You don't need yards of copper pipe to make liquor. Julia Nolan, a chemical engineer, shows us how to distill alcohol the easy way.
Julia Nolan, an honest to goodness Chemical Engineer, joins us on this week's episode of Systm with an easy way to distill hard liquor.
Instead of building (or buying) a complicated still, made of copper and welded together, Julia has a super simple hack for a a standard countertop water distiller.
The end result? We distill some pretty powerful hooch from a batch of hard cider... made from apple juice concentrate! (You'll need a food grade bucket along with brewer's yeast to make the cider. (It's all about -not- making vinegar!)
Julia also walks us thru how she made the cider, where the alcohol comes from, how fermentation work and distillation work, and why you'll want to blend what you capture from the distiller.
And, yes, she talks about why you're not going to blind yourself on this project... and we remind you that distilling Alcohol isn't legal for US residents without the proper permit... tho DIY distilling, or, for the foodies,
'White Collar Moonshine' is growing in popularity in the US.
We'd like to thank Julia for taking time out of her busy schedule to join us with this project!
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Posted by scott88008 on 06/30/2008 at 06:13:23 am in Systm
Great episode! In formative, entertaining and I really admire Julia's mind. Yes, her mind is just awesome! I just can't stop thinking about her mind. They're.... I mean.... it's so beautiful! Her mind, that is.
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Posted by partner55786114 on 06/08/2008 at 12:28:44 am in Systm
Just out of curiosity, couldn't you just get a food grade container or a glass container and toss in water+yeast+sugar and get alcohol?
That would probably be a quick and easy way to make it, especially if you plan to distill it later and concentrate the ethanol.
And even if you don't plan to distill it, you have essentially made a low alcohol vodka right? No need to mash up fruits and what not to create it!
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Posted by brakk on 06/04/2008 at 08:42:21 am in Systm
For anyone interested in learning to brew beer (or cider, mead, wine, etc), which is the first step if you are going to be distilling, I recommend these sites.
*link*
*link*
It's easier than you think to make good beer.
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Posted by davmoo on 05/31/2008 at 08:30:04 pm in Systm
Excellent episode (which I just got around to watching).
To chime in with some of the others, around here in both wine making and beer making circles its called an "air lock" (usually wine makers, and I'm in this group) or "fermentation lock" (usually beer makers). If you call it a bubbler or anything else, you will be looked upon with laughter and amusement, followed by mild annoyance.
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Posted by monkee13 on 05/29/2008 at 11:50:48 am in Systm
"
Two things to say, he mentioned his sobriety in this episode (BTW: congrats and stay strong) and notice he never tasted and didn't even like to smell it. Also who else would host it Dave is gone now (we miss you Dave).
Great show and I love the non-computer based techie episodes.
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Posted by psi3000 on 05/27/2008 at 05:01:44 pm in Systm
I have just received one of these units from the big A.com (you should know where that is). The host said that you could smell the vapors of the alcohol, therefor making it a safety hazzard if some source of fire or spark where to arrive. If you will notice when the chemist takes the top apart to show you how to remove the filter, there is a hole in the silver tubbing where the cooling fans end. If you take your hot solder gun and scrap away the anti solder layer (there will be a different shade of silver under it) and put some "LEAD FREE" I used silver solder but regular solder should work fine, this will solve this problem. Not only will this solve a safety concern it will make the process a whole lot more efficient by converting all the alcoholic vapor to a liquid without having most of it escape through this hole. I believe this hole is there specifically for the purpose of classifying this distiller as a distiller and not a still.
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Posted by masherscf on 05/26/2008 at 05:15:29 pm in Systm
I've been a home brewer for years. I'd like to point out that cane sugar is mostly sucrose and that is a disaccharide. Disaccharides can do some funky things when they ferment. Corn sugar is mostly glucose and ferments into a much more palatable product. All those Busch drinkers can't be wrong.
Now, if cane sugar is all you have. There is an easy process to convert it. It is sometimes called inverted sugar or candy sugar. Anyone familiar with rock candy will know about it.
Now, the thing in the top of the fermenter is called a "fermentation lock." The rubber stopper that it sits in is called a "bung" not a "bong."
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Posted by deviationer on 05/26/2008 at 04:48:33 pm in Systm
Anyone else find it a little odd that patrick would host this episode, when in the past (on DL.TV) he said many of times that he is a recovering alcoholic?
Anyways, it was an interesting episode with a beautiful women.
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Posted by dalesd on 05/24/2008 at 08:12:55 pm in Systm
Great show.
Moar Julia, please.
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Posted by jax1492 on 05/24/2008 at 08:36:14 am in Systm
great episode, im glad systm is back to 30 minute shows. Julia was a great guest please have her back.
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