The right moonshine with your own hands. We make moonshine with our own hands at home

The quality of alcoholic beverages sold in stores is significantly declining every year, while their cost is steadily increasing. On the other hand, the people have been practicing the method of self-production of a high-quality alcoholic product - moonshine for a long time.

To make this drink, it is necessary to follow a certain technology, which requires, in addition to the use of natural ingredients, the presence of a special apparatus. Its various variations can be purchased in stores, on the market, but for maximum confidence in its reliability, it is better to approach the matter with all responsibility and do it yourself.

How and why to make a personal moonshine

Good moonshine has always been very much appreciated by both the common people and people who understand this matter. Most, after they try real home-made moonshine, will no longer look in the direction of vodka and cognac sold in stores.

High-quality moonshine usually has a high degree of purity from harmful impurities, is soft to drink, transparent and has a minimal effect on the state of internal organs. Given all these positive qualities, many lovers of good alcohol have a question: “Why not make it yourself?”.

The scheme of the moonshine still is very simple and is no different from a laboratory distiller

This requires the manufacture of a device for moonshine at home. The advantages of this approach include the following points:

What is the moonshine made of?

A home-made and store-bought design for a moonshine race will always have one thing in common - a device diagram.

The structure of these devices includes the following elements:

container for heated mash or other raw materials containing alcohol;
a coil, or as it is also called by the people "refrigerator", necessary for the process of condensation of the formed alcohol vapors;
connecting hoses and other elements designed to connect the structural components of the system.

More advanced designs are equipped with a variety of devices - dry steamers (reflux condensers), bubblers, coal or wood filters

Connecting elements

The materials used to connect the constituent components of the apparatus play a very important role in the process of producing moonshine. When selecting unsuccessful tubes, a change in color, smell, and taste of the resulting liquid is possible.

Distillation cube at home

For the manufacture of such an important component of a moonshine as a distillation cube, you will need a large container of a reliable non-oxidizing substance. In this regard, it is best to use a food can, its volume can be up to forty liters.

This will allow you to engage in moonshine much less often and at the same time receive the required amount of moonshine up to twenty liters. In an apartment, it is possible to use even a ten-liter pan as a cube.

Coil

It is popularly called a refrigerator, as this part cools the vapors containing alcohol and condenses it into a liquid collected at the outlet. Outwardly, this part is a tube made of various materials that conduct heat well, twisted into a spiral and immersed in a container with cold (ideally running) water.

Most often it is made of copper, stainless steel or even glass. The choice of a suitable material is based on material possibilities and desire, it is only important that rubber and other non-metallic products are not used for this purpose, as they are actively destroyed in an aggressive environment due to hot alcohol vapor and significantly degrade the quality of the product.

Sukhoparnik

This simple device is the final step in obtaining the highest quality moonshine, free from any harmful additives and having crystal transparency. The most common cause of morning headache after drinking large amounts of home or factory-made alcohol is the presence of fusel oils.

In fact, it is not so difficult, it is enough to decide on the desired type of apparatus and the quality of the resulting alcohol. First of all, the moonshine should consist of a tank for heating the mash and a coil. And then - a matter of technique and patience. Also, to improve the taste of an alcoholic product, a steamer is added to the design of moonshine stills. Moreover, there are simplified versions of the moonshine still, without the use of a coil, the simplest example is the pan apparatus. Therefore, how to make a moonshine still depends on your preferences, free time and the availability of the necessary materials.

We bring to your attention to consider an example of making moonshine from jam, which will have a pleasant taste, and we will simply make it.

Preparation of mash for moonshine

How to make moonshine from jam, proportions:

Thirty liters of water;
Six liters of jam (any);
Pressed yeast - 300 grams;
Three kilos of sugar.

We heat the water to a temperature of 30 degrees;
Add jam to the water, and stir until smooth;
We breed yeast, as indicated on the manufacturer's packaging and add to future mash;
Pour sugar and mix;
We install a water seal in the form of a medical glove with a hole on the finger on the container with the mash, and put the mash in a dark place with a temperature of 18 to 25 degrees for three to eight days. The readiness of the mash will be clear by a clarified appearance, a bitter taste and the cessation of bubbling with a water seal.
Already prepared mash must be drained from the sediment and distilled through any type of moonshine still. At the output, you will get 40 degrees itself with a hint of the fruit from which the jam is made.

Save time and money - this is a home-brewed still

Many firms and companies, today, can offer you a varied number of moonshine stills, which are not very cheap, but perform all the same functions as a home-made moonshine still. You don't have to spend a lot of money, all you need is patience and some materials.

Homemade moonshine, the easiest way to make from a saucepan.

