George, I've fallen down the Home Distilling rabbit hole and you keep pulling me in. I appreciate deeply what you're doing here and love your approach to your teaching. I'm making my plan now to build my first still and I'm pretty sure we'll be spending time together as I jump in. Cheers from Canada!
Now after following your channel for 2 months I made my first run on a cheap Chinese still. Because of your instruction everything turn out good. Didn't collect enough on the first jar just 3 ounces for the shots, so the heads went into the second jar, so I wasted about 4 oz, however jars 3 &4 where 148 proof, jars 5-8 where 140 proof, & jars 9 &10 where 105 & 92 proof. I used 8 oz jars in case I was screwing up I didn't want to waste to much. It was your sour mash receipe I used, with some changes of my own.. Thanks.
I thank you once again George. No one could give me a straight answer regarding what a thumper does to product. So if I understand you correctly, it’s better to do a stripping run, then rerun with that with a 40% solution. I was not stripping but running really slow with a thumper WAS double distillation.
As we near Christmas, I want to thank you for the free advice you've have been posting since I joined the subscription to barley and hops earlier this year. I was looking for a new interest since the turbulent time that Covid brought us. Staying at home and watching your videos has been a godsend. I enjoy your posts, your openness on an exciting and interesting craft. I have learnt so much from you. Thank you! Shout out too to Jesse and Bearded and bored. This year for me, you 3 have been like a trinity of advice, knowledge and guidance for a newcomer to this craft.
George hit it right when he said thumpers were a simple way to control temperature on old time wood fired stills, but today we have electricity and temperature controllers like PIDs. We can control temperature very well and the thumper is really obsolete.
@max gamble I haven't been distilling very long but I assumed the only reason anyone would use a thumper these days is to infuse flavor. I have an alembic still without a thumper because I'm not infusing any flavor and I feel safer with an open system.
Couldn't an herb infusion basket essentially replace the thumper in regards to infusing flavor? Or is there a big difference between the two methods of infusing flavor? Noob here so I apologize for stupid questions.
@@BaltimoresBerzerker It is difficult to transfer flavors into the distillate no matter the method, especially any mild flavors. A mash made from mild flavored fruits like grapes, peaches, pears, strawberries, etc., will not pass its flavor to the spirit collected enough to hardly be tasted. Only grains and fruits with strong flavors work. Corn moonshine is an example. Its distinctive flavor is due to the corn which has a strong flavor, but make a mash from peaches, and the peach flavor will barely be detectable. This is why commercial distillers don't distill these things, instead, they add the desired flavor post-distillation. Grains like corn, barley, and rye impart their flavors because they have strong flavors, so they work, but make a mash with wheat and the result will be more like a neutral spirit like vodka. The real craft in making any spirit is not the distillation phase, but rather the flavoring process. This is where the true "art" comes.
@@skyhookspirits thank you! Very interesting! Do you have any sources (reading or video) regarding how to properly flavor your spirits? Either way, thanks for the kind informative reply my dude! Have a great one man!
@@BaltimoresBerzerker If you watch Moonshiners, they are always making some exotic spirit which according to them tastes fantastic. Don't believe it! Many things they do are correct, but many are just BS. The program is interesting and has caused many to take up the hobby. That is great. If you are a newbie, just don't take everything they do as gospel. Things like running multiple thumper jars, fermenting unheated grains, drinking spirits straight from the condenser, and getting sensational flavors from various mashes is pure BS.
I use a basic pot still and have had 165-175 proof without a thumper. Recently I added a thumper and I get 185 proof and a much better tasting product. My thumper inlet is about an 1/8" from the bottom and have holes drilled to about 1/2" from the bottom of the pipe. I fill my thumper with 80-100 proof tails to just covering the drilled holes. I use light duty clamps and surgical tubing to seal the main pot. At the worst of times, a little flour paste will stop a leak. There is barely any pressure in the pot or it will easily leak. When I'm done the whole run, there is exactly the same amount of liquid in the thumper as I started with. Science doesn't mean better. The thumper was the best addition to the still I've ever had and I have never used a thermometer anywhere.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing I do enjoy so many of your videos and wasn't meaning to be brash. I got lucky with my setup I guess. Thanks for the rewarding reply!
It may have already been mentioned, but a vacuum safety valve would be perfect. They are small npt valves that act like (but opposite of) a psv. It has a spring and decent that opens up when there is a vacuum to allow air in. I could probably get a part number if needed
Thank you George for a great video! I just wanted to add my 2 cents: You mentioned the rise in the boiling point of the liquid in the boiler as a result of the pressure increase because of the liquid level in the thumper. The thing is, for a pressure increase of 3 psi for example (about 0.2 atm), the liquid level in the thumper would have to be about 2 meters (about 6.5 feet)! Perhaps a bit less because of some flow resistance in the system, but it probably would not be relevant for a home distiller. Maybe there is another factor in play here? I haven't really done much distilling in these areas (outside of lab - I'm a chemist), so maybe there are some additional technical factors here that I don't know about
Thank you George. It's so impressive how much you know about so many different things from electrical engineering to chemistry. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Love you more and more every day. Begin trying for over a year to understand and I understand so much in 2weeks from you. Keep up the good works.now if you can make me run a still as good as you explained.learning alot from you.
