In Development - CH Gin Basket

bentstick

Awesome Job Crozdog,I read them,and they cover a lot,easy to understand,well written!

Moonshine

StillDragon - 4" Gin Basket Kit (GB4) - Test Run

Watch @Lloyd test the 4" Gin Basket Kit (GB4) mounted above a Dephlegmator on top of a 50L Milk Can Boiler.

This video has been composed from several short snippets. Lloyd shows an overview of his setup, starting to produce and how easy it is to change the basket during operation.

http://youtu.be/rMXccDJr9Es

CothermanDistilling

I checked the recipe section, and searched for peppermint... anyone make schnapppppps with a GB4 yet?

nvnovrts

I'd love to work with one of these.

Cambo

@CothermanDistilling said: I checked the recipe section, and searched for peppermint... anyone make schnapppppps with a GB4 yet?

Awesome idea!!! GB4 will be here tomorrow very excited!

I may have to try this, sounds like a nice holiday treat!!

Chalmer

Is this how guys are making apple pie that's a clear 80 proof liquor with the cinnamon and apple flavor in it?

punkin

There's one way to find out. :ar!

Lloyd

@Chalmer said: Is this how guys are making apple pie that's a clear 80 proof liquor with the cinnamon and apple flavor in it?

I have so got to try that. Cinnamon we have and apples are definitely on the shopping list now.
Going to try to make Banana Pudding also with fresh bananas and a vanilla bean.

Made Banana Pudding by slicing 3 bananas into a jar and adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract with a heaping tablespoon of white sugar, topping up with vodka and nuking it til hot and letting it rest overnight. It refused to filter through a coffee filter even after screening through a tea strainer. Tasted very good cloudy but not something you would present to friends. Hoping the GB4 is the fix.

CothermanDistilling

maybe fill the GB4 with the apples and raisins removed from the last batch of apple pie? maybe the cinnamon sticks too... not sure if tannins will go through vapor... so many ideas, so little time....

jbierling

GB is flooding. Bad?

Botanicals are going to get "wet" soon here.

bentstick

Just received my GB4 yesterday,will be a few more weeks before I can get in the shed to start my winter pastime,have to put food in freezer first and no time during work week as I am out of town,but Have been thinking up stuff to try through the GB! Nice work and production on this to You lloyd and everyone involved! :)>- :!!

punkin

@jbierling said: GB is flooding. Bad?

Botanicals are going to get "wet" soon here.

You have installed the drain valve?

the housing will take a little while to heat up to distillation temp.

Lloyd

@jbierling, I collect some product without a basket installed to get everything up to temperature and then send the boiler into total reflux and add the first basket of botanicals.
There is very little fluid under the basket from then on.
I drain the housing before each basket change unless I'm using more of the same botanical. And that fluid tends to confuse me. Sometimes it tastes good, sometimes bad and sometimes almost no taste at all.

We put a 2" end cap with the GB4 kit to blank off the unused ferrule but on mine I'm thinking to put a simple lens and clamp to let in more natural light, or maybe another 2" SGK.

I need more personal experience running the GB4 but I have it on good authority that you should push the vapor very hard to get a good extraction.

jbierling

@punkin, yes, drain is there. Just unsure at that point whether to drain it or see what happens.

My advice: distillate ends up brown. Make sure to drain it during the run.

@Lloyd, I have two SGKs on mine. The liquid level lowered when I added power. Unfortunately, I don't think I have enough power to properly drive this although I hadn't completely shut down the reflux. I'll plain on repeatedly draining if need be.

The botanical load for 5gal (about 450g) was enough to fill two baskets (primarily juniper and coriander) and 5gal is a small run long term. What's the recommended protocol for knowing when to switch baskets? By expected volume (water + ethanol)? Expected total ABV (ethanol)?

crozdog

@jbierling, i have always run mine pretty hard & have never had that much liquid build up over an "all in 1" run.

Were the botanicals whole or crushed? Were you running diluted neutral or from wash?

First thought would be to swap the basket when you have collected 50% of your final volume. However have you read the manual? An experienced commercial gin producer assisted in its writing - he does not recommend changing baskets as the flavour profile extracted varies over the course of a run. You might want to look at doing larger single ingredient runs and blending the individual distillations.

jbierling

@crozdog said: Were the botanicals whole or crushed? Were you running diluted neutral or from wash?

Crushed, diluted neutral.

First thought would be to swap the basket when you have collected 50% of your final volume. However have you read the manual? An experienced commercial gin producer assisted in its writing - he does not recommend changing baskets as the flavour profile extracted varies over the course of a run. You might want to look at doing larger single ingredient runs and blending the individual distillations.

Yes, I've read the manual, but its quite possible I missed something. The problem is that the max ethanol per basket seems to be on the order of 12 liters or so. So if you want/need to do a larger run, you need to swap baskets.

Am I wrong?

crozdog

I haven't done larger than 6l batches so can't help with the max size of a run / basket - sorry. You could try doing 2 batches as follows: - run 1: load baskets with equal quantities of baskets & swap once you've collected half - run 2: do individual ingredient runs & blend

Lloyd

For all the folks that have purchased one of the first 50 GB4's please give your feedback on how they can be improved.

After Chinese new year we'll be looking at ways to improve them for the next production run.

Its the little things that count. Are the choke washers ever used and are they needed? Anything and everything is helpful to know because a production of less than 50 kits is not possible so it really helps to try to get it right.

MickyMoonshine

Hi Lloyd maybe have the option of a screw in sight glass to match the Macca Crackers and the boilers.

Lloyd

Oh, thats a problem!
The ports are for orienting the housing either lefthand or righthand on the still and the other is for viewing.
The 90 degree TC elbows don't fit the screw in sight glass fitting. It we went down that road it gets complicated. Elegant but complicated.

Whole nuther can of worms @MickyMoonshine but I like the way you think. Could easily add another $100 or so to the kit though.

crystal_skull

Cheaper to make sgk's in stainless?

jbierling

Add a bigger version for stills/boilers that are holding more than 12ish liters of spirits? Maybe just a taller botanical section?

I used the choke washers. Should I take them out? I don't know if they're needed -- I haven't done enough runs to compare with or without.

punkin

@jbierling said: Add a bigger version for stills/boilers that are holding more than 12ish liters of spirits? Maybe just a taller botanical section?

I used the choke washers. Should I take them out? I don't know if they're needed -- I haven't done enough runs to compare with or without.

I wonder if we could produce a stackable section that could hold another (possibly larger) basket? It would have to clamp to the bottom and the baskets would have to be linked.

Would present some problems though with longer heat up times allowing more juice to build up etc.

kimbodious

could you not just use a heat gun to warm the GB prior to the vapour warming the vessel up?