CountySeat Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 Can anyone recommend a relatively inexpensive steam jacketed stripping still? Looking for the range of 250 gallons. I am looking for an option where I can strip on the grain and then (possibly) use a smaller pot still for the spirit run (possibly also steam or possibly element heated). I know Edin (iStill) makes one but wasn't sure if there are others. Thanks.
Dan P. Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 I am not an expert but wouldn't the less expensive way of doing this be a steam coil, rather than a jacket?
CountySeat Posted February 25, 2014 Author Posted February 25, 2014 Possibly. I'm not married to steam jacketed but it seems to be the best way to heat a heavy grain mash for distilling. I'm open if you are aware of companies that sell steam-coiled stripping stills.
Scrounge Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 What do you mean by relatively inexpensive? How many k's is that? Scrounge
CountySeat Posted February 25, 2014 Author Posted February 25, 2014 10-20K. I saw that iStill was around 10K for a 260 gallon.
Scrounge Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 Wow 10k is not bad for that size. That must be before the boiler to run it?
StillDragon Australia Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 Assuming you are in the States, give Larry an email at smaugATstilldragon.com. he'll be able to give you some pretty sharp pricing.
smaug Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 agitator included. We can sharpen the pencil.
CountySeat Posted February 28, 2014 Author Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks for the comments. I have reached out to several companies and we are looking at a few options. Two issues: 1. If a still is steam jacketed, how essential is also having an agitator? Does it improve the flavor? Is there still a risk of scorching a heavy grain mash (with rye) even with a steam jacketed? Does having an agitator make cuts easier? Does having an agitator speed up the heating process (i.e. you can heat up faster without risking scorching by agitating)? 2. Can a good agitator obviate the need for a steak jacket? In other words, would a large still heated by elements in the mash still work well for on the grain distilling if a good agitator is used? Or will there still be scorching and off flavors? Thanks!
Natrat Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 If you read around on this site, you will find many people with no agitator bemoaning their scorched rye distillations...with any heating system. An agitator is no necessary for you spirit still, but if you're putting mash in your stripping pot, you want it! Steam is the fastest way to heat, and an agitator speeds that up considerably...less so with liquid only, but it still helps. Using a bain marie electric jacketed still, the agitator really helps the heating process. I don't recommend elements in the mash. They have pretty short lives in that scenario, and are hard to keep clean. If you think about it, there is a finite amount of energy that the mash has to absorb to come to temperature. The larger the surface area, the smaller the energy density needs to be to achieve that in a reasonable amount of time. For elements (very small surface area) to impart enough energy to the material, they have to be VERY hot...which means burning and scorching. The whole purpose of a bain marie (which is essentially a double boiler) is to spread that heat out to a larger surface area...which is more efficient as well, as heat transfer is affected by total surface area very directly.
MG Thermal Consulting Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 I would suggest you reach out to Jes at Trident Stills in ME, USA. Are you in the US? Mike
Dehner Distillery Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 I would love to put our name in the hat. www.redbootstills.com
Natrat Posted March 6, 2014 Posted March 6, 2014 This is like LinkedIn for industry reps lol Yup, but at least I'm not getting "connect" requests from every Tom, Dick, and Jenny to "rep your brand overseas."
Confederate Stills Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 Hi, Confederate Stills of Alabama Currently building a 500G stripper for a distillery in Colorado, steam jacketed.....But also have a new design still (jacketed) that's being patented in a 250G model that would make you very happy. ala134th@gmail.com confederatestills.com
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