Just a South African girl watching from the highlands of Scotland!!! We've just made our very 1st sugar wash, it's fermenting and our still arrived today. So excited to start making gin Thanks so much for this video!!! Invaluable info! Liked and subbed xxx
You add lots of hints and tips that are so valuable and not found anywhere else, and that tip on how to take the alcohol edge off is very much appreciated.good work mate
I am amazed by the way you teach this subject. Absolutely engaging and the most informal on TH-cam by a mile! Please keep going, you're helping uncover the 'black arts'....
@ 1:53 my girl friend Kathy walked past and got totally freaked out. Her reaction was priceless. It took me 30 mins to get off the floor from laughing so hard.
Hi George. My name is Randy from Ohio. I really appreciate your videos. Your videos are very informative. I really like how you go through all the technicalities of the process. I have been watching your videos for the last couple years, and I must say they're really enjoyable. I have watched many other videos on the distillation process equipment techniques etc. You present your information in a very understandable way. The information that you present and the way you do so is indispensable. Keep up the good work George, you have many friends on TH-cam that like myself will continue to enjoy your greet informing videos.
George, just finished my first run at gin. Followed your process and it turned out awesome!! Ran my 8 gal Brewhaus with the botanicals at the head as you suggested. Great color, smell and taste. You could smell the juniper while everything was cooking. Appreciate the help.
Another example of success. Great news. This make is all worth it. I often get emails about how this doesn't work. I always say "it's a 10th grade science project" Sometimes they never get it. Good job Happy distilling George
Excellent video. I am very interested in learning more about your heating element, power, and controls set up. I'll poke through your videos to see what I can find.
I use the sight glass from mile hi on mine, this why I kind of get a idea what’s going on in my column... I always learn something from your videos George another great 👍
I always infuse and then distill it with the ingredients in the pot. And i use way more stuff the just juniper. I use lingonberry, korriander, citrus of some sort, cinemon, Rosemary, and cloudberry. I have never tasted any storebought Gin that is as good as my own.
Thank you George, for your knowledge, your interesting presentation and your enthusiasm. I have been making gins and other drinks, starting with Birdwatchers sugar wash, for about 18 months, but there is always something to learn about the craft. AquaSulisExile, UK
Missed your videos man good to see you making these videos again. The 2 inch sight glass is a really neat thing to watch your vapor condense into im glad i purchased the 2 inch pro tower which gives the still so much more versatility and flexibility and a fun thing to watch while you're making your product. You really don't need it but if you're a nerd like me and actually like science it just makes it that much more enjoyable to do. One thing i did notice with the 2 inch sight glass is you should make sure of and thats you be extra careful lining up the rest of the parts since the sight glass in my experience tends to slightly imbalance the tower if your not dead center which can cause vapour leakage and you run the potential of damaging your tower. Other than that i say its definitely worth the money to get one and if you don't like cheesecloth you can purchase a mesh screen where you can load in your botanicals.
Hi George , i enjoy watching your videos and have learned a lot . Seeing you use the glass tube section in your column while making the Gin i thought i would pass you a tip , if you put a bubble plate inside that glass section you can turn your column into a plated column . Stack a couple up and it makes it easy to make vodka :)
Great Video, if using a reflux still with a sugar wash, I take it that there should be no methanol, so by adding my bag of berries at the top of my column, I wouldn't expect methanol either, no doubt I would take samples to burn just to confirm it's colour, if my wash was made with berries as your video, show a tinted colour wash, then I would expect methanol and would probably strip the flavour out using the reflux still...........am I correct ? I am starting to build my still and would also like to confirm that the reflux column temperature is controlled by cooling the top of the column, saw one video my where George mention this but darned if I can find it again.......looking forward to any advice from fellow distillers....
You will always draw off the methanol first either in a pot or reflux still. There is no methanol in berries added to the column. Methanol is a by product of fermentation. Control of reflux activity is controlled by water flow through the reflux chamber. George
Nice job. Every other piece of information on the web suggested to use a finished product first, meaning 2 distillations. It would be easier to run a sugar wash through the botanicals to get what I want.
