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The best and least expensive way I have found was created by Corene with the mop ringer/squeezer.
Simple enough, you use a five gallon paint strainer bag or a large BIB from the HBS and fill it with your mash to about 1/3 to 1/2 full, squeeze it out with a new clean mop strainer. After squeezing dump out dried mash and refill.
I used to use two 55 gal Hdpe drums. One for my ferment and one to strain into.
It would take me about a half hour to squeeze and separate the liquids from the grain.
I have done heavy corn meal bourbons with great success using this method.
This is a tried and true process to separate grains from liquid
Try it and you will not be disappointed

I've been a mop squeezer guy til today. Today I used a juicer - I figured it combined both centrifugal force and straining. I was worried about the screen constantly clogging, but it turned out not to be a problem. I don't know why.

I happened to have three different juicers on hand. An Omega, a Champion, and a Breville. The Breville had the strongest motor by far (shock), and that's what I needed. I put it through twice, and the spent corn was drier that what i end up with using the mop squeezer. It was also faster, even running it through twice. More efficient and faster.... so what's the bad news. There's always gotta be bad news after all the good, right?

It was messier. Certainly a larger hopper would help, though this Breville has a fairly large round feed-hole. I did it outside in my whiskey making area and had to hose down the area afterwards. The mess is not that the juicer sprays all over the place - in fact, I had the juice running straight into the boiler and the spent corn was well contained. It just got... messy. What can I say. Maybe it was me. A larger hopper would certainly help. But in any case, it was fast and efficient.

Just checked the motors - the Omega is 360 W, the breville 450. this is running on 220 V if that makes any difference. Breville I believe is an australian firm, and I don't know if it is available in america.

anyhow, i was thinking of giving the mop squeezer to my wife on our anniversary. and then ducking fast.

Something like this was discussed at one point too and from what I remember some folks tested it out and I think worked well:

ah, the Panda controversy

jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Mon Oct 05, 2020 11:13 am Something like this was discussed at one point too and from what I remember some folks tested it out and I think worked well:

This to me, seems like an expensive solution. I also seem to recall a catastrophic failure of one of these while spin-straining grains. I hand squeezed 40# of grain and cleaned my fermenter last night while stripping the first 10 gallons off the top of the fermenter. While it's a messy job to be sure, it's not the worst job in the world. Seems running one of these centrifugal sinners would still be a messy clean up.

I don't mind squeezing by hand or mop bucket either. It works well and is quick enough to not be a huge time saver plus adding a thumper to cook on grain for strips would be most ideal solution IMO.

Cheers!
jonny

700G wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2013 2:27 pm I use two buckets and a paint strainer bag. Cut the top out of the bottom bucket so that the top bucket can sit on top of it and drain into. I pour the grain in the bag and stir it around with a plastic spoon which only leaves a little to squeeze out. Just don't forget to watch the bottom bucket (like I always do) so that it doesn't overflow.

buckets - Copy.jpg

Same way I just do it the night before in the morning there is not enough liquid left to worry about.

WIth me its not so much seperating the grain thats a problem its the milky liquid scorching on my elements..Looking or a way to filter that a degree to stop scorching I am about to replace my second element in a month.. and yes they are ulwd elements..

bluc wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 4:11 pm WIth me its not so much seperating the grain thats a problem its the milky liquid scorching on my elements..Looking or a way to filter that a degree to stop scorching I am about to replace my second element in a month.. and yes they are ulwd elements..

Do you let it clear for a day or two before distilling?

I like to use my fruit press lined with jersey material from the fabric store, sometimes one or two layers will do depending on what I'm pressing. May take a couple hours cranking it down, but my yield went way up! Then I give it a day or so to settle again before racking it off into the boiler.

Good idea, Desvio.

I will look again at knocking up some sort of press from bits and pieces.

