Short sweet and clear.. very informative little clip. Lots of temperatures and ABV's to guide the newby. Thanks.

, nice - I liked it was simplified and informative set without unnecessary steps.

I'm distilling beer using my grainfather and alembic dome. I have two batches, both are approximately a beer growler and a half after stripping run.... so..... approximately 3/4 gallon (3L) for each finishing run. Here you recommend collecting (and tossing) a full 200ml of foreshots. With such a small batch volume, that seems excessive and wasteful. I've also read recommendations that you should collect 4oz per 5 gal being run. With such a small volume, that works about to be .6 of an ounce for me. I'll have the grainfather on the low power setting as this is so small and will go quick. Should I collect foreshots based on temps? Some say foreshots are everything up to 176 degrees. I've read elsewhere that 175 is where collectible heads start.

By the way great as a sous vide. Been there done it.

great video

Great little film Thanks for sharing Are these stills available from the factory or your distributor Thanks again Cheers

@GrainfatherAllGrainBrewing

5 жыл бұрын

Hey Andy, thanks for your message. These can be purchased from our website or from one of our stockists. Here is a link to our website for further information on distilling with the Grainfather; www.grainfather.com/shop/distilling.html. Thanks :-)

Great video Just wondering, how do you know when the heart run ends, and the tail starts? I'm going to make grappa with this alembic still. Hope it comes out well. Thank you

@trousers2

Жыл бұрын

Not the OP just a fellow distiller here. I've found towards the end of the hearts/start of the trails you'll find a huge amount of flavour and those flavours will change quite quickly, but eventually even though there's a lot of flavour it'll start to taste 'off'. I think the answer to your question is really up to you - taste the spirit quite often when you think you are getting close, and when it gets to a point where you realise 'i wouldn't drink that on its own', you're now into the tails. Still collect them though and use them for another wash that's similar, you might squeeze a bit more good product out of them when they're in another run. Hope that helps!

@derekblaas4572

Жыл бұрын

In the video, you see the last two tails run bottles are cloudy? Those are the tails. The first tails bottle might still be hearts as it was still clear.

Why add rubbish to clear it, just let it settle, cold crash it, then decant it into another fermentor, let it settle and put it in your still. Remove the plastic and extend the outlet or use a bigger collecting jar with a coffee filter or similar to stop airborne particles or crap getting into it...keep it simple.

super

How long does this whole process take? Do you ever hold the temp at any level for an amount of time? Or do you just set to boil and away you go?

@robertbeaulieu8721

5 жыл бұрын

raise your temperature in increments you will know if you go to fast by your outlet water temp if water gets to hot or steams add more water or lower the temp of the controller.. This unit is good for beer runs not cuts,,my opinion...cheers

@andydunn5673

5 жыл бұрын

Robert Beaulieu I don’t know what you mean, good for beer runs I want to make gin - bourbon (JD) and Pastice , thanks for input

Is the T500 lid compatible with the grsinfather to all me to replace the T500 boiler with a grainfather unit?

Hi - can someone confirm if you empty the wash (wort) after the first stripping and before starting the second stripping? Or just add the first strip to wash and go again? This vid suggests you do but some grainfather whisky recipes suggest you should.

@GrainfatherAllGrainBrewing

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Stone, you would empty the gunk out of the GF before you do your second strip

@stonewould3916

6 жыл бұрын

Grainfather - All Grain Brewing thanks. I’ll make sure I empty the wash after the first strip and begin the second with only the first strip liquid.

@robertbeaulieu8721

5 жыл бұрын

What is left after the beer run or first distill is great for cleaning copper highly acidic to it add alcohol and mix in distilled water neutral no minerals to 20-30 abv distill as slow as possible usually the size of the lead in a pencil not sure if that is possible with GF distill to fast during the cuts to many cogeners, head aches. When you smell wet cardboard or wet dog separate and collect enough from future batches, the tails distilled make some of the best whiskey..cheers

can this be done with the Grainfather Sparge Water Heater as well?

@Zumaray

2 жыл бұрын

No unfortunately

Hi, is the grainfather suitable to make the beer strip with all the content from the fermentation bucket (mash with died yeast grains and such), to make bourbon or whatever needed?

think ill stick to using mine for beer, i thought brewing ale was time consuming enough this dosent seem worth bothering for what you can buy good whiskey for nowadays with all the competition out there

Hi Grainfather team, I've attempted my first whisky using the set up on this video and did a grain wash. Put in the ceramic boil enhancers and conditioner but the wash gushed in to the carbouy brown so basically boiled over. The thermometer on the alembic arm shot up to the 90s and after a while the liquid went clear but by then my output (and ABV) is shot. To avoid this happening should I control the heat percentage on the Grainfather connect or am I doing something wrong?

