Alambiki and moonshine made of quality copper

Today there is no criminal punishment for making moonshine in the Code of the Russian Federation, so everyone can buy equipment that is sold in special stores and drive out their favorite strong drink as much as they like, but only for their needs - selling to outsiders will be punishable. Along with ordinary stainless steel products, copper moonshines are also on sale.

How do these products differ from standard copies, what are their nuances, positive and negative qualities, why do experts believe that moonshine in a copper apparatus turns out to be much tastier and better - you will find answers to these questions in our article.

Features of copper moonshine

Fully made from copper, small moonshines for elite varieties of home-made alcohol are called alambiki - they are made in oriental motifs and resemble the intricate accessories of an ancient alchemist. Such equipment can be presented to a gourmet who knows about elite alcohol so that he can make a strong home-made drink according to his own recipes.

Standard devices are made of combined materials, for example, a distillation cube is made of stainless steel, and the column, reflux condenser and cooler are made of copper. This separation is due to the fact that copper is capable of destroying sulfur oxide compounds, which are considered the main enemies in the production of high-quality moonshine. Such compounds are formed during the active fermentation of mash, and then, during distillation, they can ruin the taste and strength of moonshine.

Polished copper looks pretty elegant, resembling noble gold, equipment can decorate the interior of any kitchen, so everything is correctly assembled and fitted. Some users buy copper equipment, because the taste and smell of moonshine expelled on such a high-quality apparatus is noticeably different from the drink obtained by distillation on standard products.

Advantages and disadvantages

Moonshines made of copper have individual advantages and disadvantages, which should be discussed separately, since the products are quite different from their counterparts in the stainless steel workshop.

Pros:

• safety of use;
• warranty periods;
• compliance of the final product with quality standards;
• assortment of model range;
• there are quite beautiful-looking products, for example, alambiki;
• the user does not need to waste his nerves, as well as his time for assembly - everything has already been adjusted and fixed, it remains only to fill in the mash, connect the column or stacked assembly with a cooler to the distillation tank.

Minuses:

• with all the wealth of choice, these products may not suit you in size or aesthetic perception;
• rather high cost compared to the standard version, but self-production will cost even more.

Now a few words about the craftsmen who do everything with their own hands.

Positive sides:

• the product will look like you want it outwardly;
• the design is individual, and there are no analogues to it.

Negative:

• quite a lot of labor;
• possible errors in the design of the compounds, which will lead to disruption of the distillation process.

To make equipment from copper, you have to spend a lot of money on the purchase of copper parts, then bring their processing to the required level: grinding, polishing, etc.Managing the device that you yourself have assembled is a great pleasure, but only a small fraction of users is capable of this.

How to choose

First, a few words about alambiki: they come in different volumes: from 5 to 100 liters, but very large products are not used in the home. Here the principle is the same as that of other moonshine stills: if only for oneself, and not on an industrial scale, then a distillation capacity of 20-30 liters is enough.

All high-quality products are manufactured in Portugal and Spain - they still manufacture them by 90% by hand, hammering the desired shape with hammers, then fitting parts to each other as tightly as possible. Reliability of manufacture - 100%, because each master puts his personal brand on the product.

Volume

First of all, the user needs to determine the optimal volume, it must be borne in mind that the capacity is filled only by 80%: if 20 l, then fill only 16 l, and at 30 - 24 l. Experts advise to buy the device no more than 20 liters, because it is more expedient to distill 12 liters at a time. This is not so small - at the exit we will have 2 liters of strong drink 80%, and when diluted to 40 degrees, 4 liters or 8 bottles of homemade vodka are obtained.

The thickness of the walls and the bottom must be taken into account separately: if the walls are 1 mm, then such a container during operation can deform from frequent heating - the ideal thickness is 1.5-2.0 mm, and the bottom should be flat and ferromagnetic to heat the container on any plate . The bottom thickness is not less than 2 mm, the thicker the bottom, the better, because the mash will not burn during boiling, which will negatively affect the quality of moonshine.

Cooler power

It should correspond to the volume of the cube or better to be slightly higher for better cooling. Performance is indicated in the technical passport, but often the manufacturer is cunning and puts the output in terms of vodka: for example, the figure is 5 liters, this means that when distilled, you get no more than 2.5 liters of raw alcohol, and diluting it to degrees of vodka, get twice as much.

