Moonshine still from a basin and a saucepan. How to make an alembic

Due to expensive and not always good alcohol on store shelves, many are starting to think about home brewing. And not in vain, because high-quality home-made alcohol will be cheaper, and often much better than a product made in factories. In addition, the undoubted advantage is the fact that a drink made at home can have a taste and aroma that cannot be found on store shelves, or its quality will be very controversial.

Due to the increasing popularity of home brewing, there are a lot of stores with a large assortment of necessary home appliances that will satisfy the needs of any buyer. But, as a rule, the provided assortment can have a very high price, which makes you think about self-assembly of moonshine. The main objective of this article is to help with the manufacture of a container for a moonshine still - a distillation cube.

What is an Evaporation Cube

Before proceeding with the manufacture of the container, we will consider in more detail its purpose and the principle of its operation. . A moonshine cube is a container in which:

The finished mash is heated, as a result of which various fractions begin to evaporate, among which is the ethyl alcohol necessary for the moonshiner.
Evaporating, the vapors through the hoses enter the refrigerator, where the distillation process and the selection of the ethyl alcohol fraction take place.

Basic design requirements

In order for the process of making moonshine to go without problems, and the quality of the finished product to be impeccable, the evaporation cube must meet the following requirements:

Fulfilling all of the above requirements is not as difficult as it might seem. There will be no problems with the material either, the most popular is food grade stainless steel. It is resistant to high temperatures, relatively inert, cheap and readily available. Stainless steel pot stills for moonshine make up most of the goods of stores of this subject.

There are many ready-made examples of homemade containers, so you don’t have to come up with a design yourself. But often the use of some tools is required, which include a drill, you may have to use welding or soldering. Therefore, you need both the tools themselves and experience when working with them.

Some craftsmen can assemble a distillation vessel from scratch by creating individual drawings of the workpiece, cutting metal parts from solid sheets of metal and then assembling them. But this case is rather an exception, since it requires at least good skills in handling a welding machine and a grinder, and it is more suitable for people who want to create something unique. For an ordinary person who just wants to save money on buying a moonshine still, the most common running options will be listed production of containers with minimal upgrades and costs.

Using a pressure cooker as a container

A pressure cooker is an almost ready-made distillation vessel that requires minimal modernization. It is completely sealed, the lid is well fixed. There is also a pressure relief valve, which eliminates the risk of explosion during the distillation process. The presence of a non-stick coating eliminates the burning of the mash on the walls of the cube.

The capacity of this container does not allow you to drive large volumes of moonshine, which affects overall productivity, but this can be an ideal option for people who do not have the desire or ability to create a separate alembic.

To turn a pressure cooker in the moonshine still, you only need to drill a hole and insert a nipple and fitting into it, on which a hose will be put on connecting the distillation cube with the refrigerator.

Flask Cube

Milk flasks are popular in do-it-yourself cubes due to their affordability and minimal rework. Flask alembics are ideal for distilling large volumes of mash because the total capacity of such a flask can be up to 100 liters. Also, the flask has gaskets that will ensure tightness, and are able to withstand the temperature during the distillation process.

According to the materials, the flasks are aluminum and stainless steel. For a distillation cube, it is desirable to use stainless steel. Although the effect of aluminum on the body is little studied at the moment, it is better not to risk your health. To turn a milk flask into a distillation vessel, it is enough to drill a hole for a fitting in the center of the lid, by analogy with a pressure cooker . To protect yourself from the explosion of such a cube, it is advisable to drill an additional hole for the safety valve from the pressure cooker, which can be bought at the store or ordered online.

With a large volume of the flask, it is difficult to remove it from the stove, so a drain tap can also be inserted into the container, which will allow you to remove the mash after distillation without the need to transfer a heavy container. You can remake the flask for electric heating, for this, holes for heating elements are cut into the container. The number of holes depends on the power of the heating element and its shape, for example, one spiral is enough, or two or more under the U-shaped. The holes are sealed with fum tape or special heat-resistant sealants, and fixed with nuts.

The presence of two heating elements in the flask will allow the mash to reach the desired temperature faster, after which one heating element can be turned off. This is very convenient for large volumes. Also, the use of heating elements instead of standard heating on the stove allows you to reduce the burning of the mash to the walls, which has a positive effect on the taste of the finished product.

Making a cube from a pan

If there is no pressure cooker available, and there is no way to get a milk flask, you can try to make a distillation cube from the pan with your own hands.

To do this, you first need to remove the handle from the lid of the pan. For products of poor quality, the lid can be torn off even by hand. If it doesn't work, then it can be cut with a hacksaw. Then a hole for the fitting is drilled in the center of the cover, if desired, also a hole for the safety valve. Next, you need to come up with a seal for the lid itself, and a way to fix it. You can make an airtight gasket from a regular silicone hose, choosing the right size, and sewing the edges with a regular thread. Stationery clips may be suitable for fixing the lid.

Keg distillation container

You can also make a cube from a beer keg. It is relatively large in volume, airtight, has convenient carrying handles, the neck is convenient for pouring mash. The advantage is that a tube is welded to the keg cap, and to upgrade the keg into a home brewer, it is enough to install the fitting with the tube facing out. A silicone hose is attached to the tube using a crimp clamp, which will be combined with a distiller, and on this do-it-yourself distillation cube from a beer keg is ready for use.

It is very often difficult to remove the factory fittings, so it is advisable to purchase a keg on which they have already been removed. If a closed beer keg is available, then the fittings should be removed very carefully, as there may be pressure from beer residues and gases in it.

If desired, you can make holes for a thermometer and a safety valve, embed heating elements. If the keg is large, you can equip it with a tap to drain the mash.

