High Proof VODKA In A POT STILL?! Neutral Spirit Success😉

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Bearded’s Invert Sugar Vodka Wash: OG=1.092 12.08%abv
20 pounds (9Kg) white sugar
12 gallons of water
5 teaspoons of citric acid or 10oz lemon juice - amzn.to/3wXzRqe
10 teaspoons yeast nutrient - amzn.to/3gj9NzT
5 Tablespoons Yeast - D.A.D.Y. - amzn.to/3dqfnyE
Sodium Carbonate - amzn.to/3gg4oty
1/4teaspoon Epsom Salt
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Disclaimer: This video may contain a simulation of the process of distillation filmed for entertainment and educational purposes only. The equipment depicted is solely for the production of distilled water, essential oils, and brewing. The information on the process is provided for its entertainment and educational value only. Distillation of alcohol is currently illegal at the U.S. Federal level if done without a license, even for the sole purpose of personal consumption. Understand and follow Federal and State laws when making alcoholic beverages. If you attempt this project, you assume all risk. Please drink responsibly.
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#PotStillVodka #NeutralSpirit #HowToDistillVodka

[@BeardedBored]

Special Sale! Get 30% off INTO THE AM Graphic T-Shirts May 28th thru 31st - intotheam.com/Bearded10

[@josephbXIX]

I will try this recipe, so far i was pretty satisfied with birdswatcher taste, even for my gin. Brobably gonna usthe carbonate from now on

[@AgeWhiskey]

Bought. That's a good deal. Thanks!!

[@chrisjones1896]

What is the total volume of water & wash please? It’s not stated in the ingredients drop down - thank you

[@StillIt]

This is pretty interesting man. I have heard people talking about "reducing heads" in this way. But I have never tried it. Glad to see you have. Like always, when I get to this point for these kinda things I wish we had a freaking lab to take this to the next level of testing.

[@BeardedBored]

Yeah, I think the next step is going to be someone, not saying who, but maybe some Kiwi should do a side by side test on a T500 to see how much of a difference it really makes;-)

[@Backdaft94]

@@BeardedBored I agree 100%

[@BeardedBored]

@@Backdaft94 Yes, if only we knew a guy who could do it¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@BrianGski34]

I tried your method. It is the cleanest I’ve ever made.

[@BeardedBored]

Great to hear!

[@tonyoliver4920]

👨🏻‍🔬 chemist! I believe it’s akin to salt-induced phase separation. It alters the azeotrope points for non ethanol compounds in the wash The off flavours don’t want to boil off because they bind to the ionic solution

[@BeardedBored]

This right here is the high quality nerding I was hoping for! Thanks for picking up the slack, brother!

[@tonyoliver4920]

@@BeardedBored any time!

[@harveywallbanger2127]

I always thought it was mostly hydrolysis of the ethyl acetate and other esters in the heads, which produces more alcohol and less heads.

[@tonyoliver4920]

@@harveywallbanger2127 hydrolysis of esters are catalysed by acidity. Na carb is alkaline so would push the equilibrium in the opposite direction

[@harveywallbanger2127]

@@tonyoliver4920 base hydrolysis is a thing too, and to my understanding not as reversible like acid hydrolysis. I think it also gets called saponification.

[@silveraven1]

I’m gonna “hypothetically” try this. Great, no amazing topic and technique you’re touched upon. You may have just saved me thousands on a column setup

[@BeardedBored]

Good luck:-)

[@Ansis99]

Hi, Bearded! I use egg shells for ph +. I just wash them with hot water to remove inside parts and dry it out. Than I use coffee grinder for crushing. It`s always in your fridge. 🥃 P.S. Active charcoal filters after filtration if we reuse them with "fresh alcohol" will ruin new one. I personally use and reuse by cooking it +250C 1/2 hour.

[@BeardedBored]

Great tips, thanks!

[@Ansis99]

@@BeardedBored :)

[@Ansis99]

@@BeardedBored Yes, active charcoal is cheap at aquarium fish stores and maybe in Home Depot in USA? I bye mine 10 years ago in 1kg bag and use and reuse... I find something like mine here: www.amazon.de/-/en/Activated-Coconut-Carbon-Treatment-Granules/dp/B08DRLW2W1/ref=pd_sbs_2/258-2418437-6497745?pd_rd_w=sAryZ&pf_rd_p=b9e2e02e-b111-4e58-bf64-75121e223c50&pf_rd_r=SH24HYM6WMGD423316K3&pd_rd_r=4be05d51-8f33-4b7a-8bc3-68e01886f618&pd_rd_wg=L2YDL&pd_rd_i=B08DRLW2W1&psc=1

[@delpurslow1180]

Great job and super interesting!

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks!

[@ahmelmahay]

subscribed

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks!

[@mustavertwang]

Producers of activated carbon filters claim that in order for them to "clean up" alcohol the a.b.v. must be 50% or lower.I wonder if their claim is accurate?

[@BeardedBored]

Probably, but something definitely worked. No idea what the science is on how the last of the flavor got stripped out, even at 83%, but it seemed to do the job. You can always proof it down first, then filter, but I need the highest proof I can get for my next project, so I just went for it.

[@mustavertwang]

@@BeardedBored Thank you for the information, most helpful.

[@MultiTut69]

So....what happens if you add the sodium carbonate to the wash before the first run?