Dimensions

When purchasing a product with a distillation column, you need to remember about its dimensions: it can be a meter or higher in height, and you will install the assembled device on a standard stove in the kitchen, so you need to find out the distance to the ceiling, because in standard city apartments this is the distance 2.25 m.

Material

As we have already drawn your attention, the distillation tank is made of food or medical stainless steel, and the rest of the parts can be made of high quality copper, especially for column-type devices. It is copper that does not affect the properties of the distillate, it also has high thermal conductivity - it quickly heats up and also cools, which significantly reduces the cost of distillation.

This non-ferrous metal has only one drawback - the cost, so all devices with copper columns, dry steam and coolers are much more expensive, but they can produce strong drinks of the elite class: whiskey, tequila, calvados, rum and brandy.

Design Features

If all the modules are collapsible, then they are easy to wash and clean, the presence of drain taps in the container with a waste tank, a sukhoparnik greatly facilitates maintenance and simplifies the distillation process, since at any time it is possible to drain the sludge from the reflux condenser in order to prevent the heads from entering the main product.

The wide neck allows not only the convenience of filling the tank with braga, but also facilitates cleaning after the end of the process. If the height of the column does not allow you to install it on a standard stove, then you can buy a special induction stove for brewing and use it on a low nightstand.

Remember that any moonshine must have at least one thermometer, and preferably two - on the distillation tank and in the reflux condenser, then you can navigate when separating different fractions. Automation simplifies the distillation process, but there are underwater reefs here: if one controller fails, then the whole system must be changed.

Rating of moonshines - the best for 2017-2018

Copper apparatus "Luxe" 10 l

• Material: distillation cube - AISI 304 steel, columns - copper
• Productivity: 4.0 l / h (in terms of vodka)
• Distillation cube volume: 10 l
• Wall thickness: 1.5-2.0mm
• Neck Diameter: 115 mm
• Dimensions of containers for mash: 235x235x250 mm
• Height: columns - 350 mm, in the assembly - 600 mm
• Weight: 4.5 kg
• Producer: Luxe, Russia

The Luxe copper distiller is a very good present for a person who cares about health and also wants to diversify his life with home-made elite strong drinks.

Cuprum & Steel Galaxy 2 copper distiller

• Materials: distillation tank - food grade AISI 430 stainless steel, other components - highly purified copper from Germany
• Productivity: distillation up to 5.0 l / h
• Distillation tank volume: 15 L
• Wall thickness: 2.0 mm
• Neck Diameter: 115 mm
• Dimensions: distillation cube - 230x230x380 mm, complete unit - 230x230x650 mm
• Producer: Cuprum & Steel, Russia

The moonshine still allows producing home-made elite moonshine of high quality and purification; the cost price is 16 rubles per liter of brandy, calvados or whiskey.

Alkovar Copper fortified 20 l + thermometer

• Material: body and all components - high-quality copper, fittings - brass
• Productivity: more than 2.5 l / h
• Distillation cube volume: 20 l
• Wall thickness: 1.5mm
• Coil Tube Diameter: 12 mm
• Overall dimensions: 60x60x400 mm
• Service life: more than 50 years
• Producer: Alkovar, Russia

Golden Moonshine

• All parts are made of copper, connections - brass
• Productivity: 3.5 L / h
• Distillation tank volume: 20 l
• Wall thickness: 2.0 mm
• Column: height - 620 mm, inner diameter - 280 mm
• Cooler: height - 390 mm, diameter of water inlet / outlet fittings - 12 mm
• Diameter: outlet fitting - 12 mm, for a thermometer - 6 mm
• Product strength: up to 80%
• Warranty / Manufacturer: 12 months / Russia

Moonshine still 12 L Copper Krepysh

• Material: 99.6% copper
• Productivity: more than 2.0 l / h
• Distillation cube volume: 12 l
• Wall thickness: 1.5mm
• Coil Tube Diameter: 12 mm
• Overall dimensions: 6x6x40 cm
• Mass: no data
• Product strength: up to 80%
• Producer: Alkovar, Russia

findings

Only after 2002, when the criminal liability for moonshining was canceled, imported moonshines began to appear in specialized stores, but their cost was too high, so they were not in great demand.

More recently, domestic manufacturers have launched the production of modern and fairly productive products for the home production of various strong drinks - their quality and performance are not inferior to foreign counterparts. Finally, home-made lovers could purchase high-quality and relatively inexpensive equipment for their needs, and today copper products are already on sale, which guarantees excellent quality of the drink.