home brew

[Theodoric]

Originally Posted by gary_580

correct rammy, its illegal to distill spirit in this country
<Snip>

Indeed, HMCE will take an extremely dim view of it. However, (and I await with interest any further details), I'm not sure what is the legal position on freezing your home-brew. If you freeze it, more or less pure ice will separate out and the alcohol content will increase; I don't really know how high you can get the alcohol content and, as I said, I really don't know whether or not it is legal. A downside is that, as well as increasing the alcohol content, you will also increase the concentration of everything else. If you start with a sweetish brew, you'll end up with something sickly sweet. If there is some initial acidity, you'll end up with something that will dissolve your teeth as you drink it.

Originally Posted by Theodoric

I'm not sure what is the legal position on freezing your home-brew. If you freeze it, more or less pure ice will separate out and the alcohol content will increase; I don't really know how high you can get the alcohol content and, as I said, I really don't know whether or not it is legal.

I have a bottle of vodka in the freezer right now and that just goes a little thicker than normal. On that basis I'd guess if you put wine or beer in you wont seperate much out

Originally Posted by Dave Stones

well, i've just bought "CONDESSA ANISEED MIST HIGH ALCOHOL" and "SIX BOTTLE WINE OR LIQUEUR BEGINNERS PACK" from www.art-of-brewing.co.uk . We will see how it goes, no doubt my flatmates will kill me if it smells...

by the looks of that, the best you will get is something about the strength of Port which will easily do you in on half a bottle. It does say "It is possible" to brew to 21% but doesnt say you will get that and i thought yeast died in alcohol of a lower strength than that

[Theodoric]

Originally Posted by gary_580

I have a bottle of vodka in the freezer right now and that just goes a little thicker than normal. On that basis I'd guess if you put wine or beer in you wont seperate much out

Off hand, I can't recall (translation: I never really knew and I can't be bothered to try and find out ) what the water-ethanol phase diagram looks like but, at 40 v/v% ethanol, it may well be that the alcohol separates first from vodka. But, for beer or a wine, the water will definitely separate out first.

Originally Posted by Theodoric

Off hand, I can't recall (translation: I never really knew and I can't be bothered to try and find out ) what the water-ethanol phase diagram looks like but, at 40 v/v% ethanol, it may well be that the alcohol separates first from vodka. But, for beer or a wine, the water will definitely separate out first.

absolutely will but i dont think you get much above 20%

Can you get methanol from a home wine producing kit?

[Theodoric]

Originally Posted by gary_580

absolutely will but i dont think you get much above 20%

Well, 20% is about par for fortified wines such as sherry or port, so I suppose it's not to be sneezed at.

[Theodoric]

Originally Posted by Diamond

Can you get methanol from a home wine producing kit?

Off hand, I don't know, but I suspect, yes. The point is that methanol has a lower boiling point than ethanol, which has a lower boiling point than water, which means that when you distill the mash, you're going to get methanol and ethanol off in higher concentrations first. IIRC, you also get higher alchols (fusil oils?) which, I believe, are an important cause of bad hangovers.

[paulyoung666]

if in doubt dont bother , i used to work at a factory that produced methanol , some idiot decided to nick some and put it in the xmas punch , 1 dead , 1 blind , as said before , nasty stuff

Originally Posted by Theodoric

Off hand, I don't know, but I suspect, yes. The point is that methanol has a lower boiling point than ethanol, which has a lower boiling point than water, which means that when you distill the mash, you're going to get methanol and ethanol off in higher concentrations first. IIRC, you also get higher alchols (fusil oils?) which, I believe, are an important cause of bad hangovers.

some info in this link, Theo

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives...5727.Ch.r.html

and a quote from another one

The source of methanol in fermented fruit juices is the methyl side chain
attachments on the pectin polymers. If you can get your fruit juiced
without getting to much soluble pectins in the extrudate, or better still if
you can knock out the pectin degrading enzymes which will break down
those chains and liberate some of the methyl groups then you will minimise
on the methanol content of the brew. The business of heating/pastuerising
the juice, to kill off wild yeasts etc. also knocks out all those rogue
enzymes as well. Happy brewing! Ken C.

quite interesting

<edit> just read paulyoung666's post - OMG

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

if in doubt dont bother , i used to work at a factory that produced methanol , some idiot decided to nick some and put it in the xmas punch , 1 dead , 1 blind , as said before , nasty stuff

Very good advice there

Originally Posted by Theodoric

Well, 20% is about par for fortified wines such as sherry or port, so I suppose it's not to be sneezed at.

Dont know about sherry but port is made as wine and then brandy spririt is added when its barrelled

[Theodoric]

Originally Posted by gary_580

Dont know about sherry but port is made as wine and then brandy spririt is added when its barrelled

It was just the alcohol content I was comparing, not the methods. But, yes, they add brandy to port as well and, IIRC, madeira (that's the one that they heat in the attic first).

Originally Posted by Theodoric

It was just the alcohol content I was comparing, not the methods. But, yes, they add brandy to port as well and, IIRC, madeira (that's the one that they heat in the attic first).

heat in the attic? on Bopdudes still?

Originally Posted by gary_580

heat in the attic? on Bopdudes still?

- this is one of the reasons I love this forum, how else would I have been prompted by Theodoric's post to find the following quote, and learn something in the process..

A wine to store... in the attic!
Luck gave those early winegrowers a much-needed hand, as the wind and the climate hadn't allowed their grapes to get sweet enough for a high-quality wine. Upon returning from a long sea voyage, sailors with a bit of wine left at the bottom of the barrels discovered to their surprise that it was much better than when they had first set sail. The heat of the hold had helped it to mature properly. Thus was born Madeira, a wine that improves with age, that is matured, not in a cool cellar, but a warm attic (estufa) at a temperature of 110 to 120° F, and whose bottles are kept, not lying done, but standing up.

- taken from
here

Madeira looks like a lovely place to visit, too