How to make raw alcohol. Practical distillation. Double distillation technology
In the past few years, in shopping centers, you can find specialty stores selling goods for home brewing... The growth in the number of such stores is due to a sharp decline in the quality of alcoholic beverages in the public distribution network. This article explains the basic principles ethanol synthesis or raw alcohol, which can be a good business in a BP environment. After reading it, you will understand what determines the quality of the resulting product.
Ethanol synthesis or ethyl raw alcohol - a complex multi-stage process. The first stage prepares feedstock... It can be any product rich in sucrose or starch: sugar beets, grapes, potatoes, apples, halva, molasses, etc. The most common and well-known is sugar. Sugar is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 4, after which yeast.
The quality of the water and yeast determines how quickly you get ripe mashsuitable for distillation. When using tap water, it is pre-boiled and cooled to remove the chlorine it contains.
Yeast, before adding them to the sugar solution, it is necessary to "revive" - \u200b\u200bthat is, put in warm water (30-35 degrees Celsius) and soak in this water for about half an hour until foam appears in the yeast solution. After that, the yeast is added to the sugar solution. For better dissolution of sugar, the water in which it is planned to dissolve is preheated to a temperature of 80-90 degrees. (Or, what is more effective, sugar is boiled in it for several hours to obtain the so-called “inverted sugar.” In any case, after receiving the medium, it is cooled to a temperature of about 30 degrees. 27 - ideal conditions for the growth and work of yeast - approx. knowledgeable people.)
After adding the yeast, the fermentation process begins, which lasts several weeks with strict adherence to temperature and with constant removal of carbon dioxide, which is formed during fermentation. When the temperature drops, fermentation stops, and when the temperature rises, the yeast may die. Therefore, the temperature must be strictly controlled. Thermostats for aquarium fish are perfect for this task.
A water seal is used to remove gases. The simplest design of the shutter is a hose, one end of which is edged into a fermentation tank, and the other into a jar of water. At the very beginning, the fermentation process proceeds violently, with abundant gas formation, therefore it is necessary to monitor the free passage of the hose.
The fermentation process is not fast and takes an average of 14 days. It can be accelerated by actively stirring the fermented raw materials. During Prohibition, household washing machines were even used for this purpose.
Also on sale there is a special yeast with the prefix "turbo" in the name. This means that yeast contains enzymes that accelerate its growth. When using such yeast, the product ready for ferrying can be obtained in a few days. At the end of this stage, mash should be obtained - a low-alcohol raw material for the subsequent synthesis of ethanol. The strength of the mash, as a rule, does not exceed 14-16 degrees. Braga is a light translucent solution with yeast sediment in a fermentation tank.
The next step is distillation or obtaining raw alcohol (moonshine). Mash filtered from yeast is poured into the distillation tank, which is heated to a certain temperature. Vapors of the mash evaporating when heated pass through a coil tube immersed in cold water. During the heating process, the temperature of the wash begins to rise and when it reaches 65-70 degrees, the first drops of liquid with a characteristic pungent odor appear at the exit of the coil tube. This is the so-called " pervach"(First fraction), which is acetone.
« Pervach"Is a strong chemical poison that can cause severe liver damage even in small doses. It is used industrially as a solvent called industrial alcohol. Collect it in a separate container. You will wipe the contacts with a thin layer. In general, there are a lot of applications for it, since it is a good solvent for fat deposits. With a distillation cube capacity of 10 liters, you will get at least 200 ml of "pervacha".
When the temperature of the mash vapor reaches 73 degrees, the separation of the first milk stops and the coil begins to flow drop by drop raw alcoholhe is moonshine... The heating should be reduced, otherwise the brew brought to a boil will throw sedimentary yeast into the coil tube, which will give the drink a characteristic white color. The temperature on the thermometer stabilizes at 73.0-73.5 degrees and its further growth stops until the raw material with the maximum strength is separated. As a rule, this is 40-60 degrees (depending on the initial strength of the mash).
As soon as an increase in temperature is recorded (over 74 degrees Celsius), further distillation must be stopped... If you continue the process while the temperature on the thermometer continues to rise, you will feel the characteristic smell of fusel oils, and the strength of the product will drop parallel to the rise in temperature.
If you are interested in quality, not quantity, then it is wiser to interrupt the distillation process at the very beginning of the temperature rise. Having opened the distillation cube, you will be surprised that a sufficiently large amount of mash remains in it (at least 1/3 of the volume of the cube), only now it is called not mash, but bard... It is a rich in enzymes high-calorie raw material, which in the old days was poured into a nursery for cattle in order for it to gain weight faster. How you use the bard is up to you.
