Hey Bryan, I like your video because you get straight to the point and explain what you did in a straightforward way. So many people on CZcams waffle on and on, but you just get on with it, which is what I and other viewers are looking for, so big thanks!
Yup that's about it. My setup is almost identical. Only difference is use a plastic jug as an ice mold that drops inside my condenser. That way I don't have to keep buying ice. I keep several in my drop freezer and when they melt I swap them out. Place the frozen jug of water inside your coil and top off with water. I also use an electric hot plate for my boiler for safety instead of an open flame. When I distill my sugar washes using a turbo yeast my first runs can be 150 proof which is dangerous around a flame. I love this stuff!
I wish every video on CZcams was made this way. no long as intro video, no talking bullshit, no repeating shit, no long pauses. just informative speak, thanks mate.
To give you a tip on filtering, you only want to filter after you let the mash set for how ever many days you are doing it, then it is best to use for your first strain to get all the big bits out is use a calender or bowl shaped strainer, then you can get a filter for straining cooking oil to get all the fine bits out, run it through that 2 or 3X, then you will be able to distill it better... Also to pour it into the water bottle to ferment try using a funnel, they are not that expensive... Also you can just freeze water in a small drinking water bottle, place a few in the 5 gal bucket and replace as they melt, it will keep the condensing water cold so it will condense faster Sorry if I sounded rude... all in all it was a very good video...
Very good video. No haters here. Never occurred to me to use a SS bowl. I already have everything else for my home brewing. Thanks for the video. Now i can turn my gallons of wine into brandy.
Great video! The thing with silicone is that alcohol acts as a solvent and melts it a little, the old timers use flour and water paste that hardens when it gets hot, cheap, effective and safe.
so, in the beginning, i had about 100 views and a dozen comments. Then, i turned around and had 24,000 views and a ton of comments. THank You! Someone asked about the silicon, but i cannot reply to their message. I don't know why. I stopped using silicon and cut a circle out of a shammee. I don't know the best way to spell that, but it's the lamb skin product used to dry a car after you've washed it. It works amazingly. Also, after 20,000 or so views, i've got some haters. I guess that means i'm popular. Hehe. You're right, though, i didn't use a level and i'm not a finish carpenter. I just built this on the fly with a bunch of stuff i got online and at my local stores. Honestly, i'm pretty proud of it. Also, my flavors are amazing and my friends love it.
Bryan, the reason you should never use silicone or most any other sealer is because you are dealing with alcohol vapor which will cause these types of compounds to break down and or release some nasty chemicals. Food grade doesn't mean anything when dealing with alcohol. There are other nasty's in the foreshots such as acetone just to name one. Cork as long as it is 100% pure works ok. Be sure it's not the automotive type which generally has rubber and glues mixed in it.
Robert Tainio not to mention if you wander around the hardware store you can find copper pressure fittings pretty cheap that can do the same thing as a sealant and actually create a tighter fit
Yes 63 it's not. Moonshine is made in the back woods and bootlegged out. This is urban shine. Anyone can do it. Not everyone can get away with moonshining.
An easy way to coil your copper pipe is to fill it with water,put caps on it leave room for expansion, put it in a freezer or outside in the winter cold, bring it in and wrap it around your form. The ice will keep it from crimping. Thanks for the video.
You can also use a tube bender from an auto parts store. Like one that it use to bend brake lines. I also believe they sell at HD or lowes for larger piping
@@johnbennett69 vendors are nice you can go to one of the auto parts that loans tools for a small deposit bring the tool back and they give you your money back I thought I will let you know in case you didn't, love your videos keep up the good work🇺🇸
Hi Bryan, the leaks in your system plus an open flame from the lpg burner is a seriously dangerous combo. Leaking Alcohol vapors are highly flammable & could catch alight from the open flame. For the safety to yourself, family & property be sure the system is airtight, seal all leaks and maybe change to a hotplate burner or place a metal sheet between lpg burner and the still to prevent vapor contact with open flame. Take care Brother
Hi Bryan. I am just starting to learn about brewing and distilling. This video is great. I love simple home made solutions. My next piece of the puzzle is a good recipe. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing. It is a ton of still out there on CZcams and I think I learn something from all of them. Some are simple still and some or more complexed, but over all I think all I have ever seen even the simple stills I have learnt a lot by watching them all. I enjoy watching them all and I thank you for sharing your build video. I have learnt so much from you and other on this matter. I remember years ago seeing the yahoo commercial where they guy ask the dolphin how he learnt how to talk and he said Yaaahoooo. I think CZcams could have a commercial just like that, because there is so much information out there where people want to share their information and I just want to say thanks for sharing your information it was very informative. Thanks
Love how once you got started, you had a natural head of steam. A natural born presenter, completely practical, even down to using vice grips to hold the "lid". lol. Great job.
