What is a distiller made of? The use of distillers in moonshine

The basic principles of this technology have been known and applied in practice for hundreds of years. Liquid containing alcohol is heated. The created steam enters the area with a low temperature, where it is condensed. In the liquid collected after such an operation, the concentration of alcohol will be higher. This is because the boiling point of ethyl alcohol is lower than that of water. That is why it becomes possible to produce the necessary separation of these substances. Of course, there are other impurities in the original composition. Let's take a closer look at how to use different types distillation can produce the most qualitative distillation.

The simplest moonshine is a set of the following components:

A tank into which the mash is poured. It is equipped with a pressure control device. Raising the temperature to the desired level is carried out using a gas burner or an electric heating element. The part of the original liquid that has not evaporated is called the stillage, or stillage.

The resulting steam enters the coil. This tube is usually created in the form of a spiral. It is on its inner walls that steam condenses. To make the process intensive enough, it is additionally cooled from the outside. For this, containers with running cold water are used.

The created distillate enters the storage tank through the outlet pipe.

Depending on the strength of the mash itself, it is possible to obtain using this technique (simple distillation) a relatively low content of ethyl alcohol in the finished product, from 20 to 30% vol. At the same time, it will not be possible to produce good cleaning it from various impurities. To improve the quality parameters, repeated distillation is used, as well as a run through a filter system.

The best results can be obtained if you use alcohol mashine with a sukhoparnik, or another design that will allow you to reproduce the next technology, fractional distillation. It is also based on the different boiling points of individual ingredients, but work in this case possible more accurately. Here it will be permissible to separate the necessary fractions in parts. In the distillation process, you can first select those components that boil at low temperatures, and then separate the high-boiling components.

In practice, the so-called "head" is separated. This faction gathers a large number of harmful components that should not be used for drinking. However, they are quite useful as technical alcohol. “Tails”, or fusel oils, is a set of various saturated alcohols, aldehydes, fatty acids. Their further use in the manufacture desired product not needed, so they are also separated. By the way, it is these components that provide the presence of unnecessary parameters: smell, color, taste.

The total amount of such impurities is about 10-15% of the total volume. finished product. In order to accurately measure and separate the fractions listed above, certain temperatures must be used. It will be easier to take readings if you fix the thermometer in a visible place (in most cases, the device is fixed directly on the distillation cube). "Head" parts are separated in the temperature range from 64 to 77°C. "Tail" - when the temperature exceeds 82°С.

All operations should be performed accurately, since if careless, you can either reduce the concentration of alcohol in the product, or increase the content of impurities in it. By using fractional distillation it is possible to provide a final fortress from 45 to 70% vol.

A moonshine still made of stainless steel, which is intended for the production of alcohol of the highest purity, is usually made in the form distillation column, or adding it to the overall design. This node allows you to divide the original liquid into several components. Volatile fractions are converted into condensate. Others in the form of phlegm settle on the inner walls, drain onto the filler, and are again transferred to a vapor state. This procedure allows you to remove almost all unnecessary impurities from the original liquid. As a result, a high content of ethyl alcohol (up to 96% vol.) can be obtained. When using this technology, it will not be necessary to separate the "head" and "tail" fractions. Not ordinary mash is poured into the distillation cube, but already prepared raw spirit with a relatively small strength and high content fusel oils.

To complete the review, we can also talk about the following distillation techniques that are used to solve other problems:

vacuum technology. It is used when working with substances that have high temperature boiling, for example, in the refining of oil and the creation of various chemical products from it.

Azeotropic distillation is used to obtain alcohol of especially high strength. During this procedure, special substances are added that activate chemical processes. That is why to create food products this technology is not suitable.

We emphasize that rectification is not a universal method. She can, of course, remove maximum amount impurities, but this is only useful when creating vodka. In order to preserve special tastes and smells, some of the desired esters, fractional or simple distillation, their combinations should be used.

