Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to distil
some ginger beer.

"john robinson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil
some ginger beer.



HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

AWEM

On Dec 21, 10:46*am, "Andrew Mawson"
wrote:
"john robinson" wrote in message

...

Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? *My friend is thinking of trying to
distil
some ginger beer.

HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

AWEM

Fer christ's sake...go tell the net cops. Let's put this guy behind
bars for life!

On 21/12/10 18:46, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"john wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil
some ginger beer.



HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

AWEM


I believe that freeze-distillation is OK - but needs checking.

It is also reckoned to be safer - regular distillation done wrong can
produce a bottle with high concentrations of less desireable alcohols -
these can occur naturally as part of the fermentation and are OK if
spread around 8 bottles of wine, but less good if concentrated into the
first small bottle of distilled output.

But I'm sure google will turn up lots of info on making a simple still.
Boiling pot, lots of soft copper tube and a cooling bath.

--
Tim Watts

Not so long ago you could buy small stills in France in places like Gamme
Verte (Countrywide)

On Dec 21, 6:12*pm, "john robinson" wrote:
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? *My friend is thinking of trying to distil
some ginger beer.

try these guys : http://www.stillspirits.com/ - look for a local
distributor to you. Most UK home brew shops sell these.

HMRC have let these pass (they were good enough to admit they were
caught on the hop). So you can distill in peace - just don't sell it.

Not sure how you'd go about distilling ginger beer ... the potential
for off flavourings and yukky heads/tails would be enormous.

"Tim Watts" wrote in message
...
On 21/12/10 18:46, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"john wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple
*distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying
to
distil
some ginger beer.



HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

AWEM


I believe that freeze-distillation is OK - but needs checking.

It is also reckoned to be safer - regular distillation done wrong
can
produce a bottle with high concentrations of less desireable
alcohols -
these can occur naturally as part of the fermentation and are OK if
spread around 8 bottles of wine, but less good if concentrated into
the
first small bottle of distilled output.

But I'm sure google will turn up lots of info on making a simple
still.
Boiling pot, lots of soft copper tube and a cooling bath.

--
Tim Watts

The first distillates to come over in a still are ketones iirc at
arround 79deg C, and it is these that are the nasties and to be
avoided. If the first few drops are rejected it's probably safest.

I think it is producing spirit that attracts taxation, and HMR&C don't
mind whether it's done by distillation or freeze separation.

AWEM

Andrew Mawson wrote:
"john robinson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil some ginger beer.



HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

Cue Dennis....


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:46:28 +0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"john robinson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil
some ginger beer.



HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your friend
to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay were a
licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

And no doubt dennis would report you...it's what he does.

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

john robinson expressed precisely :
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling* apparatus
that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to distil some ginger
beer.

Isn't doing that slightly illegal?

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

On Dec 21, 1:12*pm, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:
john *robinson expressed precisely :

Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling* apparatus
that they can share? *My friend is thinking of trying to distil some ginger
beer.

Isn't doing that slightly illegal?

--
Regards,
* * * * Harry (M1BYT) (L)http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Do you really care?

"john robinson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to distil
some ginger beer.


A problem with distilling is that if 'successfully' done, one ends up with
alcohol and no flavour, so you would not get ginger spirit from your still.
The flavour in gin is added afterwards, and that in whisky comes from the
barrels it is aged in. That said, there was a Food Programme, on Aqua
Vitaes, which described the vast quantities of fruit required to get real
fruit flavoured spirits, and I don't quite see how that works.

On the other hand, if you ever make sloe gin - ie with gin that the tax has
already been paid on - you may want to recover some of the spirit that
remains in the fruit after you have decanted the bulk of the liquid. I was
surprised at how much I had been throwing out with the fruit. Got a fair
bit back by using 2 big 'champagne' bottles, a cork and a length of flexible
plastic tube. Tubed and sealed the first bottle with fruit in, and then
heated it in a saucepan of boiling water. The tube trails down into a
second bottle, on the floor, cooled with ice. You have to get a good seal,
and take care not to melt the tube if you are on gas.

S

"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:46:28 +0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"john robinson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil
some ginger beer.



HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your friend
to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay were a
licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

And no doubt dennis would report you...it's what he does.

Is he intimidating someone else by doing it?
Is it actually illegal? I don't think it is. It depends on what he does with
it.

Would I report someone for ignoring part P, no.
would I report someone charging for a job that needs part P, probably.

It depends on how it affects others and who the victim is.

Harry Bloomfield wrote in
. uk:

john robinson expressed precisely :
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil some ginger beer.

Isn't doing that slightly illegal?


Not everywhere. In the US it's illegal to concentrate
alcohol by any means (including freezing) without a
license. Part of getting a license to run a still in
the US is having a separate building, which must pass
inspection as adequate for operatoin of a distillery.
Setting up a personal distillery has been compared
to starting your own restaurant, in terms of paper work,
inspections, taxes, etc.

This PDF is a collection of articles that might be
useful.

http://www.distilling.com/newsletters/AD0101.pdf

B.

On Dec 21, 10:12*am, "john robinson"
wrote:
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? *My friend is thinking of trying to distil
some ginger beer.

Considering ginger beer consists of ginger, sugar, and water,
distiling ginger beer would at best produce some ginger-flavored rum.
Why not just macerate some ginger in rum, and call it a day?

john robinson wrote:
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil some ginger beer.

Go to your local home brewing store - I went past mine today and had a look
in, they had a sign in the window which read 'distill your own spirits' and
underneath this sign was a stainless steel contraption, but I was in the car
and didn't really have time to investigate further, but i doubt it is
illegal as they had lots of these things in boxes in the window, and part of
the name was 'still' - it's obviously intended for distilling and must be
legal - this shop's on the main road through the town centre.



--
Phil L
RSRL Tipster Of The Year 2008

On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:21:36 +0000, dennis@home wrote:

"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:46:28 +0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"john robinson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil
some ginger beer.



HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

And no doubt dennis would report you...it's what he does.

Is he intimidating someone else by doing it? Is it actually illegal? I
don't think it is. It depends on what he does with it.

How gracious of you to make any distinction.

Would I report someone for ignoring part P, no. would I report someone
charging for a job that needs part P, probably.

It depends on how it affects others and who the victim is.

Now you're trying to tell us you're capable of judgement.

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

In article ,
says...

Go to your local home brewing store - I went past mine today and had a
look
in, they had a sign in the window which read 'distill your own spirits' and
underneath this sign was a stainless steel contraption, but I was in the car
and didn't really have time to investigate further, but i doubt it is
illegal as they had lots of these things in boxes in the window, and part of
the name was 'still' - it's obviously intended for distilling and must be
legal - this shop's on the main road through the town centre.

I believe it's illegal to distill in Canada and the US (without a
license) , but I do remember a shop in Canada selling a small still as
an "essential oil extractor"

I know it's legal in New Zealand to distill your own spirits for non-
commercial purposes, and frankly it *should* be legal anywhere in the
civilized world. I can understand state control over the sale of
alcohol, but the production of it for personal use should be fair game.

On Dec 21, 7:09*pm, "newshound" wrote:
Not so long ago you could buy small stills in France in places like Gamme
Verte (Countrywide)

Every time I've seen a still for sale, I could buy a lifetime's supply
for the same price.

Except in Jugoslavia(sic). There it's a little bloke with a handcart
wheeling around something built by his great grandfather. You give him
firewood and a tithe of the end results, he distills your home-brew
for you.

"Paul Arthur" wrote in message
om...
On 2010-12-21, Spamlet wrote:

"john robinson" wrote in message
...

Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil some ginger beer.

A problem with distilling is that if 'successfully' done, one ends
up with alcohol and no flavour, so you would not get ginger spirit
from your still. The flavour in gin is added afterwards, and that in
whisky comes from the barrels it is aged in.

Sorry, that's just wrong. Raw whisky has plenty of flavour; some of
the flavours come from the barrel, but others (like the peatiness in
some Scotch) is there from the get-go. You only get no flavour if you
distill it several times (a column still does this internally, while
with a pot still you would have to do multiple runs).

