StillSmart

Welcome to our little four you couldn't have picked a better place to start.

Living in a apartment may present some limitations but nothing that should prevent you running your own still.

I always recommend that people should start out with an Airstill. This is a basic potstill that is small enough to allow you learn the basics of distilling while producing small batches of very drinkable alcohol from the start. To collect distillate from your Airstill you'll need;
A set of 12 X 1lt glass jars
2 Demijons for holding the distillate from stripping runs,
Alcometer

You'll also need a basic brewing setup including;
Two 25lt fermenting buckets,
Hydrometer
Glass Trial Jar
Thermometer, preferably digital,
Long handled stirrer
2 Bubbler Airlocks
Fermentation syphon
2lt Mixing Jug

All this equipment is readily available both at Homebrew shops and online suppliers. The list looks quite long but mostly this equipment will serve you even when you move on to a more complex or larger still.

There are a number of basic recipies in the Recipe section and I would suggest TPW as a good starting point.

Best of luck and don't be afraid to ask any questions you want. You'll always find someone ready and willing to help you here.

AM

Thank you very much!

As soon as I get all of my gear together I will let you know if I make any progress!

is there a certain brand of airstill or supplier that I should prefer?

is an alcometer and a hydrometer the same thing?

This site is a great source of info! hopefully Ill be brewing soon!

Thanks again!

Assuming you are in the US, Brewhaus is probably the best source for the still. Be aware they may (have to) turn your name over to the government. I have one of their air stills, it is a quality piece of equipment.

An alchometer measures the amount of alcohol in a distilled spirit (it can in a wine too, but not very accurately, at least on mine). A hydrometer measures the potential alcohol in a liquid, prior or during (potential left to ferment out) fermentation. If you put on a wash with enough sugar, before you pitched the yeast the alchometer would read zero and the hydrometer 14%. After fermentation was complete the alchometer would read 14% and the hydrometer 0% (or a bit less).

Chuck

Ranto,

Glad you decided to join us.

Sorry but I started writing this a couple of hours ago but had some other life distractions, When I got round to finishing it and pressed the submit button I saw that others had already answered you.

Hydrometers

A hydrometer will indicate the specific gravity of a liquid. For a wash the Specific Gravity is dependent on the amount of sugar in the solution.

Before you add the yeast to the wash it will also tell you what the strength of the wash is likely to be after it has finished fermenting. It indicates the potential strength assuming that all the sugar will be converted into alcohol. The actual strength of the wash is calculated when the fermentation is complete and the amount of sugar left in the wash can be measured.

To get the most out of your hydrometer;

Check the Specific Gravity of the wash before you add the yeast and make a note of it. This is more often than not referred to as the Original Gravity (OG) At the same time you will see on the hydrometer the potential %ABV that your wash will make.

When the wash has finished fermenting once again check the Specific Gravity and make a note of it. This it is commonly referred to as the Final Gravity (FG)

The actual %ABV can be determinned by using the formula

(original gravity - final gravity) x 129

eg OG = 1.080 FG = 0.998 ABV = 10.6%


Alcometers

These will give you the %ABV of the distilled spirits and are not to be used for the wash.

Hope that helped, if not shout out

Hello Gentlemen, Like most I have been reading the info on herefor a while. I joined homedistiller to look for a answer to something specific so thought I would be as well Join here too and say hello.
I Make neutral then flavour it for my sloe gin and bramble port,( few other things too) Was going through so much alchol and being a scot I thought there had to be a easier way
I have had a t500 for over a year and am happy with it, Does exactly as it says, mostly use the common tomato paste wash,,
Often put it through twice 1st time at 75deg then water it doen and put it through again at 55deg. Have started a wee pot head to speed that up,
See a few other Scots here, enevatable i suppose lol

Welcome,
As you will have discovered by reading,it is a friendly bunch that hang around here.
I envy you the sloes,absolutely none where I live,but we planted Blackthorn a few years ago,and I live in hope!
Robert

Planted 50 in my garden last november, they are doing well but im close to the sea so not sure if they will bear any fruit, Like you I live in hope, I but some off ebay and some friends pick for me n swap for Sloe gin.
Plenty brambles tho. have 120 ltrs of bramble port doing this year. plus bramble whisky, It is good if u can leave it long enough

Welcome Brummel! What will you have to drink? I am interested to hear more about your sloe gin.

Chuck

not a lot to tell about it, a lirrle less sugar than most and a cup of creme de cassis per demijohn,

Hi to everyone on here, I stumbled across the forum while looking for info on Airstill. What a great site, I've had a Airstill for a year or so and just made up a 25lts wash, banged it through the "coffee pot" as it called in our house, and we've enjoyed what's come out of it.
After reading some of the posts on here it's made me think again about how I use the still.
I've just printed off the Airstill Brief SS.pdf by aidanmac. I'm into my 2nd stripping at the moment and I'm going to give it a go.

Thanks Guys.

Welcome aboard Icefever Using the double distill method is a must to get the very best and the most from an Airstill. Hope you enjoy the better product of your labours

AM

aidanmac wrote:Welcome aboard Icefever Using the double distill method is a must to get the very best and the most from an Airstill. Hope you enjoy the better product of your labours

AM

Cheers.
This double distill has me a little twitchy tho, I'm waiting for this run to drop to 20%, the waiting is killing me.

Icefever wrote:

aidanmac wrote:Welcome aboard Icefever Using the double distill method is a must to get the very best and the most from an Airstill. Hope you enjoy the better product of your labours

AM

Cheers.
This double distill has me a little twitchy tho, I'm waiting for this run to drop to 20%, the waiting is killing me.

when I'm doing a stripping run i tend to go down to 30-35%
and welcome to stillsmart

Welcome Icefever. I too use and AirStill and the double-distill method. You will be amazed at the quality product that a little more work and attention will produce.

Chuck

Not many people know this but commercial distilleries strip all the way down to 5% and some even less.

...not suggesting we should emulate them but I think it illustrates the point that we craft distillers aim for a higher standard so 20% or 30%ABV as the cutoff for the stripping runs are good marks to aim for.

Stopping before the strip gets down to that level is just throwing good ethanol away

Waste Not Want Not! especially when it comes to my spirits

AM