In connection with the regular increase in excise taxes on vodka, more and more people are starting to look towards home brewing. Decent cash savings and independent quality control make this hobby not only exciting, but also very useful.

1

Distillation as a process has been known to mankind for many thousands of years. First alchemy, then chemistry, and finally industry uses distillation to produce a huge variety of substances, from food additives to kerosene.

The simplest distiller consists of three parts:

• alembic
• capacitor
• and containers for the final product.

A distillation cube is a container for heating a liquid, in our case, mash. Any pan will do, pressure cookers are very popular. The distillation cube must be airtight, not afraid of high temperature and high pressure.

A condenser is a tube coiled into a spiral for condensing gas, there are other designs, but this is the most common. The condenser for the distiller is the most difficult to make with your own hands. However, a glass coil can be found in some pharmacies. The cooling system is very important for the coil.

There is not much to say about the final capacity. The steam is cooled in the coil, condenses into a liquid and flows into any convenient container. We recommend a glass vessel to make it easier to monitor the level.

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2

Distillers are industrial, household, home-made. Despite the simplicity of the scheme, distillers for the production of alcoholic beverages are very different from each other. First of all, a distinction should be made between industrial and domestic units. In addition to size and volume, there is a significant difference in their complexity.

IN industrial production vodka distillation columns are used. And the production process is often called not distillation, but rectification. Someone may have immediately remembered the inscription on the label: rectified alcohol.

By rectification, not moonshine or vodka is obtained, but pure alcohol, which is subsequently diluted with water. The final product is almost completely devoid of fusel oils and other impurities. It is almost impossible to achieve such purity with a household distiller.

To be fair, let's add that the purest product it turns out at very many if. If the distillation column is new, if it is properly monitored, if the technology is observed, if the technologist is sober. And further great amount industrial-factory if. After all, if it were that simple, then all vodka would be the same in price and quality.

We will divide household moonshine stills into ready-made and home-made ones. Let's talk about homemade in a separate block. Ready-made can be bought in the store.

It will look more beautiful and more technologically advanced than homemade. Work, most likely, will be from the mains. With a high degree of probability, it will be equipped with a pressure gauge, a timer and a couple of other useless devices.

The principle of operation of a beautiful technologically purchased distiller is no different from that of a moonshiner grandmother from the Russian outback.

The quality will be slightly worse than elite vodka, perhaps a little better than that of the moonshiner grandmother. Braga, the number of "runs" and the greed of the moonshiner affect the quality much more.

3

Let's move on to the most interesting question of the article. How do you do it yourself? What parts and materials will be required for this?

As mentioned above, the moonshine still consists of three main parts. Consider each part separately as the complexity of its production. Any kitchen or household utensils can serve as a container for the final product: a saucepan, three-liter jar, basin, ladle, in general, any vessel.

The second most difficult will be the distillation cube. And its main difficulty is tightness. Almost all of the steam from the distillation cube should be collected. Any leakage is considered a violation of moonshine production technology.

As the correct distillation cube, you can recall a glass flask from chemistry lessons. The flask is tightly closed with a rubber stopper, a glass tube is inserted into the stopper. The vapor from the flask can only move through the tube.

As a distillation cube at home, it is most convenient to use an old pressure cooker. It is difficult to find it now, it is unlikely that they are still produced somewhere. The design of the pressure cooker is a hermetically sealed pot with one, maximum two, valves in the lid.

You can also use an ordinary pan, but you have to improve it well. In the lid, you need to make technological holes for pouring the mash and for connecting the condenser tube. Then you need to glue the lid to the pan with glue-sealant, rubber glue or epoxy.

Additionally, you can strengthen the adhesive seam with reinforced tape. Clay is better not to feel sorry. The seam must not only be airtight, it must withstand the excess pressure from the boiling of the mash.

The most important and most complex part is the capacitor. Most often it is one twisted into a spiral or two intertwined tubes. Because of its shape, it is often called a serpentine.

Most good option: Buy a glass condenser at a pharmacy. You can find it infrequently, but there are. It is a construction of two intertwined glass tubes.

