Although many people use basic tap water for their fermentation, it is highly suggested that you obtain purified water. During fermentation, you are going to push the yeast to perform to its limits, and doing so requires a good environment. Tap water contains many chemicals that are harmful to yeast, and although it will in most cases work in this environment, it cannot do so to the best of its ability. In fact, the root of most stuck fermentations (a term for a fermentation that does not finish completely) can be attributed to over
stressing the yeast, and often this can be corrected simply by using a better quality water. Do not take this to mean that these problems are common with the use of tap water, only that they occur even less often with purified water
.
the product that you wish to distill. What does change is the boiling point of
the specific component that you intend to collect. As mentioned previously,
reflux distillation offers the ability to obtain an extremely highly purified
product. This is extremely well suited to any liquid distillation where you
wish to collect specifically one component from a mixture.
First, pour or siphon the liquid that you wish to distill into the kettle. Be
sure not to add more than 24qt. (22.5L) of liquid, as you need to leave at
least 20% of the kettle volume empty for the liquid to expand as it heats.
If you have not already added your column filling material (i.e. Raschig
rings or copper mesh) to your column, do so now. Attach the column to your
kettle using the gasket and clamp included with your unit. Affix all hoses as
outlined in Section 4, and place the rubber stopper and thermometer securely in
the top of the column.
Place your unit on your heating source. It is not necessary at this point
to
begin the flow of cooling water to the distillation unit. Once the
product in the kettle has come to a boil, you will be able to feel the heat
rise in the column. Be very careful, as your entire distillation unit will
become extremely hot during use. Once the heat begins to rise in your
distillation column, you should start a slow flow of cooling water to the
system.
When the vapor has heated the column filling, and finally rises to the top of
the column, you will notice a sudden and dramatic rise in the temperature at
the head of the column, as registered by the thermometer. At this point you
will begin to see liquid coming from your condenser.
It is at this point where the differences in what you are distilling become
important. You must know the boiling point of the specific component that you
are distilling in order to ensure that you obtain the purest possible product
by discarding all distillate collected whose boiling point is below that of the
component that you wish to collect.
In the case of alcohol, generally the only product contained in your
fermented liquor with a boiling point below that of ethanol (this is the
alcohol that you wish to collect, and is what people usually mean when
referring to ‘alcohol’) is methanol. Methanol is another alcohol, however, it
has very negative effects when consumed, ranging from as mild as a hangover to
blindness and even death. It is very important to note that the amount of
methanol necessary to be of concern is considerably higher than what you will
find in your fermented liquor.
Although there is little to no methanol present in a basic sugar /
water
fermentation, it is still a good practice to discard at minimum the
first 40- 60ml (1½-2oz) per 25L batch. This will remove all of what are
commonly called ‘heads’ (the distillate removed before the ethanol).
Now that the heads have been removed, you should discard them and start to
collect the ethanol in a clean, preferably glass container. Your thermometer
should be reading approximately 78.3 degrees Celsius (173oF). You must keep in
mind that this is the boiling point of alcohol at sea-level, and as with any
liquid, the boiling point will decrease marginally as your elevation increases.
It is more important that your temperature remain stable, as this is a sign
that you have equilibrium in your column.
You can now adjust your collection
speed by increasing or decreasing the flow of your cooling water. An optimal
collection speed in order to maximize the purity of your spirit is 12-15ml per
minute (2-3 teaspoons per minute). Increasing the speed of distillation beyond
this will prove to decrease your purity- always remember that patience is the
key. If your distillation speed is considerably faster than this rate, you
should adjust the speed of distillation as listed below.
With equilibrium in your column, and your distillation speed controlled, you
should test the percentage of the distillate that you are collecting. To do
this, start to collect the distillate in another container. Once you have
enough distillate, pour it into your test cylinder and ensure that it is
approximately 20oC (68oF), as this is the temperature that most alcoholmeters
are calibrated to. Float the alcoholmeter in the distillate, and read the level
where the alcohol crosses the stem of the meter. This is your alcohol
percentage by volume (abv). The percentage that you should be producing should
exceed 90%, preferably 95-96%. If your results are below this level, it is
likely due to a reduced reflux ratio, and collecting your distillate too
quickly. If this is the case, it is usually caused by one of two factors:
Not enough cooling in the column
Always make adjustments at the top of the column as a first step. This
is
because you only change the head of the system, and do not risk losing
the equilibrium in your column. Adjusting from the bottom of the system
requires the change to work its way through the entire system, and time for the
system to re-stabilize. To adjust your flow via the top of the column, simply
adjust the speed of flow of your cooling water. In most cases, this is
sufficient to increase or decrease your distillation speed to the optimal
range.