What you should pay attention to. With a distillation cube capacity of 10 liters and a mash strength of 16 degrees, you should get about 4 liters of high-quality raw alcohol, needing neither filtration nor re-distillation. This is with scrupulous adherence to the process. Where did the remaining 6 liters go? 200-300ml - pervac, 4 liters of product, and the rest is stillage. Don't mind 6 liters? It's a shame! Of these, you can get about 2.5 liters of moonshine with a strength of about 30%. True, this moonshine will have a strong smell of fusel oils and an unpleasant taste.
So, it's a pity to pour out the bard not only for you. At distilleries, where distillation stills have capacities 100-1000 times larger than yours, it takes tens and hundreds of liters to drain pervac and stillage. And these are losses. Therefore, it is not profitable for alcohol producers to produce high quality products. Because of this, alcoholic beverages are not of the best quality. Think about it. Take care of your health! Maybe buy alcohol mashine - not such a bad idea?
Editorial note
We remind you that at this particular moment it is prohibited exclusively to distribute self-made alcoholic beverages. For personal use, moonshine can be distilled calmly, but once you start distributing it, especially for money, and not “free of charge, as a service,” that's all, the administrator at least.
UPD: in response to numerous comments
The article is for informational purposes, intended to give a general idea of \u200b\u200bthe processes that ensure the synthesis of raw alcohol. We deliberately do not consider private varaints associated with the industrial production of this substance, as well as with special cases of making various wine and vodka products. Nevertheless, we cannot but respond to the fair comments of our readers. Yes, yeast will most likely die at the specified temperature, since the optimal conditions for their existence are 27 degrees Celsius. Yes, inverted sugar is a more efficient medium for their growth, allowing for more production. Yes, alcohol is produced in production by hydrolysis and rectification methods. And to many other statements, the answer is also "yes". So thank you, dear readers, that you are fighting so zealously for the clarity of numbers and wording. We are grateful for your advice and will try to take it into account in our next articles on this topic.
Our next goal is to get moonshine of the first pasture or raw alcohol (raw moonshine) from the mash. There are many names, the essence is the same. This drink (moonshine) will contain, in addition to ethyl alcohol, a large amount of impurities - by-products that are formed during the life of yeast. One of the tasks of home brewing is to reduce the amount of impurities.
Moonshine must be purified (about the purification methods in the following articles), and distilled a second time (fractional distillation) with the separation of "heads" and "tails". You can overtake it a third time, it will only get better, and the amount of impurities will decrease. Someone will prefer drinking after the first distillation - this is a purely personal matter, and home distillation gives a wide field for experimentation.
Even by repeated distillation (distillation), it will not work to obtain pure alcohol. When a mixture of liquids boils, vapor is formed (and then condensed) from a mixture of the same liquids. For the separation of liquids, a rectification process is required, when alcohol first boils (more about rectification in the following articles), and then water.
Moonshine is obtained by distillation. Distillation (lat. Distillatio - dripping) - distillation, evaporation of a liquid, followed by cooling and condensation of vapors. Distillation, the separation of liquid mixtures into fractions differing in composition, is based on the difference in the composition of the liquid and the vapor formed from it. Braga is a mixture of water and alcohol (there is more water, less alcohol + by-products, - good mash 15%), when it boils, alcohol evaporates more intensively than water. After cooling the vapors, we get moonshine, where the alcohol content increases.
For the first distillation we need.
Braga. Has already. The cooking process is described in the previous article.
Alcohol mashine . The device will fit any design. The selection process is described here. A classic distiller (moonshine still) consists of two parts. The first part is an evaporation tank or a distillation still, in which alcohol vapors are heated and evaporated. The second part is a refrigerator or coil, in which alcohol condenses from a vapor state into a liquid state.
Container for collecting the finished product. Any food utensils.
Alcoholometer (Hydrometer). It is better to use a hydrometer (ASP-3), much more accurate than a common household alcohol meter. In fact, we will not measure the degree, but the density and reveal the percentage of alcohol in the total amount of liquid. Alcohol is less dense than water, and different proportions of alcohol and water have different densities. The ASP hydrometer (alcoholometer) has a graduation in percentage (%) of the volume of alcohol in a mixture of alcohol and water. But it is generally accepted to call it - degree. It is important that the strength measurements must be made at a moonshine temperature of 20 * C, otherwise there will be an error, because the density depends on the temperature. The higher the temperature of the moonshine, the more overestimated the hydrometer readings will be (error 2-7%).
Measuring cylinder. A convenient small-volume container for periodic monitoring of the strength of the moonshine.
