I’ll have to do some research. Not looking to blind myself or neighbors with improper distillation. Hard to get invited to parties with that sort of reputation…
Distillation is very straightforward. One would really have to not be paying attention to screw up.
Menthol is a turpenoid naturally occurring in the mint family.
Methanol is a 1 carbon alcohol that can be produced in a ‘bad’ fermentation.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5028366/
FWIW, 1-butanol is another alcohol that is routinely produced in a standard grape fermentation.
I’ve been making wine for years. Twice a year there are a couple supply stores nearby that receive shipments of juices from some of the great wine making regions of the world. In the autumn it comes in mostly from Italy, France and Germany. In the spring it comes in from Australia, Chile and other countries in S. America. They come in 6 gallon batches with instructions for the individual grapes.
They are a bit more expensive than the ‘kit’ wines that are commonly available, but the final cost is about $5-6 per bottle. Many of the grapes available would be difficult to find at domestic sources.
We planted a couple elderberry bushes several years ago that just burst out of the ground, producing enough in the second year to make 5-6 gallons of wine. I’m not a huge elderberry wine fan, but a lot of people like it and its cheap if you grow your own. I would recommend buying a commercial variety as the fruit is larger and is produced abundantly. If you try to glean from the countryside, the fruits are small and you compete with the birds. Way more labor intensive.
The rule of thumb is to discard the first 1/3 cup for every 5 gallons of mash. That “foreshot” has most of the methanol and is particularly dangerous to consume (but oddly enough safer if left combined with the rest of the hooch, since ethanol is an antidote). Separate the heads, hearts, and tails fractions by taste or temperature. You can blend heads with some hearts, saving what is left for the next run.
https://moonshinewhiskeystills.blogspot.com/2015/03/know-more-about-cuts-in-your-moonshine.html
Amazon sells sells glassware for steam distillation of essential oils. It can be reconfigured for short-path distillation.
Wine Expert wine “kits” are super simple, and very clear instructions, and a process that just flat out works, each and every time.
I’m getting kits and supplies from adventures in home brewing.
I’ve also picked up some stuff from Brewsy, but they are more geared to crafting wine, than Wine Expert. Brewsy instructions leave a LOT to be desired.
Yeah, my phone typed menthol.
I wouldn’t worry about menthol.
Most small scale stills depend on:
A) Temperature Monitoring
B) Sensory Analysis
A person who has diminished taste and smell should not be operating a still. They could pay attention and still miss what they’re looking to remove.
Is anyone interested in malting barley and that process?
Thanks predisposed, had planned on buying a sodastream today but going to make one of these instead for carbonated water.
edit: I watched a video of a guy making carbonated drinks with a carbonation cap and the bottle exploded and left sticky stuff everywhere. Took that as a warning and went with the sodastream.
I have had more than one Soda Streams and when this one breaks I will buy a new one. They’re worth their weight in liquid gold
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I just bought one and I love it. I bought one about 3 or 4 years ago and didn’t like the flavourings they had at that time. But now I love the Bubly flavours. Do you try any of the sodastream flavours or do you make your own?