Today in the Shed

punkin

I'll be drinking 50 baht Mojiots for sure.

I mean that's $1.80au :)>-

cunnyfunt

Methanol mojitos... ;)

punkin

I've got a good constitution and a high pain threshold.

Law_Of_Ohms

I've drunk spirits and beer in indo, just not in Aceh.

nvnovrts

I've had a drink or two in Kuching.

fadge

Today in the shed 45 degrees outside- not even gunna walk in there. Tomorrow its forecast a bit warmer again- another non-production weekend.

House has ducted air con, so looks like a whisky on ice with a slice of lime and just think about it.

captainshooch

Busted my ass pressure washing entire shed, inside and out! I can use a whatever with lime right about now!

crozdog

just finished cleaning up after running an AG corn (13kg / barley 4 kg & Rye 2kg) wash I mashed a few weeks back.

OG was 1.074,the Saf American whiskey yeast i used has worked down to 0.994 after 3 weeks so 10.5% ABV!! got some nice smelling spirit airing right now.

When I did the AG mash, it didn't sparge, so I hsnd squeezed 60l liquor out & fermented it. I reckoned the grain still had a lot of sugar & flavour left, so I chucked it into another 60l fermenter & added a10kg sugar for a UJSM style wash.

So while doing the run today I hand squeezed the grains from the UJ 60l fermenter -geez what a pain that is.... twice in 3 weeks! but the fermented was much easier than the unfermented... will let this sit for a week to settle out before running.

I really need a press or a source of rice hulls - pity I can only find them in 1kg or 125kg quantities ... might have to make up a bucket in bucket press. Any thoughts?

Cambo

^^^^^ Preparing to mash some spelt now for an experiment, and dreading the grain squeezing that comes along with it. I agree it is easier to squeeze grain that has been fermented!

The quick and easy thing that comes to my mind is a metal bucket with tons of small holes in it lined with a paint strainer bag. So you can pour off as much fermented liquid as you can then fill the bucket with wet grains and then commence to tamping. Just trying to think of something easy to keep sanitary and hold up to heavy use.

I do like the idea of one of those yellow mop/mop wringer buckets on wheels. Just throw the paint strainer bag in it and go to work. But dang would it be hard to keep clean!

punkin

Today in the shed, or next to it, i put together one of the most beautiful hobby stills i have seen. Absolute deluxe version it'll be called The Bells and Whistles.

One of the new milkcan boilers with a 4 plate 4" Crystal Dragon on top, bowl reducer, element guard, 3600 watt element, 2" SGK and end cap for a fill port, 3/4 drain valve. Get your sparkie to wire the element, hook your plumbing up to the included lines, valves thermotees etc and you are ready to rock.

I'll price it all up for the site tomorrow (edit, it comes to $2299) and may even put a special on, but here's a sneak preview... Add two extra full plates for a 6 plate unit for $249

This really is a unit that anyone would be very proud to own. Great pilot unit or teaching still for a commercial operation or one of the most dramatic hobby stills out there. \m/

Lloyd, take a bow.

what

Way cool punkin =D> Does this mean the new 4" glass has arrived?

rossco

nice

Lloyd

Can't take a bow Punkin because it is always a group effort.
From customer request, to distributor input, to begging LOO for drawings, to Tan telling me what is possible or not, to vendors being able to supply or not, to hammering out an order and items being finally produced... it's all a crap shoot.
Even with over 300 items in SD's current lineup it still is surprising to me that anything new can get produced without giving up the back teeth that I chew with.

punkin

@what said: Way cool punkin =D> Does this mean the new 4" glass has arrived?

Sorry What, yes. I haven't unpacked it all yet, but the new glass is here and it all goes together easily.

punkin

Running 130l of ujsm strip in a 120l boiler, just cause it fits. :-B

Rainy day here has brought the temp down enough to stand being in the shed. Humidity is not kind to me though.

punkin

12 l/hr Yipppeee

jonno

Holy Jesup, I sort of miss those strip runs being able to see how fast I could pull off. =))
It's fun being in transit for 4 hours at an airport

Law_Of_Ohms

you will be done in 4 hrs!

punkin

Just finished washing up then. 8:30 flame on, 2pm lock the door. It slowed right down towards the tails as my inadequate summer time recirc water heated up and i had to keep turning the flame down Bit over an hour to heat up 4.5 hours to strip 36 litres and then had to redo 130l wash with 25kg glucose and 40l backset.

Clean up ect.

Law_Of_Ohms

Started work on my 3v beer system.

got napisan in it now cleaning, hence slightly dirty water in the sight glass

punkin

Holy fuck that's a monstrosity.

Shiny on the bottom and scabby on top...

I hope it works brilliantly. :)>-

Law_Of_Ohms

The keg is wearing a fatter kegs skin over the top (maybe i call this one 'pyshco keg')

I'm going to squirt expander foam into the holes for insulation.

punkin

Reminds me of the book Aztec, they do a skin over the top thing too.

cunnyfunt

Frankenkeg!

Love it!! Going to copy this thanks:)

punkin

I could send you a rims tube if you wanted?

cunnyfunt

lol salesman of the year!! Its my next purchase :) after the small one I am about to do.

punkin

Sorry mate, that was aimed at LoO, but i can send you one too :))

punkin

Running the new Crystal Dragon for the first time. Loaded with 80l of 40% UJSM strip it heated and loaded in 50 mins, turned the power down and took off a litre and a half or so of heads and now pulling hearts at 91% and 3l and hour.

This thing is so stable and so easy to learn to drive. I just balnced my flame to the maximum my pump could knock down 100% (the thermowell in the reducer really helped here) and then once i was ready to start pulling heads at a fast drip i just closed the valve on the output of the reflux condensor until i had the thermo climbing slowly and the drip where i wanted it. Same when going from heads to hearts, just a couple turns on the valve and she is stable as anything.

Tasting excellent, but looking like a long day ahead of me with 32l of total alcohol in the boiler. :)>-

Smaug

WTG punkin. Bout time really! The visual indicators as well as temp monitoring really do make it far less difficult rather than intimidating. I hope you find the end result on par.

Yew hardcore pot stillers are so hard to please. :-@

punkin

Just over 12l of hearts in the bank, nearly half way through the run. I have about 1.5 l of heads rather than the 8l plus i would have had with the pot.

The flavour is easily as good as double run potstilled hearts off the parrot and i'm running at the same 4l/hr but collecting at 92% instead of 79%.

Got me convinced.