If this device is called a multicooker, then it is suitable not only for cooking, but also for distillation, the home craftsmen decided and they were right.
Among the advantages of using a multicooker in moonshine brewing:
- The tightness of the structure is already built into the device; nothing needs to be sealed or covered. You just need to make sure that the tube is securely seated in the valve seat.
- The ability to change the temperature during the distillation process is very important function, which every multicooker has. Only in some models (simpler) these are pre-installed programs; those with the “Multi-cook” function also have them, but they also carry out independent adjustment of the temperature regime if necessary.
- Thanks to the non-stick coating of the multi-cooker container, it is possible to distill grain or mash with fruit particles.
- Creation of high-quality moonshine using canopies that partially eliminate fusel oils (steamers, bubblers).
- The internal temperature sensor in the device maintains the set temperature with acceptable accuracy. Therefore, the use of a thermometer is not necessary, and it is quite difficult to place it in the device.
- Before distillation begins, the multicooker can be opened, monitoring the heating.
The only drawback is, perhaps, the small capacity of the multi-cooker saucepan. For home use, devices with a capacity of 5 - 5.5 liters are most often purchased (with a real capacity up to the maximum load mark of 4-4.5 liters).
This is enough for a family of 3-4 people. But there is also one for 7 liters. Cost – from 3 thousand rubles. It’s not bad for moonshine brewing, and when cooking it’s not necessary to load it completely.
How to make a distillation cube from a multicooker?
In fact, this is already ready alembic small volume. Just remove the steam valve and attach a silicone tube in its place - and you're done.
This way you will get harmful and rubbery moonshine, which is impossible to drink. Splurge on silicone tubing.
There are many offers in online stores, the price is 150 rubles for 1.5 meters of hose with a thickness of 10 mm (usually they do not sell less than 1.5 meters).
Take a closer look at the design of the steam valve of your multicooker. Most of them are collapsible, made of two parts for easy washing and cleaning. Remove the top of the valve and a ready-made hose connection will open. You don’t even need to figure out how to secure the tube.
How to make a full-fledged moonshine still from a multicooker?
The issue has been resolved with the distillation still, but other sheds are needed in order to obtain the highest possible quality and purified water even at the distillation stage:
- Fridge. Both flow-through and non-flow-through designs are possible. If in the first case you need to spend some time and materials to create it, then in the second it is enough to wind the coil and lower it into a container with cold water.
- Sukhoparnik– an important thing in SA. It allows you to partially select fusel oils from alcohol vapors, and at the end you will get a distillate that is more organoleptically pure. It can be built from glass jar and a screw cap for it. Make two holes in the lid and insert the fittings tightly. On one, put the hose coming out of the multicooker cube, on the other - leading to the bubbler or refrigerator.
- Bubbler or a wet steamer - the same “can” design, only a silicone tube has been added to the incoming fitting, which does not reach the bottom of the can by a few millimeters.
How to properly distill moonshine in such a setup?
The most convenient way to distill moonshine is the same as on a stove: first, setting more high temperature, and after heating, reducing it to optimal. The process itself:
- Set the temperature to 120°C or the program “porridge, soup, rice, etc.” (y various models it is called differently, but the heating temperature must be indicated in the instructions).
- After about 5 minutes, look into the multicooker. The foam that appears on the surface of the mash indicates that it is time to change the temperature regime. Set it to 85°C.
- Drive until the alcohol content in the stream drops below 40°.
- Dilute the resulting distillate with water to 20-30°C and distill again, dividing into fractions:
- heads – 10% of absolute alcohol. It’s easy to calculate: multiply the amount of moonshine in ml by its strength and divide by 1000. For example, 900x50:1000=45. Therefore, select separately 45 ml of the first milliliters of moonshine. This is poison and should not be consumed;
- drive further the body again to a strength of 40°. This is the drinking part;
- to drive out the tails, you will have to raise the temperature to 95°C. There is no need to add distillate to water.
This is how, without spending money, you can distill a distillate of acceptable quality at home. Our tips will be especially useful for beginner distillers.
And later, having gained experience, you can purchase an industrial-made SA. If you have a small need for moonshine, then you can stop at a multi-cooker.
