Methanol Explained | Alcohol Science

Рет қаралды 38,131

Күн бұрын

What is methanol, and why do distillers worry about it so much? Methanol, like ethanol, is produced during the fermentation process. Fermenting grains such as corn, wheat, and barley will lead to only a small amount of methanol being produced, while raw materials that are high in pectin will lead to a higher production of methanol. Consuming as little as 10 mL of pure methanol can cause permanent blindness by destruction of the optic nerve, while 15mL of pure methanol can prove fatal. In this video, we are doing a deep dive into methanol and its relationship to alcohol and distilling #methanol #foreshots #methanolpoisoning
I'm Miss Brewbird, a Canadian girl training to be a distiller. I'm also tickled pink that you've found your way here. If you are interested in learning more about the drinks industry then this is the channel for you. Hit that subscribe button for more videos about distilling and brewing. Cheers!
Video Edited By: Keiran Arscott (arscottkeiran@gmail.com)
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Пікірлер: 98

@andrewfong4216 2 жыл бұрын

I'm a chemist and once did a summer internship at a company that makes orange juice. I was surprised to see that MeOH is among the minor constituents of orange juice as well. There was a large problem at the beginning of the pandemic with unscrupulous vendors using methanol in hand sanitizers, too.

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

Wow that's cool to know.

@lamaalmulhim3517 Жыл бұрын

Chemistry ♥️♥️♥️♥️✨

@importanttingwei7747 Жыл бұрын

@@MissBrewbird methanol for my car?

@daverees986 8 ай бұрын

Thank God There is a professional educated person on here. ( STOP CONFUSING PEOPLE YOUR RESEARCH MUST BE FROM KZfaq, IF SO YOU ARE FOOLING PEOPLE!!!!!!!!

@danielmanly4793 4 ай бұрын

Indeed - I wrote an article for MSRC at the time about the dangers of non-judiciously produced hand sanitizer commonly used during the onset of the so called pandemic.

@JacobTJ1 7 ай бұрын

Nice video, thank you

@MissBrewbird 7 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@henrym.5884 3 ай бұрын

Thanks .

@Bwachaauh Жыл бұрын

Yeah, at the distillery where I work the foreshots go back into the low wine and get redistilled. There is no real build-up of methanol, because the amount produced in fermentation of grain is so small, and methanol is also the quickest to evaporate off at ambient temperatures. Pretty much all the cases you hear of about methanol poisoning are due to very callous and heartless people mixing in industrial methanol into cheap, illegal spirits and thus getting greater profit.

@Vohuman_Boxes 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for clarifying such stigmas, I had to search for these myself before. It was very helpful to hear them again, and I also learned some new points, thanks again

@sittnaing9720 Ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing this insightful and helpful information.

@BeardedBored Жыл бұрын

Great info Brewbird!

@tomhill4003 4 ай бұрын

You have provided a great explanation of this phenomenon!

@rudrarishi2523 Жыл бұрын

Excellently explained, Thank you 🙏

@rachmiputri Жыл бұрын

I love your video! Thank you for sharingg!!!

@ianhui3719 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting video as usual. Informative and educational. Enjoying it. Thanks Miss Brewbird.

@aftheyabid Жыл бұрын

Very nice and informative video. Thanks.

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@willemkilian9563 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the informative vid. I love this technical stuff. I was actually surprised that you can drink a whisky to treat methanol poisoning!

@geeljireoomaar6140 7 ай бұрын

Thanks very much. The content of your video rescinates with me. Recently, I visited Dubai abd one night someone took me to a house. They were serving what they called Whiskey. Afterwards, i experienced all the symptoms you described

@MissBrewbird 6 ай бұрын

Oh no, that doesn't sound too good.

@tydbrokenheart Жыл бұрын

Very well explained the whole process...👌

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot 😊

@darylcheshire1618 5 ай бұрын

the government loves metho which is a combiniation of methanol and ethanol and can be used in household tasks such as cleaning without providing ethanol which can be drunk. Metho has a common boiling point (I forget the proportions) which means if you distil metho, you just get metho. If you need ethanol for laboratory use, you have to get a permit from Customs or I forget who does it now. I read that whiskey has to be aged in oak casks by law, this absorbs the poisonous alcohols, not sure if this is just methanol or includes the other alcohols.