As for gin...gin is made in several ways. "The flavour is added
afterwards" is a good description of compounding, which is the least
popular. London gin is the most popular type of gin and is required by
law to be produced in a more traditional manner, where the flavour is
added before the final distillation.



I believed or read that the difference was that compounding means "dump it
in" whereas distilled means more like infused with vapor of

Western expats at Saudi Aramco published a how-to manual on home
distillation "The Blue Flame"

It's easy to make bad spirits.


http://www.expats.org.uk/features/al...blueflame.html

Roger

On Dec 21, 11:08*pm, rgb wrote:
In article ,
says...

Go to your local home brewing store - I went past mine today and had a
look
in, they had a sign in the window which read 'distill your own spirits' and
underneath this sign was a stainless steel contraption, but I was in the car
and didn't really have time to investigate further, but i doubt it is
illegal as they had lots of these things in boxes in the window, and part of
the name was 'still' - it's obviously intended for distilling and must be
legal - this shop's on the main road through the town centre.

I believe it's illegal to distill in Canada and the US (without a
license) , but I do remember a shop in Canada selling a small still as
an "essential oil extractor"

I know it's legal in New Zealand to distill your own spirits for non-
commercial purposes, and frankly it *should* be legal anywhere in the
civilized world. I can understand state control over the sale of
alcohol, but the production of it for personal use should be fair game.

The US is overly paranoid about distilling - I read an article a while
ago, on a still manufactures site, that advised US customers to never
use the word "still", but "water purifier", and to order them in
separate boxes to avoid confiscation by customs.

New Zealand accidentally legalised home distilling in the 90s, by
removing the need for still operators to continue to pay the $100
annual license, which cost a lot more to collect (inspectors were
required to travel to each still). By the time they realised, every
man and his dog had bought, built, begged or borrowed their own still.
Hence New Zealand is the home distilling capital of the world. (Notice
where the www.stillspirits.com website leads).

From what I have learned, home distilling in the UK (IANAL, and there
may be English/Scottish variations here) has never been illegal per
se. However there was a requirement for still owners to register their
stills, and declare and pay duty on what they distilled. Obviously
this is not what home distillers are going to do, and where the breach
of law comes in. However it's not *criminal*, it really is "a civil
matter sir", so HMRC have no enforcement capability for home
distillers. I met the UK rep for Still Spirits, and he showed me a
letter from HMRC confirming this. Apparently HMRC never dreamt that
commercial manufacturers would make and sell a device *capable* of
distilling alcohol (the actual still spirits still is designed
primarily as a water purifier), and by the time they had realised,
like in New Zealand, every man and his dog had one. They decided that
discretion was the better part of valour, and not to enforce the
requirements for registration and duty payment for people home
distilling. Judging from most peoples reactions, when I mention I home
distill, their centuries long campaign of FUD has permeated the
publics mind, so it will probably remain a minority pursuit.

The basic still spirits still is a pot still - the most basic form. It
is less effective at isolating the ethanol from the higher fusels, but
the result is certain very palatable, as long as you follow all
instructions *precisely*. If you want to start making purer stuff,
you'd need to look into reflux stills, which is where copper tubing
and the likes starts to play a part.

On 21/12/2010 21:19, Spamlet wrote:

"john robinson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil some ginger beer.


A problem with distilling is that if 'successfully' done, one ends up
with alcohol and no flavour, so you would not get ginger spirit from
your still. The flavour in gin is added afterwards, and that in whisky
comes from the barrels it is aged in. That said, there was a Food
Programme, on Aqua Vitaes, which described the vast quantities of fruit
required to get real fruit flavoured spirits, and I don't quite see how
that works.

On the other hand, if you ever make sloe gin - ie with gin that the tax
has already been paid on - you may want to recover some of the spirit
that remains in the fruit after you have decanted the bulk of the
liquid. I was surprised at how much I had been throwing out with the
fruit.

I rub them through a metal sieve to get the stones out and have them
with a dollop of cream.
Looks like it was a good year for sloes but I just didn't get round to
picking them. Waited for a hard frost and then got overtaken by events.

