Consensus on methanol in foreshots?

[Saltbush Bill]

Here is an interesting link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_m ... _incidents
New Zealand is one of the few countries on earth where distilling is legal, but it doesn't even get a mention on that page, I wonder why that could be?

[chown]

If the majority of the posters who are expressing their opinions on a subject are wrong, that is still the consensus. That is why consensus doesn't hold much sway in my shed.

those are words to live by

[Saltbush Bill]

I run a homebrew supply store and distilling has picked up a lot. Over 50% of the distillers are getting turbo yeast and liquor flavorings and have the same assumption about methanol concentration that I do.

Well now that you know the truth , you could do your part to dispel that myth.

[Yummyrum]

I run a homebrew supply store and distilling has picked up a lot. Over 50% of the distillers are getting turbo yeast and liquor flavorings and have the same assumption about methanol concentration that I do.

Well now that you know the truth , you could do your part to dispel that myth.

Here here
But alas I feel it will be a slow endeavour as Joe Public thinks they know how things are . You can't ruffle too many feathers whilst trying to sell product .

Blessed is the subtle approach

[EricTheRed]

I knew i had seen several threads on this with quite a bit of reference to papers etc.
The one i was looking for was this
viewtopic.php?p=7623120#p7623120

image.png (8.29 KiB) Viewed 1403 times

Sorta sorts out the discussion chop chop

[Saltbush Bill]

A litte late Eric, Setumi posted that link on the last page......it is a goodun though.

[EricTheRed]

A litte late Eric, Setumi posted that link on the last page......it is a goodun though.

oh cr@p - sorry!

[bilgriss]

To greatly abstract this discussion, and corroborate NZChris' observations as well, I would say that in general, what people believe is primarily dictated by what those around them believe, and not any logical analysis of fact. It's unusual for the majority of us to question what we believe at all!

I'll stop there lest this go off topic into any area not appropriate for this forum. But in the age-old belief of distillation somehow producing copious methanol - except when done by corporate entities in ways too esoteric for common humans to understand - we can quickly dispel the myth by even casual understanding of what distillation does.

[Setsumi]

You are correct. And NZChris said it plain. Get a scientific paper and research.

Distillation Techniques in the Fruit Spirits Production
Written By

Nermina Spaho
Submitted: April 15th, 2016 Reviewed: November 9th, 2016 Published: June 28th, 2017

DOI: 10.5772/66774

Myself goes with this one, mostly because I can follow the discussion. AND it discuss metanol, something that is important to me as a home distiller. But then as a home distiller good cuts is more important to me.

[Yummyrum]

Hmm … you don’t ever see wine or beer drinkers giving a crap about Methanol
.They drink that shit right up …and fare enough . I love them both

They don’t go blind …. They don’t end up in hospital with Methanol poisoning .


Now why then when you run thier Wine or beer through a still does Methanol suddenly be a potential problem ?

I call bull shit …… there ain’t no problem…. All there is is public fear mongering about Home distilling.

Meanwhile , I’ll do a foreshots and a heads cut that removes all the horrible chemically tasting crap . I don’t want to taste that in my drink .

And of cause a tails cut …. Cause I hate that bad tasting shit too .


And by the way , Methanol has no smell .

[DaveK]

If the base material that is being used to make your wash has pectin in it, you WILL have methanol in your fermented wash. No if's, and's, or but's.

When you distill your wash, although methanol will be likely at a higher concentration in the heads, it will remain (at lower concentrations) in all parts of the distillation run. You cannot eliminate it (at least by reasonable distillation methods).

Your body can tolerate small amounts of methanol, especially if you have enough folate in your system (yeah, the stuff they recommend for those "pregnant people"). Also, ethanol in your system greatly slows the metabolism of methanol, hence the treatment regimen of administering high doses of ethanol to methanol poisoning victims.

Bottom line... Unless you are worried about your source adulterating the distilled material with methanol, there is not much to worry about. The methanol concentration in home-fermented and then distilled products is far below anything you need to be concerned about.

[Saltbush Bill]

Yummy when I get folk like that, I just tell that home distilling is legal in New Zealand.
Once they have digested that fact I ask them to go away an research how many proven cases of methanol poisoning have occurred in that country in the last ten years, then I'll talk about it.
Ive yet to get one to come back for further discussion.

[Yummyrum]

Yummy when I get folk like that, I just tell that home distilling is legal in New Zealand.
Once they have digested that fact I ask them to go away an research how many proven cases of methanol poisoning have occurred in that country in the last ten years, then I'll talk about it.
Ive yet to get one to come back for further discussion.

I like that .