A Distiller Reacts To How To Drink's Bathtub Gin
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- Gregg over @howtodrink recently released a cool video showing how to make Bath Tub Gin. A bunch of people in the home distilling community reached out asking me to comment on it.
Make sure to watch the original video here:
• I made my own gin! | ...
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#gin #howtodrink #distilling
Just in case you didn’t realize I often include affiliate links in my videos and descriptions.
This will not change the price for you at all, But the seller will buy my a cup of coffee if you purchase from one of the links. Choice eh?
I ship a Still It / How to Drink colab! you guys could work together on some unique spirits and then make unique cocktails together. i would be there for that!
YES
please lol came from that video
Yyeess!
I believe the explosiveness of stills begin in the era of prohibition. Often the regulators or the revenues would intentionally blow up the stills. so when the public would hear of a still blowing up and destroying that still, that led to the awareness of exploding stills.
It's also worth mentioning that back then, they really only used an open flame for this type of work. A still itself isn't a pressure vessel and contains no oxygen, but it's venting alcohol fumes constantly as it operates (if it's not perfectly sealed).
If you run one in an enclosed space, you're putting alcohol fumes in the space.
With an open flame.
The exploding stills myth comes from Moonshiner style distilling setups. Since they did not want to double distill and do everything 'single run' they used thumper kegs. That means you need a certain amount of pressure in your still to push you vapor through the water. If then your 'cap' is not on tight you can blow up the entire site xD
The thumper is because they ran 800 gal to 2000 gal pots and ran them fast the thumper keeps it from over boiling in to the worm
Yup, there was numerous explosions as a result of moonshining in an unsafe manner. Often in basements and enclosed spaces were gas collected from not properly sealed equipment. This gas would buildup to a highly explosive and toxic result. Methanol poisoning and explosions were not uncommon.
Exactly what I just wrote..💯
Speaking of prohibition and liquor laws, I'm surprised Greg didn't mention that distilling your own alcohol is illegal in the United States. Unless you're a licensed and trained distiller and you're working with government supervision, you can't do it. Safety aside, the ATF would've wanted a word with Greg if he actually used his still to make gin.
I recently saw a post elsewhere from a guy who was significantly injured when his Chinese still kit with thumper ruptured. He didn't provide details of what he was doing at the time, but if you use a thumper incorrectly (blocked inlet/outlet or allow solid material added to thumper to exit and block a smaller condenser worm) it can absolutely build up pressure in the pot.
There’s a lot of secret home distillers in US, but you never here about Stills blowing up. You do hear about homes and garages burning down from frying turkeys.
Bruh, I go steady inside my apartment. Nobody knows, no accidental blow ups. Don’t keep a flame by the finished liquor or vapor. Derp
@@iamjustawife2619 exactly. Only dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing
Probably cuz anyone who's running a still has the know-how and knows it's dangerous so they take care. So many people aren't even aware of frying frozen turkeys.
Don’t forget about the bathtub meth , or homemade meth . There’s been three homes blow up in my county in the past ten or so years from retards trying to cook meth
Oh my god! Thank you Jesse! :D I love Gregg and How to Drink but all I could think of while watching that episode was how you might react to all of the errors and mistakes.
Still and learn.
I assumed when I first watched the HTD video, that Greg just didn't want to deal with the legal aspects of distilling on camera while in the USA, so he just came up with a loose excuse to not distill his gin.
You know what, I actually thought the same thing. Or more likely got stuck in, made a plan. Then someone suggested it may not be a great idea.
Didn't want to just straight speculate in the actual video tho.
didn't even think of this, america still having dry states is still a mind fuck to me, yet they are the leading example of weed legalization except for amsterdam, but even amsterdam made it illegal for tourists i heard.
ofcourse america is huge and nationally it's still somehow banned, so technically it's a federal crime to purchase legally, so maybe a bad example, but still a leading one.
I think he just psyched himself based on an incomplete understanding. Like people that say "I'll work on anything in my car but the brakes..." Neither is especially complicated or dangerous if you think it through and take small steps.
@@JackPorter It's not a "dry state" thing. It's a federal law that makes it illegal to manufacture alcohol over a certain ABV at home, or to use the distillation process to make alcohol. Distill your water, distill essential oils, fine. Alcohol, no way. Tax man needs his money after all.
