Back to square one

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juana_b
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Back to square one

Post by juana_b »

Due to circumstances with work, I'll be on another island "fighting fires" midweek? for, uh, probably the next couple of months.
So while there this week, I started a "cornflakes whiskey" late Wednesday night after drinking heavily and the others in the crew went to bed.
Now I just have to figure out a small rig to get over there or put together there for when I go next week.
Haven't done a wash like that in years. looking forward to revisiting something very close to where I started. Back to basics. :lol:
The idea of Recondo-style stealth runs have not been able to leave my head since I booked my first flight. :silent:

Just shows to go you that once you've been bitten by the hobby, you will find the time.
looks like my current ferments will have ample time to clear though. :lolno:

This is clearly HD forums fault. :sarcasm:
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Re: Back to square one

Post by NZChris »

I haven't taken a still overseas, not that I haven't thought about it, but I have taken high proof neutral to infuse with local ingredients to bring back home for further processing. I have an airstill now, so I might take that with me next time.

I usually start making sparkling cider type drinks by buying juice in suitable fermenter sized plastic containers and a pack of screw top beers on the way to the accommodation from the airport. Yeast, bungs and airlocks are in my bags. After the first ferment, the containers are recharged with sugar and local citrus, plus ginger root.
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Re: Back to square one

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juana_b wrote: Fri May 05, 2023 9:27 pm Due to circumstances with work, I'll be on another island "fighting fires" midweek? for, uh, probably the next couple of months.
So while there this week, I started a "cornflakes whiskey" late Wednesday night after drinking heavily and the others in the crew went to bed.
Now I just have to figure out a small rig to get over there or put together there for when I go next week.
Haven't done a wash like that in years. looking forward to revisiting something very close to where I started. Back to basics. :lol:
The idea of Recondo-style stealth runs have not been able to leave my head since I booked my first flight. :silent:

Just shows to go you that once you've been bitten by the hobby, you will find the time.
looks like my current ferments will have ample time to clear though. :lolno:

This is clearly HD forums fault. :sarcasm:
I'm excited to follow this and find out what you come up with as a solution!

You could make a small riser and condenser that will pack down neat and take that with you, then you just have to find a suitable vessel!
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Re: Back to square one

Post by Yummyrum »

I like NZChris’s suggestion of bringing a water distiller . After all , you can’t trust the water on some of those Islands . A healthy fire fire fighter needs healthy water :ewink:

Mind you , do they have electricity ?
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Re: Back to square one

Post by Setsumi »

A pot with an inverted lid. Inverted lid full of water create a water seal and reflux. A suitable vessel inside the pot to collect distlate from inverted lid. A copper pipe to direct distillate from vessel inside pot to a product condenser. BOBs your uncle. Or you have just recreated Mary the Jewess still.... I still believe it is where Boka got his idea.
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Re: Back to square one

Post by juana_b »

NZChris wrote: Fri May 05, 2023 10:04 pm I haven't taken a still overseas, not that I haven't thought about it, but I have taken high proof neutral to infuse with local ingredients to bring back home for further processing. I have an airstill now, so I might take that with me next time.

I usually start making sparkling cider type drinks by buying juice in suitable fermenter sized plastic containers and a pack of screw top beers on the way to the accommodation from the airport. Yeast, bungs and airlocks are in my bags. After the first ferment, the containers are recharged with sugar and local citrus, plus ginger root.
Great idea Chris, but I don't yet know if I can pull off a sparkling anything there, this is not a vacation. The accommodations aren't quite 5-star and I can't bet on the schedule.
You're getting more wheels turning in my head though.

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Re: Back to square one

Post by juana_b »

Here on Gilligan's isle....
managed to find time to do a cleaning run on one of my first small contraptions on Tuesday night and two strips Wednesday night on -2 gal each.
Left some to top off low wines for spirit run next week....hopefully. 🤞
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Re: Back to square one

Post by greggn »

juana_b wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 4:18 pm
Here on Gilligan's isle....

Nice. I wonder how many people get that reference.
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Re: Back to square one

Post by still_stirrin »

greggn wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 4:38 pm
juana_b wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 4:18 pm
Here on Gilligan's isle....

Nice. I wonder how many people get that reference.
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Re: Back to square one

Post by Stonecutter »

still_stirrin wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 6:26 pm
greggn wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 4:38 pm
juana_b wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 4:18 pm
Here on Gilligan's isle....

