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Originally Posted by: Gibbs 
Howdy to all
I am Gibbs From Walla Walla WA and am new to brewing/fermenting/distilling. I believe i have a pretty well understanding on the entire process, but obviously want to learn a lot more. I am one of those who do not really care about what to do, rather i am interested in why am i doing it this way. At this point i am totally overwhelmed with all of the possibilities and different methods for every part of the process. I am most interested in whiskeys and rums but will definitely be playing with a few spirits. I am starting out quite small with a 3gal still. it is a stainless pressure cooker i modified to do the job. Copper neck and condenser. will be upgrading soon enough, but i figured its a good start since i do not know exactly what i want quite yet. until i have this website a little more figured out i guess i will ask my first cpl questions on this post.
-to what degree does the atmospheric conditions matter inside of the fermentation container? As in if i have a 5gal carboy, is there a best volume to air ratio? too much O2. too much room?
-Sugar content of mash? Obliviously depends on what i am making with how much/kind yeast and how long its going to ferment, but i am finding most recipes are between 12-25% sugar content. Anyone have basic gu8idlines they have found true?
-When distilling, where is the best place to check temp? should i be gauging from the liquid, the air in the pot, or up in the neck where the condensation starts? I realize the certain temps ethanol, methanol, and H2O evaporate, but there must be a correct spot to make sure the process goes smoothly...
Alrighty. i guess that is all for my first post. Much appreciated to anyone who reads/replys. I will be surfing the site trying to find more answers and questions. THANKS
Ok here we go so hang on ( my 3rd cup of coffee has just kicked in).....
#1 none, you'll want as much as it can hold - greed just sorta takes over when it comes to how much likker you can make.
#2 usually - most - recipes call for 2 lbs of sugar per gallon of water but that can be altered almost anyway you want! The yeast you choose and the recipe you choose will dictate the amount of sugar you use. Some yeasts can handle 15-20lbs of sugar in a 5 gallon wash.
#3 the still you described prolly wont allow a therm. to be placed but dont worry about temp at this time. Control the temp by the discharge volumn - with the
still you described you cant check it anyway. Go slow with the heat (like a fast drip or a dribble). Turn on the heat, once its up to a discharge temp, turn your heat DOWN so you can control the discharge of the distillate. My motto is ---slow and easy man, slow and easy. You can push faster later when you know more about how your still functions or the lack thereof.
Maybe this will get cha going but there is lots of good stuff in the forums so keep reading there. Does'nt sound like your ready to still yet so keep reading and when you think your ready read somemore. Pick a really easy recipe to start with cause you'll be suprised what success can do to your confidence as compared to failure. Good luck and happy still....
Got any pics of your setup????"