@@blackmoon8459 let me make it simpler with a comparison.
I hear making cakes is banned, i say oh yeah, i forget America even bans cakes outright in some states.
You see the cake ban is way more strict than the cake baking ban, and it's weird that America goes so far backwards to even outright ban cakes in certain areas.
You see now? Example of extremely strict policy gives credence to the less strict policy culturally, even though they are both needlessly strict. And this is a complete mindfuck for someone outside of that culture.
That's all, i was just noting a little culture shock. Both are stupid laws, i paid my sugar tax when buying the sugar and yeast to make a cake, i should only pay the cake tax (real tax, so the comparison still works) if i actually sell the cake.
My first thought when I watched How To Drink's video is why didn't he reach out to Still It. I'd love to see a colab video.
Plenty of others to talk to first haha.
I would be down tho.
Great observation from Team Still-It on this though Greggs "Bomb" theory is crazy. I always like the history part of these topics. Good Job Jesse, we appreciate it...
As has probably been said “bathtub” gin was so called because of how it looked. The yellowish almost textured look of it was reminiscent of bath water, used bath water to be more precise.
Pressure only builds in the still if the worm or thump clogs up from a boil over. Thanks great video.
Pretty much hit the nail on the head. Strain your mash before distilling to avoid this.
Edit; let’s be real, gaskets used for my still are made of dough....the pressure to blow open a dough gasket is...not very much lol
Thanks for this, brother! I'm a homebrewer who's just recently taken up distillation and your channel is a gold mine! Cheers!
Awesome! you got a big head start coming from brewing :)
I don’t know Greg, but I live in the same state. I don’t think he really believes a still is like a bomb, but rather he regaled he was about to film himself violating several laws, thus suddenly he becomes very “afraid” of the illegal still on his bar, and declares it as a decoration only and offers an extensive explanation for never using it.
I’d bet he has in fact dabbled already...
Jessie's rants are more polite and thoughtful than most peoples comments its no wonder he has hit 100k subs. The pressure thing can also be negotiated by use of a pressure relise valve. I would argue if your uesing thumpers you do have pressure. Its a closed system. Yes the pressure is not very much but the pressure is there. IMO the most danger when uesing thumpers is when you shut the still down. If you dont imeaditly open the system between the still and tbumper it creates a vacuum. This can collapse/ implode your still. If that splits a seam you risk a nasty burn from the hot wash rushing out. So either imeaditly open the tubing between the still or thumper or install T with a valve to avoid this.
I'm also wondering why he could have not just set up a make shift Bain-Marie for that still. It would have solved all the issue of not being able to use an induction heater and makes it much easier to adjust the temperature on.
Thanks for the great videos Jesse!
Great idea. Chuck the still in a pot of water, and use the water to gradually heat the contents in the still.
He also could have put a steel plate on the induction heater to solve the problem .
@@chuckdontknowdoya6100 true, I was thinking about scorching.
Your positivity is infectious, thanks for spreading some great vibes these days. I love home brewing, but can't legally distill anything (as much as I'd like to try it!). Cheers mate!
My great uncle was born in S.F. in 1907. He used to tell me he would volunteer his bathtub to make the beer to distil. If that helps.
You had a good analogy with grain mill dust. Like the vapor chamber in a still the grain mill or silo has very little atmospheric pressure until a source of ignition is introduced. A 70+ percent vapor will blow.... even with a clear condenser line.
I think it’s important to clarify for some of your more novice viewers. There are 2 types of potential explosions with a still. One would be a still with a clogged condenser. It will build pressure until it finds a path of least resistance. Most likely something would leak before a catastrophic boom would occur. The second would be a vapor leak that is exposed to an ignition source. This explosion would not need any build up of pressure in the still.
A still is basically a a steam boiler. I've installed and worked on them for 37 years. Now I'm enjoying working with them.
How many have stills have you seen blow up? haha
Cheers mate :)
@@StillIt Only in the movies.
Totally agree Jesse: you take pride in something you made (especially when it turns out yummy!)
agree with you 100% open system does not allow pressure build up. the reduction in diameter causes the velocity to increase. But you made it a positive criticism and not negative we are all chasing the craft.
