Difference between revisions of "Distillation -- Operating a Still"

From Noah.org
Jump to navigationJump to search
Line 15: Line 15:
 
The reason methanol is also called "wood alcohol" has nothing to do with wood being fermented into alcohol. The term "wood alcohol" comes from the fact that wood already contains methanol which can be directly distilled from the wood. This is how it was discovered. Yeast does not ferment cellulose into methanol. If it were easy to make methanol we wouldn't have an energy problem. What little methanol that shows up in fermented beverages comes from natural enzymes that break down pectin into methanol. Fruits that are high in pectin also contain the enzyme which converts their pectin into methanol. There is nothing in the fermentation process that enhances this.
 
The reason methanol is also called "wood alcohol" has nothing to do with wood being fermented into alcohol. The term "wood alcohol" comes from the fact that wood already contains methanol which can be directly distilled from the wood. This is how it was discovered. Yeast does not ferment cellulose into methanol. If it were easy to make methanol we wouldn't have an energy problem. What little methanol that shows up in fermented beverages comes from natural enzymes that break down pectin into methanol. Fruits that are high in pectin also contain the enzyme which converts their pectin into methanol. There is nothing in the fermentation process that enhances this.
  
The origin of the myth that homemade liquor will blind or kill you comes from instances where unscrupulous or stupid people adulterated homemade liquor with industrial solvents such as methanol in order to boost their "kick". Sometimes people don't understand the difference between methanol and ethanol.
+
The origin of the myth that homemade liquor will blind or kill you comes from instances where unscrupulous or stupid people adulterated homemade liquor with industrial solvents such as methanol in order to boost its "kick". Sometimes people don't understand the difference between methanol and ethanol.
  
 
The two biggest contaminants you will get in your liquor are acetone and acetic acid. Acetic acid is just vinegar and is relatively harmless; although even a little bit makes for a smelly, harsh drink. Acetone is less harmful than most people think. Most of it is easy to keep out of what you drink, but even if you left it in the worst you will get is a bad hangover.
 
The two biggest contaminants you will get in your liquor are acetone and acetic acid. Acetic acid is just vinegar and is relatively harmless; although even a little bit makes for a smelly, harsh drink. Acetone is less harmful than most people think. Most of it is easy to keep out of what you drink, but even if you left it in the worst you will get is a bad hangover.

Revision as of 10:56, 1 November 2012


Notes on stills, making a still, distilling, distill, distillation of alcohol.

How to make a still

Safety

Distillation vapor path should not be pressurized. Avoid potential clogs in the system.

Secondary distillations should avoid open flames.

Liquid condensates should be directed far from boiler. Avoid concentrated flammable liquids near a source of ignition.

The reason methanol is also called "wood alcohol" has nothing to do with wood being fermented into alcohol. The term "wood alcohol" comes from the fact that wood already contains methanol which can be directly distilled from the wood. This is how it was discovered. Yeast does not ferment cellulose into methanol. If it were easy to make methanol we wouldn't have an energy problem. What little methanol that shows up in fermented beverages comes from natural enzymes that break down pectin into methanol. Fruits that are high in pectin also contain the enzyme which converts their pectin into methanol. There is nothing in the fermentation process that enhances this.

The origin of the myth that homemade liquor will blind or kill you comes from instances where unscrupulous or stupid people adulterated homemade liquor with industrial solvents such as methanol in order to boost its "kick". Sometimes people don't understand the difference between methanol and ethanol.

The two biggest contaminants you will get in your liquor are acetone and acetic acid. Acetic acid is just vinegar and is relatively harmless; although even a little bit makes for a smelly, harsh drink. Acetone is less harmful than most people think. Most of it is easy to keep out of what you drink, but even if you left it in the worst you will get is a bad hangover.

Yields

As a rule of thumb, expect an 8:1 yield of mash:50% alcohol. So, 8 liters of mash should yield 1 liter of 50% alcohol (100 proof).

8 : 1

That's a minimum to expect when first setting up a still. You are probably extracting only half the total alcohol available. With skill, careful distillation, and improved fermentation you can expect better yields.

yeast

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

hydrometer

Distilled spirits are measured in proof and %ABV (percentage of alcohol by volume). Proof is obsolete, but it is still popular in the United States. Legally, all alcohol is labeled in %ABV, but many manufacturers also still include a proof label. In the US proof is simply half a percent, so 100 proof is 50 %ABV. The %ABV scale is sometimes called a Tralles scale (not Tralle's, not Tralle, not Traille.).

Alcohol hydrometers for distilled spirits usually measure alcohol by volume. The scales usually read proof and Tralles. They are referred to as Proof and Tralles hydrometers. Note that Tralles is frequently mispelled as Tralle's, Tralle, Traille. Tralles is the correct name as it is named after Johann George Tralles.

Beer and wine hydrometers are used to measure properties of mash and wine before distillation. They are not used to measure proof or %ABV.

recipes

Bread Rum

  • 1 gallon of water
  • 1 pound of sugar
  • 1 packet of yeast
  • 1 slice of wheat bread

Put the slice of bread in a blender and blend until you have fine bread crumbs. Add a few glasses of water. Add yeast and blend again to mix the yeast well. Let this sit while you prepare the rest. Add sugar to 1 gallon jug. Add hot water to cover sugar. Swirl this around until the sugar seems dissolved. Add cold water to almost fill the jug, but leave a little room for bread mash. Add the bread mash to the jug. Cover the opening of the jug with aluminum foil or an air-lock device. After a day the mixture will start to fizz and bubble like beer. Let this ferment for four days to a week or until the mixture seems to stop fizzing. Distill the mash.

Simple Corn Whiskey

This is basically like Bread Rum but with the addition of a can of corn.

  • 1 gallon of water
  • 1 pound of sugar
  • 1 can of corn (12 ounces, cooked, unsalted)
  • 1 packet of yeast
  • 1 slice of wheat bread

Put the slice of bread in a blender and blend until you have fine bread crumbs. Add the can of corn to the bread and blend until smooth. Add yeast and blend again to mix the yeast well. Let this sit while you prepare the rest. Add sugar to 1 gallon jug. Add hot water to cover sugar. Swirl this around until the sugar seems dissolved. Add cold water to almost fill the jug, but leave a little room for the corn mash. Pour the corn mash into the jug. Cover the opening of the jug with aluminum foil or an air-lock device. After a day the mixture will start to fizz and bubble like beer. Let this ferment for four days to a week or until the mixture seems to stop fizzing. Distill the mash.

Blind Man's Bluff

Doctor Whooch

references

File:secondary fermentation compounds.pdf.

books

Mountain Spirits by Joseph Earl Dabney. This is one of the best books to have for the history and lore of moonshining.

More Mountain Spirits by Joseph Earl Dabney. Equally as good as his first book.

Making Pure Corn Whiskey: A Professional Guide For Amateur And Micro Distillers by Ian Smiley. This is a more advanced book. It has lots of good information in a small space. My only complaint is that it tends to make the process of making whiskey sound harder than it has to be.