(Part 2) Best products from r/firewater

personally i would go with something like this with one of these I believe that still also comes with tubing, clamps and a hookup to your faucet but i may be wrong. In which case those are easily ordered from amazon or ebay. This setup would be pretty close to the ease of the t500 due to the electric element, its also safe to run indoors (provided you leave a window open for ventilation) and the 2" triclamp leaves your options open for upgrades like a reflux column should you wish to produce neutral or vodka. I also want to add, a nice hdpe bucket like this and a airlock such as this are great to have. A filter like this comes in handy for filtering yeast and sediment out of mash. As far as extras you dont need much other than a mash bucket, airlock, and way to cool your still head. I personally run a 32gal trash can filled with water and a pond pump to to recirculate my water without any wasting any, but for a small apt i would just use the kitchen faucet and screw on a adaptor

Sorry I'm late to respond, but if you want to reply to someone, you need to click the "reply" link under their comment. Then add your comment as a reply to them, it will notify them you replied, and they'll know the reply is for them.

This reply is probably a bit long, lol. But I'm bored, so I go into some detail, and give some suggestions on tools n' such you can use for various things. You don't have to use them, obviously.

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• Yes, break down all the starches before fermenting. Yeast can't use starches, they will release some enzymes, but none that will break down starches. The enzymes that break down starches come from the grain itself, or you add them. This is why you do the iodine test after mashing, but before fermenting, it is testing for the presence of starches, if it's blue, than all the starches haven't been converted and the yeast won't turn those starches into alcohol. So you need to continuing mashing, maybe add enzymes if you haven't already.
  
  
• 2lbs of sugar should be enough for the batch.
  
  
• The barley does need to be milled. The distiller shop should be able to crush/mill it for you, or if there is a feed supply store nearby, they might be able to do it for you. But whole grains aren't going to work because the starches will be trapped inside. Grain seeds are essentially made up of 3 parts: bran, endosperm, and germ. The bran is the outer shell that protects everything but it also contains some vitamins, the endosperm is where the starches and enzymes are contained, and the germ is where the actual plant embryo is, as well as vitamins and fats are contained. Milling/crushing/grinding is what breaks that bran off, and will make the endosperm (starches and enzymes) available to be dissolved into the water. If that bran is still there, everything will be trapped inside.
  
  
• The enzymes I mentioned, you would add them before pitching (adding) the yeast, to help break down the starches in the grains. I would specifically add them at the 150F (65C) mark, that is within the safe temperatures for both of them. Glucoamylase will start to denature at 158F (70C), and alpha-amylase will start to denature at around 161F (72C), and if you didn't know, denatured enzymes (proteins) don't work anymore.
  
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  I do my mashing in a 5gal stainless steel pot, and I do my fermenting in these 5gal buckets (foodsafe from Home Depot). I use these lids, as it has an extendable spout which is the perfect diameter for a No. 7 size drilled rubber stopper, which I stick the airlock in.
  
  For the actual mashing process. I do the following. So, not far off from what you do, except the starting temperature, since going above 161F can damage some of your enzymes and slow things down. These steps haven't failed me yet.
  
  
• Heat the water up to 158F (70C)
  
• Add grains when it's at that temp or slightly below it.
  
• Let it cool down to 150F (65C), and hold it there for an 1h to 1.5h. But it has to stay at ~150F the entire time.
  
• Pull out the grains (which are in a brew bag, mentioned below).
  
• I personally do an iodine test at this point, before moving on to cooling. To see if there are any starches left over. If there is still starch, and I haven't added enzymes already, I will add enzymes, 1/2tsp each (alpha and gluco), and I'll hold it at 150F for another 30min.
  
• I let mine cool down to between 70F (20C) and 75F (24C), depending on the room temp. You can use an immersion chiller if you have one (I made mine, explanation below), or an ice bath, if you want to speed up cooling it down from 150F to 75F.
  
• Then pitch the yeast.
  
  I mix up the yeast culture as soon as I hit the 150F temp of the mash, by pouring the yeast (1tbsp) into 2cups of warm water with a pinch of sugar, a pinch of DAP (aka diammonium phosphate), and a pinch of Magnesium sulfate (aka epsom salt, I bought at walmart in a large jug). Then I just let it sit while the yeast rehydrates and starts doing it's thing. When the mash is down to around 80F, I pour that mash into a sanitized 5gal bucket, then when it hits between 75F to 70F, I pour the yeast mix into the mash in the bucket, close the lid, put in the stopper+airlock, and leave it alone for about 3 days, before I check on it.
  
  When I check on it, if it has slowed down significantly, or is stuck. I do the following:
  
  

1. I will check the temp, and warm/cool it if needed to get it back to between 70F (20C) and 75F (24C).
   
2. If the temp isn't off, I will check pH, if it's between 5 and 5.5, everything is good, if not I use citric acid (pull it down) or calcium carbonate (pull it up) to fix pH. Closer to 5 is better than closer to 5.5, ideally 5.2 to 5.5 is the best. Some people will use oyster shells and add them before pitching yeast, to act as a pH buffer. It does work, since they are essentially made up of calcium carbonate. I'd recommend soaking in water+bleach (10% solution, 10mL bleach, 90mL water) for 30min then rinsing under tap water, then letting them dry out, if you go this route, to make sure any bacteria are dead. Then you can put them in the ferment bucket in their own small brew bag, under the big brew bag, or in one of those stainless steel tea strainers, so you don't need to fish them out of the grains/trub afterwards which is a pain in the ass. Ideally, by the end of the ferment, if you don't want to distill it right away (within a few days), you can let the pH drop as low as 4, to stave off any bacterial infection.
   