Got a fair bit back by using 2 big 'champagne' bottles, a cork
and a length of flexible plastic tube. Tubed and sealed the first bottle
with fruit in, and then heated it in a saucepan of boiling water. The
tube trails down into a second bottle, on the floor, cooled with ice.
You have to get a good seal, and take care not to melt the tube if you
are on gas.

S

On 2010-12-21, Phil L wrote:

john robinson wrote:
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil some ginger beer.

I've heard that _The Alaskan Bootlegger's Bible_ is good.


Go to your local home brewing store - I went past mine today and had a look
in, they had a sign in the window which read 'distill your own spirits' and
underneath this sign was a stainless steel contraption, but I was in the car
and didn't really have time to investigate further, but i doubt it is
illegal as they had lots of these things in boxes in the window, and part of
the name was 'still' - it's obviously intended for distilling and must be
legal - this shop's on the main road through the town centre.

I think they're sold for purifying water. Similarly, I've seen signs
in shop windows that say "These products are sold for tobacco use
only." ;-)


--
Do you know what they do to book thieves up at Santa Rita?
http://www.shigabooks.com/indeces/bookhunter.html

wrote:
Western expats at Saudi Aramco published a how-to manual on home
distillation "The Blue Flame"

It's easy to make bad spirits.


http://www.expats.org.uk/features/al...blueflame.html

Thank you for sharing this. I found it fascinating in more ways than
the technical details for building a still.

If you believe the document, it's pretty easy to make good spirits, too.

In message , john robinson
writes
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to distil
some ginger beer.


Have you any Irish contacts who could advise on the making of poteen?
I've drunk a bit a couple of times, and it's interesting to say the
least.
--
Peter

Ying tong iddle-i po!

"Spamlet" schrieb :

snip
A problem with distilling is that if 'successfully' done, one ends up with
alcohol and no flavour,

No. It depends on what you distill.
Pure alcohol is double distillation.

so you would not get ginger spirit from your still. The flavour in gin is
added afterwards, and that in whisky comes from the barrels it is aged in.
That said, there was a Food Programme, on Aqua Vitaes, which described the
vast quantities of fruit required to get real fruit flavoured spirits, and
I don't quite see how that works.

It works by letting the mash rest for some months.
We did the last of mashing in November; in April we'll distill the mash.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

On Dec 21, 4:44*pm, Andy Dingley wrote:
On Dec 21, 7:09*pm, "newshound" wrote:

Not so long ago you could buy small stills in France in places like Gamme
Verte (Countrywide)

Every time I've seen a still for sale, I could buy a lifetime's supply
for the same price.

Except in Jugoslavia(sic). *There it's a little bloke with a handcart
wheeling around something built by his great grandfather. You give him
firewood and a tithe of the end results, he distills your home-brew
for you.

In France are les bouilleurs de cru, who operate similarly to the
handcart man. Historically they could distill up to ten liters of
alcohol tax-free, per year, from their own fruit, but supposedly they
will distill yours as well for a tithe.

On Dec 21, 9:21*pm, "dennis@home"
wrote:
"Bob Eager" wrote in message

...



On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:46:28 +0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"john robinson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? *My friend is thinking of trying to
distil
some ginger beer.

HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your friend
to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay were a
licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

And no doubt dennis would report you...it's what he does.

Is he intimidating someone else by doing it?
Is it actually illegal? I don't think it is. It depends on what he does with
it.

Would I report someone for ignoring part P, no.
would I report someone charging for a job that needs part P, probably.

If you think there's something wrong in paying someone to do a job
that needs part P, and it's beyond your DIY skills, how do you propose
to get the job done?

MBQ

"Paul Arthur" wrote in message
om...
On 2010-12-21, Spamlet wrote:

"john robinson" wrote in message
...

Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil some ginger beer.

A problem with distilling is that if 'successfully' done, one ends
up with alcohol and no flavour, so you would not get ginger spirit
from your still. The flavour in gin is added afterwards, and that in
whisky comes from the barrels it is aged in.

Sorry, that's just wrong. Raw whisky has plenty of flavour; some of
the flavours come from the barrel, but others (like the peatiness in
some Scotch) is there from the get-go. You only get no flavour if you
distill it several times (a column still does this internally, while
with a pot still you would have to do multiple runs).