[@BeardedBored]

Nothing significant. You've got to get it to low wines first before you notice any difference. So I've read, anyway.

[@micahcluck5550]

So I made this. Stripping run came out great. After I hit about 35% on the spirit run, I cranked the heat up beings the flow had slowed and I was running out of time. Totally scorched the rest of the run. Only thing I can think of is the sodium carbonate scorched?

[@BeardedBored]

Dude, that is weird. Never heard of scorching low wines, even with the SC. No idea how much your temp jumped, but make sure you're only going up in temp 1 or 2 points at a time. All I can guess is it was maybe too much too fast?

[@micahcluck5550]

@@BeardedBored oh I'm sure that it was more than a few points. Had no good way to turn it up beings I was using a hot plate and I tried to switch to the internal burner that was currently off. Only did it beings I had 1 hour before I had to leave for work. Appreciate the reply and all you do on KZbin.

[@robertfontaine3650]

The plastic guys are going to shout... alcohol and the plastique don't mix well. In the long run you may want to put your carbon in a piece of your stainless column to avoid the wrath of the anti-plastic brigade and maybe avoid growing unnecessary breasts.

[@BeardedBored]

The plastic police may chime in, but I only had it in there for 10 minutes. Long term storage would be more of a concern for me. LOL, I'm not too worried about extra breasts. That might be fun:-)

[@everydayden5826]

@@BeardedBored Well, you know what they say, without nipples, breast would be pointless, ha ha. The only problem with three breasts is that we only have two hands. Challenge ACCEPTED !!!!! LOL !!!

[@BeardedBored]

@Everyday Den 😂😂

[@dannylee9138]

🤔 t500 still

[@BeardedBored]

Those make good vodka right out of the box. Would have made this a little easier for sure:-)

[@StillIt]

Nice shirts!

[@BeardedBored]

Haha, thanks brother!

[@rickmilkovic]

Hey B&B In a single word, interesting. Wow you are up to 51.6k subs, so happy for you bro. Keep up the great work, and love the content✌✌

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks brother!

[@reformlabs8742]

This is the Chemistry of how the Bases work and much more on Ethanol Purification.. also if you don't have Sodium Carbonate, I wrote out a method to follow to make it yourself below. This may sound a bit insane... while Sodium/Potassium Carbonate or Bicarbonate will work, what can work as well too is Sodium/Potassium Hydroxide... but I don't recommend it very much because it can damage your still (especially if it's Aluminum, DO NOT use Hydroxides if you have an Aluminum still)... Carbonates are easy and cheap to make... When fermentation occurs, in this case, the fermentation being a sugar wash, the yeast can sometimes produce Ethyl Acetate which I've read is a major component of the heads. What happens here is a base (Sodium/Potassium Carbonate/Bicarbonate/Hydroxide) reacts with Ethyl Acetate to produce Sodium/Potassium Acetate and more Ethanol... There are other byproducts such as long-chain fatty acids in the tails, aldehydes, phenols, and other esters (Ethyl Acetate is a carboxylate [acetate] ester) Ethyl Acetate might form when Ethanol and Acetic Acid is distilled, so what you could do to prevent that is adding the Base (Sodium/Potassium Hydroxide/Bicarbonate/Carbonate) to the wash before distilling, this should neutralize any acidic compounds before distillation.. and after distillation, it wouldn't hurt to add more to the first distillation (assuming you're doing more than one distillation)... The Long Chain Fatty Acids in the tails can be Saponified by a base such as Sodium/Potassium Hydroxide ideally but Carbonate can also work, Bicarbonate too can probably work but I'd imagine it's extremely slow.. so you end up with a Sodium/Potassium Fatty Acid Salt which will remove the volatility of it... think of the Sodium/Potassium salt turning the Fatty Acid into a solid substance like table salt... Aldehydes and Ketones undergo Aldol Condensation if Sodium/Potassium Hydroxide is used, not too sure about Carbonates/Bicarbonates.. (maybe someone else can explain this more in-depth, I am not very familiar with this) I'll explain what I know regardless, what happens when a Hydroxide is used, the Ketones (Dimethyl Ketone/Acetone) reacts with the Hydroxide to produce Di-Acetone Alcohol which is much less volatile than Acetone... whereas the Aldehydes (Ethanal/Acetaldehyde) react with the Hydroxide to produce β-Hydroxybutyraldehyde which unfortunately has a higher boiling point than Ethanal/Acetaldehyde.. Acetone Boiling Point: 56°C or 132.8°F Diacetone Alcohol Boiling Point: 166°C or 330.8°F Ethanal/Acetaldehyde Boiling Point: 20.2°C or 68.36°F β-Hydroxybutyraldehyde Boiling Point: 65-68°C or 149-154.4°F There's another thing too, the Diacetone Alcohol can decompose with heat into Mesityl Oxide which has a boiling point of: Mesityl Oxide Boiling Point: 129.5°C or 265.1°F The amount of the other products produced in a neutral spirit should be very low so there's no need to worry or be too picky about it.. just use Sodium Carbonate To get rid of the Ethanal (if there's any) you could probably pour the alcohol in a water bath at a temperature of about 40 Celsius for maybe half an hour.. Or if you've got access to a distillation set, probably reflux the mixture cooling it with room temperature water for about 1 hour (25°C or 77°F).. I've not tried this before, maybe it can work... The above listed are just the boiling points of each of these byproducts if Sodium/Potassium Hydroxide is used, overall you're better off using Sodium/Potassium Carbonate, if you don't have it, you can place Sodium/Potassium Bicarbonate in the oven for about maybe 30minutes to 1 hour at a temperature of 150°C or 300°F. A lot of CO2 gas will be given off so make sure and do this in a well-ventilated area. Once the CO2 gas isn't being evolved (you'll see puffs or if you shake the vessel it would be fluidlike) then it's done... Video on Making Sodium Carbonate by NileRed: kzbin.info/www/bejne/maGqdpZjpbGLhJY Note: Carbon Dioxide is toxic in concentrations >10% (this is no joke, by the way, make sure and have adequate ventilation, there was a village in Cameroon, Central Africa 1986 Lake Nyos had a lake which had Carbon Dioxide leaked out of it and killed the nearby villagers) Anyhow, I think I've said enough... if anyone else would like to add to my theory, please feel free. Or if there's someone more qualified in this field please correct me if I'm not fully accurate. Edit: There's a paper I've read on purifying spirits to an even more pure degree, this is using Ozone (ozone is very toxic, about 10x more toxic than Hydrogen Cyanide), Activated Carbon, CO2 Stripping and Noble Metal Catalysis (catalytic decomposition of congeners, but be careful if you decide to use this as Noble metals can cause fires if the Ethanol comes into contact with air and the catalyst).... this is not necessary unless you desire extremely high purity Ethanol for analytical research. Link to Paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jib.295 Be safe!