Brother I wish I seen your video earlier, this is what we need out there I'm a polak and a new brewer, and I agree like I buy a siphon but I need Other crap separate to make it work like wtf, keep it up man this is amazing
Hey Brian. Thanks for the shout out! Great job on your still. Especially your still stand. Very ingenious. I have dubbed my (and yours) still design the R2D2 still. Lol. It's perfect size for the first timer. And it makes some great shine! I have since upgraded my still to a 15 gal beer keg still. Probably gonna make a vid on how to build that still because I get so many requests on still building. Again, great video!! Shine on!!!
Dude. Thanks! Yours is the video I watched when I was figuring out how to get started. I've gone back many times for additional help and to find forgotten details. Thank You!! Shine On!!!
Both your video were the inspiration for me. Another R2D2 in the mix. Turns out Bryan and I have the same stockpot so he gave me a tip on the right mixing bowl to fit and a few other tips. In the final assembly stages now. Just need to get the male + female fittings, drill and assemble.
Very awesome vid to watch if you are already a home brewer or wine maker! With the exception of your smart design for lid and copper pipe, I already have everything to do this! Thanks for opening a new door for me!!!
Nicely done. I want to start relearning this and most videos online are for these new products that are like a faux DIY process. This dude basically just uses stuff that was just lying around the house. That's how it should be done
Hey great help man. Good plain talking description of a still. Big help to me for building my first still. Couple of times I think you misspoke in your haste to get the information out, but any one thinking to build should know what you meant. Brilliant effort, I couldn’t do it any better and I appreciate all your effort and time. Cheers Brian 👍🏻
Bryan nice set up almost like mine but more portable. I would say to you add a thumper and larger piping coming off your pot going to said thumper. I am on my third rebuild. Every one has been better. Just went to the SS bowl with 1 1/4 coming off the top of boiler going into thumper. I get about 160 proof from my set up. 5 gal of mash gives 1 gal of shine. The mash is bubbling right now. Good luck and stay safe with open flame :)
This was so helpful! Smart! I've been doing quite a bit of research & watching a bunch of videos. This seemed to have the best amalgamation of all the different designs I've seen! Thanks man. Nice job!
I live here in Brazil, here we produce pinga, sugar cane alcohol. I won a bottle of boubom and liked it so much and I have corn plantation, which I decided to do at home for consumption. American voices, are light years from other countries, do not hide projects and show how they do. grateful for producing this video, as I was looking for a simple project. If you know the proportions and fermentation times and indicate to me, I'm grateful.
To expand the air lock knowledge. You were correct about the bubbles are letting out CO2. But it's main purpose is to keep oxygen out and keeping your brew from oxidizing. Thanks for the video, I've been making mead, but am looking forward to making shine here soon.
+Bryan Blaskowsky You could also use a 'shine instead of water, which will kill any little beasties trying to get in there. Also, if for some reason it gets sucked in there, it's not going to hurt anything
I have watched a lot of videos on how to make the alcohol, but yours is the first I have seen to actually make the still itself....thank you for showing..and if you come up with any improvements or easier ways, please let us know...( not that it's that complicated ....) : )
simple, concise and well done. as for your boat....i have some plans for a 35 foot single chine boat which i was hoping to start building in january, 1/10th scale before i build the real one. will keep you posted if i can get to it. i was in an accident and at this time, i have issues doing anything but hurting
love boat building. i did finish that 13' stitch/glue. never used it. sold it to someone. i didn't want the boat. i wanted the education. i'm currently sailing my 18' Hobie and restoring a 21' monohull sailboat. my next build will be a shallow water "scooter". Can't wait. Would love to see your progress.
Great stealth setup. Old Moonshiners used to use a flour and water paste to seal up any escaping gas/bubbles. The paste will heat up and seal what ever is leaking. You would need to reapply every few runs or as needed.
FYI - The word bung is from the Scottish word bunged which means blocked - If you have a blocked nose we would say our nose is bunged up. Considering bungs were first used in whisky distillation and it was to bung up a hole - they called it a bung.
Scottish boat/shipbuilding got it from whisky making. Which makes sense if you think about it - Scotland has a long tradition of ship building, builders who obviously drank firewater. But we were making whisky long before we were making ships and we've been making ships for a very very long time. :-)
@@oojimmyflip Fun factoid. It was a Scot that created the US Navy and it was a Scot that taught the Russians about naval warfare (which is why the Russian navy flag is the reverse saltire and their patron saint is St Andrews) - So in a round about way, Scotland is responsible for the cold war. LOL
Just learning this kind of stuff for off grid living. This was my first ever lesson on it and I'm sure I can make this work. Time to learning about the actual distilling process now. Thanks and this was a great video!
