Bolverk

Me too

Very steam punky

Nice thanks! Definitely an option

Thanks, Alex, I understand 1. I don't have this problem yet... I'm just trying to get in front of it in case I do... you know what they say, failing to plan, is planning to fail. 2. I do see what you're saying, and i appreciate your advice, but vacuum just isn't where I want to go.... it's not my style, not part of my story, and historically, it wasn't used to create the product I want to make. I guess I'll be just another shiny tank distillery.

Thanks all. Vacuum distillation doesn't really fit they style I'm going for, but I appreciate the comments.

Thanks for that, it makes a lot of sense I'm working on a new place, and I'll reach out when I'm closer to getting it nailed down. The perfect spot I working on was leased as I'm still trying to secure funds. I see what you're saying about dont skimp on the still. But man, if I were to go with the big well known Kentucky still builder, my equipment costs would be 5 times higher. As it is getting funding for the $400k I think I need using SD gear is already challenging enough, if I bump that up to $650k I'll never get the distillery off the ground. In the back of my head it was always to plan to get up and going with good affordable gear, then upgrade once the business could pay for the expansion.

I meant for things like agitators, pumps, etc. I get that the amp draw is still the same overall.

Yeah, that's something that someone else just kinda put in my ear as well. You can make damn near anything on a pot, but a column is more more limited. So the column of off the table for now. In thinking about this id only be at full power during warm up (which I could do early AM) then dial back power by for the run and that would give me more availability on the smaller 200a service. NG is still the goal, just exploring options. As for 3ph, does anyone know if a phase converter can be used or is that entirely up to the jurisdiction?

I use coconut oil as an anti foam for rum, it works great.

100% agreed, that is the goal. Just looking at options in case less than ideal becomes the only way.

Thanks all

It's low-pressure and it could be 100ft+ away in some places. I dont have the place yet, the one place i had in the works got leased out from under me, so im back to looking. I'm in AZ. Gas would absolutely be the preferable option, its just looking like the hardest one if I want a place that has any foot traffic.

The gas service to most of these places is either 1/2 or 3/4 (depending). I'm finding that most of them don't have gas at all, and propane and wood would be a hard no. A 10 hour run for 250g is the exactly the reason I'm questioning this, that is wildly inefficient. At the correct power that 250g run should only take like 5-6 hours including heat up. Yeah, the 250g has a track record of success. Everything I've read here on ADI, SD, and my own analysis supports that. Yeah you can do smaller, and there are success storys for sure. BUT everyone I've spoken with that started smaller (and is still around) wishes they started with at least a 250g. If my forecasts are accurate and I can make it to year 6, then I can build my own building and put in whatever services I want and then upgrade to 500g+

I ran the 100 gal with two batches per shift through my calculator and the scenario works, but just barely. I'd need to do 2.5-3 batches to meet my break even and put enough away for aging. This is less than ideal, but it'll at least get things off the ground. Or I do something like the SD 4" column that runs on the same power as a 100 gal pot and I can hit the production volume of a 250 gal still in an 8 hr period. I guess what I don't know is if I can get similar pot whiskey profiles pulling product lower on a column (think coffey style but with draw points on every level of the rectifier side).

I see what you're saying and that's a good idea. 250 a week gets me through my first year, then as business gets up and going it scales really well. Year 1, 1 run a week, year 2, 2 a week, etc... The other benefit to the 250 is it covers the 14 gal I'll need a week to break even, and leaves just enough to put away in barrels without more shifts (I'll still be working my day job for the first few years). If i do the 100 gal ill have maxed out my capabilities before the bulk of my aged product is really selling and I won't have the money to upgrade yet.

Howdy all, I'm hoping I can get your options/thoughts on this dilemma I'm having... I'm in the planning phase of my distillery. I know I'll need to process 250g of beer per week. A 250g pot/hybrid will absolutely work. A 250g pot has a track record of success and I can't argue that. But here's my challenge... all the commercial suites out here where I want to be located only have 200a services and no 3ph, and that means if I run enough power to heat the kettle in a reasonable time (36kw is still over 2 hours to heat up). I'll be just about maxed out on power with air conditioning, and other ancillaries and potentially be popping breakers. Unless I go gas, but none of the places I want to be located have a large enough gas service to support a boiler of adequate size, or these suites dont have gas at all. The alternative is a continous, it'll use less power, for the same processing volume/speed, but I don't know that it'll produce the heavier whiskey profiles I'm going for. There's also the marketing factor, pot stills seem to have far more allure and more of a connection to history (despite columns having been around for nearly 200 hundreds years). So do I use the pot and just I suck up running under powered and inefficiently, or do a column and potentially not be able to make the product as I want? I've kinda got decision paralysis, your thoughts would be appreciated.. Thanks in advance.

Yeah, looking like I'll have to move somewhere with a lot more distilleries

Thanks, that makes sense. I've reached out to the distilleries in my area, they aren't open to have someone around that isn't on the payroll and aren't looking to hire right now. I grew up working in the trades and was a handyman for a few years. I've worked in utility construction as an rf engineer for the last 20 years, with the last 10 spent in project planning and management. I'm pretty confident I could fix just about anything that comes up and what I dont know, I could probably figure out. At this point I'm ready to leave AZ for a new state... honestly, I just need someone willing to give me a shot.

Howdy all, I'm looking for help breaking into the professional side of distilling and I would love some recommendations on how to do that... it's not like I can put hobby distiller on a resume. Thanks in advance,

If your pelicule starts to sink your pH is low, add some oyster shells (or equivalent)

I'm with Kindred, on this one... I'd do closed fermentation and a cultivated dunder/muck pit if you really want to delve into the bacterial world. Hell you can even inoculate the pit with the bacterial cultures you want. The whole point of the pure acids approach is to make a more consistent product by removing the variables of live bacterial infections.

Thanks for that link, those 6 bbl portable racks are nice

Thanks for that! It kinda confirms the following... In speaking with whiskey historian, that low/incomplete conversion leaves more flavored starchy bits in your beer, thus leading to a more flavorable spirit. It makes sense now

I think a plate below the thumper is going to keep all the good stuff you want from carrying over into the thumper. If you're worried about too low of a proof id put the plate on the output... the Forsyth at Worthy Park has plates on the output of their final retort.

I'd put the backset/dunder in the boiler vs the thumper. The volatile acids will carry over from the boiler to the thumper, from there esterfy and then carry over into the distillate. I think the dunder in the thumper would carry over too many undesirables. Too much water in my opinion. If you mixed some deep tails and high tails you could have more alcohol diversity to create more interesting esters, but in my experience, you want to keep the ABV of thumper above 40-45% for successful esterification. Fun cousins process experiment... Take your lees (the thumper stillage), add lime (CaO) until you cant desolve any more in the liquid. Then reduce that down until it's just power. This is going to be your "lime salts" or "acid salts" really its calcified carboxylic acids. Then on your next batch add 10% of the salts by weight to your tails alcohol (for the thumper), add sulfuric acid until the esters bloom. Let this sit for 24 hours before using.