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brentondouglas

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brentondouglas last won the day on June 8 2018

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  1. Yes. It can certainly work. I've operated for a decade and distilled tens of thousands of gallons on two different stills (a 30 gal. and a 300 gal.) with the same Weil-Mclain natural gas steam boiler that I bought new on eBay for about $3000. I hired certified professionals to do the install and pipefitting and to do some minor upgrades over the years. We even moved this boiler from one location to a new location. It works reliably, day after day. When I started, I did not have the cash for an expensive boiler and I figured out how to make a cheap one work for me. Steam (even at the low pressures we use) is obviously dangerous. Just as distilling can be dangerous if done carelessly. In my opinion, the basics of steam generation and typical boiler controls should be understood by anyone operating a steam heated still. Dive in and do some internet learning about boilers and how they work. Maybe you can pick the brain of an HVAC buddy you may have. As to be expected, the "industry experts" are always likely to advise you toward more expensive options - That's because it's easy to, and it makes these folks feel smart and authoritative in doing so. Remember, distilleries have operated for hundreds of years - before modern plumbing, before electricity, before steam power, and certainly before computers. You do not need fancy equipment to make great spirits!!!! A basic boiler, like a Crown, can work and may be easier and relatively more inexpensive to repair and maintain. Keep in mind that you may not have as sophisticated of controls with a cheaper boiler. For example, the steam pressure may fluctuate more on a more basic system. The system might not be quite as efficient, etc, etc. Electric boilers are a good option for convenience, safety, and cleanliness (no flames, no exhaust, etc.). Gas boilers should be isolated in their own fireproof room away from any distilling and distillate storage. That being said, a gas boiler might be better now if you ever want to scale up from your current equipment. You could oversize your steam pipe to accommodate a larger boiler in the future. That all being said, if you are an owner/operator I recommend to keep your equipment small and simple and simply run your equipment more hours per day for as long as you can.
  2. I have 2 pallets available. Per pallet: 192 gallons 48 cases 4 x 1 gal. per case FOB $2880 ($15/gal) WHO FDA formula. 80% alcohol.
  3. SlickFloss - thanks very much for the input. Many people seem to think that Purell and other big manufacturers are not getting the job done fast enough. For instance, local hospitals, police, etc. have been reaching out to me directly looking for hand sani claiming they cannot get enough Purell right now. All I'm saying, is many of us have bottling lines that are immediately ready to go. Big alcohol might want to ask itself "How can we do better?"
  4. For distillers who want to immediately package hand sanitizer it seems the biggest bottleneck is alcohol supply. Our industry understands that the large manufacturers of alcohol (i.e. ADM, Poet, Valero, MGP, etc.) are producing on a daily basis more ethanol than we can likely imagine. Where is it all going? Why can't we get it to our community of distillers who have bottling lines ready to package hand sanitizer at this very moment? Who is buying all the alcohol? Why are they seemingly not turning it into hand sanitizer quickly enough?
  5. I started pretty much the same way you described in your original post. Weekend warrior. Very small operation (400 sq ft.). Very DIY. Bootstrapped, out of my own pocket. I worked a full time job for my first 3 years of business planning, renting space, buildout, permitting, and product development. The most money I had in my savings account at one time was about $22k. Luckily I was able to gradually scale down my shifts at my job as my distillery started to cash flow and grow and I was able to start paying myself. I dedicated all my spare time and money into this thing for 3 years before I was able to really take the plunge and distill full time. It was a difficult 3 years. Broken relationships. No vacations. No going out to eat. No spending money on anything but life essentials. But I didn't know any other way to do it. And, in the end, I pulled it off. Now, I've been distilling full-time for 5 years and I have 2 happy full-time employees. We're growing wholesomely, naturally, and without any outside investment whatsoever. And (kicks myself in the face) we stupidly have never opened a tasting room. I'm not saying the way I did it was the best or most graceful. But it is possible. And if this is the way you visualize it being possible for yourself, by all means, get started ASAP! Let everyone else follow the typical business plan and make another distillery eerily similar to so many others. Let your struggles help build your character and define your story. You don't need all the expensive equipment to make good product. Keep your overhead and investment in equipment minimized and plan on spending all your free time and spare money on this for years. You won't sleep much. Build the most basic and utilitarian "tasting room' as you possibly can. A tasting room is a great way to quickly generate cash flow. And ability to self distribute is amazing! Not only are your margins much better, but you can build tons of value into your distribution network. Survival = Success. Take the plunge!
  6. For instance, I just downloaded a public report from OLCC which documents: 1. the exact number of bottles sold in Oregon of every SKU of every distilled spirit product for the years 2016 and 2017 2. the total dollars sold in Oregon of each distilled spirit SKU for the years 2016 and 2017 It's interesting stuff. Some of the micro brands that are perceived as "successful" sell surprisingly low numbers. It helps me realize that micro distillers are totally wasting their psychic energy by feeling "competition" amongst each other. If only we could sell 1% of what Smirnoff coconut flavored vodka sells........
  7. The state of Oregon makes information on alcohol sales public
  8. Self-distribution rights are healthy for the industry. Not a perfect bill, but Illinois is working on it. Any support shown for self-distribution rights is appreciated. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2286&GAID=14&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=91&GA=100
  9. Sliding scale up to 100,000 PG is still my strong preference. And I reject the idea that a sliding scale is "too complicated" for anyone who has the capabilities to start and operate a DSP. I would hope that we all do everything we can to make sure small 1-person distilleries can start up and survive. Our "craft" market's appeal depends on a viable industry that offers variety and offers radical little distilleries making radical little products. I would prefer to not see a "craft" market full of distilleries skirting the 100,000 gal. line. Those distilleries would likely appear and function very similarly to each other and likely make our industry too boring to appeal to the next generation.........Right? ....Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but we can still improve upon this idea of lower excise taxes.
  10. Side note: There is no need to take stock in awards. Most brands have won awards and gotten gold medals. In general, the more awards a brand wins simply proves how many competitions they enter - not how good the product is. The entire tasting competition industry feeds off of distillers' insecurities and desire to be recognized. It's all not too dissimilar from how kindergarten teachers give all their students a gold star at some point throughout the school year.
  11. Blackheart, you can use zip code 60613 for estimating shipping. I can only use UPS. Thanks!
  12. Made by Pentair 1.5" pipe inlet/outlet inlet pressure gauge model: 156237 serial: 112249-1 Used only a few times pressure gauge will be removed and separately packed before shipping $250 + shipping For another $25 we will include the (2) 1.5"TC x 1.5"male pipe fittings.
  13. We have one workhorse of a burr grinder for sale. We used this thing for grinding gin botanicals for 2 years. Made by Bunn-O-Matic (legendary in their own right) originally as a coffee grinder. Easy to adjust the coarseness of grind. Hopper holds roughly 2 gallons volume. Customizations / Upgrades: 1. Replaced burrs (used for 6mo. with new burrs) 2. Industrial switch for motor 3. All unnecessary hardware has been stripped off This grinder is perfect for start-ups and R&D. $100 + shipping
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