PeteB

New dry Saf Spirit malt yeast was used so that should not be a problem, same as other batches that were good. Fully modified pilsner malt used, initial mash temperature was 69c, has been 68-69 previous batches which were OK. Not exactly sure of the decimal but might have been high 69 and previous batch rounded up to 69. If 69+ can cause non-fermentables that might be the problem and would explain why re-pitching won't re-start fermentation. Any more suggestions gladly accepted Pete

Initial gravity was 1065 now 1014 Fermenter volume 1,500 liters I don't have a pH meter, paper test at bottom of range maybe 4 or a little above. Thanks for reply

Just a safety warning to the person who bought that conveyor, make sure you put a strong mesh cover over the auger bin. If someone tripped they could get an arm or leg torn off, or just get a grain sack jammed in the conveyor.

I don't know what the maximum temperature was because It started overnight then I was away the next day. I did try dry pitching more yeast in a small sample as soon as I noticed it had "stuck" but could get no activity. Tried some yeast food as well but still won't start. I might try re-activating dry yeast in fresh wort then pitching that. The ferment still smells almost as expected although not quite as fruity as usual. I ran some of it through the still and the yield was very low.

I have just done a single malt ferment, lautered. Ferment took off at 27c and produced a lot of foam but it stopped at 9 brix. I suspect it got too hot. Any ideas how to re-start?

You could certainly re-distill to neutral but if you have the time to experiment you could add water and re-distill to your usual bourbon proof. It will retain some of the aged wood notes but will hopefully remove the funk. If that doesn't work then push to a neutral and carbon filter if necessary. Pete

I totally agree with you Three Stacks. Joe admits that he has a problem with dyslexia which in his case means he has trouble expressing himself in writing, things come out a bit strange some times. Talk to him on phone or face to face and he comes across as a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic person only too willing to share his knowledge. Pete

There is quite an easy way to accurately measure the volume of spirit in a container even if it is bolted to the floor. For example if you have a partially filled tank of say exactly 132.5 proof and you are eventually going to dilute it to say 80 proof. Firstly estimate the volume it holds (sight glass or dip) say roughly 350 gallons. Do a calculation to bring this 350 gallons from 132.5 to say 100 proof to make sure you don't overshoot the 80 proof 988.71 pounds of water would be needed if the 350 gallons was exact. For convenience add 950 pounds (measured on a certified scale) of water, stir very well and allow to settle and cool. Measure very accurately the proof (best done next day) and it should be around 100. Say you found it to be 104.6 proof. Do these calculations. How much 132.5 do you need to add to 950 pounds of water to bring the water up to 104.6 proof? The answer is 408.94 gallons at 60 F is what the container held That is 427.75 proof gallons I don't know if TTB would approve, but it is a very accurate measurement. (I am reasonably confident I have done the calculations correctly but someone might like to check.)

Tank bolted to load beam, load beam bolted to floor

Below are Dave's numbers from TTB and my comments in bold underlined Quantity to be weighed Minimum graduation -------------------------------------------------------------------- Not exceeding 2,000 pounds................. \1/2\ pound.........sensitivity 1:4,000 Between 2,000 and 6,000 pounds............. 1 pound.........sensitivity 1:2,000 to 1:6,000 Between 6,000 and 20,000 pounds............ 2 pounds........sensitivity 1:3,000 to 1:10,000 Between 20,000 and 50,000 pounds........... 5 pounds.........sensitivity 1:4,000 to 1:10,000 Over 50,000 pounds......................... 10 pounds...............sensitivity 1:5,000 (b) For scales having a capacity greater than 2,000 pounds, the minimum quantity which may be entered onto the weighing tank scale for gauging for tax determination will be the greater of: (1) 1,000 times the minimum graduation of the scale, ..........sensitivity 1:1,000 (d) Lots of spirits weighing 1,000 pounds or less shall be weighed on scales having \1/2\ pound graduations ............... examples for (d) could be 50 pounds .......sensitivity of 1/2 pound graduation is only 1:100 or at 1,000 pounds 1:2,000 Interesting that TTB allows variation in accuracy between 1:10,000 and 1:100 I think your hydrometers need to be accurate to 0.2 proof or 1:1,000

Only discovered this problem Saturday, I will ring them Monday.

I am not into vodka production at all, but my Son has just opened the doors to his brewpub T-Bone Brewing Co and he wanted a few bottles. I had 2 samples of an Australian (big commercial distillery) neutral grape spirit, one called Premium and another more expensive Ultra-premium so I diluted the Ultra to 40% with carbon filtered rain water and it went very cloudy. Left it overnight to see what would happen but no clearer. Thought it might have saponified because of rapid dilution so tried slow dilution, same cloudy result. Added more neutral and the cloudiness dissolved at roughly 60%abv. Typical louching. Tried the cheaper Premium and no louching Anyone heard of this happening with neutral?

Aren't you going to ferment it first?