George, just purchased a Thumper to use as a quasi gin basket. Watching your vids you said not to place a valve on the top of the thumper. Well the one I purchased for Mile High Stills has a valve on the thumper top that I have to pull out to open. I believe this allows air to be sucked in to equalize the pressure once you turn the heat off but it didnt come with any directions so just want to see if that is the purpose of that valve since it is not located in one of the 3 places you suggested a valve be placed.
I use thumpers sometimes on my baby 2.5 gallon pot still. That's my experiment still. I do use them to infuse flavors I normally use double thumpers and I put the fruit spices burtanicals in the second thumper. I normally put a higher proof whiskey or vodka in my thumpers since I'm usesing such a small still. Also i feel like it kinda gives me an idea of how a new recipe will turn out on my bigger reflux column by bumping the proof up with a couple thumpers . If you can look into your thumper/s when they start to cloud up thats a good indicator the run is finished. That was a awesome vid thanks George its nice to know the science behind the stough im doing i had a pretty good grasp but as always you taught me some more. To me thumpers are just another tool I can use depending on what I'm going for in the final product. I generally get high 170ds even 182 sometimes with 2 thumpers.
When I run my pot still I get around 120 proof, when I add the thumper it jumps to 154 proof. I know it’s a second distillation but the fact is the thumper makes a huge improvement for anyone using a basic pot without a column
Consider that regardless of the proof level, you'll get the same volume of alcohol from an equal volume of mash. The thumper increases the proof a bit, but if you removed it, you'd get same amount of alcohol when both are proofed down to desired level, like 40 % or 80 proof. No matter what type of still setup if the mash is say 10% ABV, the maximum amount of alcohol that any system can produce is one half gallon. Some time ago, I did some messing about with thumpers, mostly to see if they could add flavors. My conclusion is they aren't worth their trouble and aggravation. Today we can control temperature very closely and a thumper is an obsolete device.
Nobody mentioned abv, I understand abv, us guys that don’t have columns on are pots a thumper makes a big difference. Please don’t try to read more into than what there is. Thumper do make a difference in PROOF for your “basic pot without a column “ you know, a poor mans steel.
Im getting ready to build my first still, good information thx!. I ordered an adjustable pressure relief valve to put on top of my still just in case I ever use a Thumper , so I can relieve the pressure when shutting still off! Seen the picture of that crushed still Yikes!
Hey Buddy, bought time you had a drink with us. When running my open system, the proof drops 10 proof per quart at 200 feet above sea level in Southeastern Louisiana. When I double distilled that, the higher proof stayed with in 3 proof for the first 20 quarter's. Just for knowledge, if someone were to add a thumper, would the proof stay tight, as dose double distilling ?
I have recently purchased a Chinese 5 gallon still with the thumper . It now has a line going to the bottom. I built a copper reflux Still 25 years ago and the design was then called a Cactus . As it resembled a Mexican Cactus. Very efficient producing 94% ABV . . I purchased the present Chinese Pot Still as I wanted to make a whiskey. The system came with a thermometer in the lid of the boiler. Having a bit of experience I drilled a hole in the top of the Thumper and inserted a mercury glass thermometer. Outcome. The boiler steam temperature was constant at 88c. The Thumper with only 2 inches of wash in it was constant at 78c whilst producing Ethanol. As an old person who was used to taking off the Ethanol according to the temperature, I now feel I have better control on the end product. My first run after a clean and sacrificial sugar wash, was using 2 kilos of Malt Extract and a 1.75 kilo of Pilsner Beer extract ( which was half price at local brew shop as near use by date.) 21 litres of water and a Turbo Yeast. Ended up with 400 mil of Heads at 80% ABV . 1.2 mil of hearts at 85% . 400 mil of tails at 75% ABV. Ran it all through again with 2 litres of water added. Ended up with 1.8 litres at 80% of hearts with a 200 mil tails at 70% . It already tastes smooth with no off aromas. Have now put it in oak chips and see what eventuates . I am quite pleased with the Chinese Still using canaster propane gas as a source which is great for controlling heat. Flat out until first foreshots then reduced approx half way for remainder of run.
22:55 I disagree with your premise that there is 16 pounds of water back pressure created in the thumper. In reality the still will see the height of water that is measured between the bottom line and the top surface of the level inside the thumper. 1 psi = 27.7 inches of water. so that being said the still will see about 1/3 psi or 9 to 10 inches of water column.
Thanks for the knowledge you share with us. Any chance we can get you to share your Saddleman's Cut recipe in a future video ? - I know you don't normally share them, but many of us would be very grateful!! #HappyDistilling
Happy Thanksgiving, Big man, thank you so much for this video, I get the Thumper question alot and the big one that gets me is the mason jar infusion "thumper". It scares the crap out of me...
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing jip, that is a proper bom, the pressure involved in that is bonkers. I have seen them fill up, explode and drop out spilling hot high proof spirit everywhere. And I blame the show on Discovery for this, in the one episode they have like 20 jars inline and the had to way the boiler cap down with sand bags and tie it down with rope.
Hi George, how about a talk on vacuum distilling, I have had fun with it. My still system is lab glassware,so the risk of implosion is small but not zero. Cheers
Hi George. Loving your videos. Learning so much from you. I have a Chinese still and the thumper that came with it had two pipes in the thumper of equal length. I am guessing you would just remove one of these for where the vapour leaves the thumper to go to the condensor and leave the other. I have attached some copper pipe to the one pipe so that it does reach the bottom of the thumper.
