Sick of Sugar and moving to AG and BIAB

TheMechWarrior

I have a table on the cut ranges for various major distilleries if people are interested and it's not already posted in here some place?

Clickeral

@lloyd

When I make white rum on a single pass I only take the hearts cut (really tight)

If I am aging my rum on oak I take a wider cut and then everything left over goes into the boiler for the next rum run

I suspect I am getting better at cuts as I am starting to taste heads in my earlier product, I can also now cut straight off the still if I am in a rush and so far its worked out ok

The run tonight I suspect I will get maybe

100ml fores 400ml heads 400ml hearts

Then the rest tails, I will let it air over the next few days to make sure and this stuff you can smell the flavor coming through even at 80%+ normally with 4 plates it takes a few days for the flavor to come out (if it does white) and at least 6-8weeks on oak

Its good to experiment :)

Lloyd

Thanks @Clickeral you seem to confirm my thoughts about cuts on rum.
Though I truly suck at being able to make good cuts while distilling and need the crutch of letting the jars air a day or two while I sober up enough to decide.
With at least 20 cut jars to decide on while distilling with my rig its too easy to get shitfaced during the decision making process. Best to leave the heavy lifting for the next day or so.

@TheMechWarrior I'd think that needs its own thread. Please post it.

grim

Often some very interesting esters in the late heads.

punkin

And yep antifoam works a treat, thanks @punkin, one bottle goes a long way, not a profitable line to sell I'd say, I'm still using the first one.

fadge

Yes the Antifoam works a treat and should be added to whiskey and rum for sure in my experience.

It's just one of those things i stock for the benefit of the community like dap etc because i couldn't stand seeing people getting ripped off by the LHBS's. It's not a profitable line for sure, as most of it goes as a free present for someone when they buy a still. It's also getting harder and harder to source it in anything but 200l drums. That is the worst bit.

Clickeral

I have one Quart jar of 63% on Oak of the all grain lots of flavor but very raw atm needs a few months to mellow I think :)

crystal_skull

For how long have you let it air?

TheMechWarrior

Never underestimate the benefit of time on oak. I've been guilty twice now of being too critical of my own initial product only to find it mellow and age just nicely...as it should.

Clickeral

@crystal_skull said: For how long have you let it air?

About 5 days

Clickeral

Have had a crack at grinding some corn and have decided I need to mount my motor better, need to look into rebuilding my hopper as its pretty crap atm.

Not sure about the power controller for the motor as it seems to be slightly jerky could be I haven't wired it up the best.

Managed to do a rough crush on 2.5Kg will rerun it through once I sort the minor teething issues out

Clickeral

I feel so violated, I'm not sure when it happened but I have been robbed between Monday/Tuesday and now

I can't believe anyone would steal 2 garden hose's and fittings with spray gun

Bloody annoyed though means i have to go get some new hoses before I can run the still again :(

Lloyd

Being stolen from always hurts mate but count yourself lucky it was just garden hoses, could have been much worse.

fadge

@Clickeral said: I feel so violated, I'm not sure when it happened but I have been robbed between Monday/Tuesday and now

I can't believe anyone would steal 2 garden hose's and fittings with spray gun

Bloody annoyed though means i have to go get some new hoses before I can run the still again :(

Go to the reject shop, buy a $6 hose set, drill several holes along the hose or slit it with a blade longways, and leave it in the front yard, wait for the next prick to take it. Sit back and have a drink and think about what they are saying when they turn on your hose and it pisses water everywhere but out the end...

fadge

Clickeral

Been super busy with work and fight training so not many updates

Have a plum brandy starting to ferment (greengage of my tree, currently a 25kg bucket worth (no sugar))

Got a bastard bourbon to run and a need to do another vodka run but have been busy and still have heaps of booze made up

My aging cupboard is full but I have 2 cookie jars to fill yet so need to make some more whisky

Atm I have lots so I dont need to touch the stuff that is aging :)

Need to pick up some more molasses, (maybe some apple juice)

Waiting on a new spider coupler and been slowly modifying my grain mill setup as I have been having issues.

Have a decent ginger beer to put in the kegerator but I really need to brew some more beer

Guess I have a few things to do on the few days off I get over xmas

Lloyd

You have done so well @Clickeral.
It's a big effort to get both enough put by for aging and enough to consume yet that's when you get to experiment with new recipe ideas. Punkin's Thai Terror, perhaps, or the almost infinite other recipes to try.
Though you do seem to be stocking up on the essentials... rum, brandy and beer.
Its amazing how far you have come in such a short time.

Clickeral

@Lloyd said: You have done so well Clickeral.
It's a big effort to get both enough put by for aging and enough to consume yet that's when you get to experiment with new recipe ideas. Punkin's Thai Terror, perhaps, or the almost infinite other recipes to try.
Though you do seem to be stocking up on the essentials... rum, brandy and beer.
Its amazing how far you have come in such a short time.