[@kasmay4408]

hey thanks for explanation. if i want to use sodium hydroxide how much should ı use per liter of low wine

[@reformlabs8742]

​@@kasmay4408 I've tested it out but in my case it hadn't worked out well... I've used laboratory glassware to make Ethanol and it always came out really bad To answer your question, i'd probably do half the amount that you'd use for Sodium Carbonate Just know Sodium/Potassium Hydroxide is corrosive and dangerous and will attack aluminum stills Also it's soluble in Ethanol.. so be careful

[@johnhubbard6262]

This is quite interesting from a pot still. That's just about the minimum proof I need for homemade shellac and wood dyes I use in restoration. I had to switch to Everclear from Denatured alcohol when Ca. banned it. Everclear gets expensive and hard to find, especially when your son is always drinking it.

[@Jose-hq5gv]

I love your videos man, you inspired me to get into this hobby and now I’ve been accepted into a brewing and distilling course in university because of it, thank you!

[@BeardedBored]

Wow, congratulations brother!!! That's really awesome to hear. Good luck👍👍

[@Jose-hq5gv]

@@BeardedBored Thanks again!

[@jgibson5041]

Thank you for introducing me to inverted sugar. It appears that inverting the sugar in my wash pleases the liquor fairy appropriately and she therefore delivers me better quality vodka, "hypothetically" that is. Great content man. Keep up the awesome work!

[@rocketsroc]

Some notes on carbon filtering: Probably the best cartridge water filter is a ZeroWater filter system. I've found the cartridges can be reused several times if they are rinsed out after spirit filtering using distilled water. I run distilled water through till there is no longer any taste or smell of spirits, usually about a quart or two of distilled water does it. Distilled water has nothing in it which shortens the filter's effectiveness, but tap water does, so use only distilled water. Also, the proof of spirits to be filtered must be below 50% ABV or it will run through the filter too fast to be effective.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks for the advice:-)

[@jamesramey3549]

Inverting the sugar is the way to go. Nice tip with the sodium carbonate! Thanks

[@BeardedBored]

I so glad the sodium carbonate worked out. Really was a surprise when the hearts just kept coming:-)

[@edlibey8177]

Good advice, thanks for the tip. The sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) should saponify the esters but, I wouldn’t think it would take out any fusel oil (heavier alcohols like n-propanol, iso- butyl alcohol, or iso-amyl alcohol) in the tails. Also not sure what sodium carbonate would do to any aldehydes or ketones (other minor flavor components).

[@DS-iy5sd]

I want you to read me bedtime stories.

[@BeardedBored]

LoL, a guy last week said I sounded like Cleveland from Family Guy. I like your comment way better:-)

[@quarlow1215]

I don't know man. Thats a little bit creepy. Lol. But you do have great voice. You could be a discovery channel narrator. The next Mike Rowe.

[@DS-iy5sd]

Cleveland? What in the hard-of-hearing is that all about?!

[@BeardedBored]

@@DS-iy5sd No idea. Just got another one on one of my build videos said I need to talk less because my voice is irritating. I typed out my response in Morse code, hahahaha!

[@DS-iy5sd]

Carl Sagan maybe....

[@allenhilley]

I have pot still but no thumper can u do striping run then spirt run without thmper

[@BeardedBored]

Yes.

[@itsprobablyonyoutube]

Yes. It's called double distillation. And note it's common practice to proof the spirit back down to 40% abv before starting the second distillation. For safty.