George, can the fore shots and heads (methanol) get trapped in the thumper at the start and come through to the hearts later in the process, or is it a once and done thing? Thanks
Don't use a defragmater and a thumper at the same time your results will not be good. Nice to see you still going George Happy holidays and have a great New year
Thanks George. Great review. I'm fairly sure the energy is not kinetic energy, but is known as enthalpy. Anyhow this doesn't change the theory but is a lot more accurate if you're going to do the energy Ballance.
hi george you are one thee most informative person i have ever met, one question for you, i have a chinese still with a thumper, but the output from the still into the thumper does not have a pipe going down inside the thumper does not go all the way down, should i extended. your advise on thins thanks
Can someone tell me why it is when i dont use my thumper i get 130 at max proof and with my thumper its 165?? Same temp same mash same everything only with or without my thumper? Happy distilling and HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Hey George, great content. Thanks. Could you answer a noob question for me? Why don't distillers (or do distillers) ever use a boiler to heat the distillate by simply boiling water over a primary heat source and piping the water vapor into the distillate via a heating coil? Wouldn't that keep the temperature consistent? 212? Seems like that would be hot enough to cause the distillate to start to come over. No?
Not directly. The challenge in column length is when it is too long for the system. Most are between 32-48 inches. The challenge with it being too long is temperature management and not flavor. The vapor in a column is the same constituency in 8 inches as it is in 48 inches so flavor is not affected.
I just started watching and learning (Subscribed) and was just about to jump in to try it out thanks to you and Bearded and Bored and I just learned that you are both gone? What's up with that?
thumpers are a great way to infuse flavor. yes it must be a substance that is strong in flavor to start or alot of one flavor. Are they necessary? No do they serve a purpose? Absolutely! More than one in my exp
Damn right they do.. Without a nice ripe bananna sliced up in the thumper, the waragi just wouldn't taste the same... Nothing beats a thumper for the direct real time infusion of flavor and nose right off the end of the worm ready to go.
Hi george love youre videos i have a question i have the mighty mini have you ever ran it without any packing in the column? Would you gain anyflavor without packing or with packing
Hey there, new and I love your vids, very informative. I've read that some ppl after the fore shots and heads put fruit, or something in the thumper to help flavor the end result. Will it work like that? I know thats what they do for gin but the champers are designed different so I just wanted to know if it would work. Thanks.
The weight of the water has no influence on the pressure in the thumper. The height of the water column is the real factor involved. If the height of rise from the bottom of the pipe in the thumper to the top of the thumper liquid is 1 foot then the pressure needed to overcome is 0.433 psi per ft. of column.
Hi George, I'm a little confused about the pressure in a thumper. A vertical column of water is only .43 lbs. Per foot. So if you had 12" of liquid in your thumper why would you need 4 or 5 lbs.of pressure to push the vapor out of the thumper?
George makes a great video and I have learned much from them but occasionally he lets his bias take over. His hatred of thumpers and disdain for the science of copper has him a little confused at times. Everything else is pretty much bang on except his lack of concern for PH during mash fermentation.
I have a question on your PID controllers is there a way to set the controller so it doesn't kick on and off so often when trying to hold the temp I set it to and can I set a soak timer that will turn the PID off after a set time
George I`m not sure what you have against thumpers ,but I have had excellent luck with thumper. I get 170 proof . It aids in the separation of the tails. I don`t put anything in my thumper I dont have a tube to the bottom. I get very little ethanol in the thumper. It doesn`t help with the heads, I do the math 5% of the expected alcohol production is assumed to be methanol, I do hold well below 170 once i get the 5 % it slows back down to let me know it needs more heat to bring over the ethanol. do the math once i have to add more heat to keep the flow up I catch the rest as tails retain it for next batch so Its not lost. Open the thumper it stinks i proof the residual left in the thumper no ethanol i do throw it away. the tails i catch is a little smelly usually 20 proof .There is no pressure in a slobber box the thumper is kept very warm so the ethanol passes right through will the nasty stays in thumper.
George, many thanks for these videos. One question, the old worry about methanol, how does it get eliminated with this method? Sorry I am a newbie forgive my ignorance.
Hii ..thanks for all the information you are the best ..I’ve question about how to remove bad smells our to make alcohol taste good I’ve problem in that ..
Nice video george,almost bout a thumper system myself until I saw some of your videos.....no reason for the thumper if we can control the temp,and also no reason for a closed and now dangerous system....we do the same thing if not better without it...thumpers are used because they were needed years ago......that simple....
Thumpers are obsolete in the process but I however have one on standby because it is absolutely neccessary for flavor infusion on certain recipes, bananna waragi just ain't right without a nice ripe bananna cut up in the thumper for a unbelievable nose and flavor that absolutely cannot be replicated by any other means..
A lot of the videos have static in the background like its a bad microphone. It comes out at a frequency that makes it seem like its behind me while facing the TV. Kind of disconcerting since there should be no odd crackling sounds behind me.
I started of with a 100 gallon submarine still with a 15 gallon thumper and20 foot worm in a 50 gallon barrel with two keg stills for brandy's and a column still one without a thumper for stripping but the big still I'm shorting and dropping the doubler size to five gallon
I love your channel, and what you do. Please create an alternate channel on Rumble. UA-cam can no longer be trusted due to their biased censorship. Thank you
Hi George, happy distilling from Hungary! Is a sacrificial run necessary on a ss still (first use)? I have watched pretty much all your videos on cleaning, and you say it is enough to clean ss with dish soap. It is just not clear if that applies to first use as well. Thank you in advance for your kind response.