Great presentation...well thought out. The funny-looking thing that looks like a thermometer is a hydrometer and the tall skinny beaker is a graduated cylinder (the hydrometers come in different graduations...you could get one for METHANOL to measure that first 200-250ml if "discard". You might put a comp fitting 12" out of the pot to allow for easy disassembly/storage....got everything but tubing and ss bowl...gonna build one. Thanks again.
bryan, I hate to be a bearer of bad news. but I did notice one thing that was incorrect. first off, great video. loved it. and I don't know if anyone has brought this up, but messing with the temperature when actually distilling is a huge no no. the reason you are getting a higher output when cranking up the temp is because you are evaporating not only the alcohol, but the water as well. the reason a distillery works is because the alcohol has a lower boiling point than the water. so you should be cooking at around 200-220 degrees farenheit. depending on how strong your trying to brew it. I would suggest getting a second thermometer to measure the actual temperature of what you are cooking. or a longer thermometer. great design all in all. but for a higher proof output, you gotta really watch that temperature. :)
I was taught in school that water books at 212. I am 42 and learned this in probably 1987,but I am sure that is the correct answer. So master distiller is you are recommending a temp of 200 to 220 all you will have is water vapor. I would seriously brush up on basic knowledge before spouting out information like you are the master distiller at Jack Daniels.
I will give you a little tip. Methanol boils off around 145°, that is what you throw out. Ethanol boils off around 171°-179°, that's what you want to keep. Water boils off around 212°. Of course all of this varies depending on your elevation, but use that as a guideline. If you bring the vapors to 168° and hold it there for about ten minutes the still will start to run methanol and when its done it will stop, throw that out. Go ahead and bring it around 175° and make your run, just keep a taste and smell out for the tails, they smell like old wet cardboard.
To keep the metal spoon from scratching the inside of the bucket... take super fine wet dry sand paper and polish the sharp edges off it. Then it wont scratch it up.
Great video bryan, good job on the simple build of the still. Im looking to build something like that, using a stainless pot and mixing bowl top. Fantastic creation. Thanks
Cool video. Very detailed. Thumbs up. However, I'm a big fan of using a thumper (aka: thump keg, or doubler) between the still and the worm. Also, a clean white pillow case works well to strain your mash.
I'm with the others, let's see that boat! I started with a still similar to yours. I moved up to a 5 gal. number from Clawhammer Supply. Fun stuff. I put a pump on it and 50' of hose and ran the inline consider on my still cap to my pool. My wife hates this because I sit with the slider open for about 8 hours while distilling. Slower heat equals nice cooking fuel, if you get my drift. Excellent vid man.
Thank you for your comment back. I'm making one of these stills next weekend. That's why I am trying to get all the accurate info. Thank you so much man.
Great idea for making a still. One other website mentioned using the same pot but with some old moonshine tactic with using flour dough putty to seal it with the lid and then putting bricks on it. Your method of using cooking silicone and vise clips would hold it much better. Not to mention the availibility of stainless steel pots and bowels.
I enjoyed this video! I have no intention of making moonshine, but wanted to know how to make a still that could distill water in a shortage/ emergency. I found this and thought it was pretty cool. Easy to do! Good job on the video! Have fun distilling!
Great video, very educational, thanks for making it! Just a tip to improve your product. As a homebrewer I have learned that sometimes fermentation continues after activity in the airlock has ceased. The yeast carries on doing stuff even after it's finished with the sugar, it cleans up after itself and other stuff. A better way to tell is to use your hydrometer. Take a sample and record the reading when you pitch your yeast. Pull another sample with a wine thief and take a reading when you think fermentation is done and then take a reading again three days later, if the reading is the same you're done! If it's lower keep fermenting and take a reading a couple days later. Just make sure you sanitize anything that touches your wort/wash and don't pour the sample back into your carboy. I use StarSan in a spray bottle and spray everything including the top of the carboy. You'll start with a better product, should make your finished product even better! Just my two cents! Again, great video!
Great video. Love the start to finish explanation of what is for what and that mobile cart is awesome. Great idea and I'm going to try make one for my garage also.
I think your still design could be a little better, as you mentioned wanting to maybe make a more perfect one, but this is a great video. You covered absolutely everything. I made a "wort chiller" for brewing beer, to get the boil down to yeast-friendly temperature quickly, and I found that I can also use it as a still. I just put a hose barb on the lid of my brew pot, and I run a hi-temp silicone hose from that into my wort chiller. I sweat the solder joints a bit too hot, and they leak slightly, but it works. The problem is that the copper tube inside the coiled chiller isn't slanted down enough to make it easy to collect every last drop of product, or to reliably measure the first bit of methanol, if alcohol is what I am distilling. I think I could get away with a much shorter length of condenser tubing.
Great video Bryan... I wasn't expecting it to be as good a it was. Very informative and real. Great run though of the gear needed. Pretty creative with the boiler cover from the bowl.
Two things. Always keep your cap pinned down with clips, then keep every connection closed up with water/flour paste, if you don't, the cap may fly off and the mash will burn you up, and you'll lose your liquor if you don't keep it pasted up. and don't run it too hot, it'll burn you up if you run it too hot. I don't make it but I come from a long line of old time mountain shiners lol
Use a blow off tube in your carboy and run it to a bucket partially filled with water. No mess when fermenting high alcohol wort. Use a beer siphon to pull the liquid out without solids coming out. It is called a hydrometer.