Rubber hoses are attached to the ends of the tubes. One tube with two hoses at the ends is installed between the distillation cube and the final container. Steam gets into it, is deposited in it, and moonshine follows from there.

Cold water is passed through the second tube. Flow from the tap or make a large container with water, ice, cold accumulators and with the help of a water pump start the cycle of the water-cooler.

For the manufacture of a capacitor with their own hands, materials with high heat transfer are used. Copper tubes are especially popular here. Of the available materials, copper is the undisputed leader in heat transfer. An additional advantage is its softness.

A copper tube (for example, an old water pipe) is twisted by hand around a wide cylinder, for example, a wooden drain. The longer the coil, the better. All the steam that does not have time to settle will come out of the tube and forever dissolve in the air.

No matter how long the coil is, it still needs to be cooled. Therefore, it is installed in a container with water or covered with ice, snow, cold generators. Alcohol vapors are very volatile, and the hunt is for them.

4

Thanks to the Internet, you can now find a huge variety of distillers for moonshine. Both the entire moonshine still and its individual parts are subject to revision of old concepts.

Moonshine has become widespread among geeks, techies and just home craftsmen. Distillers are collected from plumbing pipes, aquariums, samovars. To cool the coil, condensers from old refrigerators are used; from Chinese online stores order Peltier elements.

As a result, for modest money, you can assemble a completely effective moonshine still for personal needs with your own hands. The main thing is to understand the principle of its work well and to remember a little bit the school physics course on thermodynamics. Thermal conductivity, dew point, gas pressure.

In conclusion, we remind you that, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation, the sale of alcoholic beverages without a state license and excise stamps is prohibited. The law is only about distribution alcoholic products. Production for personal use is not prohibited.

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At all times, people were famous for their love of strong drinks. Moonshine - strong alcoholic drink well known to most people. This is exactly the case when sugar syrup, fruits, berries, cereals, it is not a pity to "spoil". The distiller, whose history begins in ancient times, contributed to the emergence of many strong drinks. We can say that the distiller is a small model of the circulation of substances in nature, it was by observing natural phenomena that the principle of operation of the apparatus was developed.

Of course, the first attempts at distillation did not involve the production of alcohol. In ancient Egypt, distillation was used to distill resins and extract oils. The corpses were mummified using oils. The Romans were also engaged in the manufacture of oil, mainly cedar. Cedar oil was added to wine drinks to improve taste and increase euphoric effects.

The second stage in the history of distillation was the improvement of medicinal potions, the distiller was the desktop apparatus of healers and philosophers. Along with the spread of distillation across industries, the device of the distiller was also improved. In antiquity, the distiller already had the vat and serpentine that are familiar today.
In the 7th-8th centuries, distillation was also mastered by the Arabs. Unlike their predecessors, they were able to make oils from many plants, using them in medicine. Some types of ancient distillers (alambique, alkitara) are still used in the preparation of drinks, cost like a plant and are highly valued.

Only with the onset of the Middle Ages did mankind discover great secret creation and use of "burning water". At the same time, the widespread use of moonshine stills began. During the Middle Ages, alchemy dominated, which moved people to various and sometimes insane experiments. This is how aquavita appeared - the water of life, healing wounds, relieving pain and ailments, encouraging in moments of spleen and despondency, increasing fun.
After revealing all the properties of the miraculous liquid, distillers have been improved every century, today it is a device that has already been completed in all technical senses, allowing you to easily make drinks.

Classification of distillers

There is a wide variety of distillation systems on the market, for a beginner, choosing the right distiller is not an easy task. First of all, decide for which drinks you need a distillation apparatus, this criterion directly affects the choice of design.

