Newbie reporting in :-)

[foRUM warrior]

Hi guys, first off a big thnx to jimmy for these forums.
i have been reading and digesting as much as i can, there is some really good info here, so a big thanks for everyone! keep it flowing
so as to me well, i am a engineer, my dad is a engineer, grandad .. you get the picture..... its in the genes, as to brewing in the past me and my dad used to brew wine, with the odd larger. but i must be honest i havnt brewed for wayy over 10 years, maybe closer to 20, wine and beer are all well and good, but i discovered rum (barcardi, captain morgans spiced, and barcardi black etc etc) and well i wanna brew some of my own
but there poses a question Still Spirits Air or Still Spirits Reflux. i admit i will mostly be \"trying\" to distill rum..... whisky etc isnt bad its just a personal thing

[Andy]

but there poses a question Still Spirits Air or Still Spirits Reflux. i admit i will mostly be "trying" to distill rum..... whisky etc isnt bad its just a personal thing

Welcome Warrior.

I started with an Air Still and it was fine to teach me that I would enjoy this hobby for some time to come.

I was soon to learn that I wanted more, I wanted a better cleaner spirit.

I have just got me a SS T500 and am loving it.

The cost is worth it for the better results.

Many here have stuck with the Air Still and thats fine, everybody has their own opinion needs etc.

[Crusty]

Hi Warrior,
I too am new to the forum & it\'s a really good place to get good info.

I have to agree with Andy. You will probably become very quickly educated on the distilling process & will want to achieve the best results as possible. Quite a few people on here use Air Stills & they all seem to be pleased with their results.

I personally want my still for Sambucca & mainly liqueurs but a good reflux or super reflux still is quite a bit of money. As Andy has, I opted for the Still Spirits T500 which achieves a constant 92-94% ABV, super clean spirit.

It really boils down to what you can afford, but if you can afford a super reflux type still, it\'s definately the way to go. The other advantage of the reflux stills is their ability to obtain a high percentage of alcohol extraction from your wash. Once watered down to around 40%, you end up with quite a bit more useable alcohol for your efforts.
Cheers,
Brian

[Andy]

It really boils down to

Nice little pun there Brian LOL
My T500 produces a consistent 95% - 96%

I will be running a wash on Sunday that I used the SS Triple Yeast, report to follow.

[marc83]

[quote]I will be running a wash on Sunday that I used the SS Triple Yeast, report to follow
Hey Andy did you use turbo carbon with the SS Triple??I am wondering about trying as i always use Classic.

[hoppinmad]

Warrior, Hello and welcome to the best hobby in the world. I use an ss air still and it produces 60percent spirit well enough, the main drawback is the amount of time and effort it takes to distill a 25lt wash. For instance, I did my vodka star wash last weekend and although I set the still going at 07.30 I had to put the timer on for the last 4lts of wash as I needed to go to bed. The t500 would do it in half the time with far superior purity but costs twice as much, so it really depends what you want. Hope this helps,
Cheers, hoppin

[foRUM warrior]

Thanks for the info guys
i was reading that the T500 wouldnt be in the UK till september though?

[Andy]

@marc83

No carbon, never use the stuff.

The wash smells cleaner, doesnt stink the house out while fermenting like the classic.

[marc83]

Yeah the smell gets up there with the classic,small price to pay.Well cool think i will give the triple a shot while my Classic is fermenting also.I think SS recommends the use of their Turbo Carbon with all their Yeasts at the fermenting stage,but ive never used them either.A ploy to use more of their product maybe.

What kind of difference in the distillate did you get between the Classic and Triple?

[Crusty]

With Triple guys, remember to keep an eye on fermentation temp. Too high & fluctuating all over the place will result in less yield. 18-24 deg is ideal. Just something to keep in mind. I want to use Triple later on when I get my fermentation fridge sorted out. This will be temp controlled with TempMate or something similar. Set fridge at 20 deg & pop the fermenter in there, leave it alone for a couple of weeks.
Brian

[Andy]

What kind of difference in the distillate did you get between the Classic and Triple?

I will let you know on Sunday night how it went.

Then I have 5 packs of Vodka Star to run with.

I love this hobby LOL

[marc83]

@Crusty

A setup like that would be great,will see how it goes.Its starting to get colder here in NZ now so an eye is always on the temp of the barrels.I am using a Heat pad and a blanket or two to keep it insulated a bit.
@Andy

Its an awesome hobby i know!Have read alot of people raving about the Vodka Star,very nearly bought some because of what i read but my local HBS told me it wasnt the best....still curious about trying though

[Andy]

I had to convince my HBS to order it in for me.

I picked it up today and he said he has had more peeps asking for it so it will now be a standard line for him.
Edit, If the Vodka Star is rubbish I will tell everybody.

Your HBS may just be pushing the SS stuff - higher profit margin maybe - we will see.

[marc83]

Yeah maybe,the Alcotec stuff is on the shelf also though.It must be good as i have only read great things about it,i think i will eventually try it,but will eagerly await your review on the SS triple,then the vodka star if i havent already started one.cheers Andy.

[Andy]

I refuse to reply due to SS Dark Jamaican Rum influence\'s right now LOL.

I will let you all know what I find visa vi SS Classic v SS Triple v Aloctec Vodka Star

.

Dont forget marc that we have slightly higher temps here in AU at the mo.