Creating a container for a moonshine with your own hands is a relatively simple process, and the cost of the costs is much lower compared to buying a ready-made container. If you have confidence in your abilities, it is better to make a cube yourself, adding to it everything you need for convenient home brewing, which will save a lot of money.

Attention, only TODAY!

The Russian people responded to the increase in prices for vodka with a double success of moonshine!

This communist anecdote is relevant again! In connection with the increase in prices for vodka, many have thought about making homemade moonshine with their own hands. Fortunately, it’s not forbidden to make moonshine for yourself, but a twice-distilled product, and even infused with herbs or juniper, is very tasty, and if you insist on oak chips, and aged in oak barrels, you get cognac at all!

Anton comments:

Great article about moonshine!
Indeed - everything is made from improvised means and right in the kitchen!
For more such articles!

Vladimir comments:

There are no comments or suggestions. Trying the 2nd and 3rd distillation?

Flint comments:

Amazing! One of the easiest ways to build a moonshine, and according to the principle - all in one!

George comments:

Everything is fine, but if only a little more accurate to do. Why you need moonshine from China

Kolya comments:

Hmm, and what only a Russian person will not come up with, if only not to buy vodka!

Vasily comments:

Indeed, a moonshine made from improvised material.
But instead of a saucepan, it’s better to take a pressure cooker!

A moonshine still from a pot is a device that you can make yourself at home with certain equipment and little knowledge in designing devices for distilling moonshine.

Moonshine from a saucepan

The device is not particularly complex, it can be assembled in a few hours literally "on the knee". But the quality of alcohol obtained in the distillation process will depend on the build quality of the device and its tightness.

The manufacture of the device begins with the selection of parts. To make a device for distilling mash, you will need:

pan - it will play the role of a distillation cube, it is necessary that the pan has a lid, it is necessary to ensure tightness of the device;
a tube of copper or glass - we will make a coil out of it;
a special container, you can just take a glass jar - we will make a steamer out of it.

To make it clearer why these parts of the moonshine still are needed, it is worth understanding their functionality:

The distillation cube from the pan will become the main storage of the mash, it is in it that the solution will boil and gradually turn into alcohol.
During distillation, the coil is necessary in order for the vapors to mix along it, it is connected to the refrigerator. In the coil, the vapors are divided into several fractions, which makes it possible to produce moonshine of good quality at home.
Sukhoparnik - the benefits of this device are still being debated. But, despite all the doubts of moonshiners, a dry steamer is a kind of sump. Fusel oils and harmful impurities settle in it, as a result of which the quality of the drink is significantly increased. Such moonshine will not cause intoxication and will not harm human health.

Having figured out why certain parts of the moonshine still are needed and what functions they perform, you can proceed directly to assembling the apparatus and testing it in practice.

How to make a device for the production of moonshine?

It is not difficult to assemble a moonshine still with your own hands. But before you get started, you should purchase the necessary containers, tubes and other important details.

The alembic will be made from a pot, the volume of which directly affects the amount of drink that will be obtained in the end. If you pour 5 liters of home brew into a saucepan, then about 1.2 liters of moonshine will turn out from it, in time it will take at least an hour.

A do-it-yourself distillation cube is made from a saucepan as follows: a hole is drilled in the lid through which steam will escape, and on this we can assume that the cube is ready for use.

You can make a cube from a can or a pressure cooker. It is desirable that the container for the cube be made of stainless steel, and not aluminum, since aluminum is a metal that is sensitive to alcohols, acids and other substances. Over the years, its oxides can get into the mash and change the taste of alcohol.

As for the pressure cooker, its maximum volume is about 7 liters; It is rare to find a device of a larger size for sale. For this reason, a pressure cooker is not suitable if you want to expel a liter of moonshine or a little more.

In this case, it is better to convert a pot with a volume of 10–15 liters or a can into a distillation cube.

If you stop the choice on the pan, then you should take care of its tightness. It is necessary to lubricate the connection of the container with the lid. Basically, masters of home-brewing achieve tightness of the distillation cube using dough. Flour and water is all it takes to seal.

After the cube is ready, we proceed to the manufacture of the refrigerator. It can have several types. If there are problems with water supply in the house or at the dacha and there is no running water, then you can equip the device with a jellied refrigerator. That is, water is poured into the container, since the water does not circulate and soon it loses its temperature. But such a refrigerator is not very efficient.

A flow-through refrigerator is also suitable for a distillation apparatus - it is more efficient, since the water circulates in it and copes with its functions quite well, that is, it cools the moonshine.

A refrigerator of this type must have access to running water, which, due to circulation, will not have time to heat up.

Coil - a coiled copper tube is an integral part of the refrigerator. Many lovers of moonshine pasture claim that it is worth giving preference to a glass device. But it is highly fragile and can only be used in laboratories to obtain pure alcohol.

Making a coil out of wire is simple: you can take a tube of small diameter as a basis and wind the so-called coil onto it. The design will be simple and very effective.

I move along the coil, alcohol-containing vapors are divided into fractions, they move from the distillation cube to the receiving tank.

You can make a stainless steel coil, but if there is copper, then it is better to give preference to this metal - it has good thermal conductivity.

When making a coil, it is worth considering that it includes the following elements:

a wire twisted into a spiral with two fittings (one of which provides an entrance, and the other - an exit);
2 fittings: water will enter through one, and exit through the other, providing the necessary cooling;
The refrigerator also includes a water tank.

In addition to a copper tube, you will also need a wider one made of plastic - a coil will be installed in it. You can use a regular pipe, which is in the arsenal of any plumber.

Sukhoparnik is another element that is part of the apparatus for the production of homemade alcohol. For a steamer, you will need a medium-sized container - a glass jar with a lid that can be unscrewed if necessary is suitable.

