Distilling Alcohol at Home Using a Pot Still

[ibeulahim]

Wow is distilling alcohol illegal in the US?

[MRDACK86]

Dude below is trolling ALL shine vids.

Lol

No1 uses it cuz its not needed!

[hpjunky70]

Do you use a thump keg and why would you skip this step. Not hatin.

[JoePaCheco1994]

if i distilled 2 gallons of mash using this method how much shine would i get ?

[PoliticalPotLord]

you said we need ice but you never showed what the ice was for? and what if we dont have a metal bowl could we cut a soda can? its not metal but would it work?

[TroutButter]

@PoliticalPotLord Yes he did show the ice.

[alibabba2]

@PoliticalPotLord its for cooling your lid when steam is hitting it at one point your lid reaches the same temp as the steam and won't condense anymore

so now you no where the ice is for

[TheSleepermgm]

A potstill like this is only good for 45-50% abv the first run from mash.....you will have to dump the mash out and boil the ethanol again on ots own to get 85-90+ abv.....with a reflux still you will pull 85-90+ abv on your first run from mash......

[eddielloyd13]

not very clever. showing somethink like this could be very dangerious if a kid was to watch it

[eddielloyd13]

you fucking idiot. what you just did was the most stupid thing id ever seen in my life. message to anyone watching this don't try it at home, because this guy is clearly mental to think you still alcohol this way. crazy nut job

[soulevs]

@eddielloyd13 it actually does distill alcohol, it just isnt a pot still like he thinks it is. It will not be nearly as effective, but it will work

[LethaLeahRose]

im not a drinker so i dont care about drinking this ...BUT i DO very much want to know if the first batch ..the one you say contains methanol ..(is this the same as ethanol? can I burn this in a car?) I really want to make a small amount of fuel at home ...most methods are too expensive and complicated...this is easy and I could i do this on a campfire? openfire? or would it make fumes that could blow up?

[MegaHazzer123]

@LethaLeahRose Methanol will burn slightly quicker than ethanol, but hardly noticeable and can be used in an alcohol fuelled car.. just don't drink it, you'll go blind

[TheSleepermgm]

@LethaLeahRose yes you can burn all of the ethanol in your car but you will need a "reflux" still to get the ethanol to 90+ abv or 180 proof....if you drink it you must pitch the first 20ml in the trash....

[mcluvinisluvin]

Worst thing that will happen if any methanol WERE to get into the distillate....is the poops!!!!

[mcluvinisluvin]

you will not get %90 alcohol using this method.... If you do this many times in a row, re-distilling ....yes. but for all that work with this method including cost for natural gas or electricity to heat the mash...it is cheaper to go and buy a pint, you will have more liquor anyway....

[ne0fiend]

@mcluvinisluvin Eeeeeeeeeexactly.

[dethfromabove14]

distilling your own alcohol isn't illegal, selling it is. as long as you don't sell it your good.

[Xor00Xor]

wrong, its legal in the us to make beer and wine but not spirits

[MrThewhitenigger]

Nice I would have never come up with this idea

[helmsman1968]

I know that it seems as if this is a pot still as it uses a household pot, but it is not. This set up is called a bucket or kettle still. A pot still utilizes a boiler with a neck that feeds the vapors to a condenser which cools and vapor and allows the collection of the liquor. Pot stills come in lots of shapes and sizes, with and without thumpers. Methanol occurs naturally; distilling does not concentrate or create it. For a 5 gallon run throw away the first 1/2 cup and that should do it.

[mrmarksizemore]

cool video man,, if i die, my blood is on your hands... wish me luck...

[deluxeassortment]

You can actually use all of your alcohol if you are careful. The boiling point of Methanol, the dangerous one, is 65 °C or 149 °F. Ethanol's boiling point is significantly higher at 78 °C or 172 °F. Using a thick bottom pyrex flask and a couple of thermocouple thermometers, you can SLOWLY heat your alcohol to 70 °C or 158 °F. It's important to use a hotplate that will sit at this temperature so that the liquid heats evenly. The methanol will evaporate (or boil off).

[penztoy]

I'd really like you to use a hydrometer and check that product. I seriously doubt if you have 90%, more like 60-70% at best. Pot stills are just not capable of making the high numbers since they only run the alky thru once. A reflux unit is almost a continous process so only the highest numbers make it thru the condenser, thus the product is in the high 180-190 proof or 85-90%. Good job though on the basic concept.

