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Oh, one thing to keep in mind - the US switches to EMV this October. That means merchants must be able to accept Chip & Pin / Chip & Sign cards or they're on the hook for all fraud. All these iPad-based swipe readers become useless...

Very interested in your research Bluestone. Keep it coming...

Or do something like a StillDragon column that can be knocked down and tossed in the dishwasher.

Drew, There's so many good talks... Since there isn't 3 of me, will the talks be recorded so I can still see the ones I miss?

(Ditto on the sigh...) Centre for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources - certainly no bias there (and if there's any doubt, look at their funding). The nature article is interesting. Did you read it? Here's some quotes: "On balance, herbicide-resistant GM crops are less damaging to the environment than conventional crops grown at industrial scale." "Using chemicals to control weeds is still more efficient than ploughing and tilling the soil, and is less environmentally damaging." As for the butterflies, milkweed is, well, a weed. Associating the loss of the primary food source for monarch larvae with GMO is patently bogus. Farmers would eradicate it regardless of their seed stock.

But therein is the rub. Anti-GMO folks say this, Pro-GMO people say just the opposite. It's hard if not impossible to find independent research on these claims. One thing that's not debatable is yield. Corn acreage planted in the US has been pretty flat for the past decade but yield is up 40%. The real question for craft distillers is, will your customers pay the premium for GMO free spirits? I suspect that's going to be a local market thing.

Dunno, that could be a pretty darn tasty breakfast for those cold, early mornings in the distillery.

EU threw out the GMO ban earlier this year. Clueless nations still can have their own bans, however. http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21639578-eu-lifts-its-ban-gm-crops-gently-modified

The guys over on Home Distiller have been playing with steeping grains and even coffee in their white dog. Interesting idea, for sure.

I've done a couple rounds of training there. The initial two-day course is good for those contemplating the industry. Lots of info on building and fire codes, and a solid overview on fermentation, distillation, making cuts, etc. Not so much on daily operations (TTB reporting, etc.) Mitch will gladly do more hands-on advanced classes if you ask.

How is gin cheaper than a basic whiskey potstill? GNS?

Specialty is really the way to go. Look at Beam's Red Stag. Flavored "Straight Bourbon".

Shindig, 2012 IBC Table 307.1(1) and 2012 IFC Table 5003.1.1(1).

Don't forget if there's a tasting room in your future, it won't be F1. As long as the tasting room is < 50 occupant load you may get away with B, otherwise it's A2 which requires sprinklers. Sprinklers will double your MAQs too (60 gal of open class 1A/B/C). IFC 3401.2 is the bottle / wooden barrel exemption. F1/A2 mixed use with sprinklers is really what to shoot for IMO.

Brilliant idea.

Might wanna do some test runs. The Maillard flavors of crystal malts don't usually come across. Now roasted and smoked grains on the other hand...

I use the powdered calibration packets and mix my own (with distilled water) in mini mason jars.

Also note the actual pH of a solution varies with temperature. This is NOT related to the ATC of the probe, which compensates for how the probe itself electrically reacts to temperature. Calibration of a pH meter should be done at the same temp as your usual readings. So, if you normally take readings at 50C, your calibration solutions should be heated to 50C before use.

Read the specs on your enzyme, but in my experience, pH is more important than temp. These buggers work FAST. You can literally watch the conversion happen within seconds of dumping high-temp alpha into a pot of corn goo. Temperature makes a HUGE difference on pH. The Hanna pHep 5 jamesbednar mentions is a great bang for the buck, but do note that any meter must be used within its temp compensation range. the pHep 5 has an upper limit of 60C for readings.

I'm most familiar with the Specialty Enzymes liquids. No reason not to use the high-temp SEBstar HTL alpha as its optimal temp range is 50C to 90C. If you ever experiment with corn, you'll need it. One thing about using enzymes is they can be crazy particular about pH. Have a good meter and be prepared to make adjustments between alpha and gluco.

Excessive DAP can cause later deficiencies because it encourages a large biomass buildup. The biomass cleans out all available nutrients before fermentation is complete. DAP itself can lead to H2S formation in certain conditions. Malts typically have plenty of yeast assimilable nitrogen. No point in wasting money in DAP IMO.