Came to watch your video, and the commercial has caught my attention. Little girl named ellee that has lukemia. So I'm gonna go Goole that to see if I can find out any info. Will be back shortly
Damn dude your saving me time a d money with every video. Except the part about 2 hydrometer. I did great with one until you jinxed me yesterday with get 2 of each. Well broke my proof trailer at the end of my run last night. I'm ok at bubble testing or shake test. Could you do a video on the shake proof test please
Yeah, hydrometers break when they are single. I dropped my hydrometer from about head height last night and it bounced across the floor (didn't break). I guess that was because I have a few extras in the drawer. Similar thing happened about a year ago but I dropped it only a few inches onto the bench ( it shattered). Of course, I only had one so everything came to a halt.
A question I have, would bubbler plates cause the same pressure build up, like a thumper? Would bubblers not be considered a different type of thumper?
Hello George......the price of D.A.D.,Y. yeast has rocketed over here in the uk.....and i hate getting screwed. Can i use ordinary bakers yeast. Its for a gin wash. Merry xmas and a happy lockdown.
This is the 3rd video I've watched related to thunders. My setup has a thumper. I started my travel based on tv shows and minimal research. At the end of the day, it works, just isn't great
I'd definitely want a thermometer on my still if I were running thumper (or even if I wasn't). Still temperature directly correlates to pressure in the still. If for any reason the pipe going to the thumper were to clog, you'd see the temperature start to rise and could shut down/open the release valve before it exploded. For anyone who wonders how an Instant Pot regulates it's pressure, it does it by monitoring the temperature of the pressure pot.
One small correction an azeotropic compound is when the molecules are the same size. That would be a near azeotropic compound. But nevertheless loving your teaching George.
Mark Hate to say it but that is not correct. I am talking about mixtures not compounds. An azeotrope is a mixture of two liquids which has a constant boiling point and composition throughout distillation
I do believe that Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton made the thump keg popular when he was making his last video, "This is the last damned run of likker I'll ever make!" I think the dancing that Popcorn did helped with the popularity of it.
George, apologies in advance if I just missed this in your video library. Do you have, or can you produce a video dealing with the legalities of spirits production for ordinary people and personal consumption?
We here in Missouri can have 100 gallons of homemade alcohol per 21 and up individual per household. State legal. Federally illegal. Usually not prosecuted unless you get caught trying to sell it, etc.
I bought one of the Chinese stills and was disappointed the thumper wasn't really a thumper, but all it took was a lead-free brass fitting and pipe to turn it into a functional thumper. About $10 to modify it.
Avid listener here,love your chanell, maybe you can give me an answer,I'm kind of a newbie, do you cut the distilled alcohol prior to aging it in oak barrel, or you cut it after it has been aged,,,thanks
I've done both. I recommend cutting to desired proof prior to aging. When I aged 139 proof in oak, I ended up with 139 proof whiskey. Too hot for me. I didn't want to dilute it with water at that point. Just my 2 cents.
George, I've fallen down the Home Distilling rabbit hole and you keep pulling me in. I appreciate deeply what you're doing here and love your approach to your teaching. I'm making my plan now to build my first still and I'm pretty sure we'll be spending time together as I jump in. Cheers from Canada!
Now after following your channel for 2 months I made my first run on a cheap Chinese still. Because of your instruction everything turn out good. Didn't collect enough on the first jar just 3 ounces for the shots, so the heads went into the second jar, so I wasted about 4 oz, however jars 3 &4 where 148 proof, jars 5-8 where 140 proof, & jars 9 &10 where 105 & 92 proof. I used 8 oz jars in case I was screwing up I didn't want to waste to much. It was your sour mash receipe I used, with some changes of my own.. Thanks.
I thank you once again George. No one could give me a straight answer regarding what a thumper does to product. So if I understand you correctly, it’s better to do a stripping run, then rerun with that with a 40% solution. I was not stripping but running really slow with a thumper WAS double distillation.
As we near Christmas, I want to thank you for the free advice you've have been posting since I joined the subscription to barley and hops earlier this year. I was looking for a new interest since the turbulent time that Covid brought us. Staying at home and watching your videos has been a godsend. I enjoy your posts, your openness on an exciting and interesting craft. I have learnt so much from you. Thank you! Shout out too to Jesse and Bearded and bored. This year for me, you 3 have been like a trinity of advice, knowledge and guidance for a newcomer to this craft.
Lucky number 7 (likes) here, George. HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and all of the viewers!
George hit it right when he said thumpers were a simple way to control temperature on old time wood fired stills, but today we have electricity and temperature controllers like PIDs. We can control temperature very well and the thumper is really obsolete.
@max gamble I haven't been distilling very long but I assumed the only reason anyone would use a thumper these days is to infuse flavor. I have an alembic still without a thumper because I'm not infusing any flavor and I feel safer with an open system.
Couldn't an herb infusion basket essentially replace the thumper in regards to infusing flavor? Or is there a big difference between the two methods of infusing flavor? Noob here so I apologize for stupid questions.
@@BaltimoresBerzerker It is difficult to transfer flavors into the distillate no matter the method, especially any mild flavors. A mash made from mild flavored fruits like grapes, peaches, pears, strawberries, etc., will not pass its flavor to the spirit collected enough to hardly be tasted. Only grains and fruits with strong flavors work. Corn moonshine is an example. Its distinctive flavor is due to the corn which has a strong flavor, but make a mash from peaches, and the peach flavor will barely be detectable. This is why commercial distillers don't distill these things, instead, they add the desired flavor post-distillation. Grains like corn, barley, and rye impart their flavors because they have strong flavors, so they work, but make a mash with wheat and the result will be more like a neutral spirit like vodka.
