Long-time lurker officially joining the group.

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StillsandBills
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Long-time lurker officially joining the group.

Post by StillsandBills »

I have been messing around with distillation and fermentation since my first deployment in the Navy. We made truly terrible hooch in the bilge, but it got the job done. That was back in 2006, and I have been messing around with the hobby since. Five years ago, I started to buy real (not homemade) fermentation and distillation purpose-built equipment, and I have constantly been upgrading since. I am hoping to share my mistakes with people that know less and learn from many people with more expertise than me. Short term, I am focusing on making Whiskey and Bourbon hoping to make a product that is as good or better than what is widely available on the shelf. Long term I would like to open my own craft distillery once I have perfected my art.
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8Ball
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Re: Long-time lurker officially joining the group.

Post by 8Ball »

StillsandBills wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:33 pm I have been messing around with distillation and fermentation since my first deployment in the Navy. We made truly terrible hooch in the bilge, but it got the job done. That was back in 2006, and I have been messing around with the hobby since. Five years ago, I started to buy real (not homemade) fermentation and distillation purpose-built equipment, and I have constantly been upgrading since. I am hoping to share my mistakes with people that know less and learn from many people with more expertise than me. Short term, I am focusing on making Whiskey and Bourbon hoping to make a product that is as good or better than what is widely available on the shelf. Long term I would like to open my own craft distillery once I have perfected my art.
Welcome aboard! As a former squid myself, I can attest to terrible hooch getting the job done. Even saw a shipmate chug down down an entire bottle of Aqua-Velva Blue aftershave, but I digress … you’ve come to the right place.

All your answers are here if you do your searches.
🎱 The struggle is real and this rabbit hole just got interesting.
Per a conversation I had with Mr. Jay Gibbs regarding white oak barrel staves: “…you gotta get it burning good.”
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subbrew
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Post by subbrew »

Ahoy. Welcome from another former squid. Don't think anyone on my boat was running a still, just a few bottles slipped aboard and a jug or two of bug juice wine.

Anyhow this is the place to learn. Just be aware there are differences in hobby scale vs commercial but you will still get the theory. And the fermentation side scales well.
Bradster68
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Re: Long-time lurker officially joining the group.

Post by Bradster68 »

Welcome and 🍻 to the men keeping the country safe.
I drink so much now,on the back of my license it's a list of organs I need.
Dougmatt
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Post by Dougmatt »

Welcome aboard from another squid! Figure I’ll say this before someone else does, around here you might find some of the “home made” setups are superior than the “purpose built” ones so suggest keeping an open mind on that. Enjoy the journey!
I just read an article about the dangers of drinking that scared the crap out of me.

That’s it. No more reading!
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sadie33
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Post by sadie33 »

hello and welcome
StillsandBills
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Re: Long-time lurker officially joining the group.

Post by StillsandBills »

subbrew wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 3:29 pm Ahoy. Welcome from another former squid. Don't think anyone on my boat was running a still, just a few bottles slipped aboard and a jug or two of bug juice wine.

Anyhow this is the place to learn. Just be aware there are differences in hobby scale vs commercial but you will still get the theory. And the fermentation side scales well.
Thanks for the welcome. I understand that there is a difference in scale and technique, but that said, if you tour any distillery, you will find a room with small-scale equipment that they use to develop their recipes. I am trying to learn how things change the outcome on a small scale.
This has to be easier than nuclear chemistry….
StillsandBills
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Re: Long-time lurker officially joining the group.

Post by StillsandBills »

Dougmatt wrote: Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:53 am Welcome aboard from another squid! Figure I’ll say this before someone else does, around here you might find some of the “home made” setups are superior than the “purpose built” ones so suggest keeping an open mind on that. Enjoy the journey!
I am sure that is true, and I always keep an open mind, that said I upgraded to a double wall boiler with an oil jacket and a built-in agitator to allow for distilling with solids and mashing with no risk of scorching opens up what I can do considerably.
This has to be easier than nuclear chemistry….
StillsandBills
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Re: Long-time lurker officially joining the group.

Post by StillsandBills »

8Ball wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 2:55 pm
StillsandBills wrote: Wed Jan 25, 2023 1:33 pm I have been messing around with distillation and fermentation since my first deployment in the Navy. We made truly terrible hooch in the bilge, but it got the job done. That was back in 2006, and I have been messing around with the hobby since. Five years ago, I started to buy real (not homemade) fermentation and distillation purpose-built equipment, and I have constantly been upgrading since. I am hoping to share my mistakes with people that know less and learn from many people with more expertise than me. Short term, I am focusing on making Whiskey and Bourbon hoping to make a product that is as good or better than what is widely available on the shelf. Long term I would like to open my own craft distillery once I have perfected my art.
Welcome aboard! As a former squid myself, I can attest to terrible hooch getting the job done. Even saw a shipmate chug down down an entire bottle of Aqua-Velva Blue aftershave, but I digress … you’ve come to the right place.

All your answers are here if you do your searches.
I have never seen a shipmate drink aqua-velva. That's a new one, but I did see a bottle fall out of a bag going down a ladder and explode "showering," all below that is a smell that sticks. Ha can't imagine drinking it.
This has to be easier than nuclear chemistry….
n_plains_drifter
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Re: Long-time lurker officially joining the group.

Post by n_plains_drifter »

Bradster68 wrote: Thu Jan 26, 2023 4:35 am Welcome and 🍻 to the men keeping the country safe.
What Bradster said in triplicate. We owe you guys and gals alot. Glad to have you come aboard!

Best, Drifter
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