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Ethanol Experiment Number 2: Beer Striping Run

TITLE: Experiment #2
OBJECTIVE(S): Perform a "beer striping run" on a batch of beer. This should result in the low-alcohol content beer (3-10%ABV) to be increased to approximately 30-40%ABV (Alcohol By Volume). Once this is acheived, the distillate is called a "low wine."
GO/NO-GO: NO-GO
SUMMARY: While we did get a small amount of "low wines" we never achieved the reflux column temperatures we expected, and we did not produce very much distillate. We started with approx. 480-oz of beer, at approx. 10%ABV, so we should have produced approx. 150-oz of "low wines." We may have produced about 10% this amount.
NEXT ATTEMPT: We wish to achieve two primary goals in our next attempt:
1. Increase the amount of heat we can apply to the keg (bigger fire); and
2. Insulate the keg better so that it retains much more of the heat we are able to produce.

After boiling water, the next step is to make a "beer striping" run through the still. This is to increase the percentage of alcohol in a "beer" from 3% to 9% up to 30% to 40% alcohol by volume ("%ABV"). This higher percentage alcohol is then called "low wine."

  1. Pour your "beer" into the boiler.
  2. Bring beer to a boil.
  3. Once the temperature has "approached" 212*F nearly all the alcohol has been removed from the "beer."

Following a successful beer striping run the alcohol collected in the glass carboy (large "water bottle") should measure approximately 30% to 40% ABV (Alcohol By Volume).

Heat is supplied by a Coleman camp stove rated at 7,500 BTUs (approx. 2,197 watts)

Outside temperature is approximately 48*F in the shade.

Start Time= 12:24 PM; End Time= 5:40 PM.

Total Time= 5-Hours, 16-Minutes.

 

exp02_01
Well water from the garden hose supplies the cold water.
   
exp02_02
Water valve.
   The clear plastic hosing simply slides into the valve, and is held in place by a pressure ring.
exp02_03
Setting up the Coleman camp stove burner.
   Careful! It's hot!
exp02_04
Stainless steel mixing bowl, placed on top of the keg.
exp02_05
15.5 US Gallon capacity keg.
exp02_06
Specific gravity is about 1.02.
(Starting beer, going into keg.)
exp02_07
Beer in the keg.
exp02_08
Setting the depth of the thermometer.
   It is important the tip does *not* touch the metal.
exp02_09
Connecting the water (cooling) tubes.
The "short tube" is routed past the thermometer, and connects the output of "cooling condenser" to the input of the "reflux condenser" (blue dot).
   On the opposite (left) side of the copper column the "waste" tube exits the distillation column.
exp02_10
This is the assembled still.
exp02_11
This is the distillate we collected.
   Alan has tested small pieces of the tubing by soaking them in alcohol for several days. As they do not seem to be breaking down we do *not* believe the milky color of the distillate is caused by the tubing. It may simply be miscellaneous debris contaminating the keg. But this is only a guess.
exp02_12
Most of the beer remains in the keg.
   
