What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

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Still Life
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What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Still Life »

I know it's a strange question, but one posed by my wife and I really didn't have an answer.
She makes soy candles as a hobby and sells them. Can't do that with our hobby.
Quite a stock of whiskey, bourbon, and rum has filled my shelves. Some finished barrel-aging, some in barrels, most oak-aging in glass awaiting a barrel.

I have enough to destroy an army of livers, and I only have so many trusted friends and family to donate to.
And there's only so much sterno even my alky ass can imbibe.

I told her it's more of an art --like drawing and painting and such--- where you strive to perfection no matter the surplus of product or demand.
She suggested I trade it for sugar, but that I'm not gonna do that. Looking for trouble, that is, even in Missouri where John Law turns an otherwise blind eye.

So what do you good folks do with all your surplus?
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Lko67 »

Don't have that problem yet. Did my cleaning runs yesterday and putting down a sugar mash today. And so it begins
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Still Life »

Lko67 wrote:Don't have that problem yet. Did my cleaning runs yesterday and putting down a sugar mash today. And so it begins
Good luck to you. You just may find yourself in my predicament --and I hope you do.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Pikey »

Surplus ? :shock: :crazy:

Does not compute !

I suppose You could try running an engine on it - or using it in a heating system.

Have the Bejesus of a party ? - Several times :twisted:

Experiment with extracting essential oils for making essences ?
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by bitter »

Stock gets better with time. if you taper off production so you always drinking 2 year old stock, then it will make life happy.

I have a good amount also about 13G Aging (Some ready for drinking). I have switched to all grain, but that does not slow things down much.

Slow down production, maybe try some those mashes that are more work.. and do smaller mashes.

B
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Still Life »

bitter wrote:Stock gets better with time. if you taper off production so you always drinking 2 year old stock, then it will make life happy.

I have a good amount also about 13G Aging (Some ready for drinking). I have switched to all grain, but that does not slow things down much.

Slow down production, maybe try some those mashes that are more work.. and do smaller mashes.

B
Wise words. And you're right. It will be patience by proxy. It has to age, due to quantity.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by bitter »

Still Life wrote: Wise words. And you're right. It will be patience by proxy. It has to age, due to quantity.
Just don't sacrifice quality for quantity!

B
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Still Life »

Don't you worry about quality. You good folks have taught me too well.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by joeyfla »

I wish I had your problem....been on vacation off and on the last two months and had plumbers over....so I've haven't kept up with mashing, etc and I've run out of moonshine....[WEARY FACE]


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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by bitter »

In time grasshopper
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by cranky »

I just let mine sit, even in glass it continues to get better with age. I have been thinking about buying a 60 gallon barrel and see how long it takes me to fill it then I would be set for life :D Seriously though, I'm getting to the point you are at and figure I only have another hundred years or so to get it all drank but there is still so much to try making. My plan is to have it given out to any friends I have at the time of my death, but as I often point out, I don't have any so maybe I'll have it given to people I work with or maybe any of the HD members that are still talking to me when I depart. I used to bring regular bottles to Bearriver and I try to send a package to MCH from time to time and I'm trying to get enough put back to send to some other members I promised apple brandy to and still haven't delivered (Sorry guys, just put it in a barrel and expect it to be another year before I get around to it :crazy: ). For the Bearriver BBQs I brought some bottles and always left them behind for the hosts and would like to send samples off to other get togethers to be there in spirit and get input from other members.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by nerdybrewer »

As Cranky mentioned, get a bigger barrel!!
Aging a good long time is a luxury you can afford and it will only get better with time.
Cranky's spoonfeeding:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975

Time and Oak will sort it out.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by BoomTown »

Hmmm, I have this problem in spades. Since we closed the Distillery and let our state permits lapse, and our bonds paid forward for a couple of years, we aren't allowed to sell any anymore. We've a nice collection of small barrels (ie. 10 gal Gibbs) that we set back as 'Distiller's Keep', and which now is entering it's 2nd year. Problem is, due to recent health issues, I have not had a drop to drink in 3 months, nor have I been thirsty. Did syphon off a couple of gallons, and bottle a little bit last week, and the working with the liquor gave me a contact high. It is a very fine brew indeed.

Pure as driven snow, I am. With a small hoard of some very fine bourbon I may never drink. Wouldn't have bet on this happening, ever!
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by NZChris »

Get a smaller still, or pack yours away. Once your cellar is full of aged likker, you only have to replace what you drink every year.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by der wo »

Although my still is very small (12l wash or 15l low wines), it gets more and more...
I never drink spirits to get drunk. To get drunk I prefer beer. Because of proud German tradition probably :lol: .
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by mduhon2 »

MAKE shine

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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Still Life »

Excellent heeded advice, everyone. Thank you all.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Oldvine Zin »

BoomTown wrote:Hmmm, I have this problem in spades. Since we closed the Distillery and let our state permits lapse, and our bonds paid forward for a couple of years, we aren't allowed to sell any anymore. We've a nice collection of small barrels (ie. 10 gal Gibbs) that we set back as 'Distiller's Keep', and which now is entering it's 2nd year. Problem is, due to recent health issues, I have not had a drop to drink in 3 months, nor have I been thirsty. Did syphon off a couple of gallons, and bottle a little bit last week, and the working with the liquor gave me a contact high. It is a very fine brew indeed.

