Apple pommace

Information about fruit/vegetable type washes.

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StillerBoy
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Re: Apple pommace

Post by StillerBoy »

DetroitDIY wrote:suggested using a series of bags in the press.
From experience using my apple press for pressing my mashes, is that if more than a gal or so of mash is used, or your case, pomace, it put a lot of strain on the side wall of bucket, and it will not press dry.

What I do, I believe your press pail is 5 gal, is I a fill on paint strainer bag with about 1 - 1.5 gal, twist the bag top down and lock it in place using a releasable plastic tie wrap, add a plate, and do the same for the next 2 bag loads (3 bag loads for the 5 gal, 4 bags for the 7 gal).. then work the press slowly.. after the press top plate has moved down about a third of the way down, release the press, and re-twist the bag tops again, and restart pressing again, pressing until very little liquid is coming out..

No side wall stress doing it this way, plus you extract all the liquid available.. and I have lots of holes in my pails..

Mars
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DetroitDIY
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Re: Apple pommace

Post by DetroitDIY »

Thanks for the advice guys.

I like the tips on saving the heads and tails for next year NZ, which I certainly hope to do.

Regarding pushing the cap down... that may be tricky...

In the 55 gal drum the cap starts at 55 gal and ends at 5 gal.
In the 20 gal Brute the cap starts at 20.5 gal and ends at 1.5 gal.
In the 12 gal feed the cap starts at 14 gal and ends at 2 gal.

I'll try pushing it down a bit, and possibly transfer some to a 4th container (so the 55 gal stops oozing out the top and the feed bucket doesn't have an exposed cap).

StillerBoy,

Yes, my press bucket is a 6.5 gallon. I'm OK on the holes, though my next bucket will have them in a helix to allow the liquid to always drain regardless of the depth of plunge. And it'll be stainless steel to address the annular stress at the bottom of the bucket. I press hard, and the bottom of the bucket bulges out significantly. One of these days it'll give way if I don't replace it first... maybe this is a good excuse to drill those holes in my stainless bucket.

As for the lightly loaded bag and tightening it periodically... that just sounds like too much work. I'm going do to this with a normal press, perhaps get a bit less efficiency, but try to avoid being at it multiple days. Just doesn't sound worth it to me.
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Re: Apple pommace

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DetroitDIY wrote:maybe this is a good excuse to drill those holes in my stainless bucket.
Word of wisdom in drilling stainless, with the numbers required to drill the pot, get the best drill bits you can get for stainless, other wise, you will spend many hours of drilling.. also remember to use drill oil, and very slow speed with good pressure.. ss is a bitch to drill, especially if you harden the hole surface before you get to drill through..

Mars
DetroitDIY wrote:As for the lightly loaded bag and tightening it periodically... that just sounds like too much work. I'm going do to this with a normal press, perhaps get a bit less efficiency, but try to avoid being at it multiple days. Just doesn't sound worth it to me.
From my point of view and experience pressing, going the slower way is sometime the best way.. but that just me..

Mars
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Re: Apple pommace

Post by Jimbo »

DetroitDIY wrote:maybe this is a good excuse to drill those holes in my stainless bucket.
When my plastic bucket full of holes blew apart I drilled holes in a stainless bucket. The strainer bags or cheese cloth or whatever get hungup like a motherf'er on all the little burrs. Even after I took a die grinder to each hole both sides it still snags my bag. And its no damn fun when your bag gets snagged on stainless burrs.
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StillerBoy
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Re: Apple pommace

Post by StillerBoy »

Jimbo wrote:And its no damn fun when your bag gets snagged on stainless burrs.
A good point there on the burrs..

The only way that a one pass high pressure pressing that a nylon bag and bucket will take it, is if you put together a lat / band bucket similar to what is used for wine grape pressing..

Mars
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Re: Apple pommace

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Pulled off some of the must into two additional 9 gallon buckets. No longer leaking out the top of my 55 gallon, and the lids are properly on my other buckets. :roll:

Added some pectic enzyme and punched them down as best I could (not so well on the 55 gallon) with a drill attachment paint mixer. I was tempted to add more water and sugar, but I'm just going to leave it as is and see what I get.

I also started drilling the stainless bucket. Yes it's at pain, yes I broke some bits, yes I already bought good ones recommended for stainless (cobalt, 135 degree), yes I'm using oil, yes they're leaving LARGE burrs on the inside of the pot. I'm making a first drill pass with a 1/8th bit, then follow that with 7/32 bits. It'll be slow going. I like your grinder idea Jimbo, but gather I'll have to follow that with some good rotary sanding.

Fingers crossed. If it works it'll be a kick ass system. The pot is quite thick walled. If it fails, I'll have wasted a lot of time, a lot of bits, and a nice pot. I'm shooting for success! :moresarcasm:
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Re: Apple pommace

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DetroitDIY wrote: I'm shooting for success!
Go man go.. let us not stop you.. lol

Mars
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Re: Apple pommace

Post by Soft batch »

Went with a SS turkey fryer basket this year - NO REGRETS! Nice upgrade over the drilled bucket that lasted three years.
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Re: Apple pommace

Post by Bushman »

Soft batch wrote:Went with a SS turkey fryer basket this year - NO REGRETS! Nice upgrade over the drilled bucket that lasted three years.
I use the same with a 5 gallon paint strainer cloth lining the inside.
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Re: Apple pommace

Post by DetroitDIY »

Yah, I was thinking of that last year when I ultimately settled on making my own. You may have made the better choice Soft Batch... but I'll sort this out one way or another.

It's great to have an effective press... really looking forward to one that I can reef on without concern for bursting the bucket.
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Re: Apple pommace

Post by The Baker »

Just supposing you can get a stainless or copper drum. 55 gal US (44 Gal Imperial). Or down to say half that. WITH A FULL SIZE FLAT LID.

That's what I am looking out for.

Ferment the pomace or a large part of it in the drum. Fit a ferrule near the bottom. Fit there a closed end tube with holes in it a la thumper. Fit a ferrule at the top to affix either a blanking plate or the condenser.
When ready to distil fill the boiler with liquid (water/ pomace liquid/ wine/ whatever ....)
Easy to fill with the pomace and easy to empty later.
NO pressing...
Geoff

P.S. A tradition was to line your pot still with straw.... G.
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DetroitDIY
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Re: Apple pommace

Post by DetroitDIY »

Pulled the wash off the apple mush over the past couple of weekends. 83 gallons of mush. Used a combination of a clothes spin dryer and my old apple press. The latter was a lot slower, at least in my case.

Ultimately collected some 38 gallons of wash. Not certain about the ABV, but calculating it out to about 6.3%. I initially had different pommace buckets... Arkansas Balck, Mixtures, Mixtures with Pear... As I collected it, I combined it all. We'll see what I get. Hoping I can fill a 5 gallon barrel I have waiting.

Stainless steel press bucket project still waiting for me to get back to it. Seems I'm a master of incomplete projects, but occasionally a few slip through the blockade and actually get done. :thumbup:

I'll report back once I've run it, and perhaps again once I've aged it.
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