blackheart2

I have used RangeMe to get into the AAFES system (AAFES requires it).

RangeMe is an absolute fucking scam of the worst order. The VA somehow allowed them to be the gatekeeper for veteran-related/certified businesses and the bullshit they pull is absolutely shameful.  They want thousands of dollars to 'accommodate' 'introductions' to buyers.  Fuck that.  That's what your distributor does (when you lean on them).  

RangeMe is zero value added.  They will collect your sensitive personal and business data.  You will be absolutely hounded with calls and emails for the privilege.  

If I wasn't clear before, i am now: I hope they all die in a fire, and whoever empowered these assholes to do what they do for veteran businesses should do so as well.

Good fucking luck, BTW. Im a veteran business that has been applying for years. The AAFES/Class Six system is bullshit, arbitrary and very, very poorly run.

Eventually you'll be using QB.  Might as well start now.

pH, temperature indicators and their exactness, enzyme amounts, water quality, consistency of grains, there's a ton of relevant details missing here.

Plus, there are likely a hundred similar threads here.  

Depending where you are, water could be a problem.  That is if your starch conversions are solid.  Chloramines will halt a ferment super quick and the pH will take a dive.  Dont forget to try an iodine test to check for starch.   It helps.     

Well, that's one way to respond to a product introduction.  

Honestly, I doubt he'll bite and rise to the challenge. I'd love to be wrong, but . . . 

Show it to a local corrugated box manufacturer.  They can make them, easy.

We use a different supplier, but have seen serious manufacture defects recently as well.  We had to send an entire truckload back!  Mold (as in casting mold) was somehow off and the bottles were crumbling in the pack line!  Extremely frustrating to wait as long as we are to pay upfront and a premium for garbage!

It is summer here in SC, hot as hell and we're on a new (to us) water system.

Since it's so hot, the water supplier jumped up the inclusion of chloramines in the system.  We first picked up the change when we recently had a stalled ferment, and in an effort to re-pitch, we couldn't get a yeast starter to propagate.   Knowing the yeast and nutrients and starch conversions were ok, this meant the water was the culprit.  A quick call to the engineering dept of the water company confirmed it. 

We experimented with using Campden tablets (unknown whether they were sodium metabisulfite or potassium metabisulfite) and separately potassium metabisulfite, at a range of 0.010 to 0.005 grams per gallon.  Lower than 0.005 didn't diminish the chloramines and higher was too much for yeast to survive/propagate.  In fact, we really couldn't find the sweet spot that reduced the chloramines but didn't kill the yeast with Campden tablets or kmeta.  We used a chlorine test kit from Home Depot to check for available chlorine (vs. free chlorine). 

We pivoted to ascorbic acid and after a day or two of experimenting with ratios, we found the right dosage; 0.005 grams for 2 gallons.  Worked like a charm.  Cheap and available from amazon.  

We are upgrading our mash filling system to a GAC filter bed (an up-flow tank) and hopefully this will keep us on target.  

Hope this info helps if anyone else is dealing with this.  

OMG!  Just got the letter too!  This MF is straight UNSTOPPABLE

On 2/24/2022 at 8:44 PM, Geoman said:

We are interested in this boiler, but have few questions:

Is it still available?

You mention that you bought it a month ago, but how old is it?

Sincerely

 

It is sold.  Thanks

Its labor cost.  We've been churning through production people in the past year.  In spite of improving pay (a lot), working hours flexibility, equipment, etc.  Production is hard work.  People aren't really excited about hard work these days.  

I tried to go this direction but couldn't get the bottles we needed reliably.  Big potential cost savings and speed, for sure.  Talk to UKS on the capper.  We just bought a line off them and its doing the trick.

I am facing a similar situation.  I'd be curious to hear what the peanut gallery has to say.

It is SOLD

From what I have been told, the major domestic manufacturer, Piramal has sold their Missouri plant and moved their molds and production to existing operations in India.  They are not expected to have US inventory built back up until late this CY, if at all.  OI, Anchor have been taking up the slack in available inventory but cannot keep up.  

Add to this the cost of sea freight.  It has almost tripled this year.  So, the distributors of glass in the US, the people most of us buy bottles from, are facing scarcity and higher shipping costs to get what they can.  To us: a dry marketplace and higher costs (if you can get it). 

Hey folks!  It appears I was locked out of my account and cannot see any DMs you may have sent.  

If you are interested in this line, message me here or by email at DR at Sixandtwentydistillery dot com.

Cheers!