So, how to make a steamer:

We take a glass jar with a volume of 2 liters with a lid.
We make 2 holes in the cover: one for the inlet, the other for the outlet of the fittings.
It is advisable to make marks on the surface of the lid so as not to make mistakes in the calculations.
We connect two hoses to the fittings: one of them comes from the distillation cube, the other is connected to the refrigerator.

You can purchase a ready-made sukhoparnik, or rather, a container that can be used as a sump with all built-in hoses.

Now we can say with confidence that the device is ready for assembly, and after assembly it can be tested and used for its intended purpose.

Let's move on to assembly.

In order for the device to be considered ready for operation, it is worth connecting all its parts. But there is no need to rush, the device will still have to pass a suitability test: it is worth checking the tightness of the device and its ability to produce high-quality alcohol.

Assembly Tips:

to connect the distillation cube with other parts, it is worth using silicone hoses;
it is worth smearing all the seams and holes with dough or other adhesives.

Many use rubber gaskets to secure the lid and other parts of the apparatus. But this material has a special effect on alcohol, giving it a specific smell and taste. For this reason, preference should be given to nuts and couplings.

When the assembly of the device is completed, it is launched and tested by pouring a pre-prepared mash into it.

The easiest option

With the help of a saucepan, you can make an apparatus for the production of alcohol at home without resorting to design. Offering to make this device, it is immediately worth noting that it will help to make a drink, the quality of which leaves much to be desired.

Such moonshine cannot be drunk regularly, it has a high content of fusel oils, their concentration goes off scale, for this reason alcohol is dangerous, it can lead to intoxication.

Apparatus from a saucepan and two containers, the principle of structure:

Braga is poured into a saucepan.
A small cup will float on its surface - alcohol will accumulate in this container.
From above, the container is covered with a cup or bowl of a larger size and the stove is turned on.

This is the easiest option for making a device for producing alcohol from a pan. It is worth noting that such a "device" was popular with citizens of the Soviet Union. The drink made in this way was consumed on holidays during Prohibition, and after that they suffered from a severe hangover. Then the myth appeared that moonshine produced at home is poison.

sia Associate Professor Vladimir 1450 532

Good day to all.

I use homemade stills made from pots. For a volume of 13.5 liters, the solution is optimal for the price and ease of manufacture. Steel 18/10, thick multi-layered bottom, during induction heating, there was never a burn on sugar, cereal or fruit brew. Of course clarified and filtered.

After a year or two of operation, I saw pockets of pitting on the inner surface of the cube. The steel is of high quality, the same pan used for making syrups and porridges for mash is still like new both inside and out. Apparently the matter is in the high humidity remaining in the cube after the end of work and washing. It had to be dried somehow.

Boiling an aqueous solution of citric acid did not give a noticeable positive effect. You can of course just unsolder. Clean everything with a sandpaper - a metal washcloth and solder. But maybe someone knows an easier way? What else can be boiled in it to remove corrosion? I think many people use cubes with a narrow filler neck. share folk wisdom

The advice from Samovarius turned out to be effective, for which many thanks to him. Quote:

I pour soda into the cube, about 0.5 liters, pour 2-3 liters of hot water, put it on fire, connect the def and the refrigerator. I drive the system until min. 250 ml. I drain the liquid from the cube, rinse with hot water, fill in clean water, and again run the system.

Distillation cube - the basis of the moonshine still

A mandatory part of the moonshine still is the distillation cube, it is in it that the main evaporation of the alcohol solution takes place. This element can have not only different volumes, but also differ in the material used and the method of manufacture. This is especially true for options when the device is designed with your own hands.

How a distillation tank or cube works

The element is made exclusively of metal and can be of various sizes.

In the upper part or cover, more often it is in the form of a dome, a special steam outlet is installed. When the solution boils, the alcohol-containing vapors rise and enter the refrigerator through the adapter, where they condense into an alcoholic product. Almost around the day, a valve is provided to ensure the exit of the remnants of the used mash.

For those who do not like experiments, appreciate high quality and their time, it is better to give preference to a finished product. The alembic and accompanying paraphernalia can be purchased at a specialized store, including on the Internet resource.

Especially valuable is the use of a stainless steel moonshine, which is reflected not only in the average cost of such equipment, but also in practicality and a fairly long service life.

What can you make a distillation cube

Various utensils, containers and the duration of operation of such a moonshine still, as well as its functionality, depend on the knowledge of the inventor and the skills of the manufacturer.

Most often, steel products made by hand or purchased ready-made are used for this. It is steel that is highly resistant to long-term temperature loads, does not react with chemical compounds contained in mash. For high-quality alcoholic beverages, not only strength is important, but also the absence of foreign flavors, and using steel surfaces, this is quite possible to achieve. The ingress of compounds harmful to the body when using steel is also excluded, which cannot be stated with accuracy for aluminum tanks.

Steel cube and is it possible to make it yourself

If you decide to make an apparatus for making alcohol with your own hands, then for this you can use several options. One of the most difficult is the use of stainless steel sheets, which, after rather complex manipulations, are converted into a cube for hauling. Step by step, this process is as follows:

The choice of a suitable steel, which involves the selection of sheets of the desired thickness, for example, 05 mm. If you take it thicker, then it will be impossible to bend it without special equipment

Cutting and cutting elements for the cube. Naturally, you first need to calculate the required dimensions of the container, reflect this on the pattern, and only then transfer it to the metal. Be sure to take into account all the nuances of the cube and provide a tap to remove the remaining solution. Metal should be cut with a grinder, metal shears. At first glance, this occupation seems simple, but if a person has not previously been engaged in such work, then he may have difficulty

Welding or soldering. Basically, it’s better to solder with your own hands, but if you have the skills to work with a welded machine and the thickness of the steel does not allow soldering, then you will need to use this type of work. As a solder, you can use tin, and also use phosphoric acid. If there is no experience in such processes, then you should definitely study the technology

Cover selection. For a moonshine still, you can use a lid from a pressure cooker, another question is how to make it airtight and choose the right size. There are several options - initially calculate the diameter of the cube, so that the existing lid fits or vice versa, which will require additional material costs, so you will have to separately purchase a pressure cooker of the right size

Installation of fasteners for subsequent sealing of the cover. It can be done by analogy with closing a flask. This may take some time, and you will also need accessories, including those made of steel. All elements must be stainless steel

Installing a temperature sensor.

