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  • #16
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    groenspookasem
    Banned
    Last edited by groenspookasem; 29 March 2021, 11:28.

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    • #17
      Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post
      Thanks for your knowledge sharing @jakeslouw !

      How high (OG) do you usually start your typical mash/wash? Would you supplement with DME / sucrose if the OG is too low and would that have an effect later on (thinning out the taste using more sucrose than maltose?)

      I'm thinking I can get a 1.1 or thereabout from a double/reiterated 10kg mash and possibly drop this down to an FG of 1.008 or lower if enzymes are involved. 12% to 13% ABV
      I was actually more interested in mead and distilling before I started brewing beer. As such, I read up A LOT about stills, how they work and what you need to keep in mind. Now, the things I read up on (no experience) matches exactly with what Jakeslouw said above. To clarify on what he said:

      1. Temp control is CRUCIAL. It's not only nice and whatnot, but the different alcohols evaporate (boil) at different temperatures. The alcohols you don't want (the heads) are boiled off first, at a certain temperature. I can't remember the exact temperature, but you will see a decrease in the still's output if you keep the top of the column (where you take the temperature) at that specific temperature. It is one way of knowing roughly where to cut from your heads into your hearts. To boot, a good temperature control gives you a lot cleaner and more pure run. I went hunting on a farm the other day where the farmer is popular in the area for making mampoer. Now I'm talking on SCALE. He could take on some commercial places, I'm certain. Anyway, he gets 70% ABV from his first run, because he closely controls the temperature. IT also means a lot of the flavour he's brewed is sticking in his mampoer, and after he waters it down slightly to 65% ABV you can really take a sip and go "wow, this is mango" or "can definitely taste the lemon in here".
      2. I agree. The more times you run it, the more flavour you'll lose. Alcohol doesn't have a flavour.
      3. I agree. If you're distilling a botched batch of beer, you should be happy with a very low ABV in the first run, specially if you're still learning your still and getting your temperatures right.
      4. It's a good way if you can't control the column temp accurately enough.

      Now, if you just want to make alcohol, or actually something drinkable, I would HIGHLY recommend starting off with Rum. In all my research it seems to be the easiest and cheapest choice for a beginner. Spiced rums are popular, make great gifts and are cheap to make. Essentially you have a wash of sugar and molasses. You don't even need to buy that expensive molasses from the supermarket - you buy those 5l bottles for horsefeed at you local co-op.

      You mix it to a high gravity (around 1.14), get a distilling yeast (or any yeast with a very high ABV tolerance, around the 18% ABV mark), distill it (no need to be too clean about it, and don't put it in a fermenter with an airlock if you use turbo yeasts). Rums don't need too much aging in oak, so you can ferment, get a decent distilling yield because of the high ABV and age it for a few months with oak chips or blocks, even in the bottle. Spice if you want to (after distilling, before aging) using a hop bag to keep it clear and enjoy. It's a coarse and rough method, but man I want to try it one day. I've even got a pressure cooker already that I want to convert into a still sometime soon. Sounds like a December project for me.

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      • #18
        I should be getting my 100L pot still back soon.

        Maybe we should do an exBeeriment?

        As for whiskey and other grain-based products: I wouldn't use expensive malts to boost my ABV.

        Use the cheapest you can find. Boost with plain sugar.

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        • #19
          Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post
          I agree, I'm hanging on Jake's knowledge here. I'm a complete noob and a bit out of my depth with distilling. Bulk Marris isn't that expensive, not sure if what you guys upcountry pay though, under R20 a kg here. SAB is cheaper though and if it doesn't matter, then why waste money right! I'm planning to do a few double brew days to have beer waiting on kegs, so I can devote some time on the distillation experience

          Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
          Where exactly is this at that nice price?
          The Problem With The World Is That Everyone Is A Few Drinks Behind.!

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          • #20
            Originally posted by JIGSAW View Post
            Where exactly is this at that nice price?
            Beer Guevara probably.

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            • #21
              ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎
              groenspookasem
              Banned
              Last edited by groenspookasem; 29 March 2021, 11:28.

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              • #22
                Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post

                100l stil? Holy smokes, how much spirit do you get out of it?
                Depends on the starting ABV..........

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post
                  Correct, beerguevara. I confirmed on my email, I made a mistake, it's R24/kg. Sorry for the slip up
                  I can't recall if Beerplus stocks MO...I recall them punting Viking malt a few months ago, but their bulk prices aren't bad.

