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Hobby Distillation of Alcohol..Fastrack To Hell or Heaven!!!!
Sunday, 25 March 2007 - 5:03 AM SL Time |  | |
Hobby Distillation of Alcohol - a Great HOBBY?
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...in those countries where it is allowed.
First of all, amateur distillation is for people who want to produce a quality product. It is not worth the effort of making a nice still, and taking time to ferment and distill if it will be done quickly and carelessly, if you are looking for quantity over quality. If you use bad tasting alcohol to make liqueur, the finished product will also taste bad, even if you use it as vodka. Who wants bad tasting vodka?
On the other hand, if one knows what to do (follow the book), uses quality yeast and ingredients, distills twice and distills as pure an alcohol as possible (temperature control) ... and then dilutes the alcohol and purifies it with activated carbon ... even if it only hold traces of volatiles left in the cooler from the fore shots and the head: one gets a premium vodka as a result. This can then be flavored to make outstanding liquor and liqueurs ...or used simply as a vodka.
This is also why you must have a column still and not a pot still. If you try to make whisky, cognac, slivowits, calvados, rum or another pot still distilled alcohol you must copy every single detail to have a result comparable to the liqueur industry`s, and you must mature your product under exactly the same conditions. This is impossible in practice. But to produce a pure alcohol, a premium vodka, is no problem, ever! Compare this to wine- or beer-brewing at home, and try to match a famous Bordeaux wine with the liquid in your demijohn.
With your pure alcohol as a base you can then use essences to flavor Citron Vodka, Rum, etc. Gin, most liqueurs, Citron Vodka, Mandarin Vodka etc. are created exactly the same, with the same type of ingredients, and you get a commercial result ... sometimes even better, for example if they have chosen a cheaper flavor!
Scotch whisky contains 1300 volatiles which combine to produce the smell and taste, and as it is made with pot distillation of beer, if you move the process somewhere else, it is impossible to copy perfectly. You can make something close to whisky. With cognac, you can make something very close to cognac. You can make an identical copy of rum.
You can always compare the quality of your home brew shop`s yeast, essences and activated carbon by ordering counter samples from Gert Strand AB in Sweden. Only first class quality is sold and their essences, Prestige, (the world`s biggest seller) is only a consumer variety of the essences they sell to distilleries. This is true of Turbo Yeast, as well. Also, the quality of activated carbon is easy to compare with Chemviron or another of their brands.
Quality of the end product is as good as the weakest link in the chain. Use quality throughout and you produce superior quality. A good book or know-how, good yeast, granulated sugar, a good column still (producing 90-95% alcohol), good workmanship, good activated carbon and top quality essences ... and you end up with a product comparable with commercial brands (except for whisky, calvados, slivowits and cognac), otherwise you must do it better next time.
When you, in a blind test, occasionally beat commercial brands, you are a good amateur distiller - but not the only one: everyone with quality thinking will do the same.
Equipment & Related Costs
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The cost for 1 liter of 40% vodka is approx. the cost of one kilo sugar + the cost for activated carbon needed, from 500 - 1000 grams for 5-7 liter vodka, depending on the distillation speed and whether or not distillation is done twice. There is also yeast for fermentation, electricity for heating, and water for cooling, but this cost is only marginal.
Equipment costs can vary from next to nothing to US$ 1000. First one needs ordinary wine brewing equipment like a fermentation vessel, fermentation lock and a syphon.
The still is more costly. One can buy a new stainless steel still from Europe, which is costly. If one can weld or hire a welder it is much cheaper. The boiling vessel can be made from 2 stainless steel thin (made in Taiwan) kitchen pots, which are very cheap. The welder must be a pro, must (probably) silver weld those as they are too thin for TIG welding. Important:all welding must be of food grade quality: no lead welding.
If one is lucky, the material for the column and the condenser, stainless steel tubes and milking machine connector may be found by a metal recycler for a small amount. They often dismantle diary farms and food industries ... stainless steel keeps new even if it is 20 years old. For the screen at base of column one can use a stainless steel kitchen sink drain screen. which costs only a few dollars. Rashig rings, food grade plastic tube and a thermometer must usually be bought new, but they are a one-time expense ... as is the rest of the still. A stainless steel still (or one of copper) last a lifetime.
After distillation, a large funnel and a tube or pipe is needed for a special (70% better) process to purify the alcohol, using activated carbon. One also needs a hydrometer to check that the mash/wash has fermented the sugar to alcohol before distillation, and an alcometer to measure the strength of the alcohol. This also is a one-time cost.
