Great job for your first run! Next time freeze a few gallon water jugs, put them in your plastic tank they will last the run. I use a little giant pump in the bottom of mine. Cheers! MT
Thank you for posting this video. I have always wanted to see how to charge the thumper, and you did it perfectly. I have been kicking around buying the 20 gallon version on this still and you have sold me. Thank you again
That's a nice set up and to all the people worried about pouring instead of siphoning it's all preference.. I've seen mash made directly in the pot and come out just fine...
What you did was perfectly fine when you put fruit in the thumper. You turned your flame down which I recommend. You added fruit after you discarded your foreshots, this is called “shooting the thumper “ it allows more of the fruit flavors to enter your product compared to if you were to load the apples before you collected and discarded the foreshots. All them flavors would have been discarded. Of course you have to be careful but all that steam from your fruit port was shooting straight up and away from the flame on your burner. I have the same setup but 20 gallon. I make banana brandy and load bananas in my thumper all the time after I collect my foreshots with the still running.
So Get rid of the foreshots then add you fruit etc in the thumper. I was worried once it started then you did that it would Mess up the run. So this is normal procedure I assume.
It's a great time to get a still! Lead times are much shorter! If you're thinking of getting a 5 gal it may be worth considering going to a 10 gal. Not much more work for double the product. Bigger stills are a little easier to make your cuts as well. 🍻
I always tell People if you think a 5 gallon still will be big enough but the 10. And so on. It’s kind of addicting once you get going with the hobby and you will always be able to make 5 gallons in a 10 gallon still but you will Never make 10 gallons in a 5 gallon at once.
So most people are concerned about you igniting your vapors. I was looking at how you loaded your pot. It looked like your yeast was being pored in as well. One thing I have started doing is the night before, siphon into a different bucket. Then I am giving it a better chance to clear before siphoning into the pot. For me it makes a much better tasting product. Keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing.
I normally use a nylon bag and it will get most of the sediment. I since picked up a siphon stick. Will try siphoning before and see I can get out more of the sediment.
Nice video ,shows everything to make your run stand out and simple instructions. I just made a masuh) 4 pounds white sugar 2 pounds brown sugar 1 pound honey one pound strawberry 1 pound raspberries
@@dronepilot1290 was awsome watching you dial it all in :) dont let some of these people bother you, they all comment without listening and just plain rude. Your upload is very appreciated :D
Just a FYI… anytime you distill a fruit fermentation there is a significant amount of methanol in the first 3/4 to full pint of production. It’s best to heat up the still slowly, especially from 150F to 175F. Because methanol evaporates at a lower temperature, this allows it enough time to escape before the good spirits start to come. Any spirits produced before 175° should be discarded. The slower you distilled the better the product you will have. 185 is about the max heat required in the pot.
Not here to dispute what you say but those jars look like pints to me not quarts, if you got 7 quarts out of 10 gals. that translates into 20% alcohol not many yeasts that I or the industry know of can withstand that. Also some friendly advice Safety First, Last and ALWAYS. make sure your work area in decluttered of tripping hazards give yourself enough room to walk by without the possibility of knocking over the unit, also when working with open flame ventilation is an issue or lack of should I say otherwise great job...cheers
Great set up. It is always nice to see a traditional still working. Would there be a video on the taste test :) Also I wonder if you took a reading of the thermometers at the end of the run before your shut it down. The still thermometers should had been high, but I wonder what was the temperature on the thumper. Looking forwards for your next run. Thanks.
I'm not trying to be a know-it-all or an ass my family's been doing this for generations I just don't want to see nobody get hurt and I want to see you make good product as soon as you start producing alcohol dial your flame Way back you will hold about 160 and the more alcohol you pull out the more you'll see your gauge gradually climb it'll make for a lot smoother and better taste profile
@@dronepilot1290 other than having your still sitting on unstable ground and opening the system once you start distilling I think you're doing a great job just keep your temperature down a little and remember what I told you and you should be just fine keep up the good work
Good video, nice system you will learn your does and don’ts and should have soon enough! Keep it up! How was the hooch did your apples and cherries come thru?
