Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Resist
It looks like you have to go the other way - buy the boka as a kit - and then add the pot head later.
I think you can detune the boka to run it as a sort-of-pot-still but Andrew will know about that.

Cheers
Carol

The Stig wrote:There is no issue with the capacity of the turbo boiler at all.
And all of the 4” modular is used when growing it into a full blown bubbler.
Plenty of people have/are doing the upgrade path as time and funds allow.
Feel free to call for a chat about the stills if you like.
0423164303
Cheers

I have literally just done this.... Bought 4" FSD Pot in March, then discussed with Andrew last week (thank you for all the help ^:)^ ), what extra kit I needed to turn it into a 4" Neutraliser, along with a nice 200L Milk Can boiler. On Monday, I take delivery :music-deathmetal: can't wait!!!

I ran the 4" pot on a T500 boiler for a short while, with a ceiling hook and rope supporting some of the weight; works well.

Thanks Stig and Carol for the clarification on the 2" pot to boka upgrade path. So the most efficient option is getting a boka with pot head attachment from the beginning, if I'm taking this route. No dramas, just need to make sure I'm committed to this hobby long term. I'll be doing a LOT of distilling with my T500 in the next few months to help me decide.

I'm also looking at a few other Aust-made pot stills that come highly recommended on FB groups like "Distilling Australia". There are some great options on the market. But from everything I can see, the 5Star products honestly do seem to have the best price/quality ratio, so I'm pretty sold on them, assuming I do upgrade from the T500.

I'm running a dandelion wash some time in the next few days. Similar recipe to kale wash, but using dandelion greens. It fermented vigorously and smells like beer, so I'm optimistic. Might have to post up a recipe/report if it turns out well. Dandelions are actually packed with nutrients, and grow everywhere as a weed, so could be a good alternative to kale, we'll see :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Good plan to make sure it is a long term hobby before you commit the $$$.
I figure that my FSD Boka and pot will see me out!!! I am 67 and literally a little old lady so this set up works really well for me. The initial outlay is there but after that it is pretty cheap to play with all kinds of experimental projects. It also fits in with time available so the washes can sit until I have time, the low wines can sit until I have time etc. And the still stuff packs up into a small space. And you get to drink what you have made and share with friends and family. So for me it is the perfect hobby.

Please post the update on the dandelion wash. My son is into foraging and we talked about dandelions and nettles as possible infusions but I had not thought about a wash. That could be interesting. As Wellsy says - so many recipes - so little time!

Cheers
Carol

Hi Carol,

Buy it for life is a great philosophy. I feel the same - If I'm going to upgrade from the T500 I'd want something for life, not another "stepping stone" item.

After my last run with the T500, I'm feeling frustrated with how slow it can be. It seems I can only process 30 litres wash in a days work (10-12 hours).

I've been wondering about the output speed of the T500 compared to better stills. I realise speed is a decision, and that slower is generally better in terms of quality. But could you tell me what the "average" output of your FSD setup might be? If you're doing a 10-12 hour session, how many liters of wash can you get through when doing a stripping run?

Much appreciate your help on the decision making process :text-thankyoublue:

Hi resist

For a spirit run of low wines at 40% (3 x stripping runs) I set it up the night before in the swimming pool and put it on as soon as I got up. So it would be on about 7 am and finished about 3pm or thereabouts. An hour to get up to temperature and then 45 minutes reflux - then taking off distillate.

For stripping runs (pot still) - about 2 1/2 - 3 hours for a fermenter full of wash. While I was minding the still I would clean the fermenter and fill it up again so my fermenters were always full and ready to go.

Hope that helps.
Cheers
Carol

G"day Resist :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Now on this speed issue I'll give you a quick rundown on my 4" bubbler

Heatup time around an hour and i leave the RC off so I can collect the fores then it goes back in reflux until all 4 plates are loaded then I open it up to take the heads then back into reflux to load the plates again then set the output to about 1.5 litres an hour. After every cut which is a 600ml moccona jar I put it back in reflux to load up the plates again and keep going, when the lower or higher plate depending on the wash goes cloudy tails are getting close so back into reflux to compress the tails.
Off a wash I usually get around 4 litres of 90% with full flavour and about 4 hours in total from startup to shutdown.

now as you can imagine when doing 40 litres of 40% and the 500mm packed section it is close to an all day job

Cheers Bryan

Hello resist
I went slightly bigger than Carol and went with the 4 inch pot still on the 50 litre boiler, all 5 star gear mate.
On a spirit run my take speed was usually around the 2 litres an hour in pot still mode.
I upgraded to the 4 inch bubbler which enables me to do a spirit run straight from the wash and take off speed is a little faster at 2.5 litres an hour and usually around the 90% abv for me
I hope that gives you an idea of different equipment

Big thanks everyone that responded about the speed issue, that really helped. Its good to know that both the 2" and 4" can easily outrun the T500. I've got 100l of wash ready to run, which could be a 2-3 day operation with the T500. Can't see myself doing that long term.

The dandelion wash turned out really nicely. It was made in a pressurised corny keg, and fermented out very dry. This seems to confirm my suspicions that dandelion can be a good nutrient source, just like kale. Probably a range of dark leafy greens could work. It was beautifully carbonated, and a crystal clear, light golden colour. It looked and tasted shockingly similar to sparkling wine. So I put aside 2 bottles of the wash before doing my spirit run. After a few days in the fridge, I drank it with my partner, who agreed it could pass for sparkling wine. Faint floral/citrus notes, with a strong yeasty aroma. I'm using EC1118 (designated as a champagne yeast), which could explain why this tastes like sparkling.

The wash itself was so tasty, I'm going to brew another batch purely for bottling as a wine. This time around, I'll add oak chips and age it longer. I'm going to take photos and post the recipe, its a good alternative to kale wash.

Cheers all!

The dandelion wash sounds very interesting. How many dandelions do you need? I wonder if soursobs would work - I have heaps of those LOL!
I have done "cider" with long life apple juice and long life grape juice using EC118. They do ferment out very dry - which I quite like. The apple and mango juice was the nicest as there was some residual sweetness from the mango - although when it was fermenting it looked gross - as if there were orange brains floating on the top.

Cheers
Carol

Carol wrote:How many dandelions do you need?

I used dandelion greens for this - two or three handfuls for a 19l batch. I put the greens into a hop tube, simmered this in a big pot of water for 5 mins, let it sit for a few hours and then both put the water and hop tube into the fermenter.

Did you add sugar?

Carol wrote:Did you add sugar?

Absolutely, yeah its based on the kale wash recipe :handgestures-thumbupleft: Personally I use 5kg sugar for a 19l batch.

On my list of experiments to try!

I'll post a proper recipe with photos in the next few weeks Carol :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Have been drinking the dandelion vodka lately and really enjoying it. Flavour wise, I prefer it to my previous run, which was TPW.

Dandelion vodka sounds interesting too. I find TPW vodka has a faintly floral taste and FFV a faint wheaty taste. I tend to use TPW neutral for fruit gins and cream liqueurs where the faint floral taste is a positive.