Been making spirits for over 20 years and recently beer too.
It's all first class and for about 1/6 the cost of buying it.
It's a load of fun and a massive cost cutter, if anyone is interested I'd be happy to share or answer questions.
Interested in making beer or spirits?
Bargainstalker on 26/11/2023 - 09:51
Last edited 26/11/2023 - 11:18 by 1 other user
Last edited 26/11/2023 - 11:18 by 1 other user
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True, good point. When you say strong, you meant the oak flavour?
Yes strong oak flavour. That 1/2 spiral is recommended for 5 ltrs of spirit but thats with a bourbon rum or whiskey spirit flavouring too. Traditionally made whiskey comes out of a still clear and all the colour and a good amount of flavour comes from the barrel
Forgot to mention neutral alc infused with vanilla paste is a delicious spirit. Vanilla pods are probably a little better but pricey
More input. Used dark cane sugar as bottling beer sugar and its left little dark pieces in the sediment. Will use it again but for fermentation not bottling
The last beer was cold crashed for 5 days. It was so clear and the yeast plug was so solid it didn't disturb at all (cloud up the beer) when racking.
So the filter wasn't necessary and had clear beer and no yeast in it.
Will do that again, not filtering the bottom half means less time and effort when bottling and less clean up afterNice, will be interested to hear about ur carbonation after bottled
It's always bottle carbonated good as. Usually enough fiz to be drinkable after 11 days and fully done in 14.
It's surprising when I remove so much yeast I was expecting it to take longerGreat, you use carb drops or just plain sugar normally?
Plain suger. After racking by syphoning into buckets. I clean out the yeast left then put the clear beer back in the fermenter then I stir in 220 grams of white sugar for 23 ltrs.
Then bottle. I like the 1.5 ltr p.e.t. bottles they fit in the cupboards and fridge nicelySyphoning off the beer with a short hose is because it doesn't disturb the yeast plug on the bottom of the fermenter like the tap does
Also have the theory that clarifying beer in 2 or 3 ways and removing most of the yeast. Makes the type and flavour of the yeast non important so standard yeast is just fine, so not worth spending on better yeast as it doesn't effect the beer flavour
I guess thats a bonus of cold crashing racking and filtering. Can add disolved sugar to the whole batch before bottling. Don't have to add it to each bottle
True, i find it painful to have to add ti each bottle. Good tips thanks
Cold crashing is quick and easy. Just stir in the gelatin and put the fermenter in the fridge a 5 min job. Racking and partial filtering of the bottom half is more of a hassle mostly from prep and sterilizing everything. But clear beer is delicious and no worries with bottle fermentation its all good. Apparently clarified beer keeps longer too but it makes no difference to me it's down the hatch asap lol. Keeping isn't an issue
Another fun thing to try is the burn test. Have to warm up 42% to get it to light ethanol burns with a blue flame where methanol burns yellow.
Bad ethanol with a little methanol in it burns blue with a yellow at the top of the flame. Need the lights out to see it clearly.
However even first class ethanol there will be the faintest hint of yellow at the tip of the flame, this is from particles in the air nothing to worry about.
I distilled a few bad batches of wine for a wine maker and one of them was about 1/3 methanol but the other 2 batches produced some incredible brandy.
Thats where we discovered the burn test from utube, very accurateUsed dark cane sugar for bottling sugar on another batch of beer. No dark bits in the sediment this time. Some other factor
Weird.. im getting new fermentor soon.
Fingers crossed next week
Hey
Have been thinking about selling all my brewing gear but this thread has got me in the mood to keep it. It had been packed away for a while as we renovate.
I'm an all grain brewer (Grainfather Connect V2 with Grainfather sparge water heater) and fermenting in a 26l SS stainless brew bucket with thermometer probe well. I ferment in a stand alone temperature controlled fridge.
I also have a reflux column still head that fits on the Grainfather for spirit runs. I filter with the Still Spirits EZ filter system.
I keg my beers and carbonate and serve with CO2.
I did have a three tap kegerator but found that having up to 57l of beer across there different styles was overkill, do I sold the kegerator and two of my kegs, and kept one keg. Plan is to serve from the fermention fridge using a picnic tap in future.
I have collected a whole bunch of other gear over the years, as you tend to do with this hobby.
I'll keep an eye on this thread.
Cheers.
Jonesy.
Sounds awesome. Something new I've been playing with is infusing fresh fruit with neutral alcohol. Then distilling it in a pot still and making clear brandy. Not something I've read about but have done 2 runs of banana and 1 of vanilla paste. Absolutely delicious, unlike traditional brandy the fruit isn't decomposed and no yeast flavours either. Tastes just like fresh fruit, and unlike standard fruit infused spirit it has an Infinite shelf life. Anyway it's brilliant though I'm mostly making beer now
I bought a 6 ltr pressure cooker and using it as a pot still for these mini runs of brandy. Also paknsave has nectarines on special so planning a nectarine brandy run this week I imagine it will be awesome. Have infused nectarines before and it was delicious so looking forward to making it into brandy in this different way
The inspiration was infusing organic feijoas in neutral spirit. It's the most delicious thing to ever pass my lips but after 5 days the beautiful light green colour turned brown. Luckily there wasn't much left, but that's what gave me the idea of distilling fruit infused neutral spirit so it keeps forever
Do you need to add a sugar? Or is 42% just down the hatch?
42% is sippable but I like a mixer. Even half water will do, carefull with sugar alcohol can magnify flavours like sugar 20 times more than water. Very easy to over sweeten and have sickly sweet spirit
Wow it's a nice piece of kit. Not cheap but seems worth it.
On another note my last brew is 100% 1 micron filtered and it's bottle fermenting nicely though a little slower. It's not supposed to so it was a risk. Yeast is supposed to be 3 to 4 microns.
So without a microscope I can't explain itStrange, unless its just the CO2 already present?
Be great to have your email foodie so I can send photos and videos. But all good if not just a request
Pm'ed
No it's definitely bottle fermenting, the bottles got harder and harder untill rock hard as usual.
Had some last night it's really fizzy, and your not alone my brewshop mate/advisor said it shouldn't work too. So I'm taking him a bottle of it next visitPossibly yeast spores getting through? Just a guess
Perhaps, i purposefully filter with a larger mesh to ensure there is some yeast getting through.
I was syphoning off the top half and filtering the bottom half. Into another fermenter barrel just for bottling.
The reason I tried 100% filtering is because of filtering a spirit wash and the wash was still very milky coloured. And the only thing in the wash was yeast water and sugar. So the milky colour has to be yeast of some type. That's the theory anyway
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The oak will be very strong. Maybe taste test with 100ml of beer + 5ml then + 10ml etc to find a good ratio. Could also empty the oak bottle into another to halt the oak aging process and add fresh alc to the oak, it can be reused just like a barrel but you get a milder effect.
My nectarine concoction yesterday wasn't good, very bitter. You never know what flavours alcohol will enhance or leave behind. It's nothing like flavouring water and virtually impossible to predict. You just give it a go with small batches. The great thing about reflux stilling is if you make unpleasant tasting spirit you just add it back into the still with the next run and get all the alcohol back