Still Spirits T500 Reflux Still Review With Bearded & George: A Good Beginner Still?

People are always asking me about the Still Spirits T500 still. Is it worth buying? Can the T500 be used to make good spirits? Is the still spirits still a good beginner still?
Today I want to make my thoughts on this still known and give a honest review on what has to be one of the most popular home distilling models out there.
You can find links to pretty much every thing we talked about today on the Still It Amazon list:
www.amazon.com/shop/influence...
What an absolute pleasure to be able to hang out with these two humans! I would never have started Still It or made it through the first month without these two! So if somehow you have not found their channels already, check them out now!
Bearded & Board:
/ @beardedbored
George at Barley & Hops:
/ @barleyandhopsbrewing

[@brandondunn7981]

They holy trinity of KZbin distilling channels 😎

[@CaliforniaCarpenter7]

Amen.

[@deathmetalchili6902]

ABSOLUTELY!

[@okay2436]

Yep

[@upstating]

I remember when the notification came up for this one, I was so excited. It was a different time and I envy the life we all had then.

[@philsmith3842]

Three of the best educators of this craft on earth. This is history to see these three together!

[@chuckdontknowdoya6100]

One hundred percent agree

[@111076tom]

Felt kinda creepy. Is the world really this small? :)

[@chuckdontknowdoya6100]

Just a 16 hour plane ride away

[@111076tom]

@@chuckdontknowdoya6100 :D

[@danielcooper175]

George is a legend

[@rocketsroc]

I've used a T-500 Reflux for over a year and made several improvements to it. First, the water control system that comes with the T-500 is terribly sensitive and takes almost constant fiddling to maintain proper output flow. Water flow control is too difficult to do accurately. If you want to make the T-500 into a super still, change from water control to temperature control. Yes, it can be done. Here is how to do it: First, you will need a PID controller. Then you must separate the internal condenser from the outer condenser by removing the upside down "U" tube at the top of the column. Then, set up each of the condensers so they run on separate water flows. The outer condenser can have unregulated water flow, but the inner condenser's water flow must be metered using a needle valve for precise flow control. Finally, you must have a thermal probe in the top of the column head so you can determine the vapor head temperature which is the key to operating any good still. Get it from Amazon: BokWin K Type Thermocouple 5x30mm Temperature Sensor Probe with 2M Cable Length (for $8.68). This will connect to your PID. The temp probe needs to be inserted into the top of the reflux column. I drilled and tapped an 8mm threaded hole into the center of the round section of the black plastic top. With this setup, you can achieve extremely accurate temperature control. Using the needle valve the outflow is easy to adjust so you get the desired "drip, drip, drip, spurt". Once you convert the T-500 reflux to temp control, you'll be delightfully surprised at how well this reflux will work and how easy it is to operate. Try it you will love it!

[@XavierTerrellOnline]

SkyHook . Drones How do I PM you for more details please ?

[@rocketsroc]

@@XavierTerrellOnline email me at [e-mail]

[@JoaoPedroSobral]

Please post some pictures in the homedistill forum would be great to see that mod!

[@alianchild]

I have learned so much from you three, loved seeing you together, thank you for all you have contributed to this craft.

[@kyleatudub]

Everyone mentioned that this was great for a neutral spirit, but not for whisky. For that, you can get two accessories: Alembic Copper Dome and Alembic Copper Condensor. I bought both in a brew shop that were display models for around $200. Compact, lightweight and easy to clean.

[@StillIt]

Yeah we really should have mentioned the done cheers

[@brendanquinn6894]

The T500 got me started in distilling. For ever grateful.

[@reshairo]

Wow nice to see you george with these guys 🥂

[@kennyolnhausen6626]

My favorite KZbin channels all in one ☝️🔥💧🥃 I just want to Thank you guys . I really appreciate you guy’s putting your self’s out there For us to learn

[@jackelboo5413]

Great video! I own one, perfect starting point and they resell quite well where I am!

[@TransBillie]

Another awesome video from my three favorite distiller/ Brewers

[@janhoengelbrecht1192]

Oh the 3 of you on one video was awesome!

[@Syko_Gaming5150]

My 3 fave you tubers!!! Learned so much from u 3 and just got my first still. Just a cheap little Chinese 5 gallon pot still, but it’s what I can afford to start with

[@chris-ui2nt]

WOW! Two of my absolute favorite youtubers in one video. And I will have to check out bearded and bored now too.

[@gregoryhurlbut6562]

Gosh it is so cool to see you three together. I live in Los Angeles and enjoy each of your tutorials and pods

[@LP23D6]

Well done guys! Good to see you three together and having fun!

