Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Looking good Bluc! Yea for a vertical system you really need that mixer as you found out. I had considered the drum system myself, just means you need to have a seperate steeping container & work out a way to get the air movement/moisture into the grain while it germinates. If you can add a fan at one end for the airflow & add humidity to it you should be right. Also control the temperature of the airflow & it should work well.

What temperature profile did you use for the choc malt? Following any particular temps etc? My textbooks say you'd use a final temperature of 215c and aim for a colour of 250-500 SRM. What temp were you able to get up to while kilning?

I followed these temps. Kilned to pale spec then toasted the choc in my oven.

One malt tumbler coming up waiting for my flyscreen drive wheels and I need to source a wiper motor..

Coming along nicely mate! Can’t wait to see this thing in action. A Video would be good ;-)

That's a lot more fancy then my basic method, I malt on trays then dry it in the oven, shake all the sprouts off in a big sieve and then if I'm doing a scotch smoke it and then grind it.

That way definitely seems better for doing larger amounts.

I want min 20kg per run. I would love to just floor malt and air dry, but no way I would keep the critters out.. my kiln os limiting factor I may squeeze in 30kg..

Would love to see hear any pointers you have :handgestures-thumbupleft:

My pointers are pretty basic, I usually only do 5kg at a time and only in summer.

I got an air dry rack thing that folds up, I soak the grain then sit it in it on Hessian, cover it the sane and keep it moist until it sprouts hanging up under a tree.

I thought about building a big incubator type system but I just don't have the space, maybe once I build the new shed.
I've done corn just in the bag, soaked it in a bucket then hung it up, soaked again and did the same a few times.
That actually worked pretty good.
But drying and cleaning has always been the manual Labor part for me, although I enjoy doing things the more simply hands on way. It's also only do a single run of my whiskeys and rum a year, so I only need to malt enough for one run anyway.

Electrical done for drum. Think I have the coupling worked out just need to mount electrics make everything safe add flyscreen and away we go :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I ground my first lot home malted barley up 20kg. 5% i turned to dark choc.added yellow label angel yeast has taken.off and smells great. Like a choco malt ice cream cup... :handgestures-thumbupleft: should be a good whiskey. :happy-partydance:

That's a brilliant system, you could almost add a hair dryer to it for drying it when it's done and still tumble it.

Looking good Bluc, have you tested it with a weight in the drum? Have seen similar ones that won't turn when they get a decent weight in the drum, had to add a belt drive around the barrel to help it grip/spin better

Not yet on weekend hopefully. I know of some one does up too 30kg at a time..fingers crossed. More worried bout the flyscreen holding to be honest. I cut a wood ring and bolted through it :pray:

Bob9863 wrote:That's a brilliant system, you could almost add a hair dryer to it for drying it when it's done and still tumble it.

Will have a fan to move air. It will go back into the stock pot to dry/kiln. 100l Fan forced diy turbo oven..

hjubm2 wrote:Looking good Bluc, have you tested it with a weight in the drum? Have seen similar ones that won't turn when they get a decent weight in the drum, had to add a belt drive around the barrel to help it grip/spin better

Your right wont turn when it has weight in. Motor not working with no weight now either hopefully just a fuse. Do you have a link to the one you speak of? All the ones i have seen are built like mine..

bluc wrote:

hjubm2 wrote:Looking good Bluc, have you tested it with a weight in the drum? Have seen similar ones that won't turn when they get a decent weight in the drum, had to add a belt drive around the barrel to help it grip/spin better

Your right wont turn when it has weight in. Motor not working with no weight now either hopefully just a fuse. Do you have a link to the one you speak of? All the ones i have seen are built like mine..

I'll see if I get a chance to take a picture of the one we use here at work for mixing flour etc when making stuff for the bees, shouldn't be too hard for you to adapt if you wanted to. How big is the motor your using?

Only a windscreen wiper motor. I just orded a rottiserie motor that will turn 40kg. The wiper motor did turn it a few times but then blew a fuse. Does work think the motor just lets it down..

Got the rotisserie motor turns 20kg dry grain easy.
https://youtu.be/ybxBp1UIXf0

Looks fantastic mate.

Soaked bag barley chitted fine transfered to drum and fail. Drive wheels spun and mount for motor failed. Will turn this lot by hand on the frame then build a better frame. It spun 20kg dry grain so easy :roll

Keep hitting roadblocks getting tad frustrating..