3. If pH is fine, it usually means there isn't enough nutrients, so I will put in 1/2tsp of DAP, and 1/2tsp of Magnesium sulfate, for 5gal that is. Might have to adjust pH after adding those.
   
   That usually accounts for all the stuck fermentation issues.
   
   ===
   
   

• For my immersion chiller. I use a 72" length of uncoated corrugated stainless steel tubing I bought from Houzz, and then I bought a faucet to garden hose adapter, and 2 of these 3/4" NPT to garden hose adapters. So it goes Sink faucet > faucet adapter > garden hose > hose to NPT adapter > CSST > hose to NPT adapter > garden hose > tub drain. There are other ways to do it, but I had the CSST already just laying around unused. You could probably just buy a piece of copper pipe, bend it into a coil, stretch rubber tubing over each end, and then stretch one end over the faucet, and let the other end hang over the sink/tub drain. I prefer the immersion chiller to the ice bath, or just waiting around.
  
  
• I also don't know if you have what's called a brew bag, but it makes handling the grains easier. You put the bag in the bucket, then fill the bucket with your water, then pour the grains into the bag/bucket. Then when you are done, and want to take the grains out, you just lift out the bag, let it drain, you can squeeze the bag, or do whats call lautering where you pour water through it (you can put the bag in a large colander if you want to lauter), and voila. A lot easier than without the bag, and having to scoop all the grains out. This is the one I have, you can see what I was describing in the photos.
  
  
• Some people like to do what is called distilling "on grain", where they will pour the entire mash, with some grains or all the grains, into the distillation boiler. But if you aren't using a jacketed boiler, you run the risk of burning the grains, which adds an acrid taste and can ruin things. I don't do this, I use an immersion heater in my boiler, so I distill "off grain", as I use the brew bag and pull the grains out before doing into the boiler.
  
  
• For controlling the mashing temperatures, I use a Sous Vide cooker that I own for cooking, it can go between 32F and 210F. Tons of them on Amazon these days, and with a bit of aluminum door screen around the openings to keep the big grains out, benefit of the sous vide is it will heat and stir for you. If it's too expensive for you now, Amazon always has deals on them for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, or for Xmas. But you can just keep adding hot water and stirring periodically as the temp drops, I've done that before too. Or you can use a hot plate, which I have also done. I've never used the stove top (electric), or a gas burner, but I imagine it's possible to do with that as well, but probably a bit more difficult. Whatever floats your boat, and works for you.
  
  ===
  
  Hope this helps!

Hey! I can only answer your questions from my perspective and experience, thier are as many differing opinions on this subject as thier are people distiling, but here it goes...


>Does the still head matter? Are some better than others? I found this one on amazon

>https://www.amazon.com/Moonshine-Stills-Copper-Whiskey-Column/dp/B00P1JPVTA

Still heads definately matter! Personally, I would not use that column without some modification, especially not on a keg pot. It clamps directly on the neck of a keg and so makes filling, emptying and cleaning your pot much more difficult. You will want to at least be able to get cleaning gear into the pot.

>Also is it hard to use a hose as a water source for condenser? Do you recommend a water pump?

A garden hose straight from the house water supply is what I use. It is the easiest way to supply water for the condensor. Every other method is more difficult, although thier are usually pretty good reasons for needing to use them for those that do such as using a pump and a container of ice water to cool because hooking directly to your tap water would raose your water bill too much or something.

>Is there any cons to using a 15gallon keg? I won't be making full use of it. But I figured why not just get the biggest. Is it hard empty? Seems like it would be heavy. Does the keg need a certain size for the column to fit on? Or are all kegs same sizing

Kegs are great, but use the stainless steel ones only. There are a couple of cons to them though, with the biggest being cleaning, filling and emptying them. To make this basically go away though you just need to modify the keg (which is also a pain, but you only have to deal with it once) by cutting out the center of the top of the keg and building a different way for your column to attach.

The weight of the keg is not bad at all (unless its full) and they come with handy built in handles which makes moving or carrying them much easier.

All kegs are roughly the same dimensions as they all hold 15.5 gallons.

>Also how many sample jars do you guys use? I'll probably be making 5 gallons if that matters.

It seems like you will be using basically a pot still, so estimating will be a little more difficult and there are several variables. First variable is the percentage of alchohol in your wash/mash after fermenting. Lets say its 10%. So out of 5 gallons there is roughly 1/2 gallon of pure alcohol in your wash. You wont be getting pure alcohol off your still though, so I think you need to have at least double that in collection jars, triple or quadruple to be realistic.

