Birster

Hi there, We are eyeing a place that has water well as source water. We've had the water analysed by a lab and it is turned out to be really good purity. Yesterday we've had the well throughput tested. results were a little disappointing, 180 gallon per hour. Not set in stone, but our setup would consist of a 340 Gallons still and 2 equally sized fermenters. We would also have a 800 Gallons water tank chilled by a 10HP chiller in closed loop to chill the still and the fermenters. We won't be mashing at first. Mainly we'll do gin with GNS and rum to start. Is 180GPH is enough considering we will have a closed loop for our cooling need? Is there a way to calculate all the water needed in distillery operation? Thank you in advance,

Ahhhh, now I see. It makes total sense So if we were to do gin with only a gin basket in the vapor path, we would be able to fill it the way we want if we don't use the agitator and it is only clean 30-40% GNS in the still. Is my understanding correct? Thanks again.

Thanks Black Creek. That one I already had it figured out, as you said it makes total sense. I'm asking this question more preciscely to steam jacketed still, if it can help narrowing down my question. Thank you in advance to shed the light on this

Hi, I was wondering what is the reasoning/science behind the sayin that you must run still with at least 50% of volume or more. What would happen if you run a 300 gallons capacity still with only 75 or 100 gallons of liquid in it? Thank you in advance.

Thanks Blustar, It confuses me even more as to why 6 and 8 plates still designs exist to start with. What type of alchool would bnefit a still with 6 or 8 plates? If producing whiskey is maxed out at 4 plates like you described. Sorry if it seems like a dumb question...

Hi, Can you please let me know what are the crieterias involved when determining the number of plates to have in a column still? I know that if you want to do vodka or neutral you need 20+ plates, but this is not our case. So, let's say between 4, 6 or 8 plates, why would we choose one over the other? What are the pros and cons of the 3 configurations? This would be mainly for whiskey from mixed grain bill (corn, wheat, rye, barley, etc..) Thank you in advance,

I thought you had more fine tuning control with water than you have with oil. Why did you choose to use oil instead of water? what are the pros? Thanks,

Hi, How often should you change the water in the jacket of a bain-marie still? Also, is it best using distilled water or any water would do? The jacket is in stainless if it matters. Thanks in advance.

Hi there, In june, I'm traveling to Portugal and was wondering if any of you knew nice distilleries to vitsit there. I tried googled it, but not much sucess. Any insights would be appreciated. Cheers,

Thank you for your answers, very informative.

Hi, I am experimenting with oak cube and would like to know what would be the best ratio (grams per liter). I think I over oaked my first batch and would like to avoid ruining my subsequent batch. I'm using this if it matters: http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/Oak_Cubes_French_Medium_Toast_3_5_oz_p/oak-cubes-french-medium.htm Thanks in advance.

From which distillery the picture is from? I really like the whole setup. Thanks,

Hi, Me and my brother want to start out a distillery in Quebec in a somewhat near future. I just got back from the Kothe training in Chicago last weekend, pretty informative and a well worth 3 days of training . As the sayin goes, you need to learn before to try to sell cheers!