HedgeBird

9 hours ago, SlickFloss said:

Agree with Jocko. You should be able to work backwards through your supply chain to find the appropriate solution for your equipment set. If you have piecemeal together used sets of equipment thats where excess information can assist the community in assisting you. Have received not quite excess information on your process yet.

I would contact manufacturers and verify your specs are in range where they should be and move from there. Sounds like an over carbonation problem though from someone a thousand miles away without enough information. 

To say our setup is piecemeal is probably an understatement   That said we are using a filler with a Co2 purge and have tried things in spec and out of spec of the manufactureres recomendations.  The operating peramenters are pretty much limited to a recomended PSI to push the liquid to the filler. Adjusting the tank PSI seems to have minimal effect on the foaming.  And to be blunt I have every intention and hope of running this litte machine at a higher PSI then recomended to speed things up.  As mentioned in my other reply, issue seems to be with sugared products speficially, and my current working assumption is that co2 breakout is not the main issue we are experiencing, but it is possible I am wrong..  I have though about trying to carbonate a batch with beer-gas (60% co2 40% nitrogen) instead of straight Co2, as thats what many/most bars are using on beer tap system to help reduce foaming...

9 hours ago, SlickFloss said:

Aside, a former colleague of mine and myself took a road trip through Pennsylvania the year they had ACSA. We stopped at thistle finch and I loved your facility. I have a silly picture of myself near your "grain hole" [that's what we affectionately called it!] on my wall in my office here to this day. Great cocktails. Personally I love owner operator manufactured stills. Absolutely love your spot. Believe I have a nice decanter of yours as well? Cheers Hedgebird!

Well thats hella awesome!  I did most of the renovations/build-out/finishing/etc myself on the evenings and weekends back when I had my old day job before we got open so its nice to hear people like the space.  We normally call it the grain shute, but grain hole works too!  Somehow the built from scrath still is still kicking 10 years later but she is due for a kettle replacement/upgrade sooner than later..

Still stock those decanters!

9 hours ago, jocko said:

Be careful, the "cap on foam" is a key part of keeping oxygen out of the can and preserving the contents.  We want enough foam to start ozzing out undwer the cap before it hits the seamer.   If there's too much breakout, it could be over-carbed or have other issues in the lines.  

A bit of cap is fine, but we currently have too much on the sugar heavy products specifically.  We are also using a filling machine with a CO2 purge cycle.  Product does not seem over-carbed (we are under carbed if anything) and we are managing to get the liquid down to about 28f when it hits the can so I dont think its a CO2 foaming issue, but more a sugary product foaming issue.  (could be wrong)  My understanding is that most/all soda manufacturers use a silcone antifoam, specifically Dimethylpolysiloxane.

Anyone have any suggestions or experience with Anti-foaming agents for canned cocktail production?  Specifically looking to reduce foaming during can filling...

What type of top/finish does it have?  Screw top or cork?

On 7/22/2021 at 10:53 PM, miking1834 said:

Also, would take some 1 Liters with 28-350 tops if any out there, seems a bottle shortage is starting to happen...

Im about a day away from pulling the trigger on some plastic bottles at this point.  I have shaken every tree I know at this point, and there just are not any out there...

bump!

You did not specify the condenser material used with each still...  Does the copper still have a coper condenser and the stainless still have a stainless condenser? Are you doing any cleaning or flushing of the condenser between runs? The still I built originally had a copper condenser and changing this over to stainless is probably the best improvement I have made...  Copper for the vapor column going up and stainless for the condenser for the vapor/distillate coming down..  

This basically has all the info one needs to get started:
https://www.lcb.pa.gov/Wine-and-Spirits-Suppliers/Managing-Existing-Business/Documents/Policies_and_Procedures_for_Wine_and_Spirits_Vendors.pdf

"The PLCB reviews listing proposals twice a year for regular stock items, which are products available for sale at all brick-and-mortar FWGS stores. Listing proposals are only accepted during the open listing periods. Listing periods are announced via email to all vendors on our distribution list. To request addition of an email address to the distribution list, please contact the Product Selection team. Each listing email announcement contains instructions, a New Item Submission Sheet and deadlines specific to each listing period."

