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I've learned (and modified my set-up) to run two strips on back to back days without tearing anything down. You def learn as you go how to streamline the process, at lease I do. I literally set everything up, run the first 6 gallons of mash, drain the still and refill then rerun the next day. It's c...

I don't use barrels for my aging, I do a lot of cherry these days and source my own wood, cut it and toast but I've cut back on char considerably since getting into this. I was doing a very heavy char thinking it would impart more color, which it did, but I found the smoke to be over-powering. I jus...

I don't have a vacuum pump but use a 5L glass jar which I fill and rotate in and out of the freezer. When I take it out the spirit's about 0*F and has contracted a good bit creating a pretty strong vacuum. After opening, I close it up and let it sit at room temp, once the spirit warms it expands and...

I really like cherry and have been working with it for a couple years now, If you get it right it can be surprisingly good. I've tried the two different cherry woods - Black cherry and sweet. I like the black cherry much better. I always toast now, tried un-toasted and toasted side by side and I thi...

....I don't post much here, usually a quick site search answers any questions I might have, but I'm stuck on my all-grain cherry whiskey aging. I'm going to post tonight when I'm home and can think straight, I'd really like to hear from anyone that has some cherry experience..... Hi Smokee. What li...

Yeah it def gets some fine pieces of wood into the liquid. With oak, I've noticed this doesn't seem to cause much clouding. I do pour it through a coffee filter when I remove the oak though. I run everything through a coffee filter when it's done aging so I'm keen to see if it catches these fine pa...

I've used Stavin Oak Beans with good results. They're very consistent in what you get so you'll be able to repeat your aging process. https://www.stavin.com/tank-systems/oak-beans/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow There's plenty of places that retail ...

Guessing it was some sort of oil in the cherry wood. I run my US with oak all the time and it never had clouded up on me. YMMV. It seemed to me that the UC freed very fine particles from the wood and letting it sit without disturbing the jar allowed them to settle. Running it through didn't really ...

After sitting for a week and a half it cleared. I tried filtering it through charcoal and it didn't change but letting it sit allowed the cloudiness to settle to the bottom.

I would throw that back in the still, dilute to 40% and rerun it. Maybe do another few gallons of mash and strip it, add it into the diluted stuff you're going to run again. Then, take your time and do some really good cuts then back in the barrel. Don't let it on wood as long.

Agree Smokee, I like cherry wood aged spirits too. Give pecan wood a try...I REALLY like that nut wood. ss Yes, sir.... I will try it. I'm trying to get into a rhythm of doing two 6-gallon strips and a spirit run a month to build up my reserves. Once I get where I can have some left over that can b...

Just checked the deep-freeze and both are still cloudy. Oh well, live and learn. I may try running the younger spirit through charcoal again see what happens. I really don't care for myself but would prefer a nice, clear spirit solely for when someone says "oh, you made this?". I find that...

Musta’ shook somthing loose in the wood.... Did the spirit gain color (along with the cloud) in the process? New wood, or 2nd use? Toasted and charred? Tell us more. ss I age all my spirits at 60% on cherry cubes. Both batches I US'ed had cherry cubes that were toasted and charred, I don't second u...

I tried running my liquor through an ultrasonic cleaning cycle with heat this evening with the wood and it got really cloudy. I always run my AG through the ultrasonic cleaner before adding in the wood, never tried running it like I did this evening with wood but I read this week of someone that doe...

I run a thumper on all my runs. I do two 6 gallon batches of all-grain then strip them using water in the thumper, fast, then do a spirit run with water. I usually get excellent results.

Hi Jim, welcome! I built my own still a few years ago. It's a 10 gallon stainless pot with and elbow in the center of the lid and a 1/2" copper arm. I initially went straight to the condenser but, without any reflux, my runs were low in alcohol so I tried adding a thumper... It helped considera...

I bought 2-6.5 gallon buckets from my local brew store and they don't seal. My first wash was sweetfeed with a ton of sugar, put the airlock on and nothing. When I called the brew store and asked they said they've been getting calls about it and the lids aren't sealing. I use cling wrap twisted and ...

Shine0n wrote:I lay them side by side 5lg and per quart this has been the best ratio

5 Large cubes?

I have used cubes from Northern Brewer with very good luck. About 8 cubes per 1 quart jar for about eight weeks makes pretty good whiskey. I'm thinking about trying some homemade cubes from my own apple or peach trees. Anybody have any thoughts on that? I use Stavin oak beans, started a thread last...

I put some 120 proof on some cherry I toasted from a tree in my yard and forgot about it for 2 years. I found it Christmas eve and Santa couldn't of given me a better gift, it was unbelievably good. I thought it would of been too much time but it was perfect. I had it in a mason jar with 2-4"x1...

I've been using Stavin Oak beans for a year or so and have got some pretty good results. I find I get more consistency than using my own oak, it's easier and less work freeing up my time for other things. I've been getting a pound for about $25 online and a little goes a long way which brings me to ...

Do a search with your thread title, there's quite of few posts asking the same question.

Do a search. It has been done. Odin. From my reading you've done some good work with this and I appreciate the time it's saved me experimenting. I tried it tonight for the first time and got very good results. The heating element quit working in the Harbor cleaner that I'm using until the one I got...

??? Educate, that's what I'm on here for. I'm all about noobs asking questions but this isn't how I'd go about it....I'm sure you're not trying but this sounds a little dick'ish. I'd first start buy clicking the "HD Google Search" at the top of the page and search "burning taste"...

..or you could build a still from a pot if you want to keep it simple & keep your costs down. Grab a 10 gallon stainless pot and add the copper, maybe another small pot for a doubler.

There's a lot of agriculture in my area, plenty of feed stores, but none have anything similar to the Manna Pro COB I've always used. I got a bag locally of what was previously described as "wet" molasses with some pellets and it didn't turn out well. The pellets dissolved into mush and th...

Smokee, You're just too "green" to fully understand what spoonfeeding is, that or you have yet to answer the same (fundamental) question a 100 (or more) times. Its just that at some point enabling lazy behavior becomes counterproductive to the individual and the website. The "correct...

Sorry guys, I just don't understand making a post flaming someone's question. It's a "novice" forum, if you feel a question is beneath you don't feel obligated to post.

Hard to believe that a generic answer to a basic question would get someone so worked up.

That's real helpful! Oh, because at 152 post in 3 years, you've really spent enough time helping people? You failed in your response to tell him what a strip run was, too. I have to assume that if he doesn't know one term, he can't know the other. But you walk in like a spoon feeding hero, throwing...

That's real helpful! A "Spirit Run" is the final run of collected "Stripped Runs". I do 6.5 gallon batches of an all-grain recipe I came up with. I'll ferment each batch of 6.5 gallons and run it through my pot still at a relatively fast pace to strip the alcohol from the mash. I...