Geoff

Pesty wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2020 3:10 pm Think I finally found the answer..found these guys for a different filtration application and stumbled upon some of the other things they make. Check out the rest of the stuff, filtration gold mine.

https://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/fil ... bucket.php

I have one of their hop spiders for. I havent had time to test it out with any corn or other grains but it should work. Has to be better than trying to sparge 11# of crushed corn & 12# of wheat.

i use geotechstyle fabric as described by GA Flatwoods. and i have a press on the dutch cheese press style. it works a treat on corn meal.... not so well on barley or other gummy grains, the fabric gets blocked.

This is a question that depends on how much you have to strain. Being a very small producer as I feel most of us are, I'd like to relate what has worked well for me. Working with five gallon batches of mash, I've found that siphoning obviously clear wash through a screened funnel works until the siphon starts sucking corn and makes this route untenable. At that point I pour the remaining mash into a screened colander supported over an appropriate sized plastic rectangular dishpan. The strainer I have used is from Bed Bath and Beyond and has a telescoping feature intended to rinse veggies or what ever over the sink - 15 dollars. It does a pretty good job, but I let the whole wash sit in a carboy for 24 hours then siphon the wash into my pot.

My friends at the local craft distillery use a similar practice but are somewhat more greedy and press the remaining mash in a wine press to get that last little bit. They don't have the nicety of a steam heated still - yet.

Thinking of getting stainless mesh for bottom of my water jug/mash bucket. Would u recommend 20 mesh or 30?

Windy City wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2020 10:09 pm The best and least expensive way I have found was created by Corene with the mop ringer/squeezer.
Simple enough, you use a five gallon paint strainer bag or a large BIB from the HBS and fill it with your mash to about 1/3 to 1/2 full, squeeze it out with a new clean mop strainer. After squeezing dump out dried mash and refill.
I used to use two 55 gal Hdpe drums. One for my ferment and one to strain into.
It would take me about a half hour to squeeze and separate the liquids from the grain.
I have done heavy corn meal bourbons with great success using this method.
This is a tried and true process to separate grains from liquid
Try it and you will not be disappointed

This is my method when using corn and it works great

Durhommer wrote: ↑Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:15 am

Windy City wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2020 10:09 pm The best and least expensive way I have found was created by Corene with the mop ringer/squeezer.
Simple enough, you use a five gallon paint strainer bag or a large BIB from the HBS and fill it with your mash to about 1/3 to 1/2 full, squeeze it out with a new clean mop strainer. After squeezing dump out dried mash and refill.
I used to use two 55 gal Hdpe drums. One for my ferment and one to strain into.
It would take me about a half hour to squeeze and separate the liquids from the grain.
I have done heavy corn meal bourbons with great success using this method.
This is a tried and true process to separate grains from liquid
Try it and you will not be disappointed

This is my method when using corn and it works great

Agreed on that front... though i'm highly skeptical on the reported 30 minute time frame lol couple hours would be more like it.

Prairiepiss wrote: ↑Fri Nov 08, 2013 2:20 pm I'm telling you right now. Do not try to mod a clothes washer to do it for you. There is a video of that floating around the net somewhere. Funny shite. Grain all over the room.

Fruit or wine press and Strainer bags.

Or pour it into a strained bag. And hang it over the bucket. Let it drip itself out.

Or ferment on the grain. And rack the clear beer off the grain bed.

Or not strain it so much. And sparge it with more water. Use that sparge water to make your next batch. first batch will have a lower yield. But each batch after will have a higher yield. That's a Dnderhead method for you.

Here I am several years latter and I'm doing exactly what you mentioned here. By the time I'm on my 3rd or 4th sour mash I'm seeing 20 to 25% output versus 10%

Steam stripper or a thumper.

bluc wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 4:11 pm WIth me its not so much seperating the grain thats a problem its the milky liquid scorching on my elements..Looking or a way to filter that a degree to stop scorching I am about to replace my second element in a month.. and yes they are ulwd elements..

