George is an awesome guy. I called him and he answered and explained the answer to my questions in detail. Can’t speak highly enough of his character and enthusiasm. Thank you George.
I found with my little pos chinese pot still i have that for some reason fruit mashes dont start producing till a higher temp mine produces at 79c with sugar wash but fruit it didnt start till almost 98c but it made a lovely 160 proof brandy
I'm pretty happy. I just figured out that I can buy a lid and Alcoengine Reflux column to convert my 5 gallon pot still to reflux distilling. The kits were originally intended for people building stills out of beer kegs I believe. It'll cost me $180 US but worth it I think.
I found the temperature to be not so important. Anything below 82c seems to work for ethanol. However I like to keep it below 65c and towards the end, as different chemicals pass through you will see a change in pressure/temperature. That's always a good clue to finish up. It's very interesting what you said about the different packing materials, makes sense. When we used to make sills it did take a few attempts to get the packing correct.
Hi George, as always a great video. I follow your logic and enjoy the results. Because of you Im buying a Turbo 500 to see if I can get the same great results as you.
I use a water pressure regulator to drop the pressure and control the flow since that needle valve is so darn sensitive. it works great and is very economical.
Howdy from OzTralia George. Well you are a credit to your country mate. Entertaining and friendly and educational video you made. We are allowed by law to only distill 5Litres (a gallon an a bit) of alcohol all over this country - So as you can imagine there are many hidden stills in garages round here : ) Thank you for sharin and you are living proof that there are nice folk left in America - Sadly you're not at a government policy making level.
Thank you yet again. I have this still and output temp is SO sensitive to input pressure that we have 'still days' where NO ONE flushes the loo. (toilet). I have wondered if the the pressure regulator was worth the effort {read price). Yes it will be! My results to follow. Once again, thanks for a REALLY informative post!
Ive had mine for about a year now keep the temp at 56/57c....my wife generally puts the washing machine on just after it starts to run and it'll only go to about 60c flush the dunny as well and get 63.... Cheers bud from oztralia
I run mine with a water regulator and temp is stable for around 2 to 3 hours of the 25ltr run. I would recommend it. I paid AU$100 for mine. Would not run my T500 without it
Good informative video , thanks 1 question tho I thought you only had to discard the 1st 200ml or so which is the methanol ? Looks like you got rid of way more , correct me if I'm wrong , thanks
Hi George, I really enjoy your videos and learn a lot. I would really like to see a video using just the T500 boiler to make a mash controling the heat with a PID to set the strike temp, go through the rest time, then transform the starch to useable sugars for fermentation. Thank you. I noticed when I got mine, there was a paper saying not to use anything between the boiler plug and power source.??????
Hi! Love the video, can you give a detailed video about your alterations to the turbo 500? I'd really like to have the flexibility to lend as much flavour to my projects as possible
Agave Azul!! Make some tequila! I know you're north if the Rio Grande, if you have to call it Texas, go for it. Maybe call it "Agave Tejas"! That'd be cool!!!
I have noticed if your wash taste nice the end product will be great. if it tastes wrong you have to fix it prior to distillation because the still carry some of the flavours through. Filtering and copper saddles help to bound and remove sulfates
on my suger wash i haveto run at least 68 to get a flow. for anyone who has fluctuating water flow you must buy that regulator, or you will waste hours baby sitting this wonderful still.
You are so right on this. The regulator is a very good addition and relatively cheap (it pays off in the long run). I wish they would sell these as a complete kit with the regulator. The T-500 is so sensitive that without the regulator and depending on your water source just a simple flush of the toilet or the use of a dishwasher will affect it and you'll be chasing temps all afternoon. Very good point. George
I was directed here by one of Jessy's video. Im running a turbo still as well ( a Newbie ), but I have the copper cap, not the reflux. Do you have videos on how to run these types of POT stills? For example the proper head temps ( mine has a thermometer just before the condenser ). Just looking for some general direction. My last few runs have come out pretty fowel. The wash has great aroma and flavor but the whiskey leaves something to be desired. Im fairly confident im making the cuts at the correct times.
Hi George,so basically i have to remove all packing from colum and run as normal for a whisky run,or do i have to set up seperate water supply to both colums as per the still it video done by jessie,cheers mate
I have experienced this quite often trying different alcohols distilling. Each run different and at a variety of temps. My experience mostly is the temp at which the still starts to produce. This one come out tasty George?
I have the T500 and love it. I am building a new still from a 15g keg and would like to try and use the reflux column from the T500. I was wondering if you know the boil temperature that the T500 pot runs at? Figuring I can use a PID to hold that temperature and the reflux column will work as designed.
The T500 has a temperature sensitive shut off in the bottom that is pre-set for 125C. It also runs based on water flow as opposed to heat management. If you are building a new still it may be better to build the entire thing with a column and leave the T500 column out of it. George
Having watched loads of your great videos I've taken the plunge and bought a cheap Chinese pot still, made 2 batches of sugar wash and run them through it, I'm hoping I've done things right, my wash was about 12%abv and was about 23l, I collected about 2l of 80%abv and then stopped the run, my real question here is should I have stopped there or carried on, what do I do with the left over wash? Just dump it?
Hi George i have been following your video's for a while now and they are excellent , i really enjoy your laid back style anyway i have a question i have about 35 vocola jars 850ml size that are vacuum sealed that i but down on the 24-01-2015 and i am wondering how i would go making a plum brandy and any suggestions would be handy , almost forgot they are full of plums with a medium sugar syrup cheers .
I thought it was against federal and state laws to make alcohol at home, am I wrong? I am going the brewing route because I wanted to make my own whiskey and not violate laws. Did I miss something and I can do this for my own use? I am not trying to start a flame war, just asking for clarity on what I thought the laws were.
I'm curious, while you were running at 73C, what was your abv? I run as close to a steady 60C (in my Turbo 500) as possible, toss my first 100ml (heads) and the rest is 96% abv hearts. You know your done when the flow rate of your output is less than 10 drops or so per minute. I CAN, if I desire, at this point raise the temp to 70-75C and get at least another liter of spirits, but I don't like to as the flavors are WAY off (tails).
