PicoBrew has cornered the market on small-scale, countertop alcoholic beverage producing appliances. The latest in its lineup, the PicoStill, made a splashy debut at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, but its best use might be in your brewery laboratory.
The PicoStill is a patent-pending distilling device that now makes it possible for any homebrewer or professional brewer to create their own essential hop oils for enhanced aroma and flavor. Licensed and properly permitted craft distillers or individuals can also use the PicoStill to produce a wide range of alcohols.
Temperature controls are key
PicoStill is a modern-day vacuum that mitigates inherently dangerous situations produced when alcohol vapors are near open flames or other sources of ignition by using indirect heating sources and operating under vacuum to reduce temperatures and prevent flammable vapor leaks. It also incorporates mechanisms to make distillation even safer, such as heating that shuts off automatically if the vacuum seal is broken and a custom methanol collection chamber to automatically isolate congeners.
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“By developing technology that automatically separates the methanol from the heads, we have significantly reduced the dangers inherent in distilling spirits,” added Mitchell. “The PicoStill provides commercial distillers a versatile, safe and easy to use small batch distilling solution.”
PicoStill comes with both a polished copper distilling column and clear glass infusion chamber that is crucial for essential oil extraction and designing flavored spirits. Water-extraction hop oils can be produced in less than an hour and infused into the beer, compared to dry hopping which can take up to a week. In addition to hops, PicoStill can also distill water, herbs, spices, grains and more. PicoStill is compatible with all of PicoBrew’s line of Pico brewing appliances, and it is currently available for pre-order at the discount price of $249. PicoStill MSRP: $349.
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