Home Made Hooch- Is It Worth It?

joshykins on 14/11/2017 - 13:50
Last edited 14/11/2017 - 14:14 by 1 other user

Like any good ozbargainer I've done my fair share of homebrew beer. Living is Australia has granted us cheap, wonderful wine, too. We are truly B~l~e~s~s~e~d.

BUT hard liquor is a killer. I wanna make fancy cocktails in my inherited crappy mini-bar and watch free-to-air sport all summer. How can i do this on a tight budget?

Has anyone got experience in homebrew spirits? I know there's lots of info on whirlpool and youtube about it but i wanna know how ozbargainers do it RIGHT.
Is the investment of gear worth it? Is the labour rewarding? Is the chance of being locked up for life by the nanny state a fair trade?

Also I'd love everyone's opinions on the whole situation even if you're not into hooch!

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 14/11/2017 - 14:03
    +2

    /r/homebrewing

  • EightImmortals on 14/11/2017 - 14:09
    +2

    'Worth it' is fairly subjective. If it is a passion for you then the money doesn't come into it. If you're just trying to save a few bux and you're not wiling to put the time and effort into making a good end product then maybe not? You decide. :)

  • dazweeja on 14/11/2017 - 14:19
    +5

    It's not like making beer or wine - a bit of methanol in there and you could be looking at kidney
    failure, blindness, brain damage or death… so it's probably not a good idea to stuff it up ;)

    • joshykins on 14/11/2017 - 14:36

      I've read modern distill machines effectively remove any chance of that. but of course still no guarantee..

    • HighAndDry on 14/11/2017 - 15:09

      Yeah, that's the one reason (other than laziness) I'd never homebrew spirits. Beer would be as much as I'd dare to try myself.

  • [Deactivated] on 14/11/2017 - 14:25
    +1

    Did a lot of home distilling in NZ, where it's legal. It can be worth it. Some of the flavouring essences are actually pretty good. You're not going to get top-shelf quality single malt, but if you're just mixing drinks and want cheaper grog, it's a lot cheaper and a lot of fun.

    As for here, I've been told that as long as you're not making massive amounts, selling it on the side or supplying people who shouldn't have it, cops aren't all that bothered and home brew shops sell you all the kit you need. Or if you're handy, you can DIY it for a lot less.

  • krunchymoses on 14/11/2017 - 14:26
    +1

    If you don't have anyone to help you get started and tell you some tips before you learn them the hard way the learning curve can be pretty harsh.

    If you are highly methodical and are good at this kind of thing then give it a go. If you are (like me) the type that just throws a coopers can and a bunch of hop pellets in a tub and hope for the best - sticking to beer might be better. Bad hooch is really quite awful.

    • joshykins on 14/11/2017 - 14:34

      lol that is me also. oh dear.

      • krunchymoses on 14/11/2017 - 14:50
        +1

        The guys that make decent hooch are methodical. The guy that makes amazing hooch is rain man clever.

        I am keeping way out of it ;-)

  • Baysew on 14/11/2017 - 14:30

    Is the chance of being locked up for life by the nanny state a fair trade?

    It won't be the nanny state coming after you. It will be the jack booted ATO.

    It's illegal. Mostly to stop idiots killing themselves and their mates.

    • joshykins on 14/11/2017 - 14:35

      my own little tax haven <3

  • freemoneyhunter on 14/11/2017 - 15:19
    +1

    You can make good quality Vodka and then add in extra flavours for various spirits. You would want to use a reflux still, you can get 96% pure alcohol from the first pass. Distilling is easier than beer brewing because you do not need to mess around and clean bottle. You could use some of your beer brewing equipment as well. It is legal to have a still under 5L for the purpose of extracting botanicals.

  • Gronk on 14/11/2017 - 15:22
    +1

    It depends on whether you're willing to sacrifice flavour in the name of cheap booze.

    If you don't see the point in paying $100+ for a bottle of spirits then it's probably the way to go, but if you're more focused on flavour then you probably won't like what you get.

    All the home made stuff I've ever tried had a distinctly 'home made' flavour about it and wasn't overly enjoyable, I enjoy it even less when they go adding flavourings to make it taste like Bourbon, Scotch, etc…

    • freemoneyhunter on 14/11/2017 - 15:29

      Yes I will never drink homemade beer, I used to get diarrhoea whenever I drank it.

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