[@allenhilley]

Ok thanks

[@tonyoliver4920]

I tried the inverted sugar after you mentioned it, while it was fermenting Jesse released his video. I absolutely agree it really does help. I’m going try the sodium carbonate trick on my next run! You’re a wealth of top advice! Said it before, boiler plate is an inline thumper! Has brewbird reached out to you about a web cam interview? I joked she was interviewing all the channels I follow and she should contact you! (Well half joking)

[@kevinpadoa4011]

Would love to see a BB / BB interview! :-)

[@BeardedBored]

Brewbird is great. I've been watching her channel and learning a ton. Very cool to see behind the curtain of the industries.

[@arturocm9758]

What configuration do you recomend me for making a pot still (30L) . I want to make whisky and tequila , cheers!

[@BeardedBored]

Go to reddit.com and look in the r/firewater subreddit sidebar. They have a bunch of good designs:-)

[@arturocm9758]

@@BeardedBored thank you very much!!

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

"I didn't retain anything from high school chemistry, and college was spotty at best..."

[@BanksBuilt]

I have a vodka experiment bubbling away right now. I love wheat flavor and also love the earthy flavor from potatoes so I'm trying to bring the best of both together. We shall see. :-)

[@BeardedBored]

Good luck!

[@JamesMuri-ni2pv]

Sorry I'm responding to this so long after you made this, but I just saw it last night. The reason for the sodium carbonate is base catalyzed hydrolysis. Esters (flavorful molecules) are converted to their component organic acid and organic alcohol at high pH. These components have either little flavor or have much different boiling points than ethanol. So ethyl acetate (sweet pear smell) is converted to ethanol and acetic acid under these conditions and are easily separated out. You could also use caustic soda, but this is too hazardous for food purposes Also, I strongly recommend using a reflux column still for vodka. I easily achieve over 95% 😁 when using my column packed with raschig rings. Your charcoal filter will be more effective on proofed down product as the water content improves the partitioning or organic components to the pores of the charcoal. Also, I love your content, no BS, just good advice and great variety of topics served up with a good helping of wry humor. I really like the liqueur topics. Please keep up the good work! Thanks Jim PS some states allow home distilling(in some form or other): Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Rhode Island.

[@woodslinger003]

Really enjoyed the video...I'm a pot distiller (hypothetically, of course) so I love the videos for us poor bastards that don't involve those uppity column stills.... nyuck nyuck

[@BeardedBored]

Pot stills rock!

[@BEAVERDIY]

Hi Brother, What if you fill the thumper with marbles or SPP maybe just halfway go you think that will bump the ABV higher, I my still if I fill the column with Packing it bumps the ABV with almost 20%

[@kevinpadoa4011]

Hello Beaver, I use marbles in a 3L thumper on my pot still, for my sugar washes stripping and spirit runs (recently did a wine yeast with yeast nutrient and inverted sugar) for my Sinner Gin, using your homemade alcohol meter measured around ~88% abv after 2 full stripping runs and a spirit run. So should work for Bearded. P.S. That Sodium Carbonate idea sounds good, any idea where to get in RSA? Thank you both for your channels, I learn so much from them you oaks deserve millions of subs!

[@BEAVERDIY]

@@kevinpadoa4011 Hi Kevin, any poolshop will have, thanks for the feedback

[@kevinpadoa4011]

@@BEAVERDIY Thanks mate, will get and try it.

[@djshaman11]

@@BEAVERDIY Would it be safe to use HTH Soda Ash?

[@BEAVERDIY]

@@djshaman11 yes will be perfecr

[@lorenbush8876]

So there is no alcohol flavor? Is there no alcohol smell? I want to make some alcohol with no alcohol favor but also without the smell as well, actually just getting rid of the flavor would work ok for making extracts to use in flavoring anything where the alcohol is not cooked out. Thanks man

[@jameskringlee8974]

Thank You for this video. FYI Here is the invert sugar recipe referenced in the, at times bogus these days, well known online encyclopedia. Seems from problems some have making invert sugar it is important to follow this recipe ratio of sugar and water and citric acid and temperature reached. The wiping down sugar crystals and not stirring once the sugar is dissolved to prevent subsequent crystallization probably not so critical as you add more water right away. Invert sugar Yield: 2 lb 3 oz (1 kilo) 4 Cups + 6 Tablespoon (2 lb 3 oz) Extra fine granulated sugar 1 kg 2 cups (16 fl oz) Water 480 ml ¼ Teaspoon ( ¼ tsp) Cream of tartar or citric acid 1 g 1) If you have an induction cook top or an electric stove use these options instead of gas. In a non reactive saucepan stir to a boil the sugar, water and cream of tartar (Or citric acid). 2) Once the mixture boils wash away any sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan with pastry brush dipped in water. Any additional water added to the pan from this process, has no effect on the final outcome. 3)On medium heat without stirring boil the mixture to 236°F (114°C). Remove from heat and cover the pan. Let cool at room temperature. Store in a refrigerator. Invert sugar will last at least 6 months.

[@toddbiskupiak4984]

I want to applaud you for this video!!!!!! Your beard is great. Did your wife make you trim it? Mine did 😁

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks brother! I was trimming my beard and nicked too close on one side. Had to make the rest match. Wifey was a bit shocked to see it that short.

[@chrisjones1896]

What is the total volume of water & wash please? (It’s not in the ingredients list) Once I have this info, Do I just reduce ingredients to a 5gallon wash (mathematically speaking) thank you

[@BeardedBored]

12 gallons total.