How did you clean yours before use? I bought the 20 gal pot still from them and they said they cleaned it before shipping. Not saying i dont trust them but i think it needs a cleaning run first. Did you do a cleaning run?
Awesome first run! just would suggest you taste and smell it as you go, your run prolly ended A LONG time ago I bet the last 3 jars are all tails and nasty. Other than that very smooth!
Nice video. I would have added to the thumper before I heated it, but what you did isn't wrong. I'm just so clumsy that I'd have burned myself. Nice set up. How did it taste?
I haven't seen anyone making any negative comments. So far the comments have been pretty solid advice for somebody who is just starting out. I wish I would have had this advice when I started. However I've been doing it for almost 10 years now and I still take advice
So adding the apples after the heads is the best procedure. This don’t mess up the run being it started already. I’m obviously new to this. Doing me research and taking notes.
On the north Georgia still website.. there are all these upgrades. I’m not sure what they are. *tri clamp ferrules *upgrade bottom (48 oz/16 gauge (1/16”) copper *create bypass directly to worm *add fill port on vapor cone? *upgrade 4” end cap to sight glass on thumper *add temperature gauge to worm *upgrade to sealed worm with 4”access port *add propane burner *add electric heating system Can anyone help me learn what is convenient/necessary versus extra?
Before the first use of your still, they recommend washing the inside with a salt and vinegar mix; 1/2 cup of salt and 1 gallon vinegar. Heat the vinegar to about 110-115 degrees. then pour into equipment and scrub with brush. Then rinse everything. then do a cleaning run with 1 cup vinegar to 5 gallons of water. Do not run cold water to the worm, to allow vapor to clean the lines and then rinse everything with water when done.
I think you would be better off throwing that gallon ice jug in the res bucket as you want to surround the top part with as much thermal mass as you can aka pull the heat from it and water does that much better I would even keep an eye out for maybe a shipping tube you could seal with silicone to make a custom ice maker for that purpose
I got 20g still with thumper, and a pid electronic heating element, i didn't start til about 192 degrees Ferenhiet with a very slow drip, cooked it til 212 and cut off the heat, only producing about a gallon of 90 proof shine. Any tips would be appreciated.
If that's all the water you're going to use you need to throw four or five bags of ice down in the water plus you need to fill your condenser with ice before you start running water through it your liquor is going to come off fiery because your worms not going to stay cold enough
First off whatever you have your still sitting on that keeps shaking her when you walk around it you need to move it and set it directly on the concrete and unsure still spells disaster every time secondly you need to squeeze the juice out of them cherries because they also hold alcohol
That is 2 pieces 1/8 sheet metal that a truck dumped on the road and couple cars hit and bent it up. I picked it up and ran it over a couple of time with my truck trying to flatten it. It was going to be a steel table one day.
Definitely rack your mash first. It will clear it up and be easier to pour in your cooker. And get ready with a jar when you change jars! You wasting alcohol man!
You never want to open the system once you start distilling everything needs to be in there before you fire it up you know you can blow your ass up doing that
He wouldn’t of blew his ass up by opening the fruit port to the thumper as you claim. If anything the vapors would contact a flame there could possibly be a fire not an explosion as you claim. The explosion “blowing your ass “comes from pressure in the cap of the boiler that’s why the old timers would put a concrete block on top of the cap. Blowing your ass up comes from gas leaks from your propane tank or line coming in contact from an open flame
Plenty of people add fruit to thumper after the heads come out. If not your heads soak up most of the flavor instead of infusing the hearts. But yes you need to be careful and quick
Always best to add to your thumper AFTER getting the foreshots.....otherwise a lot of the best flavor goes down the drain. just need to be careful, can even shut off the gas for a few seconds. Congrats on your first run...
You should never run your steel above 160 170 wild distilling the more alcohol you pull out the higher the temperature will go you should be able to watch your temperature gauge and judge how far into the run you are
I would recommend not filming it and telling anyone what you are doing. It is a felony, there is no hobby distillation clause. Some states say it is okay, but not the Feds.
Just turn off the flame.. nothing wrong with shooting the thumper as long as your careful and quick.. a fan blowing the vapor s away while your doing it can also help