[ajapperr]

what tempature do you put the stove on the second time and do you have to put the flour mix back on

[immafisherman44]

Ok so im loving this idea, but is it safe to drink after the first bowl? I would really not like to die..

[DrBones666]

Do a little reading. It's not that hard and not that dangerous. You can make hard if you want or you can be stupid and make it dangerous. Don't used fruits to ferment, they contain pectin which makes for a large amount of methanol. Other than a fruit mash, you aren't going to produce that much methanol. Don't use an open flame to distill. Use an electric heating element OR us a controlled flame with plenty of ventilation.

[Machcharge]

@DrBones666 What would you recommend if I was using organic apple juice bought at a supermarket? Would there be anything dangerous in that?

[OrgasmicPenguin]

12 people are in AA

[Alfonzz01]

Hey, this is pretty cool. Thanks for sharing!

[cosmicgate07]

does it get you drunk?

[gastanker]

Awesome video. Thanks!

[TheBestMontageEver]

You should remove the plastic top off of the lip with a skrewdriver, then instead of the plastic crap you used on the second process, you should use only one layer of cling wrap. Also dont put the stove on high, put it on low.... Those 3 things should decrease the probability of poisening yourself and provide a higher alchohol content.

[angelol1]

is it deadly when your brew goes wrong?

[chaosinhell666]

Methanol

Methanol is formed when fermenting beverages high in pectins - eg grapes and berries. Starting with a grain or sugar based wort, in a clean fermentor with a yeast culture from a well aereated source will result in small/none formed.

[chaosinhell666]

look read b4 you think you are a 10 second pro you have the typical disease alot of people have not enough knollage did you know that plastic makes your still produce poison at a mild level ill be making a video explaining alot of this and showing how to actually distill properly

[bririv]

I'm quite sure you're lacking significant knowledge as far as the distillation process is concerned.

[chaosinhell666]

@bririv he is i tell you ill be doing a video with my not so great set up but it is affective and works well AND SAFE

[coltonhlo]

Wow this is so much easier than building a still. Ive been tryin to make shine for the past few weeks and when It came time to distill it my fucking still exploded. So it looks like this is how im doin it now lol

[chaosinhell666]

learn how to fucking use or build a good one or just buy one that is safe you idiot this is not safe i.e plastic = poison

google on people that have be hurt from this or killed

many people have been mined or killed in use of unsafe stills you make a flammable gas witch can  explode with very bad affects think b4 you do read be for you just think you can do this hobby

[losermonster]

@chaosinhell666 I would suggest trying again, in English.

[chaosinhell666]

@losermonster really its the net ive seen alot worse than me hear sorry its not to your standard not that i give a fuck

[gastanker]

@chaosinhell666 How unhelpful and completely wrong. You realize plastic wrap can be used in the oven? Cheap plastic spatulas flip eggs from 600+ degree surfaces, silicone bake ware can go into the oven up to 550 degrees... There is absolutely no way food grade plastic is going to poison anyone at the low low temperature of 212.

[chaosinhell666]

@gastanker yes that is ok for FOOD this is essentially ethanol its the same as pvc pipe not a good idea really im telling you very easy to make poison with this stuff is using a plastic wrap made from oil

[gastanker]

@chaosinhell666 Obviously you are not in the food industry. Guess what your Cambells soup is steamed in (plastic), your 55 gallon drums are lined with (plastic - even the metal drums), the inside of all tin and alluminum cans are lined with (plastic). It is actually VERY difficult to make poison out of food grade plastic. The lid is food grade plastic. Guess what they store ethanol in - plastic.

[chaosinhell666]

@gastanker yes but what is the all this stuff made from? same stuff as what your kids toys are they it is fine until you add a chemical compound like ethanol witch leaches bad things from this stuff y do u think lead based solders and other impurity in solders are a issue with a construction of a still

this is like saying if you could control the temp in a microwave safe bowl you would

[gastanker]

@chaosinhell666

People die from still explosions due to built up pressure and flammable gasses. There is absolutely no way to build up the pressure necessary for an explosion from an upside down lid. Don't be an idiot. Even if he sat on that lid he wouldn't be able to build up the necessary force. Again, don't be an idiot.