Fuel Alcohol Still: While Robert Warren`s still is a lot more expensive to build than most small home distillers will want for drinking whiskey, it is a perfect laboratory still. With its automatic control valve, you can produce precisely the proof level you want. For ethanol fuel, you want to make 160 to 190 proof, which you can make with this still on the first run, as it is 3 stills in one, really. It also removes the fusil oils and produces extremely pure alcohol. http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/ethanolfuel/index.html
Distillation instruments and requirements a Glossary
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Alcohol
ethanol = drinking alcohol = alcohol
Alcoholmeter
measure the alcohol percentage=% in alcohol water liquid( ethanol/water mixture.) only ! No sugar !!
Alcoholmeter % vol
measure the alcohol by % vol = (volume ) In case of 100 ltr. and a reading of 40 % vol you have 4o ltr. alcohol and 60 ltr. water. Previosly you called % vol although Tralle !
Alcoholmeter % proof
measure the alcohol by % of proof. Proof is twice of % vol =( volume )
Alcoholmeter % by weight or gew%
measure the alcohol by % weight. In case of 100 kg and a reading of 50% you have 50 kg alcohol and 50 kg water.
Alcoholmeter Gay Lussac & Cartier
measure the alcohol by % and is today the same as % vol. Cartier is for rough measurements and used in several countries.
Combined alcoholmeter
Alcoholmeter with incorporated thermometer
Distillateur alcoholmeter
measure the % vol and used after blending to get all time the same strength
Distillateur thermometer
profi home distiller thermometer very easy because of clear and exact reading with division in 1/5 = 0,2 C
Distilling thermometer
to measure the correct temperature during distillation, glass made
Floating thermometer
used during fermentation for temperature control
Mash thermometer
used during fermentation for temperature control. Strong stability and usuable for stiring, too.
Profi distiller alcoholmeter
measure the % vol and used after blending to get all time the same strength = % reading in 1/10, combined type = with thermometer.
Easy to read for profi only !
Proof alcoholmeter
measure the alcohol by % of proof. Proof is twice of % vol =( volume )
Thermo alcoholmeter
Alcoholmeter with incorporated thermometer
Triple scale hydrometer
for measuring the % of sugar = Balling before and after fermentation to get the % alcohol you will have in your mash!
Vinometer
measure the aprox alcohol % in your mash after fermentation is completly finished. Does not work if sugar is still in the mash! The reading show you % vol .
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Source(s)
Various.......... |
tamilcanuck
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24 Mar 2007 23:10:46 GMT Report for Abuse
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in those countries where it is allowed.
colleague of mine brews his own beer. its allowed here.
Not recommended for the regulars. takes too bloody long.!
dont know about this hell/heaven business. everyone and their dog wants to head to heaven. well good luck. I'll stick with hell.
Edited By - tamilcanuck - 24 Mar 2007 23:11:50 GM |
MarkLevinson
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24 Mar 2007 23:16:43 GMT Report for Abuse
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dont know about this hell/heaven business
Depends on where you want to head.....
'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'
'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.
'I don't much care where--' said Alice.
'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.
'--so long as I get somewhere,' Alice added as an explanation.
'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, 'if you only walk long enough.' |
MarkLevinson
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24 Mar 2007 23:31:07 GMT Report for Abuse
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AnuD,
Look Like ML is used to distil Kasippu.
Don't say that..JRJ might try to buy some from me!!
:):):):) |
Thambi
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24 Mar 2007 23:39:58 GMT Report for Abuse
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ML
great ADVISE , you are missing note on how to make it 12 or 24 year old on item like whiskey :) |
stopterro
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25 Mar 2007 00:09:16 GMT Report for Abuse
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ML now interested in Good Ole Moooooooooonshineeeeee
bwoy you asking for trouble
beware of the worm |
MarkLevinson
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25 Mar 2007 00:20:09 GMT Report for Abuse
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Holy Moly!!
great ADVISE
This is no advise/encouragement.....this is a way to STOP....by the time you go through the process you are too tired to drink it:):):)
Topterro,
Who is the WORM you are talking about...there are so many here!!!! |
MarkLevinson
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25 Mar 2007 09:21:31 GMT Report for Abuse
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Bokusira - This is giving ideas to JR.
Yah..
Hope for super 8s dude will be using his OWN stuff:):):):):) |
Berty
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25 Mar 2007 11:06:29 GMT Report for Abuse
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Marky malli
dont know about this hell/heaven business
I am sure Alcohol is only served in hell!
Where do you find pretty and sexy gyals..in Hell..lolz.. |
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