@seankirby2887

Жыл бұрын

Make sure to only put 20litres into a 25lt boiler if using a grain based wort. When using sugar wash it doesn't cause anywhere near as much puking or over boiling. Also jump onto "still spirits" KZread channel run by Jessie he is fantastic and very helpful.

@seankirby2887

Жыл бұрын

And when it comes to whiskey you will need to run a stripping run as hot as you can (90-98°) and when it comes to the spirit run you will want to run around (76-84°)

Does anyone know if this works with brewers edge?

24 hours to clear the wash lol! Mine takes a week!

@darrenjames218

3 жыл бұрын

Does it take a week even with the turbo clear? I’ve never seen that.

When you do ypur spirit run, why do you collect and trash 200 ml? I know it's methanol, but why 200 ml? It's a percentage of the alcool collected in the stripping run or it's everything that comes out of the still before it reach a temperature?

@GrainfatherAllGrainBrewing

6 жыл бұрын

We recommend chucking out the first 200ml as passed this point we can guarantee that the alcohol is safe to consume. Methanol and other negatively impacting compounds (bad flavours) have lower boiling points than ethanol. By the time it reaches 200ml in the distillation, we can safely guarantee that any harmful components would have been evaporated off in the first 200ml.

@skoue4165

5 жыл бұрын

ei they are being overly carful so they don't get sued. If you do your research you can find more accurate ways to make the cuts. In short they are not "wrong" but if you know what you are doing you will probably lose less. BTW instead of chucking it you can stick it in a can and use for all of the things you would use "denatured" alcohol for, just don't drink it.

@robertbeaulieu8721

5 жыл бұрын

200 mil. is over kill for the amount distilled better safe than sorry Methanol or wood alcohol can cause damage to the optical nerves and can kill, seriously do your homework research, research, research safety first last and always. If your serious about the science and there is a lot you will learn, if you don't do the research Liquor store....cheers

when you distill, do you make steps? like should I set the grainfather to 64 celsius to fully extract Methanol and, when almost nothing comes out of the still, set the grainfather to a step at 78 celsius. Or, i set up to boil and let the temperature rise until the end of the distillation?

@callumtaggart9392

6 жыл бұрын

thats not how distillation works... the amount of alcohol in the wash will change the boil point, but you will be getting steam/vapour of that mix, with higher percentages of alcohol. you wont get a black and white this is methanol, this is not run... Its also important to note if you made a really good wash (all grain) and treated the yeast right you will get hardly any methanol. In fact there is more methanol in a glass of orange juice then in your wash total. however the heads/foreshots will contain fusel alcohols, the nasty stuff responsible for the hangover and bad tastes smells

@robertbeaulieu8721

5 жыл бұрын

You will find that once you reach distilling point and most distillers vary you will need to constantly add more heat via the controller there is a fine line you don't want it coming out to fast unless doing a beer run 1st distillation, this can be controlled with heat and cooling water when you get to 209 F there is not enough alcohol to warrant the energy you are expending shut it down and use the product in the GF to clean your copper highly acidic as good and cheaper than pickling vinegar..cheers

@Zumaray

3 жыл бұрын

Ethanol. Not methanol. That shit will kill you.

@the_CID

3 жыл бұрын

@@Zumaray yeah, i did know that. At the Time, i was trying to know if the distillation process Cut the byproduct perfectly. I learned with previous answer that was "no"! But thanks anyway for your answer :p

Can this be done with the G70 or only the G30?

@mattl7599

3 жыл бұрын

Only G30 at this stage. G70 has a bigger opening.

Don't know what i was doing wrong.. started with 22L of 6.6% ABV wash.. did a stripping run and got about 3-3.5 liters.. watered it down, did a spirit run.. up to 85C, when you say the heads are over, i have not even collected 100ml of distillate.. what am i doing wrong? and by the time the temperature reached 90C i had barely finished collecting heads..

@StillSpirits89

6 жыл бұрын

Hey Ales, sorry you had trouble with this. Please email us at info@grainfather.com so we can assist.

@alesstimec6345

6 жыл бұрын

i did.. no reply yet :(

Is distillation continuous at 77 ° C. Until distillation ends?

@GrainfatherAllGrainBrewing

5 жыл бұрын

Hi there, You might get some fluctuations around that temp but yes until it ends

How did you use the hydrometer to calculate the ABV% after distilling? Did you have to first measure the specific gravity of the wash before the yeast was added then subtract the reading immediately after stripping?

