G'Day All From Nth QLD

[Haza]

G'Day All,

I'm Harry, from sunny Nth Queensland and have been a long time home brewer, I started brewing way back in 1994 with kit & kilo due to having a Mrs who was not working, well I suppose looking after three kids under 3 is hard work - but things were tight on one wage and I couldn't afford to buy a carton of beer some fortnights.

One thing led to another and I moved up to making my own beers from extract and then finally onto all grain mashes and boils. After many years my 3 vessel system is finally complete and I can knock out two 50litre back to back batches in about 8 hours including clean up - so yep I am pretty squared away with water chemistry, recipe development and fermentation control.
I have even played with reusing, freezing and culturing yeast & lacto for sour beers but that’s another thing all together geeking out on methylene blue, hemocytometer cell counting while staring into a microscope is not something that really floats other peoples boats.

I was finally talked into having a crack at distilling. Unfortunately I paid plenty of attention to the Methanol myth as spoken about with every second beer brewer and was too afraid of having a crack, after all my only experience was with mates who had used the Turbo yeasts 6 Kg of sugar a handful of liquid carbon and produced crap that smelt like nail polish remover until they filtered the stuff and then mixed it with some essence to hide the off flavours.

Besides that, every time I had drank the stuff that my mates made I would wake up feeling like I was recovering from an autopsy. :mad:

Then I had a go at one of my mates whiskey that he convinced me to mash for him on my 3 vessel rig – malt is malt and water is water so I mashed it boiled it to the gravity he wanted and then threw it in a couple of no chill cubes for him after a 30 minute boil.I had completely forgotten about it until he sent me a bottle of his whiskey that I had mashed for him and I was so impressed and after a conversation with him I was talked into giving distilling a try.

The Mrs was stoked as she loves a vodka so off to the LHBS to get some other stuff and we were sold a Turbo 500 – If only I had have done more research and found this forum first! - but it is what it is I suppose and for a relatively minor outlay it got me started. Its like Kit & Kilo beer it gets you started and you can always go bigger from there.

I am now in the process of building a 2” modular still – to be fair I was sold an absolute disaster as a boiler from the LHBS and after being told by my son about the dangers of plastics and solvents (he’s studying at Uni to be an industrial chemist) there’s no way I am comfortable with the advice I received from my local home brew shop – it’s clear the staff are blissfully unaware of the risks.

Anyway I have now got my first TPW in the fermenter, looks great, and I didn’t even have to put a bunch of liquid carbon into it or 1/2kg of yeast – it’s bubbling away with temperature control and it should produce something that doesn’t smell like paint stripper :D

Anyway, that's it for me for now, take care all, and thanks for all of the great posts on here.

Cheers

Harry

[Haza]

And when I say disaster I mean it ........

Here’s what was suggested to us by the HBS as an alternative to a SS boiler, apparently these are popular because you can ferment in them and then when you are done fermenting you can switch the lid over and mount a T500 still on top of the other lid - which cracked by the way so I no longer have it:

Looks like a normal fermenter right?

Fermenter - Boiler 1.jpg

Fermenter - Boiler 3.jpg

But wait this is what's going to make you loose whatever your drinking out your nose.... TA DAH - You can also boil your wash in it and with the spare lid provided with the 2" hole pre cut you mount the T500 on it and distil away - I'm not making this $#^T up - this was the solution that we were offered needless to say the first run is now used for starting the BBQ and as a sanitiser.

Fermenter - Boiler 4.jpg

Fermenter - Boiler 2.jpg

PLEASE DO NOT DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS! I was super reluctant to post pictures of the LHBS train wreck that we were sold in case anyone tried to replicate this.

Anyway cheers

[RuddyCrazy]

Well welcome to this forum mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

A mate at work over the xmas period bought a T-500 did the turd polishing thing and said the next day he had a crook gut and after I talked with him he wrote down word for word how to make a TPW. I did say run it twice to get the best and learn about low wines and cuts.

It does look like your on the right path mate so keep reading and learning the right way to make a drop :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers Bryan

[Wellsy]

Welcome Haza
Firstly you are not alone, lots have started on the path you have mate. Some of us were lucky we found this forum before buying anything. Where ever you start we are all heading in the same direction. Many of us start with the sugar washes and then head towards all grain , something it sounds like you have a great understanding of.
Keep reading and asking questions mate.
If you are unsure what options you have for boilers, stills etc give Andrew at Five star a call. He will not push anything down your neck but simply give you honest reliable advice mate,no sales pressure. He does not need to cos his gear really is that good :)
Have fun and enjoy this rabbit warren we call distilling lol

[Professor Green]

Welcome Haza.

Sounds like you've got the fermentation process in the bag.

That boiler photo made the hair on my arms stand on end... I cannot believe there are stores out there selling these. I'm glad you're not using at any more.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

[bluc]

Holdy crap lost for words.

You will surely make awesome whiskey when you get your pot built.
Getting your pallete dialed in by doing cuts is first major mission after safety.

[RC Al]

Welcome mate

Sounds like your of to a good start despite the efforts of your lhbs :handgestures-thumbupleft:

That bucket is something else

[The Stig]

You’ll have your 50L milk can and accessories before you know it so you can dump that bucket .
Fun time ahead :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[bluc]

The plastic bucket is a whole nuther level of stupid..