To Convert Fahrenheit into Celsius = (F - 32) * 5/9 Freezing = 32*F Boiling = 212*F
To Convert Celsius into Fahrenheit = (C * 9/5) + 32 Freezing = 0*C Boiling = 100*C
Central
Time PM 		Time
Elapsed
(Per Step) 		Time
Elapsed
(Accumulated) 		Temp.
Fahrenheit
(Reflux Column) 		Remarks
12:24 n/a 0:00 n/a Light fire to heat beer, and start assembly of the PDA-1 still.
12:44 0:20 0:20 n/a Set up complete. Cooling water is flowing, without leaks. Outdoor temp is 48*F in the shade.
12:48 0:04 0:24 58.0*F n/a
12:50 0:02 0:26 48.2*F n/a
12:55 0:05 0:31 48.9*F n/a
1:11 0:16 0:47 52.1*F Outdoor temperature is either 44*F or 48*F depending upon which thermometer is used.
1:16 0:05 0:52 52.8*F n/a
1:25 0:09 1:01 52.5*F Temp. dropped!
1:36 0:11 1:12 53.7*F No condensate. Increasing temp. again. Water still flowing, and now have over 1.5 gallons of "waste" water collected.
1:45 0:09 1:21 55.5*F Just reached 2.0 gallons of overflow "waste" water.
1:52 0:07 1:28 56.6*F n/a
1:58 0:06 1:34 55.9*F First small bottle of propane is empty & the fire went out. We used it approximately 1-hour, 40-minutes yesterday, and approximately 1-hour, 34-minutes today. Approximate burn time was: 3-hours, 15-minutes.
2:01 0:03 1:37 54.9*F Propane bottle changed. Also dumped out 2.5 gallons of overflow/waste water.
Propane bottle: 16.4 oz/ 468 g. = "One pound" bottle; approx. 3-hour burn time.
(2.5 gallon water overflow)/(1-hour, 35-minutes) = (2.5)/(1.58) = 1.58
   =~ 1.6 =~ 1-2/3 gallons/hour of overflow/waste water
2:09 0:08 1:45 56.3*F Listening to the flow of propane, we can hear the "flow" of propane is moving at a higher rate.
2:22 0:13 1:58 59.0*F n/a
2:30 0:08 2:06 60.0*F Just under another gallon of water overflow/waste collected.
2:37 0:07 2:13 61.3*F n/a
2:40 0:03 2:16 61.7*F n/a
2:45 0:05 2:21 62.6*F n/a
2:50 0:05 2:26 63.8*F Changed from 63.8*F to 64.0*F whilst looking at it.
2:53 0:03 2:29 65.1*F n/a
2:55 0:02 2:31 66.7*F Temperatures are beginning to change much more quickly.
2:56 0:01 2:32 67.1*F n/a
2:58 0:02 2:34 67.8*F n/a
2:59 0:01 2:35 69.6*F n/a
3:00 0:01 2:36 70.9*F n/a
3:01 0:01 2:37 71.4*F Temp's are somewhat eradicate now; could take a reading every few seconds if wished.
3:02 0:01 2:38 73.2*F n/a
3:03 0:01 2:39 74.3*F About +/- 1.0*F as we watch the thermometer.
3:04 0:04 2:40 75.3*F n/a
3:05 0:01 2:41 76.8*F n/a
3:06 0:01 2:42 79.7*F n/a
3:07 0:01 2:43 83.1*F n/a
3:08 0:01 2:44 85.8*F n/a
3:09 0:01 2:45 88.8*F n/a
3:10 0:01 2:46 95.5*F n/a
3:11 0:01 2:47 102.0*F Variance is approx. +/- 2.0*F swings as we watched the thermometer.
3:12 0:01 2:48 115.3*F n/a
3:13 0:01 2:49 136.4*F n/a
3:14 0:01 2:50 155.8*F n/a
3:15 0:01 2:51 160.5*F Slower rate of temp. increase.
3:16 0:01 2:52 166.8*F Condensate! Dripping out of "Product Cooler" faster than one-drip-per-second.
NO STEAM OUT OF THE TOP.
3:17 0:01 2:53 173.6*F 2-drips/second.
3:18 0:01 2:54 175.6*F (Thermometer auto-turned off.)
3:19 0:01 2:55 180.0*F No steam out of the top. Steady dripping of condensate out of the "Product Cooler."
3:20 0:01 2:56 183.0*F Condensate is now flowing, no longer "dripping."
3:21 0:01 2:57 186.5*F Flow of condensate has increased.
Overflow/waste water is between 2.1 and 3.0 gallons of collected water.
3:22 0:01 2:58 191.0*F Still no steam out the top. Nice flow of product.
3:23 0:01 2:59 191.0*F Same temp. -- No change, but then temp. rose, so maybe we're just reading it at a low point?
3:24 0:01 3:00 192.0*F Temp. variance is +/- 1.0*F again -- it appears to be stabilizing to some degree.
3:25 0:01 3:01 192.3*F No steam. Good flow of condensate. But temp. is not going over 192.5*F.
3:26 0:01 3:02 192.5*F Flow of condensate appears close to flow of "waste" overflow. But it is difficult to be certain without measuring it over time.
3:27 0:01 3:03 192.8*F Approaching 194*F "on highs." Flickered above 193*F briefly a couple times, but the rate of increase is much slower.
3:28 0:01 3:04 193.2*F n/a
3:28:30 n/a n/a n/a Reach top of 3-gallon water overflow bucket. The overflow water is slightly warm to the touch. Several minutes ago the overflow water was still cool to the touch.
3:29 0:01 3:05 192.3*F n/a
3:30 0:01 3:06 192.7*F n/a
3:31 0:01 3:07 192.5*F 192.5*F has now become the relative lows
3:32 0:01 3:08 195.2*F n/a
--- --- --- --- Changing from recording whatever temperature we happen to observe at the top of the time interval, to now recording the "observed high" during the elapsed time interval.
3:34 0:02 3:10 195.5*F Observed High Temp.
3:35 0:01 3:11 195.4*F "O.H.T."
3:36 0:01 3:12 196.2*F "O.H.T."
3:37 0:01 3:13 196.1*F "O.H.T." Still no steam. Good rate of condensate continues.
3:44 0:07 3:20 194.5*F Opened doors and took pictures.
3:48 0:04 3:24 196.3*F OHT. So, if opening the door (except the "hatch" which has been open the entire time) caused the temperature to drop, it has now re-stabilized.
3:50 0:02 3:26 196.3*F ...ranging up to 196.7*F.
3:59 0:09 3:35 195.9*F n/a
4:17 0:18 3:53 199.5*F n/a
4:29 0:12 4:05 199.5*F n/a
4:45 0:16 4:21 200.0*F Outdoor Temp's:
        42*F at the Weather Channel
        43*F at the "Butterfly" thermometer
        49*F at the Indoor/Outdoor thermometer
4:54 --- --- --- Waste/overflow water reaches 3.0 gallons, and is emptied.
4:55 0:10 4:31 200.0*F Condensate has slowed to about 1-drip/second.
5:05 0:10 4:41 202.0*F n/a
5:19 0:14 4:55 202.0*F n/a
5:28 0:09 5:04 202.0*F Drips are just under 1-drip/second.
5:35 0:07 5:11 198.0*F 1-drip/3-seconds, or 1/3-drip per second.
5:39 0:04 5:15 188.0*F Opened doors. 1-drip per 6- 7-seconds, or about 1/6-drip per second.
5:40 0:01 5:16 --- Shutting down due to severe drop in number of drips/second from the Product Cooling.
1-2/3 (1.67) gallons of "overflow/waste" water is dumped.

Waste/Overflow Water Used:


      7.17 gallons of overflow water in 5-hours, 16-minutes;
      (7.17)/(5.267) gallons/hour;
      =~ 1.36 gallons/hour of "overflow" water used.
Outdoor temperature: Approximately 44*F to 48*F.
Water flow through the cooling tubes was approximately 1.6 gallons/hour. The well easily supplied this rate of flow.
We never observed any steam coming out of the top of the still.
Nearly all the starting beer remained in the keg after we shut down the test.
The distillate obviously smelled much more of alcohol.
We never heard the keg boil! (We *did* hear the water boil in the first test.)
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