I have recently purchased a pot still and am using Still It for research (along with other forums and material) before I start actually distilling/making a mash. I appreciate how Still It gives his open and honest opinion without fear of offence, while also not being offensive. Makes me feel like I am in the right place for my journey ahead
Between giggles, Jesse is really articulate, really value your opinion
I love Gregg over at @How To Drink and watch his videos all the time. Even though I knew some of his information was er, misleading, The best part about their videos just like these at @Still It; the personalities. I'm not a home distiller (yet) but I watch because they are entertaining and the people (Jesse and Gregg) are so personable. If I ever got the chance to just hang out and have a drink (Cocktail, spirits or even a soft drink) I would do it in a heartbeat. Smart people that want to share their passion in both respects. Cheers!
Hey thanks for asking people to be respectful with feedback. I love it. Keep up the good work.
I live in florida where it is illegal to even own part of a still, and still love watching your content just bc you're so wholesome. Please don't ever stop!
Your comment about why we do it.
Yup.
Not a drunk, not trying to save cash.
Doing it because after a hard week at work to be able to sit down with a nice gin, notes of rosemary and lavender a recipe that I've created myself.
Priceless.
Keep up the good work dude.
Cheers mate :)
Wise words. Far too often the anonymity of our online personas leads to saying things we would never say in person. Besides, being kind is more persuasive.
What a great great guy. Very inspirational. The part in the middle that you refer to as a rant I would call passion for your craft. Thanks
I have a copper pot still like that, and it's pretty darned cool. The condenser is weak, but this is old school technology that still works well today if you operate it slowly. You can create way too much pressure inside the still by utilizing too much heat, especially if your mash is a higher proof. It would not require much of a mistake to blow the top off the still, and you can bet the farm that it would be a serious danger to anyone nearby. A high-proof wash and too much heat is a recipe for disaster, but that's true in every still. One must remember that this copper pot still design goes back to about the fifteenth century when folks were heating stills like this with oil lamps, and cooling was done by pouring cool water into the condenser by hand. I love this kind of still but recognize its limitations and its danger. Distilling is not without danger, no matter what still you are using. A little common sense goes a long way towards safety.
Think about boiling liquid in a big pot and all the steam vapor you are creating and forcing through a small condenser line. You may have an open system, yet you sure build up a huge amount of pressure. The smaller and longer the condenser line, the greater the backpressure on the still becomes. The bigger the pot, the more steam vapor you create, and the potential for an overpressure event grows rapidly with excessive heat. You can quite easily overpressure an open system.
Traditional moonshine stills were/are often ran in conjunction with a thumper, and in do so this makes the still itself a closed system. This is also coupled with the fact that the vast majority of these type of stills heat source is/was an open flame.
Funny, I just so happen to be wearing the same Texas Whiskey Trail shirt while watching this video.
Ayyyyyeeeeeeee Erik. Gotta rep Texas whiskey!
I hate that it is darn near impossible here in the US. I do agree as an open ended system pressure really doesn't change.
Gin really isn't really my thing, but yup as a brewer geek it is great. It is like being a mad scientist.
As you learn more about the process, you can refine your own. Take basic steps to keep it safe. It isn't hard.
Induction is great, but getting one with enough power for larger stills is not cheep.
Average thought process, if I could distill at home.
Distill outdoors, or well ventilated area.
Triple check your connectors for any leaks. I would run just water and rip it hot through the still to check everything. Water steam won't explode! LOL
Dump your first 100 ml or so. You can also use the flame test. Small spoon sample and light it. Orange flame bad, blue flame good. This is a cool science you can show your kids.
If you are not familiar with your wash and still, make small cuts.
Be a mad scientist and mix, age, etc. Don't be afraid, you can do it!
Have a kick ass week Jesse!
A lot of states you can make "fuel". FYI
thank you man it is about the proccess and geekery for me to, i realy dont even drink. i taste mine but give most of it to friends or barter and swap with it
That may become a useful commodity in the next few months.
The thought of the pressure in the still comes from having a thumper but he didn't know that fact
I think the bathtub part came from them fermenting in the bathtub...