1. Classic distiller - a familiar version of the distillation apparatus, an alcohol-containing liquid (mash) is heated in a cube to the boiling point of alcohol and then the vapors are cooled in a coil. It should be borne in mind that in such a distiller it is impossible to obtain pure alcohol; at the output, the drink reaches a strength of 70-80 degrees with a distinct taste of raw materials. This approach has both pros and cons. On the one hand, the taste of raw materials will leave a pleasant aftertaste, on the other hand, in addition to the taste, an admixture of harmful and toxic substances will remain in the drink: acetaldehyde, methyl alcohol, fusel oils, etc. Undoubtedly, the classic distiller is easy to use and affordable, but it is worth considering to get quality product distillation will be required in 2-3 repetitions, separation of the yield into fractions. All of the above requires time and energy costs, which is not the easiest and cheapest way to get alcoholic beverages.

2. Distiller with dryer - an improved view of the classic distiller. The design is distinguished by the presence of an additional capacity - a dry steamer (pribnik), located between the distillation cube and the coil. Sukhoparnik - an empty hollow cylindrical container connected by tubes to a cube and a coil. The main task of which is to collect and separate from total weight harmful impurities during the distillation of mash. The boiling point of ethyl alcohol is higher than that of many harmful substances, getting into the steamer, harmful impurities condense, and the alcohol passes further to the coil. However, not all harmful substances it is possible to separate with this method, but the advantages of the pry bar do not end there. The presence of an additional element makes it possible to reduce the entrainment of mash splashes into the coil, therefore, the product at the outlet is cleaner. There is an additional possibility of flavoring the drink at the stage of distillation, berries, herbs, lemon zest are added to the steamer, which has a positive effect on the drink.

3. Distillation column – modern distillation system, allows you to make alcohol High Quality strength up to 96 degrees. This option is for those who plan to make homemade tinctures and liqueurs, vodka and gin. The design is a vertical column equipped with heat exchange and mass transfer devices for separating liquid into fractions. The distillation column is universal in use, it can replace both the distiller and the beer column. The advantage of the device in obtaining pure alcohol without impurities, while one distillation is sufficient. The distillation method saves time and raw materials. An obvious advantage in the absence of odors in the production of strong drinks. But the distillation column is not cheap, it is more difficult to maintain and operate.

What material to choose?

Two metals are suitable for the production of distillers: steel and copper. Both metals do not react with alcohol, do not emit harmful substances, are durable and practical. Yet the best option copper is considered, in distillers they make copper elite alcohol: whiskey, cognac, tequila, etc. But the cost is copper distillers the same elite as the drinks. Therefore, for home use manufacturers produce moonshine stills made of steel, it is important that the wall thickness of the steel cube is more than 2 mm, otherwise the mash will burn. You should pay attention to the quality of stainless steel, check according to GOST for tolerance for Food Industry.

alembic

The choice of a still depends entirely on the needs, it is necessary to build on the planned frequency of use and volumes. For home use, you should focus on the range of cube volumes from 7 to 30 liters. It should be borne in mind that for safety reasons, the distillation cube is filled up to 80% of the total volume. It is important to choose a model with an emergency overpressure relief valve; to control the situation, it is desirable to have a built-in thermometer.

The distillation apparatus is intended for obtaining a purified liquid by evaporation followed by condensation. The process is called - distillation. In the case of water, a distiller is needed to make distilled water, free from salts, bacteria and all sorts of impurities.

And although the principle of operation is exactly the same, we are more interested not in water for injection or filling into the battery, but in the alcohol distillate obtained from. Preferably giving strong alcohol With minimum content fusel oils.

Many moonshiners still remember the old "village" apparatus, consisting of a milk flask (or even two cast irons installed one on top of the other), which acts as a distillation cube.

There was a hole in the lid of the can or the bottom of the upper cast iron, into which an aluminum or copper tube was inserted, smoothly turning into a coil placed in a trough or large pan. The end of the tube peeped out of this makeshift refrigerator.

A thick thread was often tied to it so that drops of moonshine “did not suck up” through the tube, but went into the substituted dishes.

Peculiarities. All joints were smeared with dough, the “cube” was put on fire, water was poured into the trough, which was changed as it heated, and the “process” went on.

