 like a hawk (that still spirits water regulator is still too coarse a control) are normally spent reading through bits of this forum, so I know there is at least one fellow moonshiner in the 'berra, also that the ever faithful 'brew your own at home' guys in Kambah.

any help with a b and c would be welcome

SV

[The Stig]

Welcome, sounds like you’re well and truly on your way .
All I can advise is dont waste time or money trying to modify the T500.
I’ll let others step in to offer help with everything else
Enjoy the forum :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Carol]

Welcome.
Lots of fun and lots to learn.
As fo stepping up, you might like to have a look at this thread on my 2"boka and pot.


viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12638&start=260

Modular so cost effective. Produces high quality product albiet slowly.

Cheers
Carol

[Wellsy]

Welcome aboard
Best thing I can recommend is give Andrew at fives star a call. Between the two of you I am sure there will be a upgrade and timeline path that works for you. 1 word of warning though, be prepared to speed up your time line once you start sing the five star gear as you won’t be able to wait :)
There is a reason we all rave about 5 star gear. There will be no pressure when you call Andrew, the gear sells itself as it is quality all the way and does not need to be purchased all at once thanks to its modular capacity

[Professor Green]

Welcome SV.

Stig is bang on when he says don't bother trying to modify the T500. It'll still be aT-500 at the end of the day and you won;t get much benefit from the work.

Here's a few things for you to think about:

• First and foremost is of course, budget. This will determine the what quality and size of still you can upgrade to.
• Next is where you want to run your still. How high is the ceiling in the area you want to run your still. This will determine what height column you go to.
• Then, do you want faster run times or slower run times. These will also determine the still size. 2" stills are slower than 4" stills.
• Are you happy with the volumes you're currently producing? This will determine if you need a another boiler or can re-use your T500 boiler.
• Boiler choice also limits the size of still you can run. a 4" column will not work with a T500 boiler for example.
• Are you handy with tools? DIY is a good road if you are and can work out cheaper if you already have the required tools.

As with everything in life, there will probably be the need for compromise but here are a couple of off-the-shelf options I can recommend (all from 5 star and all without knowing your budget)

Option 1:
Keep your T500 boiler and grab a 2" boka and the pot head option. This will get you good quality neutral spirits in a single run or absolutely outstanding neutral with a strip/spirit run strategy along with the ability to do pot stilled flavoured runs like rums etc.

Option 2:
50 litre milk can with the above mentioned boka and pot option. Same functions as above except you can do bigger runs.

Option 3:
Straight in at the top: 50 litre or 100litre milk can boiler with a neutraliser. This is the ultimate hobby setup but is also the most expensive. Being modular, you can configure it in many different ways. Variable number of plates for single run flavoured spirits, pot for stripping, or 5 plates with packed section for top notch neutral.

Option 4:
Adult Meccano. With this option, you build you still up with functional components over time. Start with a 4" modular pot and your current boiler and stick to flavoured runs to begin with. The, add a larger boiler (you;ll need it to hold the weight of the still once you add more to it). Next, add the plates followed by the reflux condenser and finally the packed section.

Also, as Wellsy suggested, give Andrew at 5 Star a call. He's a good egg and will see you right.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Prof. Green

[semperviridis]

[quote="Professor Green"]Welcome SV.

Stig is bang on when he says don't bother trying to modify the T500. It'll still be aT-500 at the end of the day and you won;t get much benefit from the work.

Thanks Prof,

Option 1 sounds very attractive... not yet in 4" territory for volume but am aiming for quality neutral leading to clean and flavour controlled gin.

I have read some people have bought a voltage regulator to exercise some control over the binary 'on at full blast or off altogether'' T500 boiler (actually a 'Mangrove Jack' but its all the same retailer). I wouldn't consider it 'modification' but would you regard it as an essential bit of kit?

SV

[Buj]

Welcome.
Lots of fun and lots to learn.
As fo stepping up, you might like to have a look at this thread on my 2"boka and pot.


viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12638


Modular so cost effective. Produces high quality product albiet slowly.

Cheers
Carol

:text-+1:
I purchased the FSD 2" Pot Still and Reflux Still 2 months ago, after reading Carol's thread multiple times. Completed my first neutral spirit run and WOW....love the gear and the hobby :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Carol]

Hey Buj
Well done you!
(sorry to highjack the thread)

Cheers
Carol

[Professor Green]

I have read some people have bought a voltage regulator to exercise some control over the binary 'on at full blast or off altogether'' T500 boiler (actually a 'Mangrove Jack' but its all the same retailer). I wouldn't consider it 'modification' but would you regard it as an essential bit of kit?

SV

Being able to dial the boil down a bit is definitely worth while for spirit runs. I have t500 boiler that I had modified to add a switch to torn off one of the elements when it starts boiling.

[tacman1970]

Welcome Semper!

As far as using heat belt/s to be able to ferment in a cold Canberra winter, have you thought of building a fermentation box instead? Depending on the size of your fermenter/s it would be pretty quick to put together (or get a mate to help if you're not into construction yourself)! I have a number of fermenters up to 120l in size & I put a heat box together using some formply from the hardware store. Because of the weight of the full fermenter a typical homebrew heatpad would break if directly under the barrel. I built an elevated platform for the fermenter to sit on & everything stays warm without any problem. The box is reasonably tightly sealed at the top but has a cutout at the bottom for the heatpad power cord.

In the middle of a Tassie winter & out in my shed I can still ferment 120l washes without too much hassle. Occasionally I have to add a heat belt as well, but only when it's going to be really cold overnight. You can also wrap a blanket etc around the box to insulate some more & you don't run the risk of a heat belt/pad shorting out & causing a fire (that's why I built the heat box in the first place)!!

Make sure you think about how you're going to get the finished wash out of the fermenter before you build the box! Also don't make the box much bigger than the biggest fermenter you want to use as it just means more space you have to warm.

[RuddyCrazy]

Welcome Semper :handgestures-thumbupleft:

To add on to what the Tacman said just make sure your fermenters are higher than the boiler then one can simple siphon the wash straight into the boiler. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers Bryan