Thermometer built into the cube. Some apparatus or stills are equipped with a thermometer. A useful thing, but not required.
1. Pour the mash into the alembic. To prevent splashing of mash into the refrigerator (coil), it is recommended to fill the distillation cube no more than ¾ of the nominal volume. It is considered the best to fill the distillation cube by 2/3.
2. We fix the moonshine still (distiller) on the cube. We connect the water supply and drainage hoses, the finished product intake hose, the thermometer (if any), turn on the gas or the stove at full capacity and start the water. Preparation steps may vary depending on the design of your machine. Each moonshine still comes with instructions on how to prepare it for work.
3. We are waiting for the mash to boil and the desired product starts to drip from the tube. While we are waiting, we are thinking. Whether to select "tails" and "heads" during the first distillation. There are two opinions (and as always, both are correct). The first is not to select, so as not to boil the yeast once again and not to squeeze an unpleasant odor out of it. The second is to select in order to separate as much by-products as possible, starting from the first distillation. The decision is yours. If you decide to do "sampling and cutting", then this process is described in the next article - Distillation.
4. While thinking, it began! Here he is, moonshine! Next, you need to adjust the speed of water supply and heating, so that the device works at the limit of its power. This can be said to be a creative process and only general recommendations can be given. Excessive cooling speed can reduce the power of the apparatus, and insufficient cooling will lead to losses if the product at the outlet is too hot. Excessive heating power can lead to the throwing of the mash into the distiller barrel, and insufficient heating power can lead to a longer distillation time. Configured. We accept the product. During the distillation process, the sampling rate will decrease and it is necessary to increase the heating. This is due to the fact that the alcohol content in the cube decreases, and more and more water evaporates. More heat is needed to evaporate the water.
5. How much to take? Approximately from 5 liters of mash, 1.1 - 1.25 liters of moonshine with a strength of 70% is obtained. We select a little less than the calculated one, and go on to constant control of the strength of the moonshine. We remove the main receiving container and substitute a container of a smaller volume. We carry out measurements using a hydrometer. You can use a household alcohol meter, but it is less accurate and sometimes very distorts the readings. Received the batch, measured the density, poured into the main container. It is recommended to stop sampling the main batch of moonshine when the density reaches 35-40%. Whoever has a cube equipped with a thermometer, when the temperature reaches 95-96 * C. It is better to focus on both indicators - the temperature in the cube and the density of the moonshine. Controlling the distillation of moonshine by temperature in a cube is based on the fact that each alcohol content in the moonshine corresponds to a certain boiling point. In addition, a certain strength of the product at the exit from the refrigerator corresponds to each strength of the cube mash, so the table will have three columns.
| Bottom liquid temperature | Alcohol content in a cube | Alcohol content in the selection |
| (OS) | (% Vol) | (% Vol) |
| 88 | 21,9 | 68,9 |
| 89 | 19,1 | 66,7 |
| 90 | 16,5 | 64,1 |
| 91 | 14,3 | 61,3 |
| 92 | 12,2 | 57,9 |
| 93 | 10,2 | 53,6 |
| 94 | 8,5 | 49,0 |
| 95 | 6,9 | 43,6 |
| 96 | 5,3 | 36,8 |
| 97 | 3,9 | 29,5 |
| 98 | 2,5 | 20,7 |
| 99 | 1,2 | 10,8 |
| 100 | 0,0 | 0,0 |
6. We push to the last. Since there is still alcohol in the cube, you can continue sampling the moonshine, but in a separate container. Add this "moonshine" when distilling the next batch of mash, it will slightly increase the alcohol content. This point can be neglected, but the decision is always yours.
The goal of the second step has been achieved. We got the moonshine of the first pasture.
The first thing that catches your eye, or rather your nose, is the not very pleasant smell of moonshine. Indeed, foreign impurities that were formed during the preparation of the mash and got into our moonshine smell so unpleasant. And what to do next with this?
Drink no matter what. Not the best option, but possible.
Clear. Properly purified moonshine, at times reduces the content of substances we do not need, and acquires a more refined aroma and taste. Purification scheme: moonshine was driven out - purified (chemical purification) - fractional distillation was carried out - purified. Recommendations for chemical cleaning in the next step, before fractional distillation.
Fractional distillation. This is what we will do in the next step. Let's select the right “heads” and cut off the “tails”. Thus, we will remove the lion's share of unpleasant odors.
Rectification. Get alcohol from moonshine.
Now let's move on to the next step - distillation.
Novice distillers always ask themselves - what is the second distillation for? After all, so much time and effort has already been spent on making and the first distillation. Maybe you shouldn't burden yourself with additional work, but rather start directly using the product?