To do this, we will need the following tools and accessories:

Saucepan and lid;
A piece of plastic plumbing type pipe - 45 millimeters;
Two meters of aluminum or copper tube to make a coil;
Two fittings with hoses;
Half inch plumbing coupler and nut;
Pharmacy dropper;
A piece of rolled aluminum;
Fluoroplastic tape;
Several anchors with nuts, tin from a beer can.
A jar with a tightly screwed lid;
Packing of epoxy glue and cyanoacrylate type super glue;

All the necessary things can be bought on the market or just found in the garage. This moonshine still will make the manufacture of moonshine at home simple, high-quality and fairly fast.

How to make a moonshine from improvised materials

To make almost every person who is interested in obtaining a high-quality and full-fledged home-made alcoholic drink.

The easiest way to make a moonshine is to create a design from two different diameters and a pan.

Instructions for use:

It is necessary to pour the mash into the distillation cube, fix a plate on top of it, a large diameter plate with chilled water is placed on the cube, due to boiling, the vapors accumulate at the top and drain to the bottom plate. But the quality of the production of such moonshine is much to be desired. Moonshine from the resulting apparatus is rather unpleasant in taste and smell. You can make a moonshine still with your own hands and other options that will produce moonshine of a better quality. For example, an apparatus that consists of a distillation cube and a refrigerator. The resulting moonshine must be filtered twice and distilled twice to be ready for use.

The next type of home-made moonshine is the moonshine that is made from a pressure cooker. Such a mechanism should have a pressure cooker, an outlet, a copper tube, an outlet hose, a discharge of excess water, a water supply, and a connection to a water supply tap.

Such a device has a rather aesthetic appearance and a convenient location in the apartment. Moonshine is prepared by pouring mash into a pressure cooker, then it is necessary to close the lid tightly and after half an hour observe the first accumulations of alcohols in the tube, the vapors pass through the copper tube, are cooled with water and the alcohol drips into the vessel. At the output, you get moonshine with an exposure of forty degrees. Following from the above, you can easily make a moonshine with your own hands.

Before you get acquainted with the principles of making moonshine stills with your own hands, decide which product you need. If you want to get an inexpensive and fast product at the lowest price, then you can construct an apparatus from improvised means, but moonshine of this kind will be mildly said “scorched”. In the case of your desire to produce a high-quality, clean and soft product, you will have to spend a little of your time and a small amount of money. Moonshine stills and their manufacture have a wide range of varieties, it all depends on the ingenuity and desire to try your product of an alcoholic product.

In the case of a small amount of time and money, we bring to your attention how to make the simplest moonshine still with your own hands. For the construction of such an apparatus, we need a copper tube 1 meter long and 9 millimeters in diameter, electrical tape and a watering can (for the coil), a three-liter jar, a coffee jar.

Next, with the help of a three-liter jar and a coffee jar, we form our apparatus directly, which will produce you moonshine, not of high, but of safe quality. This design contains the simplest moonshine device.

Homemade alcohol obtained through a moonshine still

Making a moonshine still with your own hands is a rather sensitive issue, since the process of making the machine depends directly on obtaining the desired product, which must match the quality and taste of the desired alcohol. First of all, making a moonshine with your own hands is a fairly economical way to get alcohol, which can differ significantly from the purchased one. With the help of moonshine stills, you can make both moonshine and cognac, brandy or whiskey.

In this article, you are given the main ways to design a home-made moonshine still, saving a significant amount of money, time and nerves.

As it turned out, the moonshine department is very popular among subscribers. And if earlier the topics concerned mainly individual parts, today we will tell you how to make the simplest moonshine still with your own hands.

To begin with, it is worth deciding that moonshine is the production of alcohol by distilling mash at home. Alcohol is always obtained using the same technology, regardless of the scale - for home production or industrial production. Starch- or sugar-containing raw materials are made, where water and yeast are added. In the process of fermentation, the so-called. an artificial world where unicellular fungi live. The result of their vital activity is ethyl, methyl, propyl and other alcohols with the addition of aldehydes and acetone.

Since all products, except ethyl alcohol, are harmful to humans, the task of home brewing is to obtain pure ethyl alcohol in a non-lethal concentration. For these purposes, rectification is carried out, that is, the separation of the product into several fractions. You can purchase or, but it is much easier and faster to make the simplest moonshine still.

The simplest moonshine still

In order to make such a design, you will need only 2 plates of larger and smaller diameters (in Fig. 2 and 4) and a saucepan (in Fig. 3).

This construction works as follows. Braga is poured into a saucepan. A plate of smaller diameter is placed on top of the spacers so that it does not sink into the boiling mash. A large plate is placed on the pan, where cold water is poured.

During the boiling process, alcohol vapors are released and settle on a small plate. As a result, you get the minimum amount of moonshine (out of 1 liter of mash, no more than 80 ml) with a high concentration of fusel oils. To be honest, such moonshine is not something that is taken inside, but even used externally is dangerous. This method was very popular in the Soviet Union during the Prohibition period. It is clear that the number of poisonings with such a surrogate was approaching the absolute majority, from where, in fact, the belief that moonshine is pure poison came from.

