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New Gear SOON !!!!

Paying the deposit tomorrow for my new setup from Punkin, paying the balance next month and getting it shipped out once he gets back from Thailand

Aussie takeaway still and Milk can bells and whistle boiler :p

Plenty of time to get some wash ready to run

Currently got 30L of TPW that's pretty much ready to run so will bottle it next week and put another one on

19L (21L but I'll have about 1-2L left in the bottom Backseat for the next lot :p ) of cider left in my other 30L fermentor that im kegging when my kegs and kegerator arrives next week (it was 24L of coles apple juice and S04 SG1042 FG1010)

Also got 15 pet bottles of Lager ready to drink that I put down on the 15/3 and bottled on the 24/3

Picking up two more 30L fermentors next week as well, will put down another brew of beer (Thinking an Ale) and an apple brandy wash mix (coles apple juice maybe some dextrose and thinking of using some ec1118)

So all up I should have the below brewing

1X 30L TPW 6Kg Sugar
1X 30L hybrid cider (backseat of first gen (used S04)) 18L of Coles brand and then maybe top up with Nudie (still thinking)
1X 23-24L beer
1X 30L of Apple brandy wash (Ec1118) Coles apple juice

The beer will get kegged and the remainder bottled
Hybrid cider will be the same (though I may toss it in the still with the Brandy wash)

I have about 6weeks till the still arrives I think I can maybe get 2 more Tpw done in that time (allowing the next one I do 3 weeks to clear and the first 6weeks)

Brandy I may be able to do another one before the still arrives

Beer and cider will easily be done by then though I may want to rack each off for a 2nd ferment and clearing but I'll have 3 kegs free so I can just keg them and leave it to age

So all going well I can do either 2 batches of rum or a Bourbon run (maybe one of each :S) decisions decisions lol

Going to try keep a log on here of what im doing both for my own notes and so you fine folk can give me tips and comments

Really wanting to get some good product down

Plan for rum, whiskey and bourbon etc Ill turn the reflux off and leave the plates in but will see how it goes

Vodka Ill run full reflux

Will look into getting a gin basket and some more plates later on :D

Still trying to stock up on bottles, need to buy some demijohns and mason jars (measuring cups etc) for when I start

Looking for a molasses supplier in VIC as well (may have a contact via work but haven't pushed it)

Any feedback would be great :)

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Comments

  • Exciting times mate. It's one of the only hobbies that actually pays for itself in the long run with the savings you make.

    It's great to see the excitement and the planning you are putting in. =D>

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • edited April 2014

    Ask at the local pubs and clubs, you can normally pickup 1.25lt spirit bottles for nix. Check out recycling joints and op shops for jars and if lucky 2lt glass flagons.

    My wife is Italian, no shortage of the 750ml tomato-pasta sauce bottles, they are very handy and will fit in std milk crates as well.

    One of the most rewarding hobbies we can do, and once done correctly you will have a lot more friends dropping in for drink. Always becomes our shout!

    Fadge

  • nice work mate its top gear. The pictures look grate but its even better in the real.

  • edited April 2014

    Went down to coles last night and managed to get 54L worth of apple juice, i was going to get 60L but they ran out haha

    Had a converstation about cider with the Checkout chick, pretty sure she was keen to buy some lol kept asking me if I sold it :p that and she was flirting with me (she is way to young however)

    Probably better I leave more of a gap at the top anyway as ive been running my 30L fermenters right upto the line (about 2-3L space at the top)

    Need to get another 6kg of sugar for the 3rd TPW

    Have some lemon juice to add to the 2nd TPW which I didn't do to the 1st

    Thinking I won't reuse the yeast from the first gen TPW as its nothing speical and ive got two cans worth of Lowans (one is missing a 1/3 cup)

    Am looking at getting

    24X 1L 24X 500Ml

    Mason jars from ozfarms for a reasonable rate

    Also going to order a 500Ml measuring cylinder, 10L stainless pot and some rubber bands :p

    I am guessing Ill get between 6-9L (40%) per 30L TPW run so ill use the 500ml jars for collection and the 1L jars for storage

    The TPW I have on atm is sitting at about 940-960 if im reading my hydrometer right

    It goes 90 then in 20 increments down to 1000 right?