This whole process, only with a superficial study, seems simple, but in fact, the production of a moonshine still with your own hands, in particular, a distillation steel cube, is only possible for true professionals. In order not to waste time, as well as to avoid emergency situations during distillation, product spoilage or low quality, it is better to purchase ready-made equipment.

Sometimes you can find specialists who specialize in the manufacture of steel cubes, but then the guarantee of the moonshine will also be doubtful. Only real professionals can be trusted with such a business, it is better if they are trusted people, since the pleasure of manufacturing stainless steel moonshine containers is relatively expensive.

In addition to observing the technology for the production of a metal product, it is important to correctly carry out the calculations. They are needed not only to determine the amount of material needed, planning material costs, but in order not to miscalculate with volumes. With a compact distillation cube, there will also be the lowest productivity, which will greatly extend the event for the preparation of alcoholic beverages.

Buying an apparatus made by professionals helps to facilitate the process of home brewing, as the kit already has everything you need to carry out distillation and control it.

Other Ways to Invent the Still

If you plan to produce alcohol in small quantities, then you can simply use a pressure cooker by choosing a product with a maximum volume. If you unscrew the drain valve, you can install an adapter for supplying steam to the refrigerator. The tightness of the lid is ensured initially, as this is provided for by the manufacturing technology of such dishes. With a conventional pressure cooker, it is quite difficult to get a good product yield, so flasks are one of the alternatives, but not those that contain aluminum. This metal has not been recommended for alcohol production for a long time, although it was very popular several decades ago.

Some craftsmen adapt ordinary stainless steel pots for distillation, which are previously partially modified. In other words, almost the same pressure cookers are made from them. Holes are made in the lids to remove steam, the lid is supplemented with a special fastener to ensure tightness during the distillation process. Since pots can be of various sizes, containers can also be selected according to volumetric requirements.

Despite the numerous inventions of people trying to reduce the cost of producing a moonshine still without sacrificing quality, not everyone can do it with their own hands. In order not to take risks and really get an alcoholic product with the desired strength, pleasant aroma and planned yield, you need to choose systems developed by professionals. Conditional savings or a desire for experimentation can negatively affect the level of alcohol production.

Not everyone can make a hermetic, easy-to-use distillation cube made of stainless steel with their own hands, but everyone can choose the best option in terms of cost and functionality. There are companies that organize the delivery of all the necessary attributes. The kit already includes a container for distillation, and a cooler, dry steamer, thermometer, connecting elements and everything you need to make not only moonshine, but also cognac, whiskey and any other drink.

moonshine cube

Somehow I missed this thread. I must say - completely undeserved. In principle, many will say that constructively, the cube, as they say, does not affect the speed. However, the constructive cube sometimes has a very significant impact on the convenience of work. And in some processes (for example, when working with grain mash) it can also affect the overall speed of the process.

Consider the main variations of cubes, their strengths and weaknesses. Of course, I will not disassemble non-standard homemade products. Let's talk only about the most common options built on standard components. The first in a row will rightly be the well-deserved

Milk flask (can, capacity from the milking machine). Perhaps the most affordable option as a basis for cube building.
I myself have two pieces of 40 liters each, both bought second-hand at 1000 rubles apiece (the price for them was quite stable before the crisis, for example, I bought mine with a gap of several months, and even tinkering - I chose cleaner and more evenly ). It is irrational to take a smaller volume, since the price differs slightly, and there is much more sense from a large one. And it’s better to buy used ones, since among them there are mostly old, still Soviet-era vessels - I like them better. The new ones are a bit thinner and thinner. Aluminum is perfectly processed, any necessary holes can be made with improvised means. Fittings are used standard brass or bronze (available in any plumbing store is not expensive). Gaskets under the lid can be used with native rubber ones, wrapping them with a plumbing bag. If the gasket does not hold or it does not exist at all (a reason to bargain the price - a new one costs from 50 to 400 rubles, depending on the greed, it is sold), it does not matter either. On one of my flasks, the gasket, after working for several months, began to poison and I replaced it with a piece of silicone hose (11 by 16 mm), docking it with a piece of silicone hose of a smaller diameter (8 by 10). Works with a bang.

The disadvantages include:

1. Does not like alkaline environments. No need to wash using all sorts of moles and other alkali-based products. Very fast failure is provided - the surface is ulcerated and holes are formed.

2. Doesn't like cold water. The result is the same as from the action of alkali, just the process is slower.

3. Fastening the connecting elements falls on the threads and without welding, they all sooner or later begin to unscrew, and soldering aluminum is intricate (in any case, I learned this - the ease of assembly fascinates and it’s easier to give up on future difficulties - and so it will do, but periodically you have to pull up). For me, this is perhaps the biggest drawback.