[@StillIt]

So much fun to hang out with these two

[@matt79hz]

I'd say it was bloody brilliant. A beer maker for years, with a week of research - easy as, just had to watch the water control with wife upstairs doing whatever the hell she was doing. Yes, minute adjustments. I'll get the flow regulator. Happy with 3.5L at 92% cut across 9 diff flavours. All pretty decent.

[@colinrout4139]

Jesse, George and Beard, thank you folks for combining a vid with this unit. As new to the craft, I agree, I have found my T500 to be simple and a perfect Segway into the craft at a low entry price. I have found the Pure Distilling version to have a far better condenser unit and tap and would love to see a review of this unit. P.S, I love all three channels! Keep up the great work lads, you are doing the home distilling community a great service!

[@jpkruger6333]

Man, epic get together. Would love to meet you and George. Cheers from South Africa

[@emoneyblue]

Great to see all of you working together

[@StillIt]

It was great to be togeather

[@Talbonator2000]

Hey! It's George! Love your work!

[@shanport2004]

Love the collaboration video! Great info. Thanks.

[@StillIt]

Cheers mate

[@drastixhound9524]

Definitely need more colabs from this trio

[@cozzy206]

Great review guys

[@agusdarmawan2980]

I love to see the 3 of you works together 😍😍😍

[@trevtreloar1449]

I enjoy all 3 channels, The silicon tube is only for the cooling water .

[@Max_Flashheart]

Good video especially as the T500 looks like my next still.

[@iandawkins2182]

Thanks' Gents I needed this. Been using a Airstill for over a year (and it's great, I love it) and wanted to move on and this has inspired me to go do it. Awesome thank you so much :-))

[@MrSwanley]

I control mine using a peristaltic pump (stepper motor driven), PID controlled by the temperature. Control is absolutely perfect, no need to worry about flushing the toilet. A peristaltic pump is not the cheapest thing you can buy, but it's perfect for precision control of water flow rate. I added a bluetooth serial module so I can log the run on my PC. All I need to do now is switch on the boiler and my controller and go do something else for 5 hours! I've never seen the point of doing stripping runs, AFAICS it just wastes electricity, which is not cheap where I live. I prefer to go directly to the reflux run, set aside the smelly heads (about 0.5L I find), then optionally carbon filter the remainder. It has no detectable smell after that.

[@folkmarcmetal]

Question about the T500. I think you can run it like a pot still without spending a lot of money. Just remove the saddles and the tube up top, run a hose to the drain from the top of the condenser and connect the cold water to the bottom of the condenser. Now it's just a pot still. Sorry for the bad explanation, English is not my native language. Do you think this would work?

[@bubba3529]

Hey guys, I actually bought that still. I did watch Georgie show a lot, and show me how to remove the column packing and it works good now. I am trying to build my next still and it will be a pot still kind of like the one you built out of a keg. Thank you guys for all the tips.

[@kennethmay5624]

I bought this unit a few months ago...need to fire it up. Want to purchase the pot still attachment though to make whisky...nice video guys!

[@davesmith3562]

Nice vid Jesse. Nice so see so. E different ideas makes me want to get my still out now

[@davesmith3562]

Maybe a Christmas brew/ fermentation video would be nice. I love all your video and accent lol keep up the good work

[@davidallen4174]

Great idea, three of the best, most knowledgeable, people talking about what they know best. This particular model is not necessarily my cup of tea. I prefer my homemade designs just for the ego boost. I've always wondered: What makes a reflux still, is it the stack filled with copper bung or the actual pre-distillation chamber?

[@Winteryears]

Great post. I use a very old Corny keg that fell off the back of a truck in the early 80s, and my own column. It's reflux but I hardly use the reflux any more. I find that tilting the unit a little bit makes it run faster or slower. And I'm lazy.

[@BarleyandHopsBrewing]

Awesome video Jesse. Greta memories and good times George

[@MrRasZee]

george is the tech guy . jesse is all about flavours . am still learning about bearded and bored

[@dan8402]

Sweet the three of you together! That being said, the price isn't that bad overall. I have seen the boiler half for between 200 and 250 USD. You can build the top end if you choose, or buy the whole thing for $500 unless you want the copper version.

[@morpheq]

I have this and LOVE IT!!

[@1FrenchConnection1]

OMG boy’s! Don’t flush the toilet! 😂 love this hobby we all learn from each other. I wish you guys talk more about the PID. I’m still not on-board with PID that brings a lot of controversy in my mind and social media.

[@SirGolfalot-]

Good points made for the hobbyist

[@davemune7505]

great to see you guys standing together, NZ is on the far side of the world .