@alimamybangura1399 6 ай бұрын

Thank you for the video. You are a great teacher 🌻🌻🌻🌻❤️👍

@MissBrewbird 6 ай бұрын

You're welcome. Thank you! 😃

@tectonicbrewing4168 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Brewbird, and thanks for this video. I have long researched and read articles about methanol, it's source in fermentation and how does it behave in distillation. The new information for me in your video was that apricots are among the low pectin containing fruits. I have always assumed the opposite. And now I'm wondering about persimmon specialy the goue ones that you have to age before you can eat. Any way back to your video, I was hoping that you discuss hydrogen bond with methanol, and is it true that in a pot still it changes methanol evaporation temperature? Thanks a lot for all you do and the efforts you put into your channel.

@MissBrewbird 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. I will have to do research on that topic

@austinwhitaker6439 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome video for dispelling myths regarding methanol and awesome for everyone on every level of Distilling. 🥃

@corranmchugh2881 Жыл бұрын

Great informative video. You mentioned your experience at the scotch whisky distillery about ageing the whiskey also helped with the evaporation of the methanol. Does it evaporate more readily than ethanol? Another good reason to age your spirits.

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

Hey Corran, sorry for the late reply. Yes, it does evaporate more readily than ethanol.

@RiggerBrew 2 жыл бұрын

Great presentation! I didn't know veggies causes methanol in our bodies... WOW!

@bbracing3925 7 ай бұрын

So your saying if i accidentally ingest some methanol at the racetrack, I should immediately go to the Bar/Pub/Tavern?

@MissBrewbird 7 ай бұрын

😂 It's up to you I guess.

@somsackvongsa7077 4 ай бұрын

One more shot .

@scottclay4253 Жыл бұрын

Congratulations on 5k subscribers! Your test will go well.

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

Thanks! You're always so on top of my KZfaq metrics, lol

@ailkenllib 2 жыл бұрын

I was most surprised to hear that an unclean fermentation can lead to higher methanol levels. I wonder how that applies to distilleries using wood fermentation vessels. Great video! Will definitely be referring people talking about removing ALL the methanol to this one so I can say "see, told you so!" LOL Always thought something was up with strawberries too, I noticed that when they're over-ripe that they taste of alcohol.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Жыл бұрын

I don't think you can. Apparently a small % is part of the taste. .and if I'm right, the no BS Russian/Pole bathtub distillers have a booze that's EXTREMELY full of alcohol, but NO nasty kick. It's like water. You just KNOW a lot of people would kill themselves with that immediately. Not sure how that correlates to methanol, but I hear it smells like diesel.

@u.s.militia7682 5 ай бұрын

Good video. Explained well and to the point.👍👍🇺🇸

@movieedits5725 Жыл бұрын

and im at the opposite end, just bought an air still, now have 16 litres of spirits, half from whi9te sugar, the other with brown, really nice

@scottclay4253 2 жыл бұрын

Well done, Brewbird! You dispelled a number of long standing myths. Wine and beer contain methanol, be it small quantities. If you drink these fermented beverages you consume all the methanol produced. If the wine or beer it distilled some of the methanol can be discarded. Oranges juice naturally contains measurable amounts of methanol, I never touch the stuff straight only mixed with the antidote. Great video, thank you!

@MissBrewbird 2 жыл бұрын

Lol Orange juice only with the antidote 😊 😃 That's hardcore

@scottclay4253 2 жыл бұрын

@@MissBrewbird better safe than sorry. In truth, the only way I drink orange juice (too much sugar) is with a good ouzo. Orange and anise pair so well, it is not widely known.