Pressure cooker. This version of the cube is good for everyone, except for one thing - the volume of pressure cookers is usually no more than 12 liters (usually 9-10 liters, or even 5-6). Because of this, it is not rational to put a heating element in a pressure cooker, you have to purchase an induction (an increase in the cost of an already not very profitable device due to the small volume of the device) or heat it with gas (the impossibility of warming, which, however, is compensated by a small volume) and often encounter a height limit ( does not pass under the hood, etc.). It is usually used as a starting cube for deciding whether to develop. I have a 9l stainless steel OKA pressure cooker in use. I removed the standard valves from it, installed a 1/2 adapter in the hole of one of them (on a thread with a nut and a Teflon gasket), and a thermometer in the hole of the other. There are aluminum pressure cookers - they are easier to modify. I chose stainless for durability and the ability to adapt to distilling needs without damaging the effect. At any time, you can remove the distiller and thermometer, reinstall the valves and use the pressure cooker for its intended purpose. Quite often I use it to make gin (less often absinthe and other drinks based on essential oils of plants). This is much more convenient than driving a big cube.

Cooking pots and boilers. Of course, you need to purchase stainless pans to build a cube, but aluminum ones are hard to find now, and enameled ones are not good. When choosing such a base, it is necessary to pay attention to the thickness of the material and, especially, the rigidity of the cover - you will often put a very heavy apparatus on it. If you are going to use induction, then pay attention to the material of the bottom (not all pots are suitable for use with induction cookers, this, by the way, is a general remark for any cube).
The main problem in constructing pot cubes is sealing the lid. Sometimes it is possible to pick up a gasket from some kind of silicone baking dish or a silicone mat (they have appeared recently, you can buy the right size on ebay), sometimes you have to weld the lid and equip it with a welded flange (or even replace the lid with a suitable circle from a sheet 3mm thick). In general, the pot option is not suitable for home cube building because of the initial cost of the pan itself, the need for welding (in a good way, or soldering in a bad way). And most importantly, because of the presence of a very strong alternative in the form

Stainless steel beer keg. Definitely a great container. Thick wall, stiffeners, convenient volume (20, 30 and 50 liters). It can be used without alteration by installing the device on a standard neck mount 2 (preferably with a three-clamp, then neither welding nor other methods are needed at all). Easily lends itself to deep alteration, after which you will get a really convenient cube for all occasions. The illustration shows a cube of a 50-liter keg with a pressure cooker welded in, solving the issues of an airtight neck. The disadvantages include the need for argon welding, or, at the very worst, brazing.

Today, I consider the steam-water boiler (PVK) to be the pinnacle of amateur cube building. Structurally, it consists of two nested containers. The inner container is actually a cube, and the outer one plays the role of a shirt for it. A certain amount of water is poured into the shirt, which is heated with the help of heating elements. It turns out a kind of steam-water bath for the cube. This achieves a good uniform heating of its entire surface with a very small temperature gradient at the border of the cube wall - stillage. No local overheating, burning, etc. In addition to heating, you can also cool the contents of the cube by passing cold water through the shirt. Such an alternation of heating-cooling is necessary in the preparation of grain (starch) mash, where you must first heat for boiling, then cool for saccharification and then for the actual fermentation. It is also very convenient to brew beer. Of course, such a version of the cube is, to put it mildly, non-budgetary and you need to acquire it already clearly understanding why you actually need all this.

Recently, stainless torque converters have been used as the basis for the cube, but I don’t particularly like this option. They are not cheap, they require improvement no less than a keg. In addition, containers with a volume of less than 80 liters have a horizontal orientation and a hatch at the end. It turns out not very convenient in work.

Summary. At the very beginning of distilling activity, you should not purchase an expensive cube or bother with the independent production of a complex container. It is still unknown how much you really need all this later. It makes sense to get a milk flask or even a pressure cooker. It will not be a pity to throw out the first one, and the second one will come in handy in any way even with advanced cubes. In any case, remember - the cube is just a part of your distillation system and its volume should be combined with the volume of the fermentation tank, the amount of finished product you want and other indicators. It is rather ridiculous, for example, to try to fill a 35-liter barrel with distillate, having a pressure cooker as a still.

When acquiring a cube, pay attention to the following points. the possibility of insulation (if it is not insulated), the presence of a wide neck to ensure convenient maintenance and the possibility of subsequent refinement (often you don’t know today what you want tomorrow), the presence of the necessary connecting elements (pipes), sufficient overall structural strength.

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Do-it-yourself moonshine still

In our country, moonshine stills are not new products, they are old, familiar to everyone units for preparing drinks of our own production with a variety of additives. In Russia, do-it-yourself moonshine stills began to be made during the period of strict Prohibition, when people were forced to look for other ways to get alcoholic beverages for the holidays.

The standard design of moonshine stills was known to both children and adults. Even those who did not have such devices at home understood the structure of these home helpers. Today, the legislation is loyal to those who make alcoholic beverages for their own use. For sale, of course, threatens punishment. For many now moonshine still is a hobby. He managed not only to preserve the unique tradition. Modern manufacturers of moonshine stills use progressive technologies, they choose high quality materials, constantly improve the design.

Stylish, concise and multifunctional units are a matter of pride. They are happily presented to friends, used to make a variety of drinks, which are almost as good as store-bought ones in terms of quality and taste. Many beginners at the beginning of the moonshine business have a lot of questions. In encyclopedias, for example, on Wikipedia, they do not write about schemes, drawings and photos of moonshine stills. And various forums and portals of craftsmen contain a lot of both useful and very dubious information. If you firmly decided to create a design yourself, then this guide and expert advice will come in handy.

Do-it-yourself moonshine is real!