The real craft in making any spirit is not the distillation phase, but rather the flavoring process. This is where the true "art" comes.
@@skyhookspirits thank you! Very interesting! Do you have any sources (reading or video) regarding how to properly flavor your spirits? Either way, thanks for the kind informative reply my dude! Have a great one man!
@@BaltimoresBerzerker If you watch Moonshiners, they are always making some exotic spirit which according to them tastes fantastic. Don't believe it! Many things they do are correct, but many are just BS. The program is interesting and has caused many to take up the hobby. That is great. If you are a newbie, just don't take everything they do as gospel. Things like running multiple thumper jars, fermenting unheated grains, drinking spirits straight from the condenser, and getting sensational flavors from various mashes is pure BS.
I use a basic pot still and have had 165-175 proof without a thumper. Recently I added a thumper and I get 185 proof and a much better tasting product. My thumper inlet is about an 1/8" from the bottom and have holes drilled to about 1/2" from the bottom of the pipe. I fill my thumper with 80-100 proof tails to just covering the drilled holes. I use light duty clamps and surgical tubing to seal the main pot. At the worst of times, a little flour paste will stop a leak. There is barely any pressure in the pot or it will easily leak. When I'm done the whole run, there is exactly the same amount of liquid in the thumper as I started with. Science doesn't mean better. The thumper was the best addition to the still I've ever had and I have never used a thermometer anywhere.
You are one of those I spoke about. You've mastered the process and your set up. Good job and keep it up.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing I do enjoy so many of your videos and wasn't meaning to be brash. I got lucky with my setup I guess. Thanks for the rewarding reply!
"There is no right way to do something wrong." Thanks again, my friend. Happy Thanksgiving and keep on giving to us.
Happy holidays!
It may have already been mentioned, but a vacuum safety valve would be perfect. They are small npt valves that act like (but opposite of) a psv. It has a spring and decent that opens up when there is a vacuum to allow air in. I could probably get a part number if needed
Thank you George for a great video!
I just wanted to add my 2 cents:
You mentioned the rise in the boiling point of the liquid in the boiler as a result of the pressure increase because of the liquid level in the thumper. The thing is, for a pressure increase of 3 psi for example (about 0.2 atm), the liquid level in the thumper would have to be about 2 meters (about 6.5 feet)! Perhaps a bit less because of some flow resistance in the system, but it probably would not be relevant for a home distiller.
Maybe there is another factor in play here?
I haven't really done much distilling in these areas (outside of lab - I'm a chemist), so maybe there are some additional technical factors here that I don't know about
it would be like blowing air into a glass of coke V low pressure
Ok George you got me at 31:43 I yelled out VACUUM and I didn’t put my hand up lol
I love your educational programming
Happy Distilling
Thank you George. It's so impressive how much you know about so many different things from electrical engineering to chemistry. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I’ve used a cast iron hot plate for my heat source, and it worked very well.
Love you more and more every day. Begin trying for over a year to understand and I understand so much in 2weeks from you. Keep up the good works.now if you can make me run a still as good as you explained.learning alot from you.
George, just purchased a Thumper to use as a quasi gin basket. Watching your vids you said not to place a valve on the top of the thumper. Well the one I purchased for Mile High Stills has a valve on the thumper top that I have to pull out to open. I believe this allows air to be sucked in to equalize the pressure once you turn the heat off but it didnt come with any directions so just want to see if that is the purpose of that valve since it is not located in one of the 3 places you suggested a valve be placed.
I use thumpers sometimes on my baby 2.5 gallon pot still. That's my experiment still. I do use them to infuse flavors I normally use double thumpers and I put the fruit spices burtanicals in the second thumper. I normally put a higher proof whiskey or vodka in my thumpers since I'm usesing such a small still. Also i feel like it kinda gives me an idea of how a new recipe will turn out on my bigger reflux column by bumping the proof up with a couple thumpers . If you can look into your thumper/s when they start to cloud up thats a good indicator the run is finished.
That was a awesome vid thanks George its nice to know the science behind the stough im doing i had a pretty good grasp but as always you taught me some more. To me thumpers are just another tool I can use depending on what I'm going for in the final product. I generally get high 170ds even 182 sometimes with 2 thumpers.
Does the thumper help raise your proof??
@@jimfryar1 yes they do you can put shine in your thumpers instead of wash at it will really get up there
When I run my pot still I get around 120 proof, when I add the thumper it jumps to 154 proof. I know it’s a second distillation but the fact is the thumper makes a huge improvement for anyone using a basic pot without a column
Consider that regardless of the proof level, you'll get the same volume of alcohol from an equal volume of mash. The thumper increases the proof a bit, but if you removed it, you'd get same amount of alcohol when both are proofed down to desired level, like 40 % or 80 proof. No matter what type of still setup if the mash is say 10% ABV, the maximum amount of alcohol that any system can produce is one half gallon.
Some time ago, I did some messing about with thumpers, mostly to see if they could add flavors. My conclusion is they aren't worth their trouble and aggravation. Today we can control temperature very closely and a thumper is an obsolete device.