Which is what I meant by distilling *properly*. As a chemist I would have
equipment that generally separated the individual fractions quite well by
their boiling points. In practice, I would throw out the first fractions as
likely to contain methanol, even if this meant throwing out some of the
flavour compounds. The stillers for booze must all have their own
techniques for keeping a mixture of flavour compounds in the distilled
product (Keeping everything that distills over between a range of
temperatures, instead of just at the boiling point of alcohol), but to a
chemist these would all be ways of producing impure alcohol. And even the
best stills don't prevent the water that is bound up with the ethanol
molecule distilling over, so that to get pure alcohol extensive drying
processes have to be carried out.

As a long time home wine maker and lab tech, I did test the alcohol content
of some of my wines chromatographically. They can exceed 20% so, in many
ways, no point in distilling, but when I did try, I decided it was easier in
the long run to buy gin or vodka and add fruit to it, rather than distill
from a fruit ferment and try to keep the flavour.

S


As for gin...gin is made in several ways. "The flavour is added
afterwards" is a good description of compounding, which is the least
popular. London gin is the most popular type of gin and is required by
law to be produced in a more traditional manner, where the flavour is
added before the final distillation.

--
You mean you didn't *know* she was off making lots of little phone
companies?

dennis@home wrote:
"Bob Eager" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:46:28 +0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

"john robinson" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil some ginger beer.



HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

And no doubt dennis would report you...it's what he does.

Is he intimidating someone else by doing it?
Is it actually illegal? I don't think it is. It depends on what he
does with it.

Would I report someone for ignoring part P, no.
would I report someone charging for a job that needs part P, probably.

It depends on how it affects others and who the victim is.

In the case under discussion "how it affects others" - you hoped it would
damage my ability to earn a living & feed my family. The "victim" in this
case was a woman deliberately trying to avoid payment.


You grassing spineless little ****.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

I tasted more bad spirits in Saudi Arabia than good ones. Distilling
on the sly, in a hurry to get results, is not conducive to quality.

if you read their recipe for beer at end of document, it is pretty
vile stuff. Another home brewed beer was made by dumping sugar and
yeast into non-alcohol beer, fermenting for 1 week, and drinking the
turbid slop.


http://www.expats.org.uk/features/al...blueflame.html

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember John Rumm
saying something like:

To be fair, they would be particularly interested if you were selling
the stuff, but in all liklihood far less so if just doing it for
personal consumption.

Several years ago, someone posted up here an interesting link to a C&E
page where it laid down the quantities you could legally distill for
personal use in the UK.
Fubberd if I can find any sign of it.
Iirc, you can do some, but it's not a lot and most certainly not for
sale.

On 21/12/2010 21:19, Spamlet wrote:


The flavour in gin is added afterwards

Not according to "Oz and Hugh Raise the Bar" on the Beeb earlier this
week - see
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...Bar_Episode_1/

about 48 minutes in.

--
Reentrant

On Dec 22, 7:47*am, "Michael Kuettner"
wrote:
"Spamlet" schrieb :



snip
A problem with distilling is that if 'successfully' done, one ends up with
alcohol and no flavour,

No. It depends on what you distill.
Pure alcohol is double distillation.

so you would not get ginger spirit from your still. The flavour in gin is
added afterwards, and that in whisky comes from the barrels it is aged in.
That said, there was a Food Programme, on Aqua Vitaes, which described the
vast quantities of fruit required to get real fruit flavoured spirits, and
I don't quite see how that works.

It works by letting the mash rest for some months.
We did the last of mashing in November; in April we'll distill the mash.


How much fruit for how much liquor?

What fruit did you use? Apples, plums, grapes?

"Steve Bonine" wrote in message
...
wrote:
Western expats at Saudi Aramco published a how-to manual on home
distillation "The Blue Flame"

It's easy to make bad spirits.


http://www.expats.org.uk/features/al...blueflame.html

Thank you for sharing this. I found it fascinating in more ways than the
technical details for building a still.