@GrainfatherAllGrainBrewing

7 жыл бұрын

Hi Andre, we recommend to use a alcohol meter to measure ABV after distillation, a hydrometer is used to monitor fermentation and alcohol conversion

@robertbeaulieu8721

5 жыл бұрын

Not the same Hydrometer Proof and Trale hydrometer needed....cheers

How do you know how much water to add to get to 50% ABV? That's the only part I don't understand.

@paulepruss

8 жыл бұрын

Just Google Grain Alcohol Dilution Table. There are calculators out there.

@paulepruss

8 жыл бұрын

That's the one!

@Summersault666

7 жыл бұрын

At end you basically have a mix of water plus alcohol. if you get 100% alcohol, the density measured must be equal to the density of ethanol which is 789 g/cm^3. The water has almost 1000g/cm^3. If you have a 50% ABV, the density should be the average of both (789+ 1000)/2 = 894.5g/cm³

@robertbeaulieu8721

5 жыл бұрын

Proof and Trale hydrometer 10$

@woodchuck525

11 ай бұрын

Use the formula (C1*V1)/C2 = V2. In this case C1 is your measured %abv, V1 is your volume of distillate, and C2 is your target 50% abv. Just plug values in and V2 will be the new volume (just add water to raise V1 to V2). Hope this helps!

I had no idea distilling was this complicated. Anyone know if all the products they put in are available in the US?

@MadMilliekits

7 жыл бұрын

Yep everything should be available in the US

@skoue4165

5 жыл бұрын

They are available and you don't really need any of them. They speed up some parts and help avoid problems in others but 99.99999% of distillers over the years didn't use any of them.

@robertbeaulieu8721

5 жыл бұрын

Most home brew shops have it or they know were you can get it...cheers

The instructions on this are sorely lacking...I finally figured out how to the adjust power output on the Grainfather Connect to slow down the runs...what should I set it at? Also, the temp at the thermometer rockets upward within minutes when the connect is set to boil, even though the water is running at 2.5l/minute--way too fast. I eventually got it slowed down and I stopped the heat when the temp reached 98C/208.4F, but my yield on a sacrificial run was very low---about .5 gallon out of 4 gallons of cheap wine/water. What the heck am I doing wrong?

@StillSpirits89

6 жыл бұрын

Hi Tim, can you email us at info@grainfather.com so we can assist you with this?

@robertbeaulieu8721

5 жыл бұрын

In my opinion the GF is not meant for distilling beer run fine cuts no way will you make a good product you need a controller to lower to lower power as temp climbs the GF controller lowers temp as you distill the temperature automatically rises at the very end the tails you can pour the baloney to it as you will be re distilling the tails again. My take on it....cheers

@mikehodgson2982

3 жыл бұрын

power down to 35% after temp reaches 140F

How much for this still?

You will not be able to control the rate at which your product comes out with this set up making the cuts is one of the most important things to learn, the slower the better the product, less volatiles ( headaches) I have one of these and they are great for brewing, mashing not for doing the cuts if they say it is and you believe them then buy one and you will see and learn, table toppers are no good either do the research remember experimenting has a cost....cheers

@andydunn5673

5 жыл бұрын

Robert Beaulieu thanks for the input- do I take it you would buy- advice buying a T 500 or something similar

@WhatTrigger

3 жыл бұрын

just curious, since they have a digital control to set a temp, cant you just use that to set that by lowering the temp of the wash instead of running a flat boil?

I have a GF connect that i use for beer making. Can I use the same boiler for making spirits with no risk of tainting my beer production with off flavors when switching back. Thanks

@Fabianwew

3 жыл бұрын

Beer and hops as a much bigger chance of tainting your spirits than the other way around.

Does anyone know how to throttle back the power, full wack the whole run is too much?

@mikehodgson2982

3 жыл бұрын

hold heat button for 6 sec, then it goes into power mode, use up/down arrows to lower power output from 100-0 %

@fruitfantasy1

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mike, that's the info I was looking for when I clicked this video.

what u add to color your whisky pls

@GrainfatherAllGrainBrewing

7 жыл бұрын

We add spirals: www.grainfather.com/shop/distilling/french-oak-infusion-carboy-spirals.html

@callumtaggart9392

6 жыл бұрын

wood... oak

@robertbeaulieu8721

5 жыл бұрын

Toasted oak chips, maple, apple small torch toast chips light , medium or dark whatever your pleasing try scorching chips until they appear black both sides extinguish any that smolder using spray of water. Add two handfuls to filled gallon jug and let stand for at least 2 months or until acquired taste, filter through coffee filter until clear aging should be done at no less than 125 proof 62.5% alcohol once aged cut product with distilled water to desired proof usually 40% ABV, 80 proof I like mine with a bit of a kick 45 ABV, 90 proof mix with tonic water and a squeeze of lime ...cheers

I don't understand what you're adding... Ceramic what??? and then Turbo clear? allright?