In this case, it is not moonshine that is dangerous to health, but the concentration of hazardous substances - fusel oils, acetone and aldehydes. Only double and even triple distillation can produce a product that is pure and safe for life and health.

We have provided this information only to describe pre-existing methods. We do not recommend making such an apparatus at home - you will not be able to drink, and the smell in the apartment will linger for at least a week.

How to make a simple moonshine still

In this case, the design includes a distillation cube and a refrigerator. This is also a simple option, but it allows you to get a quality drink.

Always distill the distillate at least 2 times and use a steamer. So you get rid of harmful fusel oils as much as possible. After cleaning with coal is necessary.

alembic

For this, any enameled or stainless steel container with a tight lid is suitable. The latter should close so tightly that it is not knocked out by excess pressure from the inside.

The second prerequisite is the presence of an outlet pipe through which the steam that has not yet been divided into fractions will move. For this purpose, a through hole is made in the lid and a fitting is screwed in.

The third condition - tightness - follows smoothly from the first. If you ensure that the lid is securely fastened to the cube, the tightness will be ensured. Someone covers the lid with dough, others use silicone gaskets. We recommend using pressure cookers. The price of the simplest model is 1500-2000 rubles. If you plan to brew moonshine more than once, it makes sense to buy it.

However, the pressure cooker has one serious drawback - its volume. The maximum that we met on sale is designed for 6 liters, therefore, pour 4.5 liters of mash (no more than 2/3 of the volume). This is at the output a little less than a liter of moonshine. It will be small, but for home use it is enough.

If this volume does not suit you, buy a special distillation cube with a capacity of 10 liters or more. The average price is 3200-4000 rubles.

An affordable and suitable size distillation cube will be a milk can with a tightly screwed lid. It will really need to be smeared with dough after you pour the mash, but this is even a plus - the house will smell not of sivukha, but of fresh pastries.

How to make an alembic in just half an hour - video

Fridge

The refrigerator in the moonshine is divided into 2 main types depending on the method of water supply:

jellied (accumulative);
flowing.

The first option is very, very bad in terms of getting moonshine. Such a refrigerator can only be used if there are big problems with water in the house. The principle of operation of such a refrigerator is based on the inlet of cold water immediately and its replacement in the process of moonshine.

What's wrong with this refrigerator? The fact that the water is still heated, even if you change it often enough. The warmer the water, the slower the separation into fractions, the less, respectively, you will get the finished product.

The flow refrigerator is connected to the water supply and all the time while cooking is in progress, the water passes through it, physically not having time to heat up to a critical limit.

A jellied refrigerator can only be used when there is no real possibility to connect the water supply.

Coil

A mandatory element of any refrigerator is a coil - a glass, copper or stainless steel spiral tube through which alcohol-containing vapors move from the distillation to the receiving tank, simultaneously being divided into vapor and liquid fractions.

Some moonshiners prefer to use laboratory coils made of glass. Let's say right away that our kitchen is far from being a laboratory, and people here walk around unprepared for such almost sterile conditions. And glass things tend to break. It is best to use a copper coil, which has a high degree of heat transfer, is safe to use and costs literally a penny.

A refrigerator with a copper coil includes the following mandatory elements:

water container;
coil with 2 fittings - vapor inlet and moonshine outlet;
2 fittings for the inlet / outlet of running water for cooling.

The photo shows examples of the simplest and therefore most effective refrigerators.

In the video you can see how to make the simplest refrigerator based on a corrugated gas flexible pipe. Just 1 hour and you can start working.

final assembly

Actually, on this, the manufacture of the moonshine still is almost over. It remains only to put together all the component parts.

For connection it is necessary to use only (!!!) silicone hoses. It is forbidden to use PVC hoses when distilling alcohol, this is very, very dangerous.

In order to distinguish silicone hose from PVC, it can be set on fire. When burning, there will be no smell. At the same time, the hose itself is pleasant to the touch.

Sukhoparnik

No matter what anyone says about the need or uselessness of this part, we insist that the product should be as pure as possible. Not like rectified alcohol, it really is practically a poison, but such that in the morning you clearly remember the events of last evening.

The sukhoparnik is used to separate fusel oils from alcohol-containing steam and to prevent the ingress of mash residues into the finished product.

You can purchase a ready-made steamer, which will cost 1800-2200 rubles, or make it from an ordinary can.

Take a jar - 1- or 2-liter with a screw cap. In the cover, make holes for two fittings inlet and outlet.

Connect two hoses to the fittings - one goes from the distillation cube, the other goes to the refrigerator.

It is best to make a dry steamer from stainless steel and provide for draining fusel oils. When distilling a large amount of mash, the latter begin to move, negatively affecting the taste of the final product.

Now the simplest moonshine still is ready!

For those who still have questions - video instructions from experienced moonshiners

Although there are many home distillers of different price categories on the market, experienced moonshiners prefer to make equipment on their own or place an order with trusted craftsmen according to their own drawings and diagrams.

