Thread: ginger beer to spirit

john wrote on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:12:54 -0000:

> Does anyone have any information about making a simple
> *distilling* apparatus that they can share? My friend is
> thinking of trying to distil some ginger beer.

Ground glass joint chemical glassware tends to be rather expensive but
setting up a flask and water condenser couldn't be simpler.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

"john robinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
distil
> some ginger beer.
>
>

HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

AWEM

On Dec 21, 10:46*am, "Andrew Mawson"
<andrew@no_spam_please_mawson.org.uk> wrote:
> "john robinson" <bluestar...@mail.invalid> wrote in message
>
> news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
>
> > Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
> > apparatus that they can share? *My friend is thinking of trying to
> distil
> > some ginger beer.
>
> HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
> friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
> were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).
>
> AWEM

Fer christ's sake...go tell the net cops. Let's put this guy behind
bars for life!

On 21/12/10 18:46, Andrew Mawson wrote:
>
> "john robinson"<[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
>> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
>> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
> distil
>> some ginger beer.
>>
>>
>
> HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
> friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
> were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).
>
> AWEM
>

I believe that freeze-distillation is OK - but needs checking.

It is also reckoned to be safer - regular distillation done wrong can
produce a bottle with high concentrations of less desireable alcohols -
these can occur naturally as part of the fermentation and are OK if
spread around 8 bottles of wine, but less good if concentrated into the
first small bottle of distilled output.

But I'm sure google will turn up lots of info on making a simple still.
Boiling pot, lots of soft copper tube and a cooling bath.

--
Tim Watts

Not so long ago you could buy small stills in France in places like Gamme
Verte (Countrywide)

On Dec 21, 6:12*pm, "john robinson" <bluestar...@mail.invalid> wrote:
> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
> apparatus that they can share? *My friend is thinking of trying to distil
> some ginger beer.

try these guys : http://www.stillspirits.com/ - look for a local
distributor to you. Most UK home brew shops sell these.

HMRC have let these pass (they were good enough to admit they were
caught on the hop). So you can distill in peace - just don't sell it.

Not sure how you'd go about distilling ginger beer ... the potential
for off flavourings and yukky heads/tails would be enormous.

On 21/12/2010 18:46, Andrew Mawson wrote:
>
> "john robinson"<[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
>> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
>> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
> distil
>> some ginger beer.
>>
>>
>
> HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
> friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
> were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

To be fair, they would be particularly interested if you were selling
the stuff, but in all liklihood far less so if just doing it for
personal consumption.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"Tim Watts" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:ieqt3i$r54$[email protected]..
> On 21/12/10 18:46, Andrew Mawson wrote:
> >
> > "john robinson"<[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
> >> Does anyone have any information about making a simple
*distilling*
> >> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying
to
> > distil
> >> some ginger beer.
> >>
> >>
> >
> > HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
> > friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
> > were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).
> >
> > AWEM
> >
>
> I believe that freeze-distillation is OK - but needs checking.
>
> It is also reckoned to be safer - regular distillation done wrong
can
> produce a bottle with high concentrations of less desireable
alcohols -
> these can occur naturally as part of the fermentation and are OK if
> spread around 8 bottles of wine, but less good if concentrated into
the
> first small bottle of distilled output.
>
> But I'm sure google will turn up lots of info on making a simple
still.
> Boiling pot, lots of soft copper tube and a cooling bath.
>
> --
> Tim Watts

The first distillates to come over in a still are ketones iirc at
arround 79deg C, and it is these that are the nasties and to be
avoided. If the first few drops are rejected it's probably safest.

I think it is producing spirit that attracts taxation, and HMR&C don't
mind whether it's done by distillation or freeze separation.

AWEM

Andrew Mawson wrote:
> "john robinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
>> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
>> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
>> distil some ginger beer.
>>
>>
>
> HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
> friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
> were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

Cue Dennis....


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:46:28 +0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:

> "john robinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
>> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
>> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
> distil
>> some ginger beer.
>>
>>
>>
> HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your friend
> to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay were a
> licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).

And no doubt dennis would report you...it's what he does.

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

john robinson expressed precisely :
> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling* apparatus
> that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to distil some ginger
> beer.

Isn't doing that slightly illegal?

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

On Dec 21, 1:12*pm, Harry Bloomfield
<harry.m1...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> john *robinson expressed precisely :
>
> > Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling* apparatus
> > that they can share? *My friend is thinking of trying to distil some ginger
> > beer.
>
> Isn't doing that slightly illegal?
>
> --
> Regards,
> * * * * Harry (M1BYT) (L)http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Do you really care?