@isto1661 Жыл бұрын

I recently made some rum and took 1 litre of foreshots just to be sure I got all the methanol! Hi from Vancouver btw I really enjoy your videos. Maybe you can help me with doing a single malt one day! Cheers, Ian

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

Hey Ian, sorry for the late reply. Nice to see another fellow Vancouverite on here.

@isto1661 Жыл бұрын

No worries! Glad to see a fellow vancouverite making it big in Scotland !

@russellbrown7729 2 жыл бұрын

I question the concept that the "forces" acting on the alcohols are acting stronger on the methanol because of its lower pure boiling point, i feel this is more than offset by the significant difference in the relative polarity of methanol vs ethanol leading to stronger hydrogen bonds between methanol and water. This is shown in studies that show the concentration of methanol increasing through the distillation process and actually peaking in the tails cut. Even a good reflux still will see a tails peak and admittedly a heads peak too. In summary i feel the forces acting on the methanol are indeed stronger but those forces are hydrogen bonds preventing methanol from vaporizing. I welcome your feedback.

@TK-setophaga 4 ай бұрын

I was surprised to learn that methanol is present throughout distillation. I formerly believed I discarded all of it before my still got to 174F. Thanks

@MissBrewbird 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

@unclecharlie9022 2 жыл бұрын

If more pectin means more methanol, would adding pectinase enzyme reduce methanol production?

@MissBrewbird 2 жыл бұрын

Hmm I will have to look into that 🤔

@seekcamera2638 Жыл бұрын

Could something like activated charcoal be used to lower methanol level in the final product?

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

No I don't believe that would do anything

@davidmeier1811 Жыл бұрын

Methanol boils at 148 IF it is pure, but when mixed with water and ethanol it is not 148 BUT evaporation takes place at room temperature (and lower). It is just that heat causes it to happen faster. It is volatile meaning the tendency to vaporize. Water will vaporize (evaporate) down to 33 degrees F but it takes a while. Add heat and it is faster. When water hits 212 F all of it does not turn to steam, and the same with methanol when you hit 148.

@Jack-It-UP Жыл бұрын

HI, when malting barley to use straight away do you need to dry it or can you just blend/mill/wiz it wet and add it to the wort/mash. Cheers

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

Probably can't mill wet malted barley as it would clog up the machine pretty badly I think.

@Jack-It-UP Жыл бұрын

@@MissBrewbird Hi, I have a small auger mill that does the job. I don;t want to kiln the malt, as not to give it any flavour just want to rise the SG of my wine must/mash instead of using table sugar.

@tutnallman Жыл бұрын

fascinating- I surprised that there may be ethanol in a well-controlled fermentation of apple juice- do I correctly assess that you advise the use of pectolase in musts prior to fermentation?

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

Hi! Yes, you can make ethanol in just about anything that has a sugar content eg milk, potatoes, fruits. I think scientifically speaking, using pectolase would assist in breaking down the pectin which would in turn increase the level of methanol produced. This methanol would concentrate during the distillation process. In real life, I have heard of pectolase being used as people have said it helps create a more flavoursome distillate.

@IN-FINITE-WIS-DOM 6 ай бұрын

In your chart, I did not see grapes... for obvious reasons I would be interested

@IN-FINITE-WIS-DOM 6 ай бұрын

... yeah sorry, watch full video before commenting 😅

@MissBrewbird 6 ай бұрын

no worries!

@siavashebrahimi915 9 ай бұрын

hello and thank you for your great explanation , a question came to me that is there a way to determine the level of methanol poisonous in a drink that leads to blindness? as I don't trust the distillation process. I have heard that we can recognize a toxic methanol or ethanol drink by adding Boric Acid and watch burning flame of methanol is green and methanol is blue , I don't know that is true or not please help me :(

@Nickle314 Жыл бұрын

Is the way of measuring methanol in a run?

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

The methanol is all throughout the run. I can't think of a quick way to measure it, aside from taking it to the lab.

@marvinharms1891 Жыл бұрын

Thank Miss Brew Bird. Now I have to explain this all to my mum😔

@danthemann 2 жыл бұрын

2222+ thumbs up! Thank you for the explanation and clarity you gave. I will be posting it for my friends.