The advantage of this approach is not only cost savings. Often, a self-made moonshine still is more reliable and practical than most store models with incomprehensible elements that contradict the laws of physics, installed only to attract a buyer and raise the price. Next, we will consider the classic design of a moonshine still (distiller), which has no equal in simplicity and efficiency.

Scheme of operation of a moonshine still with a steamer

Connecting elements

Intermediates play an important role. With the wrong choice of pipes or sealant, moonshine turns out to be cloudy, with a nasty aftertaste, foul-smelling and even dangerous to health. Therefore, we will begin our consideration of the design with the connecting elements.

It is not necessary to “tightly” weld all the tubes together, this simplifies the assembly and disassembly of the device, but causes a lot of problems during cleaning.

As a transport system, metal tubes made of stainless steel, aluminum or copper are most often used, as well as food or medical silicone hoses inert to alcohol. In terms of economy, safety, ease of maintenance and operation, food grade stainless steel tubes are the best option.

It is important to be able to distinguish silicone hoses from those made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride saturates alcohol with toxic substances when in contact with hot steam). PVC burns with a lot of smoke and an unpleasant odor. Silicone does not smoke when burned, leaving a subtle smell and light ash. Silicone tubing is much softer to the touch than PVC and costs about twice as much.

Left - silicone, right - PVC

For branching turns, transition from one diameter to another and connecting different parts in metal pipelines, fittings and fittings are used, which can be found in plumbing stores or in construction markets. Fittings made of brass, bronze and stainless steel (the best option) for heating systems that can withstand high temperature and pressure are suitable for the manufacture of a moonshine still. For sealing purposes, the use of heat-resistant glue and cold welding is allowed, the main thing is to avoid rubber gaskets.

Also, to seal the tubes, you can use organic matter - the usual dough, which does not affect the distillate. There are two drawbacks: a lot of time is spent on kneading and sealing joints, and after distillation, the dried dough has to be scraped off.

Sealing with dough - touching the ancient traditions, followed by scraping 🙂

The assembled moonshine must be airtight. If steam seeps through the tubes, it is best to stop the distillation, let the equipment cool down, repair the breakdown, and only then continue the distillation. Depressurization is not only dangerous as a fire, but also leads to significant losses of moonshine (10-70%).

alembic

It is a container in which the mash boils during the heating process. Parameters:

1. Material. Aluminum - most often found in "Soviet" moonshine stills due to the wide distribution of aluminum milk cans. Aluminum partially reacts with acids and alcohol in mash, therefore, with frequent use, aluminum stills (especially old ones) become unusable after six months - a leak appears.

Enamelware is neutral to acids and alcohols. With proper use (no bumps or scratches to the enamel), it can last 3-5 years even with regular use.

Food-grade stainless steel is the best and most reliable option, but stainless steel cubes are expensive, often under their guise they sell ordinary galvanized or nickel-plated steel, which is not so durable.

Copper cubes are also suitable, however, in most cases this is an unreasonably expensive solution, especially for beginner moonshiners.

2. Volume and dimensions. The volume of the distillation cube depends on the needs of the moonshiner, the best option for home use is 25-35 liters.

Attention! For safety reasons, the distillation cube can be filled with mash up to a maximum of 80% of the volume, consider this when choosing a container. It is also very important that the lid is removable and that the neck width is large enough for comfortable cleaning of the container after distillation.

The volume of the cube is calculated based on the needs of the finished product. For example, in a container of 30 liters in one distillation, you can get up to 2.88 liters of pure alcohol (or 7.2 liters of moonshine with a strength of 40%). The maximum load of mash is 24 liters (30 * 0.8 = 24). The average strength of a properly made mash is 12%. The amount of distillate at the exit is 24 * 0.12 = 2.88 (in terms of absolute alcohol with a strength of 100%). In practice, there will always be a loss of moonshine of 8-15%.

We should not forget about the dimensions. The alembic should at least fit on a stove or other heating element, be stable and not block the access to the entire apparatus. This is the basis of safety engineering.

3. Choosing the right container. Often, in home moonshine stills, containers are used that were originally intended for other needs: milk cans, pressure cookers or capacious enamel pots.

The cube must be reliable - it will expand when heated, withstand high temperature and pressure (180-220 Pa). Homemade welded containers are very dangerous, as there is a risk that the weld will burst at the most inopportune moment.

A significant drawback of pressure cooker cubes is their small volume, but these containers are initially sealed. The only modification required is to drill a hole in the lid for the steam outlet tube. described in a separate article.

In a pressure cooker, you can’t overtake a lot of mash at a time - the volume of the cube is too small

Enameled pots are convenient in that you can not pour the mash that has won back, but immediately put it for distillation as it is (this is wrong, since the heated sediment increases the amount of harmful impurities in the moonshine, worsens the aroma and taste). The disadvantage of the pan is that it is difficult to seal the lid.

