I've decided to start making my own wine and whisky/vodka.

[HereWeGoAgain]

My best advice to you, BTW - is the same as BULLDOG - take advantage of the enormous experience and advice that is out there.
That $6000 or so I have in it... I could have save at the very least half that if only knew of the better processes that are out there. As well as build your own systems.
I built my own venting system... a professionally built vent system with high enough cfm cost as much as $1500 or more. But a guy at homebrewtalk.com showed how he built his, including all of the parts... I made it for less than $200. And it works fantastic.
Sign up on one of the main forums out there. You can save $1000's and many, many headaches.

If get into it I'll definitely look into more and better ways to make it.
I dont drink beer as much as I used to and the wine is mainly for the Wife I'm just looking forward to the process.
I really want to make my own whisky's and vodka. If I'm going to live in the boonies I'd love to find a more cost effective way than running down to the liquor store and spending $400 bucks every week or so.
Plus it'll be fun to see if I can turn out a decent product.

I have thought of distilling myself. But a bit afraid too... like yourself, if I like doing something... I am all in. I can easily get obsessed and not stop until I perfect my skills.
Example... I have a beer house. Yep... a nice stone building that is 100% dedicated to brewing beer. It is air conditioned and heated.
I put in a hardwood floor, the vent system.... fermentation chambers... I can go on.
I am afraid if I start to distill I will go whole hog!!

The legalities of it will keep me from getting to crazy.
It's still illegal in Texas to make your own yet It's perfectly legal to own a still.
Go figure.

 

[BULLDOG]

My best advice to you, BTW - is the same as BULLDOG - take advantage of the enormous experience and advice that is out there.
That $6000 or so I have in it... I could have save at the very least half that if only knew of the better processes that are out there. As well as build your own systems.
I built my own venting system... a professionally built vent system with high enough cfm cost as much as $1500 or more. But a guy at homebrewtalk.com showed how he built his, including all of the parts... I made it for less than $200. And it works fantastic.
Sign up on one of the main forums out there. You can save $1000's and many, many headaches.

If get into it I'll definitely look into more and better ways to make it.
I dont drink beer as much as I used to and the wine is mainly for the Wife I'm just looking forward to the process.
I really want to make my own whisky's and vodka. If I'm going to live in the boonies I'd love to find a more cost effective way than running down to the liquor store and spending $400 bucks every week or so.
Plus it'll be fun to see if I can turn out a decent product.

If your purpose is to save money on what you drink, you will be greatly disappointed. Drinkable vodka isn't too hard. I suck at making whiskey and finally just gave up on it. My rum is at least as fine as anything you will find in your local liquor store, though..

Vodka is our main alcohol and the cost of the ingrediants is very reasonable.
Buying a case of vodka at the liqour store for a decent brand will run you over $150 bucks for 3 gallons.
That 16 gallon still will make 8 to 10 gallons at a time and for a price far less than store bought.

You got me there, but i think you might be a little high on your volume estimation for a good, drinkable product.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

My best advice to you, BTW - is the same as BULLDOG - take advantage of the enormous experience and advice that is out there.
That $6000 or so I have in it... I could have save at the very least half that if only knew of the better processes that are out there. As well as build your own systems.
I built my own venting system... a professionally built vent system with high enough cfm cost as much as $1500 or more. But a guy at homebrewtalk.com showed how he built his, including all of the parts... I made it for less than $200. And it works fantastic.
Sign up on one of the main forums out there. You can save $1000's and many, many headaches.

If get into it I'll definitely look into more and better ways to make it.
I dont drink beer as much as I used to and the wine is mainly for the Wife I'm just looking forward to the process.
I really want to make my own whisky's and vodka. If I'm going to live in the boonies I'd love to find a more cost effective way than running down to the liquor store and spending $400 bucks every week or so.
Plus it'll be fun to see if I can turn out a decent product.

If your purpose is to save money on what you drink, you will be greatly disappointed. Drinkable vodka isn't too hard. I suck at making whiskey and finally just gave up on it. My rum is at least as fine as anything you will find in your local liquor store, though..

Vodka is our main alcohol and the cost of the ingrediants is very reasonable.
Buying a case of vodka at the liqour store for a decent brand will run you over $150 bucks for 3 gallons.
That 16 gallon still will make 8 to 10 gallons at a time and for a price far less than store bought.

You got me there, but i think you might be a little high on your volume estimation for a good, drinkable product.

I'm basing this on what I've read about using the heads and tails to make our next batch higher in alcohol content.
Although I'm perfectly fine with 40%.
Even if it makes 8 gallons I'm way ahead of the liqour store.

 

[BULLDOG]

My best advice to you, BTW - is the same as BULLDOG - take advantage of the enormous experience and advice that is out there.
That $6000 or so I have in it... I could have save at the very least half that if only knew of the better processes that are out there. As well as build your own systems.
I built my own venting system... a professionally built vent system with high enough cfm cost as much as $1500 or more. But a guy at homebrewtalk.com showed how he built his, including all of the parts... I made it for less than $200. And it works fantastic.
Sign up on one of the main forums out there. You can save $1000's and many, many headaches.