When I run my 5 gallon pot still I usually end up with about 7 - 8 quarts of product I intend to distill a second time and about 1 quarts of foreshot and heads that I dispose of when I run a 12% wash.

I purchased this stuff. I didn't know too much about nutrients (I'm just beginning to learn all about fermenting) so I just went with the one that had the best reviews. I read a bunch of the amazon reviews and it seemed good.

I'll be using EC-1118 just like the guy in the thread you linked. I currently have a batch fermenting (for about a week now) in a gallon of strawberry juice that I added 2 cups of sugar and 1 teaspoon of nutrients to. I plan to do the following:

Use 1 campden tablet to get rid of chloramines in the water then mix 12lbs of sugar, 2 tablespoons of nutrients, and pour 1 cup of the fermenting strawberry juice in there for the yeast. I then plan to use ph strips and citric acid to get the entire 5 gallons down to a ph of 4.0'ish.

I figured I'd go with EC-1118 since I also planned to use the yeast in fruit juices I wanted to drink straight up. I heard it was one of the better yeasts for that purpose. Since it also can get up to high'ish ABV, it seemed like a good yeast for both my purposes.

I'm curious to taste the sugar wash once it's done too. I heard some bad stuff about how washes taste, but I'm assuming mine will be more like a "sugar wine"? If it doesn't taste too bad, I might run batches of it just to drink straight up with flavorings (like coolaid powder, ice tea powder, etc).

Would love to hear any thoughts or suggestions you may have? Always nice to get advice from someone experienced.

Instead of a PID, which takes temperature and turns an element on/off periodically to hold that temp, you want something that can adjust power. So like, 80% power, but steady, not on/off. This is done via voltage control rather than just turning an element on/off every few seconds.

A simple way to do this is via an SSR that can be adjusted via potentiometer. Here is a kit, but you can easily make your own. The SSR needs to be one like this. Amazon sells em, like this one and many others out there. The PSR-25 is also a popular unit.

The Auber controller uses an SSR that modulates via a small variable voltage supply rather than a variable resistor, so it would use an SSR like this one.


Then there are simple SCR power controllers, which you can get for really cheap. Examples here and here.

If you want to do more reading, search "phase angle power control". This is the method used in these devices as opposed to a PID.

Note that I'm mostly posting examples here, I just did quick searches, and haven't bought and used items from most of these places other than Auber and Stilldragon. The Stilldragon kit has most everything you need, but it can be sourced separately as well. For that particular one, I'd add a volt/ammeter, a lighted on/off switch or breaker, and a fan.

I can't edit my post. But I also found this one on amazon. I'd rather order there than eBay but open to both. As well as other companies if you have suggestions. I'm sure neither are going to be that great based on my price range.

Here's the link. I noticed it also has a middle piece, I believe that's the thumper? Does it make much of a difference? I also heard of something called a reflux. Is that a necessity? was trying to keep it simple. But again, I'm open to any input you might have. Thanks.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013M7YI82/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486323967&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=copper+still&dpPl=1&dpID=41xQNJNnrHL&ref=plSrch



TLDR, I prefer to have a kit because of convenience. Assuming it isn't going to cost a lot more than other options.

If you really, really want to do this, make sure you use an alcohol and food safe container. Some plastics will dissolve when exposed to the alcohol. For example, PET and PP are good choices. (There are others)

It's also important to make sure the valves are made of similarly safe materials, including any lubricants and plastics or rubbers used for seals.

The tank you linked in the post, and the valve they recommend with it, appear to be ok. Check any other tubing, adapters, nozzles, etc. that you use as well. Alcohol-safe, food-grade parts do exist for everything you want this to do, but not all parts that fit will be safe.

Whether or not something is alcohol-safe will not tell you if it is food grade. Many alcohol-safe parts are manufactured using lubricants and adhesives that are not safe for consumption, and may be on the inside of any of your valves, tubes, or tanks. You should treat them as separate requirements.

Note that your tank and valve are both listed as food-safe, and made of alcohol-resistant materials.

(P.S. I am not a chemical safety expert. My confirmations should not be seen as confirmation by a qualified professional.)

Its really not that hard.

Inkbird itc 308

Heater or any other 200-300watt heating element that wont burn down your shed. Not a fan of brew belt, but might work good, just make sure to stick the probe on the fermenter or make a thermowell.

Now you just need an insulated place to put it all, old fridge is perfect, since in the summer time you can use to to keep the mash cool. But guess you could also insulate some kind of box/closet or just build something out of plywood/styrofoam plates pic

I've not yet built a still, but been brewing beer for a few years, and the ability to control fermentation can lead to a cleaner product, which I would guess makes a mash with less nasties.

That sounds like a pretty big canner that could probably support up to a 2" column. I'm assuming it's ss. There are many types and sizes of fittings you could use to adapt depending on the still type you want. Just to give you some ideas here's some fitting types you could use if you're thinking about either a column or a pot still: female npt lid adapter, male to male nipple - you can also find these in copper, female npt to copper tubing adapter, male npt to copper tubing adapter. Here's a plug. To sum up, figure out which type of still you want to build then use those types of fittings to get you started. That's just my two cents. Good luck!