Search found 398 matches

by carbohydratesn
Sun Jul 26, 2015 2:17 pm
Forum: Distilling News
Topic: moonshine distillery explodes today
Replies: 348
Views: 51059

Re: moonshine distillery explodes today

...then looking at the difference in temperatures between the boiling point of the wash at that elevation and the temperatures they say they run at. It'd be great if we could do that, but weather conditions on any given day have a bigger effect than elevation does. Think I read that in some stuff r...
by carbohydratesn
Sun Jul 26, 2015 1:54 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Copper test cap
Replies: 8
Views: 1109

Re: Copper test cap

So we are talking 90 psi minimum 90psi is *nothing*, if you're talking about a small area. A test cap will hold liquid just fine, sure. But if you bump into it with anything other than a loaf of bread, you're going to puncture it. I'd be willing to bet that a fingernail could apply 90psi, very easi...
by carbohydratesn
Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:24 pm
Forum: Distilling News
Topic: moonshine distillery explodes today
Replies: 348
Views: 51059

Re: moonshine distillery explodes today

I think you're right, Edwin. It sounds like they may have been letting some pressure build up in their still during normal operation . Now that's scary. I spotted this the first time I read it, and now I think it's even more significant - Upon asking Mr. Balentine how he regulated the temperature of...
by carbohydratesn
Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:48 pm
Forum: Tried and True Recipes
Topic: Odin's Easy Gin
Replies: 1332
Views: 340535

Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Hey, would anyone be able to show me what 12g of dried berries looks like? I'm hoping to give this recipe a shot with fresh, young, green berries, which I assume are a lot heavier than dried mature berries. Or even better, has anyone tried this with fresh berries, with recommendations on the amount ...
by carbohydratesn
Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:03 am
Forum: Distilling News
Topic: moonshine distillery explodes today
Replies: 348
Views: 51059

Re: moonshine distillery explodes today

Damn. What kind of moron puts a 150psi pressure relief valve on a still? That doesn't even qualify as a pressure relief valve as far as we're concerned, it's just a plug. Thanks for the link and tl;dr, Edwin. I hope the guys who were injured by that bomb recover and get to resume life. edit: Just re...
by carbohydratesn
Sun Jul 19, 2015 7:14 am
Forum: Column Builds
Topic: Stainless Steel vs Copper Mesh Scrubbers
Replies: 47
Views: 30431

Re: Stainless Steel vs Copper Mesh Scrubbers

This leads to a logical conclusion that copper is necessary, stainless is not. A smart man can make logical conclusions from this. One can indeed. When aging, a container for the liquor is necessary. Oak is not. Are you going to follow the same "logical conclusion" and stop aging with oak?
by carbohydratesn
Fri Jul 17, 2015 11:25 am
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Copper test cap
Replies: 8
Views: 1109

Re: Copper test cap

Oh! Yeah, absolutely, you should not use a test cap for that. I wrongly assumed they were talking about a cap for the condenser. For that application, get a real cap.
by carbohydratesn
Thu Jul 16, 2015 9:47 pm
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Copper test cap
Replies: 8
Views: 1109

Re: Copper test cap

Test caps *are* built to last, if you take care of them. It's just thinner copper - all it does is support your condenser. My test cap has gotten bent out of shape a few times, but it's easy to seat it back onto the column. Once that's done, it's held in place, flat and level. Even better than eithe...
by carbohydratesn
Wed Jul 15, 2015 7:17 am
Forum: Column Builds
Topic: Stainless Steel vs Copper Mesh Scrubbers
Replies: 47
Views: 30431

Re: Stainless Steel vs Copper Mesh Scrubbers

One downside to stainless scrubbers - that stuff is like razor wire. They get tangled easily, but you really can't pull on the threads. They cut your fingers. Ask me how I know :P

A strong pair or scissors, or even better, some big clippers, can separate tangled stainless scrubbers.
by carbohydratesn
Sat Jun 27, 2015 8:32 am
Forum: Distilling News
Topic: busted for making moonshine
Replies: 63
Views: 8274