Too much heat input
If you are using electric heat, then this is rarely the problem. Although the
most commonly used electric heat input is 1000-1100W, tests up to 1500W have
shown to be easily controlled with a little faster cooling water flow, without
any reduction in purity. If you are using gas heat, such as a propane burner,
then first try to adjust your flow of cooling water to adjust the distillation
speed. If you cannot reduce the speed of the distillation sufficiently, then
reduce your heat slightly. Remember that any change you make to the bottom of
the system will take a couple of minutes to work through the entire system, and
for your column to re stabilize.
Once you have collected most of the ethanol, you will find that one of two
things will happen. Either the temperature at the top of the column will begin
to rise, or the distillation speed will become increasingly slow. If the
temperature begins to rise at the top of the column, you will notice a marked
reduction in purity of your distillate. If the speed of distillation slows
dramatically, this is usually because you have exhausted virtually all of the
ethanol available in the liquid, and your system has a very well proportioned
heat and flow of cooling water, making it very difficult for the next component
in the column to reach the top. In either case, you should remove the unit from
the heat source, and follow the cool-down procedure in Section 7, followed by
cleaning your Extractor and column filling material.
Water Distillation
Water distillation is done in exactly the same way as alcohol
distillation,
however, all distillate collected before the column stabilizes
at the boiling point of water (100oC, 212oF at sea-level) is discarded. There
is usually very little contaminant collected from municipal tap water, however,
that does not diminish their undesirability. You will then begin collection of
your purified water, often at a rate considerably faster than when distilling
alcohol. This is because the percentage of actual pure water is considerably
higher than the percentage of ethanol in a fermented liquor.
Once you have collected a maximum of 80% of the total volume of product
placed in the kettle, remove the unit from the heat and follow the cool-down
and cleaning procedure listed in Section 7.
A brief note about column filling
There are generally
two types of column filling used in home distillation
units- ceramic and
copper. Each has distinct benefits. While copper has the distinct advantage of
being reactive, this can also be a drawback for certain types of distillation.
In fact, it generally only proves beneficial in alcohol distillation, as it
will react with sulfur compounds from the fermentation and the result is a
cleaner smelling and tasting distillate. However, for non-alcohol distillation,
you usually wish to avoid any reaction with copper, thus ceramic column filling
is the best option.
Activated Carbon Filtration
Although this is an optional step, and one which many people do not choose to
do, especially when a high purity distillate has been collected with virtually
no taste or smell, it is recommended. Activated carbon filtration is a very
effective final cleaning of the distillate, resulting in even greater purity.
This stage is just as important when distilling water as when distilling
alcohol, although when filtering distilled water through activated carbon, you
are usually able to process several times as much liquid through the same
volume of carbon.
the product that you wish to distill. What does change is the boiling point of
the specific component that you intend to collect. As mentioned previously,
reflux distillation offers the ability to obtain an extremely highly purified
product. This is extremely well suited to any liquid distillation where you
wish to collect specifically one component from a mixture.
First, pour or siphon the liquid that you wish to distill into the kettle. Be
sure not to add more than 24qt. (22.5L) of liquid, as you need to leave at
least 20% of the kettle volume empty for the liquid to expand as it heats.
If you have not already added your column filling material (i.e. Raschig
rings or copper mesh) to your column, do so now. Attach the column to your
kettle using the gasket and clamp included with your unit. Affix all hoses as
outlined in Section 4, and place the rubber stopper and thermometer securely in
the top of the column.
Place your unit on your heating source. It is not necessary at this point
to
begin the flow of cooling water to the distillation unit. Once the
product in the kettle has come to a boil, you will be able to feel the heat
rise in the column. Be very careful, as your entire distillation unit will
become extremely hot during use. Once the heat begins to rise in your
distillation column, you should start a slow flow of cooling water to the
system.
When the vapor has heated the column filling, and finally rises to the top of
the column, you will notice a sudden and dramatic rise in the temperature at
the head of the column, as registered by the thermometer. At this point you
will begin to see liquid coming from your condenser.
It is at this point where the differences in what you are distilling become
important. You must know the boiling point of the specific component that you
are distilling in order to ensure that you obtain the purest possible product
by discarding all distillate collected whose boiling point is below that of the
component that you wish to collect.
In the case of alcohol, generally the only product contained in your
fermented liquor with a boiling point below that of ethanol (this is the
alcohol that you wish to collect, and is what people usually mean when
referring to ‘alcohol’) is methanol. Methanol is another alcohol, however, it
has very negative effects when consumed, ranging from as mild as a hangover to
blindness and even death. It is very important to note that the amount of
methanol necessary to be of concern is considerably higher than what you will
find in your fermented liquor.
