I'm really at a loss as to the why distilling needs anything requiring OSS. It's worse than my washer/dryer/dishwasher wanting/requiring WiFi access. You put your mash in a vat to ferment. You bring that mash to boil in the still. You collect the output.
Open Source Distilling
31–40 of 45 posts
Re: Open Source Distilling
#32> For example, I think a lot of us don’t want to sit in front of a still for 30 minutes waiting for it to come up to temperature at the beginning of a distilling day. Idk, I find driving a still to be pleasurable. To each their own. Hot ethanol seems to have the refractive index to make it sparkle like a diamond. I recommend trying distilling if you like to brew things. It's a fun hobby.
I have always wanted to set up an old timey whisky still in my woods on the creek. I have no idea how to make a still. Any way you could point me toward a reliable source for how to build and operate one? I don't trust the results from blind googling anymore.
looking for the snarky link between "blind googling" and blindness caused by drinking improperly distilled alcohol.
Re: Open Source Distilling
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Distillation, when done improperly, can result in very toxic substances. It requires care and craft and since alcohol is not only a drug but a transformed product (like LSD or meth), it is perfectly fine that some state-level supervision apply: anything ranging from plain interdiction to controlled production. Note that the level of control usually depends on potential health issues and culture, it is not usually str…
By that logic it would be acceptable for the state to regulate all sorts of common culinary techniques. Note that those are regulated in a commercial setting. I'd have no objection to similar regulations pertaining to restaurants that wanted to serve alcohol that was distilled, brewed, or otherwise prepared on site. In that context it's equivalent to the regulations pertaining to the handling of raw meat. Similarly,…
> A fine whiskey? Sure. The equivalent of vodka? Don't be ridiculous.
Given the variability of quality and flavor among vodkas, this is not quite true. Water mineralization, number of distillations, type of filtration, terroir and remaining "impurities" from the specific mash used. All of these affect the character of the vodka just as they do any spirit. That's why no one takes vodka distilled a million times seriously, if you can even call it vodka.
(And that excludes things like barrel-aged vodkas, like the venerable starka, or a well-made bimber which cannot be accused of lacking character.)
Re: Open Source Distilling
#34I'm really at a loss as to the why distilling needs anything requiring OSS. It's worse than my washer/dryer/dishwasher wanting/requiring WiFi access. You put your mash in a vat to ferment. You bring that mash to boil in the still. You collect the output.
iSpindel is cheaper than a manual hydrometer and it's automatic (and thus safer for the cultures). If you don't want to track/collect data about the fermentation or whatever, then don't, but many find it practical and pleasurable.
Re: Open Source Distilling
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have always wanted to set up an old timey whisky still in my woods on the creek. I have no idea how to make a still. Any way you could point me toward a reliable source for how to build and operate one? I don't trust the results from blind googling anymore.
looking for the snarky link between "blind googling" and blindness caused by drinking improperly distilled alcohol.
> blindness caused by drinking improperly distilled alcohol.
This isn't actually a thing. You will die of normal ethanol poisoning well before consuming enough methanol to cause blindness when drinking alcohol you made from distilling something you fermented.
The blindness thing is some nicely placed Prohibition-era propaganda combined with the addition of methanol to alcohol-containing products that managed to make its way into the public psyche.
Re: Open Source Distilling
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
Distillation, when done improperly, can result in very toxic substances. It requires care and craft and since alcohol is not only a drug but a transformed product (like LSD or meth), it is perfectly fine that some state-level supervision apply: anything ranging from plain interdiction to controlled production. Note that the level of control usually depends on potential health issues and culture, it is not usually str…
People frequently get blind or just die from home made booze when distilling and not checking for methyl alcohol. Quite common on poor parts of the world but also ie eastern Europe and russia.
This gets repeated a lot but doesn't actually stand up to any scrutiny.
If you go and look, you will find that cases of blindness are caused not by "improper" distillation, but rather by the adulteration of the finished product- that is, extra methanol being added after the fact.
If you can find a verifiable case of a person going blind from home distillation, I would be interested to see it.
Re: Open Source Distilling
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think you’d struggle to find much evidence of home distillers getting busted. If you’re not selling the stuff, you’re probably not the TTBs concern.
This falls into the “how would they know about it?” category, but that doesn’t mean it’s not illegal or that you wouldn’t get prosecuted if they happened to find it. Sort of like growing your own personal stash of marijuana.
More than that, what are they actually trying to enforce? In the USA it’s excise tax. The TTB cannot possibly go after home distillers making quantities that you’d make with a stovetop still. It’s like $2.70 per gallon for small producers. Obviously in countries that have stricter alcohol laws, the math might be different.
Re: Open Source Distilling
#38I'm really at a loss as to the why distilling needs anything requiring OSS. It's worse than my washer/dryer/dishwasher wanting/requiring WiFi access. You put your mash in a vat to ferment. You bring that mash to boil in the still. You collect the output.
iSpindel is cheaper than a manual hydrometer and it's automatic (and thus safer for the cultures). If you don't want to track/collect data about the fermentation or whatever, then don't, but many find it practical and pleasurable. https://opensourcedistilling.com/ispindel/
Are you sure it's cheaper than a glass hydrometer, you can get one for around £3
Re: Open Source Distilling
#39> For example, I think a lot of us don’t want to sit in front of a still for 30 minutes waiting for it to come up to temperature at the beginning of a distilling day. Idk, I find driving a still to be pleasurable. To each their own. Hot ethanol seems to have the refractive index to make it sparkle like a diamond. I recommend trying distilling if you like to brew things. It's a fun hobby.
I have always wanted to set up an old timey whisky still in my woods on the creek. I have no idea how to make a still. Any way you could point me toward a reliable source for how to build and operate one? I don't trust the results from blind googling anymore.
Re: Open Source Distilling
#40Definitely be careful before embarking on home distilling. In many parts of the world (and many parts of the US) it's pretty strictly illegal.
I don't agree with "strictly" illegal. 1 - it depends on what you're distilling. https://www.distillate.org/laws/list 2 - while federally illegal to just get a still and start churning out spirits, ... https://www.ttb.gov/regulated-commodities/beverage-alcohol/d... a free permit and some paperwork (okay a lot of paperwork) lets you. Disclaimer: I don't hold any licenses or permits related to alcohol, but as a holder…
"In some parts of the world..."
The world is bigger than the US, friend.