It is good that these bulky and extremely inconvenient structures were replaced with refrigerators under running water and other technological innovations that both beginners and "advanced" distillers should be aware of.

Consider the types of modern moonshine stills:

1. Household direct-flow distiller.
2. Distiller with dryer.
3. A distillation device with a tsarga (strengthening column).
4. Apparatus equipped with a distillation column.
5. , almost unchanged, which came from the depths of centuries.

Important. In addition to the cooler, the device with the side is often additionally equipped with or.

How to choose?

It is especially difficult for a beginner moonshiner to choose his first apparatus. After all, there are always doubts.

What if I buy an expensive device, but nothing works out for me? Why do I need a steamer, especially -?

As for experienced distillers, they are more likely to look for what the distillation process will do. more productive, and the final product is free from harmful impurities.

So, when choosing, you should pay special attention to several points:

1. Material distiller. It could be:

• glass. Inert, does not react with components that may be in Braga. It makes it possible to admire all the transformations taking place with the heated brew. But a huge drawback - fragility, crosses out all the advantages;
• stainless steel . If this is a steel grade intended for the food industry, then there is no need to worry: it does not enter into any chemical reactions with the mash and does not emit harmful substances. Plus - it is durable, not afraid of accidental blows, even a fall will not affect it too much;
• copper material is contradictory. Some argue that it is safe and even useful, others - that it is harmful. Nevertheless, the French and British not only drive in copper machines, but even cognacs and whiskeys on an industrial scale.

2. Material thickness from which the cube is made. For other parts of the apparatus, the wall thickness is not so significant. Special attention- bottom. If the apparatus is made of steel 1 mm thick, then no matter how hard the distiller tries, the mash will burn, which will invariably affect the taste and aroma. Good devices have a bottom no thinner than 2 mm, cube walls - 1 - 1.5 mm.

3. Cube size selected according to their own needs. Manufacturers today offer from 8 to 100 or more liters. And all other equipment, as a rule, is standard within the same brand and is suitable for different volumes of the cube.

Attention. The size of the cube does not mean that it will fit exactly the amount of mash that is indicated in the displacement. 1/3 must be subtracted immediately.

For example, no more than 17 liters of mash can be poured into a 20-liter cube, only 6 liters into a 10-liter cube. And with grain, fruit, honey mash, which gives a lot of foam when heated, it is better to use half the volume to prevent the release of turbidity into moonshine.

4. Machine height plays a big role if the device is planned to be used in a city apartment and heated on gas or electric stove various modifications.

In most apartments, hoods are installed and most often the height from the stove to the hood does not allow you to put a tall moonshine on the burner. So, you need to either look for a suitable height, or initially provide a separate place for a distiller with an individual heating element (for example, an electric stove).

5. In addition to these parameters, it is worth paying attention to mash heating method. It could be:

• burner standard plate;
• fixed inside the cube heating element s. The temperature is regulated either by turning off one heating element (there are usually two of them), or using thermostat. Theoretically, direct contact of the mash with the heating element can cause it to burn. But in practice this is not observed;
• steam generator. With this design, the mash is heated with steam and does not burn, even if it is not filtered and has a rather thick consistency.

6. Brand trust. Today, many companies produce moonshine stills. Before making a purchase, study the reviews, opinions on the forums. This will help determine for yourself whether it is worth chasing cheapness, or choosing quality.

moonshine distiller

Let's not forget that the distiller is usually bought or made by hand. not for one year, so the first requirement is reliability and ease of use.

There are significant differences between the types of moonshine stills, both in design and in application.

• the simplest apparatus is a distiller organized according to the principle: evaporated, cooled, condensed, collected. Suitable for both water and moonshine;

Attention. The purity of the alcohol distillate in the direct-flow apparatus can only be achieved by selecting heads and tails.