Nice. I wonder how many people get that reference.
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Re: Back to square one

Post by NZChris »

Any still that I packed for overseas wouldn't need cleaning runs, it would be ready to strip my first ferment. That said, go for it. I suggest targeting fruit/flavors that you can't get at home.
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Re: Back to square one

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juana_b wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 4:18 pm Here on Gilligan's isle....
managed to find time to do a cleaning run on one of my first small contraptions on Tuesday night and two strips Wednesday night on -2 gal each.
Left some to top off low wines for spirit run next week....hopefully. 🤞
So what contraption did you come up with? I'm intrigued!
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Re: Back to square one

Post by juana_b »

The "MR special"(mash rookie for those that haven't read through the angels shares posts) of two large ss salad bowls with samohons everlasting gasget with a ss sink drain to copper lyne arm and an old flake stand converted to a wort chiller and back to a flake stand again.
All fit neatly in a duffel bag with a hard hat and other tools. Sourced a bucket and ptfe tape from our shop and viola.
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Re: Back to square one

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NZChris wrote: Fri May 12, 2023 10:45 pm Any still that I packed for overseas wouldn't need cleaning runs, it would be ready to strip my first ferment. That said, go for it. I suggest targeting fruit/flavors that you can't get at home.
I haven't used it in years, so a quick cleaning just gave me peace of mind.
I also suggest targeting things like that for anyone that actually gets holidays or even a day off every few months. I'll take what I can get in-between busting my arse.
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Re: Back to square one

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juana_b wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 2:40 pm The "MR special"(mash rookie for those that haven't read through the angels shares posts) of two large ss salad bowls with samohons everlasting gasget with a ss sink drain to copper lyne arm and an old flake stand converted to a wort chiller and back to a flake stand again.
All fit neatly in a duffel bag with a hard hat and other tools. Sourced a bucket and ptfe tape from our shop and viola.
Nice work MacGyver :ebiggrin:

Got some pics
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Re: Back to square one

Post by juana_b »

Get some for y'all when I get a chance. Heads-up: Nothing to write home about.
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Re: Back to square one

Post by Saltbush Bill »

"Salad bowls" :lol: makes me think of Swedish Pride......you wanna see salad bowls, you need to search for his rig.
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Re: Back to square one

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juana_b wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 2:40 pm The "MR special"(mash rookie for those that haven't read through the angels shares posts) of two large ss salad bowls with samohons everlasting gasget with a ss sink drain to copper lyne arm and an old flake stand converted to a wort chiller and back to a flake stand again.
All fit neatly in a duffel bag with a hard hat and other tools. Sourced a bucket and ptfe tape from our shop and viola.
Fantastic!
It might not be pretty but I want to see it!

I love how, with a bit of ingenuity and outside the box thinking, such useful things can be made from random generic "Stuff" that people have lying around.

I made a BBQ chimney coal starter from 2 empty brew kit tins and it works better than the fancy stainless one I was bought as a gift.
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Re: Back to square one

Post by juana_b »

MacGyver.jpg
Nothing pretty, but it works.
Yeah, not the first time I've needed a mullet Yummy.

Edit: Folks were mighty surprised at how cornflakes, sugar, a little TP and some yeast comes out.
Started 6lbs of panella for next week.
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Re: Back to square one

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Thats flasher than a Rat with a gold tooth juana :thumbup:
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Re: Back to square one

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Yummyrum wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 5:58 pm Thats flasher than a Rat with a gold tooth juana :thumbup:
Thanks heaps Yummy...I think, though I'm not quite fluent in english(nor any other language), this was not meant to impress.
But if any of this gets through to at least one person I'm staying with, it'll be worth it to me.
Used what I had to get it on an airplane and cobbled together onsite. As for the brass fitting, it was pickled, the other compression fitting not seen in the pic is a ss bulkhead at the bottom of the flake stand.

Brought over some used oak and we'll see what it's like next week.
Also brought some D47 in case of stumbling on some fruit(not likely due to the workload I'm dealing with), but, uh, NZChris's comments are still burning a hole in the back of my brain.

Stripping runs on the electric stove are about 1.5hrs each at full power(old electric stove that does not cycle at full power, and this abomination is still over twice as fast as a stock vevor condenser) and spirit run on the bbq seemed close to 3hrs(didn't time it) due to minimum flame being a tad bit too much, but I'm using what I have.

All said, I'm almost ok with it.
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Re: Back to square one

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Saltbush Bill wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 11:45 pm "Salad bowls" :lol: makes me think of Swedish Pride......you wanna see salad bowls, you need to search for his rig.
Thanks for mentioning that SBB, forgot about that.
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Re: Back to square one

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juana_b wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 11:33 am MacGyver.jpg
Nothing pretty, but it works.
Yeah, not the first time I've needed a mullet Yummy.

Edit: Folks were mighty surprised at how cornflakes, sugar, a little TP and some yeast comes out.
Started 6lbs of panella for next week.
That is genuinely inspiring juana. Simple and inexpensive, but very clever user of available materials.

I can just imagine how shocked your co workers are when they taste the end result of what has come out of your little monster! Haha
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Re: Back to square one

Post by juana_b »

Still have the spirit run to do on the panella...
but i just milled 2lbs 2row malt, 2lbs NA white wheat malt, 1lbs American rye malt, 4lbs flaked white wheat, and a few oz of oat malt, pure Oregon, pure Idaho, and pure Washington for a f'ing attempt at a real whiskey with what I have to work with. And trying to use up some grains that've been sitting awhile.
Hoping tsa doesn't freak out over a bag of milled grains.
Also sitting here wondering what tsa will think if they find a small bag of gluco-amylase.
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Re: Back to square one

Post by MooseMan »

I reckon they find the grains, you'll be ok.

A neatly wrapped little bag of gluco? Hmmm, that might raise an eyebrow!
You'll have all the customs guys dipping a finger! Haha
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