How Does A Still Work Moonshine?

How does the thumper work on a moonshine still?

How does a Thumper Keg work? – The thumper keg uses the waste heat emitted by the steam pot, making it a very efficient distillation apparatus. As the hot vapor exits the still, it passes through the arm into the low wine that’s already condensed in the bottom of the thump keg. This process heats the liquid again, sending highly purified alcohol vapors from the still to the condenser.

How does distilling alcohol work?

A Spirit of Tradition All spirits go through at least two procedures – fermentation and distillation. Fermentation is where all alcohol is created, distillation is where the alcohol is separated and removed. In order for fermentation to occur, two things are needed: a raw material in liquid form that contains sugar, followed by the addition of yeast.

Yeast is a living organism that feeds on sugar; the bi-product of this consumption is alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). A simple formula for fermentation is: YEAST + SUGAR = ALCOHOL + C0 2 Distilling is essentially the process whereby a liquid made of two or more parts is separated into smaller parts of desired purity by the addition and subtraction of heat from the mixture.

The vapours/liquids distilled will separated other ingredients that have lower boiling points. Distilled spirits are produced from agricultural raw materials such as grapes, other fruit, sugar-cane, molasses, potatoes, cereals, etc. For some spirits, only 1 raw material is used (rules set out in categories 1-14 of Regulation 110/2008): Example: production of a spirit made from cereals such as whiskey: Other spirits start with a ‘neutral’ alcohol base, to which flavourings (sometimes sweetening) are added (rules set out in categories 15-46 of Regulation 110/2008): As a result, for ALL spirits, the distillation process transforms the raw materials to the extent that they are no longer present in the final spirit drink. This was demonstrated conclusively when EFSA agreed that allergenic protein from raw materials was not present in spirit drinks.

How is alcohol made in a still?

3. Distillation – After the base alcohol is made, the next, and most crucial, step to making spirits is distillation. Distillation is the process of separating alcohol from water via evaporation and condensation. The base alcohol is heated, and certain parts of it are captured.

• This process purifies and concentrates the remaining alcohol, which will ultimately be the final spirit produced.
• Distillation is done in stills.
• The two most commonly used stills are continuous stills and pot stills.
• Stills are equipped with three parts: the still (or retort), which heats the liquid, the condenser and the receiver, which collects the distillate at the end of the process.

The mash, or fermented base spirit, is transferred to the still and heated to a low temperature, which first vaporizes the alcohol. Because alcohol has a lower boiling point than water does, it can be evaporated by itself, collected and then cooled back down into a liquid, which then has a much higher alcohol content than when it first started.

Does distilling remove everything?

Page 4 – Distillation treatment typically removes most of the dissolved materials. In addition, the boiling process kills biological contaminants. Nevertheless, there are certain volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds that may not be removed by distillation (CDPH 2009).

Organic compounds that boil at temperatures greater than the boiling point of water (some pesticides) can be effectively removed from the water (MSUE 2003). Organic compounds that boil at temperatures lower than the boiling point of water (ex., benzene and toluene) will be vaporized along with the water.

If these harmful compounds are not removed prior to condensation, they will remain in the purified product (MSUE 2003).

How many times is vodka distilled?

Is more distilled vodka better? – Some people believe that more distilled vodka is better. However, there is no real evidence to support this claim. In fact, most vodkas are distilled two or three times, so there is no real difference between the brands.

• The distillation process for vodka can be done multiple times in order to create a high-quality product,
• Some argue that the more times vodka is distilled, the better the end product will be.
• However, over-distilling can also affect the flavor and aroma of vodka, so it is important to do this process correctly,

When vodka is distilled, the end product is a clear, odourless liquid. However, if it is distilled too many times, the vodka can become harsh and flavourless. This is because over-distilling can remove some of the natural flavours and aromas that make vodka enjoyable to drink,

Does distilling alcohol smell?

Mr. Moonshine A few of The Provider’s libations Distilling hard alcohol without a distillery license is illegal in Oregon and the U.S. From herein, any discussion of homemade spirits is purely theoretical. I may know a man who makes the most incredibly smooth scotch, icy clear vodka, flavorful limoncello and Drambuie, creamy gin, authentic rum.

Since I can’t refer to him by name, because he may not exist, I will simply call him “The Provider.” First, I’d like to knock out your image of a one-toothed moonshiner emerging from the back of his cabin waving a mason jar full of “sumin’ good fer yer grit.” A retired businessman and entrepreneur, my moonshiner lives in an elegant Victorian home of his own design, with his intelligent and discerning wife.

His still is located under his sculpting studio, where he creates modern classical pieces based on Greek mythology. The Provider has a meditative patience that’s required in creating artisan spirits: “Distillation is really the marriage of art and science,” he says.

If you love to cook and experiment in the kitchen and are technically inclined, then distillation is for you. In the end it’s about the melding of flavors accomplished in a measured and calculated way over time.” It was the discerning wife who sparked The Provider’s interest in home distillation. “She is of Scottish ancestry and every night enjoys a drink called a Rusty Nail, made from a mix of Drambuie and Scotch,” the Provider shares with me.

“I told her, ‘I’ll make it for you. How hard can it be?'” After several years of trial and error, The Provider confirms that the most important element of home distillation is, “making the cuts.” When you distill alcohol, there are three portions to separate out by taste and smell: the heads, body and tails.

1. The heads are full of “compounds such as methanol and acetone.
2. These have a terribly pungent smell and taste, so you will want to remove these.” Next comes the body.
3. That’s the good stuff.
4. Finally we get to the tails.
5. These are full of congeners, or the chemicals that shape flavor and taste, and may add to your morning headache.

“As we descend further down into Dante’s Inferno, the congeners get nastier and nastier. The tails begin to smell like cardboard and paint thinner — not good,” The Provider says. “These are what’s responsible for the really bad hangovers.” So it’s not that you drank too much, it’s that you drank too many congeners.

1. The most important thing in the flavoring of whiskey is to know how much of the heads and tails to add to the body.
2. The more of these you add the longer the whiskey will have to remain in the barrel to become mellow, or you could ruin your efforts by adding too much.” It’s a decision that I would find incredibly stressful, but The Provider sees it differently.

“You arrive at a beautiful moment where you, yes you, have to decide. For some reason there is joy in that moment followed by months of anxious barrel tasting as the whiskey comes around.” Ultimately, it seems to be an incredibly satisfying hobby for The Provider, his wife and all their friends and neighbors.

The pleasure of this is more than just the satisfaction of sitting in front of the fire sipping something you’ve made. It’s the joy of sharing with friends and, in the end, becoming part of the tradition that goes back thousands of years, from the ancient Greek experimenters to the monastic explorers, the Irish and the Scots and finally to the backwoods of the rural South.

Distillation has a proud history and you can be part of it.” Provided, that is, you don’t get caught. : Mr. Moonshine

What are the uses of a still?

You Can Buy Your Own Whiskey Still, You Just Can’t Use It Here’s the good news. You can own a whiskey still. There’s no law against that. There’s even a company, Clawhammer, that will sell you a beautiful copper still that’s designed specifically for producing booze.

• The bad news? You can’t actually make booze in that still.
• It’s legal to own a still of any size,” says Kyle Brown, founder of Clawhammer.
• You can have it for decoration, distilling water, distilling essential oilsbut it’s illegal to distill alcohol without having either a distilled spirits permit or a federal fuel alcohol permit.” was the first company to sell a 100% copper distiller kit, which includes all of the parts needed to build a functioning copper distiller.

They’ll send it to you, and all you have to do is put it together with a little hammering, riveting and soldering. Once finished, the still can be used to distill spirits (like vodka, gin or whiskey), distilled water, essential oils, disinfectant and even fuel alcohol.

1. Let’s say you put your copper still together, “for decoration,” but decide you’d like to take it for a spin and produce some booze.
2. Legally, you have two options.
3. Option 1) You can obtain a Federal Distilled Spirits Permit, which is the same permit that industry giants like Jack Daniels and Makers Mark possess, which makes it legal for them to distill and distribute to the public.

“As one might imagine, getting this permit is somewhat involved,” says Brown. “It’s expensive and requires a lot of paperwork.” So, unless someone is interested in opening an actual distillery, with the intention of selling their product in liquor stores, the distilled spirits permit isn’t likely going to be a good option.

Which leaves you with option 2) A Federal Fuel Alcohol Permit, which is free and easy to get. “We’ve never heard of anyone being denied this permit and have never heard of anyone even being checked up on after obtaining the permit,” Brown says. The ingredients, the process, and even the final product is the same when making high proof distilled spirits and fuel alcohol.

“With this permit, you can make distilled spirits,” Brown says, “but the product is supposed to be used for fuel alcohol purposes only.” Legally, you’re not supposed to drink it. You’re supposed to put it in your lawnmower. Brown himself is a hobbyist, a DIYer, and home brewer.

So, naturally, Clawhammer Supply started as a hobby. He moved to North Carolina in 2006 and befriended a North Carolina native whose great grandfather was a “moonshiner.” Brown was fascinated by the stories about the process and became interested in doing some distilling himself. Around 2009 he began the process of trying to either build or buy a still.

Since he couldn’t find an affordable copper still available for sale on the internet, he built one himself. There was a lot of copper left over from that first still, so he built another one and sold it in order to pay for the still he built for himself.

It turns out that there was a fairly large, yet undeveloped, market for home distillation equipment at that time and things snowballed from there. Clawhammer sells three different sizes of copper DIY still kits; one gallon, five gallons, and 10 gallons, along with a proofing parrot, which is a device that makes it easy to measure the proof of the product coming out of the still.

Additionally, they sell DIY whiskey spice kits and other items that allow people to flavor and customize spirits bought off the shelf. “For example, our Apple Pie Moonshine spice kit is a product that allows one to make their own flavored ‘moonshine’ using store bought ‘legal moonshine’ or even just plain old vodka,” Brown says.

The kits turn legal, cheap booze into flavored booze, like the aforementioned Apple Pie, Fire Bomb whiskey (similar to Fireball) and Peach Pie. Brown says his client list is diverse, from doctors to CEOs, all of whom are hobbyists looking to produce their own, um, fuel grade alcohol. For their lawnmowers.

The small, one-gallon stills start at $149. Imagine the savings you’d get from never having to buy gas for your lawnmower again. : You Can Buy Your Own Whiskey Still, You Just Can’t Use It

What is the legal definition of a still?

More Definitions of still – still means a device used to evaporate and recover perchloroethylene Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 still means any device used to volatilize and recover perchloroethylene from contaminated perchloroethylene. Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 still means a distilling apparatus and includes any part of a still; Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 still means a device used to volatilize and recover perchloroethylene from contaminated solvent removed from the cleaned materials,

Why is a still called a still?

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Swan-necked stills in a distillery. These stills are used to make whisky A still is a tool used to clean a liquid, It does this by first boiling the liquid and turning it into a gas, This gas is then cooled, changing it back into liquid. Stills get their name from the word di still ation.

• Distillation is the process of boiling and cooling a liquid to purify it.
• Stills are most often used to create alcohol, but they can also be used with any liquid.
• Some examples are medicines and perfumes,
• There are two main types of stills: pot stills and reflux stills.
• In a pot still, the pot (like a large kettle) holding the liquid is heated.

The hot gas is cooled in a simple neck, or tube, and collected. Pot stills are used for making alcohol like whisky. A reflux still is much more complex. It works with a continual flow of liquid going into the boiler, and a continual flow of distilled liquid coming out.

What is in a still?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pot stills at the Lagavulin Distillery A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy, In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol as effectively as other distillation methods.

1. Pot stills operate on a batch distillation basis (as contrasted with Coffey or column stills, which operate on a continuous basis).
2. Traditionally constructed from copper, pot stills are made in a range of shapes and sizes depending on the quantity and style of spirit desired.
3. Spirits distilled in pot stills top out between 60 and 80 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) after multiple distillations.

Because of this relatively low level of ABV concentration, spirits produced by a pot still retain more of the flavour from the wash than distillation practices that reach higher ethanol concentrations. Under European law and various trade agreements, cognac (a protected term for a variety of brandy produced in the region around Cognac, France ) and any Irish or Scotch whisky labelled as “pot still whisky” or ” malt whisky ” must be distilled using a pot still.