Nobody mentioned abv, I understand abv, us guys that don’t have columns on are pots a thumper makes a big difference. Please don’t try to read more into than what there is. Thumper do make a difference in PROOF for your “basic pot without a column “ you know, a poor mans steel.
Appreciate your knowledge thank you so much.
Excellent information. Thanks
George, Have you any information on double thumpers/retorts like a traditional Caribbean rum setup?
Great video George always learn something new
As always George thanks for video and happy Thanksgiving Cheers my Friend
Im getting ready to build my first still, good information thx!. I ordered an adjustable pressure relief valve to put on top of my still just in case I ever use a Thumper , so I can relieve the pressure when shutting still off! Seen the picture of that crushed still Yikes!
You are like a family member :) We love you, watch every video of yours as soon as you published. Thank you :)
Hey Buddy, bought time you had a drink with us. When running my open system, the proof drops 10 proof per quart at 200 feet above sea level in Southeastern Louisiana. When I double distilled that, the higher proof stayed with in 3 proof for the first 20 quarter's. Just for knowledge, if someone were to add a thumper, would the proof stay tight, as dose double distilling ?
I have recently purchased a Chinese 5 gallon still with the thumper . It now has a line going to the bottom. I built a copper reflux Still 25 years ago and the design was then called a Cactus . As it resembled a Mexican Cactus. Very efficient producing 94% ABV . .
I purchased the present Chinese Pot Still as I wanted to make a whiskey.
The system came with a thermometer in the lid of the boiler. Having a bit of experience I drilled a hole in the top of the Thumper and inserted a mercury glass thermometer.
Outcome. The boiler steam temperature was constant at 88c. The Thumper with only 2 inches of wash in it was constant at 78c whilst producing Ethanol.
As an old person who was used to taking off the Ethanol according to the temperature, I now feel I have better control on the end product.
My first run after a clean and sacrificial sugar wash, was using 2 kilos of Malt Extract and a 1.75 kilo of Pilsner Beer extract ( which was half price at local brew shop as near use by date.)
21 litres of water and a Turbo Yeast.
Ended up with 400 mil of Heads at 80% ABV . 1.2 mil of hearts at 85% . 400 mil of tails at 75% ABV. Ran it all through again with 2 litres of water added. Ended up with 1.8 litres at 80% of hearts with a 200 mil tails at 70% .
It already tastes smooth with no off aromas. Have now put it in oak chips and see what eventuates .
I am quite pleased with the Chinese Still using canaster propane gas as a source which is great for controlling heat. Flat out until first foreshots then reduced approx half way for remainder of run.
22:55 I disagree with your premise that there is 16 pounds of water back pressure created in the thumper. In reality the still will see the height of water that is measured between the bottom line and the top surface of the level inside the thumper. 1 psi = 27.7 inches of water. so that being said the still will see about 1/3 psi or 9 to 10 inches of water column.
His physics is really lacking :-)
Thanks for the knowledge you share with us. Any chance we can get you to share your Saddleman's Cut recipe in a future video ? - I know you don't normally share them, but many of us would be very grateful!! #HappyDistilling
Happy Thanksgiving, Big man, thank you so much for this video, I get the Thumper question alot and the big one that gets me is the mason jar infusion "thumper". It scares the crap out of me...
Me too. The ones that really scare me are the multiple mason jars I've seen inline as thumpers.
@@BarleyandHopsBrewing jip, that is a proper bom, the pressure involved in that is bonkers. I have seen them fill up, explode and drop out spilling hot high proof spirit everywhere.
And I blame the show on Discovery for this, in the one episode they have like 20 jars inline and the had to way the boiler cap down with sand bags and tie it down with rope.
ua-cam.com/video/7ZOCEYGz8tc/v-deo.html if you haven't seen it scary 😳
Hi George, how about a talk on vacuum distilling, I have had fun with it. My still system is lab glassware,so the risk of implosion is small but not zero. Cheers
Hi George. Loving your videos. Learning so much from you. I have a Chinese still and the thumper that came with it had two pipes in the thumper of equal length. I am guessing you would just remove one of these for where the vapour leaves the thumper to go to the condensor and leave the other. I have attached some copper pipe to the one pipe so that it does reach the bottom of the thumper.
George, can the fore shots and heads (methanol) get trapped in the thumper at the start and come through to the hearts later in the process, or is it a once and done thing? Thanks
Don't use a defragmater and a thumper at the same time your results will not be good. Nice to see you still going George Happy holidays and have a great New year
Thanks George. Great review. I'm fairly sure the energy is not kinetic energy, but is known as enthalpy. Anyhow this doesn't change the theory but is a lot more accurate if you're going to do the energy Ballance.
hi george you are one thee most informative person i have ever met, one question for you, i have a chinese still with a thumper, but the output from the still into the thumper does not have a pipe going down inside the thumper does not go all the way down, should i extended. your advise on thins thanks
Can someone tell me why it is when i dont use my thumper i get 130 at max proof and with my thumper its 165?? Same temp same mash same everything only with or without my thumper? Happy distilling and HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Good info! Happy Thanksgiving George!
Hey George, great content. Thanks. Could you answer a noob question for me? Why don't distillers (or do distillers) ever use a boiler to heat the distillate by simply boiling water over a primary heat source and piping the water vapor into the distillate via a heating coil? Wouldn't that keep the temperature consistent? 212? Seems like that would be hot enough to cause the distillate to start to come over. No?
Does a shorter collum allow more flavor to transfer over?
