Table of Contents
What is the best reflux still design?
Probably the most well-known and still most effective forced reflux still designs is the “cooling tube” design. In this design, tubes run directly through the column and cold water is run through them. The reason that this design is so effective is because the cooling lines are in direct contact with the rising vapor.
Is a reflux still the same as a column still?
A POT still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapors that come off the boiling mash. A REFLUX or PLATED still does multiple distillations in one single pass, by having some packing in a column between the condenser & the pot, and allowing some of the vapor to condense and trickle back down through the packing.
Do I need to make cuts with a reflux still?
Depending on the level of refluxing, spirit can be produced from 70% through to a theoretical maximum of 96.4% ABV in optimum conditions. This type of still strips all flavours out to produce a pure plain spirit. You don’t need to make ‘cuts’ on this type of still (only discarding the foreshots).
How do you make a still out of household items?
How to Make a Still at Home Supplies for Making a DIY Still. Step 1: Drill a 1/8-inch Hole on the Aluminum Pot. Step 2: Wrap the Thermometer with Teflon Tape. Step 3: Place the Thermometer in the Hole. Step 4: Secure the Thermometer with Hot Glue. Step 5: Drill a 3/8-inch hole in the Pot Lid. Step 6: File as Needed.
What temperature should you run a reflux still?
If, for example, 90°C / 194°F is the optimal head temperature for your reflux still column to collect alcohol, if the temperature increases during the distillation, the distiller can increase the reflux ratio and thereby increase the amount of ABV being sent over to the product condenser.
What is a reflux ratio?
The reflux ratio is defined as the ratio of the liquid returned to the column divided by the liquid removed as product, i.e., R = Lc/D.
What controls the reflux in distillation?
Reflux in beverage distillation By controlling the temperature of the condenser, often called a dephlegmator, a reflux still may be used to ensure that higher boiling point components are returned to the flask while lighter elements are passed out to a secondary condenser.
What is reflux in a distillation column?
Large-scale distillation towers use a reflux system to achieve a more complete product separation. Reflux is that portion of a tower’s condensed overhead liquid product that is cycled back to the top of the tower where it flows downward to provide cooling and condensation of the upflowing vapors.
What is a reflux column?
Unlike pot stills, reflux stills are designed to create higher proof with little to no flavor alcohol. Inside the still is a fractioning column that allows the reflux of liquid to help condense the rising vapor and increase the efficiency of distilling, thus increasing purity.
What are the two types of still?
/>As mentioned above, distillation stills come in two main varieties: pot stills and column stills. A pot still is the more “basic” of the two, as it simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours emitted from the boiling mash, distilling the liquor only once to create a lower-purity liquor with more flavoring.
Can you make gin with a reflux still?
Over the years, gin has been distilled in just about any type of still. Depending on what a distiller is trying to create in his gin, he or she can use a pot still, a reflux still, or a combination of both. And there are modifications distillers can make to further hone in on their desired flavor profile.
Is it legal to make moonshine?
Making moonshine also poses obvious risks of fire or explosion. Laws against moonshine may place those who wish to make their own line of commercial brandy or other spirit in a tricky situation. But federal law trumps state law, and to the feds, distilling at home for personal consumption is illegal, period.
What alcohol is in moonshine?
Moonshine purists define the spirit as a homemade, unaged whiskey, marked by its clear color, corn base and high alcohol content—sometimes peaking as high as 190 proof. Traditionally, it was produced in a homemade still and bottled in a mason jar.
How do you distill without a still?
Freeze distilling is a process of making liquor without a still by freezing an alcoholic drink or a fermented mash. Thanks to the differing freezing points of water and alcohol, the latter can be drained from the ice in the defrostation process.
How do you make whiskey at home without a still?
Directions: Pour the grain alcohol into a 1/2 gallon jar with a lid. Add all of the blackberries. Crush the blackberries with a wooden spoon. Seal the jar and let it sit for 3 weeks. Shake the jar every other day.
How do you make moonshine on the stove?
Procedure: Place your mash pot on its heat source and pour in 5 gallons of water. Heat water to 165 °F. Turn off heat source when you reach 165 °F and immediately stir in 8.5 pounds of Flaked Corn Maize. Stir mixture continuously for 7 minutes.
How long should a moonshine condenser be?
The Liebig condenser is a 1/2″ pipe with a 3/4″ water jacket. Total length is 29″.
What are condensers made of?
Both split air conditioner and heat pump condensers are made of the same basic parts. The condenser cabinet contains the condenser coil, a compressor, a fan, and various controls. The condenser coil can be made of copper tubing with aluminum fins or all-aluminum tubing so heat can be rapidly transferred.
How does a still condenser work?
Stills have two basic components. A boiler to make the steam and a condenser to cool the steam & collect the alcohol. Condensers are cooled by cold tap water running through tubes & cooling jackets around the condenser steam chambers. now finished & the still is turned off.
How thick does copper need to be for a still?
Wash stills tend to have a wall thickness of 3/16″ (4mm), spirit stills mostly have 1/8″ (3mm). In the upper part of the still, the bend and the lyne arm are subject to the heaviest abrasive wear. Here the hot alcoholic vapours are most aggressive. They steadily pull copper molecules out of the surface.
What type of copper is used for moonshine still?
2″ copper pipe, type M, for Moonshine Still Reflux or Pot Column.