We are waiting for your feedback on using a multicooker for moonshine and likes for the tips given in the article.
Moonshine still from a multicooker: assembling the installation
The art of moonshine - wide possibilities for flight of fancy and unique solutions. A moonshine still from a multicooker is one of the options for such solutions. The device is created quickly and without problems. You just need to prepare a few tools. Any person can cope with this task.
Remaking the multicooker
The classic version of the distiller involves the integration of an evaporator, pipeline, and cooling system. In more complex variations, the devices integrate a steamer and a bubbler. Many moonshiners consider the last two units not necessary in the distiller, but this opinion is not entirely correct. In practice, it has been established that the beaver and steamer purify the drink and make it cleaner. Of course, the integration of such solutions will complicate the production of moonshine.
You can quickly create a moonshine still from a multicooker with your own hands. The necessary elements are purchased in the store and remade. IN optimal option You can even purchase a coil for standing or running water. If there is no coil in the store, we buy this unit from home craftsmen. If you wish, you can make this device yourself.
Choosing a steamer
Many home brewers choose a multicooker as the optimal evaporator. The body of the product is made of food grade stainless steel, the bottom is made of bimetal or double. The lid closes tightly thanks to a food-safe gasket.
You can find aluminum pressure cookers in stores, but they are not used for home brewing. It's all about the properties of aluminum, which is not compatible with alcohol vapor. Doctors are arguing about the safety of aluminum, but we will not use an aluminum pressure cooker in moonshine. There are many stainless steel pressure cookers in the market at any price range.
If we make a distiller from a pressure cooker, then it is not necessary to go to the store and purchase a new unit. You can use an old slow cooker that is unsuitable for cooking, which can become a good distillation device. The volume of the container is important. In the majority of multicookers, the tank volume is only 5-7 liters, which is not suitable for home brewing. It will not be possible to make more than 2 liters of moonshine from such a volume of mash. The steam cookers from the redmond series include models of pressure cookers with a large tank (13-17 l).
Many moonshine lovers want to make the distiller safe. In this case, you need to purchase a multicooker with a fuse on the surface of the lid. If you don't have one, you can make a fuse yourself. Without such a valve, a moonshine still based on a pressure cooker is very dangerous to operate.
The steam system fitting is mounted in a pre-drilled hole into which a threaded tube is inserted. The internal diameter of the pipe is at least 1 cm. This element is secured with nuts on both sides of the cover. You need to put silicone or rubber gaskets under the nuts. The entire algorithm of actions and step-by-step detailed instructions can be viewed in the video.
Next, we drill a hole where the thermometer rod or fitting for a bimetallic thermometer will be placed. Installation of the thermometer requires the integration of sealing material so that there is no loss of steam. Silicone, rubber or fum tape can be used as a sealant. The main thing is that the seal can operate at temperatures exceeding 100 C. The fitting is installed, sockets for the valve and thermometer are created - the evaporator system is ready for operation, but the homemade moonshine still from the multicooker needs to be modified.
Steam exhaust structures
Previously, we looked at how to make a moonshine still from a multicooker. Now is the time to talk about steam exhaust. The steam outlet structure is made of a pipe with a diameter of at least 1 cm. This element is hermetically placed on the fitting or secured with a nut. The optimal piping is obtained from copper, brass and stainless steel, but silicone can also be used, but it requires the integration of an auxiliary bracket.
Metal-based steam outlet structures resemble the letter G or P. They are attached to the steam cylinder with nuts. It is important to place the steamer on a wooden or metal surface or hang it on a hook. Hanging this element in the air is not recommended, as damage to the steam removal elements may occur. The element connecting the cooling system and the steam tank is made of metal. The connecting elements are sealed with nuts and gaskets.
Cooling structures
It’s not difficult to create a moonshine still at home. The refrigerator must be durable. If you couldn’t purchase this element, we make it yourself from copper or stainless steel. It’s easier to make a copper or brass cooling system at home.
First you need to make a housing for the flow-through cooling system, where the coil will be placed. Such an element will be a sewer pipe, a resonator from a car, or a can. The main thing is that the length of the element is at least 40 cm.