Let's go with a 2"collum at 8"or less in height.
Vs a 2" collum at 18"
Not directly. The challenge in column length is when it is too long for the system. Most are between 32-48 inches.
The challenge with it being too long is temperature management and not flavor. The vapor in a column is the same constituency in 8 inches as it is in 48 inches so flavor is not affected.
What if I was to use 3 in line 1Qt. Jars as a thumper replacement as infusion stage? Can you do a video explaining that please and thank you
I just started watching and learning (Subscribed) and was just about to jump in to try it out thanks to you and Bearded and Bored and I just learned that you are both gone? What's up with that?
thumpers are a great way to infuse flavor. yes it must be a substance that is strong in flavor to start or alot of one flavor. Are they necessary? No do they serve a purpose? Absolutely! More than one in my exp
Damn right they do..
Without a nice ripe bananna sliced up in the thumper, the waragi just wouldn't taste the same...
Nothing beats a thumper for the direct real time infusion of flavor and nose right off the end of the worm ready to go.
Are you still in central texas bc I would like to visit next time I'm back home
I did add a piece of copper inside the little pot of my Amazon one. Used a pipe thread to flare fitting to attach it.
Hi george love youre videos i have a question i have the mighty mini have you ever ran it without any packing in the column? Would you gain anyflavor without packing or with packing
Hey there, new and I love your vids, very informative. I've read that some ppl after the fore shots and heads put fruit, or something in the thumper to help flavor the end result. Will it work like that? I know thats what they do for gin but the champers are designed different so I just wanted to know if it would work. Thanks.
Another great video, happy distilling
The weight of the water has no influence on the pressure in the thumper. The height of the water column is the real factor involved. If the height of rise from the bottom of the pipe in the thumper to the top of the thumper liquid is 1 foot then the pressure needed to overcome is 0.433 psi per ft. of column.
Hi George, I'm a little confused about the pressure in a thumper. A vertical column of water is only .43 lbs. Per foot. So if you had 12" of liquid in your thumper why would you need 4 or 5 lbs.of pressure to push the vapor out of the thumper?
You would need the pressure to push vapors down to the bottom of the thumper liquid
George makes a great video and I have learned much from them but occasionally he lets his bias take over. His hatred of thumpers and disdain for the science of copper has him a little confused at times. Everything else is pretty much bang on except his lack of concern for PH during mash fermentation.
I have a question on your PID controllers is there a way to set the controller so it doesn't kick on and off so often when trying to hold the temp I set it to and can I set a soak timer that will turn the PID off after a set time
George I`m not sure what you have against thumpers ,but I have had excellent luck with thumper. I get 170 proof . It aids in the separation of the tails. I don`t put anything in my thumper I dont have a tube to the bottom. I get very little ethanol in the thumper. It doesn`t help with the heads, I do the math 5% of the expected alcohol production is assumed to be methanol, I do hold well below 170 once i get the 5 % it slows back down to let me know it needs more heat to bring over the ethanol. do the math once i have to add more heat to keep the flow up I catch the rest as tails retain it for next batch so Its not lost. Open the thumper it stinks i proof the residual left in the thumper no ethanol i do throw it away. the tails i catch is a little smelly usually 20 proof .There is no pressure in a slobber box the thumper is kept very warm so the ethanol passes right through will the nasty stays in thumper.
Well done every time, and time again!! Will you be running a thumper for demonstration any time?
George, many thanks for these videos. One question, the old worry about methanol, how does it get eliminated with this method? Sorry I am a newbie forgive my ignorance.
Hii ..thanks for all the information you are the best ..I’ve question about how to remove bad smells our to make alcohol taste good I’ve problem in that ..
Great video
Nice video george,almost bout a thumper system myself until I saw some of your videos.....no reason for the thumper if we can control the temp,and also no reason for a closed and now dangerous system....we do the same thing if not better without it...thumpers are used because they were needed years ago......that simple....
Thumpers are obsolete in the process but I however have one on standby because it is absolutely neccessary for flavor infusion on certain recipes, bananna waragi just ain't right without a nice ripe bananna cut up in the thumper for a unbelievable nose and flavor that absolutely cannot be replicated by any other means..
Great info. Thanks
George I've got a question can I use cane sugar the same way as ragular
A lot of the videos have static in the background like its a bad microphone. It comes out at a frequency that makes it seem like its behind me while facing the TV. Kind of disconcerting since there should be no odd crackling sounds behind me.
Is your store still open? I can’t find the webpage.
Happy distilling & Thanks giving mate.
Any time!
Good information Sir!
George have you ever expireamented with corn starch powered corn starch and if so what video
Interesting topic!
Good job George as always!
Happy Thanksgiving
HAPPY DISTILLING!
George please make a website so people can buy tried and tested stills thumpers fermenters from you
Isn’t the thrumper a kind of bubbleplate? Hot alcohol stem that passes through a liquid phase of alcohol?
On my 8gal still, my thumper does not have the long tube in it like the one you show , will it work ok like that
Bill
Thank you for the great video. Happy Thanksgiving!