I also tend to not try to squeeze out every drop. I have found that at my elevation (600 feet above sea level) that the temp required to produce efficiently is a little higher than normal. Could be my temperature probe too. Either way the output is the key and is really part of the art of distilling. You're doing great and I appreciate the comment. Happy distilling George
After sampling the hearts all the way through, the tails to me are just undrinkable. I wont even proof them in with my hearts the taste is so different. Lately Ive been cutting the run at about 85 proof.
Hey George I'm new to distilling I'm absolutely enjoy it and i thankyou so much for your videos they have helped me so much.my first still was a Chinese pot,a real piece off cred crap.But now that I've got a few runs under my belt i want a better still.I'm looking at the t500 and a 6 gallon copper still from the distillery network.i can't seem to make up my mind.Could you give me some advice,what do you think i should do.Or should i buy a milk can still from mile high?help
Sorry for the delayed response. I was on vacation in Vegas for the past 5 days. The stills from mile high and brewhaus are quality stills and work great.
Hi, Geaorge. Just curious if the red and blue tubes are pex tubing. I’m wanting 1/2” red and blue tubing on my milehi reflux and was wondering if pex was my only option there.
Hi great channel and content. I am wanting to use the T500 to produce smooth high end vodka from wheat or potato wash and don't want to loose too many of those flavours. Can you advise again on how I could achieve this through on of these stills that tend to strip spirit it out. Do I for instance set a higher output temp to distill quicker and effectively get some more flavour out or do I mess with the inside of the still?. Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks
The precise nature of how the turbo 500 operates results in little to no tails at all. This is a really good set up and does a great job of not passing conegers through the system (of course if you keep running it it will). George
Hi George! What your thoughts on creating a whiskey wash with malt extract or a beer extract kit? I was thinking you could just add extra sugar to bring up the abv. Maybe even a video where you create a whiskey with malt extract. Thanks
Hi George, What temp should I use for my Grainfather (as a boiler in distilling)? I using the T500 with the Grainfather 30L. Should I stay below 190 deg.? This will minimize use of water in my water flow regulator, right?
so....instead of buying a boil enhancer you can put one drop of vegetable oil on top of the brew and it wont surge boil ? or a food safe detergent at 1/10 the price ?
Hello George. Love your show. On the t500, if I'm just doing a stripping run can I run it without water flow in the column. I'm basically making fuel grade alcohol for extraction purposes. I have a t500 on order and hopefully it arrives soon. Everything is slow in Jamaica. Cheers
Hi George i dont remember if it was mentioned in this video or a previous one i watched (i watch a ton of your videos that are super helpful!) But does a precondenser in a reflux act the same way basically a thumper would for a pot still?
No a thumper is more or less a catch all for any burping or puking the still does... otherwise it would overflow into the coil and into the finished product. This was needed on old school stills because they were using wood fired to heat and it was unpredictable. Modern stills with temp gauges and such make it mostly unnecessary. A reflux column is just a way to ultra refine the distillation process and extract ultra pure and clean spirits... usually with high proof and little flavor.👍🥃
Hi mate. Great video. Love your work! Im planning on doing a molasses wash the same way through the turbo 500 copper edition(with reduced packing). Can I add extra anti foam or should I just reduce the over all wash amount in the boiler?
Hello ! Thanks for Your vidéos.... I m looking for informations about aging the "eau de vie/fruits brandy" in glass. Not adding wood, but just simply aging in glass. If You have informations about time, abv,.. I v eard about aging in the attic with tissue on the "dame jeanne/jars". All the best !
Hi mate, could u put your own mash in this thing? For example I make my own banana mash and ferment it could I put it in this system and distill it? Cheers
Hello from The Netherlands. I do own the Turbo 500 but my result is always with some nasty taste. Now you learned me at what degrees i should keep it in the beginning en later on. But i still don't know when it is the "Tale" that comes out. How do i know??
Dear Gerard, although the question is not for me, allow me to answer. All distillation devices for spirits MUST have the pot part made of copper. The condensor can be made from copper or better inox 316. This is the reason for the nasty taste that you are having. Inox stills are made ONLY for essential oils. The bad smell that you are having is sulfuric substances not reacted and held to the pot by the copper. Where have you seen a distillation company to use inox stills?
+Barley and Hops Confession: "I've always cheated." When I make a brandy, I make a simple sugar shine, when I make my final cut, I heat my water and add jellies or jams of the flavor I want until its dissolved and make my final cut with that. All it is , is a high proof fruit punch. People seem to like it. P.S. I hope no one I know reads this. LOL
Ok 55 celcus is 131-f witch is very different from other still witch make heads and for shots at 155 f on your videos now while your running the turbo doesn’t it ever stop producing at 55 Celsius And at what temp does hearts start and finish
I'm brand new in distillation. have bought a Turbo 500 and thought of using an electric pot that I use for sparging water. I've seen a lot of videos about the T500, but I'm in doubt about the effect on the heater/pot, or if there's full power on from start to finish, so the temperature is 100 ° C throughout the process. I am aware that you control the cooling water between 50-65 ° C, but have not found anything about the boiler's temperature beyond boiling and it is different for liquids. Would You help me understanding.. Regards Per (Denmark)
The T-500 has a thermistor that is a normally closed switch mounted to the bottom of the pot. It is rated at 125 C so when the temperature reached that point it opens and shuts off the element. This is above boiling but is designed to take into account thermal transfer higher in the pot. This is an on/off element so there is no control on it. I found this out when I had to replace one on my T 500. George
Any boiler that can heat the wash (or "mash") to the boiling point (100 C, or 212 F) will work. Consider though, that a lower powered heat source will make you to wait longer for the wash temperature to rise to the vapor point for the ethanol alcohol which is when the still begins receiving the vapor, and producing the condensed alcohol (technically 78.5 C for 95% pure ethanol alcohol, but 92 to 95 C for the the washes we'd be distilling). Then, as the alcohol level in the boiling wash continues to drop due to it's extraction by the still, your wash temp will climb up to the boiling point of the remaining water (100 C). I can imagine a scenario where the pot volume and heat source were so large that the volume and pressure of vapor entering the still volume would overwhelm the capacity of the still to efficiently condense it, and you'd waste a lot of the ethanol, and create a fire hazard from all the uncondenced, escaping vapor.