We drill two holes on the surface of the body. The first is 2-4 cm below the level of the lid, and the second is 2-3 cm above the bottom level. We screw the water supply fittings into these holes. Cold water is supplied to the lower hole, and hot water comes out through the upper connector, respectively. A hole is drilled at the bottom or bottom wall. The outlet pipe of the coil is mounted into this hole. We also drill a hole in the lid. Using this hole, the steam exhaust system and the main structure of the device are combined.
We make a coil
The coil manufacturing process is performed as shown in the photo. A piece of pipe is cut, the length of which is 200-250 cm. Sand is poured into this pipe and a plug is installed. After this, the tube is clamped in a vice. The free fragment of the tube is wound onto a piece of pipe with a diameter 30-40 mm less than the inner diameter of the body.
The coil turns are not tight. The minimum distance between turns is 15 mm, which will ensure an optimal heat transfer process. Once the winding of the tube is completed, the plug is drilled out and the sand is knocked out by tapping with a pick. Now you need to mount the coil into the housing and you can begin the moonshine process.
In the case when the drink itself is prepared from mash based on sugar and yeast, and the required volume of the drink is small, a moonshine still from a multicooker becomes the optimal solution. The advantages of the unit are obvious - long service life, adaptation to any stove and easy cleaning. When there is no need to brew moonshine, the multicooker can be used for cooking or preparing mash in it.
Each requires a cube with a tightly fitted lid that hermetically seals the container with heated mash. It must have a fitting through which alcohol vapors can enter the refrigerator, and then turn into a strong liquid and drain into a placed container.
Today we will learn how to make a moonshine still with your own hands from a pressure cooker or multicooker. These devices are practically ready-made distillation cubes: they are closed hermetically and the steam is released. Small improvements, additional details - and the moonshine still is ready! So why not take advantage of this great idea!
There is only one drawback - you can often pour it from a pressure cooker into such an improvised cube. no more than 5 liters of mash, having received about 1 liter of good moonshine.
The pressure cooker turns...
Let's look at how to make a moonshine still from a pressure cooker without much difficulty. The simplest device consists of:
- Cuba, which serves as a pressure cooker;
- coil, into which alcohol vapor is supplied for cooling;
- cooler. Better and more modern, of course – flow-through.
The device can also be equipped with (that is, a dephlegmator) - this is additional equipment that serves to enhance the moonshine from harmful impurities.
Manufacturing process
- Without touching the existing pressure relief valves, we drill a new hole in the lid and secure the nipple half an inch.
- We screw the nut onto the nipple from the inside, and if it does not fit very tightly, add a gasket.
- We screw a fitting onto the nipple for attaching the hose. You can connect the equipment to the lid without a nipple by immediately connecting the fitting, but this somewhat spoils the pressure cooker, because you plan to use it not only for moonshine.
- If your pressure cooker does not have a rubber gasket between the pan and the lid, it is best to make it from silicone so that the moonshine does not have a rubbery taste.
- Actually, the cube is already ready for use, but it is necessary to either make or buy a ready-made flow-through refrigerator.
- The connection from the fitting in the lid to the refrigerator is best done with a hose made of food-grade (this is a must!) silicone.
Multicooker to the rescue
Using exactly the same scheme, you can make a moonshine still from a regular multicooker, which have already appeared in most kitchens.
Among the advantages:
- A multicooker does not require additional fire - these devices heat themselves using electricity, and provide the opportunity to select a mode.
- For moonshine brewing needs, it is advisable to choose a model that has a “multi-cook” function - that is, you choose both the heating mode and its duration yourself. During the cooking process, the mode can be changed if you notice that the distillation is too fast or, conversely, too slow;
- In the modern retail network (including the Internet) you can find multicookers with a capacity of up to 16 liters. Which, you see, is enough not only for cooking for a large family, but also for forcing strong drink without constantly replacing the “used” mash with a new one. But it is not necessary to take a device with maximum capacity; for many, a 6-liter saucepan in a multicooker is enough.
To understand how to make a moonshine still from a multicooker, you just need to look at its design. Each of these kitchen aids has a valve at the top of the lid to allow steam to escape during cooking. It is removable (to make it easier to wash and clean).
