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Distilling Instructions (Super Reflux Condenser)
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Before reading these instructions, make sure you have read the information sheet called “Distilling Overview” which is also available in the downloads section of the Oz Brew website. The “Distilling Overview” sheet will provide useful information about the legality of stills and their usages, as well as outlining some good overall basics that will help provide essential information about this process.
There are many types of stills, boilers, condensers & carbon filters available on the market. Different products and brands, may use different instructions. These instructions cover one of the most practical methods of distilling using a 25L boiler, a (super) reflux condenser and a Still Spirits Z- carbon filter, which we believe is one of the most effective value for money packages available.
Read through all of your instructions including the Helpful Hints in each section before proceeding through the steps in each process. This will ensure you are aware of any tips that may make the process 25 Litre Boiling Pot Z Carbon Filter Super Reflux Condenser easier for you. (3 in 1 Fermenter) Typically produces a high yield of approximately 4-5L @ 80% - 90% V. Stage 1 - Sterilisation 1. Everything used in the fermentation process must be cleaned and sterilised before and after use. This includes the 3 in 1 fermenter, airlock and stirrer. 2. For optimum cleaning, we recommend Combo Cleaner Washing / Steriliser. Wash through all of your equipment with this solution and rinse thoroughly with cold tap water.
Stage 2 - Fermenting the Alcoholic Wash 1. Half fill your 3 in 1 fermenter with cold tap water and mix in 8 kgs of Dextrose.
NOTE: Dextrose is used instead of sugar for several key reasons: ♦ Dextrose makes a cleaner spirit and ferments faster than other sugars. ♦ Dextrose dissolves easily in cold water ♦ & most importantly, dextrose produces less bi-products resulting in clenaer tastes and greater alcohol yield from each batch. Although dextrose is slightly more expensive to buy than normal household sugar and will cost you approximately $11 more per batch, you can get up to 4 litres more of 40% spirit per batch due to the overall quality. This makes it worthwhile!
2. Add warm tap water to your fermenter to bring the overall volume up to the 25 litre mark (about 4cm from the top of the container - where the top “pressed ring” is around the fermenter). Stir thoroughly as you pour. A good starting temperature for your brew is approximately 35 to 40 deg C. Page 1 Page 2
3. For brewing in the tropics, add one sachet of Still Spirits Temperature Tolerant Turbo Yeast to your Wash (mix of dextrose and water) and stir in.
♦ If the Wash is too hot the yeast may be killed or weakened, therefore may not be able to ferment out all of the Dextrose. If the wash is too cold, it may take a lot longer to start fermenting. That’s why a perfect starting temperature is between 35 and 40 deg. C.
♦ Each pack of Still Spirits Temperature Tolerant Turbo Yeast contains a mix of yeast and nutrients, to make 25 litres of Wash. This yeast along with your dextrose will produce an alcohol which is extremely low in bi-products creating a cleaner tasting spirit when distilled correctly.
4. Fit the Airlock to the fermenter by twisting and pushing it through the rubber bung. Insert it in the top of the lid to create a tight seal. Push the airlock far enough through the bung so a complete seal is obtained. Drip some water into the top of the airlock until it is level with the two lines shown on the side of the airlock. Within 24 - 48 hours Carbon Dioxide should start bubbling through the Airlock, if the brew is working correctly and if the fermenter is sealed properly.
Helpful Hints: 1 The element at the base of your boiler is secured by a collar on the outside where the power cord plugs into. Make sure this is tightly nipped up to avoid any leaking. 2 Check the temperature of your wash using your long glass thermometer once you have vigorously mixed in your dextrose. Sometimes you may need to add warm water to achieve a starting temperature of between 35 to 40 deg. C. 3 The more vigoursly you stir your wash before adding your yeast, the more oxygen you will create which means your yeast will start working sooner. So don’t be afraid to give it a vigorous mix. 4 Don’t overfill your airlock as you may find it will spurt out like a volcano during the first few days. 5 If you find that you haven’t seen any bubbling within the first 2 days, open the lid and have a quick look inside. The wash should be bubbling or sparkling on the surface and will probably have foam on top. In this case, just re-adjust your lid as you put it on and ensure your airlock bung is fitted nice and tight. If you don’t see much activity, stir vigorously with a sterilised plastic spoon (not wooden) to speed up the fermentation. Stir gently at first to avoid a froth build up. 6 Regardless of what your packet of yeast says, most Turbo yeasts will take 7 to 10 days to achieve a complete fermentation and give you a Hydrometer reading of .980 to .990. (Hydrometer readings are explained in the next section when you actually have to use one).