Copper at least will cause some fractionating. Copper does matter in some cases where you may have sulphur components after fermentation. Maybe not the case here but you should add some more stainless steel pot scrubbers to increase fractionating
@@ashimaarora2945 Pot scrubbers or mesh increase the surface where a partial condensation may occur.When a mixtures of components about to condensate is surrounded by rising vapours, the highest components will evaporate again until the next condensatio/vaporization step. Sorry if I can't make it clearer . Not easy to summarise.
What you can also do is distil your infused juniper berries in order to get a clear product. This what people do with raspberries. German call it Himbeer Geist raspberry spirit
Hello George, again a wonderfull explanation on how to make gin. I think i never saw you making Rum, so therefore i would like to ask you to let us see how you would make an excellent rum with eighter the grainfather or the Turbo 500 still. And if you would consider to make video of this, please let us show everything, especially let us know what can go wrong. Thanks in advance. Gerard.
Bad advice on the black/white... near 6:40 mark.... make sure ground is the one connected to the pot. Otherwise, you could have 120v on the pot, and if you touch a ground - faucet or sink, you will be shocked badly.
Okay first off I'd like to say great video George, glad to see you back doing videos. Secondly, the old timer moonshiners didn't have the Glycerine so what they'd do was let that stuff sit for a good period of time to let it mellow out, some would go as far as aerate when they were cutting it down and that took away that sharpness. Just thought I'd toss that at ya! Again great video as always and keep up what you're doing.
My research has turned up some very interesting information that says otherwise but you are correct, it was not as available as it is today so the method you describe was a normal practice. As always, thanks for the comment and your support. You've been with us for the past few years and I always enjoy your comments and the tips you share. Happy distilling George
George I now know what my next spirit to make with my very own Mighty Mini will be! Another great and informative vid George, keep em coming! Hey, could either Ray or you make a complete series of vids on making a great Tequila? I mean all the way through from cooking up a Blue Agave wash, fermenting with the Fast Ferment, giving your choice on which yeast to use, clearing the wash, distilling through the Mighty Mini, cutting down the proof, filtering through your charcoal filter, and then aging? I just ran my probably way too high ABV Blue Agave wash through my Mighty Mini and before blending my jars and filtering; it tastes more like a Mexican Moonshine, rather than a Tequila? I think I need help with this Tequila thing.
Gin needs more than juniper. Was originally a medicine/inoculation for Brit troops. I think in India, probably more I just know the India bit. It should be an infusion of a number of botanicals. Though I assume yer doing so after the distillation? Not sure what all the botanicals were for, but were alcohol soluble so that's where they went. Then quinine for malaria and lime for scurvy with some water to dilute. Thankfully today we have soda (tonic) and ice! I'm likely preaching to the choir, but I've always enjoyed the history along with my gin and tonic. ;)
Gin just needs juniper. The rest are, basically, so you can write press copy about how complex your gin is and make it more palatable for people who don't really like just plain straight up gin.
I love you sharing your knowledge with us rookies ! I have a question I am a new distiller have only completed two runs with a stainless still reflux still. The problem I have is I have gotten a nail polish remover smell on both runs. First run was rum and the Oder wasn’t as bad as the last run of sugar vodka. Don’t know what could be causing it. The smell is in all stages of the run. If you might know what is going on I would greatly appreciate it . Keep up the great work.
You can make gin out of 180 proof cognac or moonshine by adding juniper berries to it and letting it sit for a couple of months. Then after two or three months add spring water down to 100 proof and you have gin.
Hey George!!! Really enjoy your show . i know you use a Zero water filter. I use one aswell , but i wanted to know when you are filtering your spirit does your spirit come out tan after a couple gal have been filtered? Im thinking the filter is breaking down at that point.
Never had that problem. I normally run about 2-3 gallons through it before I change the filter out. I've never seen anything like what you describe. George
I'm using a big copper still and just have some questions regarding temperatures. What temperatures should I be using in each section. For the cold water, Boiling water, etc...?