Dude, great video. Very informative, if you have upgraded since this video, could you possibly put another one up? That would be awesome. I've been looking into doing this for awhile now and your setup looks great and easy to manufacture. -Thanks
Here is a tip for you mate, instead of the strainer that falls apart, try a gold prospecting classifier. Fits right in the 5 gallon container and you can spurge your grain easy and it is strong so you can press down. Cheers
Hey Bryan, Great video, I have been looking into building my first still. Ran across your video and love the idea of using the mixing bowl. Excellent idea! Thanks A lot, Shine On!!
if someone already mentioned this, kindly disregard the following--- ...i think it bears mentioning, the instrument @ around 15:30 is a hydrometer... now, when one's endeavor is beermaking/winemaking, you must take an initial reading off the hydrometer *before* the fermentation process, (in the concoction known as 'wort' in beer making) and another *after* to calculate the % alcohol... this ('specific gravity') calculation involves a relatively simple formula, which will be easy to find if not in a brew/wine makers book, most likely in instructions that are sold with the "kits".... , ... Now i know this isn't a beer /wine making video, but i needed to relate this to set-up my own question to the OP (Brian) does one *have* to cook the mash beforehand? or is there different ways of doing this? ... , ... I'm a little fuzzy on the details, my admittedly limited knowledge is based on a homebrew & wine making endeavor of mine from years back... i have a few other inquiries, but thought i'd start here. . . . . . ...After tasting a country boys concoction at a b-day party, i became interested in trying it out. i've also done fractional distillation on a limited basis years ago, but no longer have access to fancy equipment.
Good concept. Nice video for the basics. You need to get the seal under control to stop any leakage on the boiler pot. Any leaks hitting the burner and you could be visiting the man upstairs. Again Dude nice video, have fun and keep shining!!
Thank You! And, I agree. I've started using a "shamee". I don't know the proper spelling, but it's what you can use to help dry a car after washing it. It's usually made out of lamb skin. I cut a piece out and replaced the silicon with it. It works great.
i'm on my second still. a temp probe doesn't really help much. just monitor the heat to see what's coming out. to avoid silicon, i used a wooden nut for the threads on my brass fitting. it'll increase price, but if you attach the copper tubing with brass fittings, there is less torque when moving the lid on and off ur pot. the torque is what causes the leaks out around the bottom spicket.
Silicon works well, but try a flour and water paste. It won’t break down from the alcohol and that way you won’t have to mess around with those clamps. Great Video!!!!!
I liked the fact that your video was fast paced so it didn't induce yawns and simple enough to understand the very first time I watched it.
I Really love the bowl idea, for the top, good Idea man !
Hey Bryan, I like your video because you get straight to the point and explain what you did in a straightforward way. So many people on CZcams waffle on and on, but you just get on with it, which is what I and other viewers are looking for, so big thanks!
Yup that's about it. My setup is almost identical. Only difference is use a plastic jug as an ice mold that drops inside my condenser. That way I don't have to keep buying ice. I keep several in my drop freezer and when they melt I swap them out. Place the frozen jug of water inside your coil and top off with water. I also use an electric hot plate for my boiler for safety instead of an open flame. When I distill my sugar washes using a turbo yeast my first runs can be 150 proof which is dangerous around a flame. I love this stuff!
I wish every video on CZcams was made this way. no long as intro video, no talking bullshit, no repeating shit, no long pauses. just informative speak, thanks mate.
To give you a tip on filtering, you only want to filter after you let the mash set for how ever many days you are doing it, then it is best to use for your first strain to get all the big bits out is use a calender or bowl shaped strainer, then you can get a filter for straining cooking oil to get all the fine bits out, run it through that 2 or 3X, then you will be able to distill it better...
Also to pour it into the water bottle to ferment try using a funnel, they are not that expensive... Also you can just freeze water in a small drinking water bottle, place a few in the 5 gal bucket and replace as they melt, it will keep the condensing water cold so it will condense faster
Sorry if I sounded rude... all in all it was a very good video...
أنت انسان مهذب و رائع 😊❤
You did a fine job. I have been making alcohol and wine for some years and I think you did a fine DIY build. Congratulations
Thanks for not making this more difficult than it had to be. Very down to earth, thanks, good job.
Very good video. No haters here. Never occurred to me to use a SS bowl. I already have everything else for my home brewing. Thanks for the video. Now i can turn my gallons of wine into brandy.
Great video! The thing with silicone is that alcohol acts as a solvent and melts it a little, the old timers use flour and water paste that hardens when it gets hot, cheap, effective and safe.
Oatmeal, flour and water paste works best for sealing copper joints but I like Bryan's idea of a shammy for sealing the lid and it's durable.
so, in the beginning, i had about 100 views and a dozen comments. Then, i turned around and had 24,000 views and a ton of comments. THank You!
Someone asked about the silicon, but i cannot reply to their message. I don't know why.
I stopped using silicon and cut a circle out of a shammee. I don't know the best way to spell that, but it's the lamb skin product used to dry a car after you've washed it. It works amazingly.
