Follow the instructions on the yeast package to make the mash. You will be disolving a quantity of sugar in warm water, adding cold water, then adding the yeast packet. The recipe calls for a 25 liter batch, which is 6.5 US gallons. It is better to keep the batch down to 6 gallons or even as little as 5 gallons for reasons explained later. In 2 to 5 days your mash will be fermented and ready to distill.

Only the yeast is provided with the distillation unit total package. I have consistently produced 180 proof alcohol using this method. You can expect up to one gallon of alcohol using this method. More is possible.

While the mash is fermenting you can assemble the distillation unit and do a non-alcohol test run. A booklet with full instructions comes with every unit. Assembly is fast and easy.

Once the column is assembled place the boiler on the electric heater provided. Place one or two gallons of water in the boiler, install the column to the boiler as instructed, turn the heater all the way up and wait for the water to boil. Once you have boiling water, check for leaks to be sure there will be no leaks when doing an alcohol run. Assure that there are no steam leaks or water pump leaks and shut down the boiler using the shut down method described in the booklet. Basically, turning off the heat and removing the rubber stopper with thermometer is all that you need do. When the unit is cool to the touch you can remove the column from the boiler until the next run.

When your mash has fermented it is time to put the mash in the boiler using a funnel with strainer. Dip the mash from the fermentor into the boiler leaving the last gallon in the fermentor as it will be mostly sediment from the yeast. Place the boiler on the heater, which is turned up full, and install the column and thermometer.

Using the electric heater it will take about 2 hours for the column heat to come up above 70C and start producing alcohol. The first few ounces of alcohol will be methanol, which should be discarded as it is unhealthy for drinking. If you are producing fuel only, the methanol can be left in the mix.

As the column heat reaches 80C (178F)you will begin to produce pure ethanol. Collect the ethanol in a glass container placed in a pan of cold water. I wrap a wet paper towel around the collection hose where it goes into the jug to keep excess fumes from escaping.

Distilling 5 to 6 gallons at a time using the electric heater will keep the heat from going much over 85C, but if it does simply turn on the water pump for a few seconds to bring the temperature back down to 75 or 80C. Once you begin to produce ethanol the liquid should drip rapidly into the container and it will be very hot. Keeping the collection container in cool water helps increase your production. Keep the column temperature as close to 80C as possible for maximum output.Remember your entire still will reach a temperature of 180F and more, so do not touch with bare hands. I keep a pair of thick leather gloves and a fire extinguisher handy just in case.

Finally, I collect my alcohol in quart containers. As each container is filled I cool it to room temperature and measure it's alcohol content using the alcoholmeter provided. You will find that the alcohol content will decrease near the end of the run, wherever it may occur. When you get a batch that tests at only 50% or so, your run is about over. You will also notice a rise in the column temperature to 90C and higher. This too signals the end of the run.

You have now produced some very high quality alcohol, but if you plan to use it as fuel you must further purify it running through the still a second time. You should now have ethanol near 98% pure. By soaking it in, or filtering it through 'Zeolite' you can have pure alcohol. This product will absorb the water out of the alcohol leaving you with 100%, 200 proof Ethanol.

I have been asked about where to buy 'Zeolite' and since I don't stock it I have provided a link to one source. Here is a link to 'Zeolite', a molecular sieve used to 'dry' ethanol to achieve a pure product. 'Zeolite' can be used again and again by drying in the open air. Used 'Zeolite' is just as flammable as ethanol so be very careful with open flames around it. If this link has expired, do a search for 'molecular sieve 3a'.