Search found 619 matches

by seabass
Wed Sep 15, 2021 12:44 pm
Forum: Fruit and grain season is here
Topic: Moldy grapes for brandy
Replies: 10
Views: 1510

Re: Moldy grapes for brandy

Never had grappa and the only brandy I've had is cognac. I enjoy cognac, but am kinda shooting in the dark with this one.

It's already under 1.0SG. gonna steam strip it on skins Monday. Just gonna treat it like whiskey I think.
by seabass
Tue Sep 14, 2021 12:22 pm
Forum: Fruit and grain season is here
Topic: Moldy grapes for brandy
Replies: 10
Views: 1510

Re: Moldy grapes for brandy

A beautiful fortified wine is made with grapes affected by noble rot (botrytis cinerea). The little holes in the skin allow the grapes to dry. Lovely apricot flavour. ' Grapes infected with Botrytis bunch rot show grey fungal growth ... Berries may shrivel and become mummified if hot conditions occ...
by seabass
Mon Sep 13, 2021 10:20 am
Forum: Fruit and grain season is here
Topic: Moldy grapes for brandy
Replies: 10
Views: 1510

Re: Moldy grapes for brandy

Anyone have experience with distillation on skins vs off? Mainly what it does to the final product. They're fermenting on skins and taste and smell pretty good. Probably be done fermenting in another few days. Not sure whether I want to press them before distillation or dump the whole thing in a keg.
by seabass
Mon Sep 06, 2021 5:00 pm
Forum: Fruit and grain season is here
Topic: Moldy grapes for brandy
Replies: 10
Views: 1510

Re: Moldy grapes for brandy

I probably always get a little bit of mold in my brandy ferments and they are always fermented on the skins. Make sure you have a well prepared starter ready to go and pitch it without delay. If a shriveled grape still contains sugar, it's fine to use. Thanks! The plan is to have everything ready t...
by seabass
Mon Sep 06, 2021 3:41 pm
Forum: Fruit and grain season is here
Topic: Moldy grapes for brandy
Replies: 10
Views: 1510

Moldy grapes for brandy

I'm getting grapes from a friend to make brandy. I've made wine in the past from these grapes and they make an ok wine that is a bit too tart. Some of this year's are a bit past their prime. Some bunches have a bit of mold growing on them. I'm hoping to end up with 6 or 7 gallons of juice. Anyone ha...
by seabass
Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:08 am
Forum: Related Electric Accessories
Topic: thermowell
Replies: 26
Views: 1554

Re: thermowell

Out of curiosity, how long is the thermowell?
by seabass
Tue Feb 09, 2021 9:14 am
Forum: Related Electric Accessories
Topic: thermowell
Replies: 26
Views: 1554

Re: thermowell

Mine are not isolated at all. They're soldered to the pot. I think part of the issue is the length. With a relatively short thermowell that is welded or soldered to the pot, you will get some deviation from the outside of the pot. Mine are 50mm long and the probes are 40mm long. The one in mt mash t...
by seabass
Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:42 am
Forum: Related Electric Accessories
Topic: thermowell
Replies: 26
Views: 1554

Re: thermowell

But if the error is consistent, it's pretty easy to work around. I also have much thicker walled thermowells than you even if they are copper. I wouldn't be surprised if thermal paste brought you closer.
by seabass
Tue Feb 09, 2021 8:14 am
Forum: Related Electric Accessories
Topic: thermowell
Replies: 26
Views: 1554

Re: thermowell

In my experiments, the thermal paste made a huge difference even with a very tight fitting thermowell. I got a lot more bouncing around and it was slower to register temp changes without the paste. It's really not that messy. It wipes off easily with alcohol. But I had to adjust mine by 0.8-1C while...
by seabass
Mon Feb 08, 2021 6:34 pm
Forum: Related Electric Accessories
Topic: thermowell
Replies: 26
Views: 1554

Re: thermowell

I love thermowells. I put them in my kettle, mashtun, boilers, and fermenters. I haven't used them in vapor, so I can't comment on that. I just calibrate them to another thermometer I have that I put directly into the liquid. With thermal paste it's pretty accurate. Not sure how well they will work ...
by seabass
Mon Feb 08, 2021 5:29 pm
Forum: Off-Topic Discussion
Topic: Covid-19
Replies: 17
Views: 1923

Re: Covid-19

I'm directly affected in that I currently have it. Kinda blows, but I'm lucky enough to have a mild case. If it subsides soon, I'll have a week and a half to do projects before I need to go back to work.
by seabass
Mon Oct 19, 2020 12:36 pm
Forum: Related Electric Accessories
Topic: Another SCR and Meter Question
Replies: 11
Views: 1640

Re: Another SCR and Meter Question

I'm using that type of meter. As long as you put the current transformer before the scr, you'll have good results.
by seabass
Mon Oct 12, 2020 3:06 pm
Forum: Yeasts, Enzymes, Fungi, Nutrients
Topic: Turbo Yeast Cell Counts
Replies: 16
Views: 1905

Re: Turbo Yeast Cell Counts

Use the best yeast for your intended use. What are you making? Why would you want to use turbo yeast? You have homebrew experience, so why do you want to use turbo yeast?
by seabass
Thu Oct 01, 2020 3:23 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: What'd ya'll make today?
Replies: 6949
Views: 737337

Re: What'd ya'll make today?