    SG was 1050 so im looking at 10-14% which seems high to me

    I'll have a 19L corny keg spare that I can put some in as well

    Also have 9 bottles and some smaller pasta jars

    Thinking I may just store in 1L jars, is it hard to pour from mason jars? ie into a glass

    Guess I could always pour into a funnel and bottle it when im ready to drink it lol

    Still waiting on my heating belts to arrive :s

  • Good stuff mate. I use Jim Beam bottles (we had heaps from Bourbon Girl before UJSM came along :)) ) for the small cuts and 2l flagons/4l demijohns for the heart cuts.

    Storage is everything from 50l barells to 50l beer kegs(excellent option if you have good contacts) with a tap in the side at the bottom. Glass 9l bottles, cornies, stainless fire extinguishers etc.

    %00ml and 250ml glas graduated measuring cylinders are very handy and while you are ordering from the scientific supplier, 1l graduated boroscilate jars with lids are cheap and excellent to have two for collection cups. As are beakers with a texta mark.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • I love the coopers ss kegs the one's with the screew in top. You can weld a ss thread in to the cap that screews in to the keg. You gona need some contacts :))

  • @Drunkas, i always thought the coopers keg use a Type A coupler same as tooheys & xxxx kegs. If you have a source of kegs with 2" screw in bungs please let me know

  • @crozdog said: Drunkas, i always thought the coopers keg use a Type A coupler same as tooheys & xxxx kegs. If you have a source of kegs with 2" screw in bungs please let me know

    Next time im out the farm I will take a photo. But they are the same as the lion nathan kegs if that helps. As for the source well my keg's come from the same places most people's kegs come from ;)

  • My neighbour has a great system that he does for me. He disassembles and removes the spear and then puts it all back together without the spear.

    It looks the same as a normal keg with the ball and the rubber seal, but has no spear and just screws in and out.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • edited April 2014

    So I tomorrow I will be putting on a hybrid juice cider

    12L of Nudie Fresh cloudy Apple juice ($6-$7 a 2L bottle) 15L Coles Brand apple juice ($3 a 3L bottle) S04 yeast (probably buy a new packet)

    I was going to reuse the yeast, trub and backseat of the last cider but I think I'll start fresh now

    So pretty simple receipe

    Make sure you take the Nudie juice out the fridge the night before you brew so that it can get to room temp for when you add it to the fermenter

    Boil one 3L bottle of coles juice and add to a 30L fermenter

    Add the Nudie juice check temp, start adding coles juice until its all in if the temp drops below 20-26C heat up some more of the coles

    If the temp is within 20-26C pitch your yeast onto the top.

    I'll be chucking a heater belt onto it and keeping it at about 26C

    I use S04 as it only ferments out to a FG of 1010

    Leave for about 3 weeks then rack off into another fermentor to clear (3 weeks)

    After it clears you can either keg or bottle it (the longer you leave it the better it will be) I suggust letting it sit in the bottle or keg at room temp for a further 3weeks

    This stuff works out to be about 70cents a bottle (330ml) for the ingrediants

    I have some lactose that I can use to sweeten it up later on if need be but I don't think it will need it

    Any comments let me know, ill post back results in about 9 weeks

    Also going to post my Coles brand cider shortly

  • Great info about the SO-4 mate, it gives a semi sweet sort of cider then? I like it bone dry, but i know a lot of people don't.

    Maybe moonshine will move this into the proven recipe section for you if you ask him nicely?