Some at a glance at the distiller are intimidated by its complex system. Despite the formidable appearance and many details, the scheme of the moonshine still is quite simple with a detailed analysis. The standard design consists of:

Distillation cube. This is the main container in which the raw material is placed. The tank is installed on the burner of the hob or on a stone stove, heated, during which the mash boils, and vapors containing alcohol are released. Fridge. The cooling unit must be present in the circuit of any moonshine still. It is necessary to create condensate. When passing through the cooler, the vapor again turns into a liquid and enters the collection container. It is very important to maintain the optimum temperature, as in the still. In the simplest designs, cooling occurs due to the presence of this element in a container with water, which is replaced regularly when heated from the temperature in the room. Coil. The refrigerator element, which is represented by a curved tube, is ideally made from a thin-walled stainless steel bar. The quality of moonshine at the outlet directly depends on the length of the tube. It is recommended to use a workpiece of about 2 meters. Connecting pipes or hoses. They are an intermediate link between the distillation tank and the cooler. Water is supplied through silicone hoses and distillate flows out. Additional equipment. It includes all kinds of bimetallic thermometers, measuring containers, sealing gaskets, heating elements.

Obviously, everyone can make moonshine at home, having a great desire and the necessary details at hand. As a cube for distillation, you can use a regular pressure cooker. It is initially equipped with a hermetically sealed lid, which simplifies the task. In the absence of such a pan in the house, you can use a metal flask, a can or even a beer keg. It is important to observe the condition: the container must necessarily have a tight-fitting lid.

Also, aluminum flasks, stainless steel cans and other containers with a tight-fitting lid can be used as a still. Below are the options that can be purchased at Alkopribor.

The fact that 80% of vodka in our stores is made from imported alcohol somehow never really bothered me, even once I looked at the production of alcohol from pah, feces, I was also not very impressed - well, what do I think, sometimes it’s not like that, but there is so much wheat in our mother Russia. But the flashing information that China has become the main importer of alcohol in Russia seriously alerted - but what exactly is it produced there?
On the Internet, as always, there were a thousand versions about the origin of Chinese alcohol, but one of the convincing ones nevertheless confirmed my fears - organic waste products serve as raw materials.
The last straw that prompted me to buy distillation equipment was the tasting of moonshine at a friend’s place, people who are quite wealthy and very hospitable, who, in the presence of other alcoholic drinks, proven and not cheap, politely offered everyone to try moonshine. My relationship with this natural product somehow didn’t work out from my youth, having tried it once in the student brigade on potatoes, I decided to avoid this “refined” drink in the future - the smell, taste and especially the hangover were just terrible for that chatterbox. Subsequently tried other moonshine products left approximately similar sensations. And what was my amazement when the moonshine offered by friends for testing was radically different from everything that I had tried before - neither in smell nor in taste was there any fuselage. But for objectivity, it is worth noting that it was not pure moonshine, but already infused with some kind of berries, but I had previously drunk tinctures on moonshine, so there was something to compare with. I didn’t manage to find out on what equipment that moonshine was made, but the brain has already received food for thought and research.
After reading specialized articles, websites, forums, I decided on what I want and already chose a ready-made kit for home brewing for purchase, but it turned out that one old acquaintance had been “in the know” for a long time and he dissuaded me from the chosen option, arguing that, too I started with a similar kit and the moonshine there turned out to be good, but still “spirited”. He managed to achieve a pure taste only on distillation equipment of the XD / 4 series manufactured in Taganrog. I still don’t understand whether it’s a full-fledged plant or some kind of small-scale production. As you know, learning from one’s mistakes is a thankless task, so I didn’t become smart, I took a distiller with a strengthening film column from the online store at this plant, which was advised by a friend - HD / 4-2500PK.
As I understand it, the abbreviation HD / 4-2500PK is deciphered as follows:
HD - abbreviation of the words HomeDistiller (homedistiller translated from English home distiller)
4 is a series of distillation equipment sharpened for domestic use for 1" plumbing fittings
2500 is the maximum power in W utilized by this distiller, although it is not clear for what type of heating this is calculated, the heat transfer is different for everyone.
PC - film column (reflux film flows down the pipe wall into a cube).
The main difference between the film column and the classic moonshine still is that the alcohol vapors rising into the primary refrigerator condense on its inner walls, forming a film that, under the influence of gravity, flows back into the boiling cube and so on dozens of times in a circle. This makes it possible to achieve a more accurate separation of high-boiling fractions and, accordingly, a cleaner and stronger product at the outlet.

A little simplified theory of making alcohol

The process of alcohol production can be divided into two types - distillation and rectification.
Distillation is the process of heating low-strength feedstock (mash) in a closed volume (alembic), as a result of which the vapors ascending into the distiller condense in it and drain into a receiving tank. The trick is that alcohol vapors begin to evaporate first (the boiling point of alcohol is about + 78 ° C), first the head fractions, the so-called “heads”, evaporate: higher alcohols, volatile acids, esters, and after them the “body” we already need is drinking ( ethyl) alcohol, after which tail fractions boil - “tails” (fusel oils) and only at the very end it comes to water. Therefore, the main task of distillation is to correctly separate the "body" of the distillation - alcohol, from the "heads" and "tails".
Rectification is the same process of heating in a distillation cube, as a result of which there is an absolute (due to the design features of the distillation column) separation of the liquid into fractions, that is, almost pure alcohol is obtained at the output.
It would seem that rectified is better than distillate - just add water ©, but not everything is so simple. Distillation makes it possible to preserve the taste and aroma of the raw materials in alcohol: grapes for obtaining chacha, grappa and cognac spirit; apples for Calvados, etc. There is also an opinion that the presence of microdoses of fusel oils and esters in alcohol has a beneficial effect on the negative impact that alcohol has on the body, at least causes milder hangover symptoms.

