Another noobie here

[mikeman]

Hello Everyone,

I have been poking around the forums now for around a month and finally decided to register because I finally ordered my equipment and decided to take the plunge into home distilling. These forums have been a great help for me and I appreciate the community. I have a question about methanol. I bought one of those 4L water distillers similar to the easystill. I have seen some videos which recommend discarding 1 ounce (for-shot), then I seen other videos that dont and say that the first of the distilled product is the most concentrated and should be kept. Im confused.

I know that alot of my ventures are going to be trial and error, but with 4L mash runs should I worry about methanol? or just go. Also, this machine has built in filters that can be removed. Some say filter your product, others say remove the filters to carry the flavor through. Should I keep or remove the carbon filtering?

Im sure I will have more questions once the equipment gets here. (1 week)

Mike

[trthskr4]

Read this. Methanol is made in small amounts in normal anaerobic bacterial fermentations. The amount of methanol in our products (especially 4L batches) is negligible. Not to knock your set up or what ever but a 4L still isn't gonna product much of anything in sizable quantities especially the minute traces of methanol that are normally in a small batch operation. The antedote for methanol poisoning is ethanol (so I'm told by chemists and medical type folks) so you are drinking the antedote when partaking of your product. What you more importantly will produce is other "higher alcohols" such as ethyl acetate and such which I personally am more concerned with. You should always make a foreshot cut, on 5 gallon batches it is readily accepted that 250 ml is the safe amount. On 1 gallon batches I'd take 50-100 ml fores cuts.

You really need at least a 20L still or bigger, unless you're really crazy for the hobby you'll get the red ass at 4L at a time eventually.

I'd bet if you saw an analysis of any commercial product you'd find a little trace of all of the non desirable compounds that are created during normal fermentation, and just remember that with beer and wines you get all of these products in lower doses because of the unconcentrated nature of the drinks.

[mikeman]

Thanks for the reply trthskr4

I forgot to mention that my fermenting setup is going to be a 32L. I am going to start out with turbo yeast until I get familiar with the process. So this will be 5.5 gallon batches. I will let that ferment for 7 days, then do 6x4L distills.

I'd rather be on the safe side so I will cut 250ml.

No thoughts on the carbon filtering?

[trthskr4]

Carbon filtering is messy, expensive and not necessary if you're not pushing your washes to the limits of the yeast you are using. That's why it is necessary with turbos. There's a sticky in this forum that is a "how to" use turbos to get the best possible finished product with them. It also adds another step to the process to screw up and ruin some decent hooch.

[DestructoMutt]

send it back. build your own.

[mikeman]

Fermenter is in and brewing. I tried searching for that "how to" sticky on turbo yeast with no luck. If someone finds it could they please link it here. My distiller should be in early next week.

[airhill]

I couldn't find it either even though I read it

Have done this with alcotec 48 and it works, this is how I did it based on what I read here.
It involved splitting the turbo packet in half. If your doing 2 ferments use 5kg sugar in each and make up the volume to 20l in each. Pitch half the turbo in each at about 30 degrees c, make sure it is well aerated. Takes a little longer but dosn't tend to overheat and is a little cleaner (and cheaper ).

[trthskr4]

It's here. It's a sticky in this forum.

[mikeman]

oh ok. I did read that post a day after I filled my fermenter. I followed the directions on the packaging. Today is the third day. The bubbles are still coming. I am giving it 7 days as recommended. I noticed that my mixture looks very "milky" now compaired to what it originally was.

Thanks everyone I will keep you updated.

FYI it is a regular sugar wash with Turbo Pure yeast.

Later

Mike

[Maverick50]

Just interested on the milky bit.

Im a newbee too and have just asked that question about the wash looking milky, did it turn out ok, how did it taste?

[LWTCS]

Just interested on the milky bit.

Sounds like your ferment is just running it's course.

[rad14701]

That "milky" appearance is mainly the yeast colony happily munching away on sugar and nutrients... Once the sugars are consumed the yeast will retreat to the bottom for a nap unless the alcohol concentration gets too high and kills them...