No need to hurry. Homemade alcohol must be properly prepared to be mild in taste and safe in composition... Distillation alone is not enough to achieve this result. In this article, we will figure out why a second distillation is needed, talk about cleaning methods and consider methods for ennobling moonshine.
Moonshine with only one distillation - this is raw alcohol (CC), which contains a large amount of harmful impurities. In order to refine it purification and second distillation required.
In previous years, few people used repeated distillation in home brewing, because people did not know about the concentration of harmful compounds that make up "". To date, many scientific experiments have been carried out in this area.
They prove that drinking alcohol that has passed only one distillation without purification is not safe for health. Therefore, we can say with confidence that the second distillation is mandatory in the production of homemade alcohol.
If the re-distillation process is not carried out correctly, it will not lead to an improvement in the quality of alcohol.
Double distillation technology
Dilution
After the first distillation, as mentioned above, raw alcohol is obtained, with a strength of about 70º. Before cleaning it must be diluted to 20-30º. This is done because it is easier to get rid of the harmful compounds that make up the SS. under the condition of low strength of the distillate... Another reason why you need to dilute raw alcohol is to observe safety precautions for home alcohol production.
Important! A high concentration of alcohol in the distillation still can lead to a fire and sometimes an explosion. Before re-distillation, it is imperative to dilute alcohol to a strength of no more than 40º.
It is best to dilute alcohol distilled water... It has a neutral effect on the taste and smell of the final product. If this is not possible, then it can be diluted with water from a well. In extreme cases, the distillate is diluted with ordinary tap water, which needs to be defended for several days.
Filtration
The most suitable period for purification of moonshine comes after dilution with SS water. Filtration is performed at room temperature.
There are many ways to clean up moonshine. The simplest and most effective method is filtration with charcoal filter... Charcoal perfectly removes harmful impurities from the distillate without affecting the taste.
But the process of making moonshine does not end there. It is also recommended to insist on it for several days (read:). This is done to improve the taste. The settled moonshine is easier to drink, it becomes softer.
What to do with double moonshine?
All these procedures are followed by refining stage... It will take much more time to make homemade alcohol more solid and give it the taste and aroma of elite drinks. This requires insist moonshine on spicy additives.
There are a huge number of recipes for brewing moonshine. In this article, we will consider one of them. For this you will need:
- 1 liter of moonshine with a strength of 45º;
- 100 grams of sugar;
- 0.5 kg of black currant.
First you need to carefully rinse the berries and cover them with sugar... Then all this is poured with double (double distilled) moonshine. Then you need to mix this mixture well until the sugar dissolves.
The drink is placed in a dark place where it is infused in two weeks... The longer the moonshine is infused, the more it will absorb the aroma of currants. After that, the drink is filtered using a paper filter.
The second distillation is needed to improve the quality of alcohol. With the help of double distillation, a significant amount of harmful compounds is removed from the moonshine, and the smell and taste become more pleasant. No need to be neglected by this process.
In addition, watch the video on the topic improving the taste of moonshine after the second run:
Distillation of sugar mash on a direct flow
First haul. Obtaining raw alcohol
The sequence of actions for the first distillation of sugar mash into raw alcohol
1. Pour the sugar mash into the alembic. It is necessary to fill in no more than 75% of the volume of the cube.
If you have a distillation cube of 20 liters, then it is recommended to fill in no more than 15 liters.Braga volume for filling the distillation cube \u003d 0.75 x 20 liters \u003d 15 liters of home brew
2. Connect the hoses to cold water and start heating. Heat gradually decreasing power. At the beginning, the maximum heating, then gradually reduce it so that the heating to the first drops of distillate is minimal.
3. Fractional distillation, I apply from the first distillation. Because of this, the final yield of homemade moonshine decreases, but a cleaner product is obtained at the output.
4. Fractional distillation:
4.1. Selection of heads.
At the minimum power, I take 1% of the mash poured into the distillation cube.
If 15 liters of sugar mash are poured into the cube, then
Head selection \u003d 15 liters x 1-2% \u003d 150-300 ml.
It is categorically not recommended to use the head not inside, nor for external use. For technical needs only or pour it down the drain. I dilute and fill in the car washer reservoir.
4.2. Selection of the body of raw alcohol.
After selecting the heads, I add power so that the moonshine comes out in a thin stream. The selection is made until the strength of the raw alcohol is 35%, after which I turn off the stove
4.3. Tail collection.
Very often I read on the forums that the tails should be collected separately from the body, and then added to the next wash. I don’t select tails, because I do it only for myself, then I don’t chase the quantity. For me, the purity of moonshine is more important than quantity.