I’m just getting into brewing. My brother has a pot still that the copper is inserted to the column from the bottom of the column. Can you use this technique of inserting the berries at the top of the column and copper underneath it from the bottom of the condenser or not?
I thought methanol burns blue and ethanol burns yellow. Please elaborate as it's extremely important. Thank you for a great video. I might give you a call to discuss my first purchase of a still.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing I'm trying to find the buy who get me pointed the wrong way but this is an interesting video: th-cam.com/video/3jfXjG9q19Y/w-d-xo.html
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing Please watch this video and understand how people including myself can be confused at such a very important thing to get right: th-cam.com/video/_KtidykWj9o/w-d-xo.html
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing Now look at 1:22 in this video. They're saying Yellow is ethanol. Then fast forward to 2:56 and they're saying a blue tint is methanol! Apparently some people are drinking the wrong stuff! What are your thoughts? th-cam.com/video/koBiRzH0ztk/w-d-xo.html
Hi there! Love this channel. I’ve been looking for this answer for awhile... can you add juniper berries inside your thumper mix? Or would it be better to make a basket that sits inside my thumper that’s hanging inside so the vapour runs through it. What would you recommend?
Why can't more people make videos like yours, that pass along a mountain of information while being so entertaining? Thank you!
George you are the distilling guru of TH-cam. Thank you a million times over for all your help
Thank You! Your enthusiasm is truly contagious 😁
Thank you George! I'm at the very beginning of my distilling journey and this has been immensely helpful!
Just a South African girl watching from the highlands of Scotland!!! We've just made our very 1st sugar wash, it's fermenting and our still arrived today. So excited to start making gin
Thanks so much for this video!!! Invaluable info! Liked and subbed xxx
Excellent. I've been to Scotland many times. Love it there.
Enjoy the hobby and the fruits of your labor.
George
Hey man, I just came across your videos. You make distilling alcohol simple and easy to understand without any BS. Thank you
George loving the simple explanation
You add lots of hints and tips that are so valuable and not found anywhere else, and that tip on how to take the alcohol edge off is very much appreciated.good work mate
Anytime. My pleasure
George
Cheers George for another class act in giving a class in gin distilling!
I am amazed by the way you teach this subject. Absolutely engaging and the most informal on TH-cam by a mile! Please keep going, you're helping uncover the 'black arts'....
Great service for our beginners Larry
@ 1:53 my girl friend Kathy walked past and got totally freaked out. Her reaction was priceless. It took me 30 mins to get off the floor from laughing so hard.
I don't get it
@@bigredinfinity3126 Her name "Kathy"
No.... No I don't think it was. I think her name was Cathy. With a C. Totally different.
I have no clue why this has only 60K views. This is actually quite Educational! Thank you! :) Thank you for your time! keep it up!
cause it is very hard to listen to the bloke
Another great video George! Always educational and down to earth. Made so anyone can understand.
Hi George. My name is Randy from Ohio. I really appreciate your videos. Your videos are very informative. I really like how you go through all the technicalities of the process. I have been watching your videos for the last couple years, and I must say they're really enjoyable. I have watched many other videos on the distillation process equipment techniques etc. You present your information in a very understandable way. The information that you present and the way you do so is indispensable. Keep up the good work George, you have many friends on TH-cam that like myself will continue to enjoy your greet informing videos.
Thanks so much for the compliment. It is our community of distillers and brewers that keep us going.
Many thanks
George
George, just finished my first run at gin. Followed your process and it turned out awesome!! Ran my 8 gal Brewhaus with the botanicals at the head as you suggested. Great color, smell and taste. You could smell the juniper while everything was cooking. Appreciate the help.
Another example of success. Great news.
This make is all worth it. I often get emails about how this doesn't work. I always say "it's a 10th grade science project"
Sometimes they never get it.
Good job
Happy distilling
George
Hey George great vid mate. very informative, thanks alot. Im ready to start my first ever gin run.
You can do it!
Excellent video. I am very interested in learning more about your heating element, power, and controls set up. I'll poke through your videos to see what I can find.
I'm glad you come on and tell us stuff Jen and different products thank you very much
Mt pleasure. The plus of all this is sipping the final product.
