Home Distiller

As I have discussed before I use a combination of a horned mixer and a wine crusher to reduce the apples to a pummace. Then a wine/fruit press to press out the juice naturally. I have successfully pressed over 400 lbs this season already. Today I ground up another 450 lbs and started to press. This time however the press was not working properly.

It is a ratchet style basket press. Instead of extracting the juice, it was simply squeezing out the pommece. From between the slats, with juice pooling on top.

I have found that many people use mesh bags, but I don't have one ATM. This is a first for this issue
Any thoughts? I have up to 24 hours to press the juice.

Yak

We always used muslin cloth liners in the baskets when i was a kid . Quick fix I would choos today would be paint strainer bags from a big box store . 5 gal capacity if available .

Strainer bag is what I use but in a pinch borrow wifeys nylons maybe? Dunno just an ass pull

i also use strainer bags for paint.

Jimbo wrote:Strainer bag is what I use but in a pinch borrow wifeys nylons maybe? Dunno just an ass pull

You be tellin us that her bloomers equal a 5 gal paint strainer bag and she reads it you are going to be in as much trouble as I was when the pup was barking up under SOH's nightgown and I spoke out of turn .

That there is funny. I'll be hitting the hbs today. Gf nylons may hold 2 gallons... She's a small thing :p.

This is what I expected. Thanks guys.

Edit. Muslin cloth... Where would one buy that? Having a wrap around the inside of the basket is not a bad idea.

Yak

In NZ the HBS have cheese making stuff as well. That includes cheese cloth.

Any fabric shop should have muslin.

Hessian works well. It's been used for cider since they invented apples

White bed sheets. No colors and no stains.

Truckinbutch wrote:You be tellin us that her bloomers equal a 5 gal paint strainer bag and she reads it you are going to be in as much trouble as I was when the pup was barking up under SOH's nightgown and I spoke out of turn .

haha, no joke right. Best be careful here. I figgered any nylons, even our petite girls, mine is a 5 foot Irish firecracker, would hold enough if you load up the legs full of apples, and tie off at the crotch LOL. Cant imagine they'd survive well through some pressings tho, so prolly steer clear of the expensive Victoria Secret ones tho else you be out shopping the panty aisle for here before she lets you back in the house.

As usual I'm late to the party but I use a cheap white...well it used to be white...pillow case. It works well for me but I also grind the apples pretty fine. The other day someone gave me a whole bunch of pillow cases that he got new from a company that had changed it's logo so I now have enough to do a whole seasons pressing without using a bag twice.

cranky wrote:As usual I'm late to the party but I use a cheap white...well it used to be white...pillow case. It works well for me but I also grind the apples pretty fine. The other day someone gave me a whole bunch of pillow cases that he got new from a company that had changed it's logo so I now have enough to do a whole seasons pressing without using a bag twice.

My issue with pillow cases and sheets is they tend to split under pressure , my experience anyways. Are you using a fruit press or doing it by hand there cranky?

Found the local fabric store has muslin for 7 dollars a meter, and cheese cloth for 4 dollars a meter. So I will prob be grabbing some tonight and pressing after work. Apple pulp should be well oxidized now.

Yak

I posted this picture before but 5 gallon paint strainers are cheap and work great. Here is my set up using the strainers in the insert to a Turkey fryer. Not pictured is a circular wood piece cut to fit on top for pressing.

yakattack wrote:

cranky wrote:As usual I'm late to the party but I use a cheap white...well it used to be white...pillow case. It works well for me but I also grind the apples pretty fine. The other day someone gave me a whole bunch of pillow cases that he got new from a company that had changed it's logo so I now have enough to do a whole seasons pressing without using a bag twice.

My issue with pillow cases and sheets is they tend to split under pressure , my experience anyways. Are you using a fruit press or doing it by hand there cranky?

Found the local fabric store has muslin for 7 dollars a meter, and cheese cloth for 4 dollars a meter. So I will prob be grabbing some tonight and pressing after work. Apple pulp should be well oxidized now.