If you believe the document, it's pretty easy to make good spirits, too.

Yes, I know, I think that is great. I really like it

"spamtrap1888" schrieb :

How much fruit for how much liquor?

Depends on the sugar content of the mash.
Can be anywhere from 15 to 40 liters of mash for one liter of Schnaps.

What fruit did you use? Apples, plums, grapes?

Apples and pears.
It's not a good idea to mix stone-fruit (like plums) with seeded
fruit (like apples). Somehow the result doesn't turn out well.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

Try freeze distilling for a start to save outlay. Alcohol doesn't freeze,
water does ;-) Just scoop the ice out and (eventually) enjoy the rest.

Instead of ginger beer, try making ginger wine with a high alcohol wine
yeast like chanpagne yeast, water, ginger and sugar. That will get you to
18%. I did this years ago with about 2kg of ginger root minced up into a
25litre batch. Put the result into P.E.T bottle into the freezer. After a
few days, take them out and give a good shake. Squeeze the "toothpaste" out
and suck the "goodness" for a fairly good hit. Must have been a good 30% or
more. If you like ginger then you'll love this!

:-)

"Adam Funk" wrote in message
...
On 2010-12-21, Phil L wrote:

john robinson wrote:
Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil some ginger beer.

I've heard that _The Alaskan Bootlegger's Bible_ is good.


Go to your local home brewing store - I went past mine today and had a
look
in, they had a sign in the window which read 'distill your own spirits'
and
underneath this sign was a stainless steel contraption, but I was in the
car
and didn't really have time to investigate further, but i doubt it is
illegal as they had lots of these things in boxes in the window, and part
of
the name was 'still' - it's obviously intended for distilling and must be
legal - this shop's on the main road through the town centre.

I think they're sold for purifying water. Similarly, I've seen signs
in shop windows that say "These products are sold for tobacco use
only." ;-)


--
Do you know what they do to book thieves up at Santa Rita?
http://www.shigabooks.com/indeces/bookhunter.html

In article , a wrote:
Try freeze distilling for a start to save outlay. Alcohol doesn't freeze,
water does ;-) Just scoop the ice out and (eventually) enjoy the rest.

I would agree.

Part of the issue with ginger beer is that the stuff that makes ginger
aromatic is somewhat more volatile than alcohol, and it's going to come
out in the heads. If you run ginger beer (or a higher proof ginger wine)
through a pot still, most of the actual ginger flavour is going to disappear
completely.

Freeze distillation removes water, leaving behind the lighter fractions,
and consequently leaves behind a lot more of the flavour of the original
mash. Unfortunately it can leave behind undesirable flavours as well, and
the stuff that causes headaches. But it is much more apt to result in an
interesting product given ginger beer to begin with.

If you really want to start distilling, there are a number of homemade pot
still options including the classic Kenmore water distiller. They all have
various advantages and disadvantages depending on what you are trying to
distill and whether you need more diffuse heating to prevent pectins from
burning or whether you can live just with an immersion heating element.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Jan 1, 8:08*am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
In article , a wrote:
Try freeze distilling for a start to save outlay. Alcohol doesn't freeze,
water does ;-) Just scoop the ice out and (eventually) enjoy the rest.

I would agree.

Part of the issue with ginger beer is that the stuff that makes ginger
aromatic is somewhat more volatile than alcohol, and it's going to come
out in the heads. *If you run ginger beer (or a higher proof ginger wine)
through a pot still, most of the actual ginger flavour is going to disappear
completely.

Freeze distillation removes water, leaving behind the lighter fractions,
and consequently leaves behind a lot more of the flavour of the original
mash. *Unfortunately it can leave behind undesirable flavours as well, and
the stuff that causes headaches. *But it is much more apt to result in an
interesting product given ginger beer to begin with.

If you really want to start distilling, there are a number of homemade pot
still options including the classic Kenmore water distiller. *They all have
various advantages and disadvantages depending on what you are trying to
distill and whether you need more diffuse heating to prevent pectins from
burning or whether you can live just with an immersion heating element.

All true, but I expect that there are plenty of folks out there who
don't even want to see the word beer today,

--scott


--Bryan