Also, after 20,000 or so views, i've got some haters. I guess that means i'm popular. Hehe. You're right, though, i didn't use a level and i'm not a finish carpenter. I just built this on the fly with a bunch of stuff i got online and at my local stores. Honestly, i'm pretty proud of it. Also, my flavors are amazing and my friends love it.
Bryan, the reason you should never use silicone or most any other sealer is because you are dealing with alcohol vapor which will cause these types of compounds to break down and or release some nasty chemicals. Food grade doesn't mean anything when dealing with alcohol. There are other nasty's in the foreshots such as acetone just to name one. Cork as long as it is 100% pure works ok. Be sure it's not the automotive type which generally has rubber and glues mixed in it.
Robert Tainio not to mention if you wander around the hardware store you can find copper pressure fittings pretty cheap that can do the same thing as a sealant and actually create a tighter fit
They make alcohol tolerate gasket material. Maybe little costly but it's safer then poison. Lol.
Yes 63 it's not. Moonshine is made in the back woods and bootlegged out. This is urban shine. Anyone can do it. Not everyone can get away with moonshining.
uberfool63 ?
This was the fastest easiest to understand explanation and tutorial for this I have ever seen. I think I will give it a try, thank you!
An easy way to coil your copper pipe is to fill it with water,put caps on it leave room for expansion, put it in a freezer or outside in the winter cold, bring it in and wrap it around your form. The ice will keep it from crimping. Thanks for the video.
some of the best advice i've received. thank you
You can also use a tube bender from an auto parts store. Like one that it use to bend brake lines. I also believe they sell at HD or lowes for larger piping
Yes! Filling the tube with anything works, as long there's pressure inside to counter kinking.
@@johnbennett69 vendors are nice you can go to one of the auto parts that loans tools for a small deposit bring the tool back and they give you your money back I thought I will let you know in case you didn't, love your videos keep up the good work🇺🇸
Or pack it full of sand
Hi Bryan, the leaks in your system plus an open flame from the lpg burner is a seriously dangerous combo. Leaking Alcohol vapors are highly flammable & could catch alight from the open flame. For the safety to yourself, family & property be sure the system is airtight, seal all leaks and maybe change to a hotplate burner or place a metal sheet between lpg burner and the still to prevent vapor contact with open flame. Take care Brother
: flash point is so low, and it's almost impossible to build up enough concentration in the room to cause an explosion.
@@repentorperish1405 not unless you're rubbing one out in a 1 man Porta potty to lingerie section of the Kmart advertisement
Hi Bryan. I am just starting to learn about brewing and distilling. This video is great. I love simple home made solutions. My next piece of the puzzle is a good recipe. Thanks!
that's really fun!!!
Thanks for sharing. It is a ton of still out there on CZcams and I think I learn something from all of them. Some are simple still and some or more complexed, but over all I think all I have ever seen even the simple stills I have learnt a lot by watching them all. I enjoy watching them all and I thank you for sharing your build video. I have learnt so much from you and other on this matter. I remember years ago seeing the yahoo commercial where they guy ask the dolphin how he learnt how to talk and he said Yaaahoooo. I think CZcams could have a commercial just like that, because there is so much information out there where people want to share their information and I just want to say thanks for sharing your information it was very informative. Thanks
Love how once you got started, you had a natural head of steam. A natural born presenter, completely practical, even down to using vice grips to hold the "lid". lol. Great job.
Brother I wish I seen your video earlier, this is what we need out there I'm a polak and a new brewer, and I agree like I buy a siphon but I need Other crap separate to make it work like wtf, keep it up man this is amazing
You said "N. TX." Sandies here. Great video Bryan. I was in sales for about 30 years. That was an impeccable and thorough presentation!
Thx !!
One of the better videos I have seen. Absolutely the most informative.
Hey Brian. Thanks for the shout out! Great job on your still. Especially your still stand. Very ingenious. I have dubbed my (and yours) still design the R2D2 still. Lol. It's perfect size for the first timer. And it makes some great shine! I have since upgraded my still to a 15 gal beer keg still. Probably gonna make a vid on how to build that still because I get so many requests on still building. Again, great video!! Shine on!!!
Dude. Thanks! Yours is the video I watched when I was figuring out how to get started. I've gone back many times for additional help and to find forgotten details. Thank You!! Shine On!!!
Both your video were the inspiration for me. Another R2D2 in the mix. Turns out Bryan and I have the same stockpot so he gave me a tip on the right mixing bowl to fit and a few other tips. In the final assembly stages now. Just need to get the male + female fittings, drill and assemble.
Very awesome vid to watch if you are already a home brewer or wine maker! With the exception of your smart design for lid and copper pipe, I already have everything to do this! Thanks for opening a new door for me!!!
awesome! thanks.