I agree that this is an easy way to get the amount of smoke that you like, but 100% peated masks the start of the tails even more than 25%. I do, and I think many distillers run a little further into the tails when doing peated. As VSAKS said, take multiple cuts when you are getting close.

By far the most accurate way to measure is with certified trade scales. You also need to know the ABV (or proof) then look up density tables to calculate the volume at "standard temperature" This is very easy when you have containers small enough to lift onto a scale, a bit more complicated for larger vessels. I am Aussie so not sure if TTB would allow sight gauges. They are very hard to get a sensitive enough reading, and how do you allow for the temperature variation in the tank? For larger volumes we are allowed to use certified flow meters. Trade scales are also very useful when diluting and blending. ps. get yourself a copy of Alcodens , it makes ALL your ethanol calculations so easy

It looks as if this might be your first post, welcome to this forum. You might like to tell us a bit about yourself. Your question is a bit open ended. We could be here for weeks explaining the whole process. One step at a time. Irish whiskey is produced from a clear wert. Do you have a lauter tun?

If you have got Silk City's queries sorted then your easiest and probably cheapest is to get a couple of 1/2 X 3/8 reducers. With the proportional valve the instantaneous flow will be much lower and you can get away with a smaller valve.

Does anyone have experience with buying small oak barrels. 2 to 5 liter. 1,000 Oaks have good ones but they are a bit expensive by the time they are shipped to Australia. I purchased quite a few last year from a maker in Mexico. Price, timing, and freight were all very good but graphics not so good and some leaked, but overall good value. I would like to buy more and am hoping for some discussion on value for money. Thanks Pete

As well as "what" you want to clean off, "why" do you need to clean? Does the pot have a CIP ball? If you need to scrub by hand, can you reach inside? If you cannot easily remove by hand or have a CIP system then you may need to fill the pot with cleaning chemicals. (some people freak out about chemicals but dihydrogen monoxide = a chemical = H2O = water)

I get flocculation in white spirits as well as barrel aged. My White Rye always flocculates on dilution. It is 100% rye, yeast and water only, double pot distilled. I do late cuts at both start and end of hearts. Cutting close to tails gives more rye character but may be causing the flocculation, but that is the flavor I want so I allow time for the flocc to settle. I distilled an IPA beer and it produced a lot of flocc, I suspect it was from the oils in the hops. You could be correct.

If it is saponification that causes the cloudiness then stepped dilution could fix the problem. Saponification has a distinct soapy nose and an odd mouth feel, sorry I can't be more descriptive as I have none in front of me. I think your problem is more likely formation of minute crystals of surplus oils and proteins +++. If it is crystals (and not saponification) that are forming it will settle to the bottom of the bottle in a couple of months. I have seen what looks like fluffy clouds forming in the mixing drum after a week or so. They sometimes have a blue tinge from the copper still. I get it always in both un-aged and aged spirits when they are diluted. All the whisky producers I know get it, we call it flocculation. It can be removed quickly by chill filtration, but that can remove some of the flavor as well. If you have the time you get a far better result by letting the diluted product sit in vat for at least 6 weeks and allow crystals to grow and slowly sink to the bottom. Bottle the clear spirit via a 1 micron filter off the top. Don't disturb the flock until finished bottling. The flock can then be put into a smaller diameter drum and allow to settle again. I do know of one local distillery that gently stirs the flocc back into suspension after 6 weeks then filters through 0.5 micron

So with the un-malted rye are you adding enzymes? Why do you think it is so much lower than malted? I can't be bothered working out those yields in real units, what are they in grams ethanol per Kg grain? Thanks Pete

Thanks for the replies. I understand how older farmers would use bushels as a measurement for their grain bins, I still remember my crop yields of years ago in bushels per acre, but modern Australian farmers use tons per hectare, easy to measure because trucks loads of grain are put over scales, or often have them fitted to the truck. It does not matter what shape the truck bin is, or if it not completely full, it can be very easily weighed. Very occasionally volume is used but that is in cubic metres. I just can't see the point in weighing grain then converting to an antiquated bushel volume, especially if the yield/weight will be more consistent than yield/bushel. I'm with Skaalvenn. I do all my calculations in metric, it is so much less complicated. If someone needs answer in imperial units then convert the final answer. GO METRIC

Sorry to highjack Greenfield's thread here, but I think this units discussion highlights part of the problem when trying to calculate yield. I have several questions. 1, What is the current meaning of a bushel? When I was in grade 4 in 1962 a bushel was a volume of 8 British gallons. Wiki says it is measure of exactly 2150.42 cubic inches, a volume. 2 How do you measure 2150.42 cubic inches of grain? 3 Bushel weights do vary. Does a higher bushel weight generally give a higher yield?

I wasn't having a go at you for flip flopping the units, you just provided the chance for me to point out what an antiquated units system the US has. Australia went to metric in the 1960's It must be very hard for US distillers who are not naturally good at mathematics.