Jr Paquette cracked barley releases the diastatic power of the grain and allows the amylase to be accessed by the starches. You want cracked or malted.
if im using the 8 gallon outback and i put in the grape skins in, wont the skins get scorched ? do i add distilled water or anything ? or do i sparge the skins in hot water ?
Hi George Very interesting Watch the video re Stills Water Flow Regulator I live on acreage with tank water and pressure pump Find it difficult to regulate water flow will the above work for me Kind Regards Diane Walden
I just bought a t500 and I didn't get the approx. 3.5L in approx. 5 hours is that because I kept the water temp to low or is there a trick to running the still
Don't understand why you use a reflux top when making brandy as it will strip out the flavors. Best to use a pot (alembic) set up to enjoy the wine congeners.
Hi there,I am interested in what you said about taking out some of the copper packing material to increase the amount of flavour by diminishing the stripping capability of the reflux column. In your opinion do you think taking out about 1/3 (as you stated) of the copper packing and replacing it with a botanical bag that would be an adequate alternative for making gin without the use of the botanical pot? I tried making a gin by placing the botanical bag right into the wash itself but I found only the predominant flavour were present and none of the nuanced flavours like the citrus or even the juniper but rather more fennel and cinnamon. Thanks for the video's, they are very informative and appreciated.Cheers!
I'm thinking of getting this with my tax refund. I'm curious how my apple cider I have might turn out. I guess it'd work. Although I probably wouldn't get much final product with only about 4 gallons at about 8% ABV.
+zack cress WOW! I would wait. Apparently you still have some fermentation going on. Have you checked the gravity? If it is 1.000 or lower it is done. Sometimes residual C02 will escape and cause some bubbling. This can fool some people especially if they shake the fermenter; when they do this it releases a little more C02 and they think it is still working. The only sure way to tell is with a hydrometer. George
@Barley and Hops Brewing Do you have any thoughts on the process using the Digi Boil with the T500? The kettle temp can be controlled with the Digi Boil.
Kingfish Kero I don't understand your question. But after your foreshots and heads you'll get your hearts. I normally run a 20% or 23% abv sugar wash but I try to collect 6 quarts then I just turn it off and unplug it and let it cool because it slows down so much and I don't want to waste my resources to get the last little bit out.
It will feel warm since it has gone from a vapor to a liquid through the distilling process and your T 500 cools the valor at around 130 degrees C or 55 C. Your distillate will be around that temp. This is perfectly normal. George
Hi George! I love your videos!! I'm tuning on from New Zealand and I'm making rum for the first time using the turbo 500 reflux still. I see you use it with the packing removed to retain some of the flavour and I was thinking about doing that too as I've seen it on some forums. However I don't really understand what the packing does, so I'm worried that if i remove it, it will affect how the still works in a way I don't know how to adapt to. Could you explain if there's anything I need to watch out for if i do remove the packing and does the temperature i make the cuts at alter in any way, or is it all the same?
Basically the packing is to add a whole load more surface area for the vapour to pass through than what is present on the sides of the column. As the packing is a lower temperature than the vapour, it causes a bit more reflux, so compounds with a higher boiling point will drop back down, while alcohol (having a lower boiling point) will carry on through to the top, and into your end product. Removing packing material will result in a less efficient distillation, retaining more of the flavour of the initial material being distilled. As a side note, stills made from copper, or copper packing is useful as it will react with and remove sulphites from the vapour. Wines are often relatively high in sulphides, even more so if heated, so maybe not such a good thing to completely remove all the copper in the still.
The yeast has eaten the fermentable sugars. The way the hydrometer works is the first reading is the potential alcohol content and your final reading is subtracted from that to arrive at a measurement of ABV. George
I have a question i have purchased the t500 can i put a wash i made with fruit juice straight into it and will it come out with the flavor of the juice or will it do what the air still does and strip out the flavor out, as the reason for buying it was to make fruite gin but i did not want to buy essences as i think this is cheating.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing so if thats the case why did u make this video of you making brandy if it strips all the flavour out th-cam.com/video/84oGoV0-G64/w-d-xo.html
so can you explain something to me if its only water vapor thats in the t-500 surely there is some residual flavor in there after all its only steam that is converted from water/alcohol as i am having a hard time understanding, i previously had a air-still and this did indeed strip out the flavor and make a neutral spirits thats why i bought the 500 as i was lead to believe it does not strip the flavor out
@@thediscoman2001 hi, the T500 only strips if u leave all coloumn packing in. If you remove all but copper saddles which are located at top of coloumn or remove them completely and add a copper mesh to the top of the coloumn it acts like a pot still and leaves your flavour profile intact.
Hey, im curious if the still shuts its self off after its done like it does with the packings in. Also, have you ever tried putting wood chips in the gin basket? Not asking if I can.....asking if I should!!! 😎
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing does the still shut off by its self when your running it like a pot still? Or do you have to constantly monitor the alcohol content and collect the tails?
ahhhhhhhh my new still is jam packed full of shit inside so im gussing why its taking so long to even warm up, no wonder the preious owner said it takes awhile he made it so xD
to stop puking i just use cooking oil, any kind will do, canola, vegetable, olive or even peanut oil, i just tip a bit in, abut a table spoon, never bothered to see if less will do.
cameron Gibbs this was my understanding of “using it as a pot still” as described in the instruction manual for “distilling water”. My only questions are, do you need a small amount of copper at least in the column to collect the sulfur and does this mean you’re going to get tails now using it as a pot still?