A milk can made of aluminum or stainless steel is the most practical solution. The only drawback of cans that requires mandatory elimination is the rubber gasket on the lid. The fact is that alcohol vapors absorb substances from rubber, this negatively affects the quality, taste and smell of moonshine. Rubber gaskets should be replaced with silicone ones (made from aquarium silicone).

A can with built-in heating elements is cheap and practical. Top two holes for steam and thermometer

How to make a distillation cube of a moonshine still from a can

It is not enough to correctly determine the volume of the container, you also need to prepare the cube for use - drill a hole for steam, seal the lid and connections. Next, we will consider the refinement of the container using the example of an old milk can, but this method of sealing the lid is suitable in other cases.

Can refinement technology:

1. Remove the rubber gasket from the cover.

2. Apply aquarium silicone sealant to the metal edges of the lid and leave to dry completely. Repeat the procedure 2-3 more times.

3. Apply cellophane to the neck of the can and close the lid. Leave for a couple of hours until completely dry. You will get a silicone seal that replaces the rubber gasket.

Result

An alternative, simpler sealing method is to overlap the rubber with several layers of fum tape and boil for 60 minutes in boiling water.

4. Make a hole in the lid of the can for connection with a coil or dry steamer. If the inner diameter of the coil is 12 mm, the suitable hole for the pipe in the can is 22 mm and the thread is 0.5 in. Adapters are sold at plumbing supply stores.

To extend the life of the can, wash the can after each distillation with soap and plenty of running water. The use of soda and other cleaning products is strictly prohibited.

moonshine refrigerator

It consists of two parts - a coil (swirled tube) and a reservoir for cooling this tube. The cooling compartment is the most important element of the whole structure, on the functioning of which the quantity and quality of moonshine depends.

Coil parameters

1. Material. Should not react with alcohol (or have minimal contact), be safe and non-toxic, withstand high temperatures (up to 100°C), and have high thermal conductivity. Based on the requirements, four options are possible: copper, aluminum, stainless steel (food grade) and glass.

Copper has the highest thermal conductivity, another advantage is the relative ease of processing (soldering is possible). But this material has one feature - the copper coil requires periodic cleaning with vinegar or citric acid with boiling water (preferably after each distillation), otherwise the plaque accumulated after oxidation with alcohol will negatively affect the quality of moonshine.

All moonshiners complaining about copper don't clean their machines well. In the world practice of distillation, copper is considered the best or even the only permitted material (France, Scotland) for the manufacture of distillers (alambiques). Light oxidation of copper with alcohol improves taste, as it reduces the amount of impurities with a bad smell, and increases the concentration of substances that make moonshine soft.

The second most thermally conductive material for the coil is aluminum (1.6 times worse than copper). The advantages of aluminum are availability, low cost and ease of processing. But there is also a drawback - minimal oxidation, which, unlike copper, does not release useful substances into moonshine, so aluminum coils are not very common.

In terms of thermal conductivity, food grade stainless steel is 3-4 times inferior to copper. But this material does not react with alcohol and does not oxidize. Another disadvantage, along with low thermal conductivity, is the relative complexity of processing.

It is not possible to make a glass coil at home; without special equipment, it is easier to buy a ready-made laboratory device. Glass is inert to alcohol, but is very brittle and has low thermal conductivity.

Copper serpentine is the best, but requires regular cleaning

2. Dimensions and thickness of the tube. The longer the tube, the greater the area of contact between the steam and the cooling element. But there is also a side effect of a large length - the hydraulic resistance increases (the condensed vapors move through the tube already in a liquid state), which reduces the speed of the haul.

The optimal length of the coil tube (before bending) is 1.5-2 meters.

The larger the inner diameter of the coil (section), the lower the hydraulic resistance and the more efficient the cooling (due to the increase in the area of contact between the steam and the walls). But pipes of very large diameter are bulky, require a lot of water for cooling and are difficult to process, so you have to look for a "golden mean".

The minimum wall thickness increases thermal conductivity, which improves the condensation of alcohol vapors. But too thin tubes are very fragile and, with intensive use of the moonshine still, quickly break.

A suitable coil thickness is 0.9-1.1 mm.

3. Orientation in space. There are three connection options: horizontal, vertical and inclined.

Ceteris paribus, the vertical arrangement of the coil is the most correct, since the condensed moonshine flows into the receiving container by gravity, without creating obstacles to the movement of alcohol vapor. Steam can be fed into the vertical coil from above or below. To minimize resistance, properly direct the steam to the top.

Refrigerator Tank Parameters

1. Substance. At home, the coil is cooled with air, water or ice. The vast majority of designs use water cooling, as the simplest and most efficient.

Air-cooled - nice looking but low efficiency

2. Scheme of heat removal. Systems are open (work on running water) and closed (water remains in the tank without circulating, for example, the coil is lowered into a bucket). In terms of implementation and economy, closed systems are simpler and more profitable, but they cool the coil worse, which increases the loss of moonshine and has a bad effect on quality.

