Lenny

I'm in the process of converting a 400 gallon single wall ss tank into a mashtun. In terms of screen material to fabricate a false bottom from, I've been looking at some perforated stainless sheets from McNichols (http://www.mcnichols.com) — specifically, this stuff (image below)... McNICHOLS_R Quality Perforated Metal, Round Hole, Stainless Steel Type 304, 16 Gauge, Mill Finish, 3/32" Holes on 5/32" Centers, Staggered Pattern, 33% Open Area, Sheet, 36.0000" Width x 96.0000" Length Item#: 1833531638 TOTAL*: $274.08 I figured I'd have a local/reputable metal guy cut the sheet into 2 half circles and weld on some support braces and legs. Would this screen be appropriate enough for lautering a mash of barley/wheat/rye and the like? I'm feeling like something thicker than 1/16 (16 gauge) would be better but I'm not seeing much else out there. Is there anything else that might be recommended by others who've already done this sort of thing?

Good deal, Ben. I'm curious to hear the result of your research, and I thank you in advance for posting your findings. I'm looking into a similar setup for a 140 gallon pot still. I've been trying to sort out potential delivery pressure with my gas company to determine an appropriate 300k btu burner for my set up. It's looking like I'll be into it for around 1-2k dollars -- which is a bit more than I expected for a burner (but hey... what doesn't cost more than expected?)

I've dealt with Mile High in the past and own a small stainless still that can be clamped to a sanke keg. The do really nice work (beautiful welds) and will do a custom build for you if you require it. I've also scene large scale versions of their stills used in a production environment. The distillery had them fabricate a rather large column and condenser (aprox. 5x the size of their hobby stuff), packed the length of the column with copper, and attached to to a 55 gallon ss barrel that is heated with electric element(s). It seems like a really nice solution that costs a whole lot less than many other options out there. It's pretty bare bones, but hey... it's a still — not a hadron collider. I can't speak of any of the other manufacturers of smaller stills/still heads but I would recommend giving mile high a call.

Might be worth reaching out to Scott Moore (scott@dalkita.com) — he's a Denver based architect who, as far as I've understood, has done a good bit of work for both Downslope and Stranahans. I don't know that he's done much in the way of traditional rickhouse design but he could be a good resource for you on the project.

I'd highly recommend the 2 day class offered by Downslope. In addition to giving you a good reason to visit Colorado, Mitch and Andy are a wealth of information and can lend invaluable insight to all things craft distilling. Downslope runs a really interesting operation — If you were to attend, I'm confident that you'd pick a good bit more than you might expect from a two day class.

Pete, I can't offer any direct insight on this, but I've scene such a system run by Steve Viezbicke at Boulder Distillery & Clear Spirit Company. Pretty cool set up he's got going over there. I've considered reaching out to him for some sugestions on how to do something similar but haven't done so yet. If I recall correctly, his setup utilizes a single keg/boiler for each 50-100 gallon vessel. the kegs are heated with an electric element and I believe it's a direct steam injection. If I find out more info on this or do any similar experimentation I'll let you know.

I've been curious about the Fermentis line of yeasts for distillation: http://www.fermentis.com/FO/70-Spirits/70-20_whisky.asp Haven't yet looked into who else might be distributing this stuff but had intentions of doing so in the near future.

Quick tangent from the original intent of Seth's post: No disrespect intended, Bluestar - i've noticed you post with helpful intentions before. I do take issue though, with the type of response that instructs someone to essentially go lean something first. Preparing to take the plunge into craft distilling (or any endeavor) requires a ton of research in various forms. Reading, hands on experimentation, questioning/speaking with others in the industry, and... scouring the Internets (specifically this forum) for bits of information. The guy's asking a question... If one has the time to answer with a legitimate and productive answer, great. In my opinion, there is not a whole lot of value given to an answer along the lines of 'do some reading'. Who does that really serve? Not Seth and not for those that might be searching for information on the topic of Product Reduction Ratio and come across this thread. I guess it's just my opinion that this forum stands best as a repository of invaluable information on craft distilling -- which can be expanded on by those who generously offer their time and knowledge to it. Thank you Denver Distiller for continuously taking the time to contribute your knowledge. I hope to eventually reach a a similar authoritative stance on all things distilling - and have the time to contribute in a productive manner. -lenny

I just called up and grabbed the very last one. Sorry to leave any others who might have been interested high and dry on that one — but I'm pretty stoked! Thanks for the tip, Dave.