Having correctly selected or made a plug with a hole and a pipe and made or purchased all the necessary equipment (a refrigerator with a coil or mash column), you will receive a moonshine still at no extra cost.
The rest of the equipment is no different from how you made a moonshine still from a pressure cooker with your own hands. With a little practice, you will cook excellent food without much effort, and in between this delightful activity, you will be able to cook regular food in the same container. Which, you see, is especially convenient in an apartment where there is not much storage space.
Home winemakers never cease to invent new devices for the production of alcohol, as well as unique recipes for making mash using distillation. There is even such original idea, like a moonshine still from a slow cooker.
In this case, the manufacturer can even afford not to observe the process, since the operating mode will be set by the electrical device itself. As a result, the output will be a high-quality product, and the amount of drink will be maximum. How to make such a homemade moonshine still with your own hands will be discussed in this article.
What is a multicooker?
Multicookers have become commonplace appliances over the past decade. They are a hybrid of an electric steamer with software that frees us from self made in the kitchen and reduces preparation time for dishes such as stews, pie or soup.
Many people are interested in how to make a moonshine still from a slow cooker. It should be noted that the idea of creating a distillation device with your own hands is quite original and simple.
Distilling mash in a slow cooker - the main advantages of the process
As you know, the main purpose of a multicooker is to cook food. However, craftsmen found a different purpose for the unit. The moonshine still from the multicooker copes with its tasks perfectly. The device has a sealed lid and a safety valve that removes vapors.
In addition, the multicooker has a number of other advantages. These include the presence of a ready-made container for distillation. To distill mash at home using this unit, it is not at all necessary to purchase a new device. You can also use an old device for this purpose.
Temperature heating is very easy to control. Many modifications of modern multicookers allow you to set the desired temperature and heating duration, which is also very convenient when brewing moonshine.
All of the positive aspects of the device listed above make it a very good option for making a distillation device for use at home. You can make moonshine based on barley or malt, while saving a decent amount of money.
Disadvantages of the device
The moonshine still from the multicooker contains rubber hoses. This design is unacceptable, since moonshine vapors will take away many harmful substances. The smell of the product coming out can also be unpleasant.
The disadvantages of such a unit include the too small volume of the resulting product. During distillation, approximately 40% of the drink is obtained.
Assembling a cube for distilling mash using a multicooker
To assemble a moonshine still from a multicooker with your own hands, you must have certain technical knowledge. With a minimal investment of money, you can set up a home distillery in one day.
What will you need?
To make a moonshine still from a multicooker with your own hands, you will need:
- A multicooker with a volume of at least 5 liters.
- A distiller, which can be made from tempered glass or metal (the cost of a cheap unit in a store is less than one thousand rubles).
- A rubber tube, the length of which is 3 m. Three pieces of 1 m each should be made from food or medical rubber.
- Contact thermometer for measuring the temperature of moonshine.
- Alcohol meter.
- Electrical network.
- Water supply.
If you have not yet purchased a multicooker, but are planning to make a moonshine still, then it is advisable to opt for a unit with a removable valve.
If the equipment does not provide a valve, then you can make holes. A rubber tube should be inserted and secured into it, the second end of which will be connected to the outlet of the distiller.
This system provides low pressure, so no special fastening methods are required. Normal steam output will be sufficient.
The second tube (supply) is connected to the refrigerator (this is a cooler for a moonshine still). A third tube is also connected to the refrigerator.
It also acts as a cooler for the moonshine still. The multicooker unit is ready.
How to prepare mash for a multicooker?
Since there is a five-liter bowl available, the output is a small amount of mash.
- Take sugar, water and compressed yeast in a ratio of 2000:2000:250. The duration of fermentation is a week.
- Take sugar, water and yeast in a ratio of 1000: 3000:100. The process of preparing alcohol will take approximately 10 days.
After the drink has completely fermented, lost its sweetish taste, and foam has stopped appearing on it, you can begin the process of distillation in a slow cooker. This procedure is simple.
Distillation
Each winemaker chooses his own modes for making high-quality moonshine, but the process should begin in the following order.