Methanol will fractionally distill off at 64.4 C STP. Ethanol will distill off at 78.9 C STP. If you go to higher temp you will start getting more water which will evaporate evan at room temperature STP.
Bud, you must account for the change in volume during the process. The azeotropic blend will also change as will the separate elements in that blend. In short, as these changes take place you will need to increase the temp to accommodate for these changes and have the same results. Otherwise distillation will stop prematurely.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing I know I'm gonna sound stupid, but here goes: So by removing the copper packing material makes this into a pot still? I guess what confuses me is that I have an old school setup. Copper cook pot, a copper thumper (aka: doubler), and a copper condenser (aka: worm). I've never used a reflux still head so I'm a bit uneducated on how they work.
@@troyyarbrough It's not a "stupid" question in the least! There's a few mechanisms involved here but as a chemist I'll try to describe the basic principle behind the mechanics of whats happening...... Basically in chemistry the term "reflux" just means that it is an endless boil since the vapours are condensed and drip right back into the boiling liquid. This is actually a packed column distillation that makes use of refluxing. (It is more accurate to call it a "fractional" column distillation). By having a long column that is filled with a bunch of material simply adds a whole lot of surface area within that column. When a packed column is placed above a boiling liquid the vapour is always condensing on these multiple surface areas and drips back down into the wash. Eventually over the length of the column you will get a temperature gradient that enables a bunch of liquids with different boiling points to condense and drop back down at different parts of the column. (The compounds with higher boilings points will condense lower in the column while those with lower boiling points will condense higher up in the column). The longer the column the more compounds can be separated. Thus as the temperature gradient gradually rises through the column the lowest boiling point compounds will come off first (eg. methanol) followed in succession by any other compounds that have higher boiling points. (This is called fractional distillation). Because of the long column and the gradual temperature gradient within the column we can much easier separate the ethanol from anything else (eg. methanol and water in a simple case) and this is why we can get a much more precise separation of ethanol from water compared to a very simple pot still. As a simple example, if you mixed a bunch different types of solvents (or alcohols) together, and each alcohol had their own individual set boiling point, you could easily separate them again by using a long packed (fractionating) column in a distillation. You could never really efficiently separate a bunch of different solvents or alcohols with close but different boiling points with a simple pot still. I hope that helps. (And no, this will not be on the mid-term)! :D
This still does not work unless you control the water flow so precisely you cant even take a leak!! Buy a water controller for $80 no thanks! I could buy buy a small still for that much. By the way the water regulator does not come with the still! George!
George is an awesome guy. I called him and he answered and explained the answer to my questions in detail. Can’t speak highly enough of his character and enthusiasm. Thank you George.
It was a pleasure to talk with you about this topic.
Happy Distilling
George
Thank you George. You have helped me so many times over the past year as I start my new hobby. Going to be doing my first Corn mash in January.
I did an all feints run, and had to run at about 75 C to get a good drip. Thank you George!
I found with my little pos chinese pot still i have that for some reason fruit mashes dont start producing till a higher temp mine produces at 79c with sugar wash but fruit it didnt start till almost 98c but it made a lovely 160 proof brandy
I'm pretty happy. I just figured out that I can buy a lid and Alcoengine Reflux column to convert my 5 gallon pot still to reflux distilling. The kits were originally intended for people building stills out of beer kegs I believe. It'll cost me $180 US but worth it I think.
I found the temperature to be not so important. Anything below 82c seems to work for ethanol. However I like to keep it below 65c and towards the end, as different chemicals pass through you will see a change in pressure/temperature. That's always a good clue to finish up.
It's very interesting what you said about the different packing materials, makes sense. When we used to make sills it did take a few attempts to get the packing correct.
If you can’t connect the water pump because u stripped thread of any reason.... drop it in a bowl of water and set a small flow worked great for me
Brilliant as usual George well done
Hi George, as always a great video. I follow your logic and enjoy the results. Because of you Im buying a Turbo 500 to see if I can get the same great results as you.
I use a water pressure regulator to drop the pressure and control the flow since that needle valve is so darn sensitive. it works great and is very economical.
Howdy from OzTralia George. Well you are a credit to your country mate. Entertaining and friendly and educational video you made. We are allowed by law to only distill 5Litres (a gallon an a bit) of alcohol all over this country - So as you can imagine there are many hidden stills in garages round here : ) Thank you for sharin and you are living proof that there are nice folk left in America - Sadly you're not at a government policy making level.
Thank You OzTralia Nice hearing from the other side :)
Thank's for the video and info George, Very entertaining...
Thank you yet again. I have this still and output temp is SO sensitive to input pressure that we have 'still days' where NO ONE flushes the loo. (toilet). I have wondered if the the pressure regulator was worth the effort {read price). Yes it will be! My results to follow. Once again, thanks for a REALLY informative post!
Ive had mine for about a year now keep the temp at 56/57c....my wife generally puts the washing machine on just after it starts to run and it'll only go to about 60c flush the dunny as well and get 63.... Cheers bud from oztralia
I run mine with a water regulator and temp is stable for around 2 to 3 hours of the 25ltr run. I would recommend it. I paid AU$100 for mine. Would not run my T500 without it
Hi George. Thank you so much for the info. i am a new subscriber.
Good informative video , thanks
1 question tho I thought you only had to discard the 1st 200ml or so which is the methanol ? Looks like you got rid of way more , correct me if I'm wrong , thanks
Hi George, I really enjoy your videos and learn a lot. I would really like to see a video using just the T500 boiler to make a mash controling the heat with a PID to set the strike temp, go through the rest time, then transform the starch to useable sugars for fermentation. Thank you. I noticed when I got mine, there was a paper saying not to use anything between the boiler plug and power source.??????
Hi! Love the video, can you give a detailed video about your alterations to the turbo 500? I'd really like to have the flexibility to lend as much flavour to my projects as possible
Usually the best recipes dont have notes lol
downside in being able to recreate that wonderful recipe. Theres no notes! D'oh !😅
Thanks George, you ROCK! great videos...