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

Awesome 😊

@machietheapachie7214 25 күн бұрын

Is this the same as methyl ethyl ketone?

@unclecharlie9022 2 жыл бұрын

I was surprised they just added the forshots to the next batch with the heads and tails. I know people who don’t even keep the tails because they don’t want fussil oils building up. Interesting.

@joshuagoodsell9330 2 жыл бұрын

Hello, great video as always. I'm really glad you talked about the difficulty in 100% separating methanol because of hydrogen bonding but also explained why that's usually not something to worry about. I learned that methanol doesn't come out all in the fores from the Still Behind the Bench channel and I haven't seen anyone else mention this. So great job!!

@conanjohny9128 26 күн бұрын

Is it true if we smell/inhale methanol for a few second can cause us faint?

@grebulocities8225 18 күн бұрын

Nope. You're unlikely to inhale a toxic dose of methanol in a few seconds. Even if you did, its toxic effects are slow to manifest. It has to be metabolized into formic acid to cause methanol poisoning, and this is fairly slow - it takes hours after exposure for enough formic acid to build up to cause toxicity.

@originalmianos 2 жыл бұрын

Any idea how it could be cheaper to produce methanol than ethanol? I find it hard to understand considering methanol production via gaseous hydronation of CO2 is much more complex to produce and more expensive than a natural fermentation process at small scale.

@davidmeier1811 Жыл бұрын

It is not cheaper to produce but methanol is not taxed as a beverage. Ethanol is available at the gas station cheap.

@gilles274 Жыл бұрын

where does the misinformation come from.........thanks for setting the record straight

@danielanthony1054 11 ай бұрын

probably the us government in prohibition times

@davidhowick3665 2 жыл бұрын

Nice, I’m pleased to now know I will die from Ethan Allen poisoning first before methanol poisoning…well done miss brew bird ,I think it’s the Asian glow ;)

@austinwhitaker6439 2 жыл бұрын

She's so Beautiful and especially with the ", Asian Glow" 🥰

@drumstick-marblebag Жыл бұрын

I find it very surprising that bacteria too can produce methanol through fermentation. Till now I was under the impression that only yeast can do fermentation and only produce ethanol. Also, I did not know that fruit skins can be useful in making alcohol.

@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 Жыл бұрын

Yup. See Pruno or jail made booze

@exmcgee1647 2 жыл бұрын

Safety is a great reason to take the foreshots out , but the best reason is because most of us want the best spirit we can make and foreshots are disgusting . My whiskey/white dog is so pure that even excessive amounts produce almost no hangover. hobby distilled liquor is practically free , there is no reason to try to save a few pennies on wringing out an extra 50 Oz .

@mohamedghribi3679 5 ай бұрын

Nothing has been said about concentration dangerosity

@irondoger 2 жыл бұрын

The highest % of cases of methanol poisoning come from inhalation in industrial settings, so don’t breathe the fumes coming out of your still before condensation starts, high % methanol.

@theghostofsw6276 Жыл бұрын

Should be no "fumes" coming out of your still....just liquid. However, some stills allow for the venting of vapours out of the column...that might be of some concern.

@Edward135i 6 ай бұрын

Ethanol goes in you, Methanol goes in your dragster.

@TheCbj79 Жыл бұрын

Thangs so much for this.. Is there no way or testing how pure the etanol is? If there is to much metanol. I made my alkohol from appels from now on i will get rid of more heads. Also i vent the still in the start up to 63degrees.. So most go out before maby... I cant smell the difference at least. LOL funny you say norway. Im form there ... Been a long time since i did destill it's so ilegal here. And i do it for fun. Dont even drink LOL.. But love to make it.

@MissBrewbird Жыл бұрын

I'm sure you can test it in the lab, but if you are just in the distillery it's mostly a smell test. If you take a generous heads cut you should be okay.

@shaunliew2572 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Miss Brewbird, great video!! I am just dropping by to let you know I've sent you an e-mail about some questions I have in mind.. hope you have some time to read it!