Nicely done. I want to start relearning this and most videos online are for these new products that are like a faux DIY process. This dude basically just uses stuff that was just lying around the house. That's how it should be done
Hey great help man. Good plain talking description of a still. Big help to me for building my first still. Couple of times I think you misspoke in your haste to get the information out, but any one thinking to build should know what you meant. Brilliant effort, I couldn’t do it any better and I appreciate all your effort and time. Cheers Brian 👍🏻
Bryan nice set up almost like mine but more portable. I would say to you add a thumper and larger piping coming off your pot going to said thumper. I am on my third rebuild. Every one has been better. Just went to the SS bowl with 1 1/4 coming off the top of boiler going into thumper. I get about 160 proof from my set up. 5 gal of mash gives 1 gal of shine. The mash is bubbling right now. Good luck and stay safe with open flame :)
Thanks for the bare bones, down to earth video. I learned more from you than the guys that do this for a living. Awesome job!!
This was so helpful! Smart! I've been doing quite a bit of research & watching a bunch of videos. This seemed to have the best amalgamation of all the different designs I've seen! Thanks man. Nice job!
I live here in Brazil, here we produce pinga, sugar cane alcohol. I won a bottle of boubom and liked it so much and I have corn plantation, which I decided to do at home for consumption. American voices, are light years from other countries, do not hide projects and show how they do. grateful for producing this video, as I was looking for a simple project. If you know the proportions and fermentation times and indicate to me, I'm grateful.
10 years and we need more of this fella
To expand the air lock knowledge. You were correct about the bubbles are letting out CO2. But it's main purpose is to keep oxygen out and keeping your brew from oxidizing. Thanks for the video, I've been making mead, but am looking forward to making shine here soon.
cool. that's good to know.
+Bryan Blaskowsky You could also use a 'shine instead of water, which will kill any little beasties trying to get in there. Also, if for some reason it gets sucked in there, it's not going to hurt anything
I have watched a lot of videos on how to make the alcohol, but yours is the first I have seen to actually make the still itself....thank you for showing..and if you come up with any improvements or easier ways, please let us know...( not that it's that complicated ....) : )
simple, concise and well done. as for your boat....i have some plans for a 35 foot single chine boat which i was hoping to start building in january, 1/10th scale before i build the real one. will keep you posted if i can get to it. i was in an accident and at this time, i have issues doing anything but hurting
love boat building. i did finish that 13' stitch/glue. never used it. sold it to someone. i didn't want the boat. i wanted the education. i'm currently sailing my 18' Hobie and restoring a 21' monohull sailboat. my next build will be a shallow water "scooter". Can't wait. Would love to see your progress.
Thank you for sharing, by far the best video out there on building a still.
Hands down the best video for this topic. Very well put together , easy to understand. Thanks for making this!
thx!
Great stealth setup. Old Moonshiners used to use a flour and water paste to seal up any escaping gas/bubbles. The paste will heat up and seal what ever is leaking. You would need to reapply every few runs or as needed.
FYI - The word bung is from the Scottish word bunged which means blocked - If you have a blocked nose we would say our nose is bunged up. Considering bungs were first used in whisky distillation and it was to bung up a hole - they called it a bung.
I thought it was from sailing boats , the bung at the back of the boat could be taken out to drain water from the stern
Scottish boat/shipbuilding got it from whisky making. Which makes sense if you think about it - Scotland has a long tradition of ship building, builders who obviously drank firewater. But we were making whisky long before we were making ships and we've been making ships for a very very long time. :-)
@@oojimmyflip Fun factoid. It was a Scot that created the US Navy and it was a Scot that taught the Russians about naval warfare (which is why the Russian navy flag is the reverse saltire and their patron saint is St Andrews) - So in a round about way, Scotland is responsible for the cold war. LOL
Just learning this kind of stuff for off grid living. This was my first ever lesson on it and I'm sure I can make this work. Time to learning about the actual distilling process now. Thanks and this was a great video!
Enjoyed watching this Bryan
Excellent video!…no BS and you get to the point quickly. Good job brother✝️
Great presentation...well thought out. The funny-looking thing that looks like a thermometer is a hydrometer and the tall skinny beaker is a graduated cylinder (the hydrometers come in different graduations...you could get one for METHANOL to measure that first 200-250ml if "discard". You might put a comp fitting 12" out of the pot to allow for easy disassembly/storage....got everything but tubing and ss bowl...gonna build one. Thanks again.
awesome
good put
bryan, I hate to be a bearer of bad news. but I did notice one thing that was incorrect. first off, great video. loved it. and I don't know if anyone has brought this up, but messing with the temperature when actually distilling is a huge no no. the reason you are getting a higher output when cranking up the temp is because you are evaporating not only the alcohol, but the water as well. the reason a distillery works is because the alcohol has a lower boiling point than the water. so you should be cooking at around 200-220 degrees farenheit. depending on how strong your trying to brew it. I would suggest getting a second thermometer to measure the actual temperature of what you are cooking. or a longer thermometer. great design all in all. but for a higher proof output, you gotta really watch that temperature. :)
180 degrees and run it slow once it reaches 212 all your gonna get is a bunch of water vapor.
