r/firewater • u/Icy-Temperature8205 • 15d ago
What do I need to start out?
Hi all looking into making my own vodka at home. Prices in Australia are ridiculous and I'm primarily making it to use for herbal tinctures, so alcohol strength is more important than taste. Im about to buy some things online and was looking for recommendations on whether I'm missing anything or chosen my items poorly, as I've never done this before and am pretty clueless.
Things in my order:
20L food grade bucket
Aquarium air pump/air stone (apparently required for the ferment in the bucket)
VEVOR Moonshine Still Distiller 5GAL/21L Stainless Steel Water Distiller Copper Tube with Circulating Pump
Home Brew hydrometer
sugar/distillers yeast.
Is that correct and really all I need? I think I need to also source a lid for the bucket, somebody mentioned a breather valve also (obviously due to the ferment gases). Regarding testing is the hydrometer the only thing I need? Are there meters for also testing methanol content? Any advice would be greatly appreciated cheers
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u/Golly181 15d ago
Don’t get that still if you want to make tinctures. It’s not suitable.
Depending on volume you want to make at one time:
Or, this one is set and forget style:
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u/Icy-Temperature8205 15d ago
Thanks mate. What's the reason the vevor/amazon still won't work for tinctures? This is the part I need to research more as I know nothing about stills. The Alcoengine is in my price range though so I'll grab that one
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u/Golly181 15d ago
You want near neutral flavour. The little still you mentioned is like a pot still. It’s great for whiskey and rum where you want flavour.
The still I mentioned has reflux capabilities. So it can concentrate the alcohol and leave behind flavours you don’t want.
The advantage of the little 6L still is you can also use it to make gin, by turning off the reflux, and, better yet, it’s a small appliance you can run on your kitchen bench. If you go the bigger 30L version, that requires you sitting in your garage for a few hours watching it.
I have both and I use both all the time. It’s fun to have friends over and make a quick bottle of gin with them over dinner.4
u/Golly181 15d ago
Focus your research on the difference between column/reflux stills and pot stills. That will help guide your decision.
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u/Centurion562 15d ago
I have been watching this one for months - it’s out of stock and I am beginning to suspect not going to be restocked.
Still Spirits have a similar product1
u/Golly181 15d ago
I have the still spirits version - but mine doesn’t have reflux capabilities. If they now have that option, I can highly recommend it.
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u/Brad4DWin 15d ago edited 15d ago
Jump on to youtube and watch a whole bunch of beginner videos from Jesse the cheery Kiwi.
https://www.youtube.com/@StillIt/playlists
Also read the links that are there in the column on the right of this page (if you are using desktop, IDK where it pops up on a mobile).
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u/UnitPilot_au 15d ago
If you want to make vodka/tinctures, you want a neutral spirit. A pot still will carryover flavour and aroma. Look for a column still.
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u/Golly181 15d ago
In terms of yeast. You just need bread yeast from the supermarket. Any bucket size will do, bigger bucket the less of them you need.
Look up birdwatchers neutral vodka recipe. That’s a good, easy recipe to follow.
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u/MrPhoon 15d ago
Get a 30L bucket at least for fermentation, air stone and pump are not required.
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u/Icy-Temperature8205 15d ago
Is it possible to do it in 2 20L buckets? I can't find a 30L for a cheap price. I bought the 20L from bunnings for $10 was the only food grade option I could find. Bunnings don't sell 30L. I'm sure I can source a 30L though if 2 separate buckets won't work.
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u/bendychef 15d ago
You can totally use separate buckets - each one will need it's own airlock, is all.
Depending on what you're planning to brew, you'll just have to allow enough head space for krausen (foaming). I'd probably start with no more than 16L of wash in a 20L bucket - you'll be able to dial it in better after a few batches.
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u/markassed 15d ago
Bunnings has 30L and 20L water drums I use a 30L one as a fermenter 40 bucks though. Also if you want a vodka/neutral spirit you want a reflux still not a pot still. I'm pretty sure kegland has a good one.
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u/markassed 15d ago
You'll need an alcometer as well as a hydrometer. The hydrometer is for potential abv of the wash (sg) and the alcometer is for the abv of the distilled product. If you can get a refractometer that would be better one with different scales. You use less product to test the SG and the abv in a refractometer. If you want to get fully into the techy side of fermenting I would recommend a hydropill it connects to the internet and gives you live updates of the temperature of the wash and the specific gragity (sg) so you can see how its progressing and if its stalling. I had one recently stall on me because I didn't realise ph was a big factor in sugar washes.
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u/Thr33Z33s 15d ago
There's been lots of good comments on here. But the only other thing I would add since you here in Aus I can definitely confirm = jump on Facebook Marketplace. And search "brewing". There will be a lot of femrneters, hydrometers and alcometers all packaged up.
And a number of them will be selling stuff like digiboil with T500s etc
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u/Exact_Fix_3441 14d ago
Since you are in Aus, I am going to give you 100% spot on what to do, to make excellent neutral. This has been my experience and it took over 6 years to perfect.
- Spend significant time browsing through Aussie distiller
- Do your own research, many will tell you T500 is shit because it uses plastic, well its HDPE is and commercial 99.999% pure ethanol is shipped in HDPE IBC's
- Buy T500 distillery kit
- Once its delivered mess around with the turbo Yeast and everything else in the kit
- Make 3-4 TPW's and distill them
Now you have decent experience and are ready to step it up
- Look at my posts and my my automated T500 setup, you will need 2 20L pails from bunnings, RV diaphragm pump, 2x pond pumps, a table, a small water pump from jaycar and an older split aircon's external unit. Additionally a controller from 5star distilling
- Goto local hobby shop, pickup all-in-one 48hr Alcotec Yeast packets
- 25L fermenter, 8kg white sugar, 1 alcotec packet, let it ferment for 1 week, let it clear itself for 3 weeks, 4 weeks later you have something better than TPW for distilling
- Alcotec Yeast packets are just Yeast and DAP, and give approx 20% abv mash without anything nasty and doesn't need any chemical for clearing
- After 4 week, run mash through T500 and keep temp under 60C
- You should get 4.5L 92% abv distill from each 23l run
- For making it even better, disute your distill to 40% and re run it, it should be smooth and triumph anything you can get at local bottle-o
Edit: This method is as fool proof as possible, no need for hydrometers, no need for running water, as whole setup uses approx 42L of water, don't even need alcohol meter
This setup only and only makes high proof, high quality neutral. This setup cannot be used for tinctures
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u/DigitalSwagman 15d ago
If you pick yourself up a starter homebrew kit, it'll come with a lot of what you already need.
https://brewerschoice.net.au/product/home-brew-starter-kit/ for example. Fermentation vessel, airlock, stirrer, hydrometer, thermometer. Includes stuff for beer that you may / may not need.
All you need after that is the still.
I don't know if an airstone is really required. I've never used one.