- The moonshine still from the multicooker is turned on in the “multi-cook” or “porridge-soup” mode. The temperature is selected +120°C. As soon as foam appears, the device should immediately be switched to +100°C mode.
- The temperature of the mash is controlled using a contact thermometer. It should be maintained within the range of +65°C - +68°C. This mode is ideal for removing all kinds of harmful impurities. Since we took 2 kg of sugar, the “head” will be approximately 100-150 ml. The contents can be cast away because they are too harmful to health.
- The temperature regime of the unit changes so that the drink warms up to +80°C. Now the process of distillation of the useful fraction of the “body” begins. The temperature gradually rises. The mash is distilled until its strength drops below 40°. By this time, the drink should warm up to a temperature of +85°C. This is how the “tails” faction begins. The “body” fraction is separated into a separate container.
Do you need a steamer for a moonshine still from a multicooker?
Some craftsmen manage to include a reflux condenser in the multicooker design. This way, the purification of an alcoholic drink is much faster and more effective. However, you should remember that your unit is complemented by a dry steamer, and you should definitely stock up on additional flavoring agents.
An ordinary glass jar can act as a steamer, in the lid of which a pair of holes are drilled, to which tubes for a moonshine still made of copper are soldered. Only after this are flavoring substances placed in the container, which will give the homemade drink a refined aroma and aftertaste.
For example, if moonshine is distilled from tangerines, then citrus peels are usually placed in the steamer. This results in a drink rich in pleasant aroma.
Steamer from a copper can
Another option for making a steamer is a copper can. This material is ideally suited for the manufacture of such a part, since copper vessels can withstand mechanical stress and damage. Creating a copper-based steamer is a labor-intensive process. It is much more complex than using a glass jar.
Conclusion
Making a homemade moonshine still with your own hands is not difficult. The basis of the device is an ordinary multicooker. It is advisable to use a model with a removable valve designed to allow steam to escape.
The process of preparing alcoholic drinks using this unit becomes faster and simpler. Cash costs are also significantly reduced. When released, a high-quality aromatic drink is obtained.
Anyone interested in making mash at home can try their hand using a small unit volume. By the way, the multicooker is very easy to clean and does not retain any odors.
Homemade apparatus from a pressure cooker
How to make a moonshine still from a pressure cooker
The design of a classic moonshine still (distiller) consists of a mash tank (evaporator), a hot steam exhaust pipeline and a refrigerator (coil). In more advanced designs, a steam steamer and/or bubbler is added to these mandatory components. There is an opinion that they are completely unnecessary in home distillers and serve a more decorative function, calming the conscience of the moonshiner and making him think that he is making a truly pure product.
This idea is expressed by people who only know theoretical foundations moonshine, gleaned from articles on the Internet. Practitioners will unanimously confirm that both the steamer and the bubbler regularly perform their functions and purify the moonshine to a quite decent level. Of course, they complicate the distillation process somewhat and require constant temperature control, but the result is worth it.
You can make a moonshine still from a pressure cooker with your own hands quite quickly - all the components are bought in the store and will require minimal alteration. With some luck, you can also buy a coil for running or standing water. If you can’t buy one in a store or at the market from craftsmen, then it’s easy to find it on the Internet at a very reasonable price. If you have some skills, you can make a refrigerator yourself. A paragraph below will be devoted to this process.
Choosing a pressure cooker
According to reviews from many amateur designers and practicing moonshiners, a pressure cooker or multicooker is one of the most best options evaporator. It is made of food-grade stainless steel, has a bimetallic or double bottom, a hermetically sealed lid with a gasket that is safe for food products, and valve.
A regular stainless steel pressure cooker will do the job.
There are pressure cookers made of aluminum on sale, but it is not recommended to buy them for a moonshine still - aluminum has an ambiguous effect on human health, especially when heated in an atmosphere of alcohol vapor. At least, there is still controversy about its harmlessness in scientific and medical circles. Until the verdict is made, it is better to refrain from using it, especially since there are a lot of stainless steel pressure cookers on sale, both Chinese and European.
To make a moonshine still from a pressure cooker, you don’t have to buy a new one. There may also be utensils that are no longer suitable for cooking, which, after some modification, can be adapted for a distillation cube. The only thing that matters is the right volume. Most pressure cookers are produced in volumes that are completely unsuitable for a moonshine still - 5-7 liters. This amount of mash is enough to produce 1-2 liters of moonshine, which is clearly not enough.