A sloped floor drain? kind of steep.
by seabass
Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:34 am
Forum: Stills and still building information
Topic: Best hybrid still
Replies: 19
Views: 5269

Re: Best hybrid still

The color of the copper mesh I use in pot mode says it's doing something.
by seabass
Wed Sep 30, 2020 8:04 am
Forum: Mashing, fermenting, flavoring and aging related hardware
Topic: Oil Heated Pot
Replies: 10
Views: 1330

Re: Oil Heated Pot

You're right. My brain completely ignored the mash tun part and replaced it with boiler. It'll work as a mash tun though.
by seabass
Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:37 am
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: What'd ya'll make today?
Replies: 6949
Views: 737337

Re: What'd ya'll make today?

Looks like todays a beer day. Making a fresh hop IPA. I've got a giant cascade hop plant that wants to be a beer. I think it's been a year since I made beer. Been so focused on the whiskey side of things lately.
by seabass
Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:58 am
Forum: Still Related Hardware
Topic: Thick tape for gasket (link)
Replies: 29
Views: 2618

Re: Thick tape for gasket (link)

The link doesn't seem to work for me.
by seabass
Thu Sep 24, 2020 5:03 pm
Forum: The Construction Site
Topic: Motorized grain mill with box
Replies: 18
Views: 2216

Re: Motorized grain mill with box

Any outdoor rtv should work. If you get a small tube and seal the seams that should get rid of any danger. It's an enclosed box, so it's already minimal, but the rtv will seal it.
by seabass
Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:55 pm
Forum: The Construction Site
Topic: Motorized grain mill with box
Replies: 18
Views: 2216

Re: Motorized grain mill with box

Probably a good idea to seal it with some silicone so a spark doesn't come into contact with grain dust.
by seabass
Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:50 pm
Forum: ** Welcome Center **
Topic: Cape Town enthusiast looking to do some arduino automation
Replies: 21
Views: 1874

Re: Cape Town enthusiast looking to do some arduino automation

Automation is it's own hobby. It bleeds into other hobbies!
by seabass
Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:49 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Building up product for a 5 gallon barrel
Replies: 73
Views: 5533

Re: Building up product for a 5 gallon barrel

That sounds delicious.
by seabass
Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:47 pm
Forum: Column Builds
Topic: ceramic rings meant for using in an aquarium
Replies: 192
Views: 24871

Re: ceramic rings meant for using in an aquarium

I haven't really looked that hard. I've been using copper packing and it's ok, but not what I want long term. I'll give the 1/2 inch a try. Eventually I'll get some 4in spools and go bigger, but I only make like 2 batches of vodka a year. It interferes with my whiskey pipeline.
by seabass
Thu Sep 24, 2020 2:12 pm
Forum: Column Builds
Topic: ceramic rings meant for using in an aquarium
Replies: 192
Views: 24871

Re: ceramic rings meant for using in an aquarium

That's awesome. Any idea what the ideal size for a 2in column would be? I'm guessing 3/8 or 1/2in.
by seabass
Thu Sep 24, 2020 11:57 am
Forum: ** Welcome Center **
Topic: Cape Town enthusiast looking to do some arduino automation
Replies: 21
Views: 1874

Re: Cape Town enthusiast looking to do some arduino automation

Automation isn't the issue here. There are a lot of ways to automate a still. An Arduino driving an SSR can be used in many ways. PID mode can be used for holding strike temps during the mash. For distilling, you'll want a short period on/off cycle if using an Arduino to control the SSR. Automating ...
by seabass
Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:29 am
Forum: Mashing, fermenting, flavoring and aging related hardware
Topic: Oil Heated Pot
Replies: 10
Views: 1330

Re: Oil Heated Pot

As long as the lid can be sealed somehow, that sounds awesome.
by seabass
Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:08 am
Forum: General Stilling questions
Topic: Clearing wash and puking.....
Replies: 28
Views: 4493

Re: Clearing wash and puking.....

A dephleg is a type of reflux condenser though. And a cm still relies on reflux to function, so it's definitely a reflux still.
by seabass
Wed Sep 23, 2020 1:46 pm
Forum: Steam Mashing and Distilling
Topic: The simplest steam setup?
Replies: 94
Views: 11720

Re: The simplest steam setup?

I don't use anything on the bottom. It's just open 1in pipe at the bottom. It works fine and I don't worry about blockages.
by seabass
Wed Sep 23, 2020 1:11 pm
Forum: Steam Mashing and Distilling
Topic: The simplest steam setup?
Replies: 94
Views: 11720

Re: The simplest steam setup?

It's a typical thumper connection. A triclamp tee with a reducer and 1in copper pipe soldered in. 20200405_122305_HDR.jpg 20200921_144537.jpg What a beautiful piece of equipment ... I'm envious. If I understand correctly, the steam of the boiler enters the thumper from the top and descends to the b...
by seabass
Wed Sep 23, 2020 1:07 pm
Forum: Condensers/Cooling Methods
Topic: Tri-Clamp style Sanitary Hose to Copper Worm
Replies: 16
Views: 1958

Re: Tri-Clamp style Sanitary Hose to Copper Worm

The first link (aliexpress) is definitely with inner rubber, that braid cannot be watertight. I know those pipes (variant with screw connection) they recognize on the fly. At this link https://bit.ly/3031orH there is a kit for the connection with long pipes, maybe you may be interested. I think the...