Agave Azul!! Make some tequila! I know you're north if the Rio Grande, if you have to call it Texas, go for it. Maybe call it "Agave Tejas"! That'd be cool!!!
Love the videos. One question. Where can I find a water regulator like the one in the video?
Hi ...instead of using wine can i use my grape mash once finished fermenting ?
I have noticed if your wash taste nice the end product will be great. if it tastes wrong you have to fix it prior to distillation because the still carry some of the flavours through. Filtering and copper saddles help to bound and remove sulfates
on my suger wash i haveto run at least 68 to get a flow. for anyone who has fluctuating water flow you must buy that regulator, or you will waste hours baby sitting this wonderful still.
You are so right on this. The regulator is a very good addition and relatively cheap (it pays off in the long run). I wish they would sell these as a complete kit with the regulator.
The T-500 is so sensitive that without the regulator and depending on your water source just a simple flush of the toilet or the use of a dishwasher will affect it and you'll be chasing temps all afternoon.
Very good point.
George
I was directed here by one of Jessy's video. Im running a turbo still as well ( a Newbie ), but I have the copper cap, not the reflux. Do you have videos on how to run these types of POT stills? For example the proper head temps ( mine has a thermometer just before the condenser ). Just looking for some general direction. My last few runs have come out pretty fowel. The wash has great aroma and flavor but the whiskey leaves something to be desired. Im fairly confident im making the cuts at the correct times.
Hi George,so basically i have to remove all packing from colum and run as normal for a whisky run,or do i have to set up seperate water supply to both colums as per the still it video done by jessie,cheers mate
How about a video on running the T500 with Anvil Brewing system
Hmmm....I dunno, I think the vapour temp. in the still head, just before the condenser, is what should be measured, not the water.
I would love to see you guys do a cognac
Cognac is brandy but it's made in a place called cognac in champagne france
Do u ever calibrate your thermometer? I’m going to
Easy way is a glass of ice water should read around 32 f
I have experienced this quite often trying different alcohols distilling. Each run different and at a variety of temps. My experience mostly is the temp at which the still starts to produce. This one come out tasty George?
+John Cadogan Just as expected. I have it in a barrel now aging as a brandy.
George
I have the T500 and love it. I am building a new still from a 15g keg and would like to try and use the reflux column from the T500.
I was wondering if you know the boil temperature that the T500 pot runs at?
Figuring I can use a PID to hold that temperature and the reflux column will work as designed.
The T500 has a temperature sensitive shut off in the bottom that is pre-set for 125C. It also runs based on water flow as opposed to heat management. If you are building a new still it may be better to build the entire thing with a column and leave the T500 column out of it.
George
Having watched loads of your great videos I've taken the plunge and bought a cheap Chinese pot still, made 2 batches of sugar wash and run them through it, I'm hoping I've done things right, my wash was about 12%abv and was about 23l, I collected about 2l of 80%abv and then stopped the run, my real question here is should I have stopped there or carried on, what do I do with the left over wash? Just dump it?
Hi George i have been following your video's for a while now and they are excellent , i really enjoy your laid back style anyway i have a question i have about 35 vocola jars 850ml size that are vacuum sealed that i but down on the 24-01-2015 and i am wondering how i would go making a plum brandy and any suggestions would be handy , almost forgot they are full of plums with a medium sugar syrup cheers .
I thought it was against federal and state laws to make alcohol at home, am I wrong? I am going the brewing route because I wanted to make my own whiskey and not violate laws. Did I miss something and I can do this for my own use? I am not trying to start a flame war, just asking for clarity on what I thought the laws were.
I'm curious, while you were running at 73C, what was your abv? I run as close to a steady 60C (in my Turbo 500) as possible, toss my first 100ml (heads) and the rest is 96% abv hearts. You know your done when the flow rate of your output is less than 10 drops or so per minute. I CAN, if I desire, at this point raise the temp to 70-75C and get at least another liter of spirits, but I don't like to as the flavors are WAY off (tails).
I also tend to not try to squeeze out every drop. I have found that at my elevation (600 feet above sea level) that the temp required to produce efficiently is a little higher than normal. Could be my temperature probe too. Either way the output is the key and is really part of the art of distilling. You're doing great and I appreciate the comment.
Happy distilling
George
After sampling the hearts all the way through, the tails to me are just undrinkable. I wont even proof them in with my hearts the taste is so different. Lately Ive been cutting the run at about 85 proof.
Steve
I’m curious what you’re initial proof is?
If you’re cutting it at 85.
No particular reason... just curious what one could expect.😊👍
Hey George I'm new to distilling I'm absolutely enjoy it and i thankyou so much for your videos they have helped me so much.my first still was a Chinese pot,a real piece off cred crap.But now that I've got a few runs under my belt i want a better still.I'm looking at the t500 and a 6 gallon copper still from the distillery network.i can't seem to make up my mind.Could you give me some advice,what do you think i should do.Or should i buy a milk can still from mile high?help
Sorry for the delayed response. I was on vacation in Vegas for the past 5 days.
The stills from mile high and brewhaus are quality stills and work great.
Hi , was wondering were I can get that water pump that your using in the video
Hi, Geaorge. Just curious if the red and blue tubes are pex tubing. I’m wanting 1/2” red and blue tubing on my milehi reflux and was wondering if pex was my only option there.
Hi great channel and content. I am wanting to use the T500 to produce smooth high end vodka from wheat or potato wash and don't want to loose too many of those flavours. Can you advise again on how I could achieve this through on of these stills that tend to strip spirit it out. Do I for instance set a higher output temp to distill quicker and effectively get some more flavour out or do I mess with the inside of the still?. Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks
George. How come you did not collect any tails? You actually mentioned that after the heads collected, everything else would be hearts.
The precise nature of how the turbo 500 operates results in little to no tails at all.
This is a really good set up and does a great job of not passing conegers through the system (of course if you keep running it it will).