9 days after payment, the parcel reached me

I didn’t take photos of the packaging, and actually there wasn’t much packaging there - a stretch tape in several layers, and scotch tape for fidelity, but actually, why be smart there, I didn’t buy crystal.
The appearance of the column pleased me, there are no crooked welds and burrs at all, it is immediately clear that the thing was not made on the knee.

There is even an old Soviet atavism - OTK stamp on the sticker

Made by PC from food grade stainless steel 1mm thick

column weight 1.45 kg

The height of the assembled column is 650 mm, the width at the extreme points is 200 mm. External diameter of the hardening cooler 32mm

Outer diameter of cooling tubes 8 mm

Inner diameter of hole for thermometer 6 mm

The column comes with silicone tubes that connect the cooling circuits of the ascending and descending refrigerators with the so-called Hoffmann clamp

which allows you to separate and regulate water flows, thereby increasing or decreasing the rate of product selection.
Cooling circuit inside the column

The column is fastened with a stainless steel union nut with a diameter of 1”

a paronite gasket is used for sealing

For some reason, they put four of them to me.
I decided to start at a low cost, so as not to regret the money spent (if I don’t like the moonshine or the moonshine process itself), so I didn’t buy anything else from the equipment, except for the adapter for the pan. It would be possible to save on this by assembling it from a stainless spur sold on the market with nuts and washers for 1 ”, but in our market the sellers were not sure that they were made of food grade stainless steel, so I didn’t risk it, I ordered it in the same store. I decided to make a distillation cube myself from the 12 liter pot I had.

Since the distillation cube must be absolutely airtight, it will be necessary to seal the pot lid. To do this, I bought metal dies in a furniture fittings store, a set of screws with wing caps, nuts and washers in a fastener store, and a 5 mm silicone tube in a pharmacy shop.

We proceed to the manufacture of the distillation cube: we drill a hole in the center of the lid with the largest drill and one more on the side with a diameter of 6 mm for a thermometer.

saw off the lid handle

and then with a round file we expand the central hole to 32 mm, the metal of the cover is soft and things went quickly, it took about half an hour to do everything about everything.

We put the adapter and clamp it tightly with two adjustable wrenches

I cut furniture dies, drilled holes for the diameter of the screws and bent them under the profile of the cover - screw clamps turned out

I cut the tube lengthwise and put it on the edge of the pan

the first tests showed that the clamps cut the tube, and the tube itself diverges at the edges, although I cut it clearly end-to-end. To eliminate the identified shortcomings, I wrapped the edges of the clamps with tape

and sewed the edges of the tube with a thread

The second test of the homemade cube was successful, no steam escaped anywhere.
This is how the final design turned out.

Another mandatory cost for a successful moonshine brewing process is an alcohol meter, a silicone tube for collecting distillate, PVC pipes for inlet and outlet of water, a volumetric flask, an adapter for a tap and two thermometers, one in a cube, the second at the top of the column.

All this, with the exception of thermometers (thanks to Ali for coupons 2 from 2.01), I bought for cheap in the Summer Resident. Since the idea was only to try and invest to a minimum, I made the faucet adapter from a plastic fitting for a garden hose, it ideally turned on the thread of my mixer with the siphon removed.

After the production of wine, I was left with grape pomace, the use of which was not found and I had to throw it away. Now such waste will no longer occur, the pomace will serve as the basis for my first mash. I used 20 kg of pomace, 30 liters of water for a 60 l barrel, and now I’m afraid to lie, I don’t remember how many kilograms of sugar (about 5-6). It was impossible to close the barrel hermetically with a lid, so I used the same water seal as during the fermentation of grape must - a bag with a puncture. It was not necessary to add any yeast to the mash, wild grapes did everything themselves, at first the bag inflated very intensively

Braga even went over the edge, I had to pour it into a three-liter jar. The whole fermentation process went on for quite a long time - about a month. As soon as the pomace has gone to the bottom and the mash has acquired a bitter taste, you can start distillation.
The instructions for the film column recommend distillation in two stages, first primary distillation at maximum speed without selection of heads and tails, and then secondary fractional distillation.
A detailed video instruction on working with HD / 4-2500PK is available for those who are enthusiastic about this distiller.
We assemble the moonshine, put thermometers with silicone tubes for tightness, put on hoses, apply test cooling. The kitchen turns into a distillery and is almost completely occupied by me, household members are expelled to other rooms. You can drive.

The primary distillation is carried out with the strengthening column cooling circuit completely closed, the Hoffmann clamp is mounted on a vertical tube and completely screwed.

Thus, all alcohol vapors pass freely through the ascending column and condense in the descending column.
Water must be supplied with the most minimal flow of 30-40 l / h, then there will be practically no smell from moonshine.

When my mash burned out, the smell was very noticeable, I even had to open the window and turn on the hood to the full, the next time I didn’t make such a mistake and there was practically no smell during distillation, in an apartment you can safely drive without fear that it will cause discomfort to other family members, and even the neighbors will not sniff it out.
By adjusting the degree of heating and water pressure, you can relax and do other things, the process does not require further human participation, it is only necessary to control the alcohol content of the resulting distillate. I drove moonshine to a fortress in a jet of less than 10%. The maximum speed that I managed to achieve on HD / 4-2500PC is 1.5-1.6 liters per hour. The final alcohol content of Pervak was slightly more than 45%.

