Making alcohol ?

[JamPan]

OK, I've just done a quick bit of reading of the legislation (disclaimer: I am not a solicitor, I know didly-squat, don't take what I say as fact )

Producing spirits by whatever means without the relevant licenses is illegal, personal use or not, and they are not easy to get: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/spirits-duty

Spirits means anything other than wines, beers and ciders produced solely by fermentation: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1979/4

So, we can ferment anything we like to make anything we like, but not then distil it, freeze it, or crack ethylene gas to make it into a spirit.

Boo, hiss!

Note that there are some additional bits about percentage alcohol in the fermented beverage, but not anything that's likely to be an issue as long as it is only fermented.

That's interesting Foxyrick. I remember a long time ago reading personal consumption was okay, and even remember on the news a few years ago of a guy trying to make vodka in his apartment and blew it up, but even on there they said he wouldn't be arrested as he was only making it for personal use.

Not that I rarely drink even wine nowadays. I'd like to try making an essential oil at some point, but I think it's going to need lots of whatever plant used.

I used to distill the tap water for my soap making too until a chap in the next town who owns a soap factory told me the local tap water was fine as it is yo use.

 

[FoxyRick]

Maybe the powers that be just didn't think it was worth trying to prosecute. I do vaguely recall that when I was teaching chemistry, I knew it was not legal to distil ethanol even for lab purposes. Buying ethanol for lab use still has to have the duty paid, and is now subject to police checks on the person/company buying it.

I think for essential oils the yield is generally 1:100 to 1:1000. But then, if it's just for personal use you don't need much oil. Steam distillation is often used, or sometimes solvent extraction but that can contaminate the product. Lab kit for doing the distillation is commonplace and not restricted, although the government has occasionally made noises to do so. Buy some before they think of it again!

We're fortunate to have very soft water around here, you might be the same (could even share the aquifer). When I need distilled I empty the dehumidifier.

I won't ever comment about mead. My Dad thought he was a brewmaster.
Thin, insipid fruit and berry wines and mead I could have used as weed killer.

Don't say things like that... I don't want to spend the next twelve months ageing weedkiller

Yeah, alcohol made the water safe(r) to store and drink; or at least hid some of the foul taste. Same on ships during the age of sail with rum and grog. Hmm... Rum!

Making a beverage you get drunk on is easy. Making a beverage you enjoy while getting drunk is difficult.

Yep, that's the trick. With the mead, a lot of that is down to temperature control. Warmer = faster fermentation but more nasty fusils which then need ageing out. Too cold and the yeast sulks. Plus the choice of yeast makes a big difference. That's probably the biggest advantage we have over the alcohol(ic) pioneers.

 

[Robson Valley]

The Biology Department where I worked supplied the rest of the entire college wth distilled water.
Buying a BIG new still, I had to sign off as the federal license holder for the dang thing.
Promptly ignored all cautions and warnings to let our lab technicians get on with the job.

Dad's mead was a crushing disappointment. I'd read about mead for years then he made some.

What's almost worse, some fools are making "maple" beer as this is Canada's white 150 anniversary of Confederation.
Maple in beer? Bad. Just ugly.

Making really good red wine from California Zinfandel grapes was easy. Making large quantities was easy.
The only hard part was lugging 25 x 36lb cases of grapes into the cellar.