Cost per liter of product

[Elfmaze]

I just got asked a question about how much the ingredient s cost vs how many liters output. has any one done the math yet on UJSSM or sugar based wash of how much it costs you per liter? heat energy included if you know. How do our costs compare to a commercial ethanol like everclear or denatured. can one make ethanol for cheaper than buying? everclear(ethanol) is $17 for 780 ml. I think denatured is around $20 a gallon.

[Cardinalbags]

my production cost on a litre of 40% is just under $2 a litre, and i use 421ml to make that, so doing the math my cost for a litre of 95% ethanol is $4.75 a litre. It would be less if I considered what i am throwing away into the feints jar

Cheaper than everclear by a long shot, denatured you cant drink.... but if you were thinking about it as a fuel, still cant beat regular gas.

Are you trying to compare drinkable product cost or ethanol as a fuel?

[Prairiepiss]

Well what are you trying to do with it? Grain alcohol is for drinking. Denatured is poisoned so you can't drink it.

And yes most of us can make a lt cheaper then $17. But sugar cost and fuel cost varries widely from area to area. So you would need to to by your area market.

Most of us here are out to make a better product not a cheaper product. Greed gets in the way of a good product.

[DAD300]

Easy...we got slammed for this last week....$$$$$

[MadMasher]

Something like .85/quart after cuts for water and electric costs. Rest of the cost depends on what you pay for the ingredients.

[Elfmaze]

I use both in day to day. only recently got a source of 190 proof everclear, Its semi illegal(illegal to consume) in PA. I had to get a license to buy it. But good to know.

In my beer brewing adventures I always thought i would save money making my own beer. But my brewery has cost me over $2K and still has not produced any beer. SO i have yet to see if i can do it(beer) cheaper

[rager]

about 12 bucks for a 5 gallon charge... end up with about .5 to .7 gallon of 80 proof

[Truckinbutch]

I'm just doin it for a hobby so I never paid no attention to anything but the quality of the product .

[jholmz]

i can definately make better product cheaper than what i can buy shit for. as far as beer spending 2k without making a drop is just more money than brains in my opinion.i understand some people have to have top of the line before trying anything but my beer setup is a 8 gallon pot on the stove doing extract kits i spend 25.00 on a kit for 52 beers out of a kit the pot cost me 35.00 at rural king and im making beer thats good, it may not be the best in somes opinion but i like it and can gradually build a better system or all grain equipment

[jedneck]

I'm just doin it for a hobby so I never paid no attention to anything but the quality of the product .

Priceless same here

[T-Pee]

I never consider how much my hobbies cost. Might scare myself.

tp

[aj2456]

hell its priceless, (now prefer to think of things that way as the setup and time costs were pretty high), plus making its half the fun

[Elfmaze]

i can definately make better product cheaper than what i can buy shit for. as far as beer spending 2k without making a drop is just more money than brains in my opinion.

I think it's more about the challenge of building it for me. As it turns out electronic controllers steel and kegs ain't cheap. lol.

hopefully this year I can turn around that not a drop part.

A 10 hour run at 2k watts would cost 3.20 in electric alone up here. Still deciding if I want to dive into the new project just yet

[Antler24]

i can definately make better product cheaper than what i can buy shit for. as far as beer spending 2k without making a drop is just more money than brains in my opinion.

I think it's more about the challenge of building it for me. As it turns out electronic controllers steel and kegs ain't cheap. lol.

hopefully this year I can turn around that not a drop part.

A 10 hour run at 2k watts would cost 3.20 in electric alone up here. Still deciding if I want to dive into the new project just yet

I think you should focus on your beer hobby before getting into distilling. Next thing you know know you might have another $1000 spent and still not making anything to drink.

[Brendan]

When I first got into the hobby, I bought all the equipment and purchased far too expensive brand new copper, and sunk about $1200 into the setup. My first decent batch saw me bottle and label 6 bottles of vodka. So obviously someone asked me as they do, "how much did it cost you per bottle to make?", so I told them "$200"...well that's what it was at the time.