Although there is little to no methanol present in a basic sugar /
water
fermentation, it is still a good practice to discard at minimum the
first 40- 60ml (1½-2oz) per 25L batch. This will remove all of what are
commonly called ‘heads’ (the distillate removed before the ethanol).
Now that the heads have been removed, you should discard them and start to
collect the ethanol in a clean, preferably glass container. Your thermometer
should be reading approximately 78.3 degrees Celsius (173oF). You must keep in
mind that this is the boiling point of alcohol at sea-level, and as with any
liquid, the boiling point will decrease marginally as your elevation increases.
It is more important that your temperature remain stable, as this is a sign
that you have equilibrium in your column.
You can now adjust your collection
speed by increasing or decreasing the flow of your cooling water. An optimal
collection speed in order to maximize the purity of your spirit is 12-15ml per
minute (2-3 teaspoons per minute). Increasing the speed of distillation beyond
this will prove to decrease your purity- always remember that patience is the
key. If your distillation speed is considerably faster than this rate, you
should adjust the speed of distillation as listed below.
With equilibrium in your column, and your distillation speed controlled, you
should test the percentage of the distillate that you are collecting. To do
this, start to collect the distillate in another container. Once you have
enough distillate, pour it into your test cylinder and ensure that it is
approximately 20oC (68oF), as this is the temperature that most alcoholmeters
are calibrated to. Float the alcoholmeter in the distillate, and read the level
where the alcohol crosses the stem of the meter. This is your alcohol
percentage by volume (abv). The percentage that you should be producing should
exceed 90%, preferably 95-96%. If your results are below this level, it is
likely due to a reduced reflux ratio, and collecting your distillate too
quickly. If this is the case, it is usually caused by one of two factors:
Not enough cooling in the column
Always make adjustments at the top of the column as a first step. This
is
because you only change the head of the system, and do not risk losing
the equilibrium in your column. Adjusting from the bottom of the system
requires the change to work its way through the entire system, and time for the
system to re-stabilize. To adjust your flow via the top of the column, simply
adjust the speed of flow of your cooling water. In most cases, this is
sufficient to increase or decrease your distillation speed to the optimal
range.
Too much heat input
If you are using electric heat, then this is rarely the problem. Although the
most commonly used electric heat input is 1000-1100W, tests up to 1500W have
shown to be easily controlled with a little faster cooling water flow, without
any reduction in purity. If you are using gas heat, such as a propane burner,
then first try to adjust your flow of cooling water to adjust the distillation
speed. If you cannot reduce the speed of the distillation sufficiently, then
reduce your heat slightly. Remember that any change you make to the bottom of
the system will take a couple of minutes to work through the entire system, and
for your column to re stabilize.
Once you have collected most of the ethanol, you will find that one of two
things will happen. Either the temperature at the top of the column will begin
to rise, or the distillation speed will become increasingly slow. If the
temperature begins to rise at the top of the column, you will notice a marked
reduction in purity of your distillate. If the speed of distillation slows
dramatically, this is usually because you have exhausted virtually all of the
ethanol available in the liquid, and your system has a very well proportioned
heat and flow of cooling water, making it very difficult for the next component
in the column to reach the top. In either case, you should remove the unit from
the heat source, and follow the cool-down procedure in Section 7, followed by
cleaning your Extractor and column filling material.
Water Distillation
Water distillation is done in exactly the same way as alcohol
distillation,
however, all distillate collected before the column stabilizes
at the boiling point of water (100oC, 212oF at sea-level) is discarded. There
is usually very little contaminant collected from municipal tap water, however,
that does not diminish their undesirability. You will then begin collection of
your purified water, often at a rate considerably faster than when distilling
alcohol. This is because the percentage of actual pure water is considerably
higher than the percentage of ethanol in a fermented liquor.
Once you have collected a maximum of 80% of the total volume of product
placed in the kettle, remove the unit from the heat and follow the cool-down
and cleaning procedure listed in Section 7.
A brief note about column filling
There are generally
two types of column filling used in home distillation
units- ceramic and
copper. Each has distinct benefits. While copper has the distinct advantage of
being reactive, this can also be a drawback for certain types of distillation.
In fact, it generally only proves beneficial in alcohol distillation, as it
will react with sulfur compounds from the fermentation and the result is a
cleaner smelling and tasting distillate. However, for non-alcohol distillation,
you usually wish to avoid any reaction with copper, thus ceramic column filling
is the best option.
Activated Carbon Filtration
Although this is an optional step, and one which many people do not choose to
do, especially when a high purity distillate has been collected with virtually
no taste or smell, it is recommended. Activated carbon filtration is a very
effective final cleaning of the distillate, resulting in even greater purity.
This stage is just as important when distilling water as when distilling
alcohol, although when filtering distilled water through activated carbon, you
are usually able to process several times as much liquid through the same
volume of carbon.