ALEX Hirt water boils at 212° F. You want to keep your temp way under that.
Also, you want to measure the temp of the steam, not what you're boiling. The temperature of the steam will tell you if it's water or alcohol
I was taught in school that water books at 212. I am 42 and learned this in probably 1987,but I am sure that is the correct answer. So master distiller is you are recommending a temp of
200 to 220 all you will have is water vapor. I would seriously brush up on basic knowledge before spouting out information like you are the master distiller at Jack Daniels.
I will give you a little tip. Methanol boils off around 145°, that is what you throw out. Ethanol boils off around 171°-179°, that's what you want to keep. Water boils off around 212°. Of course all of this varies depending on your elevation, but use that as a guideline. If you bring the vapors to 168° and hold it there for about ten minutes the still will start to run methanol and when its done it will stop, throw that out. Go ahead and bring it around 175° and make your run, just keep a taste and smell out for the tails, they smell like old wet cardboard.
Excellent video. Glad you put this up here for us, can't wait to try this build out for myself!
To keep the metal spoon from scratching the inside of the bucket... take super fine wet dry sand paper and polish the sharp edges off it. Then it wont scratch it up.
or try a wooden spoon
Well constructed video.
That mixing pot idea - Fucking brilliant. Never would have even considered it. Cheers man! Can't wait to try this out
Very very good video, very helpful, best one I've seen!
Great video bryan, good job on the simple build of the still. Im looking to build something like that, using a stainless pot and mixing bowl top. Fantastic creation. Thanks
Cool video. Very detailed. Thumbs up. However, I'm a big fan of using a thumper (aka: thump keg, or doubler) between the still and the worm. Also, a clean white pillow case works well to strain your mash.
I'm with the others, let's see that boat! I started with a still similar to yours. I moved up to a 5 gal. number from Clawhammer Supply. Fun stuff. I put a pump on it and 50' of hose and ran the inline consider on my still cap to my pool. My wife hates this because I sit with the slider open for about 8 hours while distilling. Slower heat equals nice cooking fuel, if you get my drift. Excellent vid man.
great job,straight forward,cool economical still
thanks man!
Nice video good pace good information congratulations you win
Great knowledge thanks Bryan
Thank you for your comment back. I'm making one of these stills next weekend. That's why I am trying to get all the accurate info. Thank you so much man.
absolutely. good luck!
did you get it built?
I really like what you built!
Thanks for taking the time to show us.
I’m late to the show but just wanted to say great job very clear and rite way of doing it. Mine is quite similar to your set up and I love it.
i like how u did the vice grips to seal a normal cooking pot. great idea
Binder clips (in school/office supplies) also work.
I know its a little late, but thanks for the top tips. A no bs tutorial.
Great idea for making a still. One other website mentioned using the same pot but with some old moonshine tactic with using flour dough putty to seal it with the lid and then putting bricks on it. Your method of using cooking silicone and vise clips would hold it much better. Not to mention the availibility of stainless steel pots and bowels.
very well executed, it's nice to see other moonshiners taking pride and safety in their product, thumbs up bro (both of them)
Awesome video. I'm going to try this. I will use your video for guidance. Thanks.
I enjoyed this video! I have no intention of making moonshine, but wanted to know how to make a still that could distill water in a shortage/ emergency. I found this and thought it was pretty cool. Easy to do!
Good job on the video! Have fun distilling!
I like the basic design...anyone can do it this way! Thanks Bryan
Great video, very educational, thanks for making it!
Just a tip to improve your product. As a homebrewer I have learned that sometimes fermentation continues after activity in the airlock has ceased. The yeast carries on doing stuff even after it's finished with the sugar, it cleans up after itself and other stuff. A better way to tell is to use your hydrometer. Take a sample and record the reading when you pitch your yeast. Pull another sample with a wine thief and take a reading when you think fermentation is done and then take a reading again three days later, if the reading is the same you're done! If it's lower keep fermenting and take a reading a couple days later. Just make sure you sanitize anything that touches your wort/wash and don't pour the sample back into your carboy. I use StarSan in a spray bottle and spray everything including the top of the carboy. You'll start with a better product, should make your finished product even better!
Just my two cents!
Again, great video!
Too bad you didn't make more videos on the subject. You have a good personality for instructional videos.
thx!
Awesome video! Totally helpful in all sorts of ways. Plus you assembled it all yourself. Great job.
thx!
This video got Downloaded and saved on my computer. This is fantastic video
Bryan
Thanks for the video. good help for beginners. thanks again
Thanks for the class! Very well done and concise. I have been thinking of making one for a long time and this is it.
Thanks man. Good luck.
You're a natural - really enjoyed "meeting" you! 👍🥃😁
Thanks Bryan - Nice Video, Great Info. Also I appreciate the down to earth approach.
You sir are an inspiration. I'm about ready to distill homemade apple wine, and your videos are great. keep it up.
Good vid man. Thanks for the advice and making the effort. Dig the design.