@skoue4165

5 жыл бұрын

They are adding boiling aids. Just things with a lot of nucleation sites. It's inert and reusable and it gets your boil going in a more controlled way. With out them you might be OK but with them you run a lower risck of boil over.

Its ok for a pint or two . But .show us stectaters a 500 gallon steamer still .

What is that fermenter at 0:10?

@StillSpirits89

7 жыл бұрын

do you mean the SG?

Nice and to the point- but the guy narrating all these Grainfather vids sounds like he's been drinking too much of the distillate or is really stoned... could use a dub over to make it a little less brutal to get through haha

Letting your distillate touch any plastic is a terrible idea

@the_CID

6 жыл бұрын

why?

@richardjames712

6 жыл бұрын

Supposedly high ABV alcohol can leech nasty chemicals out of the plastic. Easy enough to add a bit of copper to the alcohol outlet.

@lorihill6754

6 жыл бұрын

Its really about time some addressed the plastic issue...

@skoue4165

5 жыл бұрын

Head over to hobby distilling if you want pages and pages on the evils of plastic. Personally I think it is a bit overblown. In theory very high proof alcohol can leach plasticizers out of some plastics. Plasticisers are the things that keep plastic soft and or flexible. I have yet to see anything from what I would call a real solid source. Some plastics, absolutely. Some you shouldn't put any consumable item in. High proof alcohol is going to be a better solvent than many things but 50% alcohol is regularly available in plastic containers and that is pretty close to the ABV of a pot still. Non drinkable alcohol is generally sold in plastic at 90%+ You wouldn't be drinking it but you don't want to puting plasticizers on your skin either, and the bottles are not getting brittle so they are not loosing an appreciable if any amount of plasticizer. So I would avoid it as much as possible and where you don't make sure it is at least food grade and preferably a plastic that is used commercially with alcohol. BUT I am also not what I would call a "solid source". If distilling ever gets legal so the Basic Brewing guys can talk about it they might get their toxicologist to talk. They had him on about plastic in brewing and it was very myth busting.

@onehappynegro

3 жыл бұрын

i sort of get that but maybe over time, then again if you drink the end product you probably don t do yoga or eat healthy anyway,

what's all that crap you keep dumping in there? boil conditioner? wtf?

@christophergarbis1444

7 жыл бұрын

that is to keep the foam down...you dont want foam going through the condenser

@brentb9823

6 жыл бұрын

Do you add a natural “defoamer” or just never had an issue with this?

Should discard the first 50ml, contains bad chemicals

IMPOSSIBLE to hit the numbers and temperatures that you claim. I tried even with a pump and a cooler full of ice water.. it took 8 ten pound bags of ice ro get the output at 68 degrees.. and the hearts ects were no were near close to the temps on this video..

@GrainfatherAllGrainBrewing

7 жыл бұрын

Wow, not sure what you are doing, but this does not sound right :) please email us a little bit more detail to info@grainfather.com so we can see if we can help :)

@paulkeeley1905

6 жыл бұрын

I think his problem is using Fahrenheit instead of Celsius maybe? 68°C not °F...

@charleschapman2428

6 жыл бұрын

Now that's funny !

For home distillation totally inapropiate method and hardware that creates a product full of copper and phtalates. Public health hazard.

@brentb9823

6 жыл бұрын

Nikos Kotsalis explain in more detail please?

@nikotsalis

6 жыл бұрын

1. Distillation pots have to be made from copper. Cooling device has to be made from inox 316. The machine you are using is made the other way around. This brings copper salts and elementary copper to your final product. Copper is a metal highly toxic for humans animals and environment. 2. The product after the first distillation and mainly after the second one is not allowed to touch plastic materials like tubes or funnels. It brings phtalates to your final product. For details google phtalates and copper toxicity.

@skoue4165

5 жыл бұрын

Disagree on the copper, completely agree on the plastic. Plastics are not good with high proof alcohol. Copper though has been a standard for centuries.

no information on which grainfather you can use. so not really making any sense to any audience.

Garbage additives aren't worthwhile , if you wanna make it taste great and healthier . Or just show it off buddy . still unsure ?

This is one of those products that trys to convince you with sci-meth that this whole distilling game is way more complex that it really is. Folks, work on your recipe before gutting you pockets on a vessle that relieves you of any hard work.

....what are you talking about?? I definetly won't buy one of these stills ; crappy instructions equate to crappy product.