"john robinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to distil
> some ginger beer.
>

A problem with distilling is that if 'successfully' done, one ends up with
alcohol and no flavour, so you would not get ginger spirit from your still.
The flavour in gin is added afterwards, and that in whisky comes from the
barrels it is aged in. That said, there was a Food Programme, on Aqua
Vitaes, which described the vast quantities of fruit required to get real
fruit flavoured spirits, and I don't quite see how that works.

On the other hand, if you ever make sloe gin - ie with gin that the tax has
already been paid on - you may want to recover some of the spirit that
remains in the fruit after you have decanted the bulk of the liquid. I was
surprised at how much I had been throwing out with the fruit. Got a fair
bit back by using 2 big 'champagne' bottles, a cork and a length of flexible
plastic tube. Tubed and sealed the first bottle with fruit in, and then
heated it in a saucepan of boiling water. The tube trails down into a
second bottle, on the floor, cooled with ice. You have to get a good seal,
and take care not to melt the tube if you are on gas.

S

"Bob Eager" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:46:28 +0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:
>
>> "john robinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
>>> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
>>> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
>> distil
>>> some ginger beer.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your friend
>> to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay were a
>> licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).
>
> And no doubt dennis would report you...it's what he does.

Is he intimidating someone else by doing it?
Is it actually illegal? I don't think it is. It depends on what he does with
it.

Would I report someone for ignoring part P, no.
would I report someone charging for a job that needs part P, probably.

It depends on how it affects others and who the victim is.

Harry Bloomfield <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected] uk:

> john robinson expressed precisely :
>> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
>> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
>> distil some ginger beer.
>
> Isn't doing that slightly illegal?
>

Not everywhere. In the US it's illegal to concentrate
alcohol by any means (including freezing) without a
license. Part of getting a license to run a still in
the US is having a separate building, which must pass
inspection as adequate for operatoin of a distillery.
Setting up a personal distillery has been compared
to starting your own restaurant, in terms of paper work,
inspections, taxes, etc.

This PDF is a collection of articles that might be
useful.

http://www.distilling.com/newsletters/AD0101.pdf

B.

--
Cheerfully resisting change since 1959.

On Dec 21, 10:12*am, "john robinson" <bluestar...@mail.invalid>
wrote:
> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
> apparatus that they can share? *My friend is thinking of trying to distil
> some ginger beer.

Considering ginger beer consists of ginger, sugar, and water,
distiling ginger beer would at best produce some ginger-flavored rum.
Why not just macerate some ginger in rum, and call it a day?

On 2010-12-21, Spamlet <[email protected]> wrote:

> "john robinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
>
>> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
>> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
>> distil some ginger beer.
>
> A problem with distilling is that if 'successfully' done, one ends
> up with alcohol and no flavour, so you would not get ginger spirit
> from your still. The flavour in gin is added afterwards, and that in
> whisky comes from the barrels it is aged in.

Sorry, that's just wrong. Raw whisky has plenty of flavour; some of
the flavours come from the barrel, but others (like the peatiness in
some Scotch) is there from the get-go. You only get no flavour if you
distill it several times (a column still does this internally, while
with a pot still you would have to do multiple runs).

As for gin...gin is made in several ways. "The flavour is added
afterwards" is a good description of compounding, which is the least
popular. London gin is the most popular type of gin and is required by
law to be produced in a more traditional manner, where the flavour is
added before the final distillation.

--
You mean you didn't *know* she was off making lots of little phone companies?

john robinson wrote:
> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
> distil some ginger beer.

Go to your local home brewing store - I went past mine today and had a look
in, they had a sign in the window which read 'distill your own spirits' and
underneath this sign was a stainless steel contraption, but I was in the car
and didn't really have time to investigate further, but i doubt it is
illegal as they had lots of these things in boxes in the window, and part of
the name was 'still' - it's obviously intended for distilling and must be
legal - this shop's on the main road through the town centre.



--
Phil L
RSRL Tipster Of The Year 2008

On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:21:36 +0000, dennis@home wrote:

> "Bob Eager" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]..
>> On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:46:28 +0000, Andrew Mawson wrote:
>>
>>> "john robinson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> news:ieqqnf$jmf$[email protected]..
>>>> Does anyone have any information about making a simple *distilling*
>>>> apparatus that they can share? My friend is thinking of trying to
>>> distil
>>>> some ginger beer.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> HM Revene and Customs would be very interested to hear were your
>>> friend to be doing this. Illegal without a licence and duty to pay
>>> were a licence to be granted, (which is very unlikely).
>>
>> And no doubt dennis would report you...it's what he does.
>
> Is he intimidating someone else by doing it? Is it actually illegal? I
> don't think it is. It depends on what he does with it.

How gracious of you to make any distinction.

> Would I report someone for ignoring part P, no. would I report someone
> charging for a job that needs part P, probably.
>
> It depends on how it affects others and who the victim is.

Now you're trying to tell us you're capable of judgement.

--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor