What is a Thumper Keg? – A thumper keg, also known as a doubler, thump barrel, or thump chest, is a device used in distillation processes. It is typically made of copper, steel, or wood, and sits between the still pot and condenser. Its purpose is to distill the output of the pot still a second time without having to run the distillate through the still again.
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What is a big thumper?
A homage to the XT500 or AKA “The first Big Thumper”. The XT (XT = cross trail) was the first mass produced enduro bike with an affordable price tag. It took the world by storm when it was launched in 1975. 
The bike gained major popularity after Cyril Neveu won the first rally Paris Dakar in 1979 a 10,000km race from Paris to Dakar. Until today the so called ‘The Dakar’ is probably the most challenging and dangerous motorised vehicle endurance race in the world. 
The simple construction of the XT, a four stroke single-cylinder engine and the straight forward chassis makes this bike easy to maintain and a good companion for any adventure. It was built on the same specifications with slight alterations for over 14 years until 1989 and is still regarded as one of the best single-cylinder motorbikes ever built. 
Why Thumper? This is a motorcycle powered by a large capacity single-cylinder 4-stroke engine that creates a thump-thump-thump noise or in short, a bike that has a lovely sound. 
Riding an XT gets instant respect from other motorists due to its iconic kick start. It has no electric ignition so if you don’t hit the pressure points it can backfire, which in some cases has ended with a broken leg. That’s why it gained the nickname “Der Dampfhammer”. 
The XT is a real Zeitgeist item and when it first launched a whole new breed of motorists started to crowd campsites around the world, enjoying the freedom the XT brought them. Its most famous appearance was in James Bond “For your Eyes Only” when 007 gets chased down ski slopes and bob tracks of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
When I take my XT out for a ride I have people walking up and wanting to talk about the memories of their bikes and I get many thumbs up and big smiles for the thump thump! Heimat loves this bike because of its simplicity and quality, it has a lot of synergy to our products and brand. The XT is becoming a collector’s item although you may be lucky to find one forgotten in your neighbour’s garage or barn waiting to be rediscovered.
Enjoy the ride and keep your head safe! 
Why do moonshiners use Mason jars?
3 Surprising Moonshine Facts With its long and rich history in our region, we East Tennesseans love our moonshine. Coupled with its delicious taste, it is something our state is known for and takes pride in. However — like anything deep in tradition — no matter how much we think we know about moonshine, it has plenty of secrets. Here are a few little-known facts about the beloved spirit:
The Meaning Behind Those Three X’s
Ever seen one of those cartoons of Appalachian folk holding big jugs marked “XXX”? Those three X’s became an iconic symbol of moonshine — if a jug had that special marking, you knew what was in it. But what is the meaning behind it? Simply put, the X marking indicated how many times that particular batch of moonshine was distilled.
The Reason for the Mason Jar
For people new to moonshine, they might see the classic mason jar as quite difficult to manage, especially when trying to pour it into a glass. However, there’s a reason modern moonshine distillers have stuck to the age-old jar — tradition. In the south, everything is canned, from fruit preserves to green beans to alcohol.
It’s Smoother Than You Might Think
Moonshine has the reputation of “burning” and being hard to swallow. Maybe it’s the high alcohol content. But interestingly, most modern moonshine from distilleries are bottled at 100 proof, which can be lower than many popular liquors like whiskey, vodka, and gin.
Why do we double distill?
This entry was posted on April 2, 2019. There are all manner of theories, assumptions and legends relating to the actual birth of cognac, Many relate to Chevalier de la Croix Maron, an aristocratic wine taster and Lord of Segonzac. Legend has it that on returning home from the Crusades, he found his wife in bed with his neighbour.
He shot them both. But afterwards Maron could not sleep as he was plagued by dreams of Satan coming from the dark and roasting him not once but twice over a fire. One night after waking from another roasting he sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers wound round a glass of his favourite drink, burnt wine.
He wondered if this recurring nightmare might be a message from above. Looking into his drink he asked his servants to distil the wine again and so provided it with a magical smoothness. Another story tells of the Chevalier finding a hidden barrel of peasant brandy in the corner of his cellar.
It was too crude for his aristocratic palate, so he ordered it to be distilled again. The pure fruitiness of the double distilled brandy delighted him, and the practice of double distillation had begun. It is probable that the second story is nearer to the truth. The art of distillation was founded by the Moors as they travelled from the South through France.
Originally, they distilled perfumes in pot stills, but they taught the peasants in Gascony how to distil their wines. Using pots heated by wood fires they extracted the vapours and then allowed them to condense back into strong and fruity spirits. The Cognaçais also learnt the skills of distillation in order to prevent their wines from becoming rancid during the long journey along the Charente river to the port of La Rochelle.
- On reaching their destination they were bartered for leather, timber and copper (which was used to make their burnt wines).
- Wines were also distilled to reduce their volume prior to shipping to foreign ports.
- It was found that distilling them a second time not only reduced them further but also gave them a higher quality and finer taste.
It is also said that Chevalier de la Croix Maron took some barrels of the double reduced wine, or brandy as we know it today, to the local monastery. The monks tried some but disliked its fiery taste. Years later they opened another barrel and found that the brandy had turned golden and the flavour had changed to be rich and fruity.
Why do moonshiners use copper stills?
Is a copper still necessary? A question that is often asked is whether or not it is necessary to have a copper still for producing the best quality whiskey. Purists argue that there is no other proper way to do it and they point to the fact that is has always been done that way.
Stainless steel advocates argue that it has been always done that way, because stainless steel was only ‘discovered’ about a hundred years ago, and in some industries, old habits die slowly. In defense of using stainless, they argue that stainless steel is more durable, easier to work with and less costly than copper.
There is a good reason to use copper for distilling. Copper catalyzes (allows to occur) certain reactions that remove undesirable notes/flavors in the distillate and make it ‘smoother’. Without copper, the distillate will smell and taste sharp and unpleasant. 
An easy and inexpensive way to include copper is by the insertion of 100% copper scrub brushes. It is important to use 100% copper scrubs and two brands that make them are Chore Boy and Libman. Of the ones we tested, Chore Boy are generally less expensive but they are also about 30% lighter than Libmans.
For placement, several scrub brushes can be put in the (pot still in this application), and they can also be placed inside the, The 1.5″ to 2″ reducer makes a great place to put several as the constriction will naturally hold them. As the distillate passes out of the it has to go through the copper brushes, allowing for maximum interaction (and even a bit of reflux for higher proof).
For the stripping run (the first time beer is distilled) it is recommended to place the copper in the still itself, not in the, as ‘burping’ (proteins etc. foaming up into the condensor) can occur if heating is too rapid leading to fouling or plugging of the Condensing Assembly.
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: Is a copper still necessary?
Do you need a stripping run with a thumper?
THUMPERS 101
Re: thumper with strip run? – Post by evilpsych » Wed Feb 25, 2009 1:10 pm bobtuse wrote: True, but I had read that Pint equated two thumper runs to more like 3 distillations than 4. Perhaps I am a glutton for punishment, but my strip runs came off around 65% and my spirit was 75%.
- I think I would still run the thumper on the spirit run.
- It can only help right? What are you trying to make? If you do a search, most folks on stripping runs use a simple potstill with no thumper.
- A stripping run is meant to be hard and fast, and to not make cuts at all to speak of (some do though) Using a thumper during a stripping run does present the problem of using more energy total.
I just realized that my life is a very complicated drinking game. bobtuse Novice Posts: 43 Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2008 9:19 pm