[@hbh2470]

I've had the t500 for a few years. I do like it alot. I also have the water regulater. I just wish that it was digital so that I could fine tune it better than have to turn the dial ..

[@dfriendly1966]

I love this team!!!

[@greyarea3804]

Thank you I have one on order. I have the smaller air Stills, a pair of them and have been quite happy with them. I've been operating them for many many hours a day for 4 years and they have never let me down they're like Bulletproof. I'm hoping that the t500 is similar. I don't always use these for distilling. I more used them for removing the alcohol when doing marijuana extracts. They give me the alcohol back to reuse making things more efficient. I'm going to be doing larger runs of cannabis oil and the t500 would be beneficial. The air stills quite good but limiting at 4 liters. I only recently, because of covid have started using them to make alcohol. LOL it has been a fun process though. Cheers from Jamaica Jesse.

[@toddellner5283]

The (copper) alembic head works very nicely for pot still distillation

[@ronhallard3228]

Great little still especially if you don't have much space. Good for me living in a one room apartment. Easy and pretty cheep way to begin one's journey to chasing the craft.

[@michaelnichols1977]

Can we just keep Jesse and the boys together. Love all these videos. These videos aren't long enough.

[@JesterThinking]

Good review, and great choice in beer!

[@StillIt]

I think its the first time I have had it. Was pretty good.

[@JesterThinking]

@@StillIt I'm generally a fan of St. Arnold's, but it helps that I was drinking that can while watching the video.

[@madfinaplix]

Awesome my 3 favorite channels on one video

[@jamalking6738]

I'd love to see you guys do a rum run using this as I've just purchased this model and really want to make a high % rum with it

[@jasongrezek3944]

Great video Gentleman! I take it you made it home safely Jesse? Great chatting with you at the BB.

[@StillIt]

Indeed, Im back at home now. Dude, how cool was it to get all those people togeather?!

[@jasongrezek3944]

@@StillIt Yeah. It was awesome! Looks like it would have been just as good of a time hanging out with you three the days following!

[@chuckdontknowdoya6100]

Can't tell you how much I have enjoyed watching the three of you come together to help us all chase the craft. After learning on a traditional Italian pot still this was quite easy to run and gives you 186 proof every time and depending on your starting abv it will give you about a gallon of neutral to play with. Great video guys keep them coming be safe and don't forget to chase your wife once in awhile to keep her happy too.

[@StillIt]

Thanks man I apreciate it. It was a honour to be able to hang out with them thats for sure.

[@thryce82]

I searched youtube for enzymology and somehow can across this. far more interesting tbh. keep it up enjoying the content

[@carlpye7228]

i love mine,im off into experiment mode with grain's and LME this weekend happy day's and i run whiskey in pot mode

[@matthewwehttam8534]

Hey man I'm interested in turning my green fingers into distilling. What would you say the best forum to head to for some good info?

[@ohravenous1]

Your AWESOMENESS quotient went up 100% with George standing next to you HIYAS GEORGE HAHAHAHA

[@KB-uv7xo]

I have that unit with the alembic dome. I control voltage with an adjustable transformer. It’s a must or will run to hot and too fast.

[@merlingeikie]

Thanks and enjoy.

[@Flatlander_]

Felt you Guys could have touched on the accessories ie Alembic Dome and the flora cage. But as always Great. Thank you

[@StillIt]

Yeah we should have good point

[@tonyoliver4920]

“Knocking everything down” on a short condenser, don’t run water fed from an ice bath, use iso-propanol and a dry ice bath. The iso-propanol runs through your condenser at -73*C. You only need a 1cm condenser!

[@andyphillips473]

Hey guys, I am a beginner to distilling and I have the T500 and have only distilled using sugar washes so far. I am looking forward one day to doing a mash, that’s my next goal. I also have the Alembic top and have made gin using the gin basket with excellent results, I used the T500 for the first run and finished with the Alembic. I have learnt so much from you guys and your videos, mainly using essences at this stage but following your tips (oak chips and glycerine etc) I have been making a nice drop that my family and friends enjoy. I love distilling days, I’m resourceful so collect the hot water from the T500 to make a hot bath. I also noticed when I made the gin, what was left was 7% alcohol in the boiler. I’m going to get a soda stream with QLD ginger syrup, make alcoholic ginger beer with the 15l left behind. Love your show, thanks so much guys, cheers.

[@weldit321]

St Arnolds beer on the table :D I'm in texas and that place is fantastic!