Yup yup
Another great video Jesse! I recently made an extraordinary “Orange-Cello”. I fermented up a regular old sugar wash, then ran it through my still set up in Reflux mode. It blended up at around 180 proof. I then bought abouts 12 small Mandarin Oranges. After washing them thoroughly; I threw them all, still completely whole, into a one gallon glass jar, then filled up the jar with the neutral spirit. I let this set, finger tasting every day, for abouts 2 weeks or so. I then pulled out the whole, quite pale colored, oranges and cut them in half and juiced them. Talk about powerful OJ to go with that bowl of Wheaties. LOL! I dumped that high proof orange juice back into the glass jar. I proofed it down to 100 proof using distilled water. I then sweetened it up to taste by adding in some corn sugar. So now it’s been sitting here at 100 proof. I tell ya, it’s very tasty indeed! Although I think it might be a bit too hot yet. So now that it’s been sitting for a while; I’ll finish proofing it down to 80 proof and let my friends enjoy it with me on these still quite hot SW Florida days! Keep on chasing the craft my friend!
When I ever hear a comment or quote about distilling regarding the "still is like a bomb"......I ask them, "if that's the case then why doesn't your kettle blow up when you're making a cup tea"?
I then proceed to explain that it works in exactly the same manner, except that in our process the steam/vapour is collected via a tube and cooled/condensed to reform into a liquid (ethanol/alcohol). Therefore no pressure & no bomb!
This usually leaves them smiling & happy that they've learnt something, which they can also simply & easily explain to others.
Heh, true.
US moonshiners used copper bathtubs ( the small moveable ones) quite commonly to make stills I believe that a cap was sold for them by mail-order.
I think the guy should distill some gin. I’m pretty sure there exists a gin basket attachment for that copper still that goes between the pot and onion. Or he could do his original plan I guess.
But yeah he’s got a few misconceptions about distilling.
Your absolutely right Jess thanks again!!!...
Maybe that guy read about Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures and didn't understand it? Certainly, there will be a significant partial pressure of ethanol vapor inside a still, but it won't be greater in the narrower part of the tube, and the total pressure won't ever go significantly above 1 atm.
Thumbs up man. You are right on how we should treat others.
I mean seems like common sense haha
@@StillIt unfortunately common sense isn't all that common anymore.
I couldn’t believe that your initial reaction to this video was the same as mine. He knows nothing! Loved your inclusive view on the world and… that your giggle was cured. I might resubscribe. Thanks
i think what greg meant by the pressure building up in the still when he was first talking about it at like 14:20 was that because the pipe gets thinner its going to force the vapour through at a faster rate
not that the whole thing would pressurise but that the like local pressure in the pipe would go up and force it through faster maybe
kinda like how you put your finger over a hosepipe and the water shoots out with a much higher pressure because its being squeezed through a smaller gap
idk the exact word for it but i think thats what he meant
Not a bomb, that's where I started talking to Gregg on my monitor. There is a hole in the end. It has an exit. It's not pressurized. There's a hole in the end. I'm so glad watching How To Drink put me in your algorithm. I have watched a lot of US home distillers, even using their own electric stove as their heat source in their kitchens with their vents on or a window open. He's such a messy bartender. Ok, I'm a woman, been a wife, and all his spillage makes me scream. He didn't distill any of his mixes. He just infused. And he didn't know enough about infusions to know what to put in when. I make a lot of infusions with cheap vodkas run through a water filter a few times before introducing the botanicals. Sweet things go in first, bitter things go in next, astringent things go in last. I use cheap filtered vodkas because I don't want to use water to change flavors and strengths, but I've been doing it a long time so can't diss the guy. He makes some great drinks even if he does splash all over his bar. I'll hit you up once my channel is up. Cheers!
Just because it has a hole in it, doesn't mean it can't be a bomb. All it would need is for the vapor to expand at a rate faster than it can leave the container, and for the pressure to continue expanding long enough to exceed the structural limits of the container. With the contents of most home stills, and loose fittings, it wouldn't be a very impressive bomb. However, if the alcohol vapor were to be ignited, it would probably create a a decent sized fireball with enough force to "blow" the top off. It's not likely to happen since most people aren't going to distill with an open flame, but I can see that being very loosely defined as a bomb.