Thanks Lloyd has been a big learning curve

Seems my plums are not greengage as I first thought as they have turned red once picked, they are still falling off the tree so I need to harvest more tomorrow

I am now thinking they are cherry plums

I also have another plumb tree at the back which is still green and hasn't ripened and a red plum tree at the front which is just starting to ripen

I am trying to make one type of plum must for each but i suspect I may have to do a mix to get the yield i want

I am following an old plum brandy recipe which uses wild yeast from the plums skin, no sugar or water added

so far it seems to be working well but i need to keep mixing it with my paint stirrer

I have them in a 25kg molasses bucket atm but may move them later

I am still trying to work out how to remove the fermented must from the fruit mash but will work it out later

Clickeral

Recipe for anyone interested

How real Slivovitz - or Slivovice is made

Will try to post pics of the plums and stuff I am using atm

punkin

When i did peaches a few years back i froze them for a couple days to rupture the cells and then thawed and whipped them up in a bucket with a drill and a sharpened mortar mixer.

I then screened off all the stones and most of the skin using some small chicken wire shaped into a bowl on top of another bucket.
When the mash was done i ran it through a colander from the tap on the large grey fermenters into the still to catch the last of the skin.

Clickeral

So I currently have 7L of fermented plum smoothy, all the other material is in a bucket and I may do a sugar head with it later

Thoughts on if the pulp will burn in my still?

I am considering buying a juicer to try and make it thinner/ process it more

starkid101

got a 10lt bucket plum outa orchard last week split each 1 with a knife ,added 1kg raw sugar,5lts water

sitting on floor in garage bubbling away happily and tastes so good another brew for ace of hearts when it arrives yum yum

Clickeral

So im having to put my brewing on hold as I have to move house by the 16th of March and have no idea where I am going atm haha.

Also looking into moving jobs in the next few months as well

Lloyd

Double whammy @Clickeral. I'd almost rather take a beating than to move (and after the move I always feel like someone gave me a serious ass whopping).
Good luck to you and I hope both the new job and digs are upgrades.

Clickeral

Sooo potentially signing a new contract (new Job) tomorrow and moving house next weekend

Place I am looking at is in a shared house :s as I am moving back into the cbd and want to cut my rent cost down but I get a large room and the garage. Plus its with 3 ladies so shouldn't be too bad, also allows me the chance to meet their friends haha

Means i will need to get an extra plate (or two) and a packed section as I may pacify them with vodka haha

Also tempted to get a 50L BM but will need to work out power points first

Thinking of putting two rum washes down (have run out of white rum :( ), two AG wheat vodkas (maybe) and one beer once I move

However I am running low on Bourbon so that may be another point of call, considering buying a 200L plastic container. I will also need to look into getting an IBC and pump setup for a recirculating cooling system

Thinking Man cave as I will need somewhere to put the still, kegerator, spare couch etc so fingers crossed it all goes well

Hoping to start the new job in March and have the brewing back going by then :D

Need to make some more apple brandy as well ha

punkin

I saw some really nice fermenters at bunnings the other day mate. They were green 100l 'rain water storage' . They had a close fitting (but not sealing) top and a tap hole. They were tall and narrow and you'd fit a stack of them in a line. About $70 i seem to recall.

Clickeral

So I am moving back into Melbourne for a new job, trying to find a place to live atm and I may be able to start brewing again

Considering dropping another grand into equipment and supplies haha (holiday payout)

Only issue atm is finding a place to live :(

Updates to come

FullySilenced

Grab Googe's place as Melbourne is gonna kick his ass to NZ.... :D

fadge

@Clickeral said: So I am moving back into Melbourne for a new job, trying to find a place to live atm and I may be able to start brewing again

Considering dropping another grand into equipment and supplies haha (holiday payout)

Only issue atm is finding a place to live :(

Updates to come

What trade or industry are you in? Also if you are looking at the western suburbs. I will call a friend or two, l maybe able to help you out with a few mates and a handy shed perhaps, a bottle or two would do you ok.

Fadge

Clickeral

@fadge said:

I'm in the Supply Chain and logistics trade, Working in FMCG atm

Been looking in Brunswick lately, have managed to convince my mate to let me brew in her garage. Still trying to arrange a place to live while I save more for a house.

Thanks for the offer Fadge it is appreciated :) but I think I sort of have it sorted just got to be patient and wait for people to get back to me

Clickeral

Also picking up a couple of 220L water barrels this weekend

Just need to get a valve to tap into the bottom

First on the list is a batch of rum

50Kg molasses ( 2x 25kg from petstock)
Probably fill it up to the 180L mark so I can leave some head space
Can of lowans

And see how it goes, may look into getting a fish tank heater for it

yurgle

@Clickeral said: Also picking up a couple of 220L water barrels this weekend

please let me know if the drums clean up ok odour wise? I need to buy a couple myself shortly and was going to buy from the same people