[chaosinhell666]

@gastanker go fill a container with lpg and throw a match at it i can make 80% in a pot still with out much hassle ok might not explode but this is known as a very bad way to go about things really building a still cost me under 80 dollars its not hard brazing copper

[gastanker]

@chaosinhell666 Home made stills are MUCH MUCH more dangerous. You have higher pressure, high pressure openings, and you are able to regulate temperatures more efficiently allowing there to be a higher concentration of vaporized alcohol. A tablespoon of vaporized alcohol in an empty pot can make a fireball but I intentionally tried to light the above on fire and it wouldn't work - too much water precipitation for 1 and lack of volume and 02, no pressure to top it off. Seriously, try it.

[chaosinhell666]

@gastanker y would i i have several different types of stills

[chaosinhell666]

@chaosinhell666 um if you want a nice tasting whiskey you will get a Superior product with a pot still btw how the hell do you take accurate cuts their is another danger you do know you make acetone,methanol and a few other compounds don't you

[chaosinhell666]

@gastanker try a properly constructed pot still its has no real build up of pressure

[coltonhlo]

@chaosinhell666 I never said anything about using plastic you dumb fuck. Everything that I was using was completely right for making shine, the only reason it was exploding is because I couldnt check on the still constantly because of having to work but I had to have it running most of the time for trying to get it out to quite a few people on time. Next time actually read what I said before going on a rant and looking like a total dumbass

[statianpirate]

i guess the percentage is so small it really doesnt matter. When distilling you concentrate the alc. Perhaps thats where it comes from, other than that, I really don't know. I allways discard the first 20 ml when I use my small still, just as a precaution.I use it as lighter fluid for the BBQ :)

[TheKingmidas222]

@statianpirate well the methanol will burn off at 165..... the alchohol around 180... so i guess it is already in there... and if it is you could stick a thermometer in there and only heat to < 170 to vaporize teh methanol if it is present..... i guess vaporizing the methanol and consuming it without the dilution of the wine is what will be bad... say for example you brewed a jug of methanol/ethanol and drank it youd be getting a straight shot as opposed to the negligible amount n the mash

[TheKingmidas222]

@statianpirate so iguess throw a candy thermometer in there, and heat to 165 and then throw out that batch then turn UP the burner to 180-185F and that will pretty much be guaranteed ethanol, right?

[chaosinhell666]

@TheKingmidas222 not good enough to run you car

[cabo02]

Do not use this method people.

[Esco6698]

1:52 Nooooo!

[Nospertelaca]

I hope the mash was seperated from the yeast. If you leave it in it really fucks up the taste in the end.

[shwacksack]

crappy video quality couldn't watch any longer than 10 seconds. better luck next time

[angelol1]

whats the liquid in wich the bowl is placed??

[ward797]

follow all steps but the plastic part, it will only make you sick, other than that all rumours of blindness are bullshit you should be carful of chemicals in the alcohol not menthol, at any rate it is not present at high rates because it is a tree alcohol and therfor will not have any effects

[PanadolJunkie]

how to research if it causes those problems?

[ggamm87]

I'm goobing

[cattnipp]

thanks!!

[NoRw00t]

are u gay?

[GreenOuthouse]

...LMAO...what a azzclown...is that your 7th grade how a cloud works project cuz u sure are NOT distilling alcohol there bub.moving it with water from one place to another yeah,,but not distilling...better read some more..lol

[TheKingmidas222]

@GreenOuthouse HOW IS what hes doing not distillation.... same as a still boil on the bottom, collect the alchohol and cool it down into the container... i have to disagree this is as good as any...

[Sezar538]

we need to find way to distill only alcohol and the water stays in which is something i haven't see yet on here

[Sezar538]

good idea but its dangerous not because of the plastic it dangerous becuase there is alcohol that might get caught by fire which might blow up on ur face or even destroy ur place if the gas was close to u , i tried it and it blow on my face because i wasn't closing the pot good from around lol and one other thing it does nott distill alcohol only it distill water togther so u will get around 30 or 40% only

[karlaschultz1]

thats not a pot still its called a wok still and dont try this its dangerous with the plastic inside the lid and you cant seperate the ethanol from the alcohol

[guittarmaster]

DON'T DO THIS!!!! PLASTIC IS UNSAFE FOR USE IN DISTILLATION!! this method is dangerours, will leak alcohol fumes, and will never produce a high quality alcohol. Go to a home distiller website and learn there. Sorry to call out the makerculture like this, but UNSAFE distillation methods like this is WHY DISTILLATION IS ILLEGAL.

