The Moonshine Machine

[slofox]

The Moonshine Machine at work...



Just coming up to temperature here.




And there's the magic fluid (at 96.5% first 100ml). This is the head (contains the methanol) so will go into the cleaner bottle.

After that the 11th 100ml was 92%.

[hayd3n]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yummmm

[slofox]

Total yield 4.5 litres @ 87% taking three hours.

[insomnia01]

that explains a few Q's about your riding the other day

[Ocean1]

Now there's an idea.

There's a couple of acres worth of fruit trees here, I get sick of fruit by mid-summer and there's only so much you can give away. Last year I turned the last of it into about 60 Litres of juice.

Research required...

[BMWST?]

Now there's an idea.

There's a couple of acres worth of fruit trees here, I get sick of fruit by mid-summer and there's only so much you can give away. Last year I turned the last of it into about 60 Litres of juice.

Research required...

one word

cider

[Ocean1]

one word

cider

Yeah, the late stuff is mostly heritage veriety apples, and I suspect juicing it in the first place might be half the work.

How do you finish the job, dude?

[Grizzo]

one word

cider

AMEN to that!

I get the worst headaches on cider but I cant stop once I start, such a good drink.

I think it's called Homersimpson Syndrome.

Drink,headache,DOH...drink,headache,DOH...you get the picture

[SMOKEU]

After that the 11th 100ml was 92%.

Total yield 4.5 litres @ 87% taking three hours.

I'd expect the hearts to have a fairly consistent ABV rating, not 5% difference.

[slofox]

I'd expect the hearts to have a fairly consistent ABV rating, not 5% difference.

It is quite normal for this particular still to do as this run did. Don't forget, volumes are relatively small.

I never push the yield. I don't reduce the water flow through the reflux loop. I just let the output slow down and then turn 'er off once it is near to stopped. The books will tell you you can increase the head temperature up to high 80's but I prefer to let it stop earlier than that. Gives you a cleaner product. Besides, it's cheap as chips to produce. Generally the column temperature starts at 76C and finishes around 80C.

[SMOKEU]

It is quite normal for this particular still to do as this run did. Don't forget, volumes are relatively small.

I never push the yield. I don't reduce the water flow through the reflux loop. I just let the output slow down and then turn 'er off once it is near to stopped. The books will tell you you can increase the head temperature up to high 80's but I prefer to let it stop earlier than that. Gives you a cleaner product. Besides, it's cheap as chips to produce. Generally the column temperature starts at 76C and finishes around 80C.

Do you collect the heads and tails to recycle them for the next still run? I usually stop hearts at around 81°C, and then collect tails up to ~90°C to add to my feints jar. I end up with about a litre of feints at the end of each run for recycling.

[slofox]

Do you collect the heads and tails to recycle them for the next still run? I usually stop hearts at around 81°C, and then collect tails up to ~90°C to add to my feints jar. I end up with about a litre of feints at the end of each run for recycling.

The first 100 - 120ml I use for cleaning. I don't collect tails. Just stop collecting. Why add more fusels to the next wash?

This particular wash (50 litres) was a little unusual in that it fermented at a much higher temperature than usual. I pitched the yeast quite warm (got sick of waiting for it to cool) and what with the weather being so stinkin' hot, the temperature never dropped. It roared from 1105 to 988 in under a week, temp sitting at around 35C. The maths (and the higher than normal yield) suggested it fermented to about 16.7%.

When I run the second potful, I might fiddle round with an empty column on the first run and then re-distill with the column filled as usual. This is in preparation for trying to do a malt mash wash to make a more whisky-like product. Be interesting anyway.

[Akzle]

(...)
Research pot still required...

http://www.copper-alembic.com/produc..._id=96&lang=en

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