SlickFloss

IMO you’re out of luck : ( but good luck! Hope you find what you want

@Brewstillavendome would never reccomend that you use it to clean their stills @adamOVDpbw works it is caustic see above forgot to tag you (just leaned how)

PBW is caustic like home boy mentioned. Caustic is a general term for any basic ph cleaning chemical but often we deduce it to mean sodium hydroxide. It’s absolutely another option, just be sure to follow manufturers protocols for it. PBW when Mishandeled can also be catastrophic we had a pretty dicey operator come through a facility I worked in a few years ago before my own shop. Dude would leave citric rinses on over night and even over weekends. Clearly a poor decision. Citric at super low and precise concentrations for specific purposes in moderation totally fine. But excessive exposure times cycle times and concentrations is trouble. Have a Carl still that basically uses copper bell caps for drains, still has only ever been cleaned by citric before we got it. The bell caps are cast and should be identical. None of them are the same weight, they all have pitting and corrosion issues and a lot of them have suffered bronzing (pickled). do whatever you thinks best. But if you want pictures of those bell caps and what 14 years of daily citric rinses does to a still get at me.

I struggle with suggesting concentration volumes with people who aren’t consulting clients from a liability standpoint but for that Schmutz-y lipid layer we’ve been able to work down to under 1% caustic solution with great results. 2% really didn’t cause pitting either. anytime you’re seeing as much copper suspended in solution as you do from a 30 minute 2-5% citric CIP loop (sky blue) that shit came off your still, thats a fin3 layer completely just rinsed off the entirety of the inside of your rig in solution. I understand the benefit of rejuvenating copper so it can absorb more S, but to have your only cleaning protocol be a citric rinse and to do it after every run, you’re really eliminating life from still. I can attest to bankruptcy purchased equipment that stills that were only cleaned with citric for years vs caustic for years are essentially pickled. just my .02! slick

So unrelated post but given the MGP drama we are changing our business model. Hit my line if you’re looking for white dog by the tote or tanker we’ll start taking clients early 2023. I would dm you but I’m abroad and unable to access my inbox on this site via mobile. Cheers.

DMing you know, can ship as soon as you have shipping arranged. Non gmo wheat GNS from MGP. Have sooooooo many totes just waiting for you : )

Do not use an abrasive pad on the copper it will compromise your unit citric washes over time will lower the life expectancy of your still what you’re having trouble getting through is likely lipid residue that isn’t as soluble in acid i have Learned over time a super low concentration caustic is as safe/risky as a rinses with low concentration citric. get some fucking spray balls a lower power pressure washer will likely work better than citric if you’re needing elbow grease shouldn’t need elbow grease except for severe charring/burning issues to be honest in working all over the industry (large small brewery fuel operating and now owner operating) I have found the only people to use citric so liberally and often are crafties, it is rather odd. Big Kentucky cleans ALOT LESS and rarely ever with citric. just my .02. Don’t have to take it and it’s from decades of experience, so I’m comfortable with our processes and procedures. We consult for distilleries and if you’re ever interested in short term consultancy or a distilling boot camp at our facility holler. Cv available. please don’t quote old posts where I Rec never caustic always citric, life is a journey and I’m learning and sharing unabashedly as I go. cheers slick

If you’re quoting dm you have likely thought about getting or are talking about or have used a HF. Drop me a line if this is the case I can help you continuous gin distillation is definitely possible but difficult for reasons listed above. Will take tremendous skill as an operator to match batch specs. Definitely possible though. If you’re talking about a HF your gin basket should bypass c4 for product out, if it doesn’t you have a shitty version and should replumb it. If that’s the case hit me up I can walk you through what we did to ours. cheers slick

MGP is cutting out all new fill and unqualified customers end of this year. Qualification required a three year plan for purchasing intent with no guarantee of access. If you didn’t receive a solicitation for a three year plan you’re not going to make the cut. They’re cutting all custom runs and are moving to a model where they only want to sell 2 year to the people they’re cutting out of new fill production. Your MGP rep likely doesn’t suck, their company is going through incredibly severe changes to accommodate actual and expected growth and corporate ambitions. If these reps want to keep their jobs they can’t be open and honest about why you’re not getting service because they’re trying to keep their jobs. We’re opening our books for customers no longer able to be serviced by MGP for white dog (totes and tankers only) looking to start taking on new customers 2023. Know this doesn’t answer your question and you didn’t ask, but reach out if you’d like more information! Cheers slick

We will be opening up our books for new fill sourcing clients in 2023. No longer brokering others juice will be all our own new make. PM'd you an email you can send us a line and we'll let you know when we're shipping totes and tankers. In the mean time good luck.

