I've watched a number of your videos and others such as Barley and Hopps. Now I'm taking the advice in this video and have just placed an order for the VEVOR 8 gallon. Scheduled to deliver on Wed 6-7. I'm excited. Now I can start learning by doing.
the best guy i seem to understand or relate too is cyrus and when i email him he gets back to me like we are friends in the world to day we need that thank you cyrus
I must admit I have been very concerned with methanol content in the still (Turbo T500). Luckily I've had my fears settled as I've been doing the right thing and even been a little over active on avoiding issues with methanol and with my cleaning (according to manufacturer instructions). I will admit I started with a little pot before getting my big reflux, still but unfortunately didn't like the taste of the alcohol from it (I could still taste the sugar off the wash). I'll also hang my head that I've had washes die from varying factors including over heating (extremely hot in this house in summer) to a bad yeast batch to some bug infection I missed in cleaning. Luckily such failures have been rare. I now have the experience though to be able to say based off the wash's behaviour what quantity and %ABV I expect from it along with how many days before it's finished (it varies) and get the results VERY close (within half a day and within 2%). I've got the experience to have downpat how long the still will take not by clock but by gut to both warm up and to finish. We started out early (right at the start) with many different flavours. We worked out the brands of each we liked and those we did not (example I love the Johnny Jogger scotch as it's VERY close to Johnny Walker, could drink one other brand but it was too malty really and one other brand got hoiked on first taste. We still try different things here and there, like Baileys Irish Cream knockoffs and have learned for example when doing Baileys, screw the 7% and 20% suggestions I've seen 40%+ all the way baby. It's a long learning experience we're still on but it's been a hell of a ride. I'd have loved to have imparted earlier self though with information on our current (better) storage systems, when and how to brew for better results and don't be lazy, start double distilling earlier.
I have the 5 gallon Vevor with thumper, my wife got it for me for my birthday last month, ive got 1 run under my belt and i love it, this is gonna be the best hobby ive ever taken up, i just wish i could run everyday of the week..
That is awesome. There are a lot of folks running Vevors in our Moonshine For Beginners group on MeWe. You should come join us. mewe.com/join/moonshineforbeginners
Great advice , and thanks again for replying and answering my question ...on to trying to malt corn again now , and yeah I have to re watch your videos on hydrometer
I've been watching your videos just one day and i have to say the way you explain things is very logical, clear, structural and articulate. Very good videos indeed. Thank you. Greetings from Finland.
Ei kai sitä harrastella hämäriä ;-) I agree all you wrote, it's easy to follow what these videos are about to tell and now I want to try corn whiskey with my little albemic still.
If you dont make mistakes youre not doing it often enough lol .. ive ruined entire batches of mash and had mash go bad from crazy situations.. I use one of those cheap 5 gallon vevor stills and ive never had an issue with it . i love it although im about to upgrade to a 13 gallon vevor still
I dont like chinese stuff most of the time but i use a chinese cevor still and i love it im fixin to buy another one a 13 gallon one with a football chamber
So I been using Johns tips on using 10 lbs of corn out to 5 generations with great results! My question is can I do that to make a scotch using 10 lbs peated malt 20 lbs of sugar for 13 gal of mash Will I be able to get more than 1 run? I’m assuming you would not want to convert sugars so a low temperature water would need to be added 120 and less????
When should I use or not use a thumper. Are there times it shouldn't be used?still not sure when to or not to use a thumper. I have watched a bunch of videos but unclear of what it is for exactly and when to use it and when not to
Good information. And yes your going to make mistakes and you will learn from them. Most my problems are in fermentation. Either the ph goes hi or it slows from the temperature getting to cold. I live in a northern climate. I go by Frogeye on tiktok and have a RU-vid but no content here
Cy, my distillate tastes good but I’m having trouble getting the sweet notes when I age. I’ve tried wood chips toasted and get a raw wood flavor and over time, a scotch like taste. I then tried Makers Mark cubes that I toasted and it’s somewhat better. Maybe get white oak sticks and toast them? Appreciate best thoughts.
I've tried several store bought toasted chips and I've never been satisfied with the taste. Each one gives an off flavor to me. Personally I go out in the back yard and cut a white oak limb then cut it, split it and char it. Fresh oak is by far my favorite aging wood. Throw it in your jar or carboy, wait 6 months then enjoy. I've tried speed aging , it's ok but it's definitely worth the wait to let it do naturally. Turn jar and shake wood every week
My biggest concern is imploding my still. I watch tons of videos and tutorials but I'm sure there is a way to shut down properly to keep that from happening. I know puking and bad ferments etc will happen. But what are the steps a-z when you are done with a run to stop the catastrophe of losing the pot. I don't mind making mistakes but would rather avoid the most costly lol
So the only time you have to worry about an implosion is when you are running a thumper. When you are running a thumper the pressure can build up as it cools. If you aren't running a thumper then it is an open system and no pressure is produced. When you shut down a still 2ith a thumper just open up the thumper lid or disconnect the thumper inlet and problem solved.
@@StillnTheClear awesome I still have to learn all the differences there are in running with and without the thumper. But I do appreciate the knowledge. I have to order another beginner bourbon kit as my still is 20 gal
I prefer propane myself, but if you want to go electric it will probably take two elements for that volume. You could also run both electric and propane if you wanted.
Thanks for the information! Now I’ve stepped up my “ shine” knowledge a tad bit! Lol Trying to dive in but it can be expensive for some of the recipes. Learn as I go though! To me it’s a flavorful science experiment that I love to do!
Bad advice, jump in with both feet my arse, learn what you can then and only then bite the bullet and start, its the only way you will know where and when you went wrong, believe me I know a lot of what you read online is garbage which is probably from people that didnt do due diligence and then start talking like this, but you just have to sort out the wheat from the chaff, dont forget we are talking about something that can easily be dangerous, you are messing with potentially explosive vapours here and maybe even pressurised vessels if its done wrong, this is not home brewing its completely different.