But several companies produce pressure cookers with quite decent capacity of 13-17 liters. These are HASCEVHER, Alpari, Bohmann, Shunfa, Tianxi. You can buy them both in dishware stores and on the Internet.
We often hear the question - how to make a moonshine still from a pressure cooker so that it is completely safe? To do this, you need to choose a pressure cooker with a built-in safety valve on the lid. If there is no such device, you will have to install it yourself - without a valve, using a pressure cooker as a moonshine still is dangerous.
To install the steam line fitting, you need to drill a hole in the cover and insert a threaded tube into it. Tube diameter (internal) is at least 10 mm. It is pressed with nuts to the cover from the outer and inner sides. Gaskets made of silicone or food grade rubber are installed under the nuts.
The cover must be equipped with a fitting
We drill a second hole for the rod of an electronic thermometer or a threaded fitting for a bimetallic thermometer. The thermometer should be installed with a seal to prevent steam from escaping during the distillation process. You can seal with fum tape, silicone, rubber. It is important that the selected material can withstand temperatures of more than 100 C. After installing the fitting, the socket for the thermometer and the valve, if it is not in the factory assembly, which is rare, the evaporator is ready, but the moonshine still from a pressure cooker with your own hands will require some more work.
Steam line
To remove alcohol vapors from a pressure cooker, you will need a tube with a diameter of 10 mm or more. It must fit tightly onto the fitting, or be secured to it using a union nut. The material of the steam line can be silicone, copper, stainless steel, brass. It is best to use metal - silicone, although it is a fairly durable material and quite safe for food, in many ways it is inconvenient to use. When heated, it softens and an additional bracket will be needed to hold it in the required position.
It is preferable to make a steam line made of stainless steel
The metal steam line is bent in the shape of the letter “L” or “P” and is connected to the steam tank using the same union nut as in the case of the tank lid. It is important to develop the design of the moonshine still in such a way that the steamer does not hang in the air on the steam pipe, but rests on a solid base made of wood or metal or is hung on a hook. Excessive loads on the steam line lead to damage.
The part of the steam line leading from the steamer to the refrigerator is also made of metal. All connections are sealed using nuts and gaskets.
Fridge
A moonshine still from a multicooker is best used with a flow-through refrigerator. If you couldn’t buy one, you can wind the coil yourself from a copper or stainless tube. At home, it is easier to work with copper or brass, but you can also work with stainless steel.
Before starting work, you need to find a housing for the flow-through refrigerator in which the coil will be placed. You can use polyethylene for it sewer pipe, cutting off a part 40-50 cm long from it, a resonator from a car muffler, an enameled, aluminum or stainless steel can with a capacity of 3-5 liters.
Two holes are drilled in the side wall of the case, one below the lid by 2-4 cm, the second above the bottom by 2-3 cm. Fittings for water supply are screwed into them. The cold one is fed into the lower one, the hot one is taken from the upper one. Another hole should be in the bottom or lower part of the wall - for the outlet pipe of the coil, and one in the cover - for connecting to the steam line.
The coil itself is made like this: dry sifted sand is poured into a tube 2-2.5 m long, a plug plug (wooden peg) is installed, and the tube is secured at one end in a bench vice. The free part of the tube is wound onto a previously prepared section of pipe or blank (wood, metal) whose diameter is 3-4 cm less than the internal diameter of the body.
The coil turns are made loosely - the distance between adjacent ones should be at least 1.5 cm for better heat transfer. After winding the tube, the plug is drilled out and the sand is knocked out by shaking and tapping with a wooden stick or mallet. All that remains is to install the coil in the housing, seal it, connect it to the steam line - the moonshine still from the pressure cooker is ready.
For homemade moonshine from sugar-yeast mash in small quantities, the apparatus from a pressure cooker-multi-cooker is one of the best. It is durable, can heat up on any stove, and is easy to clean. In the intervals between moonshine brewing sessions, the pressure cooker can be used for its intended purpose or as a container for fermenting mash.
