StillSmart

Well I just about have my new workshop/brewery/distillery/everything else fitted. The decor could do with a little work but all-in-all I'm happy that I now have a dedicated space to work in.
Click on pics for full size images








The majority of the materials were salvaged from mu old house and I will get around to some creature comforts if the weather ever warms up over here. A couple of things I don't have, yet, are a fridge and a kettle, but I'm working on them

AM

Would you like a small fridge?

BTW£ did you make all that column and liebeg etc yourself?

Very nice Aidan! I am jealous!

@ dullahanbrewing first: yes I did and you won't believe how easy it turned out to be.

@chill: don't believe a word, but thanks for the sentiment, I really is appreciated

Talk to you all when I get some rest as I'm wrecked right now

AM

I should post a picture of my shop. I don't even have water!

nice set up you got there aiden,i wish i had summat like yours
contemplating of gettin a 8'x10' shed but i need to convince the missis
about it,ive already had the 1001 questions about why im enquiring about
copper pipes.and a tea urn (which i got misled into buying it)

nice pixs bud

Hey AM that looks tickety boo !

When we move the thing that me and SHMBO have agreed on is a large utility room !

No Good.

You need to keep up with the technology.

Where's the microwave for nuking the oak?

Hey Aidan, I too like your 'finally got it all going again' pics. Well done; and have fun.

Here's the thing, IMHO...please let us all know if your end product is suitably enhanced in accordance with your new 'playground'....

(PS: Bugger the microwave, where's the rack of oak barrels?! )

After a long dry period where I couldn't make anything, due to the house move, I started out to rebuild my stocks with new product and decided that grain was going to play a big part in my spirits by the end of this year.

I'm fermenting some grain but mostly sugar at the moment but for some reason my washes are taking their sweet time to finish. Always the same, when I'm in a hurry everything else slows right down.

Going out today to buy a microwave for the workshop - it'll be handy for reheating my coffee when it gets cold

AM

How far did you move? Could the slow ferments result from a difference in the water supply?

We live out in the countryside where mains water is not available so we have our own well as we did in our last house which is 7 miles away as the crow flies.

Because we use water from our own well and not municipal supply we have filters on the well and a huge carbon filter at the house distribution pipe. We had the water tested just before we moved and which the new filters it is completely potable and low in calcium, iron and manganese which are common problems in Ireland. The lab said our water is better quality than mains supply in the county.

AM

My latest 'development' was to rebuild my parrot so that I can run my still for both stripping and spirit runs with the same arrangement and layout of equipment. As the parrot is only used on my stripping runs I needed to be able to place it under the output from my condenser.

On spirit runs I collect in 1 litre Kilner jars and need a clearance of just 9" to place the jar under the condenser output. To fit the parrot under the output I needed 17" and this meant either the condenser had to be raised or the parrot lowered.

As the object of the exercise was to have a standard configuration for all pot still runs and not have to move parts around I decided that the parrot had to be lowered.

Here's my solution...

The parrot has been provided with a slot in the worktop allowing it to be lowered to fit under the Liebig output.

This meant re-configuring my parrot from this..
to this...

It now fits snugly into the worktop and Liebig stand...


...and underneath to parrot output extends down far enough to fill DJs...


I had originally intended to have the strip feed directly to my Low Wines keg but after some consideration I decided against that just in case of a puke spewing wash into the keg and forcing me to redistill the lot.

Anyhow, after all that I think I deserve a glass or five of something absolutely fabulous that I made earlier

AM

P.S. You'd easily know I have plenty of spare time on my hands

The postion of the parrot is original but very functional.

I love your set up, after workimg in my shed I would get Agoraphobia in your man cave. I am really envious, I only have room to run one fermenter but that has to stop if I want to build something. Not enough space to do both at the same time.

After putting a lot of effort into building my parrot, I never use it. Stripping runs, I use the thermometer. Spirit runs I check each of the cuts with a trial jar.

Very nice. I am re-configuring my own still room too. Have a new controller built but have not got around to putting in the water supply yet.