• distillation device, equipped with one or more dry steamers, helps to remove from the distillate most fusel oils already during the first distillation;
• may be of various modifications. The device is designed to distill relatively clean and very strong moonshine(practically alcohol), but still - a distillate, with its inherent aroma, depending on the feedstock (sugar, grain, fruit, etc.);
• and in order to get high-quality rectified alcohol and moonshine at home, which does not require additional purification, need a distillation column. There is only one drawback - the resulting raw alcohol does not have a special smell homemade alcohol. But it is great for creating, for drinking and treating;
• on copper alambikah driven elite drinks – , .

Device

In the device of all moonshine stills there are three most important components:

• alembic;
• coil through which alcohol vapors move. The main manufacturing materials are stainless steel and copper;

Reference. Copper has better heat transfer, so alcohol vapor in such a coil is cooled better.

• cooler(water jacket around the coil), in which alcohol condenses and flows already liquid into the substituted dishes.

Additional devices include:

• steamer. This is a container where steam enters, here it cools a little, “leaving” partially phlegm (elements whose boiling point is higher than that of alcohol). Alcohol vapors move further - into the cooler. The device can be equipped with two steamers - spices, herbs, zest, etc. are added to the second. to give moonshine pleasant aroma. There are improvised devices among experimenters with six dry steamers;

Peculiarities. Dryer can serve glass jar with a screw cap, to which two fittings are connected - for supplying and outputting steam. Or such a design is made of stainless steel. Mandatory provision the possibility of draining phlegm(hard-smelling fuselage liquid) at the end of the haul.

• reinforcing column is a pipe with a length of 40 cm and above, which is installed vertically on a distillation cube. This device is also called tsarga. With its help, a well-purified moonshine with a strength of 80 - 85 ° is obtained;

Carefully. Often, manufacturers call a unit with a tsarga a distillation column, especially if it has a filler (stainless steel or copper shavings, springs, pieces of wire, sanitary washcloths, etc.). This is a little slyness to increase sales.

• distillation column is a multilevel filter, where on different levels apply their attachments. The device is complex, so can't be cheap. It can be purchased with the device or separately. Manufacturers, as a rule, provide for the possibility of turning off the column if the moonshiner needs distillate, and not alcohol with a strength of up to 96 °;

Important. A full-fledged distillation column for high-quality purification of raw alcohol from impurities must have a height of at least 45 cm.

• copper alembric, although it is a simple distiller, it has a feature: a domed (onion) top of the cube. It is claimed that this contributes to a better transfer of aroma and taste. This apparatus ideal for distillation of dense wort.

Principle of operation

It is the same for all devices, but there are important distinguishing details that make the "canopies" of additional devices appropriate.

So, the mash is heated in the cube, from which alcohol vapors are released and rise up. The first vapors are still extremely saturated harmful impurities(). In the simplest distiller, they condense together with alcohol in a cooler and drip into a container to collect the distillate.

This applies to both direct-flow and copper distillation apparatuses. "Heads" smell very sharp and unpleasant. This is a fraction that is usually not touched during the first distillation, and during the secondary it is selected and eliminated or used for technical purposes.

If a dry steamer is involved in the device, the number of “heads” is sharply reduced, they fall into phlegm, since it is the first, harmful vapors that condense in a cold dry steamer. Therefore, the final product is already much cleaner. The main thing is that “tails” do not get into the moonshine - a low-grade distillate, in which there is also a lot of fuselage.

When using a strengthening column, alcohol vapor rises along it, leaving on the cold walls of the column everything that boils at a higher temperature than alcohol. It is also phlegm flowing down into the cube along with water. Less water in alcohol vapors - stronger moonshine.

Hence the name of the column - strengthening. If a steamer is also involved, then it turns out a good 80-degree moonshine in terms of organoleptic indicators, almost alcohol.

Dephlegmator distillation column almost ideally at home, it selects both phlegm and water, so get a real ethanol only possible in it.

Which device is better?

Analyzing the modern market of moonshine equipment, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of what is better.

you in small quantities need grain or grape moonshine for house whiskey and cognac - choose alambric.

