Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

G''Day Guy's,
I made my bubbler years ago and it has performed just as one would expect of a four plate still so let the /rant start

/Rant

Years ago when I first made this still I found when the bottom plate fogged it was time for the tails to come on, on I have found on different wash's my still just does it's own thing like with AG all four plates will fog up 1/2 way thru the run where when I was doing breakfast cereal wash's the lower plate would fog up and the alco meter in the parrot would bounce then I heard about smearing so I made a new outlet and got rid of the parrot and now I just use the plates and my nose when doing a run.

Like with this TPW I stripped over 3 runs so my low wines are 90% when the top plate started fogging up it was time to put back in reflux to compress the tails and using the nose one can soon see when the change has happened.

Some people will clean after every run but for me my still is ready every time and on the heatup it will clean the still so for me there is no need to be anal with cleaning as when the lower alcohols go up they clean the still ready for the hearts so no need to be anal on cleaning.

By using copper to make the still has given it it's own life and as we need copper in the vapour path to remove the sulphides using copper is the way to go. But we have the S.S. crowd where they say their stills are the bee's knees but mesh or some other media is needed to remove the sulphides.

/endrant

How does your still run and let the /rant begin

Cheers Bryan

As the name of mine would suggest it works perfectly because it is a five star

Kiss kiss lol

Wellsy wrote:As the name of mine would suggest it works perfectly because it is a five star

Kiss kiss lol

so where is the /rant Wellsy or are you still a virgin when it comes to bubblers :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

Nothing to rant about mate, it’s a beauty. Definitely still virginal as I have only done a couple of runs. Give it another 10 years and I will have a better idea of what is going on lol.

Next lesson will be how many plates to use when doing a bourbon.

I tend to let the fores do the cleaning for me, and just give it a wipe over if I need to break it down. Got the copper plates so no need for copper mesh. You forgot to mention glasses, or are you simply acknowledging their superiority and are looking for a second place between stainless and copper :laughing-rolling:

Hey Bryan,

No rant needed....she runs like a T500 on a double cycle of roids! As to how it does that, I'll get back to you once the "L" plates can be removed :laughing-rolling:

Rant/ Victorian water is too fecking cold in winter, come on summer! Rant/over

Cheers

Ok with todays run after taking the fores it went back into relfux to get all 4 plates fully loaded then I closed the needle valve and opened it a quarter of a turn which got a flow going. Now all 4 plates stayed fully loaded and after about a litre taken the lower plate had backed off, not long after the second plate backed off being fully loaded and when the third plate backed off I put it back in reflux to get more liquid in the column. This kept the plates loaded for a while and I had taken a tad over 3 litres then they dropped off again with only the fourth plate fully loaded. So back into reflux it went and it did take awhile to load the plates suggesting the run was close to the end.

Sure enough after 2 cuts which were 400ml beakers and the top site glass fogged up and the smell off the still was like cardboard so that was the end of the run. Now what I'm saying one doesn't need to use a hydrometer to see where a still is at just a visual look and smell is all that is needed. Once one uses the same still for years one will see just how it performs on different washes.

My next run will be the second strip run on the TPW over 4 plates which will be 45 litres of 40% low wines then for the final strip run it will be 4 plates with my 500mm packed section where my still will be 2.4 metres tall so the liquid will get plenty of reflux.

Hi Bryan,

What size boiler/charge are you using to get the 45ltrs of 40% low wines? One day I do hope I get to know my still as intimately as you know you rig

Cheers

iOnaBender wrote:Hi Bryan,

What size boiler/charge are you using to get the 45ltrs of 40% low wines? One day I do hope I get to know my still as intimately as you know you rig

Cheers

I got a 50 litre keg I made into a boiler, now when doing a spirit run @40% there no puking concerns so I can fill my boiler that much more, I do have about 18 litres of 90% made up now and as this is my first try at triple distilling but doing 3 runs thats 12 plates plus a 500mm packed section which I don't know how plates that would be.

I use my 90% nothing to make macerations and tinctures and also just gotta have a bottle of 40% in the freezer for those warm days when one wants a cold dram of nothing :laughing-rolling:

Cheers Bryan

Interesting topic Ruddy, i run a 6" 4 plate stainless bubbler. My plates are bubble caps which will continue to take tails and stabilize a lot better then perf plates. I'm actually wanting to get some perf plates to try to see what i prefer to use. I find running the 6" to be a lot easier to run with power management. I run the column on a 300L boiler which I use 6kw to run the column. I use 12KW to heat up. Once I get Boiler temp to 90 I'll cut back to 1x 3600 and 1/4 of a 2400 and get the column into reflux I'll have my 1/2" needle on RC open 1 1/2 turns. Then once stable will bleed off fores and then power up to take off heads from 94 to 93, then power up to take off hearts at 93% to 90% @ 5l p/h. Once I hit 90 my second window will fog and tails are in. Given that I primarily make rum you also cant miss the taste of rum tails.

Like clockwork same ferments pretty much always the same I have a small rc so run by power management after 1hr at 1800w i will start to get drops(when doing neutral). I take spirit till funk stops then up power up to 2400 to 2800w. It does vary a bit. If abv drops i back off till stable 95ish.

Sugarhead high alcohol brews I take hearts at full 3600w. Fores/heads 2000ish .