[@chrisjones1896]

@@BeardedBored thank you very much 👍

[@jeremy-ez6nd]

clorox 👀 its potasium bicarbonate for wine not sodium carbonate 😬👀😬

[@b9brutality]

Thank you for your videos! I've been making your cider for awhile now. Tweaked the recipe a bit and now I'm making blueberry cider and honey cinnamon cider. The guys at the station love it! Thanks for the knowledge!

[@BeardedBored]

That sounds delicious!

[@debonpanton3366]

Heating sodium bicarbonate transforms it into sodium carbonate.

[@leahbonham9347]

So glad you shared this my fairy is coming this weekend with vodka so I'll have to let her know 😊

[@BeardedBored]

Glad we could help:-)

[@Cluster-Duck]

Could you make vodka from Instant potatoes?

[@stewartmcewen]

love your videos! Bit of a side question about inverted sugars, does dissolving sugar in the backset of a UJSSM achieve the same result? or is the required acidity different? - hypothetically :-)

[@BeardedBored]

You need to boil the sugar in an acidic environment to get the inverting process. My hypothetical advice is to invert the sugar separately, then add it to backset;-)

[@mauistevebear]

I have an extra 2" reflux column...you can have it if you like....

[@moosebonsai]

Awesome support! That would be cool. Your altruism is marvelous. I hope he takes you up on it.

[@BeardedBored]

I'm grateful for the offer, brother. When I get to that point I'm going to try to build my own. I know my soldering skills make that a risky proposition, haha:-) Save it for a trusted friend to show them the hobby.

[@Appophust]

Baking soda for washing used for a wash. The irony.

[@rhinenio]

hi, ive followed the recipe to the letter but i can't get a good reading because my mash is fizzy. is this normal. it smells ok and smells like there is alcohol. it is only 1 week old. what have i done wrong

[@BeardedBored]

You haven't done anything wrong. It's not done fermenting yet. Sometimes it takes longer. Give it another week.

[@rhinenio]

@@BeardedBored cheers

[@esposb6710]

Can you put sodium carbonate in the low wines if you use a myvodkamaker Plus? Does it do its magic after you mix it in? Is the mix in need of heat to work?

[@esposb6710]

BTW thank you for sharing your knowledge. Wish you the best. -from a bearded guy in the Nordic countries

[@MegaStalker11]

chemical engineer here I believe that the reaction is the reverse of what is used for high ester rums. With high ester rums dunder is cultured so that is produces high amounts of various carboxylic acids. these carboxylic acids then combine with the alcohol to form esters. Since the yeasts produce lots of different types of alcohols when they combine with the carbocyclic acids you get a lot of different combos that together give a rum, brandy, or whisky it's characteristic flavor. Now with high ester rums calcium carbonate (lime) is added to the dunder periodically to lower the ph. forming calcium salts of the various carboxylic acids. these will fall out of solution and just build up over time. while the dunder is free to make more. then when enough has accumulated. sulfuric acid will be added to the dunder to free up those carboxylic acids. the strong base and strong acid will form calcium sulfate which will fall out of solution. and you are left with a lot of free carboxylic acids that can be used to make esters. Ester formation is reversible reaction and happens spontaneously. the more alcohol and carboxylic acids the more esters will form conversely the more water the less esters. This is important for the sodium carbonate trick. the formation of esters can be boosted with catalysts. yeast have a natural catalyst that can be taken advantage of if the yeast are. Sulfuric acid works as a catalyst as well. The addition of sulfuric acid will push the reaction to form a lot of esters. I believe that the opposite is true where if we raise the ph with a strong base such as sodium carbonate the the reaction will favor de-esterification. it could also be that the strong basic carbonate ion in solution when a random de-esterification does take place a carbonate is there to snatch up that now free acid paring up to form a salt. this would only make sense if it fell out of solution. if this were true you would see the alcohol gradually get cloudy and a precipitate to form. The proposed reaction of the sodium carbonate is speculation but the reaction for ester formation is true. also thanks for the tip on the invert sugar! it seems to be just the thing i've been looking for to get a smoother tasting spirit!

[@gorethegreat]

I’m glad I watched this one. The Brita filter. It’ll help me, I want to make a gin.

[@skepticfucker280]

When making ramen noodles from scratch one of the ingredients to mess with the pH is baking soda that has been cooked in the oven, might be the same thing after cooking that you were talking about.

[@hazmodssmo5413]

Wheat oats and yellow label is much easier

[@MrDavesbox1]

silly question, who regulates the vodka proof standards?.....in other words if a small distillery creates a delicious Vodka blend and sells it at 80 proof- and the "industry" thinks they are only distilling to 90%? what happens? lol....jus askin and jus sayin....is there like a liquor court? lololololol

[@BeardedBored]

The TTB sets the rules. Everybody has to distill to the same proof, otherwise they don't get label approval.

[@hakaneroglu5010]

I found bi carbonate and it works very good. I will try carbonate next time. Many thanks for this great info

[@BabyGirl-3588]

You’re so cute 😊. I know you’re married , so I’m absolutely not hitting on you, so it’s a compliment to your wife as well. 😂 Seriously, she’s blessed to have those eyes and lips to look at. On the other hand, that liquor fairy brought me that Apple Jack by following your instructions. She forgot to take the 1st reading though 😬. I haven’t got that “apple palsy” and I drank a little more each time. Like a Pepsi bottle full. I did feel a little hangover-ISH. I can tell it’s strong because it made me spin when I closed my eyes, and I haven’t spun in 42 years 😂.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it

[@willcollis4544]

You can make sodium carbonate by baking sodium bicarbonate in the oven at around 100c for an hour.