If get into it I'll definitely look into more and better ways to make it.
I dont drink beer as much as I used to and the wine is mainly for the Wife I'm just looking forward to the process.
I really want to make my own whisky's and vodka. If I'm going to live in the boonies I'd love to find a more cost effective way than running down to the liquor store and spending $400 bucks every week or so.
Plus it'll be fun to see if I can turn out a decent product.

If your purpose is to save money on what you drink, you will be greatly disappointed. Drinkable vodka isn't too hard. I suck at making whiskey and finally just gave up on it. My rum is at least as fine as anything you will find in your local liquor store, though..

Vodka is our main alcohol and the cost of the ingrediants is very reasonable.
Buying a case of vodka at the liqour store for a decent brand will run you over $150 bucks for 3 gallons.
That 16 gallon still will make 8 to 10 gallons at a time and for a price far less than store bought.

You got me there, but i think you might be a little high on your volume estimation for a good, drinkable product.

I'm basing this on what I've read about using the heads and tails to make our next batch higher in alcohol content.
Although I'm perfectly fine with 40%.
Even if it makes 8 gallons I'm way ahead of the liqour store.

I'm sure you are right. That just hasn't been my experience over the last decade.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

My best advice to you, BTW - is the same as BULLDOG - take advantage of the enormous experience and advice that is out there.
That $6000 or so I have in it... I could have save at the very least half that if only knew of the better processes that are out there. As well as build your own systems.
I built my own venting system... a professionally built vent system with high enough cfm cost as much as $1500 or more. But a guy at homebrewtalk.com showed how he built his, including all of the parts... I made it for less than $200. And it works fantastic.
Sign up on one of the main forums out there. You can save $1000's and many, many headaches.

If get into it I'll definitely look into more and better ways to make it.
I dont drink beer as much as I used to and the wine is mainly for the Wife I'm just looking forward to the process.
I really want to make my own whisky's and vodka. If I'm going to live in the boonies I'd love to find a more cost effective way than running down to the liquor store and spending $400 bucks every week or so.
Plus it'll be fun to see if I can turn out a decent product.

If your purpose is to save money on what you drink, you will be greatly disappointed. Drinkable vodka isn't too hard. I suck at making whiskey and finally just gave up on it. My rum is at least as fine as anything you will find in your local liquor store, though..

Vodka is our main alcohol and the cost of the ingrediants is very reasonable.
Buying a case of vodka at the liqour store for a decent brand will run you over $150 bucks for 3 gallons.
That 16 gallon still will make 8 to 10 gallons at a time and for a price far less than store bought.

You got me there, but i think you might be a little high on your volume estimation for a good, drinkable product.

I'm basing this on what I've read about using the heads and tails to make our next batch higher in alcohol content.
Although I'm perfectly fine with 40%.
Even if it makes 8 gallons I'm way ahead of the liqour store.

I'm sure you are right. That just hasn't been my experience over the last decade.

I'll learn as I go,just like anything else.

 

[Canon Shooter]

A buddy and I used to brew our own beer back in the early 90's.

Always wanted to try to do wine; just never got around to it...

 

[badger2]

There may be other, subtle chemistries involved in the overall alcohol experience. Unforgettable was following Euell Gibbons’s recipe for elderberry wine, though where it happened is also implicated in the total experience: Alabama, late summer.

 

[Missourian]

HereWeGoAgain

Update?

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

HereWeGoAgain

Update?

Havent gotten around to it just yet.
The work around the house is stacking up from my F'd up hip.

 

[Missourian]

Havent gotten around to it just yet.
The work around the house is stacking up from my F'd up hip.

Trust me...I know that feeling.

 

[BULLDOG]

Havent gotten around to it just yet.
The work around the house is stacking up from my F'd up hip.

It's not that hard to get started, and doesn't really take a lot of time unless you want it to. Just figure out what you want to do before you do it. Changing your mind on some detail at the last minute rarely works out well. Try it. It's fun.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

It's not that hard to get started, and doesn't really take a lot of time unless you want it to. Just figure out what you want to do before you do it. Changing your mind on some detail at the last minute rarely works out well. Try it. It's fun.

I have so much backlogged work because I cant stand up for more than 10 minutes.
And to be honest nothing is much fun when you're in constant pain and that's with taking morphine.

 

[BULLDOG]

I have so much backlogged work because I cant stand up for more than 10 minutes.
And to be honest nothing is much fun when you're in constant pain and that's with taking morphine.

Morphine? Who needs wine? I would start with simple Welches wine. Distillation is a more complex procedure. Don't start out expecting something to win an award. If it is a nice tasty wine, consider it a good start. You'll get better.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Morphine? Who needs wine? I would start with simple Welches wine. Distillation is a more complex procedure. Don't start out expecting something to win an award. If it is a nice tasty wine, consider it a good start. You'll get better.

You also have to take into account that drinking and morphine dont mix.
Had a friend whose wife died from the combo,ya go to sleep and ya dont wake up.

 

[BULLDOG]

You also have to take into account that drinking and morphine dont mix.
Had a friend whose wife died from the combo,ya go to sleep and ya dont wake up.

Making alcoholic beverages and drinking them are two seperate things. Aging is a intragal part of the process

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Making alcoholic beverages and drinking them are two seperate things. Aging is a intragal part of the process

I know myself better than that.
If I going to make it I'm going to want to drink it.

 

[BULLDOG]

I know myself better than that.
If I going to make it I'm going to want to drink it.

Patience grasshopper.