Relating, to the previous point. Just because there is not a closed system doesn't mean pressure cannot build. There must be a pressure difference in order for a vapor to move from one point to another. The still is being heated, causing the liquid inside to turn into a vapor. There are more molecules in a liquid than the same volume of vapor, meaning the vapor is expanding in volume creating an increase in pressure. The ambient pressure outside the vessel is lower, and there is a path for that vapor to travel. That path becomes increasingly more restrictive for the vapor due to its decreasing diameter, and constant bends. This allows the pressure inside the vessel to increase further, until it has reached a point of equilibrium.
People often fail to realize steam doesn't generate abnormal amounts of pressure unless its completely contained. They just see steam and think pressure.
I just stumbled onto your channel and i have to say your supportive and positive attitude is awesome. I never thought about doing any home distilling but you got a new subscriber.
Up Date; one year later and still watching. You're a legend mate
I think that the legality issues in the US has led to a lot of negative rumors flouting around when it comes to home distilling. Demonization in the public means people may be less likely to do it
Not to mention the volume difference between gas and liquid. If anything the condensation will drop pressure if the coil is kept cold.
I was wondering if you'd do a reaction to this. Good job dude:-)
So need your chilled attitude matched with Greg’s energy .. new subscriber!
As long as you have a condenser And it has a delta T, (otherwise it's not a good condenser.) It'll draw a slight vacuum in the condenser. And stop the build up of pressure at that section. It's the principles on enthalpy and entropy. The explosion factor comes from metallurgical failures from the "pressure vessel" due to constantly be heated. The idea came from deep woods distillation. When alcohol vapor escapes at pressure it can spontaneously combust, but that's at rather higher pressures leaving a pressure vessel to create constant enthalpy ignition due you a pressure loss.
I wanted to try and make biodiesel once, and back home in Romania Methanol isn't available to the public. So I went with the recipe that takes ethanol. So what I did was take 98% denatured alcohol, a clean paint bucket, a copper tube from a fridge condenser and a bucket. I attached the tube to the paint canisters lid wit a flange, ran the tube in to a coil, put it in the bucket and got it through the bottom side of the bucket out in to a jar lid without a flange to reduce back pressure and minimize atmosferic exposure at the same time.
We put lime on to a basket and put that in to the paint container so that it sits half way off the bottom, fill the empty space with 98% denatured untill just below the basket, put the lid on the paint bucket and chuck it on to a camping stove. I managed to pull 99.999% ethanol, but it was scary😂😂😂.
15:20 This resonates with me as I genuinely and generally abstain from drinking or even having a casual drink of Liquor. I maybe drink once every 6 months if not year and I've been old enough to legally drink for 8 and a half years. I just like the science and techniques involved when researching this stuff even if I never do it myself (as I'm pretty sure it's illegal even in Mississippi where I live) but watching Still it, Whiskey tribe, the Bru Show and City Steading have really given my thirst for knowledge on Distillation and Fermentation some satiation over the last half a year I've been researching this topic.
People think this way because guy use to run with a thumper which would have some back pressure on the pot side. So if your running an 100 gl pot it could be full of explosive gas . Plus they used open flame. But people don’t seem to use a thumper anymore.
I am trying to catch up with all your vids and this one is one of my favs, only to hear your input on another utuber...I actually saw this video a while ago and remember scratching my head over it, but as you say, it is a learning experience backed with a passion to learn. I wish you would do more of this kind! Thx Jesse for presenting truthful information to us hobbyist!
5:32 The US government also intentionally poisoned the industrial (ethyl) alcohol supply that bootleggers were using during Prohibition. The bootleggers were able to counteract this contamination for a while by paying off or hiring government chemists to help detoxify the alcohol, until the government figured out they could add methyl alcohol to the supply and no one would be able to remove it. The year that happened, deaths from poisoned alcohol consumption jumped 600%.
In relation to the pressure reference, scientifically heat creates pressure(even in an open system), maybe not much but more than atmospheric pressure. It must produce more pressure than 103.1kpa for the Vapour to move up in the atmosphere. Correct me if I’m wrong please
Yeah, it will create a slight bump in pressure (compared to atmosphere). But nothing close to what will cause even a risk of explosion.
