In article ,
"RogerN" wrote:

"pyotr filipivich" wrote in message
...


"RogerN" on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 05:57:14 -0500 typed
in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
snip
This would be for fuel. From my understanding the batch process is better
for drinking because methanol would be boiled off first. You are supposed
to be able to take the alcohol from the continuous process and run it
through a pot still to boil off the methanol first and get the ethanol.

Where is the methanol coming from? Sugar & yeast produce lots of
fat yeast critters, all ****ing ethanol till they get too drunk to
continue. If you are getting methanol in your product, something else
is wrong.

The yeast generate the methanol all by themselves. Likewise the fusel
alcohols.


I wondered the same thing, seems most of the moonshine distilling info I
read tells people to throw the first bit of the batch out, they said it
would have the methanol (maybe if there was any, just to be on the safe
side?). I thought maybe if you made mash with grains and they got burnt or
something it might make a trace of methanol, but I'm not sure where it could
come from in a sugar/water mix. From what I have read, it seems like the
other nasties left by the yeast need to be filtered by putting activated
charcoal in a tube and filtering the alcohol through it. I'm not sure how
that works with moonshine though, where some flavor comes from the grain
mash.

Throwing the first and last thirds away, and keeping the middle third,
is the secret of distillation discovered by the alchemists.

The first third is the methyl alcohol.

The middle third is the ethyl alcohol.

The last third contains the fusel alcohols.

http://www.copper-alembic.com/distillation_history.php

Joe Gwinn