I started of with a 100 gallon submarine still with a 15 gallon thumper and20 foot worm in a 50 gallon barrel with two keg stills for brandy's and a column still one without a thumper for stripping but the big still I'm shorting and dropping the doubler size to five gallon
Hello Happy Thanksgiving I need a Heater Submersible Auto Thermostat for my mash it's getting cold in the Midwest i need a little help Thank you
Buy an adjustable aquarium heater. It's waterproof, it's a heater and it's relatively cheap
I love your channel, and what you do. Please create an alternate channel
on Rumble. UA-cam can no longer be trusted due to their biased
censorship. Thank you
Hi George, happy distilling from Hungary! Is a sacrificial run necessary on a ss still (first use)? I have watched pretty much all your videos on cleaning, and you say it is enough to clean ss with dish soap. It is just not clear if that applies to first use as well. Thank you in advance for your kind response.
Sacrificial runs are not necessary in your case.
Came to watch your video, and the commercial has caught my attention. Little girl named ellee that has lukemia. So I'm gonna go Goole that to see if I can find out any info. Will be back shortly
Damn dude your saving me time a d money with every video. Except the part about 2 hydrometer. I did great with one until you jinxed me yesterday with get 2 of each. Well broke my proof trailer at the end of my run last night. I'm ok at bubble testing or shake test. Could you do a video on the shake proof test please
Yeah, hydrometers break when they are single. I dropped my hydrometer from about head height last night and it bounced across the floor (didn't break). I guess that was because I have a few extras in the drawer. Similar thing happened about a year ago but I dropped it only a few inches onto the bench ( it shattered). Of course, I only had one so everything came to a halt.
A question I have, would bubbler plates cause the same pressure build up, like a thumper? Would bubblers not be considered a different type of thumper?
Not at all. They allow multiple distillation to happen successively.
What about the heads? Will the heads collect in the thumper?
The heads (methanol) will boil out first just as they normally would I believe.
What about the 8 Gallon with 2 Inch Traditional Pot Still Head and 3 Gallon Thumper
Can I put 2 thumpers in one run so say it goes in to 1st thumper then out 1st thumper and in to the 2nd thumper then out in to the worm
Hello George......the price of D.A.D.,Y. yeast has rocketed over here in the uk.....and i hate getting screwed. Can i use ordinary bakers yeast. Its for a gin wash. Merry xmas and a happy lockdown.
This is the 3rd video I've watched related to thunders. My setup has a thumper. I started my travel based on tv shows and minimal research. At the end of the day, it works, just isn't great
@george,1:44,lets be honnest,have you ever made a video that was not educational?? I will answer that for you: NO!!. Keep up the good work.
What is the song playing at the beginning of your videos?
I have a thumper that
The in port is on the bottom how dose this work
I'd definitely want a thermometer on my still if I were running thumper (or even if I wasn't). Still temperature directly correlates to pressure in the still. If for any reason the pipe going to the thumper were to clog, you'd see the temperature start to rise and could shut down/open the release valve before it exploded. For anyone who wonders how an Instant Pot regulates it's pressure, it does it by monitoring the temperature of the pressure pot.
One small correction an azeotropic compound is when the molecules are the same size. That would be a near azeotropic compound. But nevertheless loving your teaching George.
Mark
Hate to say it but that is not correct. I am talking about mixtures not compounds.
An azeotrope is a mixture of two liquids which has a constant boiling point and composition throughout distillation
Can you distill from malt extract / DME to make whisky
My thumper doesn't have a pipe going down into the liquid i put in is that ok or it just has a hole in lid going in a one going out
HAPPY THANKSGIVING ,having some Turkey infused shine.
Happy holidays!
Does pressure effect (increase) the boiling point of ethanol?
I do believe that Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton made the thump keg popular when he was making his last video, "This is the last damned run of likker I'll ever make!" I think the dancing that Popcorn did
helped with the popularity of it.
Man did he bust a sweet groove to it haha . Great old timer that I could listen to for hours.
George, apologies in advance if I just missed this in your video library. Do you have, or can you produce a video dealing with the legalities of spirits production for ordinary people and personal consumption?
Illegal..
Illegal in all 50 states
That is by federal statutes. There are a few states that permit some level of home distilling. Missouri is one that comes to mind.
We here in Missouri can have 100 gallons of homemade alcohol per 21 and up individual per household.
State legal. Federally illegal. Usually not prosecuted unless you get caught trying to sell it, etc.
Wouldn't a thumper increase your proof of alcohol in the finished product? Besides a cleaner finished product? Thumper filled 1/3 rd
I bought one of the Chinese stills and was disappointed the thumper wasn't really a thumper, but all it took was a lead-free brass fitting and pipe to turn it into a functional thumper. About $10 to modify it.
Is the methanol & acetone extraction temp 140 - 173 the same at sea level as it would be at 1000 ft or 7000 ft ?
No. All boiling points change as air density drops. Which is why water boils in a vacuum.
Very helpful thank you
Glad it was helpful!
What if,,,,,,,, your coil has 3 or 4 coils running sideways ( horizontal ), ,,then downward through a cooling apparatus , double distilled ???
Happy Thanksgiving to ya all :-) and happy distilling with or without thumper.
Happy holidays!
Avid listener here,love your chanell, maybe you can give me an answer,I'm kind of a newbie, do you cut the distilled alcohol prior to aging it in oak barrel, or you cut it after it has been aged,,,thanks
I've done both. I recommend cutting to desired proof prior to aging. When I aged 139 proof in oak, I ended up with 139 proof whiskey. Too hot for me. I didn't want to dilute it with water at that point. Just my 2 cents.
I agree
George
@@mcg144 ,,,thanks
George, don't plates in the column cause a closed system also ? To me it would make sense
every plate has one down comer that equalize pressure.