Same premise applies for fuel ethanol plants or MGP or big ethanol distilleries in Florida and TX, just get into a large scale facility where they're focused on efficiencies not palattes and learn the industry from the process side at the ground up.

If you want to get started in this industry the best experience you can get is in a big boy. Head to Kentucky and apply to be an operator at a heritage distillery or one of the new big ones. If they won't take you as an operator yet apply for basic labor. Work for 3-5 years and take notes, leave and take a job anywhere in the country running a craft for some more cash. Trust me, its the only way to do it. You'll thank me if you do. If you don't you'll likely end up somewhere where you'll get a masters degree in fuckery and bullshit.

I think it’s important to be realistic about product success pre market. Malt whiskey just isn’t that popular, especially in Ohio. You may be before your time here on this one. People that currently have financial success with malt have much larger distro foot prints and are able to move less volume in more markets in an efficient manner. Do not look at scotch as a category and try to tell me I’m wrong. You’re not making scotch. And all of that still applies. how is your sales person paid? How much experience do they have? Have you considered brokers? edited less and more

My thoughts are that MGP will never sell another tanker of new make distillate ever again to outside entities after fiscal close 2023 except for established brokers in a very limited capacity but that will be phased to 2 year aged minimum only eventually. Will bet on it. With that in mind this pricing is some what inconsequential since they're not filling any orders for new clients for the rest of the year and won't be shipping tankers of new make next year. In the past we have completed transactions for customers from $9-$10/pg on tankers of new make out of Indiana. More recently that pricing has been below $9.50/pg. Given the scaling back of MGPs sourcing business to focus on building their own brands, players like BBC are seeing an influx of customers and I imagine it will be difficult to secure similar pricing as a new customer without consistent volume. Or even distillate at all. Seeing Barton shut down for tours points to them being turned into a workhouse for either existing brands for Saz/BT as well as a focus on private label production. And likely not private label production for you and me, but for Kirkland and their other commodity retail partners. You'll likely be left with new emerging producers looking to fill column capacity (I can recommend a few) or the good ole boys (brokers). Bear in mind there is no real comparable Rye to the MGP 95 so even other distilleries will have trouble hitting their flavor specs with the same mash bill for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps look at customizing your own mb for sourced goods. Cheers, Slick

At what scale? Realistically anything you're trying to make money on elements are going to scorch (efficiencies). If you are able to run grain on with an element you are going to be at a size and speed that is incredibly wasteful from an efficiency standpoint for a commercial producer. Jackets and agitators in tandem is the answer for commercial batch pot still.

