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I asked a micro-distillery for advice and they said it would be okay to post their answers.... 1.) In a small charred barrel how would you describe the changes in taste and mellowing when aged for only one month, three months and five months (assuming it's the fist time the barrel has been used) ?? ...

i think I meant to post this here, and not the other place I wrote it... believe them when they say patience, practice and low yields are normal...and believe them when they say the yields will get better. it is easy to think we understand a thing, and having read so much how can this be wrong? but ...

believe them when they say patience, practice and low yields are normal...and believe them when they say the yields will get better. it is easy to think we understand a thing, and having read so much how can this be wrong? but this is a technician's game...slowly adding experience and knowledge from...

never had any problems during distillation with sugar washes, and even corn ("all grain") when using corn meal.... However, after I'm done distilling and open the boiler to pour the spent backset down the kitchen sink - that's different, tha's... stanky...and it's always at 2:00am and the ...

Two Weeks? are there some here that would only age for two weeks in a new barrel? Everything I've been reading points more towards four or five months on a new small charred barrel. Color and taste of wood are strong enough but I'm hoping taste or smoothness will improve. ---------------------------...

I like that...cardboard taste...that's it

didn't think I'd ever consider using 'em again, but if I ever need to i'll try running the weak citric acid solution through them first, and will try unbleached filters

Thanks!

if there's one message I wish I could pass on to todays yout, it would be... don't strain, Straining leads to hemorrhoids sorry, couldn't let that pass NOW THAT'S out of my system... I've tried filtering, not filtering, fermenting on and off the grain. I don't have a double-boiler, but read that tur...

I don't like the taste that coffee filters introduce - it tastes like paper. it was even worse when I tried filtering through paper towels.

So, am I just using the wrong coffee filters or what?

Normal to lose 500ml in two weeks? (no sign of a leak anywhere, but there's a dark spot of wood where it might be seeping) Here's my real question: What happens if I keep the barrel inside a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a lid sealed on it (on it's side)? What would happen if you wrapped a barrel in ...

I ran into someone at a local liquor warehouse who grew up on a farm and had done some distilling (even said he's done some coopering)... Anyway, he said it's best to not use the kernels at the tip of the cob because they'll introduce a grassy taste and not to use the kernels at the base of the cob ...

How can I improve this still? I increased the diameter of some of the pipe thinking it would make it faster, but it seems to take just as long to do a stripping run. (At least we can open the microwave oven). Thanks, notes: filled with 24 quarts in a 30 quart stock pot (very thin SS) two (2) 7,000 b...

What color should all grain backset be? Mine was either a dark-ish translucent broth if I waited until the mash was cleared, or an opaque manilla if I ran it before it cleared. Taste was same between the two, sour like vinegar (but not as bad as vinegar). pH of my washes never went below 4.3 using u...

The guy at Mile Hi said their barrels are re-coopered from Whisky barrels in Mexico, but he pays a bit more for better barrels - no black paint that flakes off on the hoops, no wax inside etc.

But I'm gonna get a Gibbs (Bourbon is what I'm making)

Thanks,

The gentleman at Mile High says their barrels are made in Mexico from used Whisky barrels The price is much more in my reach than Gibbs, and they have really small barrels which will be a lot easier to fill, but..damn, scraped and re-charred just isn't going to be a good Bourbon barrel, is it? Mile-...

Opera Tor is the easy way to use proxy servers, but it's just going through one proxy server at a time and only for the Opera browser window you open (but not the same proxy server twice in a row I don't think). If one of those proxy servers is confiscated it is possible that the log files, if they ...

Opera Tor is the easy way to use proxy servers, but it's just going through one proxy server at a time and only for the Opera browser window you open (but not the same proxy server twice in a row I don't think). If one of those proxy servers is confiscated it is possible that the log files, if they ...

1/2" x 3" x 4' poplar board from Lowes http://edge.shop.com/ccimg.shop.com/230000/236700/236767/products/lg_105783534.jpg anyone know if it's treated with any chemicals that are gonna kill me? I already started using it - really smooth and stiff and relatively cheap (washed it first). May ...

This is just one way of improving your on-line security. It is a way born of being a lurker, of seeing the world as shadow agents posing as friends, trolling to capture you...which is probably bullshit here, but hey, I'm paranoid. But it's a protocol to be followed religously if you decide you reall...

started fermentation of another batch of All Grain: 20# cracked corn 2# malt 3# cracked wheat & rye flour 15 gallon boiled tap water 5 gallons backset (8th gen?) 5 gallons from last batch for yeast - not really cake anyway, making WAY too much work for myself - hahahaha - put it all through a bl...

An embarrassing mistake I've made (several times) is posting messages thinking I know something, and thinking that it will be of use to others who come *after. My personal experience has been that what I "know" can change radically from one week to the next. Even asking questions has usual...

if the corn malt is used "green," but the other grains are not green, does taste suffer for Bourbon and does it save a lot of mashing time? I don't care about enzymes - just thinking it'd be softer & easier to mash than cracked corn. How much does the flavor profile change, assuming I ...

Dnderhead: I see you've malted corn - how was that? does it work for bourbon, do you need to break off and discard the sprouts, does the corn break down easier in the mashing? I had already read nine pages of the UJSM vs Mashing thread - so cool - really enjoyed it I've been doing iodine tests for t...

White Dog Starter: WLP028 Edinburgh Ale yeast 1 lb. LME 2/3 gallon water 1/2 t. DAP grain bill: 20 lbs. cracked corn 2 lbs. malt 2 lbs. cracked wheat 3/4 lb. rye flour 1 day to mash 15 gallon water 8 gallons 7th generation backset + 1/2 gallon trub Here's the cool thing: all 25 gallons is in my new...

all grain bourbon Cracked corn stays tough after boiling. To maximize my extract efficiency does the corn basically need to be liquified? i spent most of a day pressure cooking twenty pounds then using a magic bullet blender because it didn't look like it was gonna give up it's physical integrity (...

last week I finished making a batch, and started a new one - plan on giving gifts, isht's too sweet for my tastes (I used to like sweet drinks, hell, I used to like vodka)...anyway, damn tough getting only the yellow peeled off of those lemons, or grating off the white part when the vegetable peeler...

Today I did the second run from my low wines I've been collecting over the last several weeks (five batches=six gallons, 20% ABV all went into one pot) 4 oz = foreshots (already tossed 100ml from each stripping run) 2 quarts @70-71% 3 cups @68% 1 cup @65% ~3 1/2 Liters @55-50% 1/2 Liter @40% then co...

someone above mentioned adding a little at a time to a barrel, but i thought you have to fill the barrel or else it would start to leak from drying out. I'm not decided on getting two one gallon barrels or one two gallon barrel (i'd like to afford two two gallon barrels, but have to save up)... 10. ...

I saw in whisky critics thread no one seems to like knob creek, but i've only recently tried and started liking bourbon, and it's my life's ambition to create something that will make my grand-dad and uncle proud. I've tried a bottle each of Knob Creek, Bookers, Woodford Reserve and a glass of Maker...

These questions answered, but Add'l Questions Posted Below in the thread... 1. Can I mix UJSM with my white dog in the barrel, or should I keep them seperate? 2. Remove methanol feints from first runs only? 3. Cuts only on final run? 4. If i filter before fermentation should i still be distilling be...

I've gotten used to thinking I know "tails" by smell and taste, but I wasn't cleansing and sanitizing after every run, so the taste and smell was left in my condenser and affecting the next run. I've also found that leaving it dirty for six runs makes it really hard to clean out (even thou...