Re: busted for making moonshine

Slather-ass still for some schmuck who thought selling rotgut was easier than getting a real job, IMHO.. How's someone who can't handle a 'real job' going to build a good still...? This guy is 75, and probably quite poor, there's no way he was going to build a good still. He might not have even had...
by carbohydratesn
Wed Jun 24, 2015 6:22 am
Forum: Research and Theory
Topic: Vacuum distillation design
Replies: 20
Views: 7014

Re: Vacuum distillation design

Have you done any of the math on this? It's been a few years since I've taken any physics classes, but you're talking about a pretty serious vacuum here. I don't know what exact pump you're talking about, but I don't know if an aspirator is going to cut it...with water, they are limited to 0.46 psi ...
by carbohydratesn
Wed Jun 24, 2015 5:38 am
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Is it possible to create a 100% unmalted whisky???
Replies: 18
Views: 3580

Re: Is it possible to create a 100% unmalted whisky???

Yes, it's possible, and common.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 39&t=54763

The sugar is produced by enzymes, as you guessed.
by carbohydratesn
Wed Jun 24, 2015 5:17 am
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: mini barrel makes things taste like nail polish!
Replies: 14
Views: 2317

Re: mini barrel makes things taste like nail polish!

It's not a pretty enough barrel to make for good decoration... ...but it's even more not a good enough barrel to make for good liquor. Sounds to me like more of a white elephant than a gift horse. A very very small white elephant. I would stick with jars, personally - they work well, as you've foun...
by carbohydratesn
Fri Jun 19, 2015 12:15 pm
Forum: Sugar
Topic: Sugar discovery
Replies: 19
Views: 3561

Re: Sugar discovery

likker liker wrote:Water content % was my first thought. MitchyBourbon I'm thinking your one the right track, the percentage of moisture has to be a big factor

MitchyBourbon wrote:Water content could at be responsible for a small difference
by carbohydratesn
Fri Jun 19, 2015 9:06 am
Forum: Sugar
Topic: Sugar discovery
Replies: 19
Views: 3561

Re: Sugar discovery

I think it's just a matter of grain size/density. Larger grains of sugar will have linearly more open space between them, but exponentially more mass as the grain size goes up, IIRC. Picture some extremes of the grain size you could get - what if the whole bag was one gigantic grain of sugar? It wou...
by carbohydratesn
Tue Jun 16, 2015 8:14 am
Forum: Flavoring and Aging
Topic: Hydrogen peroxide to accelerate ageing with ultrasound
Replies: 28
Views: 3726

Re: Hydrogen peroxide to accelerate ageing with ultrasound

A gallon costs $20 and should last a lifetime.
Unfortunately, without any stabilizers, it won't. It will start as 35%, but work its way down in concentration over the years.

It'll last years, though!
by carbohydratesn
Mon Jun 15, 2015 5:03 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: The iodine test
Replies: 26
Views: 5965

Re: The iodine test

Iodine is not safe to consume. Don't eat concentrated iodine - but it is actually safe to consume! iodine makes a great water purifier, I prefer it to bleach or other chemicals. A test like this ends up about 5-20x more concentrated, by my estimation, but dilute it a little more and it's not too ba...
by carbohydratesn
Thu Jun 11, 2015 7:41 am
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Basic Distillation 101
Replies: 121
Views: 171108

Re: Basic Distillation 101

You need to dilute your low wines down to 40% to do the spirit run . Cuts should made after the spirit run. You'll want to dilute some to 40% (or lower!) then as well, so you can taste the liquor instead of just burning your mouth with it. This is all covered in Cranky's wonderful thread - http://ho...
by carbohydratesn
Thu Jun 11, 2015 6:10 am
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Basic Distillation 101
Replies: 121
Views: 171108

Re: Basic Distillation 101

So i'm guessing its fine to collect up the low wines from a few runs and then put them in the still to make cuts, i dont need to dilute with water for saftey As long as you collect your low wines deep into the tails, to a very low %ABV. Everything should average out to about 40%. But this means you...
by carbohydratesn
Thu Jun 11, 2015 4:19 am
Forum: Pot Distillation/Thumper and Design
Topic: Back pressure and pressure cooker
Replies: 56
Views: 5726

Re: Back pressure and pressure cooker

I love reading all those epic lines about bomb rooms and flamethrowers but it seems to me a liitle too imaginary, ain't it? No , it ain't . And those are just within the past year. Like I said, I'm glad you abandoned the idea. if by accident my worm gets clogged, what's safer in a keg with no valve...
by carbohydratesn
Wed Jun 10, 2015 3:21 pm
Forum: Mashing and Fermenting
Topic: Well duh.
Replies: 48
Views: 3913

Re: Well duh.