The full url seems to work: www.hillbillystills.com

I'd think that McMaster Carr would be the best bet but I've heard mention of these guys offering up some good solutions for false bottoms and the like... http://www.johnsonscreens.com/content/maltingbrewing

In this instance, I suspect it's diastatic power

If you aren't able to turn up any classes in the mid-atlantic area, you might want to consider shooting out to Colorado for Downslope Distilling's weekend classes in Feb. and March. See Mitch's post: http://adiforums.com/index.php?showtopic=1424 Flights from Philly to Colorado can usually be had for around $300, there are at least 5 other distilleries on the front range that you could visit, and you'd be getting a vacation from all that snow (okay, that's a lie). -lenny

I can't comment with authority on this since I don't have a legit dsp licensed and running yet, but I'll offer up opinion and my own intentions based on what I've encountered -- In my early consideration/planning stages I visited and spoke to a bunch of craft distilleries of various sizes around the state. I found quite a few that operated on a fairly small foot print. Some of the more compact operations... Montanya, Mancos Valley and from what I understand, 303 vodka initially started with a small space before expanding (I'd guess that they are around 2.5k right now). I'm planning on starting really small - 902f2 with an additional 400f2 of usable loft space. There is a ton of adjacent space In the building my space is in that I can expand into if things lead that way after the first year. For a shoestring operation I feel like staying small and nimble is going to be key (for me). Additionally, the options in my town are rather limited. If you are trying to keep costs down and the 1,600 square foot facility could be expanded upon, I'd expect that you should be able to get up and running in it just fine, and grow out as need be. Sucks to pay for space that you don't necessarily need to use right from the get go, but if you've got the funding to go bigger and there are indeed other options in your area then bigger might save you some hardship down the road. But then again... what do i know? I'm just plodding along with confidence that my vision will prove to be legit - we'll see soon enough. Best of luck to you.

I'm looking for a solution for a 3-5 bbl mash tun on a budget. Nothing fancy — Doesn't need to be jacketed (likely going for a single infusion. I figured a dairy tank of some sort would be the best option but I'm not terribly familiar with the brands/styles that are out there. In my limited experience and understanding, I'm thinking I'd like to shoot for something more on the squat side that tall with a flat'ish bottom to facilitate a well placed false bottom. I plan on mashing barley, wheat and rye and lautering in the same vessel. Anyone have any recommendations on what I might want to look for and where i might want to look? I've snooped around the probrewer classifieds for a while now and haven't turned up squat. Any insight or advice would be much appreciated.

I'm working on a low $ solution to power an 80 gallon still. It's looking like I'll have access to three phase power, standard wall voltage and gas. From what I understand, direct fire with gas seems to be one of the lower cost methods of powering a still on the cheap and easy (albeit not super efficient) but I'm not super keen on the lack of precise temp control. Not ruling it out, but I'm inclined to find other options if feasible. I've got a healthy fear of electric and all that goes along with the rigging of it, but i've read some account(s) of 3 phase power being a decent solution for powering a small still — If I were to pursue this route, I'm not quite sure how best to make use of the three phase. Any recommendations? I have been thinking along the lines of the following solutions... 1. porting in 3-4 cartridge heaters directly into the pot 2. wrapping the still with heat tape 3. building a mini steam generator from a sanke keg and heating that with an element or cartridge - and ultimately running a steam coil into the base of the pot. If anyone has any insight/recommendations/experience I'd love to hear it.