Sorry homey but your message is a little hard to decipher, I think I got the gist of it but if I don't please be patient with me and consider saying it in another way? Not trying to knock your speech or verbiage incase E is SL, but also don't want you to think I'm an idiot if I don't answer the question you actually asked. Assumptions I'm making: -You're talking about a continuous column, not a rectification column on top of a kettle -You're making ethanol from grain slurry -You're talking about a beer column. -You're running at atmospheric IF ANY OF THESE ASSUMPTIONS ARE WRONG PLEASE CORRECT ME The mechanics of a column are that in which they essentially all need to be run in a similar fashion. Columns are used to separate alc, aldehydes, etc, and some water from grain slurry. Typically we want to run the base of a column at or around the boiling point of water (200-215 depending on the column, its size, product being made, and input). Reason for this is the physical mass of the column is going to create reflux to strip water out gradually over time, gradual being a key point because we want reflux flow over all trays in column. if we never actually boil water (and do so vigorously) there are two main consequences first of all it can be difficult for our column to maintain equilibrium because cascading fluid over trays is functional to the system; as well our proof will not be able to be controlled too easily both up and down. Many people believe that the higher proof the charge easier it is to hit azeo, and that can be true on a pot still in some cases. However in a column still water Is needed for continuous column functionality at atmospheric, hitting azeotrope on a continuous column still with 50% wash is not something I have seen happen ever, doesn't mean it never will or could but I've never seen it. On our old HF we were never able to hit azeotrope with an input of gns and water only (not mash) over 9%. On our CARL Pot with rec column we are able to make maximum gallonage of 190+ by charging at 50%. Weird right? Thing to remember is functionality. Pot stills are linear progressions through temps and volatilization. Point of cont distillation is to hold constant favorable spec and never stop introducing mash. What you're describing functionality wise is good practice for if you have already stripped all your booze and such out of input at about the proof you want and are doing a second distillation for volatiles in an adjacent column. Any example of what I'm talking about is a barbet or demethylyzing column. Barbets cannot be constructed in the same physical manner as a normal column because you need 2 collections points, one for final product and one for "heads" out the top. So if this is the tree you're barking up I can expound on this for you if you'd like. Heating elements in the base of beer/stripping columns (any column running grain slurry) are not a good idea because of scorching. Beer columns are best sparged or HX'd. They can be used to feed additional columns for further rectification that can take an element (like a column to hit azeo or a column for demethyl.) but need to get rid of all the grain first or you will be in trouble. Idk if this helps you or not. If you're trying to build a column to make Bourbon or Rye I can help you. If you're trying to make a column to make other things I would talk to Alex. If you're trying to make a hybrid pot with a column on it or any column that is to be batch fed by a kettle I would talk to Paul Hall. LMK if you have any questions for me. Cheers, NBM

No offense but your photography is pretty brutal. To me these both look like vents to me. The mushroom one is for sure, I imagine it’s full of some type of packing to act as a flame arrestor as well. The white one may also be a vent like y’all said. If there’s nothing mechanical (not powered but mechanical) in the bodies of either then they’re not vacuum breakers per day but vents function as such for tanks meant for atmospheric use. What would be interesting is if it actually was a filter. Like pipe or hose of still into collection through that filter that’s be interesting for some really dirty ferments or a riff on some genny whiskey

Changing ph of active ferments is an exceptionally high level exercise in brewing and none of your enzyme manufacturers would recommend it u less you were incredibly out of tolerance. Most vendors recommend to most clients not to even adjust ph during cooking for enzymatic optimization. Why are you so fixated on five ph for the whole ferment? this seems odd to me given the mechanics of fermentation.

Did you get this one? Come up if you wanna run mine other wise you'll see me later this summer when I'm heading back down to my wife's reservation! we're commissioning ours next week end!

53523

Totes of Non GMO WHEAT GNS for sale. $2.25-$2.00/pg loaded, price comes down with multi tote loads. We do not set up shipping. PM me with any questions.

Abe if you're still looking for Non GMO wheat GNS we got a load in and can beat MGP pricing

Don't use citric and sodium bicarb to adjust PH. Search for citric Ph adjustment if you want/need more info on why not to do it we've talked about it a few times in the last year or two. In general, this isn't as finicky of a process as people first make it out to be and without the right tools and experience adjusting PH in production volumes can lead to cacophonies of disastrous errors. Given you're only using wheat, I would mash out without PH adjustments and see where you end up when you get to your enzyme/yeast pitch steps as well as through fermentation. It's something you just need to do yourself on your equipment with your water, everyone will be different in their brew house based on water coming in and grain. Once you're a rockstar on the mechanics of mashing as well as real world batch sized production I would then recommend worrying about mash efficincies and ph adjustments, but only with the appropriate tools for the job. First thing to worry about is clumping and burning, master those then move on. Just my .02, take it or leave it cheers

Their own brands as well as Old Elk and DG probably

If you need a consultant my buddy captain KB is a real killer and I think he's working in Texas currently could swing by you, he's on here somewhere if you ant to find him