DSW

Good thought. No sulfites though. 

Hi all, we are distilling cider that was fermented by a local cidery. The cider was made from mostly cultivars (not sure which). It was chapped up to around 18 Brix with sugar and fermented dry using a fruit wine yeast (Scott Lab V1116). No pectic enzyme was used. I'm getting an enormous heads cut, and there is an aggressive headsy astringency pervasive throughout the entire run (pinches the nose). 

The cider was stripped and then run through a pot with a partial dephlegmeter (Slightly open). The charge was 319 Wine Gallons at 99.63 proof. 

Thoughts on roughly what I can expect to collect as heads? 

Thanks.

We've been using a honey syrup (1:1) to do a portion of the proofing down. I'm using 1.5% of the honey syrup on a volume basis. The honey doesn't contribute as much flavor as I'd like, but anything over 1.5% starts to get murky and yellowish.  

Hi all, we are doing a custom gin for a retail client. They want honey in the finished product. I've never done an Old Tom. Thoughts on how much honey we should use on a % volume basis? Cheers. 

Hi all, my washes consistently finish out between 1.03 and 1.02. They never go lower, but they taste dry. I've read differing opinions on whether the inability to go lower is a product of unfermentables in the molasses (some say yes some say no). Obviously I'd love to get lower. Thoughts.

Thanks John. Great analysis. Final Question: Given that you use flour I'm assuming you have found no discernible difference in flavor?

Have you encountered any issues with mold?

We are also going the super sack route, and I want to make sure there is nothing I'm missing.

Interesting. The other gins I've mixed with tonic do not floc (with the exception of one). Any idea what causes it.....more importantly, ways to correct it (outside of the usual..i.e., reduction in botanical charge, cuts, etc). I suppose I'm o.k. with some slight cloudiness in a G & T, but it's not ideal.

Oddly enough, I'm getting floc only when tonic is added. Regular filtered water has no effect. Anyone else have this issue?

Much appreciated.

Hi Folks, I can't seem to find any useful guidelines on what to pull gin off the still at. Intuitively, I would think in the 170-180 range for maximum cleanliness/clarity and perhaps to avoid louching, but I've seen literature that suggests the 160 range. Thoughts would be appreciated. Cheers

Aside from practical considerations (i.e., processing spent stillage), is there any reason why you wouldn't grind to flour (or get grain in flour form?)? In my experience, no amount of exploding, cracking, etc of a coarse grind can you get you a flour yield. Most importantly: Does the pulverizing necessary to create flour affect taste? Put another way: Does a coarse grind yield a better tasting product? Thanks in advance.

Anyone have advice on a good system for screening the stillage? Is it even necessary to screen? Would it be inappropriate to simply let it cool and then pump it into the fermenter or cooker?

Hello all. I'm tired of scrubbing my mash tank by hand after a rum wash. Does anyone have any good tips for removing molasses?