107 gal from 70F to 180F with 22KW should only be 90 minutes or so. You've got to be losing a LOT of heat to piping and maybe the thump. Insulate everything you can. Heating the thump directly rather defeats its purpose.

Just binged through the backlog of of Firewater Network interviews this week. GREAT STUFF. These are required listening for anyone getting into the craft spirits business. So much good advice. Great job Zach.

Workshops are now up: Saturday March 28, 2015 3-Day Whiskey & Bourbon Workshop - Day 1 of 3 Alltech Brewery & Distillery - Lexington KY Instructor: Jordan Via, Breckenridge Distillery This three-day hands-on class covers the fundamentals of whiskey and Bourbon distilling. Participants will be able to smell and taste new make spirit as it is being distilled. Topics covered in this class include mash preparation, basics of fermentation and wash production, mechanics of distillation (stripping & spirit runs), "making the cuts", barrel maturation, proofing and bottling. Suggested seminars, panels and presentations that can augment the hands-on class experience will be recommended to participants during the conference. Fee includes lodging Friday, Saturday and Sunday night and lunches, transportation between the distillery and the Hyatt Regency, and instruction. Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $2,000.00 Sunday, March 29, 2015 Bridge Spirits - Extending your product line Moonshine University - Louisville, KY Instructor: David Dafoe, Moonshine University This one-day workshop explores opportunities to add to your existing product line. Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $375.00 Monday, March 30, 2015 2-day Gin Workshop - Day 1 of 2 Moonshine University - Louisville, KY Instructor: Clay Smith, Corsair Artisan Distillery This two-day workshop explores designing and distilling your own gin. Topics covered in this class include the mechanics of distillation and rectification, "making the cuts", methods of gin production, working with botanicals, and filtration. Please note - Day 1 is on Monday, March 30, 2015 - Day 2 is on Thursday, April 2, 2015 Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $700.00 Hands-On Brandy Workshop Copper & Kings - Louisville, KY Instructor: Hubert Germain-Robin Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $375.00 Fermentation Workshop Wilderness Trail Distillery - Danville, KY Instructor: Pat Heist, PhD & Jerod Smith This workshop includes an in-depth and scientific review of fermentation with an emphasis on grain based spirits production. We will first look at the different factors that are important to selecting a feedstock. We will also look at the process of mash preparation and starch conversion. Methods of yeast propagation will be discussed as well as monitoring of yeast populations and viability. We will look at detailed distillery data, compare optimized fermentation data to what happens when there are issues as well as how to diagnose and solve problems relative to fermentation. Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $375.00 Rum Workshop Barrel House Distilling - Lexington, KY Instructor: Eric Watson, AlBevCon This course will introduce the participants to the different styles of rum created from sugar cane and its derivatives, such as sugar cane syrup and molasses. Topics covered include rum wash preparation, basics of fermentation, mechanics of distillation (stripping and spirits runs), making “the cuts”, barrel maturation, proofing and bottling. Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $375.00 Whiskey and Rum Blending Workshop Hyatt Regency - Louisville, KY Instructor: Nancy Fraley, Nosing Services This class examines traditional philosophies and methods of blending whiskey and rum, “cross-over” techniques in blending, and borrowing from one tradition to another to create something innovative. Topics include warehouse design and maintenance, the effects of macro- and micro- climate storage conditions, static and fractional blending systems, and water reduction theories. Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $375.00 Rye Whiskey Workshop Willett Distilling Company - Bardstown, KY Instructor: David Pickerell, WhistlePig Farm Distilery Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $375.00 Thursday, April 2, 2015 Absinthe Workshop Copper & Kings - Louisville, KY Instructors: Brandon O'Daniel, Head Distiller and Alan BIshop, Distiller - Copper & Kings Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $375.00 Hands-On Vodka Workshop Copper & Kings - Louisville, KY Instructors: Brandon O'Daniel, Head Distiller and Alan BIshop, Distiller - Copper & Kings This class examines the fundamentals of vodka production, and how to work with both fermented grapes and NGS bases. Topic covered in this class include the mechanics of distillation and rectification, "making the cuts", and filtration of neutral spirits. Time: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) Price: $375.00

Registered yesterday - do note you can add workshops / tours / banquet AFTER completing the base registration, so there's no reason not to do the early-bird now and update as appropriate later. Looks to be good hotel availability left as well.