hist-brewing: Re: distillation

[OudBruin at aol.com]

Home distilatation is a topic near and dear to my heart, several years ago I 
made some peach spirits, used an electric hot plate, and a big pressure cooker 
with a big condensation coil(i used 20 or 30 feet of food grade plastic host 
in an ice bath-it worked!)
the key to making good spirit verses bad spirit is to "lose" the 
bigger(fusal& methyl) alcohols which have a higher boiling point. you want to not go over 
173 degrees.
 i have also had a flertation with vacume distilatation, which is too complex 
for joe shmoe-the results are good but with "BIG Brother" watching every 
purchase of of stuff you can have fun with - you pay your money and you take your 
risk..(remember that is also the stuff bombs and drugs are made with) when the 
black helmeted, jack booted thugs that work for BATF or some other Agency 
kick down your door.. don't cry to me.
My recomendation is to go LOW TECH - BIG BROTHER is less apt to watch you 
buying a 32 quart canning pressure cooker from the local hardware store, than he 
is if you buy a glass distillatation unit from edmond scientific.
also recomend a filter thru a carbon filtre.
Lastly, the FEDS are down on folks making spirits, that is one of the main 
purposes of the BATF- those guys don't screw around-remember that little 
farmhouse in Branch Texas??
In my home state, it is illegal to own a still. big fine, jail time, the 
whole nine yards...
---
before you decide to distill, even a pint, it wont hurt to check your local 
laws quietly!
than if you decide to do it- make sure you have adequate venting and your 
neighbors won't smell your mash...
GOOD LUCK (and the devil's awa the exciseman)
Bruce