Today in the Shed

CothermanDistilling

@razerhawg1 said: I have been reading a lot on another forum about treating liquor with ultrasonic cleaners, so I bought one. It arrived yesterday and I put about 2 gallons of 40% just sugar wash in that I had been airing out for 2 days. I could be crazy, but after 3 - 15 minute sessions I truly felt like it changed the taste for the better.

ultrasonics are tuned for the resonant wavelength of water, I believe it is 25kHx for 'rough' and 40KHz for 'gentle', I assume ethanol has a different resonant frequencies? interesting topic though... my small hometown has a prominent US manufacturer, Ultrasonic Power Corporation...

razerhawg1

I had read some by @fullysilenced and it looked interesting. I am pretty sure I got the 40 kHz model. I am airing some rice that I ran yesterday and lie my last batch of this, it had an odd "dirty sock" taste? I'm going to run it through the ultrasonic and see what happens.

crozdog

@Kapea said: Joelle (Carter head) drives like a dream. Ran a 2L (collected) juniper only run earlier. Broke it down, did a CNIP (clean not in place), put her back together, and am in the middle of a coriander seed only run. Thank you for your guidance in the Gin Operation Manual Crozdog, and our conversations Smaug

More later...

Thanks for the thanks. i'm glad you are finding it useful!

Kapea

Very useful starting points! I am making one note songs for blending experiments. Your recommended weights and volumes are spot on. @Smaug 's suggestion to dilute to 20% boiler strength to achieve cask strength output was spot on too. It comes off at 55% (aggregate strength across the run).

I am enjoying the shit outta this!

punkin

Started setting up my Ace of Hearts. I had an old 2" shotgun and a medium shotgun, so i souped her up a bit with some extra condensing power on both sides. :-B

Dug out my old controller etc.

I just have to dick around with the plumbing as i had to move it to my fermenter bench due to the height and it's 6' away from my water and further from my power.

Such is life, i'll take some pics when it's plumbed.

Started a couple fermenters of pale ale and summer ale. Both on US-05.

starkid101

this forum is a great place for learning how to brew ,I reckon I have advanced my master brewing skills by heaps just by reading your posts ..

#:-S

Thank you guys, with out the combined input of knowledge from this forum I would still be a baby brewer =D> ..

Bugger todays fishing trip is canceled so next best thing is make some booze..

Got some plum wash to run in Ace today..

2400 watt element after warmed up turned down to 50% for eql.......[that word I can"t spell ] for 1 hour and slowly cranking controller up to 100% while taking off fores.

this is the first time I have run Ace at 100 %, heads coming off at 90% abv..

All my other runs have been around 55% on controller, I am doing this so different because of you guys posting on this forum what and how you do your stilling ..Thank you =D> ..

Water to defag shut off now, take off is fast and abv at 60% so will return water to defag and just the smallest changes to defag water make a difference abv is around 75% with a small amount of reflux going on...

the taste is devine , its a hard life tasting booze in the morning..

I stopped fiddling with my Ace and letting it run a small amount of reflux and abv at 75% . that seems to be a sweet spot on this run , also I am looking out for the nice taste that punkin mentioned may arrive at around 25% , I will let you know later
cheers ..

Starkid
:bz

captainshooch

Tractor restoration is almost done

and dang if we did not start on another one, a Ford 8n.

Kapea

So, do you take her out profiling down the local strip on Friday and Saturday nights? :D

Nice!

captainshooch

I see some hay rides in the near future :D

punkin

She's a beauty. Wouldn't blame you if you drove up and down main street looking at your reflection in the shop windows. :))

crozdog

@Kapea said: So, do you take her out profiling down the local strip on Friday and Saturday nights? :D

Profiling?? Do some Mainies!!
check out "we can be heroes"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6oOxnT53Rg

punkin

Been busy in the shed this week, cut the UJSM spirit run that's been sitting in demis for weeks and added 23 shengs to the empty 50l barrel on Friday while the potstill was heating up for another spirit run. Drew off 16l of hearts at ~78%. Yesterday i watered that down and added to the barrel too, which came close to filling it i guess as i needed the room on the bench for my mash tun.

