Golden Beaver Distillery

Yeah, figure total cost to open a retailer is cost of the product + $200 with no guarantee of re-order.

I've been in discussions with them. Still thinking on it.

But fungus can...you just want something that doesn't break down over time or cause damage to your system seals and pump.

We treat it with a fungicide. You don't change it out. We just add make up water to offset evaporation loss.

If you are going to be recirculating your cooling water in a closed system, you won't want to use it for mashing. You will have to treat the water to prevent algae from developing in the system. We use a 10 ton chiller from Advantage.

Reach out to Ferm-Solutions. They offer superior fermentation solutions including a high temp AA. Dr Pat Heist and his partner also own Wilderness Trail Distillery in Kentucky. No lab-coat BS, real world experience. They started 8 years ago doing one barrel a day and now produce 260+ per day. https://ferm-solutions.net

Get a FIP pump for your mash and air diaphragm pump for your spirits.

How much for a 500# system?

Yes, we have a 5,000 sq ft plant.

We recirculate two 1,800 gallon wine tanks for our cooling needs. We reversed flowed our chiller (chills the water not glycol). The chiller cools down one tank while we use the other. We've run 730 gal pot still, 300 gal pot still and 150 gal vodka still all at the same time with no issues.

Living the dream!!!

Yes Heaven Hill own the brands but TTB requires you to identify state the spirit is distilled in and bottled by. I want a new brand... The first thing you do is head over the US Patent and Trademark office and check on the name for your new brand. (Use TESS to conduct the search) If the name you want is available spend the $300 and file for a trademark under class 33. Next distill or blend your new spirit. Create and file a COLA with your new brand - will require a formula too in most cases. Start selling. You can have all the brands you want under your DSP but you will have to list that it was distilled/bottled under your DSP on the label.

Huge thanks to all that gave advice - special thanks to @Silk City Distillers for his time and @Southernhighlander for making it right with some additional parts. More tweaking will have to be done with the new parts coming in but I'm confident we can get better output rate and even higher proof.

Sold

I tried calling you but no answer. Making adjustments to our cooling circuit to slow the flow down. I have run a column before - you spec'd this system off our need to upgrade and increase our vodka production. Will try calling you again tomorrow. Thanks for being proactive on the Danfoss swap out. Kris

We have run it just as suggested above several time to date. We can balance the plates and start a flow at 180 proof. The minute you engage the bypasses/Danfoss and try to increase the proof, the top plate floods or production is diminished to a trickle with no increase in proof. We stepped on the input water pressure today and got better control but proof never got higher then 184. We're starting with doubled distilled distillate at 100 proof. Going to put on a pressure regulator with gauge on the cooling water this afternoon so we have an actual PSI measurement. This should help allow the gate valve to have a higher range of adjustment. I think the output volume of an 8-inch column is too low to use the Danfoss. Just not enough BTU moving through the system to justify the functionality of the Danfoss.

@whiskeytangoThis is double distilled distillate @ 100 proof / 100 gallons in 150 gallon pot. Should be no issue.

As I stated in an earlier post we've started with all three bypasses engaged. We will try again today but also reducing the incoming water flow pressure per @Silk City Distillers observation.

We just bought the whole setup including the Danfoss valve from you last month...the valve is working correctly as far as we can tell (it's engaging and opening). The issue I see is that the Danfoss is useless if the condenser is not cooling distillate. If we can't get output without flooding the top plate, there is no distillate to cool and condense so the valve operation is mute. Am a pot still guy, not a column guy. I'm sure we're missing something but it's just not apparent to us.

It is your still. As I stated in my reply to @Silk City Distillers & @Stumpy's I can get the columns balanced with no output but I increase the temp on the Danfoss or up the boiler temp, the top plate floods and overflows. Extremely frustrating - I think we have tried every combination to affect the output with no result. (expect knocking down the cooling water flow). Getting desperate because we have vodka orders we need to fulfill ASAP.

There is not enough room between the condenser and the column to install as illustrated - that is why it's reverse from illustrated but the flow is maintained as diagrammed. This still flows from right to left, too.

@Silk City Distillers @Stumpy's it's an integral. We run the cooling water into the condenser, out via the Danfoss sensor assembly, then into the second dephleg and finally into the first dephleg and out to the return. We run a recirculated cooling water system using two 1800 gallon wine tanks cooled to 55F. We switch tanks once we hit 65F. The system operates at 75 psi. I can get both columns balanced (equally loaded plates) but no output. I try to increase heat input or raise the dephleg temp the top plate floods and overflows. The water pressure maybe too high and needs to be throttled back. Another ideas? Thanks

Anyone running their column and modified pot still with a Danfoss valve? We're having issues and want to make sure it's not us before I re-plumb everything.

Again, Moonshine University or ADI offers a noising for faults now and then.