Lower abv mashs like ay fores heads at 2200ish hearts at 2800w.

I like brown spirits at 88% abv and mostly thats mostly what all my brown drinks come over at. But i am going to detune and drop plates so abv falls within comercial spec zbv wise see what it brings flavour wise.
I dont want to go back to a pot still, especially for rum. But want to try some lower abv via a bubbler.. rum and whiskey included..

Agree with you bluc I think your on the mark. To fast on 4 plates to drop abv start smearing. Answer is less plates

bluc wrote:Like clockwork same ferments pretty much always the same I have a small rc so run by power management after 1hr at 1800w i will start to get drops(when doing neutral). I take spirit till funk stops then up power up to 2400 to 2800w. It does vary a bit. If abv drops i back off till stable 95ish.

Sugarhead high alcohol brews I take hearts at full 3600w. Fores/heads 2000ish .

Lower abv mashs like ay fores heads at 2200ish hearts at 2800w.

I like brown spirits at 88% abv and mostly thats mostly what all my brown drinks come over at. But i am going to detune and drop plates so abv falls within comercial spec zbv wise see what it brings flavour wise.
I dont want to go back to a pot still, especially for rum. But want to try some lower abv via a bubbler.. rum and whiskey included..

Ive found for rum even at 93% over 4plates if the wash is right its super rummy. I use dunder, all molasses washes and chuck my rum leftovers back in each run

I am not doing gens with rum.
I am likeing rum more from plates then pot. Pot was way more funky. Over four plates i enjoy it even after as little as a month. I plan to do aged dunder high ester rums maybe even go as far as wood fermenter for the task. That will be next year. Not interested in the high esters that come over in heads more what high ester ferment will drag through into hearts. Also adding another 4 plates for 8 plates total for white rum . And offsetting my packed section. Fun times ahead. Just gotta get my shed update finished first.

Nathan02 wrote:Agree with you bluc I think your on the mark. To fast on 4 plates to drop abv start smearing. Answer is less plates

Last rum i tried this and dropped from 4 plates back to 3 chasing a bit more rum flavour. My abv dropped back to around 88%.
Just not sure if this was the reason for my rum success with this run though as i had a dunder pit going at the time and i couldn't help myself and added it to the run as well.
Id love to get the time to do up an ag whiskey and split it in half and put one half through 3 plates and the other over 4 for the comparison. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I have not run 3 yet but tasted rc's 3 plate rum and sugarhead whiskey. Its bolder flavour but not funky like my pot rum was. The sugarhead had more all geain type corn flavour then my sugarheads do. I wwould like to drop abv back to mid-high 70's on everything brown to compare.

Mine is giving me the shits atm! For years (4 or 5) I have been running my 4 plate bubbler with consistent output (depending on the wash type between 80-92%). I stopped stillin for around 6 months while my new shed was being built. Got back into it and now I can't get a rum wash to output anything higher than 45% for the whole run. I've tried all sorts of things - more water, less water. more heat, less heat (multiple combinations). I even stripped it and replaced all the seals. I also replaced my electric element with a direct replacement. I've looked at the wash and it always finishes around 1010, even asked the LHBS if they changed suppliers (no). I think the old girl is pissed off with me for neglecting her for such a long time, although she now has a really nice brewhause to live and work in. Any ideas? Cheers.

G'Day Lowie,
All I can suggest is do another wash something like a tpw then run and see what ABV you get, now if it is still real low mate you have a leak somewhere.That the best I can suggest mate so give it a try :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers Bryan

Lowie wrote:Mine is giving me the shits atm! For years (4 or 5) I have been running my 4 plate bubbler with consistent output (depending on the wash type between 80-92%). I stopped stillin for around 6 months while my new shed was being built. Got back into it and now I can't get a rum wash to output anything higher than 45% for the whole run. I've tried all sorts of things - more water, less water. more heat, less heat (multiple combinations). I even stripped it and replaced all the seals. I also replaced my electric element with a direct replacement. I've looked at the wash and it always finishes around 1010, even asked the LHBS if they changed suppliers (no). I think the old girl is pissed off with me for neglecting her for such a long time, although she now has a really nice brewhause to live and work in. Any ideas? Cheers.

Whats your output speed?

RuddyCrazy wrote:G'Day Lowie,
All I can suggest is do another wash something like a tpw then run and see what ABV you get, now if it is still real low mate you have a leak somewhere.That the best I can suggest mate so give it a try :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers Bryan

that's tomorrows job mate. thanks for your suggestion.

Clickeral wrote:

Lowie wrote:Mine is giving me the shits atm! For years (4 or 5) I have been running my 4 plate bubbler with consistent output (depending on the wash type between 80-92%). I stopped stillin for around 6 months while my new shed was being built. Got back into it and now I can't get a rum wash to output anything higher than 45% for the whole run. I've tried all sorts of things - more water, less water. more heat, less heat (multiple combinations). I even stripped it and replaced all the seals. I also replaced my electric element with a direct replacement. I've looked at the wash and it always finishes around 1010, even asked the LHBS if they changed suppliers (no). I think the old girl is pissed off with me for neglecting her for such a long time, although she now has a really nice brewhause to live and work in. Any ideas? Cheers.

Whats your output speed?

the usual "toothpick" stream mate.