[@StassBrewing]

That's so cool!! Nice work! I'll have to get my liquor fairy to give it a go!

[@BeardedBored]

😉👍

[@heymulen1840]

Hey. Let's get inverted 🙃 hypothetical that is 😉 here it's the booze bees from the bewitched garden doing the magic🤣 Thought they should have done a gin run today, but the corona vaccine has made "us" drowsy 😪 So we will just watch BEARDED , JESSE and GEORGE all day, sipping red valhalla gin ⚗🩸 Thank you guy's for all the videos you put out !! ❤👍

[@BeardedBored]

Have a nice lazy day watching vids:-)

[@Rev-D1963]

Ish not booze aweshifer, ish windshield wiper fluid, don you no anyshing?????? :) Sounds like it worked out pretty well. Love the vids brother, thanks again for sharing them. Rev. D.

[@BeardedBored]

LoL:-)

[@Miata822]

Starting this tomorrow. We'll see.

[@superdupermax]

for some reason adding stuff with CLOROX on the label... seems a bit iffy. good thing there is proof of life :D ya figure with a full reflux column, is there a need for this chemical?

[@BeardedBored]

Yeah, that threw me too, but it's the same stuff as in the Arm and Hammer Washing Soda box. As for reflux, if you're doing it right, you probably don't need the chemical assist, but I don't know for sure.

[@TheMono25]

Why do you want to go add a shitloads of bicarbonate of soda and anything else in it why don't u just water it down give a good shake and throw it in the still

[@BeardedBored]

The sodium carbonate reacts with congeners and fusel oils to break them down and make the vodka cleaner tasting than just diluting and rerunning it. Keep in mind that this is mostly for potstill vodka. Column still users don't need to bother with it since refluxing can do the same job.

[@lennardsturgess7200]

sold on clothes hypothetically LOL

[@BeardedBored]

👍

[@Luvguf]

You can make your own sodium carbonate by baking some baking soda at 350 degrees till it is 2/3 of its weight. Boom you have sodium carbonate. I know this because I do this to make a stronger soda for making pretzels.

[@BeardedBored]

Very cool info, thanks!

[@silver-hy6mi]

Would you get the same spirits if you ran it through bubble plates instead of a thumper?

[@BeardedBored]

Very likely.

[@erossi490]

This is great, I’m so new to this it’s not funny. I have a pot still for 3 years without using in (no tumper) this year I need to do this I have the sugar the daddy yeast and most of the ingredients I just need the balls to move forward. I’m so afraid of not getting it right especially with the hearts tails etc. any words or thoughts would greatly be appreciated Manny

[@BeardedBored]

Watch Jesse's video on making cuts on his Still It channel. Really solid info. Cuts are the hardest thing to get right. Good news is that if you mess up, you can just dump it all back in the boiler and rerun it:-) Best practice for starting out is to collect in 200ml increments, so get a lot of jars, at least 2 dozen just to be sure you have enough. You won't be using the stuff that you collect in the last half of those jars, especially in a sugar wash, but it's good practice to help you smell the transitions and funky stuff in the tails. Air out the jars with paper towel over them for the night. That helps sharpen the aromas around the transitions. Heads are more chemically smelling, acetone, etc. and they make the tongue prickle. There's a ton of info so watch Jesse's videos to get a clear understanding of what you're looking for in the flavor and aroma.

[@gavinbauer2807]

The best way to learn, is to just go ahead a do it, you'll soon realize that maybe that other way of getting that step done is easier, and then you try and learn from it. I got my pot still just over a year ago, and was forced into starting due to an alcohol ban (6months of it), and still learn something new every-day, and get better and better at it.

[@qwaqwa1960]

Hmm, I just tried two simultaneous batches, one with plain sugar, the other, invert. The invert had a much harder time fermenting... Perhaps I did something else wrong??

[@timg2776]

Was your ph the same. I have had too much acid left over and my ph was down around 3. Baking soda & pitching more yeast made it take right off.

[@qwaqwa1960]

@@timg2776 Hmm, I didn't check. Good point. I probably did put more acid in the invert batch...

[@44RobC]

If you boil the sugar solution for too long it won't ferment easily. It needs to be a light yellow straw color not caramel.

[@BeardedBored]

Check the pH first to make sure it isn't too acidic.

[@2StrokeSmoke544]

Take them three liters and go streaking with will farrell lol

[@darrell2150beta]

Why is Epsom salt used?

[@lilinguhongo2621]

summoning the liquor fairies... i hear the elders calling for offerings... saying the hidden cauldron demands vinegar and a sacrificial concoction... I'm a believer, I know my duties and they shall hear my creed... Thanks for preachin'!

[@BeardedBored]

LOL, nice!

[@martinsteflik1329]

Great content, just subscribed. Trying to turn whiskey feints into a neutral. Will sodium carbonate work with feints?