Stage 3 - The Fermentation Process Your wash should take approximately 7 to 10 days to ferment if fermented between 26o - 32o C.
At a higher temperature, extra bi-products may be produced and your yeast might die off early. This would result in a high Hydrometer reading and you may need to add another yeast to re-activate the brew.
At a lower temperature, the wash will take longer to ferment & may even stop working altogether. For the first few days, heat is generated by the fermentation process, so it’s crucial to make sure that your temperature does not exceed 32o C where your fermenter is stored, as the activity of the wash will generate approximately 7-8o C more than your room temperature.
Fermentation is complete when the yeast has used up all of the dextrose. To check to see if your wash is ready, sterilise your Hydrometer and drop it into the wash. The reading is where the line of the liquid cuts across the scale on the hydrometer giving what is called the Specific Gravity (S.G.) of your brew. The final specific gravity when your wash is ready to distill should be about 0.980 to 0.990 near the top tip of your hydrometer before the red area.
Helpful Hints: It has been found that if you ferment your wash in a separate fermenter first, rather than using your 3 in 1 fermenter, you can discard the sediment on the bottom as you pour the finished wash into your boiler. This will give you a greater yield and a better product overall. Ask your local store about Turbo Clear. This product clears your wash within a couple of days & gives you a crystal clear base to work from resulting in a very high quality distilite / spirit output. Page 3
Points to watch out for: Even if you do not have an airtight seal, your wash may still be fermenting, so don’t worry. Unlike beer brews, it is uncommon to see spirit washes go off. Leave it for a couple of days, then check your hydrometer to see if the reading is lower than when you first mixed everything up. This means you need to have taken a hydrometer reading when you first mixed in all of your ingredients. b) In some circumstances the yeast can stop working before all the dextrose is used. This will be indicated by a final Specific Gravity (S.G.) higher than .990. Any reading above 1.010 on a Wine & Beer Hydrometer suggests that something has gone wrong. In most cases a good stir to get the yeast back into circulation should get the Wash fermenting again but in serious cases you may need to add another yeast pack. The most common cause of stuck fermentation is low temperature. In this case simply move the fermenter to a warmer place and stir the yeast up. An inexpensive stick-on digital thermometer, available from your homebrew shop, will help monitor the temperature, but only use one of these if you are fermenting your wash in a different container to your actual boiling pot ie: a second fermenter.
Stage 4 - Distillation Assembling the Reflux Still: 1. Fit the Condenser to the domed lid by securely tightening the nut on the underside of the lid (metal to metal) to the reflux condensor. This is fitted to the hole in the lid where the bung and airlock were. 2. Situate the Still on a firm heat resistant base close to a cold water tap, drain and power socket. 3. Pour the whole packet of ceramic saddles into the top of the condenser by pulling out the small black bung where your long glass thermometer fits. Fit the thermometer so that the bulb appears on the inside of the black bung by 10mm. Then fit the bung & thermometer back into the top of the Condenser. 4. Fit the lid, complete with Condenser and hoses, onto the Still. Thermometer Distillation:
1. You will note that there are 3 tubes on the condensor. Tube 1 connects to a tap for water in. Water Out Tube 2 runs into a drain or sink for water out. 2 Tube 3 is where your product / spirit drips out. Ceramic Saddles 2. Plug the element cord in & turn on your boiler. When the wash has warmed up, but before the thermometer reads 50o C, start the cold water running through the Condenser. It should take about 1 hour and 20 minutes before you should turn your cold tap water on and start the flow. 3 3. During most of the distillation process the Condenser Nut cooling water flowing through the condenser Spirit should be flowing at about 400 mls per minute. Out This will always be dependent on your water 1 temperature. If your tap water is cool, the flow does not Water In have to be as much. If your tap water is warm, you’ll find (connect to tap) that you may have to increase the flow considerably or find a cooler water source. See step 7 for further explanation. Page 4
