Some detailed questions on Distilling

[scohar]

Hello all,

I am working on my business plan, and I have a few detailed questions about the process of distilling. I would be most thankful or any guidance:

1. For a 1000 gallon beer run, Bill Owens' book suggests you can expect something like 60 gal of spirits after two distillation runs, with approx 100 gal of feints. I know that you can add the feints back into the next beer stripping run, but my question is this: Don't the feints eventually accumulate? Wouldn't you then pull MORE feints out of this next run? And more, and more as you go? Do people find that feints accumulate and thus need to be disposed of?

2. When you're done with the distillation runs, I'm assuming what's left in the still is largely water and other impurities. It looks like it could be several hundred gallons per run. Is this safe to dispose of this in the sewer, or must it be handled with EPA care? Can it be recycled in any way? (Steam boiler, etc?)

3. Is it commonplace to sell spent grain to farms? Can you charge for it, and if so, how much? Or is it just given away freely?

Thank you.

Scott

[cowdery]

I can answer no 3. Disposal of spent mash is one of the biggest problems all distilleries face. If you have local ranchers who will reliably pick it up on your schedule, that is of huge value to you. If you can get them to pay for the privilege, more power to you, but you'll probably be lucky to give it away. Getting them to haul it away when you need to get rid of it is the rub and much more valuable than anything they might pay you.

[scohar]

Thanks, Chuck

I can answer no 3. Disposal of spent mash is one of the biggest problems all distilleries face. If you have local ranchers who will reliably pick it up on your schedule, that is of huge value to you. If you can get them to pay for the privilege, more power to you, but you'll probably be lucky to give it away. Getting them to haul it away when you need to get rid of it is the rub and much more valuable than anything they might pay you.

[coop]

Thanks, Chuck

Here is what we do at Colorado Gold Distillery in Cedaredge Colorado.

1. First we purchase all our grains from the local farmers, cheaper than local co-op.

2.We give a certain amount to the local 4-h, or FFA to help the kids in return we have a young girl who is raising livestock come to the distillery for 4 hours a week to work for us in return for the feed.

3. We sell all the balance of the grains back to the farmers for feed at a cost of 70% below market price. They frunish the containers to us, we fill them and load onto their trucks when the pick it up. WE all win. Coop

[Jonathan Forester]

Yeah, but you have a REALLY good deal going there Coop. Not everyone is so lucky. I'm setting up to have a local farmer raise Berkshire hogs on my spent grains, trub, pomace, etc.. Imagine those nice fat little piggies. Maybe I'll throw some spent beer their way as well.

Here is what we do at Colorado Gold Distillery in Cedaredge Colorado.

1. First we purchase all our grains from the local farmers, cheaper than local co-op.

2.We give a certain amount to the local 4-h, or FFA to help the kids in return we have a young girl who is raising livestock come to the distillery for 4 hours a week to work for us in return for the feed.

3. We sell all the balance of the grains back to the farmers for feed at a cost of 70% below market price. They frunish the containers to us, we fill them and load onto their trucks when the pick it up. WE all win. Coop

[Jonathan Forester]

Everyone has different ways of doing things depending upon local zoning, type of equipment, and type of spirits. For me, I'm using very old style pot/alembic stripping and spirit stills. This controls a lot of my actions. Most people are using batch hybrid stills like Carle or Holstein.

As for number 2, that depends mostly on where you are located and the local zoning laws. We can put watered-down still leavings down the drain. We gave samples to the local water and waste treatment authority and they were satisfied it wasn't an issue.

But in agricultural areas, areas with septic systems, etc. you will most probably have to put in a gray water disposal system.

For number one, when you keep adding the feints (heads and tails) back to the spirits run, the ethanol gets pulled out and used, the foreshots should be collected , not added to the feints, and used as cleaning fluid, or added to your cooling system as antifreeze, or discarded. The tails and heads part of the feints builds in intensity, creating your house flavor.

When you have too much of the feints you distill them separately and you can get some really excellent spirits out of it, the "Distillers Private Reserve."

Then add the feints back to the feints tanks for further use. You can also discard what you don't need, watering it down like the still leavings or however else you discard of them.

[scohar]

Jonathan, you rock!! Thanks for the information. This is exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for.