George
Great videos. I'm curious as to using the condensor vs alembic still for brandy. Did you retain the grape notes even when using the condensor?
Yes I did. Just make sure the column is empty with no packing or saddles in it.
George
Hi George! What your thoughts on creating a whiskey wash with malt extract or a beer extract kit? I was thinking you could just add extra sugar to bring up the abv. Maybe even a video where you create a whiskey with malt extract.
Thanks
+jon davenport I stray away from malt extracts. I am sure it may work but not as you may think.
George
nice video George...
Hi George,
What temp should I use for my Grainfather (as a boiler in distilling)? I using the T500 with the Grainfather 30L.
Should I stay below 190 deg.? This will minimize use of water in my water flow regulator, right?
so....instead of buying a boil enhancer you can put one drop of vegetable oil on top of the brew and it wont surge boil ? or a food safe detergent at 1/10 the price ?
I am not sure vegetable oil would be a good choice. The goal is to reduce the surface tension, I believe oil would increase it.
th-cam.com/video/TBj4BSTDROc/w-d-xo.html seems to be correct he adds half a cup to prevent boil overs.
Hello George. Love your show. On the t500, if I'm just doing a stripping run can I run it without water flow in the column. I'm basically making fuel grade alcohol for extraction purposes. I have a t500 on order and hopefully it arrives soon. Everything is slow in Jamaica. Cheers
@@Gray-beard he’s definitely already dead.
DONT YOU WORRY THAT THOUGH THINGS ARE GOING WELL, WE ALL WILL PARISH SOME DAY, AND THAT LIFE IS VERY SHORT........RETIRED FRIEND..
Hi George i dont remember if it was mentioned in this video or a previous one i watched (i watch a ton of your videos that are super helpful!) But does a precondenser in a reflux act the same way basically a thumper would for a pot still?
No. Absolutely not. Apples and oranges here.
No a thumper is more or less a catch all for any burping or puking the still does... otherwise it would overflow into the coil and into the finished product.
This was needed on old school stills because they were using wood fired to heat and it was unpredictable.
Modern stills with temp gauges and such make it mostly unnecessary.
A reflux column is just a way to ultra refine the distillation process and extract ultra pure and clean spirits... usually with high proof and little flavor.👍🥃
Can you switch the rubber hose to a copper or steel tube?
Hi mate.
Great video. Love your work! Im planning on doing a molasses wash the same way through the turbo 500 copper edition(with reduced packing). Can I add extra anti foam or should I just reduce the over all wash amount in the boiler?
Use a little anti foam. I don't see the need to reduce wash volume.
George
How do u know the vapor temperature and that it’s working and not making bad heads and foreshots during the hole run
I have a t500 with the pot still arm and now had 2 washes run straight up to 90C before anything comes out. Any idea why?
Hello ! Thanks for Your vidéos.... I m looking for informations about aging the "eau de vie/fruits brandy" in glass. Not adding wood, but just simply aging in glass. If You have informations about time, abv,.. I v eard about aging in the attic with tissue on the "dame jeanne/jars". All the best !
Hi George, Are you running the T500 with any scrubbers, or an empty column?
Empty for this run
should you run your finished product through a couple times?
Should not need to
Hi mate, could u put your own mash in this thing? For example I make my own banana mash and ferment it could I put it in this system and distill it? Cheers
Absolutely
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing thankyou :)
What do you like better in your experience? The turbo500 or the micromini?
Great videos by the way. Really want to visit your shop. We're down in san antonio.
Hello from The Netherlands. I do own the Turbo 500 but my result is always with some nasty taste. Now you learned me at what degrees i should keep it in the beginning en later on. But i still don't know when it is the "Tale" that comes out. How do i know??
Dear Gerard, although the question is not for me, allow me to answer. All distillation devices for spirits MUST have the pot part made of copper. The condensor can be made from copper or better inox 316. This is the reason for the nasty taste that you are having. Inox stills are made ONLY for essential oils. The bad smell that you are having is sulfuric substances not reacted and held to the pot by the copper. Where have you seen a distillation company to use inox stills?
I'll bet a blackberry brandy would be f'ing awesome....wonder if that could be done via blackberry jam you can buy at local farmers markets?
+thastinger345 Sounds delicious and I bet it is possible.
George
+Barley and Hops Confession: "I've always cheated." When I make a brandy, I make a simple sugar shine, when I make my final cut, I heat my water and add jellies or jams of the flavor I want until its dissolved and make my final cut with that. All it is , is a high proof fruit punch. People seem to like it. P.S. I hope no one I know reads this. LOL
Ok 55 celcus is 131-f witch is very different from other still witch make heads and for shots at 155 f on your videos now while your running the turbo doesn’t it ever stop producing at 55 Celsius And at what temp does hearts start and finish
Would a pot or reflux still be best for brandy
Pot
I'm brand new in distillation. have bought a Turbo 500 and thought of using an electric pot that I use for sparging water. I've seen a lot of videos about the T500, but I'm in doubt about the effect on the heater/pot, or if there's full power on from start to finish, so the temperature is 100 ° C throughout the process. I am aware that you control the cooling water between 50-65 ° C, but have not found anything about the boiler's temperature beyond boiling and it is different for liquids. Would You help me understanding.. Regards Per (Denmark)
The T-500 has a thermistor that is a normally closed switch mounted to the bottom of the pot. It is rated at 125 C so when the temperature reached that point it opens and shuts off the element. This is above boiling but is designed to take into account thermal transfer higher in the pot.
This is an on/off element so there is no control on it.
I found this out when I had to replace one on my T 500.
George
Any boiler that can heat the wash (or "mash") to the boiling point (100 C, or 212 F) will work. Consider though, that a lower powered heat source will make you to wait longer for the wash temperature to rise to the vapor point for the ethanol alcohol which is when the still begins receiving the vapor, and producing the condensed alcohol (technically 78.5 C for 95% pure ethanol alcohol, but 92 to 95 C for the the washes we'd be distilling). Then, as the alcohol level in the boiling wash continues to drop due to it's extraction by the still, your wash temp will climb up to the boiling point of the remaining water (100 C).