Yak

I haven't had any failures yet.
This is my pathetically small apple press and this is what the pulp looks like after the first pressing Each of those cakes are 3 gallons of pulp compressed down to 1 gallon
I do a second pressing after freezing and compress 3 of those cakes down to one gallon again.
Hopefully this winter I will manage to make a setup more like Bushman's or some of the other members with a proper grinder but I've pressed 34 gallons of juice so far this year out of that press 28 of those gallons with the same 2 press bags which I also pressed 35 gallons with last year.

Hay

Wrote some this morning about this but it took me places
I didn't want to go of a time when the ole boys were young
bein old memorys can take you to your knees.
this time of year was a special time for the ole boys.
we all about died out now

Y'all make y'all some good memorys doin what y'all love.
Start a tradition if you aint.

So I'm tole

I am heading out to the island cabin this weekend to process the apples from 2 orchards. Should keep me busy for a while and limited communication as we have no internet and phone reception is on and off.

Bushman wrote:I am heading out to the island cabin this weekend to process the apples from 2 orchards. Should keep me busy for a while and limited communication as we have no internet and phone reception is on and off.

Like last year I look forward to your posts on that Bushman.

goose eye wrote:Hay

Wrote some this morning about this but it took me places
I didn't want to go of a time when the ole boys were young
bein old memorys can take you to your knees.
this time of year was a special time for the ole boys.
we all about died out now

Y'all make y'all some good memorys doin what y'all love.
Start a tradition if you aint.

So I'm tole

Good words Goose eye

Sound advice there goose.

Cranky. Ok sounds like I'm on the right track then.
Never thought of freezing to get more out... Won't be able to this year but next year should have the freezer space. Little tip tho. You don't need a grinder. A drill and a small barrel (15 gallon) with a mortar or cement mixer (the blade kind) will break them up faster and better than the grinder IMHO. Iwas abble to process 440 lbs down to pulp in under an hour this way. No mess, (use the lid to contain, just put a small hole for the shaft of the mixer to go through. Same thing could be done with a 5 gallon pail.

Bushman. I as well look forward to it.

Ive taken my pulp from my first batch and rehydrated it, fermented it. Now I have to squeeze it tonight and add mollases and brown sugar for an apple rum. Only get about 2 to 3 percent from the pulp but its more for flavor anyways. The cider should be good and the brandy even better. If all works out the brandy will be the first product run on my yet to be built 4 inch flute.

Yak

I went out in search of info about using a garbage disposal for a grinder, and ended up watching videos of people using a washing machine to extract the cider.

Looks interesting, if wasteful.

I've had some thoughts on the freezing and repressing process regarding the quality of the final product so this year I am keeping the second pressing separate from the first to see if there is a difference. One thing I find is the juice from the second one is much lighter color but it tastes the same to me and is the same S.G. so I don't know if it make a difference but I'm going to find out.

I like the apple rum idea.

raketemensch, I've read and seen videos of the garbage disposal grinders and read they overheat and grind up the seeds as well which makes a bitter product. Ground up seeds are not good for you either.

I have to go to the hardware store today or tomorrow and maybe I will pick up a mixer and try that for grinding.

cranky wrote:I've had some thoughts on the freezing and repressing process regarding the quality of the final product so this year I am keeping the second pressing separate from the first to see if there is a difference. One thing I find is the juice from the second one is much lighter color but it tastes the same to me and is the same S.G. so I don't know if it make a difference but I'm going to find out.

I like the apple rum idea.

raketemensch, I've read and seen videos of the garbage disposal grinders and read they overheat and grind up the seeds as well which makes a bitter product. Ground up seeds are not good for you either.

I have to go to the hardware store today or tomorrow and maybe I will pick up a mixer and try that for grinding.

IMHO the mixxing paddle is the way to go. Cheap and extremely effective. That and a 5 gallon bucket would be perfect for your setup. Just make sure its the blade kind. Not a round edge like an egg beaters. I can find you a pic of the one I use if you like.

I'm a rum lover at heart but didn't want to try it to early and dissapoint myself early on. I figured the apples will lend a nice flavor to it.