Correct, it is not safe to boil in LDPE. HDPE is fine, LDPE (Brute cans) will melt.
by carbohydratesn
Sun Jun 07, 2015 9:51 am
Forum: Pot Distillation/Thumper and Design
Topic: Back pressure and pressure cooker
Replies: 56
Views: 5726

Re: Back pressure and pressure cooker

my question is: why should I worry about back pressure? If my worm puddles somewhere, ain't my two other valves enough to avoid an unwanted blast? I don't think anybody addressed this directly - but no, those are not enough to avoid an unwanted blast. Using a pressure cooker with water, as it's int...
by carbohydratesn
Wed May 27, 2015 8:37 pm
Forum: ** Welcome Center **
Topic: Distilling Wine
Replies: 19
Views: 3082

Re: Distilling Wine

Take the same precautions as with any other kind of distilling. It's exactly as safe as anything else :)

Read all the links in this thread a couple of times if you aren't familiar with those precautions - it's a great roundup of information.

And welcome to the forum!
by carbohydratesn
Wed May 27, 2015 11:17 am
Forum: Column Builds
Topic: Problem about make proper rum
Replies: 5
Views: 1125

Re: Problem about make proper rum

I think I know where the "92" came from. A pot might produce 92 proof on a stripping run, which is 46%. A spirit run would definitely hit that.

92 percent would require a reflux still.
by carbohydratesn
Mon May 25, 2015 8:14 pm
Forum: Condensers/Cooling Methods
Topic: DAD300 Special Condenser
Replies: 16
Views: 7560

Re: DAD300 Special Condenser

Damn, Hound Dog, that's a big one! That should be good for, what, 40,000w?
by carbohydratesn
Mon May 25, 2015 10:30 am
Forum: Announcements
Topic: Mash Rookie
Replies: 84
Views: 31857

Re: Mash Rookie

Damn, I'm really sorry to hear that. That man was a real artist, and from what I've read of his, he seemed like a great guy. I only learned of his ALS a few months ago...incurable conditions are really, really shitty. They are not an easy thing to deal with. I have a few of my own - but they are a m...
by carbohydratesn
Sat May 23, 2015 7:39 am
Forum: Novice Distillers
Topic: Cloudiness
Replies: 9
Views: 1182

Re: Cloudiness

That reaction's purdy as hell when you get a really strong one going. I'm not sure if it's exactly the same, but I recently added some very strong refluxed tails to some very strong refluxed heads. The tails were piping hot and the heads were room temp, IIRC. It was beautiful , the liquids wouldn't ...
by carbohydratesn
Fri May 22, 2015 11:40 am
Forum: Column Builds
Topic: Sight glass placement in a SPP-packed reflux column
Replies: 14
Views: 4235

Re: Sight glass placement in a SPP-packed reflux column

I wondered if putting some mid-column could be a good idea - and it isn't. It's obvious that it would cause some problems, but I wondered if the extra view into the column would be worth it. The responses I got cleared that right up - it would have been a bad idea, like I thought it probably would b...
by carbohydratesn
Fri May 22, 2015 10:22 am
Forum: Column Builds
Topic: Sight glass placement in a SPP-packed reflux column
Replies: 14
Views: 4235

Re: Sight glass placement in a SPP-packed reflux column

They have arrived! Some 1.5'' trap adapters from Supply House , and a few 1 3/4'' diameter, 3/16'' thick borosilicate glass discs from McMaster-Carr . http://i.imgur.com/xFdGqL0.jpg Full size version of that image It's a perfect fit :D I'm surprised by how clear the discs are, they're practically in...
by carbohydratesn
Wed May 20, 2015 5:36 pm
Forum: Meet & Mingle & Events
Topic: SUMMER MEET ??
Replies: 130
Views: 18949

Re: SUMMER MEET ??

I think shootin' homemade bows and arrows is much less illegal than this hobby is...