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • Its almost like an apple wine, its tart but not super dry ive only tried it still so going to pop open a carbed bottle tonight and give it a taste

    I will get my mate to give me how description on taste because its hard to describe

    Ill write up the cheap coles recipe shortly

  • So Coles apple cider this stuff is $1 per litre and about $6.5 for a packet of S04

    Last batch I did was 24L so will go off that

    8 Bottles of coles apple juice

    Boil one bottle and add to the fermentor

    Add the other 7 bottles make sure it all sloshes around to get some air in there

    SG should be around 1042

    Temp will be about 28-32C so leave it to cool alittle longer or if your impatient like me just pitch your yeast

    Takes about 3weeks to finish fermenting

    FG1010

    Rack off into another fermenter to clear or just bottle it

    Again the longer you leave it the better but its fine to drink after the 3 weeks if you want

  • Ok 1st gen TPW bottled for storage, 2nd TPW on with Backwash from the first

    Hybrid cider on 27L

    Brandy wash on 30L with backwash from my first gen cider

    And 23L of amber ale kit

    The first Gen cider is currently kegged, the other 3 kegs are soaking till monday

    Kegerator is at the Toll depot as I couldn't fit it in the car and they didn't deliver it like I asked

    Will be redelivered Tuesday

  • Wow @Clickeral, your ambitions are infectious and I applaud your drive. At the rate you're going you'll have stocks of booze perfection in no time.

    Gonna keep an eye on you. Unless I miss my guess you are going to be one of the greats here. And if you are, you will be in good company because many of the members here are masters.

    Thanks for sharing your apple recipes... and like the great Punkin said, they should find their way to the recipe section so they don't get lost on this thread.

  • Hey @Lloyd thanks for the feedback :) I have always been ambitious and driven at anything that I do. Which so far has been a mixed blessing :p

    Hopefully I can get up to speed with running my dragon and start learning the tricks only hands on experience can give.

    I had forgotten how much I enjoy putting on ferments of product, and really can't wait to start stilling.

    At least I now have beer and cider on tap :p

    There is only so much you can learn from research but here and the other forums have given me a lot of insight and sparked off ideas that I will be playing with going forwards.

    Just wait until I get back into All grain brewing again ;)

  • Just wait til you get a few runs under your belt. You'll be getting excellence in no time.
    The first few drops ever produced (no matter how nasty) should be saved because they are somehow magic in my mind. The joy of that moment can never be recaptured.

    Fast forward through many, many, many runs and I still fondly remember those first drops that I distilled.
    ...far away look in my eye...

  • The last of my kegging gear turned up today, just need to finish plumbing it and condition the keg with CO2.

    Currently have one keg full of cheap coles brand Apple juice Cider that I brewed last month

    The other 3 kegs are full of soapy water that I will empty out tonight rinse with boiling water and then sterilize for when my next batch of beer and cider is ready.

    The TPW I put into softdrink bottles has heaps of sediment on the bottom which annoys me as I used the Filling wand. So before it goes into the boiler I will put it through some cheese cloth and then coffee filters.

    Soooo by the weekend I will have cider on tap at least, not sure how it will taste carbonated as the stuff I bottled didn't carb up much :s

    Might have to add some lactose to it, (yay for having a kg of it) see how it goes meant to add around 50G per 5L so 200g may be the go

    All 4 of my fermentors are bubbling away nicely (been on for 5days now) I just put heater belts onto the beer and cider last night as they where at 16C

    The TPW is at about 18C and the Brandy wash is about the same

    Once the beer and cider are finished I'll put the heater belts onto the TPW along with another batch

    Also need to put a 2nd beer down so I can use my Kegerator to its potential

    Excited :)

    Already starting to look at what Grain and corn I want to buy, however I will do a UJSSM and CFW before I jump back into AG with both feet

    Still trying to source molasses as well :s

  • You can backsweeten with fresh juice if you are kegging too. At the low temps it ferments very slowly so doesn't add too much fizz although it will get drier (and more alcoholic) as it ages.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @punkin said: You can backsweeten with fresh juice if you are kegging too. At the low temps it ferments very slowly so doesn't add too much fizz although it will get drier (and more alcoholic) as it ages.