In total, about 8 liters of raw alcohol turned out

At the primary distillation, I made a mistake - I heated the cube at the maximum power of the induction cooker and the grape pomace burned, the instructions advised the mash to be filtered before pouring it into the cube, but moonshine gurus from the Internet said that chacha should be driven with pomace otherwise there will be no taste of grapes. I don’t know, I didn’t feel the smell of grapes in Pervak, but there was a burnt tone.
Next, you need to distill the resulting raw alcohol again with separation into fractions. Experienced moonshiners make such a separation by smell - they quickly rub a drop of distillate between their fingers and sniff it, the head fractions smell like acetone, the tail fractions smell like fuselage, and the body of the distillation, respectively, should have a pure alcohol smell. Well, all this comes with experience and over time, or maybe it doesn’t come at all, for someone else. For beginner moonshiners, there is a special method for calculating the selection of head fractions, it is as follows: first you need to calculate the volume of pure (absolute) alcohol in the raw material according to the following formula: The volume of raw alcohol * Fortress, and the heads will be 10% of the result obtained. For example, if we have 8 liters of raw alcohol with a strength of 45%, then the volume of heads will be 8 * 0.45 * 0.1 = 0.36 liters. You can also download various applications from the market (I liked it), which themselves calculate the volume of heads according to the initial data (and many other useful things, especially the proportions of further dilution of alcohol to the desired degree).

The secondary distillation technology is slightly different, the Hoffmann clamp is moved to a horizontal tube and clamped completely

thus all the water goes to the primary fortifying cooler. Then you need to adjust the water flow in such a way that after boiling the mash in the cube, nothing flows from the column, the vapors must be completely retained by cooling in the primary column and flow back into the cube with a film, this is necessary to concentrate the head fractions in the strengthening column, since they boil first . This mode of operation of the column is called "working for yourself." In this mode, the column should work for half an hour, having accumulated a maximum of heads, then the Hoffmann clamp is removed from the horizontal nozzle and moved to a vertical one, then slowly twisted until drops of distillate appear.

Next, the clamp must be adjusted so that the selection of heads proceeds at a minimum speed of 2-3 drops per second, this will give the greatest clarity in separating the heads from the body. You need to turn the screw literally by a micrometer and wait 30 seconds until the system overcomes inertia. If the temperature of your cold water is low, then you can drive another tube of a smaller diameter into the vertical pipe and then it will be possible to regulate not by micron, but by wider movements. We substitute a pre-marked receiving container under the silicone tube

and wait until the volume of heads calculated by us earlier is selected. As soon as this happens, we change the receiving capacity to a large one and start the selection of the body

the Hoffmann clamp is gradually twisted in such a way that an even stream of distillate goes out. It is important not to overdo it here, the temperature on the thermometers should settle down and show some stable values, if the temperature rises, then you have exceeded the maximum withdrawal rate and you need to reduce it by unscrewing the clamp back, thereby adding more water to the cooling circuit. Exceeding the extraction rate will also be indicated by a splash of distillate from the atmosphere connection tube, which is located above the distillate collection tube.

The upper temperature shows us what strength we have steam and, accordingly, distillate; in the moonshiner's calculator, you can calculate the alcohol content by temperature. Pure alcohol boils at about +78C.

For additional strengthening and purification from sulfur compounds, on the recommendation of Internet gurus, I inserted into the adapter made of wire extracted from the VVG cable.

After distillation, a gray coating forms on them, they still precipitate something on themselves, I don’t know, maybe this is self-hypnosis again.

To give the spirals their original copper sheen, they must be boiled in water with citric acid.
We select the body until the temperature in the cube reaches 93 degrees, it is believed that after this temperature various bad impurities (fusel oils) begin to boil in the cube. You can stop the distillation process on this, or you can also select the tails, since they also contain alcohol and can be reused by adding mash to the next portion and distilling again.
After the second distillation, I got an alcohol content in the region of 88%

But this indicator is far from the limit for this distiller, for example, widely known in narrow circles, it got a strength of 90 degrees, but it was used in tandem with a column filled to the top with copper spirals.
Next, you need to dilute the resulting alcohol with water to the required strength, the water must be purified and preferably softened, I use water from a stationary filter installed under the sink. Someone uses spring water, someone bottled, for whom it is more convenient. The volume of water required for dilution, according to the initial data of alcohol, can be calculated in the same Moonshiner's Assistant. It is believed that alcohol should be poured into water, and not vice versa, otherwise the moonshine will become cloudy, I did this and that. Yes, indeed, at first the alcohol solution becomes cloudy, but very quickly, in just a minute, it acquires its previous transparency.

That's actually all, the moonshine is ready for use, but to improve its quality, carbonization (filtering with charcoal) and rest (settling) can be done.
There is practically no smell of fuselage in moonshine obtained with the help of this film column, I don’t feel it at all, but my wife catches some notes, but she doesn’t drink strong alcohol, so I don’t particularly trust her nose, maybe she confuses it with something else . Intoxication compared to purchased budget vodka is calmer and softer, I don’t think any of the drinkers will have any demolition of the roof and the need to fill someone’s face. Well, here, as they say, the question of the culture of drinking and knowledge of the measure. Comparing my feelings the next day, I can unequivocally state that the hangover from the same doses as vodka is much milder, and even then it manifests itself when it's gone too far. If I drank in moderation, then in the morning there are no symptoms at all, for example, 150 grams are enough for me to get full satisfaction from alcohol.
Moonshine is a rich testing ground for the subsequent preparation of various alcoholic beverages - tinctures, liqueurs, brandy, whiskey and much more. According to Shtorm, respected in the circles of distillers, I roasted oak chips for myself to infuse moonshine on it.

I poured it into a three-liter jar and put it in the pantry for a couple of weeks.
It turned out to be a very interesting straw-colored drink, as it seemed to me with notes of prunes.

I also liked the juniper tincture with a pleasant smell of a Christmas tree and the classic honey with pepper, there are many different recipes on the Internet, I will slowly try it. There you can also find various labels and design options for your bottles.

Take care of yourself, buy high-quality alcohol in trusted stores, or learn from my experience and then alcohol will not only be harmful, but also a little useful, the main thing is to know when to stop.
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