I can imagine a scenario where the pot volume and heat source were so large that the volume and pressure of vapor entering the still volume would overwhelm the capacity of the still to efficiently condense it, and you'd waste a lot of the ethanol, and create a fire hazard from all the uncondenced, escaping vapor.
You need the Alembic top for that.
why? He's using wine and not a actual grape mash.....
Because its a reflux still. what comes out of the T500 is 90 some % alcohol. It strips all the flavor out so it really only makes everclear/vodka
True but if you remove the column packing you inhibit the reflux action and it runs similar to a pot still.
HEY George what is maximum temperature that i can safely run turbo 500 without melting top plastic on the top thanks ....
It has a switch in the base that restricts it to 125C.
George
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing
Thank you George for your hard work ...
Hey george, tried to call just have a couple questions and about to be a customer but mailbox is full. What time is best to reach you?
Hi George
Question on the Corn Mash Video.
Is the six rowe Cracked or whole?
Jr Paquette cracked barley releases the diastatic power of the grain and allows the amylase to be accessed by the starches. You want cracked or malted.
if im using the 8 gallon outback and i put in the grape skins in, wont the skins get scorched ? do i add distilled water or anything ? or do i sparge the skins in hot water ?
SavageNY just strain out the skins to make clean up easier and to avoid any possible scorching
Hi George Very interesting Watch the video re Stills Water Flow Regulator I live on acreage with tank water and pressure pump Find it difficult to regulate water flow will the above work for me Kind Regards Diane Walden
Yes, the water flow regulator will resolve any flow problems your system creates.
I just bought a t500 and I didn't get the approx. 3.5L in approx. 5 hours is that because I kept the water temp to low or is there a trick to running the still
Water flow is critical with this still.
Don't understand why you use a reflux top when making brandy as it will strip out the flavors. Best to use a pot (alembic) set up to enjoy the wine congeners.
I remove the packing to emulate a pot still run
Hi there,I am interested in what you said about taking out some of the copper packing material to increase the amount of flavour by diminishing the stripping capability of the reflux column. In your opinion do you think taking out about 1/3 (as you stated) of the copper packing and replacing it with a botanical bag that would be an adequate alternative for making gin without the use of the botanical pot? I tried making a gin by placing the botanical bag right into the wash itself but I found only the predominant flavour were present and none of the nuanced flavours like the citrus or even the juniper but rather more fennel and cinnamon. Thanks for the video's, they are very informative and appreciated.Cheers!
+Erik Shoquist Sound like a plan. Anytime you distill through a substance you get more from it.
George
+Barley and Hops Brewing LLC thanks George I appreciate the advice immensely.
+Erik Shoquist Anytime.
George
Erik Shoquist n
I'm thinking of getting this with my tax refund. I'm curious how my apple cider I have might turn out. I guess it'd work. Although I probably wouldn't get much final product with only about 4 gallons at about 8% ABV.
Would love to own a still but can't do it yet.
Start simple. Do this for less than 50$ th-cam.com/video/NNq28DDjlA0/w-d-xo.html
My mash has been fomenting for 12 days and the air locks are still bubbling should I run it or wait till they completely stop bubbling?
+zack cress WOW! I would wait. Apparently you still have some fermentation going on. Have you checked the gravity? If it is 1.000 or lower it is done. Sometimes residual C02 will escape and cause some bubbling. This can fool some people especially if they shake the fermenter; when they do this it releases a little more C02 and they think it is still working. The only sure way to tell is with a hydrometer.
George
@Barley and Hops Brewing Do you have any thoughts on the process using the Digi Boil with the T500? The kettle temp can be controlled with the Digi Boil.
Does the still cut out like normal at the hearts with the column allterations??
at the end of the hearts is what I meant
Kingfish Kero I don't understand your question. But after your foreshots and heads you'll get your hearts. I normally run a 20% or 23% abv sugar wash but I try to collect 6 quarts then I just turn it off and unplug it and let it cool because it slows down so much and I don't want to waste my resources to get the last little bit out.
mine pours out for 4 to 4.5 litres at a 20abv wash then just drips slowly letting you know its done...Sorry bud thanks from a ozzie
When I am running my still what temp should the shine be as it goes into my jart?hot, cold or warm?
It will feel warm since it has gone from a vapor to a liquid through the distilling process and your T 500 cools the valor at around 130 degrees C or 55 C. Your distillate will be around that temp. This is perfectly normal.
George
Hi George! I love your videos!! I'm tuning on from New Zealand and I'm making rum for the first time using the turbo 500 reflux still. I see you use it with the packing removed to retain some of the flavour and I was thinking about doing that too as I've seen it on some forums. However I don't really understand what the packing does, so I'm worried that if i remove it, it will affect how the still works in a way I don't know how to adapt to. Could you explain if there's anything I need to watch out for if i do remove the packing and does the temperature i make the cuts at alter in any way, or is it all the same?
Skye Hignett I would like to hear more on this as well
Basically the packing is to add a whole load more surface area for the vapour to pass through than what is present on the sides of the column. As the packing is a lower temperature than the vapour, it causes a bit more reflux, so compounds with a higher boiling point will drop back down, while alcohol (having a lower boiling point) will carry on through to the top, and into your end product.
Removing packing material will result in a less efficient distillation, retaining more of the flavour of the initial material being distilled.
As a side note, stills made from copper, or copper packing is useful as it will react with and remove sulphites from the vapour. Wines are often relatively high in sulphides, even more so if heated, so maybe not such a good thing to completely remove all the copper in the still.
William Hancock
Nice reply.
Good stuff.👍
see dat radiata in front of my aircon ditioner bent thats my still.
In making a pear mash what would cause my alcohol content to go from 7% then a couple days later it reads 0
The yeast has eaten the fermentable sugars. The way the hydrometer works is the first reading is the potential alcohol content and your final reading is subtracted from that to arrive at a measurement of ABV.