George
loving the videos please keep them going many thanks from your friends in the UK
Cheers my friends.
George
I use the sight glass from mile hi on mine, this why I kind of get a idea what’s going on in my column... I always learn something from your videos George another great 👍
New and loving your content
Good energy and fun to watch.
From 🇦🇺
Very informative, thank you, thank you from South Africa
I love you. Great stuff. I really appreciate your honesty. This is a grrrrrrreaaat station.
Great video. Love your enthusiasm. Looking in to distilling my own gin and this is a great place to start in the learning curve.
I like all the information in this, and all your videos. Love the cheesecloth satchel idea
SPOT ON.... I was about to buy a biomass retainer for the junipers, but I'll just put them in the condenser!
Cheers
Thank you for your time you put into this 🙏
George thank you for info. Gin next on our list. Popping onto your store to look for supplies. Cheers from Maine.
Man I want some green gin. That looks amazing.
Oh wow, again you've made a video that is simple and clear and I can't wait to try this! Thanks again.
I always infuse and then distill it with the ingredients in the pot. And i use way more stuff the just juniper. I use lingonberry, korriander, citrus of some sort, cinemon, Rosemary, and cloudberry. I have never tasted any storebought Gin that is as good as my own.
congrat's on 100K subscribers
you were at 80k when i starting stilling :)
keep up the good work, from down under
Fantastic video, as always. Why not use the sight glass as the gin basket? Thanks.
Great video George. Hope you come back soon
If you had a reflux condenser would you run it while distilling gin ?
Thank you George, for your knowledge, your interesting presentation and your enthusiasm. I have been making gins and other drinks, starting with Birdwatchers sugar wash, for about 18 months, but there is always something to learn about the craft. AquaSulisExile, UK
Missed your videos man good to see you making these videos again. The 2 inch sight glass is a really neat thing to watch your vapor condense into im glad i purchased the 2 inch pro tower which gives the still so much more versatility and flexibility and a fun thing to watch while you're making your product. You really don't need it but if you're a nerd like me and actually like science it just makes it that much more enjoyable to do. One thing i did notice with the 2 inch sight glass is you should make sure of and thats you be extra careful lining up the rest of the parts since the sight glass in my experience tends to slightly imbalance the tower if your not dead center which can cause vapour leakage and you run the potential of damaging your tower. Other than that i say its definitely worth the money to get one and if you don't like cheesecloth you can purchase a mesh screen where you can load in your botanicals.
5:15 that gesture after you said "they'll rise thourgh the copper" haha :D
Thanks George, another great video.
Hi George , i enjoy watching your videos and have learned a lot . Seeing you use the glass tube section in your column while making the Gin i thought i would pass you a tip , if you put a bubble plate inside that glass section you can turn your column into a plated column . Stack a couple up and it makes it easy to make vodka :)
Oh sir, you are so right. I haven't got that far yet in video production but look forward to it when advanced processes come out.
Thanks
George
Love your program good job keep it up
I have to find a local supplier for a column distillery here thanks for this video. Using smaller equipment makes this video more practical for me
George, you are a great salesman.
Great Video, if using a reflux still with a sugar wash, I take it that there should be no methanol, so by adding my bag of berries at the top of my column, I wouldn't expect methanol either, no doubt I would take samples to burn just to confirm it's colour, if my wash was made with berries as your video, show a tinted colour wash, then I would expect methanol and would probably strip the flavour out using the reflux still...........am I correct ? I am starting to build my still and would also like to confirm that the reflux column temperature is controlled by cooling the top of the column, saw one video my where George mention this but darned if I can find it again.......looking forward to any advice from fellow distillers....
You will always draw off the methanol first either in a pot or reflux still. There is no methanol in berries added to the column. Methanol is a by product of fermentation.
Control of reflux activity is controlled by water flow through the reflux chamber.
George
Great stuff george good to see you back making videos buddy
How much will you produce per run on that 3 gallon still
Thank you George. You are as informative as ever. Have you looked at the Boka Stills at all?