[@BeardedBored]

Yep:-)

[@glleon80517]

Bearded, I am leery about plastic water filters around high proof spirits. Do you notice any hazing of the plastic? I think there may be some alternatives made out of stainless with activated charcoal. Might be an interesting project…

[@BeardedBored]

Nope, no change in the plastic. I wouldn't store in plastic, but the 10 minutes in the filter didn't seem to have an effect.

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Hypothetically of course the sodium carbonate attaches to the long chain esters and as the alcohol evaporates so does the carbonate. Ergo leaving less conjunors for a perceived heads like sharp bitey note.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks Rand!

[@clown192]

I have the T500 and it consistently gets 95% ABV because of how it was set up but my next test will be a corn mash. That will change everything.

[@clown192]

With the sugar wash, I take cuts in 300ml jars so that I can smell them and see the difference. I find the first couple of jars smell sweet, actually smells drinkable but really aren't. Then the next few jars smell like nothing although will still zap your nose and make you take a step back since you are probably breathing in more trying to find the smell. Then near the end, it starts to smell salty like you have seasoned it with salt and pepper. That is a sugar wash and I have seen guys like George say you can use all of it but I usually sacrifice my first and last 2 jars to the feint gods to be boiled again later on. Then I filter it through the activated carbon again and again for a week to try to get some of that leftover chemical taste out. In my latest batch I actually replaced the carbon so is basically a double-filtered batch or if you count how many times I ran it through, a 10x filtered batch.

[@jamesgrey8093]

When ya think those bozos are going to take a look at these distilling laws, im in canada and its a bylaw where i am but i still run my stuff, i feel bad for ya my bearded buddie.

[@BeardedBored]

Well, I'm pretty sure it's just not on anyone's radar. It's a surprisingly heavy lift to get this splinter taken out of our collective paw.

[@kerryfolden]

i dont like your gas

[@madisenmus2135]

Do you have a link for those pH strips I like that it was concentrated & more color variation than the typical 4 color pH strips

[@BeardedBored]

Here you go - amzn.to/2Z9zMTT

[@Rubberduck-tx2bh]

Does your Liquor Fairy have a $hit-eating grin like the one seen @5:42???

[@BeardedBored]

"Why Ike, whatever do you mean?"

[@woodslinger003]

I'm hypothetically drunk...and as Kramer would say.... loving every minute of it..if you're ever down Miami way give me a shout You'll have the best time of your life..I guarantee it That being said...I'm just a pot distiller...but I use premium ingredients...and do multiple runs to achieve what I need...the rest comes here on go fast boats ....go figure

[@woodslinger003]

Happy memorial day...semper fi

[@BeardedBored]

@@woodslinger003 Thanks Bob. Have a great weekend!

[@woodslinger003]

Thanks brother..love 💕 you guys..hoo rah

[@woodslinger003]

PS... your dad is the shit

[@BeardedBored]

@@woodslinger003 Thanks Bob!

[@deeprespect665]

I'm curious about the reason for changing the filter on the brita after every use. Would this apply to a brita used exclusively by the fairy? Love your videos by the way!

[@BeardedBored]

I think George did a video on making a charcoal filter for polishing spirits and talked about replacing the media...maybe not? Probably should have looked it up again, but I felt so confident before you asked me that, haha:-)

[@gavinbauer2807]

Great Video, thank you. Deffinately going to try out the Sodium Carbonate trick.

[@BeardedBored]

👍

[@wesleyholland5747]

huh huh, that's cool -- it's weird. Thanks for the fun video about hypotheticals

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks!

[@tylermcnally8232]

Looks like poison.

[@lazyplumber1616]

Bathtub Gin? Great info here, thanks for the share! Do you know if the Fairy uses any packing in the pot still column?

[@BeardedBored]

The fairy recommends copper scrubbies;-)

[@justinestell7932]

I wonder if anyone has thought about distilling a Cabernet Sauvignon

[@BeardedBored]

I have. Got a proper brandy on my list for this coming year. Using white grapes to get a baseline flavor, but I want to try out several varietals.

[@kevinbaxter2578]

Liquor Fairy LLC is a pretty good group of folks. Lol I really gotta try that inverted sugar.

[@BeardedBored]

Hahaha, awesome!

[@smntsn]

Hello:) thanks for the video. Can you add yeast nutrient while boiling?

[@BeardedBored]

I suppose, but it dissolves at room temperature too.

[@reformlabs8742]

Anyone knows if sugar washes go bad? I accidentally forgot my sugar wash out for about 14 weeks after fermentation and it smelled kinda bad, the yeast did settle out and I poured the clear stuff in the still and ran it. It was a sugar wash and no matter how many cuts I took, all smelled bad. Like a burnt odor. Alcohol came out smelling like a bad sugary sour candy with a rank odor. I did a lot in an attempt to purify it: Failed attempts: - Added Sodium Carbonate and waited a week - Passed it through Activated Carbon - Passed it through Brita Filter - Diluted and redistilled (three times) - Distilled it with copper mesh in column Somewhat successful attempts in order: (mostly laboratory methods of purifying Alcohol) - Adding Sodium Hydroxide & Potassium Hydroxide and refluxed it in that, then distilled - Added Sulphuric Acid to distillate and distill - Added Sodium Bicarbonate to the distillate to remove any trace acids (with overnight stirring) - Filter Sodium Bicarbonate off and Distill - Run through the new Activated Carbon filter - Dilute to 40% and Redistill again to 95.6% My successful attempts made the alcohol have absolutely no taste whatsoever with juice & sodas. But with water, it tasted absolutely horrible and for some reason, a smoky smell comes back when it's diluted with water.

