You cap and seal the pot and heat it. As the liquid heats up, the alcohol in the liquid boils first (because alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water does) and turns to vapor. The alcohol vapors rise up into the head of the still; then they’re drawn off into an arm and then to a coil.
What is a still alcohol?
A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on a much larger scale.
Is it legal to distill alcohol for personal use?
“The process of breaking it down, when the molecule gets broken down, it turns into something that’s very, very dangerous to living cells.” Distilling spirits at home without a license is illegal, but it is legal to buy distilling equipment.
How does a still Thumper work?
As the vapor bubbles up through the liquid in the thumper, it is cooled into liquid form, adding more low wines to the thumper keg’s contents. A thumping sound is generated as the vapors exit the swan neck and condenses in the thumper keg.
Why do stills have coils?
Running cool water continuously through a hose or packing the coil in ice can help maintain temperature. Turbo yeast: When making your whiskey or moonshine mash, you will need to control the fermentation in order to produce high quality alcohol.
Why is making alcohol illegal?
So why is moonshine still illegal? Because the liquor is worth more to the government than beer or wine. Uncle Sam takes an excise tax of $2.14 for each 750-milliliter bottle of 80-proof spirits, compared with 21 cents for a bottle of wine (of 14 percent alcohol or less) and 5 cents for a can of beer.
Is Everclear moonshine?
Both Everclear and Moonshine are unaged spirits; however, Everclear is made from grain and Moonshine from corn. … Moonshine is a general term used to describe illegally produced corn whiskey. In summary, Everclear is intended to be water and pure ethanol with no flavor contribution.
What states is it legal to make moonshine for personal use?
However, distilling alcohol at home, even for personal use, is illegal under federal law. In 2010, legal moonshine stills opened in some parts of the south, including South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama. These produced legal moonshine for sale and distribution.
Why is home distilling illegal?
According to federal law, making beverage alcohol at home is illegal, plain and simple. … Distilled spirits like whiskey are taxed at the highest rate of any alcohol, far more than either beer or wine. (Actually, a tax on spirits as the very first tax ever levied in the United States.)
What percentage of alcohol is moonshine?
Technically, moonshine can be distilled to about 95 percent alcohol, but that’s probably not anything you want to drink, at least not too often. Everclear, the pure grain alcohol, is sold as a 190 proof/95 percent ABV (alcohol by volume).
Can you drink the heads of moonshine?
The heads are not worth keeping for drinking and should be set aside. In general, roughly 20-30% of the liquid collected during a distillation run will be heads.
Is a thumper needed to make moonshine?
Making moonshine with a thumper instead of a pot still is great because thumpers essentially perform two distillations in one—without stripping the flavor the way reflux distillation does. Depending on your thumper, it’s typical to plan to fill it about halfway with liquid.
Does a thumper need to be heated?
Preheating a thumper is not recommended, in order to be effective it must be heated with the steam from the main boiler. More like 1.5 runs really because if I strip run and load the boiler with low wines it actually comes out higher abv than just one run with the thumper.
Who makes the best moonshine still?
Top 7 Moonshine Still Kits Compared
| Name | Price Range | Homebrew Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seeutek 3 Gallon 12L Copper Tube Moonshine | $ | 4/5 |
| 2. WMN Trulystep Home Distiller 3 Gallon Stainless | $ | 3,5/5 |
| 3. VEVOR Moonshine Still 9.6Gal 38L Stainless Steel | $ | 4,5/5 |
| 4. OLizee 8 Gal Stainless Steel Distiller Copper Tube 30L Moonshine | $$ | 4/5 |
Why is copper still used?
Copper is the preferred material in the construction of a still to impart flavor into the distilled spirits. … When distilling in copper, the copper reacts on a molecular level with the sulfurs put out by the fermenting yeast. It “cancels-out” the sulfur taste which would otherwise be bitter and not as smooth.
Can I put fruit juice in a thump keg?
Finally, it should be added that a thump keg can be used to impart flavor in another manner as well: it can be used just like a gin basket. Fruit, herbs, or spices can be placed in the thumper where their essences are, in effect, steam-extracted along with the alcohol during this virtual second distillation.