Home Distiller

Making a mash box to keep my corn mash up to temp for Jimbo's Easy 1/2 Barrel Bourbon. Not a lot to it just some 2x6s and a roll of R19 insulation and some casters. Still have to skin and insulate it but I think it should do the trick. Also, I am using hanger bolts on all four sides so it can come apart into 6 pieces for storage. The interior is big enough to hold 2 55 gallon plastic drums. If anyone is interested I'll post pics when it is finished.

Hell yes. Post them up! What kind of wood is that?

Subscribed.

Keep us posted on the progress.
I'm sure structural failure isn't going to happen.

I tried that for a couple years. I kept burning up this little space heaters. This winter I'm trying something a little different.


I filled up the drum and the brute Barrel a few days ago with water using an aquarium heater to warm the water bath. It's held 75 degrees real well but the ambient temps have been mild. In the next few days the temps are supposed to dip so we'll see how it holds.

Nice work on the hot box so far. What type of heater do you plan to use? What I noticed with my mashes is that while fermenting the temp would be fine however as fermentation nears completion the temp of the mash would start to drop. This was were the heat became necessary. Like Shadylane said, it's plenty strong enough.

Brutal wrote:Hell yes. Post them up! What kind of wood is that?

Hey Brutal. Its just 2x6 pine or whatever Home Depot sells. Didnt want to use treated and didnt want to pay for cedar.

shadylane wrote:Keep us posted on the progress.
I'm sure structural failure isn't going to happen.

Very true Shady. I figure its good for 1500 lbs or so. 6 330lb casters. I had to use 2x6 for the insulation I wanted. 2x4s would have been easier and cheaper.

DFitz wrote:I tried that for a couple years. I kept burning up this little space heaters. This winter I'm trying something a little different.


I filled up the drum and the brute Barrel a few days ago with water using an aquarium heater to warm the water bath. It's held 75 degrees real well but the ambient temps have been mild. In the next few days the temps are supposed to dip so we'll see how it holds.

Nice work on the hot box so far. What type of heater do you plan to use? What I noticed with my mashes is that while fermenting the temp would be fine however as fermentation nears completion the temp of the mash would start to drop. This was were the heat became necessary. Like Shadylane said, it's plenty strong enough.

Looks good DFitz. This is not a fermenter, its for mashing only. My garage is heated so no issues with fermenting.

Making slow progress. Got the base insulated and skinned and the hangar bolts in. Going to try to finish it tonight. The can inside it is a rubbermaid square 40 gallon. I can fit 2 of those or 2 55 gallon plastic drums.

Ran out of insulation. Theres always tomorrow.

You might want to build a wort chiller to go with that mash box.

shadylane wrote:You might want to build a wort chiller to go with that mash box.

All over it shady. Been doing all grain for a year or so in 150 quart igloo coolers. Just thought it was time to get it off the floor.

is that part of your wort chiller?

BOOYAH! Thats slick!

rager wrote:is that part of your wort chiller?

Its hard for me to believe you are serious rager but in case you are
http://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?qu ... erchillers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Jimbo wrote:BOOYAH! Thats slick!

Wowzer. From the man himself,one of my stilling hero's! I am not worthy.

bigbone32 wrote:

rager wrote:is that part of your wort chiller?

Its hard for me to believe you are serious rager but in case you are
http://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?qu ... erchillers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

That kind of chiller is popular with the beer guys. Here we are used to seeing coiled copper of stainless submersion style coolers.

If you ferment on the grain, youre gonna have a helluva time pumping your hot mash through one of them.

Jimbo wrote:If you ferment on the grain, you're gonna have a helluva time pumping your hot mash through one of them.

I've never done your Recipe Jimbo so you might have a point. I've only done all barley malt and didn't ferment on the grain. I use a braided hose on the end of a pipe for that and have never had a problem removing the liquid from the fermenter. Would this be different? I do plan on fermenting on the grain. Was going to pump out the liquid than dump the grain into the fermenter from a brew bag like this. I am having 2 made for the barrels as we speak

When dealing with corn, this is what many of us use.

shadylane wrote:When dealing with corn, this is what many of us use.

Thanks shady. Ive seen those used after fermentation. To get it to the fermenter after mashing I just lift the bag and pump the liquid from the cooler or barrel through the heat wxchanger then dump the grain in the the fermenter. I will definitely get one of these to squeeze the grains after fermenting. Thanks for the suggestion.

If you use a screen and pump the liquid only through the counterflow chiller, recirculating the cooled liquid back on top of the hot grains, until the whole shootin mash is cooled to desired temp, that should work. Then dump the whole lot in the fermented and pitch. Still need something post fermentation to seperate the liquid again, the bag looks good for that, others on here have done that, lifting the bag on a pulley system and hanging until the liquid drains out. Not sure how dry it gets that way (losses?), I do the ringer trick shown below. Works but is still a pain in the ass. Sure wish I had a steam powered still, so the whole mess can go from cooker to mash to ferment to still to compost pile lock stock.

The wort from corn mash is nothing like beer (malted barley) wort, it really doesn't like to flow through things. I would try a small sample first to see if it will work with your chiller. I know I couldn't get it to flow through 3/8 tubing when chilled. I think the external kind, where the cold water flows through the copper tubing, works better for thicker mashes.

Edit: on the other hand, corn with enzymes makes a thinner wort...

Here what comes to mind when someone says wort chiller around here.

yessir. thats what I use. I have 2, a 50' of 3/8 one for beer and small mashes, and a monster 100' of 1/2" one that Windy City made me that cools a 50 gallon barrel of mash in minutes.

shadylane wrote:Here what comes to mind when someone says wort chiller around here.

+1

Jimbo wrote:yessir. thats what I use. I have 2, a 50' of 3/8 one for beer and small mashes, and a monster 100' of 1/2" one that Windy City made me that cools a 50 gallon barrel of mash in minutes.

I'll check that out if mine does not work. Do you just put it in the mash and run cold water through it?

Yes, and move the wort chiller around or stir the mash while using it.
Feel the water temp of the output from the chiller and you will understand.

Got the rest of the insulation done and the top skinned. The bottom pieces will have hinges on them so I can access the hanger bolts to take it apart for storage. I'll get those and the casters on tomorrow and maybe get started ob the top. The top will be insulated and slip over the walls to hold the top of the walls together and square it up while I am using it.

Damn son gittin stillin serious ain't ya looks like a damned fine setup friend.