4. Collect the first 150 mls that comes out of your still and discard it. This is the Head. It is non drinkable and must be discarded as it may contain bi-products & methanol that will subbstantially reduce the quality of your spirit. The ‘head’ usually comes out between 66 - 76 deg C. 5. Collect 4 - 5 litres of the Body which contains the Ethanol (drinkable alcohol) at about 90% Vol. Make sure that the spirit outlet tube from the condenser stays well above the level of the spirit. Collect your spirit in a 10L container with tap so you can dilute it later when doing the carbon filtering. 6. If using a standard turbo yeast do not collect more than 4 litres of distillate. Any spirit collected after this amount will reduce the quality and taste of your spirit. If you are using Turbo Extra or Oz Brew Temperature Tolerant Turbo Yeast with dextrose, you should be able to collect between 4 - 5 Litres of good quality spirit. 7. The more cool water that flows through the condenser, the lower the temperature will be in the reflux column. This will show on the thermometer. The temperature of your tap water influences the amount you need. (i.e. In tropical / warmer locations, you will need more water flowing through your condenser than in cooler / southern states where tap water is actually cold). The slower the water that flows through the condenser, the higher the temperature will rise, producing a faster flow of spirit. In tropical / hotter regions, you will need to run your tap at a much faster rate than 400ml per / minute, as the tap water is likely to be quite warm.
8. The thermometer temperature will slowly rise as the alcohol is boiled off. Increase the flow of water through the condenser to hold the temperature between 78 o - 86oC. The flow of alochol coming out will slow towards the end of the distillation process.
From a standard 25 litre wash produced with 8ks of Dextrose & using a Super Reflux Condenser, you should collect 4 – 5 Litres of alcohol at approximately 90% Vol. in about 5 hours plus your warm up time. Standard Reflux Condensers will collect approximately 4 litres of alcohol at approximately 70% in the same period of time.
Helpful Hints: a) As a rough guide, a typical Wash will take about 4.5 – 6 hours to run through the Still. It will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes to heat up before you need to turn your water tap on, and about 15 – 25 minutes after that before any condensate / alcohol will drip out of the Condenser. It will then take about 10 minutes to collect the Head, and nearly 5 hours to collect 4-5 litres of good quality alcohol. b) Make sure that the alcohol dripping out of the still is relatively cool. If the condensate / alcohol is too warm or hot, the overall quality of the spirit will be compromised, which can result in you getting less overall volume and more overall bi-products. The flavour of your base spirit will then not be as good, and as a result, you will get an underlying aftertaste to all of your mixed spirits and liqueurs. c) If for any reason your Wash has not fermented completely, (i.e. your S.G. is above .990) then all of your dextrose has not been converted to alcohol. This means you will not collect the full amount of distillate through the Still. If you do not collect the full amount of alcohol, check the following for next time: ♦ used the correct amount of dextrose in the Wash; and/or ♦ the specific gravity is below 990 before distilling; and/or ♦ there is no steam leak or frothing during distillation. If the wash has not fully fermented out, then the unfermented dextrose can foam causing the wash to come through the condenser with the distillate. It will foam worse with sugar. In this instance Distilling Conditioner can be used to increase yield or avoid problems. Page 5
Stage 5 - Carbon Filtering
WARNING ABOUT CARBONS ! There are several methods that can be used in order to successfully carbon filter your spirit and remove the excess impurities and aftertastes. However, because there are so many methods and various types of carbon, it’s important to use the right carbon for the right method. Some carbons are treated and therefore absorb impurities at a faster rate than others. It’s very important to know which carbons suit which methods. If you use the wrong type of carbon with the wrong type of method, it will be likely your distilite will contain aftertastes, smells, poisonous properties and other unwanted bi-products.