There are varying reasons as to why people get into the hobby, be it cheap booze, the love of building, or for me, the challenge to make a brilliant product that you proudly stand behind and have people in awe when they taste it...the price per any variable doesn't come into it for me.

[Prairiepiss]

I use both in day to day. only recently got a source of 190 proof everclear, Its semi illegal(illegal to consume) in PA. I had to get a license to buy it. But good to know.

In my beer brewing adventures I always thought i would save money making my own beer. But my brewery has cost me over $2K and still has not produced any beer. SO i have yet to see if i can do it(beer) cheaper

Ok so I'm still unclear as to what your goals are here?

And The fact that you said you had to get a licence to buy everclear. Throws up a red flag for me. Now you are talking about making illegal spirits while holding a liquor license. Your also talking about using denatured and drinking spirits. And legalities of drinking everclear. All this talk is a little puzzling. And scary. Can you please explain yourself a little better?

[Elfmaze]

Can you please explain yourself a little better?

I can try, for what its worth. I have been a bartender for years before getting my current career job. Always been interested in not only the history of alcohol but the way its made. I have taken many courses on the chemistry of beer. Alcohol production, and the effects of alcohol on the human body. I got into beer brewing because I didn't like the fact that I had no idea where something I drink on a daily basis came from. Kinda like not knowing how a microwave works even though you use it every day, I'd rather understand what a magnatron is.


What brought me here is explained in my intro post in the other topic. But I like to use a good strong food safe alcohol to clean out my tobacco pipes(water is not a pipes friend). Not a fan of using isopropyl or denatured due to the non food safe products, In addition I use denatured alcohol to wipe down My stainless pieces when welding to remove oils and other contaminates, I am also an appellation trail thru hiker and I make "soda can" stoves to do most of my cooking, Again needing a relatively food safe fuel is a bonus. Hence the use of both denatured and Food grade ethanol almost daily.

Prior to a week ago I didn't have ANY source of high proof food grade ethanol(Everclear permit).

So yes part of my decision to go forward with any plans is based on a comparison of what Is available now and if I can get the same thing done cheaper. or at all.

It may be a way of life for you, It may be your one and only hobby or maby even how you make a living. I am here to learn A new skill I may need someday.

And who knows, I may figure out how to produce something drinkable as well!


Hope that explained my motivation a bit? (plus my neighbor has a hillbilly flute, and the thing is cool to watch! )

[aj2456]

if my neighbour had a still like that i would try to reach some kinda arrangement with him- plus might be helpful when the feds come knocking for him and his bought flute that it was stored somewhere their permit wouldnt reach- just sayin

[Prairiepiss]

Gotcha. Sory it was just starting to sound a little sketchy to me.

Your neighbors flute should make some pretty strong stuff. Neutral not so much. But a nice high ABV stuff better then everclear. I think I would try to work with his for a bit. And see if its an expense you want to take on.

Having an alcohol permit. Would still worry me.

[Buccaneer Bob]

But I like to use a good strong food safe alcohol to clean out my tobacco pipes(water is not a pipes friend). Not a fan of using isopropyl or denatured due to the non food safe products, In addition I use denatured alcohol to wipe down My stainless pieces when welding to remove oils and other contaminates, I am also an appellation trail thru hiker and I make "soda can" stoves to do most of my cooking, Again needing a relatively food safe fuel is a bonus. Hence the use of both denatured and Food grade ethanol almost daily.

I use heads to clean my smoking pipes and also to clean about everything else. You don't want to drink straight heads, of course, but if you drink commercial alcohol, you've been drinking a bit of heads all along and just didn't know it.

What I've found is that all the volatile stuff completely evaporates in a matter of seconds. And there is a very faint scent of rum or whatever that lingers awhile after the initial evaporation, but that only adds to the experience of that first post-cleaning smoke.

That's my experience, anyway. Your mileage may vary.

As far as burning cleanly, everything in heads turns into CO2 and H2O during the burning (oxidation) process.

So now, all you'll have to do is find a use for all that clean heart-cut and those tails.