[@Jim_Snape]

Have run this for a few months and probably done 120 gallons of sugar mash. The temp range to watch on the reflux thermometer is between 122 and 149 f. Closer to 122 and you get 190 proof, closer to 149 and its 180 proof. I have little use for it (drinking wise) since I don't drink but have used it as a disinfectant, essential oil extraction and just to have the knowledge. A 45 gal Brute trash barrel with 100lbs of sugar, plus yeast nutrient, diammonium phosphate, tomato paste etc... for a basic sugar mash will produce about 5gal - 180 proof minimum. I've run corn mash through it which was pretty damn cloudy and not even a hint of scorching could be seen inside the boiler, till I figured out sugar mash takes an hour to make and corn mash takes 8 hours, with a huge mess. The cost for 5 gals of 180 proof ethanol is less than $100. Definitely cheaper than driving one state over and buying Everclear. You can make lower proof by removing the packing but not much lower. I removed all the packing and it went down to about 170 proof.

[@tylercox8811]

I thank that the anvil foundry with the t500 tube would be a better buy

[@RobertIsaac]

If you disassemble the bottom you'll find that it runs a 1500W element and a 500W element. I have rewired these to a switch so that I can run 2000W for getting up to temp, 1500W for stripping and 500W for the spirit run. If you have an electrician mate then it's cheap and easy but doesn't have the same variable control you're talking about with a PWM.

[@codingfun63]

ive got one and its good ,makes a nice neutral .

[@clivedavies3]

Use the still head on a grainfather with the bluetooth controller you have full control of temperature I have two still heads for this setup one for whiskey and rum the same as you for gin and vodka slightly modified of course. If you put a cheap low voltage pump in between your water supply and your adjustment valve the pressure never alters. Keep up the good work guys.

[@clivedavies3]

By the way the controller of the grainfather will fit the t500 boiler with plug adapters available of Ebay, I use the t500 and the grainfather boiler if I've got whiskey and vodka on the go at the same time because I have two grainfather controllers.

[@tshort63]

Love it, thank you.

[@StillIt]

Cheers mate

[@rafer2002]

Good stuff

[@Ken-rk3by]

I made my own still out of a coffee perk and used 2 light dimmer switches to control the temperature. The thing is you have to turn both dimmer controls at the same time or one will burn out other than that it works great. My perk is a 40 cup, also you have to connect both heating elements in series.

[@MrRasZee]

my still uses the electrical volume control of a 2000 watt vacuum cleaner . its called a Triac controller . i can turn my element up and down . saves on electricity 😁

[@mediaaccount6218]

I guys, this looks great...Where would be the best place to connect the pid sensor?

[@davidschumann4495]

Love George great guy. And also put me on this channel

[@peterscandlyn]

Want to see a short column? Try the Amphora PDA1. And it works!

[@MrSwanley]

p.s. There are 3D printer designs on Thingiverse for peristaltic pumps that you can attach to an off the shelf stepper motor. I haven't tried them though - I bought mine. You need a pump that can do 0-1000 ml/min.

[@thejakein7867]

A great still for the beginner

[@boharris8179]

George is the mad scientist of the world of KZbin distilling

[@Nuggz888]

Hey bro, have you ever made your own collum for the 500 and added a mason jar thumper? Wandering how well that would work with a full.on boil. Thanks bro!!!!

[@patriciocordova449]

Hey! It’s George!!

[@bubbleguppy1086]

These guys are awesome. I'm looking at getting into distilling myself, I'm caught between building my own and buying the T500. The only thing putting me off buying one here in Australia is the price but building my first still is still going to be a bit of a task that would require a fair bit of my time.

[@StillIt]

It's a big job for sure. But it's dam good knowledge you will learn. You will also end up with a much more capable still

[@bubbleguppy1086]

Thanks champ, time to build a crab cooker then

[@nothingbutchappy]

It seems that using a sous vide temperature controller.. Might be the best way to keep a constant temperature..

[@toma382]

I am new at this, when you started talking about the silicon hose up top and the gasket, I had no idea what you were talking about. Would you please explain? Second time I watched this video, didn't even pick up on it the first time. Just purchased a T500, waiting for it to be delivered.

[@robbaker9817]

Just brought the Pure Distillery Pot Still Condenser. Any video on these?

[@patricmondou1948]

Cool video, I would be curious to see a similar review of the Grainfather's copper helmet extension and see how it measures up to this one :)

[@StillIt]

Yeah good point my man. Will look into getting that done.

[@DS-iy5sd]

Huh huh... you said helmet.

[@chuckdontknowdoya6100]

I have one and loved it so much I cut my t500 in half to make a large vapor chamber on my upgrade. George has a picture of it on one of his videos.

[@5thhorseman559]

Wow the 3 wise men of whiskey together! Nice!