@@StillIt I don't distill and I am digging into college classes that were way too long ago, but the shape has more to do with PV= nRT or en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideal_gas_law and the fact that a narrow pipe has a higher surface area to volume ratio so it cools more effectively. I would also assume manufacturing considerations are in that too, but I won't even guess about hammering copper to shape, though the gradual taper from 4-6 inches down to 1/2" is more robust than a quick change in cross-section, the quick change would cause stress problems and the joint would be very vulnerable to damage. But basically, as the vapor goes through the system and cools the volume of the alcohol vapor decreases so to keep as much of the vapor in contact with the copper and shedding heat wall you need to shrink the diameter down.
My guess on explosions is that you got a vapor leak or you overheat your cooling system and start getting vapor out of the spigot. The vapor fills the small apartment kitchen (which in the prohibition-era was probably locked tight to control the smell) and once you hit the right fuel ait mixture add a flame then boom, so the still did not explode, but did cause the explosion. I would assume an adult does distilling in a well-ventilated area :)
Bernoulli's law states that the vapour will go faster in the smaller tubes but the pressure is actually less (for an open system)
The stories of catastrophic kabooms my dad told me about from his younger days all had the same three precursors that caused the kabooms. Open flame, storage of product in close proximity, and enthusiastic product testing 😆 He never has mentioned anything about pressure of any kind being involved. Should mention we are all of Appalachian decent.
Living in Eastern Europe, distilling here is illegal, but no one really cares. My grandfather died a year ago and left me a still. Nothing too fancy, but gets the job done. And now i have to learn distilling basically from scratch, and boy is it interesting. So many possibilities, so many options.
Sorry to hear your Grandfather passed on. Pretty cool that you got to keep his memory running with the still though. Welcome to the craft! So many things to try right?!
Absolutely love these videos mate, watching all the way from the uk and this is a fantastic hobby you inspired me to take up
Yeah, I had my head in my hands watching Greg's video on this. It's a complete misunderstanding of how a basic pot still works. Pressure isn't an issue in normal operation and the vapor doesn't strip flavor from the botanicals due to pressure, but because alcohol vapor is a respectable solvent. In the prohibition era, still explosions were happening because people were running stills in closed rooms, on a flame and probably because they were running the stills WAY too hot trying to crank out product as fast as possible. Maybe thumpers were a contributing factor as well as using people who really didn't know what they were doing and just knew that the mob was paying good money to crank out booze.
If this is demoralizing, you should see the nonsense spread by Mythbusters, who plainly went out of their way to create conditions that would result in a still explosion. Even though they told us what they were doing, the simple fact is, that it is forever stuck in the mind of every uninformed person who saw that episode, that a still is just a bomb waiting to go off.
Generally I love How 2 Drink's work. Greg has often talked about having to do every drink at least twice to get those sweet B-roll beauty shots. The production quality is through the roof. Great review, Jesse. Would love to see a collaboration between H2D and Still It.
The slowmo Greg does is very visually satisfying
Good job man! Love that you showed respect the whole time to Greg. You seem too be a good human.
You're awesome. Thank you so much. You got an new subscriber today!
It’s almost like he was thinking of the flow of vapor like the flow of electricity through thinner and thicker wires and coils.
goddam, I will say, that slowmow makes me want a drink.🤣
love it, im a big fan of greg and how to drink but the whole time i was watching that episode i was cringing internally at all the misinformation and misconceptions about the craft of distilling, glad you could clear some things up!
I get that same cringe when I watch some of George's videos. It would be nice if some of his videos could be objectively analyzed.
another great video, I just watched how to drinks video last night well done
Cheers mate :)
Wow, it's really nice to meet you in a European time zone ;) cheers!
Thanks, Jesse. You're always a gentleman and always a scholar.
It is an open system. How on earth can pressures build up?
It's not really a pressure accumulation, but rather the pressure increase which also increases the velocity of the gas (also called a fluid) flowing through the pipe.
See: Bernoulli's Equation for further knowledge 👌🏻
Please let me know if I have the wrong idea, it's easy for me to make a mistake.
Yeah, that is a thing for sure. But in terms of that causing enough pressure to "create a bomb". . . . . .
