New 2.5" Pot Still Setup!!

[victorski]

5Star, I got RollOutTheBarrel to email me their price list for kegs. They have maturing kegs which have recycled staves, new oak heads, scorched, brass tap, bush, plug, stand, no finish @ $399 for the 50 litre, Is that what i'm after ? Or they have second hand wine barrels which they manufacture on request for 50l which I believe will be much cheaper since the 220L is $165 ? Also what sort of scortching would you recommend for UJSM ?

Cheers,
Victor

[MacStill]

How much did they quote for shipping?

I'm thinking of getting one of the 50's in heavy toast for my rum.

[victorski]

Sorry McStill, I havn't got that price quoted yet! I'll let you know when i find out :handgestures-thumbupleft: hope it won't be a fortune!! Expensive hobby :teasing-neener: just bought two 23L demijohns with taps and four 5L demijohns 8-) Haven't even got to taste a finished spirit yet :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

Cheers,
Victor

[R-sole]

yep, the 3999 one is the ones i have.
Get the heaviest toast they will do. The barrel will last longer before recharring and work quicker in between batches

[victorski]

Cheers 5Star! :handgestures-thumbupleft: McStill, they quoted me $30 for postage to sydney :-D

[victorski]

Woo hoo!! just ordered myself a 50L with a heavy char barrel from ROTB + a box of offcuts! Now all I have to do is ramp up production, i'm on my 5th generation of UJSM which will bring me up to roughly 50L of low wines.

I have a question though, once i've done my spirit run and combine all the cuts, where the hell do you put it all so you can work out the overall ABV ? I need to calculate how much water I need to dilute it down to 65% (I know its sacrilege to store high ABV in plastic, but the only large vessel I have is a coopers kit fermementer) can I just quickly measure ABV in there and then put it into the barrel?

Cheers,
Victor

[R-sole]

I use a cut off keg.

you could use your boiler if it has a drain tap :D

You could buy a large stainless pot >20l and put a tap in the bottom of it. Handy as a cooking pot for grains and stuff too.

I would not put spirits in a fermenter for a split second, but that's my choice, you make your own.


Congrats on the barrell. Tell em i sent ya.

The idea is to arrange the delivery so it's when you have at least half enough with a view to having the other half soon to fill it. The y soak as a leak test before they ship, so when you either pick it up or get it delivered it's still wet. Give it a rotate with some sacrificial spirit for a week or so (use a cask of cheap port or sherry if you like) and then fill.

[SBB]

Question for 5Star here ............I noticed in your other post you said "Get the heaviest toast they will do. The barrel will last longer before recharring and work quicker in between batches".........Just checking that you did mean Char......When I finally get around to buying mine its gunna be full of UJ.

[victorski]

Thanks 5Star! Hmmm I don't have any of those things, might need to invest! My 5th generation is almost ready, I should probably add 15% of the wash and do a spirit run with the 40L of low wines or should I strip the 5th generation and start a new wash and use that to get more flavour ? I'll be continuing the generations till I fill the barrel up completely!

Oh yes i'm also keen to know whether I should be getting a heavy toast or char, I have already ordered it but I could possibly call them tomorrow morning to change it!

Cheers,
Victor

[R-sole]

I don't believe they do a 'char'. Unless they've changed terminology since last i purchased they used the term 'toast'.

[Frank]

Hmmmm :think: again, yet again apologies if this is another dumbf#ck q...
Re ROTB oak barrel internal 'condition'.....(and sorry Victorski a :text-threadjacked: post for sure)
if you have a non-toast/char barrel (as I do)...but you pre/post-soak the distillate on suitably fired oak (as I do)....what's the difference, by quaff time??

My point is....I would love to know if the barrel (being MUCH larger surface area afterall) is the only or best place to add such flavour profile.

[SBB]

Just had another look at the ROTB site.......they do mention heavy char I see...maybe an increase in demand has lead to a change.
"50 & 100 litre spirit barrels for maturing all types of spirits. They can be lightly toasted or a heavy char. American & French oak available."
http://www.rolloutthebarrel.com.au/wine_barrels.html
Sorry about the confusion....had me worried that I couldnt get one charred if I wanted.

[victorski]

Haha all good frank! It's an open thread, everyone has questions :handgestures-thumbupleft: Ah yes, now that you mention is SBB I infact asked for a heavy char which it what they have stated on the website!

I'm so keen to do my first spirit run, just want to finally have a drink after spending months doing all these stripping runs! I just hope I don't fuck it up lol

[R-sole]

Completely different flavour profile from the barrel and the sticks Frank. Don't ask me why, but it just is. I use the barrell for as long as possible and then finish off with toasted sticks.

[SBB]

I'm so keen to do my first spirit run, just want to finally have a drink after spending months doing all these stripping runs!

Have you been doing experimental cuts into jars/bottles while your stripping???........it could be good practice for the big event.
My first spirit run done on a pot, still stinks of tails.....and I thought I had cuts worked out by then. Its still sitting on oak and i still hold hope for it......but it could take a while yet.

[victorski]

Nah mate havn't attempted cuts yet :cry: but i've collected alot of jars + it's such a big spirit run with 40L @ 40% that surely I can't fuck it up that much! I'll be super conservative with my cuts and anything i'm unsure with i'll use as a test at blending and bottle it in demijohns with oak offcuts :laughing-rolling: anyway guess what came in the mail today :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Woohoo a beautiful 50L barrel from R.O.T.B and box of offcuts! The missus will be sleeping in the other room tonight, i'll need some alone time with my new baby :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: Now all I need to do is swell the barrel with some water then put in a sacrificial charge till i'm ready to fill her up with my UJSM :D :D

Victor

[cdbrown]

Woohoo a beautiful 50L barrel from R.O.T.B and box of offcuts!

Very very jealous. Pics please

[R-sole]

They look like this...

barrels6.jpg

barrels2.jpg

:ugeek:

[victorski]

Droooooool!! nice ones 5Star! I'll post some pics when she finds her final resting place (unfortunately shes to large to fit where I wanted her)!

I filled her with 10 litres of water and put it on one head for 10 minutes and then swapped to the other side for another 10 minutes, no leaks :handgestures-thumbupleft: then filled it with 8L of sherry which came in lovely 2L bottles :dance:

Just waiting on my 5th generation of UJSM to finish up and i'll use that wash + my 40L of 40% low wines to do my first ever spirit run! I have some more questions though :teasing-neener:

How long before the 50L barrel starts imparting some colour/flavours and roughly how long can you leave it in the barrel for ? I know it's all dependent on alot of factors, but wouldn't mind some rough numbers to get rid of the guess work! I'll draw off a few litres into a demijohn on sticks!

How big do you cut the sticks and is there a particular way to cut them (with/against grain) and how much per litre ?

Cheers
Victor

[R-sole]

You can add the sherry to a still charge when you're finnished with it too. Nothing wasted.

Barrell seems to start working it's magic within a couple of months. What i do with one barrel is to fill it and then draw off into dollar shop square 5 l cookie jars with the seals removed or 4l swing bottles.
Add 6-8 sticks 1/2 square by six " long. Leave for 6 weeks or so till desired colour/flavour is reached.
She runs three or four of these jars/bottles for ujsm and one for rum and one for 'scotch' ujsm.

Seems to be enough so it keeps her and her cronies in piss and there's a bottle there for one or two of my mates now and then or to thank someone who's done a job for me.

Sticks are wrapped in foil and toasted in the oven till they look like dark chocolate at 200C (usually 2-3 hours). Do this when she's not home as if there is holes in the foil it will fill the house with smoke and set all your alarms off.