The following instructions are specifically suited for a Z - Carbon Filter
Step 1 - Filling Your Filter Helpful Hint Step 2 - Rinsing Your Carbon Fill all 3 channels with Z-Carbon leaving Use thread tape to Turn your filter upside down & flush out your approximately a 5mm gap for carbon wrap around all of carbon with tap water. The end with the mesh expansion. the threaded ends disc should be at the bottom, & the end where Unscrew here to fill channels of your filter to help you flush your filter from should be at the top. prevent dripping. Using a hose, hold it Using a garden Dripping will occur if securely over the top hose flush the you over tighten the end of your filter and carbon from here. ends as the run your tap for about Fill all 3 channels standard seals are 1 minute. Wait a few but leave a 5mm very soft. If you find seconds, and repeat gap for carbon that you are having Your end the process. Make expansion at the trouble with the filter with the 123 sure the water running top of channels 1, 2 dripping, it would be mesh disc out through the mesh & 3 better to upgrade should be disc is completely your seals to the here so clear, othewise it will Do not overtighten harder, replacement that your discolour your spirit & the end caps when seals that are carbon is leave a sediment. putting them back available from your rinsed on, just nip them up. No filter paper should be local brew store. out. in your filter at this stage!
Step 3 - Changing Ends Step 4 - Inserting Filter Paper Step 5 - Diluting Your Spirit When the carbon is clean, turn your Undo the black Before using carbon to filter your spirit, filter around so the mesh disc end is nut and tail at the ensure it is diluted to below 50% Alc. Vol.. on top. Unscrew the black end with bottom end of the Your carbon will not work effectively at a the mesh disc and replace it with filter, and take out higher percentage. the hose attached end supplied with the rubber seal. your filter. This is what your filter To dilute your spirit to the correct should look like now: Insert 1 filter percentage, use an alcohol meter to see paper inside the Take mesh Replace with what your spirit is at before adding any black nut and put water. Once you know your undiluted disc end off. hose attached the rubber seal end. alcohol volume, add 1 litre of water at a back in over the time and stir it in. Measure your alcohol top of the filter strength with each litre of water you add paper to secure it until you get a reading between 40 - 50%. in. Alc. Vol.. It is recommended you dilute your spirit to approximately 40% Alc. Vol. Re-attach the nut to the filter.
Diluted Spirit The filter paper goes in this end 40% - 50% between the Alc. Vol. rubber seal and the inside of the black nut. Page 6
Step 6 - Connect Filter Step 7 - Start Filtering Pull this Once you have diluted Turn your tap on full and let leaver upright Diluted Spirit Diluted Spirit your spirit, you will be your spirit fill your filter. You to lock your tap open in ready to proceed to 40% - 50% may need to squeeze the clear 40% - 50% full position. the filtering stage. Alc. Vol. plastic tube a couple of times Alc. Vol. (unfiltered) (the soft tube between your (unfiltered) Connect your Z-Filter Z-Filter and container) to help Squeeze this to the tap of your 10L get the flow started. tube a couple container where your of times to diluted spirit is, by Insert the hard Make sure you have a sufficient sized help get the inserting the hard plastic piece into container underneath your filter so you flow going. plastic piece from the the tap to allow can collect the filtered product. the Z-Filter to tube end of your filter hang freely. into the tap. Your diluted spirit should filter through the carbon at a relatively slow rate, producing Make sure it is firmly a constant, but slow trickle into your inserted into the tap so second container. your filter can hang freely without coming It should take approx. 4-5 hours to filter out. It will be quite a through 8-10L of diluted spirit. If the process goes quicker than this, run it tight squeeze, so don’t Filtered Spirit be afraid to give it a through again. If you find that the process takes longer than 4-5 hours, it is usually good push to ensure it 40% - 50% due to the carbon not being washed out is securely fitted. Alc. Vol. enough during the rinsing stage and the filter paper is getting blocked.
Stage 6 - Making Spirits & Liqueurs Once you have a good, clean, filtered spirit to work from, you can produce some of the finest spirits and li- queurs that specifically cater to your tastes. You can chose from a vast range of spirits and liqueurs to make your finished product. See below for some of the many available types:
Spirit Essences only require you to add the essence to your base spirit. There are a huge range of flavours available in standard form, premium & bulk.
Liqueur Essences usually require you to add a cream, schnapps or liqueur base pack with your base spirit & essence. These packs supply the sweetness and thickness that your liqueurs re- quire.
Oak Sacks are an enhanced flavoured oak pack housed in a straining bag. All you do with these is soak 1 bag per / 1.125L of spirit like you would a normal tea bag. The enhanced oak smoothens, flavours and ma- tures your spirit to give you the highest quality of flavour possible.