Absinthe Pete

I'm going to build a still and need to know about steam heating it. So the tank I'm going to use is 200 gallon and I can either build a jacket around it or make it easy on myself (maybe) and use some sort of coiled tubing inside the tank. So my question is what do you guys think? Jacket it or use some stainless tubing inside the tank to heat up the wash with steam? If I use a coil any suggestion on diameter, how many times it coils around and shape and placement of it inside the tank? I have a full machine shop and weld stainless all the time. The steam generator we're going to be using is around 175,000 BTU. Thanks.

Currently what is the law in California for tastings inside the distillery? Can you do tastings to the public inside the distillery? Because what I've heard from the guys up at the Petaluma distillery you CAN NOT, but I know of a California Distillery that does tastings. I won't name names so I don't get anyone in trouble. I believe Hanger One in Alemeda does tastings and charges for them, but I think they are different entities in terms of businesses.

Have you run this model, I don't want to sound rude or critical but that liebig arm seems awefully small and short. You have to remember when vapor moves from a large diameter into a smaller diameter it speeds up and can therefore make it mostly way through that condenser without gettting condensed. Unless you have something in the path that can disrupt the flow. Let alone having enough surface area to properly cool the amount of vapor coming out of the lyne arm. Plus you would need more water in the jacket to sufficiently cool.

Very interesting read. I'm going to go get some info from the TTB.

I'm working on my biz plan and need alternatives for some supplies just incase I run out and need to get them quick. Where would I get locally food grade lye and citric acid for cleaning out the still? I'm in the San Francsico Bay Area, but mostly looking for general places that would carry this sort of thing.

Now I know it's a scam. A LOT OF SCAMS INVOLVE paying you some money then having you pay for somthing else... THIS is totally a scam. The simplest is this scenario. A gentlemen wants to buy a Motorcylce and all he has is a cashiers check for $28,000, he says it's from a settlement of some kind, but the Motorcycle is only $15,000. So he wants you to pay him $18,000 back and get the motorcyle. What happens is the fund fall through some how a month later when your bank finds out. He doesn't care about the item but the money you pay him back.

I would also like to state the obvious. Most people don't know that Money Orders, Western Union and Cashier's Check can be forged. I don't just mean a fake looking check, but it goes through at your bank. The problem is because it's drawn on a European, usually, bank your bank deposits it into your account you wait a few days and think it's legit. Then 2 months later you bank gets it's bounced back from the European source as fradulant and your money is taken back. So just becareful. A lot of people think a cashier's check is as good as money and once its cashed your good to go, not always the case.

What kind of products are you making or want to make?

If you're serious, shoot me a PM and we can talk about it. I make custom equipment. Give me some general dimensions such as largest and smallest bottle and cork size and overall width.

I'm not trying to be annoying, but if this is what you really need to know, you have a lot more reading to do. It can't be answered without a whole host of other information. I suggest you start reading this website and others until you get a firm grasp of what you're trying to accomplish.

When our city switched over I did a bit of research, Chorine, if left alone will just burn off into the atmosphere if left for 24 hours, choramine doesn't so it does have to be filtered out or neutralized. Not sure how to do that for a professional sake but for my personal wine making I just use an in line refrigerator carbon filter. If using choramine water for pet fish it has to be treated and the pet store sell a tablet for that.

Actually, a lot of the Scots use direct fire to heat their stills so as to get a nice carmelization of residual sugars still left in the wash, or at least that's the way they talk about it.

Trident, very nice products, might I make a suggestion? Pretty pictures make distillers drool I would love to see more pics on your website of your products, especially that stripping still.

The differences with heating a still or cooker basically boils down, no pun intended, to temp control. I would never use direct fire, if you look at videos of scotch DSPs you see their fire box is separated by a floor so any escaping vapors can't come in contact with the flames. As far as heating the still there are three common professional methods, one being steam, which seems to be the most popular but higher up front cost. There are permits for installation and in some cases such as the recent work shop at the Petaluma, CA location they needed to build a separate fire proof room around their boiler, totally enclosed with ventilation, and there will be many inspections and you have to make sure your rig is setup for that kind of pressure, don't be fooled 15 psi in a sealed system is still a lot of pressure. The next method is electrically or natural gas fired oil that can be circulated or static. I've never used this type but just the idea of oil makes me cringe. Let's say you got a leak or something else it would be a pain to clean up or disposal of the oil. The next method is the cheapest by far and that's a water bath electrically heated. You can set it up yourself, if you know what you're doing. The pros and cons of each come down to temp control. Most distillers will tell you the way to go is steam. You can adjust the temp real quick and it will register right away, not in the wash but in the steam temp, if you want to drop or raise and oil or water bath it will take a while, if you want to drop the temp of the oil by a couple of degrees it won't happen right away. Also at the end of the run you turn off the steam and release the pressure and the system is no longer being heated. With oil and water it will still be hot the next day.

Welcome. Good luck.

Hi, it would be helpful to know what kind of financing you're looking for, amount. What kind of products, generally, you want to produce and the location. Thanks.

Definitely a no fight zone, but Goinbroke2 does have some legitimate points. I never read the posts of his that got deleted, but when I first came here only a few weeks ago it seemed every time I mentioned something relating to alcohol in a post I automatically got some words about doing something illegal. It's rather off putting to have to defend yourself over and over again. I mentioned that I was in the beginning stages of researching of opening a distillery and that I wasn't new to alcohol and a few people automatically assumed that I was doing something illegal, which is far from the case. I've had a background in wine making for almost 20 years and did do some lab distilling in college. Anyway, I've learned a lot from this forum and will continue to post and read.

If i were you I would write a document explaining your procedure if a spill happens and also sight examples of the type of things people are suggesting in this threads such as. "To whom it may concern, We at "Blah Blah Distillery" are prepared for any accidental spills that may occur. We have fire extinguishers located "here" "here" and "here. Upon a spill we would immediately dilute the solution with water from a hose located "here". Ethyl Alcohol, which is what we produce, is water soluboule thereby spraying it down with water would reneder it harmless to other equpipment, drains, pipes and flammability. To my knowledge, knowing lots of companies and people in the ditilling industry, spill containment or entrapment around stills, tanks and other such equipment is unneccesary for many reasons. Mostly it would provide a tripping hazzard as employees are constantly walking around these fixtures. Also no distilleries I know of or have visted have spill containment as the solution once diluted with water is rendered harmless."

I have to agree there is way too much tension in this thread. I'm not sure what some of the responses are referring too either. Oh well.

I thought the TTB says no DSP in a house or dwelling and I thought it had to have it's own address? I guess I'll be calling the TTB. Thanks. BTW I'm in California.

I understand where you're coming from, but just because it's a professional local agency doesn't mean they're going to come up with the perfect logo for you. It might good, but there may be one out there that's fantastic. I do agree if you don't have the time this apporach is not right for you. I have been doing grapic design most of my life and professionaly about 15 years and I would find this route pretty ineresting, but then again I know what I like and could breeze through submissions until the right one struck me or gave me ideas of the route I wanted to go.

Ralph, I was under the impression that you couldn't just build a structure on your property and distill legally? But are you saying that you can? Please elaborate if as I would be very interested in going this route. Thanks.

I appreciate the concern, but I was actually talking about wine making for the past 20 years.

Thanks for the suggestions, though I'm not a first timer on the alcohol side. I've been on speaking terms with both Mikes for years. I have all their books, bought with cold hard cash or rather cold hard paypal.

Thanks I've downloaded the Fed app., but not the Calif. As for making alcohol that's not the problem, the reson I want to start this venture is I love doing it, been doing it for 19 years. I'll keep plugging along...