[@liamwatters2985]

Hey Jesse, random question. Have you ever come across any recipes for a “cheat” tequila? I have an abundance of Aloe plants and they’re sprouting like weeds constantly in the house, I can’t even give them away fast enough. They’re similar in properties to the blue agave plant and I’m thinking about making a mash with them or even adding a handful to the boiler and pot still it.

[@willowdog72]

Nice you all got the audio worked out😂😂😂

[@StillIt]

Haha, yeah man!

[@donherley1811]

Has anyone retro fitted a thermostat to the boiler on a Turbo 500? Also, has anyone extended the reflux column? If so, have these mods been worthwhile to the quality of the end product?

[@tonyoliver4920]

From a chemistry background, what I remember from university, the taller the column, the greater the separation in products. Alcohol and water from a mixture that can’t be purified above a certain percentage (azeotrope), the separation (height) stretches out the sweet spot letting you collect a purer final product

[@mrbrown3546]

That's why the column is full of stainless steel and copper saddles, it increases that reflux action much sooner.

[@tonyoliver4920]

Steve Brown ah, no! That’s to do with surface area, for condensation. You can have all the surface area you want but it won’t have an impact without height. Bubbler plates are more efficient and can allow for fractional distillation.

[@brucehorgan8368]

Hi very honest review, I've had the Turbo 500 copper for a few years now, and trust me the water flow regulator is a must, made my own and it worked fine until the pump died, being short on time just bought the Still Spirits water regulator and so far has been a good and reliable unit. Even with the water flow regulator the temperature will tend to run away towards the of your distillation (I put it down to the reducing volume of wash it is heating?). To combat this I have had several attempts in controlling the boiler. 1st attempt was using PID digital (turn on and off) out put controller , this was not very successful as the Turbo 500 is way too sensitive and temperature would crash too fast for the controller to compensate. Second was to have the same PID digital controller to reduce the power to the heating element by about 20% ie instead of turn it on and off as before it would turn in on 100% and off to abt 80% (this was tuned with a pot) , this proved much more successful but did it hunt quite a bit. ATM Im using a analogue PID controller 4-20mA controlling a 4-20mA SCR with the correct tuning values it is a lot more stable, and once setup I can leave it and be assured of a consistent controlled temperature (+- 0.5 deg C) at the time the parts for this was abt $200 AUD, most parts from ebay except of the SCR. Turbo 500 GR8 but a total prick to control accurately.

[@XavierTerrellOnline]

Bruce Horgan How do I PM you for more details please ?

[@brucehorgan8368]

@@XavierTerrellOnline pass on yr email and will get back to you or can post parts i used for the build Cheers Bruce

[@XavierTerrellOnline]

Bruce Horgan [e-mail]

[@NiklasAnkar]

Hi, l am Niklas from Sweden, love your videos, just saw your video on making 2 different styles of gin. I am just starting and is having a problem with louchin, did you filter the ones you made and how if so. Also I didn't quite catch how much heads you took one a 1 liter. It would be very helpful if you could give me some tips. Have a great day! Niklas

[@kristiankruse3964]

May just have ordered it coming next week. Then I will be busy doing absolutely nothing with it 😉

[@ehjones]

What's the issue with the silicone hose, touched upon at 9:30?

[@fullmoonC]

watching 2 years later would this be the best option for a beginner? thanks!

[@jcmining9450]

Great Co-Lab guys 👌🏼 as usual giving the best advice and keeping it simple

[@StillIt]

Was awesome to be able to hang with them

[@aidenwalsh9124]

crossover of the century the 3 titans of youtube distilling

[@zachburton4190]

This was one of those insta clicks, I saw these 3 guys in one video and HAD to click

[@AnthonyDigi1205]

Ok so I read on line it’s a 1600 to 1800 watt heater can it be modified to 2000 watt heater

[@little_tinker]

What were you going to say about the gasket?

[@johnny8309]

Those digi boilers have tons of control of the heat, usually two elements 1 at 1900W another at 500W with a temperature setpoint of the boiler, not sure which one you got on this video. 100% they need a constant pressure water feed which is easy to make tons of ways.

[@lazyplumber1616]

How did a beer just appear magically on the table at 5:44...like I said, Magic! Hey George, Jessie, Bearded, nice vid guys.

[@StillIt]

I mean if I edited the hell out of the videos. . . . but I dont do that . . .. honest

[@lazyplumber1616]

@@StillIt Yeah man, I like how you keep it real on all your stuff.

[@StillIt]

@@lazyplumber1616 haha dude I was joking. I edit a lot. But that's not to hide stuff, just to take the boring stuff out.

[@lazyplumber1616]

Still It haha...ya, you totally got me!