New Equipment

[SanDiegoShiner]

Hello,

This is about my 4 th post so forgive me if something is not perfect. I have brewed all grain for many years and then a few years ago I got tired of it and sold everything. Now I got a tingling to start distilling.

So... I am buying all new equipment. After 20 years of cobbling together beer making supplies, this time I want to have great equipment off the bat. Here is what I have ordered so far.

13 gallon Electric HillBilly still potstill 3 inch
A 6 plate reflux column also.
Refractometer
2 25 gallon food grade barrels.
Proof hydrometer
Graduated cylinder
Small variable speed food grade 0-3 Gpm pump
Aeration stone and welding oxygen tank
Dap
Nottingham yeast
50 pound corn
50 pound 2 row
Bag or medium white oak chunks
Jars
Graduated cylinder
3 roller grain mill
Stir plate


I still need a mash tun. I have been looking at the recipes and can't really tell what I need. Either 15 or 20 gallon for 10 gallon batches? My still is 13 gallon, can I run a full 10 at once? Do I need a perforated ( false bottom) like when brewing? From what I have read most batches seem to be on the grain. In that case I could siphon from a large pot or use my pump on a very slow setting. Can I use my still boiler to heat the mash water and then pour in to the mash tun at strike temp? Could I just ferment in my stainless mash tun and never transfer?

Anything else I may need to finish my first run. I am hoping to be good to go.

Also, I know I could build and have studied the diagrams, I just spent so many hours building a brewery, this time I would like to skip a few steps. I am 40 and just want to get distilling.

Thanks

[beelah]

You seem to know how to get your wash, which is basically making beer without the hops, or wine...you don't exactly need to be so precise in getting your raw material, which is you wash, as you do when making beer or wine as you don't drink the fermented wash...you extract the goodness out of it, the alcohol and some flavour components, if making whiskey, rum, brandy, or not id you are looking for a neutral...you want as tasteless a wash as you can make.

As for the boiler size and wash size, you will find that many of the recipes are based on 5 gallon washes...which can be scaled up it you have a bigger capacity boiler. Now on size of wash in a boiler, the recommendation is to not fill your boiler more than 2/3 capacity...so if you have like many here, a 15 gallon beer keg as boiler, the max size wash is 10 gallons. you can also run a 5 gallon in a 15 gallon boiler.

The recommendation is that a 5 gallon wash is the minimum size wash to run in order to do proper cuts....also most of the washes come in at between 10-12% ABV, so out of a 5 gallon run there is a potential fro 2L of 100% alcohol, so when diluted to 40 %, about a gallon on a stripping run...do 5 of those and then a spirit run and from that I get about 2-2/2 gallons of drink-able product at 40% and a gallon of feints to run in the next wash or save for my boka run.

[SanDiegoShiner]

Thank you so much for the reply. So, in regards to a mash tun. If I am making a 10 gallon all grain mash for a scotch per se, can you use a 15 gallon mash tun for 10 gallons or do you think you need a 20 gallon? Also, do you sparge the mash? Seems like most recipes here just ferment on the grain.

[beelah]

I have yet to do an AG, but with respect to size of you TUN...I would think a bit of extra room for the grain volume would be a good idea, as when you talk a 10 gallon batch, you are talking end amount of wash which is 10 gallons right?

As for sparging, from what I have read some folks do, but you are right that some ferment on the grain, some don't. Big R seems to be one of the folks here on the site that know a lot about AGs...you can always PM him for advise if you want.

[Washashore]

do you sparge the mash? Seems like most recipes here just ferment on the grain.

The way I prefer to do an AG (and many others around here) is to not ferment on the grain but to sparge separately and save the sparge water to begin your next batch. If you buy collapsible plastic Jerry cans (only a few bucks each I think) you can squeeze the air out of the sparge water & it'll last for months). Good luck!