Use propane instead.

bluc wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 4:11 pm WIth me its not so much seperating the grain thats a problem its the milky liquid scorching on my elements..Looking or a way to filter that a degree to stop scorching I am about to replace my second element in a month.. and yes they are ulwd elements..

After squeezing, you need to let the murky liquid settle for a week or two. All that stuff will settle to the bottom of the buckets and you won't have shit scorching to the elements.

Deplorable wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2024 7:44 am

bluc wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 4:11 pm WIth me its not so much seperating the grain thats a problem its the milky liquid scorching on my elements..Looking or a way to filter that a degree to stop scorching I am about to replace my second element in a month.. and yes they are ulwd elements..

After squeezing, you need to let the murky liquid settle for a week or two. All that stuff will settle to the bottom of the buckets and you won't have shit scorching to the elements.

What the hell are you mashing?
I've never scorched an element and I pump from the bottom of my fermenter, fermented on the grain , pumped out via a false bottom and a bazooka filter.

Before that grain in bag through ampo wringer, still no scorching

Been fighting with this and all I can say is "it depends".

If you are just making shine from </= 60lbs of feed store cracked corn, then a paint straining bag and your bare hands is probably fine.
However, if you are using corn flour, wheat flour, oats, rye or something else that get's soupier, you'll probably want to think about something else.
And think about how clear the wash needs to be - are you using propane or a electric element?

I've just stripped a sugarhead made on what was originally a YLAY mash.

While stripping I pressed the slop in a small 10kg cider press, in a 400mic bag, and got 7 cloudy litres out of it.

I've run many times with distillers beer that looks like (at least close to it) what's in @moose's jug - I think I've only had two scorches and each time I scorch I promise to never run cloudy beer again lol...

Cheers,
jonny

jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Tue Jul 23, 2024 11:00 am I've run many times with distillers beer that looks like (at least close to it) what's in @moose's jug - I think I've only had two scorches and each time I scorch I promise to never run cloudy beer again lol...

Cheers,
jonny

Oh don't worry Jonny, those 2 are going in the fridge to crash and clear, that's why it's in glass not a bucket.
Once I've racked the clear off to the still for the next strip I'll keep the yeast custard in the smaller jug in the fridge to start a ferment or two.

jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Tue Jul 23, 2024 11:00 am I've run many times with distillers beer that looks like (at least close to it) what's in @moose's jug - I think I've only had two scorches and each time I scorch I promise to never run cloudy beer again lol...

Cheers,
jonny

Gas or electric?

Bee wrote: ↑Wed Jul 24, 2024 8:39 am

jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Tue Jul 23, 2024 11:00 am I've run many times with distillers beer that looks like (at least close to it) what's in @moose's jug - I think I've only had two scorches and each time I scorch I promise to never run cloudy beer again lol...

Cheers,
jonny

Gas or electric?

Electric 5k5W single element. I'm theorizing that the couple times I have had a scorch, there were possibly unconverted starches left in... I strip the same every time - Heatup is hot and fast @~22 Amps, dial it way back as it comes up to temp. Decrease power to @~6-8 Amps, pull fores and protein break for about 1hr (prevent pukes), then ramp it up to full power (watching for pukes) and strip until I'm taking close to 0%abv off the spout.... 16g boiler almost full yields approximately 5.5-6g low wines 25-30%abv...

I've ran the same way with cloudy beer many times and only a couple scorches...

Cheers,
jonny

Jonny, about the same here. Run at max til the first drop of fores then throttle back to about 65-70 %, then full bore again at the 30 ABV mark. I’ve marked my power dial for both locations so now just twist to the marks and fill the jars.

Yla yeast Corn mostly sweedish but unmodified grains are an issue. Barley nalt mashed and sparged traditionally is not an issue..
Bee swiller working on a steam rig slowly to combat this.
And yes my boiler charge always looks like moose's jug..