The bucket is a classic example of a closed water cooling circuit.

Flow circuits are more difficult to manufacture, use more water or energy to pump (circulate a steady volume of water to save money), require a smaller tank, and all other things being equal, produce high quality distillate.

From a properly made refrigerator (coil plus water circulation system), moonshine comes out cold or at room temperature, but not warm or hot. At the same time, it is important to choose the optimal heating intensity (not to exceed the maximum allowable heat supply power) so that the entire system can effectively cope with steam condensation.

3. Direction of water supply. It is correct to supply water to the refrigerator from below, and to remove it from above, so that the water moves towards the steam, creating a counterflow, otherwise the lower part of the coil will not cool well.

Production of a refrigerator (cooler)

You will need a copper, aluminum or stainless steel tube with a length of 1.5-2 meters, a diameter of 8-12 mm and a wall thickness of 0.9-1.1 mm. A plastic or metal pipe with a diameter of 75-80 mm is suitable as a tank for installing a coil. A drawing of a moonshine refrigerator is shown in the photo.

Sequencing:

1. Fill the coil tube with sand, soda or other dry, loose material so that the metal does not flatten when curled. If there are no bulk materials at hand, the tube can simply be filled with water and frozen.

2. Hammer the ends with wooden pegs (chops) so that the sand does not spill out. Can be tightly clamped or soldered. It is desirable to weld a nut on one of the ends.

3. Wind the tube around any smooth, cylindrical object with an even section of a suitable diameter (according to the drawing - 35 mm). The pitch between the turns is 12 mm.

The number of turns in the coil is not of fundamental importance, with the values \u200b\u200bof the length, diameter and thickness indicated in the article, it is correct to take a step between the turns of 12 mm.

4. Release the ends of the finished coil. Pour sand, rinse with water under pressure.

5. On the body of the cooler, install branch pipes for supplying and discharging water.

6. Place the coil inside the housing. Install plugs at the top and bottom. Seal all connections.

Complete cooler assembly

The speed of the cooler of this design is up to 3 liters of moonshine per hour.

Sukhoparnik and bubbler

Optional, but desirable (especially for beginners) moonshine still modules.

Sukhoparnik - a sealed glass or metal container between the distillation cube and the refrigerator, entering which the vapors are first cooled, and then some of the substances boil again and move to the coil.

The principle of operation of the dryer. Due to a sharp decrease in pressure (the volumes of the supply pipe and the jar differ hundreds of times), the temperature drops, as a result, the vapor passes into the liquid phase (condenses), but is immediately heated by a new portion of hot steam from the cube, again turning into a gaseous state. But some of the water and fusel oils with a high boiling point do not have time to boil during this short moment of change in the state of aggregation and remain at the bottom of the tank.

Bubbler in moonshine still- a device designed to pass alcohol vapor through a layer of liquid (water). Structurally, it differs from a dry steamer only in the presence of water in the container before the start of distillation (not always), and in the fact that the steam supply tube is lowered into the jar almost to the bottom. The purpose and principle of operation of the bubbler are the same as those of the dry steamer.

Connected dry steamer

Bubbler - the steam supply tube is lowered closer to the bottom, the distillate is flavored with lemon zest

Advantages of a dry steamer (bubbler):

is a protection against splashing - hitting the home brew in the finished moonshine with too much heat;
makes the distillate stronger;
cleans moonshine from some fusel oils (only a small part);
allows you to aromatize alcohol during distillation (it is enough to put citrus fruit zest, apple slices, etc. in a jar).

It is advisable to use one steamer or bubbler in the moonshine still. Sequential installation of 2-6 pieces only leads to an increase in the strength of moonshine, but does not affect cleaning.

If the moonshine is strong at the outlet, for example, even 80-90 degrees, then this does not mean that the drink is well purified, it’s just that water remained in the steamers and (or) bubblers, which should have condensed in the coil, reducing the strength of the distillate. All harmful impurities that can be cleaned with a dry steamer remain in the first can, and in the following cans only water is removed from the moonshine. You should not think that according to the degree of purification, 6-8 dry steamers can replace rectification or fractional distillation, this is physically impossible.

How to make a steamer or bubbler

The capacity of the steamer (bubbler) should be 10 times less than the volume of the distillation cube.

You will need:

a glass jar with a metal lid or other airtight container;
2 fittings;
2 nuts;
marker;
awl;
heat-resistant adhesive or cold welding.

Instruction:

1. Mark the diameter of the holes in the places of the intended connection: attach the fitting to the cover and circle with a marker.

2. Make holes. The easiest option is to drive the awl along the drawn lines until the metal of the cover is rubbed through.

3. Install fittings and secure with nuts. For sealing, process the holes on the outer and inner sides with cold welding or heat-resistant glue.