Barley and Hops Brewing has many great videos on how to do this safely
Great video. Love the start to finish explanation of what is for what and that mobile cart is awesome. Great idea and I'm going to try make one for my garage also.
great info, thanks for taking the time.
I think your still design could be a little better, as you mentioned wanting to maybe make a more perfect one, but this is a great video. You covered absolutely everything. I made a "wort chiller" for brewing beer, to get the boil down to yeast-friendly temperature quickly, and I found that I can also use it as a still. I just put a hose barb on the lid of my brew pot, and I run a hi-temp silicone hose from that into my wort chiller. I sweat the solder joints a bit too hot, and they leak slightly, but it works. The problem is that the copper tube inside the coiled chiller isn't slanted down enough to make it easy to collect every last drop of product, or to reliably measure the first bit of methanol, if alcohol is what I am distilling. I think I could get away with a much shorter length of condenser tubing.
Great diy video good job.
Great video Bryan...
I wasn't expecting it to be as good a it was. Very informative and real. Great run though of the gear needed. Pretty creative with the boiler cover from the bowl.
Brilliant! Liquor ban where I am now we have a pandemic, this was super helpful. Not sure I'll be able to assemble all the kit but I'll have a go.
Michelle Fiegehen Saffa?
@@suckersticks2367 Sorry, don't know what that means!
Two things. Always keep your cap pinned down with clips, then keep every connection closed up with water/flour paste, if you don't, the cap may fly off and the mash will burn you up, and you'll lose your liquor if you don't keep it pasted up. and don't run it too hot, it'll burn you up if you run it too hot. I don't make it but I come from a long line of old time mountain shiners lol
Use a blow off tube in your carboy and run it to a bucket partially filled with water. No mess when fermenting high alcohol wort. Use a beer siphon to pull the liquid out without solids coming out. It is called a hydrometer.
Dude, great video. Very informative, if you have upgraded since this video, could you possibly put another one up? That would be awesome. I've been looking into doing this for awhile now and your setup looks great and easy to manufacture. -Thanks
Good detailed video. Enjoyed watching.
Thanks for the video been homebrewing for years, going to try some distilling.
great video i love this i learn a lot keep the good work up
You are an inspiration to all, Sir!
Thanks for this great vid. I have watched several but yours is plane and simple. Something I need.:)
The best demonstration I’ve seen yet good job brother👍
In india we make moon shine by distilling on earthen pots. we call it Gudumba sara.
Here is a tip for you mate, instead of the strainer that falls apart, try a gold prospecting classifier. Fits right in the 5 gallon container and you can spurge your grain easy and it is strong so you can press down. Cheers
i am going to check that out. Thank youy, TransAM
great video, really enjoyable and easy to follow.
Hey Bryan,
Great video, I have been looking into building my first still. Ran across your video and love the idea of using the mixing bowl. Excellent idea! Thanks A lot,
Shine On!!
thank you. shine on!
if someone already mentioned this, kindly disregard the following---
...i think it bears mentioning, the instrument @ around 15:30 is a hydrometer... now, when one's endeavor is beermaking/winemaking, you must take an initial reading off the hydrometer *before* the fermentation process, (in the concoction known as 'wort' in beer making)
and another *after* to calculate the % alcohol... this ('specific gravity') calculation involves a relatively simple formula, which will be easy to find if not in a brew/wine makers book, most likely in instructions that are sold with the "kits"....
,
... Now i know this isn't a beer /wine making video, but i needed to relate this to set-up my own question to the OP (Brian)
does one *have* to cook the mash beforehand? or is there different ways of doing this? ...
,
... I'm a little fuzzy on the details, my admittedly limited knowledge is based on a homebrew & wine making endeavor of mine from years back... i have a few other inquiries, but thought i'd start here. . . . . .
...After tasting a country boys concoction at a b-day party, i became interested in trying it out.
i've also done fractional distillation on a limited basis years ago, but no longer have access to fancy equipment.
Good concept. Nice video for the basics. You need to get the seal under control to stop any leakage on the boiler pot. Any leaks hitting the burner and you could be visiting the man upstairs. Again Dude nice video, have fun and keep shining!!
Thank You! And, I agree. I've started using a "shamee". I don't know the proper spelling, but it's what you can use to help dry a car after washing it. It's usually made out of lamb skin. I cut a piece out and replaced the silicon with it. It works great.
Man I want to build one! Cool! Thanks for posting.
Real cool video . Thanks for putting this together
Thanks Yo.
i'm on my second still. a temp probe doesn't really help much. just monitor the heat to see what's coming out. to avoid silicon, i used a wooden nut for the threads on my brass fitting. it'll increase price, but if you attach the copper tubing with brass fittings, there is less torque when moving the lid on and off ur pot. the torque is what causes the leaks out around the bottom spicket.
Great job! I appreciate your efforts here , thanks!
Silicon works well, but try a flour and water paste. It won’t break down from the alcohol and that way you won’t have to mess around with those clamps. Great Video!!!!!
Hey Bryan awesome video any chance you could make a list of everything you purchased to make your still.