5. The first run is complete!
A practical example. Personal experience.
On 03/11/2016, the wash was delivered. Main components:
by March 22nd, the mash had fermented and was put on the balcony for settling.
Doing for myself, even when driving from mash into raw alcohol, I carry out fractional distillation. To calculate the volume of the selected fractions, I make a preliminary calculation -\u003e how many heads to cut off, how many will go to the body, how many tails there will be.
Fraction calculation:
Explanation of the table calculation of fractions -\u003e predicted content of AS in mash \u003d 1.34 l.,
10% will be taken on the heads, thus 1.34 liters x 10% \u003d 0.13 liters.
65% will be taken on the body, thus AC_body \u003d 1.34 * 0.65 \u003d 0.87 liters. It is this part that will go to the second haul
Tails and trash make up 25% of the AU and equal to 1.34 liters. x 25% \u003d 0.34 l.
Distillation of mash. Statistics - Explanations for the table
date - ferry date
start time - stage start
finish time - end of the stage
fraction - which fraction is selected at the stage
t, (apparatus) - the temperature shown by the thermometer built into the apparatus at the end of the stage
sampled volume - the amount of distilled moonshine at the stage. Using a 250 ml graduated cylinder
fortress,% - spirituality of the obtained moonshine
selected AS, l - AS content in the volume obtained at the stage. Example: received 250 ml, strength 62%, which means
AC \u003d 250 ml x 62% \u003d 155 ml
selected by the speaker on an accrual basis- shows how many total speakers have already been selected. The indicator is needed to determine how many speakers are left in the distilled wash. Example - at the first stage, 0.17 liters of the AC were selected, at the second 0.155, which means that 0.325 liters were removed based on the results of two selections. AS
the remainder of the AC, l - shows how much AC remained in the wash after the completion of the stage
note - my comments on each stage, for further analysis. 400 watts means the power at which the induction cooker was operated during the stage
Brief results and conclusions on the ferry
as a result of driving from mash to raw alcohol, he received 1.7 liters of a drink with a strength of 50.97%. Quite an average result.
the total distillation time was 3 hours 37 minutes.
heads were selected for 40 ml of AC more than calculated. The body is only better!
i took 30 ml of AC more than planned. Poorly. Will need to fix it on the second distillation
How to dilute raw alcohol for the second pergon
The first run is over. From Braga you received 2 liters of raw alcohol (CC). Let's assume its fortress is 49 degrees. For the second stretch, you decided to dilute the CC to 23 degrees. How much water do you need to add to get the desired strength? To calculate, we will use the simplified formula or the calculator below.
required amount of water \u003d (A / B) x C - C
A - the strength of the available product, B - the desired strength, C - the volume of the available product
in our case, we need \u003d 49/23 x 2,000 ml - 2000 ml \u003d 2,260 ml (or 2.26 liters of water)
* water and alcohol have different densities. 100 ml of alcohol and 100 ml of water ultimately give less than 200 ml, but for domestic conditions this can be neglected
If you need more accurate calculations, download a moonshiner calculator on your smartphone link
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id\u003dcom.kaa.spiritcalc
see rectification coefficient .
2. Calculate the volume of absolute alcohol in the distillation still
If you poured 10 liters, with a strength of 15%, then absolute alcohol (АС) 1.5 liters
AC \u003d 10 liters * 15% \u003d 1.5 liters
3. Proceeding from the 10% standard, I calculate how much falls on the head in raw alcohol.
Heads \u003d 1.5 liters * 10% \u003d 150 ml. This is absolute alcohol... Now we can determine how much of the first we need to separate from the body. At first, I have a distillate with a strength of about 70-72%, which means you need to cut off from the body:
Head selection at the second distillation \u003d 150 ml (absolute alcohol) / 70% (distillate strength at the beginning of the distillation) \u003d 215 ml.
4. After completing preliminary calculations, I connect the hoses to cold water and start heating. I heat up by gradually decreasing the power. At the beginning, the maximum heating, then gradually I reduce it so that the heating is minimal to the first drops of distillate.
5. Second fractional distillation:
5.1. Head selection
At minimum power, I take out 215 ml.
It is categorically not recommended to use the head not inside, nor for external use. For technical needs only or pour it down the drain
5.2. Body selection
After selecting the heads, I add power so that the moonshine comes out in a thin stream. The selection is made to the strength of 40%, after which I turn off the stove
5.3. Tail collection.
As mentioned earlier, I do not perform tailings sampling. I pour the remains from the distillation into the sewer
6. The second run is complete!