Nice job. Every other piece of information on the web suggested to use a finished product first, meaning 2 distillations. It would be easier to run a sugar wash through the botanicals to get what I want.
Copper at least will cause some fractionating. Copper does matter in some cases where you may have sulphur components after fermentation. Maybe not the case here but you should add some more stainless steel pot scrubbers to increase fractionating
Hey Bernard, can you elaborate / explain more about the fraction process and the need of stainless steel scrubber for this home brewing.
thanks
@@ashimaarora2945 Pot scrubbers or mesh increase the surface where a partial condensation may occur.When a mixtures of components about to condensate is surrounded by rising vapours, the highest components will evaporate again until the next condensatio/vaporization step. Sorry if I can't make it clearer . Not easy to summarise.
Very informative. Thank you George. Joe
You still getting views . . Really good info .ty
Great video man, you do an awesome job.
What you can also do is distil your infused juniper berries in order to get a clear product. This what people do with raspberries. German call it Himbeer Geist raspberry spirit
Hi Bob on the rum I used bread yeast and on vodka I used. distillers yeast .
Love the video... thank you for your time sir.
Hello George, again a wonderfull explanation on how to make gin.
I think i never saw you making Rum, so therefore i would like to ask you to let us see how you would make an excellent rum with eighter the grainfather or the Turbo 500 still.
And if you would consider to make video of this, please let us show everything, especially let us know what can go wrong.
Thanks in advance.
Gerard.
Check out our video on making rum the easy way Part 1 and 2.
George
Excellent video! Thanks!
Where can I buy the heating element for the 8 GL moonshine still at so I can get rid of the hot plate it takes forever to heat up 😢😢
Bad advice on the black/white... near 6:40 mark.... make sure ground is the one connected to the pot. Otherwise, you could have 120v on the pot, and if you touch a ground - faucet or sink, you will be shocked badly.
Okay first off I'd like to say great video George, glad to see you back doing videos.
Secondly, the old timer moonshiners didn't have the Glycerine so what they'd do was let that stuff sit for a good period of time to let it mellow out, some would go as far as aerate when they were cutting it down and that took away that sharpness. Just thought I'd toss that at ya!
Again great video as always and keep up what you're doing.
My research has turned up some very interesting information that says otherwise but you are correct, it was not as available as it is today so the method you describe was a normal practice.
As always, thanks for the comment and your support. You've been with us for the past few years and I always enjoy your comments and the tips you share.
Happy distilling
George
George I now know what my next spirit to make with my very own Mighty Mini will be! Another great and informative vid George, keep em coming! Hey, could either Ray or you make a complete series of vids on making a great Tequila? I mean all the way through from cooking up a Blue Agave wash, fermenting with the Fast Ferment, giving your choice on which yeast to use, clearing the wash, distilling through the Mighty Mini, cutting down the proof, filtering through your charcoal filter, and then aging? I just ran my probably way too high ABV Blue Agave wash through my Mighty Mini and before blending my jars and filtering; it tastes more like a Mexican Moonshine, rather than a Tequila? I think I need help with this Tequila thing.
We'll see where we can fit it in.
George
would it be possible to put the berrys in the riser to the worm on a pot still the vapour would contact the loosley packed berrys
Love Gin so much thank you bro for video....
In the video you never show the top of the still. Are you running it as a Pot Still or Reflux Still?
Gin needs more than juniper. Was originally a medicine/inoculation for Brit troops. I think in India, probably more I just know the India bit. It should be an infusion of a number of botanicals. Though I assume yer doing so after the distillation? Not sure what all the botanicals were for, but were alcohol soluble so that's where they went. Then quinine for malaria and lime for scurvy with some water to dilute. Thankfully today we have soda (tonic) and ice!
I'm likely preaching to the choir, but I've always enjoyed the history along with my gin and tonic. ;)
Gin just needs juniper. The rest are, basically, so you can write press copy about how complex your gin is and make it more palatable for people who don't really like just plain straight up gin.