Ya you really don't want the seeds to be broken up. Cynide isn't something I want to ingest.

The nice thing with the apples in my opinion is that with the length of the ferment. (Up to two months) it gives me plenty of time to get the flute together.

Yak

Just picked up some fabric. Picked up muslin, virgin cotton (unbleached and untreated) and some nylon netting. Total cost. 45 bucks. But one of these three should work. And the others will get used for other things hobby related.

I'll be squeezing tonight so I will update as it happens


Yak

Ok, so if they overheat you could wind a coil...

Never mind :]

Just got back from Lowe's, fortunately they had mixers in stock and even better on close out for $3.75 each, so I bought 2. On my way home I stopped and picked a bucket and a half of apples to give it a try. I will sharpen the blades tomorrow and if it works I will start picking as many as I can get rather than just what I can process with my current method. Thanks Yak.

No problem cranky. Shit I've learned more from you then you'll ever learn from me. Just glad I got to help ya. Got pics of what kind you bought? And don't sharpen them to much. They don't need a razor edge. You do t want to be cutting into the barrel your using to rip through them.

Yak

It's this type, I figured I want to leave it fairly dull to prevent breaking the seeds. but figure at $3.75 a mixer I can't go wrong and I still have 10 gallons of plums in the freezer I will need it for as well.

cranky wrote:It's this type,

MIXER - C.JPG

I figured I want to leave it fairly dull to prevent breaking the seeds. but figure at $3.75 a mixer I can't go wrong and I still have 10 gallons of plums in the freezer I will need it for as well.

There ya go. That's the one I have. Trust me, out a hole in the centre of the lid, feed it through. Put apple in over mixer and cover. Mix until pulp adding apples as needed. Empty into press, and continue process until finished. Like I said. I processed enough to fill a 55 gallon barrel full with the pulp (still with the juice) in under 2 hours. No cutting, not force feeding. Just fill , drill, dump. Simple. Fast effective

Yak "firm believer in K.I.S.S "

yakattack wrote: Yak "firm believer in K.I.S.S "

Sounds great, I figure I have done about 550 pounds of apples so far this year and still have a few hundred pounds left on the trees. My goal as always is 50 gallons of juice but the wife just filled the rest of our freezer space with soup and I am running out of fermenting space. I also splurged and bought a new bucket and lid. The wife will be very happy if I can speed the whole thing up. I've had plans to make one of the more traditional grinders but if this works I can divert the time I was going to devote to that, in the future, to other projects.

cranky wrote:

yakattack wrote: Yak "firm believer in K.I.S.S "

Sounds great, I figure I have done about 550 pounds of apples so far this year and still have a few hundred pounds left on the trees. My goal as always is 50 gallons of juice but the wife just filled the rest of our freezer space with soup and I am running out of fermenting space. I also splurged and bought a new bucket and lid. The wife will be very happy if I can speed the whole thing up. I've had plans to make one of the more traditional grinders but if this works I can divert the time I was going to devote to that, in the future, to other projects.

Here's a free tip for ya. Make sure that bucket it secure before turning on the drill m she will want to spin on ya. I just use my foot captin Morgan style. Or get the gf to hold.it for the few min its running.

cranky wrote:

yakattack wrote: Yak "firm believer in K.I.S.S "

Sounds great, I figure I have done about 550 pounds of apples so far this year and still have a few hundred pounds left on the trees. My goal as always is 50 gallons of juice but the wife just filled the rest of our freezer space with soup and I am running out of fermenting space. I also splurged and bought a new bucket and lid. The wife will be very happy if I can speed the whole thing up. I've had plans to make one of the more traditional grinders but if this works I can divert the time I was going to devote to that, in the future, to other projects.

What's the ratio lbs to juice? I have probably close to 450-500 lbs of apples, but no grinder or press so i have been juicing them. Wife thinks we used about 300 apples for a 6 gallon batch. I'm fine with this for now, next season will be better prepared. I think i'm going to make a press modeled after Bushman's fancy press, already have a jack for it and an old metal bed frame for the frame.