George
Barley and Hops Brewing I proof my run periodically so at what proof do I tell when my tails is starting. My run starts at 140
I have a question i have purchased the t500 can i put a wash i made with fruit juice straight into it and will it come out with the flavor of the juice or will it do what the air still does and strip out the flavor out, as the reason for buying it was to make fruite gin but i did not want to buy essences as i think this is cheating.
The t500 will strip all flavor from your wash.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing so if thats the case why did u make this video of you making brandy if it strips all the flavour out th-cam.com/video/84oGoV0-G64/w-d-xo.html
In the video I explained about removing the packing to use it as a pot still and it worked fine. Produced some really good brandy.
George
so can you explain something to me if its only water vapor thats in the t-500 surely there is some residual flavor in there after all its only steam that is converted from water/alcohol as i am having a hard time understanding, i previously had a air-still and this did indeed strip out the flavor and make a neutral spirits thats why i bought the 500 as i was lead to believe it does not strip the flavor out
@@thediscoman2001 hi, the T500 only strips if u leave all coloumn packing in. If you remove all but copper saddles which are located at top of coloumn or remove them completely and add a copper mesh to the top of the coloumn it acts like a pot still and leaves your flavour profile intact.
Top
You were working with an already to consume wine. why would there be methanol in it?
Very little if any may be produced/separated.
how do I control the temp from the point of turning it on to setting the temp
The T500 is a different style of still. The temperature is controlled by the water flow.
The heat is pre-set.
George
Hey, im curious if the still shuts its self off after its done like it does with the packings in. Also, have you ever tried putting wood chips in the gin basket? Not asking if I can.....asking if I should!!! 😎
With all the ways to rapidly age. I just wonder if this would speed up the process a little.
Wood chips in the basket have little affect except a very ,very slight taste. Aging by soaking is the best method.
I did try this and it failed.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing does the still shut off by its self when your running it like a pot still? Or do you have to constantly monitor the alcohol content and collect the tails?
ahhhhhhhh my new still is jam packed full of shit inside so im gussing why its taking so long to even warm up, no wonder the preious owner said it takes awhile he made it so xD
to stop puking i just use cooking oil, any kind will do, canola, vegetable, olive or even peanut oil, i just tip a bit in, abut a table spoon, never bothered to see if less will do.
Did you unpack the column
yes, about a third or more was removed. It is on the video (an't remember exactly).
what about disconnection of the reflux cooler would that help with the flavor
cameron Gibbs this was my understanding of “using it as a pot still” as described in the instruction manual for “distilling water”. My only questions are, do you need a small amount of copper at least in the column to collect the sulfur and does this mean you’re going to get tails now using it as a pot still?
Methanol will fractionally distill off at 64.4 C STP. Ethanol will distill off at 78.9 C STP. If you go to higher temp you will start getting more water which will evaporate evan at room temperature STP.
Bud, you must account for the change in volume during the process. The azeotropic blend will also change as will the separate elements in that blend. In short, as these changes take place you will need to increase the temp to accommodate for these changes and have the same results. Otherwise distillation will stop prematurely.
Meths didn't bern yellow ive tyed it i couldn't tell between them so if you wanna do a video to prove otherwise
th-cam.com/video/PJGPzT7uNgs/w-d-xo.html
Using that reflux column aren't you just getting a neutral spirit?
When I run it as a pot still it doesn't strip the flavor.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing I know I'm gonna sound stupid, but here goes: So by removing the copper packing material makes this into a pot still? I guess what confuses me is that I have an old school setup. Copper cook pot, a copper thumper (aka: doubler), and a copper condenser (aka: worm). I've never used a reflux still head so I'm a bit uneducated on how they work.
@@troyyarbrough It's not a "stupid" question in the least! There's a few mechanisms involved here but as a chemist I'll try to describe the basic principle behind the mechanics of whats happening...... Basically in chemistry the term "reflux" just means that it is an endless boil since the vapours are condensed and drip right back into the boiling liquid. This is actually a packed column distillation that makes use of refluxing. (It is more accurate to call it a "fractional" column distillation). By having a long column that is filled with a bunch of material simply adds a whole lot of surface area within that column. When a packed column is placed above a boiling liquid the vapour is always condensing on these multiple surface areas and drips back down into the wash. Eventually over the length of the column you will get a temperature gradient that enables a bunch of liquids with different boiling points to condense and drop back down at different parts of the column. (The compounds with higher boilings points will condense lower in the column while those with lower boiling points will condense higher up in the column). The longer the column the more compounds can be separated. Thus as the temperature gradient gradually rises through the column the lowest boiling point compounds will come off first (eg. methanol) followed in succession by any other compounds that have higher boiling points. (This is called fractional distillation). Because of the long column and the gradual temperature gradient within the column we can much easier separate the ethanol from anything else (eg. methanol and water in a simple case) and this is why we can get a much more precise separation of ethanol from water compared to a very simple pot still.
As a simple example, if you mixed a bunch different types of solvents (or alcohols) together, and each alcohol had their own individual set boiling point, you could easily separate them again by using a long packed (fractionating) column in a distillation. You could never really efficiently separate a bunch of different solvents or alcohols with close but different boiling points with a simple pot still.
I hope that helps.
(And no, this will not be on the mid-term)! :D
SparkyMcBiff
Great reply... good stuff.
👍🥃
George I the alcohol hot to the touch when it comes out
No, it may be a little warm and depending on your cooling efficiency may be ice cold.
I like u, but your crazy
This still does not work unless you control the water flow so precisely you cant even take a leak!! Buy a water controller for $80 no thanks! I could buy buy a small still for that much. By the way the water regulator does not come with the still! George!
Brandy IS NOT distilled wine lol 😂
Okay---it is distilled fruits.
George
What a Lott of rubies you are getting bottles of wine that is treated with chemicals to make grappa what a joke