[alanmacleod50]

@guittarmaster

Could it also be argued that the reason people have to distill alcohol like this is BECAUSE distillation is illegal?

[iParatrooper]

I"m calling the Police on you... JUST KIDDING

[darkmysterii]

damn if this works this is fucking great

oh btw

if you burn a bit of the second load and it has a white flame it is methanol but a blue flame means methanol

[Caleb4551]

if u turn it on high wont it just boil the water n the water will condensate with all the Ethanol? water dilutes the Ethanol as well so i dont see how u could possibly get it 90 proof...but plz if im wrong correct me.

[stoiulicu]

The first important thing in any alcoholic distillation process is to throw away the first 50ml per 20l of wash, because it may contain methanol.

With this distillation system, with 25l of wash at 12% alcohol, I collect 5l of distillate at 55%. Then, when I do a second distillation I throw away the first 100 ml, and I collect 2.5l of middle run at 90-95% alcohol. The rest are the tails which I add them later in the next wash for distillation.

[geir44]

@stoiulicu

You know nothing. There is no methanol from mash \ wash made from sugar.

[stoiulicu]

@geir44

I didn't said that sugar wash contains methanol. My advice was for general use of any distillation setup. There can be other nasty substances in the foreshots that can affect the quality of the distilate, some of them are acetone and ethyl acetate. The major concern comes from the methanol because it can cause blindness or even death in large amounts, or neural and liver damage in small quantities, often and long time intake. The methanol comes from pectin, it is present in any fruit.

[KingSlimjeezy]

@geir44 well he knew that methonol is derived from pectin or fruit sugars, so he does know something

[TheKingmidas222]

@stoiulicu my question is, isnt there methanol in the beginning? for example... if you just make some apple wine that most likely contains pectin if u just drink the apple wine isnt there methanol in there as is?!

[stoiulicu]

@TheKingmidas222 Methanol is a product of hydrolysis of pectin by enzyme pectinesterase that is present in any fruit. It is independent of the yeast fermentation, otherwise the yeast doesn't have metabolic ways to produce methanol. The problem is, for exemple, distilling hundreds of kilos of mash, concentrating the methanol in the beginning and then drinking that. That's harmful indeed. Anyway, we get tiny amounts of methanol even with fresh fruit juices but that couldn't threaten our health.

[chaosinhell666]

@stoiulicu not as diluted as that

[stoiulicu]

The principle is good but not so good... first of all, you must keep the bowl on a tripod (or something else) above the mash, so that it remains cooler. For the sealing and well heat transfer try a large oven bag well caught on the lip of the pot with a strong elastic rope and you don't need ice for cooling, just cold tap water that flows on the concave surface of the oven bag will work well for a good condensation. I made a such kind of distillation system but I prefer to use larger proportions

[Hraggleblarg]

Neither the fermentation of sugars contained in the mash nor the distillation of the alcohol resulting from that process can produce any toxic amounts of poisons. That includes the often cited methanol, and it doesn't matter how well the still is built, or how poorly the distillation itself is conducted. Most instances of methanol poisoning attributed to improper distillation actually resulted from people drinking denatured alcohol.

[TheKingmidas222]

@Hraggleblarg thats my question.... doing this and tossing the first batch ... how is that different if i drank the mash glass by glass , without trying this method and just caught a buzz and went to sleep..... isnt the methanol already in the wine/mash?!?

[Hraggleblarg]

@TheKingmidas222

Methanol is not already in the mash.

[TheKingmidas222]

@Hraggleblarg if its not already in the mash, where does it come from?

[Hraggleblarg]

@TheKingmidas222 Most instances of methanol poisoning attributed to improper distillation actually resulted from people drinking denatured alcohol, not moonshine. It's not in the mash, it shouldn't be in the moonshine.

[yakyakyak69]

In a batch that size, you'll get less than an 1/2 ounce of heads and tails. Don't throw away the baby with the bath water.

Methanol (wood alcohol) 64C (147F)

Ethanol 78C (172F)

Water 100C (212F)

High Power until you reach 165-deg F. HOLD for 10 minutes and discard distillate. Replace lid, add ice and Increase to 200-deg F. Hold for 15 minutes (or until bored) and you're done. You should only discard about a 1/2-oz. (100-200 mL per 20L of wash (mash).

[santaslayer]

DONT DRINK IT! U MIGHT GET DRUNK!!!

