Noisebridge Distilled
Noisebrige Distilled
About
This page gives people some info about the art of building, maintaining, and/or operating a still...as well as some other associated things.
Fermenting
A lot of stuff in a still is fermented. We've been keeping fermentation logs of stuff we've brewed in the space and then distilled. If you are new to this whole thing, the logs are a good place to start for some guidance on how to run some of your own brews.
The Equipment
Still Components
A pot, and a condenser :). Optionally, a reflux column. Some Noise Extraction and Brewing equipment is available in the space, and could potentially be used to accomplish some of this.
Materials
- Glass is awesome for teaching and for beginners, but has crappy thermal properties.
- Copper with integrated heating coils is the choice of many pro distillers, but it is a real bear to keep clean, and reacts very badly to acids and bases.
Resources
Table of Boiling Points
- Methyl Acetate = 56.9C [1]
- Methanol = 64.7C [2]
- Ethyl Acetate = 77.1C [3]
- Ethanol = 78C [4]
- 1-Propanol = 97.1C [5]
- Acetic Acid = 118C (though this and other acids can react to form esters!) [6]
Incredibly Useful Graphs
- Vapor Phase composition vs. Distillate Temperature - for EtOH / Water
- Vapor Phase composition vs. Pot Composition - assists in determining efficient reflux ratios when operating a reflux still (EtOH / Water)
Other Neato Stuff
- Proofing table - relates specific gravity of a liquid to its US Proof value.
- Industrial Data for Ethanol - otherwise known as everything you could have ever possibly asked about the solvent ethanol, in a 47 page document.
Legality
Owning and operation of a still is legal in California as given by part 23367 of the ABC code. Full unabridged (read: annoying) text of the 2010 ABC code can be found here: [7]
Note: Still laws vary state to state, so check to make sure you aren't breaking any laws!