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Good to see some familiar folks still here Tater.

Lol, I've got some UJSSM that I got my buddy hooked on. He ran out and so did I . Now I get cussed at every time we talk because he's buying Johnny Walker black or blue label to replace it. Says $340 a bottle stuff is the closest he can find. It's gotten me a 6 figure job and multiple promotions I g...

Been a while but I'm glad my account is still active. Haven't done a run in almost 6 years but stocks are getting low. Gonna be brushing up and cleaning out the cobwebs.

Wax usually. Just saw an episode on The History Channel's "How it's Made" about thermometers. Should be NO toxic chemicals in it AFAIK.

trial&error wrote:how about a 3D bar code so lazy people like me can scan it and download it form the market

Really??? You're too lazy to go to the market and search for "Stillmate"? OMFG! You're in the wrong hobby if that's too much work. Don't ever try all grain mashes. LMFAO!

Good app. Any chance of getting options for standard/ metric in a settings menu?

One point I forgot to comment on was the abv at which you stated you would oak at. Don't put oak in your spirit over 65% I would even say 62% approximately. The higher proofs pull out tannins from the wood and will make a more harsh drink. It may also pull a more campfire flavor from it rather than ...

Uncle Jesse was using a column still with that recipe. The 80% figure is based on that and the fact that legal distilleries cannot collect anything above that number and call it whiskey. Don't stick hard and fast to the numbers, collect all except fores in small lots of pints or half pints and let t...

If I were in FL, I wouldn't get my ass on the road right now to save my life. No where is safe, we've sent thousands of our finest down there for Superbowl Sunday and not one of them's gonna ask for any directions so I expect some of the end up in Cuba by Tuesday. Just for the record, not all us Lou...

The yeast don't care, they'll eat it regardless of the concentration levels it's at. Don't worry about it because you just made a lower abv wash, it's just gonna end up with less eth concentrations in the end which is better for a turbo anyway.

Probably gonna give it a "salty" taste. Also, need to know what kind of chemical reactions will take place in the wash after introducing the baking soda. It's generally accepted that it is a no no to add baking soda to a wash. Stripped low wines and spirits before a run yes, wash no. I sus...

Not to get into a pissing contest with Hook, but I have to say this...I speak from running a pot still only. Pot stills don't concentrate very well, so therefore, there will be lower concentrations of everything in the wash in the output of the still. Even after running through 3 times there will st...

Hook, you run a column for your spirit runs don't you? Or do you do flavored spirits on a potstill?

No problem.

First off, welcome. Second, first appearances are often deceiving. 14" is fine, some have much taller ones. It's best to take some foreshots EVERY time you reheat the wash or strip. You have to understand that some volatile compounds are always present (maybe just less concentrated) in every al...

Has anyone tried adding a lacto culture to their wort along with the yeast? I am curious because this method seems to give a lot of control to brewers over souring in beers. Could this also be of some value in a wash in order to obtain differing degrees of souring? Yes I have, I've tried several di...

If it's a full on lactic then it'll take about a week or so to complete the process.

Yes it's definitely a whole new ballgame.

I'm moderately covert but lots of folks around know I make. They know why too and they know I'm safe and don't give it to kids. I never ever ever sell anything, not even the spent grains. Folks around here are more worried about meth and stuff. Those a$$holes aren't so scrupulous, blow up sh!t and s...

HookLine wrote:

complicated world with nothin but shades of gray.

Ain't that the truth, sir.

Most nothing ain't what it first seems. Never quite that simple.

Lots of wisdom in those words. For sure.

Leave the backset in it overnight. The acid will clean it pretty good. I have a pound of copper mesh in mine so I just stick a stick in and rub that around on the bottom and then rinse.

I tried to steal the neighbours chooks with my spent grain :) every time I threw it on the lawn they'd find a way through the fence. I was hoping they'd eventually just settle in :lol: (didn't work) Chicken rustler!!! I do the same thing with my kids. I toss food out on the neighbors lawn and hope ...

On propane burners I've personally ran UJSM's while they were still bubbling. The recipe says to be sure to run every 3 days or so IIRC to keep it from going through the second ferment. That's why I did it. I've never had any problems with it even doing that, but it can get better if you let it sit ...

Rednose, Some washes are a PITA to clear much past the cloudy stages. Some washes (rice and sugar come to mind) clear crystal clear. The clearer you can get it the better but I wouldn't kill yourself over it unless you're using an internal electric element in your boiler. With boiling chips and some...

Give it a whirl and see how it works out for ya. Let us know what you think.

You can also try 1-1 ratio of grain to water, then drain the liquid and do it again but use the liquid from the first cooking instead of water to boil the second in. Just top up with water to keep the 1-1 liquid to grain ratio. I never go above 1.5lbs per gallon. There is a point of diminishing retu...

Corn is hard to convert compared to other grains but all grain will be lower in yields than washes with sugar. Don't be discouraged. You said you boiled it at around 154 *F. You need to get corn up around 185* for that short amount of time. 155-160 is fine for overnight cooking.

Fester, What size barrels are you using. One thing I've wondered, since I only have 5L barrels, is everyone thinks about the surface area inside the barrel according to size. What few think about is the surface area exposed to atmosphere outside the barrel. There is an exchange somewhere in between ...

Me too Blanik.

I usually start aging mine at 65% for a week or so, then lower abv to 55 for the rest of the process.

Take a piece of oak, cut it down into roughly 1" x 1" x 3 to 6" staves. Take a torch, propane to oxy/acetyl and slowly pass over the sticks. The object should be to make the outside of the wood cracked so that there's jagged little crevices all in it but you still want some "wood...

I would definitely suggest starting the aging at no higher abv than 65%, Unless you're doing around a 12 gallon batch then there's too much oak in it to begin with and you'll end up with just a woody to "camp fire" flavor and not much else. 65% to me seems like the highest point of the bal...