[@BeardedBored]

Scorch smell never comes out. No idea where it came from in your wash, but once it's in there it's basically only good for sanitizer or fuel.

[@reformlabs8742]

@@BeardedBored It did go away when I added sulphuric acid and distilled it but when I proofed it down the taste was the worst taste I had ever tasted. There's no taste when you add it to Juice and Sodas but with water, it's the worst. With water, it tasted as if I bubbled exhaust fumes from a truck into my alcohol and stirred it with a dead fish.

[@BeardedBored]

@@reformlabs8742 Yikes!

[@terrydrew7002]

Ok you got me intrigued.... Doing the soda trick on a sugar wash before it goes in for reflux worst case it can just get rerun haha

[@BeardedBored]

Yep:-)

[@ekaos5099]

Curious. Where might one find a Hypothetical Still Fairy with a Hypothetical Still to assist someone that might want to have some Hypothetical Vodka run for themselves?

[@BeardedBored]

You have to entice them with shiny copper.

[@rickmilkovic]

You might try blinking three times, snapping your fingers twice and clicking your heals together one time. Not sure if it will work or not, but I'd pay to watch you try...lol

[@rayfox212]

Haha Bearded this is heresy your going to upset the purists... Love it great job. Thanks for the hard work you put into your research to share with us.

[@BeardedBored]

Hope I get that much attention, LoL! Thanks buddy:-)

[@moosebonsai]

Dude! Hold my beer! I've got a hella idea. Since you like to experiment, I want to see you make distilled dandelion wine (Dandelion Brandy?). First, make some dandelion wine and then distill that stuff in a pot still. Taste it and tell us how it goes! Okay, can I have my beer back?

[@BeardedBored]

I'll have to see if my weedy yard has enough dandelions;-) Sorry, I finished your beer.

[@moosebonsai]

@@BeardedBored That's perfect, and I can brew another beer! Your episodes are the best.

[@JohnFerrerAkaEric]

Does the sodium carbonate reduce both the heads and tails or just one or the other?

[@BeardedBored]

Tails:-)

[@eriks3910]

How do you know how much of the “head” (toxic stuff) you should discard? I haven’t distilled yet but I have a 1 gallon mash I just started 2 days ago 1/8/22. Any advice will be appreciated. And what’s that cotton string called on the worm tub?- Big Eazy 🍻cheers

[@vincecallagher7636]

Nice

[@HisVirusness]

The liquor fairy you know sounds pretty cool.

[@BeardedBored]

It's nice to have magical friends:-)

[@Flat_Milk]

Is there a specific on what the plastic container has to be made of, I was gonna go to Walmart and buy a Rubbermaid or similar but wasn't sure on whether or not that would be okay for the wash?

[@BeardedBored]

HDPE plastic is safe for fermentations:-)

[@Flat_Milk]

@@BeardedBored thank you very much!

[@ifell3]

Nice information on the sodium carbonate! I've never had a taste from TPW run.

[@BeardedBored]

I'm just glad it worked, LoL:-)

[@mackemsruleFTM]

@@BeardedBored i keep all my heads and tails to redistill later when I have a lot and use Sodium carbonate, It's the alkaline that's in it neutralises acids so you get a bit more out lol

[@happythebob]

Have you tried this process in a mash run?

[@BeardedBored]

No, but it's on my list for this coming year;-)

[@YpsyGypsy]

You can make your own sodium carbonate by putting baking soda in the oven for a while

[@dougshelton69]

I drank a lot of pool water as a kid..soo I can do this😛

[@BeardedBored]

LOL!

[@Miata822]

@ Bearded, Hmm. My Likker Fairy reports no sugar bowl, but everything up to tails tastes like soap. They say they measured carefully and it sat for about a day before they worked their magic on it. I'll have to go check myself and make sure they kept the right part. maybe the A&H "Super Washing Soda" linked in the description has extra flavors added.

[@BeardedBored]

Mix the soda in water and see if it smells soapy to check. If not, might be something in your still?

[@Miata822]

@@BeardedBored After sitting for 24 hours and mixing some samples down to 40% the taste is gone. Honestly, it tasted just like the soda, but now completely gone. Next time I'll use the pool stuff or just make some from bicarb on the stove. Maybe I should do that anyway just to compare flavors before adding anything in.

[@Miata822]

@@BeardedBored Nope. My pallet must have been fried Tastes like soap, exactly like the washing powder when I mixed a little in water. Left a white residue in the bottom of my hypothetical as well. I measured carefully and on the light side. The only difference was that I let it sit 24 hours, then heated the mixture to 100f and let it sit a couple more hours before calling the likker fairy. I thought that might help. Nope. Scrapping the batch. There is a video here on YT that shows making sodium carbonate from bicarbonate by simply heating it in a pan. Has nobody else had this problem?

[@BeardedBored]

Never heard of it happening before. Very odd. Yeah, try the baking soda oven trick to make your own.

[@Miata822]

@@BeardedBored I did. It worked. The "washing powder" is actually pretty good for laundry though. Oh well.