    Yeah that would work if the keg wasn't full of cider :p

    Also trying to keep it around the 4-5% mark

  • I am going to have a whole lot of neutral, and have no idea what I'll do with it yet

    I know it isn't technically vodka, but I stopped drinking vodka because I tend to get angry when I do :s

    The brandy will get split into 3

    1 lot of White 1 lot to be made into panty dropper :p 1 lot to go on oak

    I may have to put down some CFW when i get a free fermenter

    Still need to do a 3rd TPW (need another 6kg of sugar)

    Issue is ill be drinking the neutral while I wait for everything else to age (I could drink my first gen Cider and the next batch of beer)

    The 2nd gen cider and beer will only be about 5-6weeks old though :s

    Whats the minimum time I need to age something on oak?

    Once I get the cycle going I shouldn't run out its just till I stock up my supplies haha

  • 6-8 weeks is the minimum i'd recommend for the UJSM on dominoes. The UJ seems to be quickest (along with wheatgerm wash) with rum taking a long time to get the bourbon taste from the oak to fade and the mollasses to shine.

    With neutral you can make;

    Thai Terror

    Kahlua

    Panty Dropper

    Limencello

    Apple pie

    Ouzo/Arak

    Bacon Vodka

    Coffee Mudslide

    Punkin's Muck

    Gin

    Schnapps

    All these recipes and many more are in the Proven and Clone sections at Artisan Distilling.

    I highly recommend the Ouzo (it gives you another chance to run the still too) run in a potstill setup by removing your tees and reflux condensor. You may need a 2" riser or an extra bend or something but the Dashes come with most of a potstill already.

    The Limencello is really easy and tasty straight away, the girls will love the panty dropper. Thai Terror is great for parties and the Apple Pie used to be a staple round here. I used UJSM but there's no reason not to use neutral.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • I feel I would need a 45 degree bend, would I use the parrot?

    Could I not just turn the Deflag off and leave the Tees there or take the plates out?

    Wouldn't mind giving it a go in potstill mode though, want to throw in a 45 degree bend :p

  • You push a hard bargain, but remind me in the email when you order and i'll throw the bend and gasket in (you buy the clamp :D ).

    The Ouzo would leave a pretty strong scent in your bubble sections i reckon. I've found that i have to recycle the bottles it's been in to use only for ouzo.

    Parrot is handy and easy to clean.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • Cool I'll be tranfering the balance on the 14th so ill flick you an email then :)

  • No worries mate. I can probably throw the clamp in too. :((

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • Hey I won't complain :p

    Probably be looking at getting another two tees and a gin basket in a few months, plus some other shiny things. (my birthday is in August haha)

    God I love having expendable income (need to save more for a house deposit though grumble) also potentially buying a new bike this weekend so I won't have that paid off till Aug which means I really should be cutting back on the spending.

    Dam me and my impatience

    Still haven't brought myself a tv :o but thats not high on the priority list atm (laptop works)

  • There's a gift certificate option on the website you can drop the hint to loved ones for birthdays etc.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • Roughly 27 days left till ill be stilling, feel like I am running out of time for wash

    Still want to brew another TPW, Beer and a CFW/rum

    No rest for the wicked

  • So my hybrid cider is currently sitting at and Specific G of 1006

    It had an SG of 1050 so currently it's at 5.9% not sure why my last lot of cider stopped at 1010

    Could be that the hybrid cider has more nutrients (better juice) or that I've kept it at between 24-28C by using a heater belt

    Will let it go down as low as it wants (990? 8%) and see what its like, the flavour profile is different from the budget brand but I suspect I may need to back sweeten it with some lactose (50gram per Litre)

    Id be happy with 8% :)

    My other lot of Cider aka brandy wash/must (not sure if its a must due to be store brought juice :p) is still bubbling away at 18C which is probably slightly cold for EC1118 but i'll move the heater belt when the Cider is done, Also need to give the yeast washing another go and try save some S04 for my next cider run :)

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