HedgeBird

IMy understanding is that we need to be including all of the following information on each case: Serial number; Kind of spirits; Plant number where bottled; Date filled; Proof; Liters or proof gallons; Guess I am hoping to see how others are getting all that info on their cases (stickers, printed boxes, hand writing, etc.) or if I am not correct in my understanding.

hrm. Okay, what about just sharing what info you put on your case sticker? I assume some folks on here do actually put their bottles into cases?

Anyone want to share some images of what their case stickers/tags/labels looks like?

By "sweetcuts" do you mean multiple separate cuts of the hearts? I do this out of practicality as my hearts typically get collected into four 5 gallon contains, but the separation is arbitrary and not based on taste or flavor..

good to know...

Clear Boston Round Bottles: https://www.google.com/search?q=Clear+Boston+Round+Bottles&espv=2&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=rBpQU_jUF8OPyATo5oKgAg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1920&bih=936 Anyone making them in 750ML sizes?

My building is on the register as part of a group of tobacco warehouses in Lancaster City. It also caused no issue getting my DSP.

I would be concerned that this might actually help dry the barrel out more? Like when your hands are constantly getting wet and dry your skin drys out? Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. My barrel did stop leaking after two+ days! With this barrel I soaked it from the outside with my hot condenser water for a few hours before filling. Moving forward I will make sure to drive the hoops down before filling/soaking. Good times!

My experience with barrels is still limited at this point, and yesterday I filled my first leaker. It started out with a steady stream, and today its down to a drip every third second or so. The leak/drip seems to be from the side of the barrel right at or under the head ring. My research on wooden boats seems to indicate that it can take up to three days for wood to completely swell. Should I just wait it out and hope it stops on its own? Do I need to purchase some kind of barrel shmutz? Should I try driving up the head ring? Its a 53 gallon barrel and I have not had this issue with my other barrels from the same supplier. It has unfortunately set for a few months since I received it from the manufacture as well.

What I would like to know is how you can afford to use copper mugs in your tasting room!? Do you have a source/link for some reasonably priced ones?

On the aspect of cooling water exit temp; if your cooling water is running into PVC you need to make sure you keep it below 120F or you will start melting the plastic. I let my cooling water get up to 140F as its going into a concrete floor drain for 30 feet before hitting any plastic. Just something to keep in mind.. Just looked up the flash point chart and it seems my distillate temp is typically above that point for most of a run. The flash points of ethanol concentrations from 10% ABV to 96% ABV are shown below:[36] 10% — 49 °C (120 °F) 20% — 36 °C (97 °F) 30% — 29 °C (84 °F) 40% — 26 °C (79 °F) 50% — 24 °C (75 °F) 60% — 22 °C (72 °F) 70% — 21 °C (70 °F) 80% — 20 °C (68 °F) 90% — 17 °C (63 °F) 96% — 17 °C (63 °F)

I have an odd feeling one of these "other distilleries" may be me.. If it is, that's totally cool if you use the same bottle. I will just tell everyone who asks that your stuff is our low-quality discount line of products that we produce off site. ha ha, just joking. sort of...

I know I have used a solder on a still that turned dark in color in the past as well. I just tried digging though my collection of various solders to find this roll but no dice. When I started building stills I just used lead free plumbing solder, and then at some point I read that you should also avoid antimony. None of my local stores carried antimony free solder so I purchased about three rolls (various brand and melting points) on Amazon that where lead/antimony free. I know that zinc is sometimes used to create low melting temp solders and is said to be more susceptible to corrosion. I know I was specifically looking for high and low melting point solders at the time. I doubt you have anything to worry about, but Ursa's suggestion might put your mind at ease.

I have a large air compressor and it had to be inspected by state Labor and Industry; same guy that inspected my steam boiler. They required me to bolt it to the floor and add vibration pads. They also required specific clearances for front/back/sides, etc. I did not have enough space where it was located to meet the minimum clearances but was able to apply for a variance. Inspector said mine was only subject to inspection as it was not small/portable but he did not elaborate on what the size limit is...

In PA we sing selections of probation law every morning at breakfast, and im pretty sure the Anton computer was made in NY, not Maryland. But, all the same, congrats on getting your DSP!

sorry these are rough images, but the light in here right now is not so great.. from distillery into tasting room; from tasting room to distillery; from hallway into tasting room / coffee roaster space.. Just quarter inch mild steel bars and some old wood beams.. When I tried to describe what I wanted/was going to do to friends before I built these they though I was crazy.. "so like jail cell bars? why would you want to do that?!" Now everyone who comes in thinks they are original to the building and that they are the coolest thing ever

The name-plate on the mash tun fell off ages ago, but the matching dish-bottom fermenters say Speidel on them. All the tanks have DIN (European Thread Standard) fittings.

Hey John, I am in a similar situation in an old tobacco warehouse. I emailed the TTB specifically about this question before I built my separating walls. My goal was also to leave things as open as possible so visitors could see from the tasting room and other areas into the distillery production area. Here is what I emailed the TTB: Andrew Martin: I understand this must be an actual physical barrier that can serve to limit access. Obviously part of the idea behind locating a DSP and a Bar in close proximity is the ability of patrons to view the distilling equipment. Would the TTB allow for a structurally secure fence to be installed as a physical barrier between the spaces instead of a solid wall. For example, something along the lines of these five and a half foot high wrought iron fences Joan Carpenter, Specialist; Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): Generally the TTB likes to see floor to ceiling separation between the retail and bonded premises. Have you considered a plexiglass window? Several distilleries have used these to allow public viewing of the stills, etc. A 5 to 51/2 foot tall fence would not be considered adequate division. Andrew Martin: Thanks for the response and additional information. Would a fence/cage type separation be acceptable if it reached from floor to ceiling, and did not allow space for anyone to go over, under or around? Joan Carpenter, Specialist; Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB): That would do it! Let me know if you want to see pictures of the wall/bars I built, or if you would like me to forward you my correspondence. I think something like I did might look pretty cool in an old mill!

About two thirds of my sales are credit card transactions.. We sell by the glass/serve cocktails so I imagine my cash sales are higher because of that. I would guess that bottle sales are above 3/4 credit card.

Good point Smaug. Some days I feel like my floor was intentionally sloped away from my floor drains!

Not sure how big of a hose you need, but have you considered steam hose: https://www.google.com/search?q=high+temp+steam+hose&oq=high+temp+steam+hose&aqs=chrome..69i57.11560j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#q=high+temp+steam+hose&tbm=shop

I know this is not what you are asking; and I know how annoying it can be getting a bunch of responses that don't really answer the questions you are asking; but.... a good wet concrete/diamond saw should be able to cut though a ton of steel, two tons of other things and three tons of actual concrete. Even burning up a few expensive diamond blades should be cheaper than getting a whole new floor poured.

Mine is not the same as the one in the drawling, but same idea. I think mine was made/sold by Kothe previously and they changed suppliers or manufacturers or something like that and now what they show on there site is not exactly the same.. Mine was purchased used.

Also using Square. We have the Square stand (works with full size iPad), connected cash drawer, receipt printer and then also a iPad mini with the plug in reader as well. We do drinks and cocktails so the only thing I don't like about it is that you can not "start a tab" for someone and add to it along the way. Nor can you print a receipt that the customer signs/tips on; they must sign and tip on the screen. This is why we got the mini in addition to the register stand so we could allow people to pay at the bar without walking all the way around the bar to the register. Setup is easy, rates are good and payment is quick. So, not perfect for a bar setup, but awesome if not. My bar tenders also like the tip prompt/suggestion screen as some folks just automatically click 15% tip even when just purchasing a bottle.

Things customers say..