If you want to make fragrant traditional moonshine, buy an apparatus with a steamer or a strengthening column (two in one is possible).

Love everything - and moonshine, and tinctures, liquors - take it with a distillation column. Or buy a device at a more loyal price, but one to which you can later buy a distillation column.

Decide based on the possibilities and desires. What device do you have now and what would you like to have? Tell in the comments. We are waiting for your likes.

Since ancient times, people have been engaged in home brewing, distillation of mash or other low-alcohol liquids into strong and pure alcohol, using for this various distillation devices, at first very primitive. The design of moonshine distillers has changed over time for the better in parallel with the development of technology and the growth of knowledge about physical processes. They have gone from the simplest structures made of cast iron and wood to the most complex distillers of the “fraction column” type, and today, thanks to this, we can independently make a moonshine that will serve us faithfully.

However, enough historical digressions, since you are reading this, you are interested in becoming the owner of your own and, moreover, of a sufficiently high-quality moonshine still. In this article, we will share with you the experience of how to make one yourself for your own needs and what materials to choose for this.

Do-it-yourself moonshine still

Tank for distillation of mash

Material

Aluminium, stainless steel, enamelled steel and copper can be used as a distillation tank, but some reservations should be taken into account. Aluminum vats are considered short-lived relative to other materials. Copper is too expensive, and buying a container made of this metal somewhere in a large volume, although possible, will certainly cost you a pretty penny. stainless steel the best choice for your apparatus, however, when purchasing a container or metal for its manufacture, it is necessary to ensure that stainless steel is intended for the food industry according to GOST.

Volume and dimensions of the container

The volume and dimensions of the tank are one of the most difficult questions which you will have to decide for yourself. First of all, the volume of the still depends on the volumes of production that you intend to receive, as well as on the number of distillations that you intend to perform. If you have enough free time, you can produce as much moonshine with a relatively small container as with a large one, simply by repeating the production cycle. Last but not least, the size of the distillation still depends on whether you have room to accommodate a large tank for both storage and distillation of the drink. In any case, when choosing the volume of the container, consider that during distillation, the tank must be filled with no more than 80% mash.

Capacity selection

You ask, what can be used as a tank? For containers in Soviet times, aluminum milk cans were most often used. This technical solution had many advantages, such as: a sufficiently large volume of the container (40 liters), a lid that securely closes the container opening and withstands the required pressure, as well as a fairly wide neck that allows cleaning the container after the product has been distilled. Do not forget about the convenience of carrying and preparing mash in these cans. These containers themselves are well sealed, and the only element that needs to be upgraded in terms of sealing is the sealing gum under the lid. By itself, it holds pressure well during distillation, but, reacting to high temperature, it adds bad smell and harmful substances in your future alcoholic drink. You can simply replace it with silicone sealant or wrap the rubber seal with FUM tape and boil it in water for about 1 hour.

Of the commercially available containers, a large one may well be suitable as a distillation cube. enamelware- cooking pots, pots and more. From the main advantage of this choice follows its disadvantage, the convenience of cleaning as opposed to the difficulty of sealing the tank. This option is quite durable, the main thing is to be careful in handling the container and avoid impacts that can lead to enamel chips. Another use case kitchen utensils as a tank for mash are old pressure cookers, their undoubted advantage is the presence of excellent sealing. However, given the initially low capacity, we cannot recommend this option to every one of our readers.

Stainless steel tanks are excellent choice for everyone who decides to go into moonshine, primarily because stainless steel intended for the food industry does not enter into chemical reaction with produced alcohol and, therefore, you can not be afraid of the presence of iron oxidation products in moonshine. If you can’t get a ready-made container and you have a do-it-yourself tank, check the quality of the welds. Welds must withstand a pressure inside the cube of about 220 Pa, otherwise unpleasant surprises cannot be avoided.

cooling unit

This structural element of the moonshine still is critical, the quality of the cooling unit, of course, directly depends on the quantity and quality of the resulting strong drink. The assembly itself consists of two main elements: a cooling tank and a coil (tube having a spiral shape).