@@StillIt Definitely not even close to being a bomb. 😂
I actually had an old condenser blocked with copper lactate. (it was used by my unlce to heat up milk at an event and stood for a few years without proper cleaning)
So I unknowingly built the potential of a bomb, but luckily I noticed extra leakage which vented the system and prevented a proper bomb.
Also used an electrical element, which also helps 👌🏻
@@jurieccilliers In steam systems they call it water hammer. Scary.
Jurie Cilliers in a subsonic (incompressible) fluid, an increase in velocity which would occur during the reduction of the cross sectional area of the pipe would cause a subsequent reduction in pressure. While it’s correct that Bernoulli’s uses that principle, on its own it is a Venturi
just watched H2D gin episode... so I could watch this one!!!!! now to press play
Cheers from Montana.
Has I saw this video from How to drink which I follow religiously I imidiatly commented on.. I do have a still like that, 20l.. These are made here in Portugal all cooper and hand made (and not that expensive but firstly without lead or other crazy stuff) , but as Greg did I also chickened out for 2 years about start distilling and then found Still it and Barley and hops that make this hobby so approachable and really clear out much of this misinformation thats out there. Thanks again for your work. Hugs from Portugal
Its a awesome channel man. Glad your chasing now mate.
From the documenraies I've seen of prohibition era, BT gin means that the smuggled good hootch was all dumped into the family tub then diluted with water then all sorts of recipes like adding terpentine for heat and glycols, to sweeten, or smooth out the foul stuff were added to the resultant to increase volume thus profits.
73s
va3tdg
Well, I guess I'm learning stuff. I laughed at the same mis-information and the same things you laughed about Jesse. And ypu're not a tiny little 'tuber! Many many people love your channel!!
Cheers mate. I mean its all relative I guess. How to drink is a tiny channel to some.
I really appreciate this video. I ordered a still to make gin and started doing some research. That video scared the shit out of me, I appreciate you putting the misconception to rest. Can’t wait to start distilling 😤
What a good guy! Love the format and I appreciate your approach to spreading good information 🍻
I love his videos for mixing drinks and getting flavours to blend but this one was a bit outside of his realm (and he admitted it was a stretch)
Oh for sure. Same as me making videos about cocktails hahaha
Yeah, I honestly think it would have been better if it had just been a video about making gin using infusion.
Thanks dude,I watched this same 'how to drink" video and had the exact same thoughts through-out.
Good stuff!
I really wish I was able to home distill but living in Va, USA. It’s almost impossible to not get in trouble. Moonshine busts happen so often in my state.
Don't get caught.
You need to invite him on the show to talk
I really like the how to drink videos but this one was so far off the misinformation 🤦 thanks for checking it out cheers🥃
Bah. Give the guy a break. He's figuring it out.
It’s a misconception not misinformation, they are very different
It didn't seem that "far off" to me... Most of what he said was completely true in fact.
misinformation = something is told that doesn't happen
misconception = something that happens is at a much lower rate than everyone believes
I think it shows more how much misinformation there is about distilling in general. I’ve heard all the same misnomers about stills from history shows.
"We love the geekery" Perfect
Great video, Jesse! I also love Greg's channel! Also dig seeing the T-shirt!
Its a awesome channel. Big day tomorrow! See ya there :)
I think the fact which HTD missed is when the alcohol vapors condense the resulting liquid alcohol takes up significantly less volume. Thus, as you state, the alcohol isn't going to block the output spout so there can't be any pressure build-up.
I think thumpers caused this rumor that your still will blow up as they are closed systems
i run a thumper with no issues at all
@@PoppaLongroach that was the only system I can think of that can build pressure. Im not sure what else would cause it, maybe a stoppage from cooking on the grain and it puking over...???
@@tompeebles6273 I run 15.5 gal keg boiler and a 15.5 gal keg thumper.
With a Manometer installed you can watch the liquid level (water) in the trap (indicates pressure in boiler), and it would overflow and vent to atmosphere if something got clogged to the thump. It also provides a vent to atmosphere when the boiler is shut off. The liquid in the trap would be sucked into the boiler as it cools and provide an opening to the atmosphere.
Example of one at the bottom of the link.
homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=64296
Cheers!
It was probably more likely lack of cooling for full condensation of the alcohol in confined spaces?
