What exactly did I make?

noobstiller · Post by **noobstiller** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:24 pm

Well, I cant afford booze, and I needed a hobby so I picked up on distilling. Thats pretty much all there is about me. I plan on making this a long term hobby, so I will be here a while.

you could say I started off bad. I just guessed on quantities of yeast and sugar and made a 1 gallon sugar wash. I fermented it about 5-6 days in a 76 degreeF constant environment.

I distilled it in a iced water still just 3 hours ago, and it came out to around 4 cups of 40-50% alcohol, which I added some orange flavoring oil to, and made a tasty drink. It tastes nothing like top shelf vodka, or bottom shelf vodka. It has a taste that I cant attribute to any commercial liquor. Its really good for doing a really shotty job at the wash.(i will from this wash on take it more seriously)

I just wanted to introduce myself while asking: what the hell did I make?

kingearwig · Post by **kingearwig** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:35 pm

I would like to see some pics of this ice water still.

punkin · Post by **punkin** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:57 pm

Welcome Noobstiller, sounds like you can only go up

Strap in, read up and hang on, it gets better and better

BTW, you made concentrated sugar wine. It's a type of distillation as i understand it, but doesn't allow you to take the hangover out like a potstill can

noobstiller · Post by **noobstiller** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:08 pm

kingearwig wrote:I would like to see some pics of this ice water still.

Word. I will do that next time I run it.

To explain it easier, it is just a stock pan with a extremely large stainless steel bowl on top full of ice and water.

Since I have easy access to it, I plan on implementing the use of LN2(liquid nitrogen) and dry ice. I am attempting to combine science with distilling high quality booze.

from what I understand, a ice water still strips the methanol out. was I wrong?(i threw out the first 100ml just to be safe, and ran it through again to get 3 cups of an estimated 70% ABV) I am very satisfied with the taste of the first attempt at distilling

thanks for the welcome guys.

kingearwig · Post by **kingearwig** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:30 pm

the ice water won't remove any methanol. throwing out the first 100 mls will help but a pot still is almost as easy make as what you have put together. I try not to over complicate things. There is plenty of science in what the old shiners did. if I had access to dry ice readily I would use it to bottle a carbonated alcoholic beverage.

noobstiller · Post by **noobstiller** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 4:43 pm

I will discard the first 100ml next time.

Is it better to make multiple small washes, or one big one? I still have 2 small washes left in nalgene water bottles, and I have about 30 more bottles that I can use.

i can go out and buy a big bucket if the bottles are not a good idea.

Could someone recommend a novice wash that I can start out on?

Post by **rad14701** » Sat Mar 15, 2008 4:54 pm

Rather than asking a lot of questions you'd be better off heading to the main site http://homedistiller.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow and doing some reading...

goose eye · Post by **goose eye** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:42 am

think it would behove you to learn the old ways first since you gonna
be in it for the dueration.
you got dry ice you aint gotta tote water

so im tole

noobstiller · Post by **noobstiller** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:10 pm

thanks for the tips and suggestions guys, i am picking up alot of knowledge here!

noobstiller · Post by **noobstiller** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 5:10 pm

update on the last of my first washes:

I had one small regular sugar/water wash left, and one with some homemade orange marmalade put in it 3 days into fermentation.

The regular sugar water wash is still fermenting, but I am distilling the orange wash. The first distillate of my first 1 gal wash was hardly flammable, but the stuff the orange wash is making is incredibly flammable. I nearly set the shed on fire just now, a mistake I will never make again.