                  100l stil? Holy smokes, how much spirit do you get out of it?
                  Nope, they dont, but Im eyeing the Weyermann Pale they have for R404/25Kg

                  Just waiting on Langchop for a final version on his Roller Mill.

                  The Brewferm mill from BevPlus also looks like a worthwhile option ?? Any Pro's / Con's that anyone might know about?
                  The Problem With The World Is That Everyone Is A Few Drinks Behind.!

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                  • #24
                    ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎
                    groenspookasem
                    Banned
                    Last edited by groenspookasem; 29 March 2021, 11:28.

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                    • #25
                      ‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎
                      groenspookasem
                      Banned
                      Last edited by groenspookasem; 29 March 2021, 11:28.

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                      • #26
                        Originally posted by groenspookasem View Post
                        That's the one I got, two roller stainless, goed genoeg. Bought a cheapy ryobi 18v drill to run it. All good. I was going to spring for the mm3 and import it, but meh, if the breferm mills dies then I'll be an old man

                        I like weyerman and that's good price!

                        Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
                        Thanks for the info
                        The Problem With The World Is That Everyone Is A Few Drinks Behind.!

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by JIGSAW View Post
                          Just waiting on Langchop for a final version on his Roller Mill.
                          I have one for testing. Impressive looking piece of kit. He's put a lot of thought and effort into it.

                          Next brew day is unfortunately probably only in 2 weeks.

                          This weekend is Women's Brew Day @ Apiwe and also Winter Solstice, and next weekend is Oom Theo's fairwell party in Dullies.

                          If I don't over-do Solstice, I might brew something on Sunday, but I still need to wash some fermenters.

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by jakeslouw View Post
                            I have one for testing. Impressive looking piece of kit. He's put a lot of thought and effort into it.

                            Next brew day is unfortunately probably only in 2 weeks.

                            This weekend is Women's Brew Day @ Apiwe and also Winter Solstice, and next weekend is Oom Theo's fairwell party in Dullies.

                            If I don't over-do Solstice, I might brew something on Sunday, but I still need to wash some fermenters.
                            Cool ... I was also given the opportunity to test, but I dont brew often enough to give the unit the testing it might require. Waiting on your update
                            The Problem With The World Is That Everyone Is A Few Drinks Behind.!

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                            • #29
                              Originally posted by jakeslouw View Post
                              I have one for testing. Impressive looking piece of kit. He's put a lot of thought and effort into it.

                              Next brew day is unfortunately probably only in 2 weeks.

                              This weekend is Women's Brew Day @ Apiwe and also Winter Solstice, and next weekend is Oom Theo's fairwell party in Dullies.

                              If I don't over-do Solstice, I might brew something on Sunday, but I still need to wash some fermenters.
                              Kind words. Like I said, run it at your own pace.
                              Cheers,
                              Lang
                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                              "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

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                              • #30
                                Originally posted by The Flying Brew View Post
                                Hi Groenspookasem, probably best to follow Jakes' advice as he has much more hands on experience in this. My understanding is that the extra flavour you get from the potstill is not always a plus and might make it more difficult when making whiskey, especially for someone starting with distillation. I wouldn't know about the cooling issues with the T500 and it's a pity to hear this because I was thinking to some day go that route. Things like yeast selection doesn't really seem to get through in the final product so I'd agree with jakes and not go for any fancy beer yeast. At most i'd go for something like turbo yeast to reach a higher abv than what I can get from beer yeast, which could help if you have a relatively small still. Even grain selection doesn't really come through as much as you might think so I wouldn't splash for expensive marris otter. SAB malt should be fine to start with. Could even add some simple sugar to boost abv. We did some with wheat but didn't try rye.

                                A large part of the whole whiskey thing is not so much the yeast and grain selection but rather the use of back-set from previous distillation in next, knowing how to do your cuts (which is an experience thing), knowing how to oak or age it appropriately and having the required patience. And yes, you certainly can over-oak a spirit. Most of this comes with experience and doing it often enough. It is a bit of an art that you can't really learn in a text book because every setup is a bit different and I'm not sure what volume of a kettle is really required to make all of this a feasible/enjoyable hobby. Still hope to do more of it some day though. When I do, I'll probably go for a reflux still and first hone my skills on doing a really clean spirit that doesn't need as much aging time. Something like schnaps or mampoer. Once I'm comfortable with all of that, I'd be more willing to invest the time into making a Whiskey.
                                For the T500 might be worthwhile to look into a waterflow controller that keeps the pressure constant. I have the same challenge

                                Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk

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