Inner side

Outer side

Bubbler Manufacturing Sequence

4. When connecting to a moonshine still, it should be borne in mind that in the steamer the inlet tube should be lower than the outlet tube by 15-30 mm (deeper lowered into the jar). In the bubbler, the inlet tube runs along the entire height of the can, without touching the bottom at a distance of 2-3 cm.

If the bubbler is connected incorrectly (steam is supplied through the short end, but tries to exit through the long one), the pressure in the can increases significantly and an explosion may occur!

There is only one drawback of bubblers and dry steamers from the can - there is no drain for the accumulated liquid (you have to unscrew it), and during fractional distillation it is desirable to clean the container before selecting the "body" (main fraction).

A more complex dry steamer with a drain

Ways to heat the moonshine still

1. Open fire. In most cases, this refers to heating on a gas stove or burner, but there are also coal and firewood. Advantages of this method: simplicity, availability and often economy.

Disadvantages:

high inertia - it will not be possible to quickly reduce or increase power, as a result, it is difficult to control the temperature in the cube, experience is required;
it is very difficult to insulate a distillation cube to reduce heat loss in order to save money;
installation of automation is practically useless;
high fire hazard of open fire.

Distillation outdoors with firewood. What apparatus, such and the color of moonshine

2. Built-in electric heating elements. Devices (one or several at once) are mounted directly into the cube. Suitable heating elements made of stainless steel or brass.

Advantages:

fast temperature change (high controllability);
the ability to mount automation and insulate the cube.

Disadvantages:

solid particles can stick to the working surface of heating elements, careful filtration of the mash is required before distillation;
often heating on electricity is more expensive than gas;
heating elements burn out from time to time.

3. Induction cooker. It works by electricity, it can be stationary and portable (it is used more often in home brewing).

Advantages:

low inertia - quick change of heating intensity;
good temperature control - induction cookers are equipped with automation, no need to install separate units;
in comparison with heating elements, they evenly heat the entire surface of the bottom of the cube, burning of the mash happens in rare cases.

Disadvantages:

the cost of the induction cooker is quite high;
only distillation cubes made of materials containing a magnet (stainless steel, cast iron) can be used, in turn, aluminum and copper containers without magnetic inserts welded to the bottom are not suitable for heating.

Only stainless steel and cast iron cubes can be heated on an induction hob

4. Heating with steam (steam generator). First, the water is brought to a boil and served directly into the container or on the outer walls. The system allows you to control (automate) the entire process and eliminate the risk of burning, therefore it is suitable for the distillation of thick brews. But in view of the complexity of the implementation of the design and the need to purchase (manufacture) special equipment (steam generator), it will not be further considered here.

Installing thermometers in a moonshine still

You can do without measuring the temperature, but a properly installed thermometer allows you to change the container in time during fractional distillation and adjust the intensity of heating.

In moonshine stills, three types of thermometers are used (according to the principle of operation):

bimetallic - a metal tape or spiral acts as a sensor;
electronic - a special conductor changes resistance with temperature fluctuations;
digital - measurements are recorded due to changes in pressure.

The most reliable are bimetallic thermometers, but the accuracy of these devices leaves much to be desired. Electronic thermometers are much more accurate, but with the slightest impact they can break or show the wrong temperature. Digital thermometers are leaders in accuracy, but are expensive.

During distillation, one cannot rely entirely on the readings of a thermometer, especially the first time when the operating modes of a home-made moonshine still have not yet been tested. Temperature values are auxiliary data. At the output, moonshine should be cold or at room temperature, and during fractional distillation, the output should be divided into fractions correctly by pure alcohol, sugar content in mash or by smell (the method of experienced distillers).

Fastening. The thermometer in the moonshine still can be installed at the exit from the cube (in the upper part) or before entering the refrigerator. The second option is preferable, as it allows you to measure the temperature of the steam before condensation. But the thermometer in the cube (the first case) shows the degree of heating of the mash, which is also important. Conclusion: if possible, it is advisable to mount two thermometers at once.

Thermometers can be placed on the cube or in front of the refrigerator

For installation, it is enough to make a hole, the diameter of which matches the diameter of the thermometer's installation cylinder (fastenings with Velcro and plastic clips are not suitable). From the inside, fix the cylinder with a bolt and fix the structure with a nut. Then insert the thermometer itself.

Attention! When you first start a home-made moonshine, you should test it by distilling water, and not immediately fill in the mash. Water distillation is safer, immediately shows problems (if any) and washes well all parts of the structure.

In the old days, when the production of household moonshine stills had not yet been put on stream, craftsmen made them manually. After all, the first distillers appeared long before the formation of manufactories and factories - remember the same alambic. And during the years of the Prohibition, when even just making a home-made moonshine still was a criminal offense, the Russian people got out of the situation in the most unthinkable ways. And although it is now quite legal to get homemade alcohol, and the market is rich in a variety of models, home-brewed still is still produced “on the knee” or on work machines after hours. Someone prefers moonshine as an independent drink, someone prepares a distillate for. But the fact that the Russian people “driven and will drive” remains unchanged.