Pure as driven snow, I am. With a small hoard of some very fine bourbon I may never drink. Wouldn't have bet on this happening, ever!
Damn that really sucks!! Sorry to hear that BoomTown :(

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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by vqstatesman »

Still Life wrote:I know it's a strange question, but one posed by my wife and I really didn't have an answer.
She makes soy candles as a hobby and sells them. Can't do that with our hobby.
Quite a stock of whiskey, bourbon, and rum has filled my shelves. Some finished barrel-aging, some in barrels, most oak-aging in glass awaiting a barrel.

I have enough to destroy an army of livers, and I only have so many trusted friends and family to donate to.
And there's only so much sterno even my alky ass can imbibe.

I told her it's more of an art --like drawing and painting and such--- where you strive to perfection no matter the surplus of product or demand.
She suggested I trade it for sugar, but that I'm not gonna do that. Looking for trouble, that is, even in Missouri where John Law turns an otherwise blind eye.

So what do you good folks do with all your surplus?
You have me curious... Just how much stock do you have on hand? I'm curious as to what you call surplus.

My stock is pushing 200 litres of 65ABV and a pinch over 50 litres of 40ABV. Mostly bourbon, rum and a small stash of neutral.

I upgraded my boiler less than 12 months ago so the stock is starting to grow faster now :)

I don't consider any of mine to be surplus.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Still Life »

VQ,
Your 200 liters and 50 liters blows me away.

After doling out to friends and family,
about 25 liters of whiskey,
10 liters of rum and 15 bourbon.

While certainly barrel quantities, that's still more than I'd ever dealt with before I got into this hobby.
I mean, just how much can a person drink and give away?
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by vqstatesman »

Maybe you need a new storage location away from the wife's eyes :) Your whiskey, rum and bourbon will only get better with age!

To be completely honest the 200L is on average 6 month old. The remainder stock is well aged.

I once made the mistake of running out of rum. Considering it was 2+ years old that was a big mistake. I learned from it, upgraded my equipment and stared building a large reserve :)
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by spiff »

I keep my vodka at 96% in carboys until ready to fill my normal use gallon jug at 40%, which I then use to fill my individual containers with.

I tried to run as often as I could through the winter to accumulate some for the summer with hopes I have enough to last to next cold season. About twice a week. Running the still in the heat sucks since I do it indoors and won't let my AC compete so I turn it off for the day. So with run time and cool off time, the house is miserably hot for a full 24 hours or so.

After all that I only have about 12 gallons of 96% to show for it. Less than I thought I should have but might be enough to last the season.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by cranky »

Still Life wrote:VQ,
Your 200 liters and 50 liters blows me away.

After doling out to friends and family,
about 25 liters of whiskey,
10 liters of rum and 15 bourbon.

While certainly barrel quantities, that's still more than I'd ever dealt with before I got into this hobby.
I mean, just how much can a person drink and give away?
That's only 67 bottles, even at 1 bottle a year that won't get you through the next 100 years.
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Still Life »

cranky wrote:That's only 67 bottles, even at 1 bottle a year that won't get you through the next 100 years.
!!!
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by thecroweater »

Would love to fill a wine barrel and stick it away for a good long time but I don't ever seem to get the surplus. Do have a reasonable amount of slivovich but its not a product I want to barrel age, bit of oak goes a long way with sliv. My smaller 50 or so ltr rum keg is maybe a third full at best and 25 ltr whiskey keg maybe half so no surplus issues here. What ya making for ya self is definitely focused on quality over quantity or should be. You can bet even the bigger time shiners are keeping good stuff for the house hold.
Once you get to the point where you are secure you won't run dry for awhile its time to get into the lower yield high quality stuff maybe like selected malt AGs and the such and maybe work on a few sissy drinks for those allusive brownie points to slow ya roll
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by cranky »

Still Life wrote:
cranky wrote:That's only 67 bottles, even at 1 bottle a year that won't get you through the next 100 years.
!!!
I'm relying on huge advancements in medicine over the next 20-30 years or so and winning the lottery to pay for it :D However, my grandfather lived to be well over 90, His brother is still alive at 98. One of my great grandmothers also lived to 99. Is it too much to ask modern medicine to give us all an extra 50-75 years? I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation and we should all prepare for it :ebiggrin:
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by goinbroke2 »

Man I got the same problem! Too much alcohol stored up, too much money, too much sex, to...wait, what?.....sorry, I thought this was the liars bench, my bad. :oops:

Too much likker...you serious?? Nope, never had that problem, ever, and never will.

Sorry I can't help.


You need more friends who drink, I got some extra's if you want them. They eat a lot too, just sayin....
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Mikey-moo »

Secret Santa it away at Christmas time - 1/2 a liter here... a pint over there...
Best place to start for newbies - click here - Courtesy of Cranky :-)

If you have used this site to save money by making your own top quality booze at home then please consider donating a couple of dollars to help keep this site running. Cheers!
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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by BoomTown »

Oldvine Zin wrote:
BoomTown wrote:Hmmm, I have this problem in spades. Since we closed the Distillery and let our state permits lapse, and our bonds paid forward for a couple of years, we aren't allowed to sell any anymore. We've a nice collection of small barrels (ie. 10 gal Gibbs) that we set back as 'Distiller's Keep', and which now is entering it's 2nd year. Problem is, due to recent health issues, I have not had a drop to drink in 3 months, nor have I been thirsty. Did syphon off a couple of gallons, and bottle a little bit last week, and the working with the liquor gave me a contact high. It is a very fine brew indeed.

Pure as driven snow, I am. With a small hoard of some very fine bourbon I may never drink. Wouldn't have bet on this happening, ever!
Damn that really sucks!! Sorry to hear that BoomTown :(

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Re: What do you do with all your surplus alcohol?

Post by Still Life »

Good attitude, BoomTown.
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