Jump to content

HedgeBird

Members
  • Posts

    559
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    15

Everything posted by HedgeBird

  1. I typically sell once used barrels for $200, multiple use barrels for $150 and barrels that are no longer really usable (for holding liquid at least) for $100. It blows my mind that folks are paying/charging more for used barrels than what a new one actually costs ($250), but apparently the demand for used barrels supports it and most breweries dont know what a barrel costs these days.
  2. For our new location we went with Square for Restaurants; a new version/service offered by Square. We got signed up as a beta tester back in March and have been up and running with it since mid May. https://squareup.com/townsquare/introducing-square-for-restaurants https://squareup.com/us/en/point-of-sale/restaurants https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/08/square-launches-restaurant-point-of-sale-platform/ Monthly cost is: $60 per location (includes one point of sale) $40 per additional point of sale Fees are: 2.6% + 10¢ Per tap, dip, or swipe (discounted rate available if your over $250,000 annually with an average ticket cost over $15) There have certainly been some issues, but over-all the experience has been positive and the support has been very good. Perhaps not the cheapest option, but the servers/bar-tenders really seem to like it compared to other legacy POSs they have used in the past. I feel confident that Square will continue to build out features and fix issues as they come up. I have not heard of PointOS - Seems like an interesting option and certainly sounds cheaper. Did some searching online and the overall feedback is pretty mixed: read the reviews here: https://www.capterra.com/p/81291/PointOS-Professional/ Their website says the cost is $499 for one station but I cant find any info on what other costs may be?
  3. Is purchasing online an option for you: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/45145/bag-in-box-soda.html https://www.webstaurantstore.com/45149/bag-in-box-juices.html Also heads up, as not all BIB sodas have the same connection/thread type. You may need an adapter: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/adapter-for-bag-in-box/103BIBADAPT.html
  4. It would. "Sweet Sunshine" or "Pirate Spirits" would be either the brand name of fanciful name, and I believe both are required for the Specialty class along with a product description. https://www.ttb.gov/pdf/brochures/p51902.pdf Sounds like your at least familiar with running a business and keeping records, etc. so the un-enjoyable parts might not be a big issue for you. Best of luck!
  5. Yes, you can. This sheet will show you all the legally defined Classes and Types of spirits: https://www.ttb.gov/spirits/bam/chapter4.pdf If it does not fit into one of the defined Classes then it gets categorized as a "DISTILLED SPIRITS SPECIALTY" - "Distilled spirits not defined under any other class · Generally, any class and/or type of distilled spirits that contain or are treated with flavoring and/or coloring materials and/or nonstandard blending or treating materials or processes" and not "Pirate Spirits." And I know you did not ask, but doing what your saying you want to do sounds like the fastest way to probably make a hobby a lot less enjoyable.
  6. Ill second Paulson Supply for t-tops! We also use Amorim Cork for natural cork topppers as Paulson only does plastic/synthetic. OI has been good to work with and my only complaint is that they ship to us direct with long-haul independent truckers that always show up in the biggest possible truck, never have a lift gate (even if you request it), wont back up to our dock, occasionally refuse to enter the city we are located in, etc. Compared to other companies who shift LTL frieght (Old Dominion, YCR. etc) whos drivers deliver to us more regularly and generally seem to be much more helpful.
  7. We just put about one cup of mash in a paper coffee filter and get a few drops on the refractometer.. This seems to give a good sediment free sample to check and then there is nothing to cleanup/wash out. Getting a reading with a hydrometer is practically impossible and way to much effort when a refractometer only costs about $20.
  8. Our flag-ship product is our straight rye and we use a high percentage of wheat. We just bottled batch #4 yesterday that was in barrels for 29 months. Obviously I am very biased, but I could not be much happier with the end product. Lots of spicy rye bite, but still nice and smooth. Batch #5 will probably be just under 3 years, and I am already looking forward to that being ready! Our first barrel of bonded whiskey will hit the 4 year mark in September and we may bottle that for the holidays, or decide to wait another year and let it hit 5! Cant believe how fast time goes by.
  9. http://www.blackwaterbarrels.com/ These guys have been great to deal with, and the barrels have been as nice as the ISC ones we use.
  10. It seems like quite a few have been mentioned.
  11. We switched from a copper to a stainless condenser about two years ago, and I feel like it has had a positive impact on our product.
  12. This is posted in whiskey, but you did not say specifically what type of product. Is it just normal whiskey, or flavored or... ?
  13. I dont understand why you think one type/style/design of condenser would be more prone to a vapor release than another style. A "loss of water pressure or similar coolant flow event" would cause the same concerns/issues with any type of condenser. As others have mentioned, the benefit to a tube in shell (Gatling gun style) condenser is that its more compact vs a worm tube.
  14. My understanding is that Buffalo Trace cooks their corn and rye separately, then combines at some later point.
  15. Could you just cook the two mashes separately then combine for the fermentation?
  16. Not really sure I have much insight, but right from the start what your describing seems off. The only way the kettle temp (temperature of the liquid agave) could hold constant for 5 hours while being boiled, is if you where refluxing 100% of the alcohol and not collecting any alcohol off the parrot. (or collecting such a negligible amount as to have no measurable impact on the kettle ABV). You do not mention collection volume/speed/rates at all. *if* the temperatures you are sharing actually are accurate, that would indicate you ran the still for 5 hours without allowing any alcohol/liquid to pass through the dephlegmator and that seems unlikely. Also, what exactly is the "condenser temp" measuring?
  17. While it certainly seems like the main issue has been identified, another possible problem could also be caused by using RO water. If they have an RO system anything like mine, it probably runs pretty slow. Are they by any chance making RO water in advance of mashing, and then letting it sit untreated for any period of time? If so this could provide extra time for bacteria to grow in the water prior to mashing. At my distillery we remove the chlorine/chloramine about a day prior to mashing and store this in a tank. As I am concerned about bacteria growth in the time between de-clorinating and mashing, we run all the mash water through a UV light immediately as it enters the mash tun. This is a fairly cheap and simple upgrade with the only maintenance being a change of bulb once a year. They might also want to grab a bacteria test kit, and check the RO water they are making to confirm its not letting bacteria through either because it is not installed properly or needs new filters, etc. Just a few more thoughts to pass on to these folks!
  18. What about mixing the vodka seltzer in a keg and serving from a kegerator or beer jocky box?
  19. That would probably count as a mixed drink. "ABC board last week decided that they are now going to interpret legislation differently than they have the last 4 years; which means NO mixed drinks."
  20. Not sure what setup mentioned above your looking for, but the simple one we are using looks like this: Conestoga River -> City Water -> Condensers on Still -> Hot Water Holding Tank -> Mash Tun
  21. HedgeBird

    Wash Ratios

    It would seem this question depends heavily on the type of molasses you are using and its sugar content. Here are two previous conversations that touch on this subject:
  22. That seriously sucks, and I am very sorry to hear it. You should certainly share the name/info on the company you purchased from so others can hopefully avoid something like that! Hope your up and running with a new/better still now!
×
×
  • Create New...