It is, of course, possible to make a moonshine still with your own hands. Especially if those hands are golden. And the material you need these days is not such a problem to get. The recipe for making a moonshine still at home will, of course, be more complicated, but you will only be responsible to yourself for the quality of the distiller.

How to make moonshine at home

To start, let's define diagram of a classic moonshine still:

We have a distillation cube of the required volume (from 10 to 50 liters according to your taste and requests), a dry steamer (also called a sump), a cooler (or simply a “refrigerator”). The system is hermetically connected by a steam pipeline, and there is a receiving tank at the outlet. The key word in the previous sentence is airtight. This must be remembered when making a moonshine still with your own hands. This is important to prevent the loss of alcohol and the general release of vapors into the room, since most of them have an unpleasant odor.

How and from what to assemble the device?

First you need to decide on the material. Most often it is a stainless steel with a thickness of 1 to 3 mm. But the thicker the steel, the more difficult it is to work with it without special tools and a machine. You can work with copper, it is more ductile, but it costs more. Copper for food purposes is also more difficult to find, and then it will have to be regularly looked after.

Element one: distillation cube. You can “weld” a cylinder of the required volume yourself, or you can use a saucepan (preferably a pressure cooker, it is most suitable for this, and the lid fits tightly). It is important to provide holes on the lid for hermetic installation of the steam pipe and thermometer. The lid itself should be firmly attached and fit snugly against the cube itself, if it is not completely removable, then you will need to pick up a silicone gasket seal.

Element Two: sump (sukhoparnik). Better with it than without it, although this element is optional. The optimal dimensions are shown in the drawing.

Note that the connections of the elements of the moonshine still can be made from a silicone hose or using a stainless steel (or copper) tube. If you choose a hose, it is better to use silicone. It, unlike rubber, is inert and will not react with hot steam containing alcohol vapors. The final product will not get a "rubber" taste and smell.

It is easy to distinguish rubber from silicone by the type of combustion: when silicone burns, white ash remains, and rubber smokes and emits black soot.

Element Three: cooler (“refrigerator”). An integral part of the distiller, like the alembic. Here the vapors condense to become a liquid. A refrigerator is a spiral tube with a length of 800 mm or more, a container with cold water is placed. The coil can be made from a copper tube or a tube for air conditioners, the coolant supply must be from below.

Almost any do-it-yourself scheme of a moonshine still involves welding metal. Stainless steel is welded in an argon atmosphere. It is important that the seam is even, ideally sanded. This is important to avoid leakage and corrosion. The desired dimensions of the steam pipe tube are from 10 mm in diameter to avoid blockage.

Do-it-yourself moonshine still with a distillation column

You can assemble yourself not only a classic apparatus, but also a beer or even a distillation column. Here it is important to observe the exact proportions of the dimensions of the elements of the apparatus, since this is important for the optimal passage of the physical processes of rectification. Below is one of the options for the design of a distillation column with dimensions.

Element one: distillation cube. The column apparatus differs in its design from the classical one almost completely. Only the distillation cube remains the same. However, the column requires the same tightness when connecting the elements and the tightness of the cube lid.

Element Two: king. There is no sukhoparnik here, but there is a tsarga. This is a vertical tube filled with regular wire packing (RPN). The nozzle can also be irregular (bulk) - it can be twisted from small pieces of copper or steel wire, but it will take a lot of them. A regular nozzle still works more efficiently and without complaints. It is still better to purchase an on-load tap-changer for a drawer, although some craftsmen use metal “washcloths” for washing dishes for this purpose.

Element Three: dephlegmator. The dephlegmator refrigerator (as well as the refrigeration refrigerator) has a “pipe in pipe” design, where cold water is supplied to the outer pipe.

Important: fitting for a thermometer. It can be located in the upper part of the tsarga, or it can be located in the upper part of the reflux condenser (as manufacturers of household distillation columns usually do). It is preferable to place the thermometer at the top of the dephlegmator.

Element Four: refrigerator refrigeration. It is a “pipe-in-pipe” design, but has a length much greater than that of a dephlegmator. The longer the path in the cooler, the more efficient condensation occurs, and the product enters the receiving container cold, not hot. The loss of alcohol in this case is minimal.

Important: connections. In the case of a column structure, a silicone hose can no longer be used as a steam pipeline, all connections are made only of metal.

Welding such a design is much more difficult than a simple “classic”, it requires already solid skills in working with metal and a welding machine.

In general, creating a moonshine with your own hands requires effort, time and significant skills. In addition, there is a risk that this will not bring savings, but on the contrary, this option cannot be called budgetary. (we recommend choosing a device with a distillation column brand) these days it has become much easier, and mass production makes the price very attractive. The choice is not so difficult to make, and thanks to you you can clarify the nuances and hidden features of the models you are interested in.