This is very helpful ... thank you
Love your work! :-)
I love you sharing your knowledge with us rookies ! I have a question I am a new distiller have only completed two runs with a stainless still reflux still. The problem I have is I have gotten a nail polish remover smell on both runs. First run was rum and the Oder wasn’t as bad as the last run of sugar vodka. Don’t know what could be causing it. The smell is in all stages of the run. If you might know what is going on I would greatly appreciate it . Keep up the great work.
What type of yeast are you using?
I wonder is a 5500w wavy ULWD element would fit in that boiler?? If ran on 120V it only puts out 1375W.. Hmm...
Thank you George !
You can make gin out of 180 proof cognac or moonshine by adding juniper berries to it and letting it sit for a couple of months. Then after two or three months add spring water down to 100 proof and you have gin.
Exactly
Thanks for the knowledge
Hello George, please can you show us how you made your electrical temperature regulator?
We have several videos on that. Check out our library of videos. We even have a playlist of nothing but heating and controlling videos.
Does Methanol not burn blue and Ethanol yellow? You said the other way around
Hey George!!! Really enjoy your show .
i know you use a Zero water filter. I use one aswell , but i wanted to know when you are filtering your spirit does your spirit come out tan after a couple gal have been filtered? Im thinking the filter is breaking down at that point.
Never had that problem. I normally run about 2-3 gallons through it before I change the filter out.
I've never seen anything like what you describe.
George
how do we make the mash to begin with...sugar and water?
great explanation by the way really useful
can you put juniper berries in that chinese still with the football?
George, why do you carbon filter? What are the benefits?
I'm using a big copper still and just have some questions regarding temperatures.
What temperatures should I be using in each section. For the cold water, Boiling water, etc...?
Question, don't you have to first ferment the juniper berries add sugar yeast then distil it? I'm so confused
Love your video they're very informative
great work
Sorry, I went to your site but no one was home. A friend asked me what the difference between regular distilled Gin and Dry Gin.
Do I have to re distill the moonshine , inorder to be safe?
How much would you fill the still. 1/2 or 3/4. I have a 3 but I don't want to over fill it
Hi there you all HOW can I find a still setup Bible for equipment setup and the know how's for making the koolaid.any one please.
George ?You put one drop of glycerin per gallon in the pot with the sugar mash before you distill
Great show thanks I learned something new.
Glad you enjoyed it
Have you ever thought about using a tea steeper it's stainless steel and you can find them in every dollar store you can wire it in place and reusable
Oh ok you don't have the math yet to know how much Barry's and how strong yet
I’m just getting into brewing. My brother has a pot still that the copper is inserted to the column from the bottom of the column. Can you use this technique of inserting the berries at the top of the column and copper underneath it from the bottom of the condenser or not?
There is no one on the internet who is a better teacher of a subject than George. Full stop, end of discussion.
What all did you put in the still?
I thought methanol burns blue and ethanol burns yellow. Please elaborate as it's extremely important. Thank you for a great video. I might give you a call to discuss my first purchase of a still.
You got it backwards.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing I'm trying to find the buy who get me pointed the wrong way but this is an interesting video: th-cam.com/video/3jfXjG9q19Y/w-d-xo.html
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing Please watch this video and understand how people including myself can be confused at such a very important thing to get right: th-cam.com/video/_KtidykWj9o/w-d-xo.html
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing Now look at 1:22 in this video. They're saying Yellow is ethanol. Then fast forward to 2:56 and they're saying a blue tint is methanol! Apparently some people are drinking the wrong stuff! What are your thoughts? th-cam.com/video/koBiRzH0ztk/w-d-xo.html
I wonder whether a sugar mash can produce methanol.. maybe acetone acetaldhyde as heads foreshots but no methanol because this is due to pectine
A sugar wash can most definitely produce Methanol.
Can fresh juniper berries be used?
Should you put Berry’s in the column and the pot?
Hi there! Love this channel. I’ve been looking for this answer for awhile... can you add juniper berries inside your thumper mix? Or would it be better to make a basket that sits inside my thumper that’s hanging inside so the vapour runs through it. What would you recommend?
can you roll up the berries in the copper ? im just scared of the column getting clogged.. or im just being a worry wort ?