Anyone know if Dave is out of the biz?  He seems to have disappeared..

Anyone have any extra/excess Piramal 750ML Philly Flasks they want to unload?  Probably a long-shot, but figured its worth asking.

Any suggestions out there for suppliers on fairly generic 1 liter glass bottles?  Ideally looking for ones with a 28-3500 top as that is what we are currently using, but having a hard time getting inventory from our current supplier.

Thanks!

http://www.kelleybarts.com/PhotoXfer/ReadMeFirst/UnderstandingPredictingPotstillRun.html

The chart on this page is basically the same info as Meerkat's table but I think makes it easier to visualize.  It also contains info on the alcohol concentration you get/produce at the various boiling points.   If I was teaching a class on distillation it would probably start with this chart. 

Mostly for the sake of argument....  

16 hours ago, SlickFloss said:

as for a packaged product: Marketing is going to be your downfall here.

If like the original poster mentioned they are receiving requests, then there is no need for marketing.  People call or email asking for alcohol for disinfecting; you reply that you have 140 proof beverage alcohol that you have an approved TTB beverage alcohol label and that you have paid the federal excise tax on.  "Its 70% alcohol and 30% water; is that what you want to buy from me?"

Its a product that we are legally allowed to sell (high strength beverage alcohol) that is materially the same as a product we are not allowed to sell (denatured disinfecting alcohol solution).

17 hours ago, SlickFloss said:

However you are not legally allowed to tell people it can be used as a sanitizer because it is not registered, even if you are making an approved formula that someone else owns and is literally just alcohol and water at the approbate concentration

So is it only illegal for someone selling 70% beverage alcohol to say it could be used as a surface disinfectant, or is it illegal for everyone to say that?

On 5/30/2019 at 11:02 AM, kleclerc77 said:

However, I was reading an old handbook from Seagram's last night (attached) that had a very different mashing protocol for rye. I realize that they have the small percentage of malt(barley) in the mash from the get-go,

Our protocol is actually similar to this.  Malt goes in first, and we keep the temps low.  (not having to heat to 180+ saves time and energy, not having to cool from 180+ saves time and energy.)  Our efficiency is probably on the lower end, but we ferment out in three days and grain is not crazy expensive.  Snagged us a best in category on our Bonded Rye this year

On 5/2/2020 at 12:58 PM, CalwiseSpirits said:

Thanks to all the hard work we've all been doing over the past month, I'm starting to see hand sanitizer reach its saturation point. However, the product I've found to be in demand now is ethanol that can be used for sanitizing surfaces. I've been getting quite a few requests lately. I understand that packaging ethanol and labeling it for surfaces makes it a pesticide and requires EPA approval. Has the EPA or another federal agency removed any of the roadblocks that currently prevent us from doing this? I saw a document recently that talked about labeling denatured spirits - I thought it was one of the FDA advisory documents but I don't see it now. Can we just denature ethanol with the 40B formula and bottle it up in jugs?

Another option you might consider:

Submit for a new TTB label with minimal info for 140 proof neutral spirits (labels are going very quick these days).  Bottle the 140 proof and pay the excise tax (excise tax is cheap enough at the moment to be a minimal factor in pricing).  Let people know its basically very strong, very bad vodka, but what they do with it is their decision.  Point them to the following info from the CDC:

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends daily disinfection for frequently touched surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks. The CDC also recommends the use of detergent or soap and water on dirty surfaces prior to disinfection. Solutions of 70% alcohol should ideally be left on surfaces for 30 seconds. Containers of 70% alcohol should be sealed to prevent evaporation. But unlike bleach solutions, they will remain potent as long as they are sealed between uses. A 70% alcohol solution with water will be very harsh on your hands and should not be used as a substitute for handwashing and/or hand sanitizer. 