Material

In order to make the most complex part of the cooling unit - the coil, it is necessary to use a heat-conducting material that does not enter into a chemical reaction with alcohol and its vapors. Copper is best material for the manufacture of a coil, since it is a very heat-conducting and practically non-oxidizing metal, moreover, this metal is quite soft and can be easily processed in a home workshop. The only slight downside to using copper tube as a coil, it can be considered the need to clean it after the completion of the distillation cycle citric acid or vinegar. The next in terms of thermal conductivity is aluminum, which is worse than copper in this parameter by more than 1.5 times, but its more serious drawback is greater oxidation than that of copper and other options. Often food-grade stainless steel is used as a material for the coil. In terms of thermal conductivity, stainless steel is worse than copper by more than 3 times, and difficulty in processing can also be noted from the disadvantages. Sometimes these are used exotic options, as a glass coil, of course, it is difficult to make it yourself, but you can purchase it as part of any laboratory equipment. The glass coil does not react with alcohol at all, but is very fragile and has low thermal conductivity.

Dimensions

In choosing parameters, it is necessary to observe the principle of the "golden mean". For example, the longer the tube, the better the cooling of the vapor, because the contact area with the cooled substance is larger, but the higher the pressure inside the tube, which means the lower the speed of the distillation. The larger the diameter, the lower the pressure and the better the cooling, but the more difficult it is to cool the tubes themselves ( more water for cooling), and the more difficult they are to process. The recommended length of the copper tube before twisting into a spiral is one and a half to two meters, the inner diameter is desirable within ten millimeters, the wall diameter is about one millimeter (a small error is allowed).

coolant

The temperature of the coil is lowered with water, ice and air. Most often, water cooling is used, such cooling, in turn, is divided into cooling with running water and stagnant water in a container (the coil is simply lowered into some kind of container filled with water). Cooling in stagnant water is easier to implement, but it is less efficient, which is why the output of moonshine is less and it the worst quality. Flowing ones are more difficult, they take much more water, but the result of distillation speaks for itself. Moonshine should come out of a good cooling unit at room temperature, or even a little colder. If the coil is in a flow tank, then it is desirable to place it so that the coolant circulates towards the steam, pump from below, and drain from above, thus reaching a temperature minimum at the outlet of the coil.

Production of the cooling unit

In order to make a cooling unit, we need a copper, aluminum or stainless steel tube (for the coil) and a metal pipe with a diameter of 80 millimeters. When choosing a tube for a coil, we will use the previously given dimensions. The length of the tube is 1.5-2 meters with a wall thickness of about 1 mm and a diameter of 8-12 mm. A little lower you can see a drawing of the assembly, in the drawing it is signed as a "refrigerator".

Next, you need to do the following:

1. In the tube you have prepared, you need to pour sand or some other bulk material, compact it tightly. If you don’t have anything like that at hand, and it’s just freezing outside, or you are the proud owner of a huge refrigerator, then pour water into the tube, close the holes tightly and freeze the water inside the tube. This is done so that our tube does not flatten when bent.
2. If you used sand, plug the ends of the tube tightly with wooden cylinders, or completely rivet them. Use a rod with an outer diameter as indicated on the drawing.
3. Insert the end of the tube into the nut welded to the rod and wrap it around the tube.
4. On the cooler, made of a pipe with a diameter of 80 mm, mount pipes for water supply and its output from the cooling unit.
5. Place the coil in the housing pipe, weld it on both sides and seal it carefully.

After you have made the cooling unit, you are practically finished with your moonshine still. It remains for you to supply water to the cooling unit and connect it to the alembic. To connect to the distillation tank, it is desirable to use silicone tubes, but in no case rubber or PVC. It is very easy to distinguish a silicone tube from others. If you set it on fire. it does not smoke and leaves behind a light powdery ash. fixed silicone hose clamps on both sides. Any type of hose can be used to supply and drain water.

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