The only danger is a poorly designed thumper. As others have mentioned, there are design techniques that can mitigate most potential problems.
SAFETY RULE #1 NEVER put any alcohol over 40% into a boiler!
Off flavors (flavours for you Kiwis)
May be from missing a very important step... PRE-CLEANING AND A SACRIFICIAL RUN !!!
New copper stays shiney from an oil coating that must be thoroughly etched,boiled,steamed, or chemically removed.
Without the oil, it would show up at the door with a dull patina finish and get lots of complaints.
"It has a gross yellow color".
"It tastes like some sort of cleaner".
You already covered cleaning in a few vids. He should subscribe to your channel! Keep up the great work!
Cheers, M8 🥃
I'm not an expert on fluid dynamics but here's what I think is going on. The pressure will increase as the tube gets smaller because it's exerting the same force on less cubic area, but since the system is sufficiently open, the pressure is dynamic and does not build up as enough static pressure to be a safety hazard.
As vapour moves through a space as it condenses through a larger > smaller space the pressure builds up? So with a normal house kettle, it goes through the keg > a small space > smaller space > reduction of vapour?
I feel like a lot of these "she's gonna blow!" paranoia stories come from one or two freak accidents that happened to your one buddy's sister in law's third cousin in Virginia one time (his eyebrows never grew back!) and they've become part of the scaremongering against legalizing home distilling in the US. (See related: Reefer Madness)
That was a nice cross over/react video. Its cool to see him branch out a bit.
Glad you liked it :)
HTD was on the right track when it comes to pressure but exactly opposite to the truth. According to bernoulli's principle, as you decrease the diameter (and thereby increase velocity given the same volume per time measured, just as as you feel when you float down a river and a narrow part shoots you ahead), you actually decrease pressure. That's actually why airplanes fly and how carburetors work to pull in fuel.
Love your videos man keep up the good fight. I send peeps your way whenever I get a chance talking to other new distilling enthusiasts looking for advice or information.
Hi Jesse, love your work. I am in the UK and have to keep what I get up to in my brew room quiet and there is not much of a network where you can chat about what you have been up to. I make a lot of wine and all grain beer and just started running a little air still and I love it. I make loads of base spirits from sugar washes and started with the kit flavoring. moved to using my own botanicals by steeping and now I am having a go stilling the fruits and spices, but this is a little limited with the kit I have. Just starting to play a little and tried a few ideas I have seen you do. The peanut butter M&Ms was a work of art and perfect for my jaded taste buds. I put a batch of my own cider through the still and added a butter candy in the same way you did with the M&Ms and that was excellent too. Thank you for helping me into the hobby I am hooked.
Americans that are not into our distilling world have this idea that since it was prohibited and still highly regulated distilling must be very dangereous. It is not, everyone and their mother do Cachaça in the countryside in brazil. Mostly in aluminum pressure cookers. While i dont condone to that practice, and had my own explosion hazard, just have a wide ass column, clean your stuff regularly and dont try to ferment on unknown yeasts and you're as safe as most people, probably safer than driving.
Edit: Forgot about the lead, DONT USE LEAD SOLDER, silver solder, flour paste or teflon tape for junctions.
Hey Jesse! On the pressure thing, u can definitly do some stupid stuff. My first still was a 50L pot with a 3/8 inch copper collumn-worm. I had to pu 30Kg of weights on top of the lid to keep it from leaking vapor. Did only the cleaning (vinager+sacrificial) and two runs, too much stress breaking the NO PRESSURE rule. My current still is a 800L bad boy with a 4 inch column.
You are a real credit to our hobby dude.
Cheers mate
I watch how to drink also...came up on my because you watch this try this list.. when I was looking up how to make mead,, your vids popped up also and been watching yours also..keep up the good work..
Its a awesome channel man. He dose a awesome job.
Cheers :)
Mate, brilliant video and good to see the excitement about the geekery about distilling. I will say flat out I have never distilled....yet, however I have been a homebrewer for a very long time, much to the frustration of my wife, and I understand the geekery. Keep it coming, great entertainment and information.
I think the bomb thing came from someone who built A home still and did not know what they were doing so boom at least that is my thought.but if any one dose know would love to know as well.