Spirit Storage Vessels

pogriallais

Could anyone recommend spirit storage vessels for a small distillery? I intend to use them for blending/ dilution with water. They must be calibrated. I think 50-100Litres would be correct sizing.

SDeurope

I'd clearly use 50L milk cans for pre and post proofing spirits as well as blending, most small craft distillers here in Austria do it that way. 50L batches are easy enough to move around and they usually leave the spirits in the vessels for some time. Not sure what you mean by calibrated though.

grim

Separate yourself from doing anything by volume when working with spirits.

Everything by weight.

You will never find affordable small calibrated tanks. And then, even calibrated, you need to do a volumetric temperature conversion to find the real volume of spirit. Headache. Spend all that money on a tank and then still have to do a page of math. Accidentally dent the tank (very easy to do), and it's now completely garbage.

However it is very easy to find a highly accurate weighing scale, which is SIGNIFICANTLY EASIER TO WORK WITH.

Instead, leverage small stainless tanks like milk tanks, olive oil fustis, beer or soda kegs.

Then, do everything by weight.

For volumes in excess of 50l, the most cost effective option is a stainless open top wine tank. If you go with a wine storage tank, do not bother paying for the sightglass option - it's only going to tell you lies.

Lenny

We use a combination of sanke kegs (15 gallon) which are sealable via 2" triclamp/cap, corny kegs (5 gallons), and 80 gallons rolling totes - these totes need a lid to be fabricated but they are amazing for spirit collection and blending. We got them from these guys.

TheMechWarrior

Everything @grim said

Smaug

Happy to put some drawings together for vessels if we don't already have them.

The 100L receiving vessel on the rum distiller is nice. We also have some larger sized combo tanks in the works for mixing /fermenting / storage.

Sorry we don't have the capacity to put together a "calibrated" iteration at this time.

jbierling

+1 @grim

I use 100L fustis from M5 Corporation. I don't think you'll find anything better/cheaper. Just be sure they ship them well because they dent easy.

I wish they made 200L.

Moonshine

Guys, before you give specific vendor advice, please always consider where the OP is located first. @pogriallais is from Ireland / Europe, so hints for sources in the USA may not be useful.

jacksonbrown

These fusti things are fantastic. I've never heard of them before.
I might get a couple for my home made vinegar.

TheMechWarrior

I have 3 of the 100L and 1 of the 50L, they are pretty damn handy.

jacksonbrown

What is the issue with stainless 44gal barrel or half barrel?
Bundaberg use HDPE IBCs. That surprised me a bit.

TheMechWarrior

44gal stainos are stupidly expensive, over $1000 each down here. I'm using HDPE IBCs as fermenters.

grim

Poly IBCs are becoming very popular. You can easily move them around with a pallet jack, they are incredibly inexpensive, you can rebottle surplus cages, they stack 2 high. Cleaning isn't ideal, you need to either completely fill or rig up a spray ball washer, but it's doable.

Downsizes - no real easy way to control temp, so ambient is critical.

Harvesting the yeast - good luck - you'll need to do it in two steps, or play around with tilting the IBC and letting the yeast settle near the drain.

CothermanDistilling

poly not approved in US for storage of spirits(over 20%), approved by DOT for transport, but not storage... not saying people don't use them, just that they are not approved...

Kill_Devil_Spirit_Co

The ibc's really are life savers at the end of the day, just not allowed for spirits (here). There are some downsides as grim noted getting one fully clean and drained out is a task and a half, damn near impossible to mod... but the money saved during start up makes them totally worth while for fermentation as long as you can keep a decent ambient temp.

Now if you order gns it comes shipped in totes, are you allowed to store it in what it came shipped in?

grim

Oh yeah, no way for spirits.

jacksonbrown

Bundy was storing their feints in them to be rerun. :-O
Like I said I was quite surprised. Then again have you ever tasted bundy? =))

I’ve been thinking of ways to make them more user friendly as fermenters.
If I had a cool room on site I could just pallet jack them into there and put in a thermo probe.
They usually have large lids. What about getting some modified lids made up? A few with spray balls for cleaning them. Some with an immersion coil hooked up to a heating/cooling loop? Include a temp probe and co2 vent?
I don’t think it would be too hard or expensive. You could even make up some wrap around jackets for insulation.
We used to use conical bottom IBCs for rework and waste going to stock-feed.
They would make fantastic fermenters. Special IBCs specifically for viscous liquids.
Get any immersion coil in there and bobs you uncle.

Sorry, bit of a hyjack :\">

rossco

Beer boys are using these. There are a range of sizes.
30L Olive oil storage tank @ The Olive Centre AU

DonMateo

On heating IBC containers there are wrap around electric blankets for those things where you can set the temperature.
Custom Heaters and Research - IBC Tote Heater - 275 Gallon (46" High) - 120V - 1800W @ Amazon
They are very expensive but if your using these things as fermenters and you have to keep up production during winter then they would pay for themselves pretty quickly. I am probably going to have to get these things for winter next year.

FloridaCracker

I use electric blankets during the winter but it doesn't get terribly cold here. Maybe freezing a couple of times but nothing terribly cold.

Smaug

@FloridaCracker said: I use electric blankets during the winter but it doesn't get terribly cold here. Maybe freezing a couple of times but nothing terribly cold.

Speak for yourself. It is terribly cold here. Gets into the 50s every couple of years doesn't it?

Thought yew wuz a cracker?

Unsensibel

50's... bah! humbug!

Once it gets below 0 you can talk about cold...

jacksonbrown

It even snowed here once! :D

Smaug

Cold like pain is relative.

If you stub your toe it hurts. If you split your foot in half chopping wood,,,,,it hurts.

:D

Unsensibel

True.

Back to topic though. @Smaug - ever thought about having a modified milk can with a bottom outlet similar to them?

jacksonbrown

If you buy bulk food grade molasses here it'll probably come in a Chep Pallecon with a built-in heat pad.
Not that I've ever fermented in tons before but I think the issue might be keeping it cool rather than warm. If the fermenters are cooling too much I'd be using insulation so the yeasties can keep themselves warm.

pogriallais

Great information guys. I appreciate it!

Kapea

Around here I've surfed in an 80F ocean while looking up at snow-topped mountains. Then jumped in my pickup and went snowboading on the mountain top, during the summer. 2 hour drive from sea level to 4200m.

We can tell when it's winter down here at sea level. We have to put an afghan on the bed at night. Got all the way down to 53F oncest!

FWIW, I store my low wines in 5 gallon cornelius kegs.

bachman

I use 5 gallon corny kegs also, 75 bucks for 2 of them delivered to my door

CothermanDistilling

used to get them from a place called adventures in homebrewing, a box of four delivered for $80 in '04-'05... now you pay that for one... same place still has some of the best deals...

I have 2 10 gallon ones, which are the same height and larger diameter, and a friend has 15 gallon ones which are the same diameter as the 10, but 1.5 times as tall... here is one:
15 Gallon Strap Handle Keg @ Corny Keg

bachman

Adventures in homebrewing is the place, that's where I get mine. A little price creep in the last decade