Dave Weglarz

Thanks for the input. After playing around with different set ups, I'm thinking a smaller new boiler might be the way to go. Thanks, Dave

Beauport Bob, I plan to move molasses that is both diluted and heated (slightly, not cooked, but to help with dilution). What sort of pump would you recommend for that? And would it necessarily need to be different than the pump I'll use for moving my grain mash? (which I'm still trying to decide upon... recommendations there would also be greatly appreciated. I'll be utilizing corn, wheat, rye, and barley in my mashes and plan on using a hammer mill to grind it fine so as to optimize starch conversion and then distill on the grains, so the mash will have some particulate) Thanks in advance for any help you can give me! Dave

Hello, I'm in St. Louis and I'm looking around trying to find a used, nat-gas powered steam boiler that is in good working order. And obviously it needs to be relatively inexpensive to fit in my budget. Everything I've seen is $12-20+k. I'm looking for something in the 750,000-1,000,000 BTU range to heat my 500 gallon mash cooker and 200 gallon still. Up to 15 PSI (low/atmospheric pressure) is what my jacketed kettles are rated to. If it came with a blow down tank (if necessary) and/or a condensate return system, well that would be a huge plus. If you have a boiler, or maybe you're looking to size up and need to get rid of your current one, or if you know where one is, please let me know! Feel free to contact me off the forum at: David@still630.com Also, if you're in or around St. Louis area, and you know of a reputable, reliable, and cost-effective company to do the process piping for the boiler lines, please shoot me an email and let me know! Thanks, Dave

Hello all, I see that this topic has been idle for a few years now and as I'm about to be facing these same issues. My plan is to self-distribute for as long as I can, but I'm also well aware that it will be a ton of work running around to many different places with a relatively small amount of product for each. Yet, I'm hesitant to go through a distributor because I know that they won't push my product as hard or as WELL as I will. Has anyone has had any breakthroughs or epiphanies since you last posted that they can share? Thanks! Dave

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help point me to some facts and figures about the industry. I'm looking for numbers regarding total distilleries in the US, average number starting up per year, percent of overall spirit sales, trend analysis, etc, etc. Ideally where I could see it drilled down to be broken down to the individual state level. (similar to what is available for micro-breweries at My link in the "Business Tools" section. I didn't see it on the ADI site or the TTB, but perhaps I just missed it. Thanks in advance! Dave

Ralph, Still unsure about the exact location, but somewhere in/around St. Louis is my target area as I have family down there. I'd love to talk with you about your experience setting up so far some time if you'd be willing. Looking forward to meeting you in Portland! Good luck on the DSP! David

Greetings ADI community! My name is David Weglarz and I currently live in Chicago, but am planning a move to MO this year with plans to set up a small craft distillery. I've been perusing the site and forum for a few weeks now and I finally decided to stop being a fly on the wall and join the conversation. I'd like to start off by saying a hearty Thank You to all of you who have contributed to this wealth of information! I plan on drawing upon your knowledge in the future and I'm glad to have this resource available. I really appreciate the camaraderie rather than competition found on here. I'll be attending the MSU Workshop in Webberville, MI and the ADI Conference in Portland so I look forward to meeting many of you there! Cheers, David