[panzuman]

@santaslayer and we wouldnt want THAT to happen now would we?

[pspkid225]

@santaslayer omg that seems to happen to me when i drink alot

[27simber]

shit and shit and you know shit

[ernsty346]

just discard the first 5% or so of your second distillation, that should be more than adequate.

[samljer]

@ernsty346

In a batch of that size, including up to 20-25L

the methanol produced is about .5%

that isnt enough to actually harm you, even if you drank the entire 25L

as there will be about only 15ml of it in the ENTIRE 25L

Distilled or not, you cant drink that much alcohol anyway

and if you did, it wouldnt be the lesser fusils killing you. it would be

basic old fashioned alcohol psn.

[TheKingmidas222]

@samljer my question is isnt the methanol in the mash to begin with??? cuz people drink the mash like home made apple cider, for example...

[196519751994]

I did this type of distillation. BUT IT ISNT GOOD WHAT ABOUT METHANOL ETHYL-ACETATA AND SO ON? please anwser

[samljer]

@196519751994

In a batch that small there isnt going to be enough methanol to harm you, not even close. even if you didnt discard it.

[switchgrassfuel]

i don't think you need the stove on hi because you only need 173 degrees, if you go above 212 you will boil water.

[cjunk351]

I really dont get it...... what am I missing??? The first still I made was a reflux still. Column about 1 meter long......producing full alcohol. The methanol was hardly a problem. Made my own condensor, which is bloody awesome. I never even went to univeristy/college. All these vids show lame ass stills, so it has gotten me thinking ...' Am I missing something?"

[Comblit]

wouldn't the metal bowl just heat up and evaporate the alcohol too? lol

[Hashishin13]

@Comblit IT would probably reach the point inside that there was as much alcohol in the air as there physically could be and then it would evaporate from both the bowl and the broth equally, while condensing and falling only in the bowl. So basically the bowl fills faster then it can evaporate.

[MrTman86]

hell yes thats the shit right there

[ForestBeekeeper]

This method can not produce higher than 40% alcohol on it's first run.

[sandijs40]

a mixture of flavored water?? I didn't understand. :(

[Kimer28]

@sandijs40

Flour and water..? idiot..

[sandijs40]

Mixture of what water?? Plz reply

[ocol81]

it's not illegal to distill alcohol. it's illegal to sell it

[3ne2dbonez868]

You dont need to use any ice in order to collect most of the methanol?

[purplemutantas]

Plastic?!?! You should NEVER use plastic on a still. Go to the home distiller site to learn how to do this properly and safely

[svrichard81]

you don't have to toss out that much product to avoid methyl alcohol. a study showed that it takes 4 ounces of straight methanol to be deadly. i can assure you that you do not have 90 percent alcohol from one pass in a pot still. you would be lucky to get 90 proof out of that one batch. you will not go blind from drinking what was distilled there, you just won't like the flavor.

[3ne2dbonez868]

@svrichard81 if you were to run that batch again to increase proof, would you have to throw the first portion again?

[UnitedStateofMind]

Is this legit? This seems too easy...

[gamingplan]

this is legit

I did it

just dump the first bowl or else you will become blind or even die

[TheRebelCSA]

Hay pirate when u say through out 1/3 is that what u first make or all of what u make

[kingearwig]

wow when i saw the lid you were using i was concerned about the plastic handle then you put what looked like bubble wrap in there! Wow couldn't you taste the plastic?

[statianpirate]

alcohol will disolve part of the plastic and get contaminents into your distillate.

not too smart dude...don't drink it.

only use copper/glass/sourdough and youll be fine.

and i would only throw out about 1/3 of what you did to get rid of the meth. think you wsted a few good drinks there ....

nice to see the "younger" guys still picking up the "art" of moonshining tho, i wish you years of fun with it.....i know i have.

[ny4scrilla82]

can you make a achool in to a stronger proof by distilling it im trying to exstract jwh-018 and i need to make ethanol like 90 proof or stronger so i can make a spice gold blend.

[3ne2dbonez868]

@statianpirate What was the point of putting the plastic in there though? He didnt do it for the first bowl?

[TheKingmidas222]

@statianpirate heres my question isnt the METHanol in the mash already?? cuz people just make wine and drink it how is that not methanol going into peoples body anyhow?

[eddiestrange]

no shit thats cool man good to know thanks for posting