12 hours ago, Ethan Cantor said:

Available by the tanker (MOQ 8k gal) or in totes (MOQ 6k gals).

Is that 6,000 gallon totes, or do you also have 270 gallon totes?

70% abv (give or take) is the ideal proof for alcohol used as a disinfectant spray.  That’s a lower proof than 151.  Just get a new label, bottle, pay the FET..  Other than the new COLA I can’t see why we would need additional approval??

If someone was doing a huge volume perhaps it would make sense to denature it to avoid the FET.  At that point it’s not beverage alcohol and maybe then would need additional approval?

8 hours ago, Robert Williams said:

These are the prices this stuff is being sold for in bulk, and you cannot compare it to retail pricing of materials at a CVS.

yeah, why would anyone want to consider retail prices when making a wholesale purchase??. </snark>
 

Sounds like you got left holding the bag on some sanitizer speculating..

On 4/8/2020 at 1:45 PM, Robert Williams said:

$5,500 per 55 gallon drum or $100/gallon.

Get bent dude.  

I’ll just buy it on Amazon at half that price and save some money by dumping 55 of them into my own empty drum..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B085CM79M7/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A2S5SG4CMI156J&psc=1

or get the same from the sellers own site for $30 a gallon..

https://www.bulkapothecary.com/product/raw-ingredients/unscented-bases/unscented-hand-sanitizer-gel-base/

5 hours ago, richard1 said:

1  Increase outer tube ring qty from 6 to say 8.  You have space for this.

This website helps with layout of internal tunes: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/smaller-circles-in-larger-circle-d_1849.html

21 hours ago, perfection said:

 I would like to know whether repeated distillations in a pot still could produce neutral spirit with almost no congeners identical to a continuous still

Yes, it is *possible* to get neutral spirit from repeated distillations on a pot still.  It is not however practical or really safe to do so..

21 hours ago, perfection said:

Do/can continuous stills produce neutral spirit in a single run? or are they also rectified to get neutral spirit? 

Some continuous stills are designed to get finished product on a single run, others are not and require further distillation.

I have also though about hunting down an old steam radiator or two and plumbing it/them to our steam boiler.. I assume the low pressure boiler we have is basically the same unit one would use for a medium sizes building heated with steam radiators where they run the boiler 24/7 over the winter?

20 minutes ago, JNorris said:

Taxes are realized when the bottled product leaves your DSP.  

Would it not be more accurate to say that taxes are typically due on all product that has been removed from bond at the end of the calendar quarter during which they where removed, from bond, not from your DSP.  Presuming the tax cut is not extended you will want to remove from bond all product that you can prior to the end of the year. 

If your able to bottle 1,000 750ML bottles at 80 proof now (even if you wont need them till sometime in 2020) and remove those bottles from bond prior to the end of the year you will be saving about $1,711.83 in Federal Excise Tax on those bottles..

On 10/28/2019 at 11:51 AM, Southernhighlander said:

Why does the still pot have a brassy color?

Not sure why, but it seems its that way on other Mueller stills as well.

10 hours ago, Seth B. said:

Is this license transferrable out-of-state or does it have to stay in CO?

I would give this helpful article a read before purchasing an already issued permit over just filing yourself.
https://hopsandvine.net/types-amendments-to-a-ttb-federal-basic-permit-guidance/

You can also view current processing wait times for a new DSP here: (looks like about 90 days currently)
https://www.ttb.gov/nrc/statistics-original-applications-to-operate

From the linked article:

Change in Premise Location
The first type of amendment is a change in premise location with respect to the original permitted premise. The biggest limitation with this type of amendment is where the new premise will be located. Are you moving across state lines? If so, then this amendment is not an option and TTB will require you to submit a new application altogether. For example, if you distilled spirits plant is licensed in Alabama and your new premise is in Florida, you will not be able to file a change in premise location amendment; you will need to file an original application for a distilled spirits plant with TTB.