Then i weighed and milled two grain bills for my back to back beers today. 1 x 84l No Chil batch of KK Pale Ale, my hoppy house beer and 1 x 84l batch of Punkin's Cascadian, my black IPA. Haven't brewed the black for ages and have no Nelson Sauvign hops that it's suppossed o be made from so subbing Moteuka.

Going to start the strike water in an hour or so once it's light.

MothersDayDoubleBrewFuckYeahPunkin

TheMechWarrior

This arrived today:

DN250B
254x2.64

She stands about 6 foot tall and the section of stainless sitting between the G size Alushield Heavy cylinder is 2" for reference.

FloridaCracker

Feck!

CothermanDistilling

Getting my smaller chiller - condensing unit working...

TheMechWarrior

What size is that and what volume are you hoping to chill with it?

Is it an ex milk vat chiller?

TheMechWarrior

Had my first crack at TIG welding copper and it made the Titanic look like a success story. I hope to do better when the supplier sends me the manual for the TIG this week.

I've stuffed something up!

A mate who has TIGd heaps of copper will come round on Sunday to show me how. Until then I'll take some copper to TIG class tomorrow night and see how I go.

CothermanDistilling

3.25HP, 3.5 ton compressor, it will cool a tote tank from 100-120 down to 70-80F will run it all night if need be... I believe is is some some of walk in cooler or similar chiller but not sure, it was a gift from my scrap dealer friend... I spent the last three hours straightening out bent fins with a tweezers and screwdriver... good meditation for the tinkerer... need to get a 50uf/5uf 440V capacitor in the morning and keep looking for a wiring diagram...

edit - since a BTU is 1 degree F for 1lb.... 42000BTU unit to cool 42 degrees will do 1000lb an hour??? that is 125gal, so 2 hours to cool the tote... sounds good to me....

CothermanDistilling

OK, hats off to Copeland/Emerson, email support sent wiring diagram and part numbers for the start and run capacitors and the starting relay... and it was lightning fast...

LocalGoat

Today in the shed I'm making some Rum. Mmmm.

FloridaCracker

I'm Jonesin to make some rum. Got the stuff ready. Just a waitin on parts from overseas.

LocalGoat

A week ago I mixed a gallon of black strap with 4 gallons water and yeast. Today I stripped it. Diluted it to about 35abv added about 900ml more black strap now for spirit. I'm pot stilling it. Hope it turns out good.

FloridaCracker

I can almost smell it from here.

Unsensibel

Did 10gal of blackstrap each for the last 2 weekends. Both are now on oak cubes & staves for comparison aging. Another 10 up this weekend... Any suggestions on what to do with it other than oaking?

FloridaCracker

Definitely leave some of it white. I leave it in jars filled to about 75% to age. Because I am anal I will give the jars a shake now and then and then open them occasionally to let the nasties out. Don't know if it does anything but it keeps me involved with the process.

CothermanDistilling

New water main getting installed, 2" for my water(I only have 3/4"), but 6" valve installed for sprinklers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFt68U2HbmQ

CothermanDistilling

Frankenchiller together and working, chilled 10 gal from 75 to 40 in about 7 minutes, in 90 degree ambient!

punkin

Sausage day at punkin's today.

Going to strip and remix 6 shengs of Cumberland sausage that was too spicy to enjoy with 4 shengs of plain mix and relink.

Then it's 5 kilos of Kabanosi for an overnight cure and smoking tomorrow.

MikeAggie

Starting a Watermelon wash, going to try to make watermelon brandy. Couldn't pass up the price. 3$ for an extra large melon. only took 6 to yield 15 gallons of Juice. hydro at 1.075 with no sugar added. and pulp filtered out. Can't decide on what yeast i want to pitch. Maybe a Cuvee or champagne, Any Suggestions.

googe

Finished packing up my still for the move to nz, will be a early Chrissy present when I get there :D