🍯 Propolis Tincture Production Line

About this simulation

Propolis — the resinous "bee glue" bees collect from tree buds and use to seal and sterilise the hive — is steeped in high-proof alcohol to pull its resins, waxes and bioactive compounds into solution. This simulation models a small-batch steeping jar and bottling line so you can see how the main production choices trade off against each other before you commit real propolis and spirit to a batch.

How it works

• Extraction follows a saturating curve: strength rises quickly in the first few days, then levels off as the alcohol approaches its resin-holding capacity.
• Alcohol strength sets how fast and how completely resins dissolve — low-proof spirit stalls out at a lower ceiling, while 96% spirit extracts fastest and deepest.
• Daily agitation keeps fresh alcohol in contact with the propolis surface, speeding extraction without changing the final ceiling much.
• The jar's liquid darkens and the suspended resin particles thin out as propolis dissolves into solution; after steeping, the batch is filtered into 30ml dropper bottles.

Controls

• Propolis ratio — grams of raw propolis per 100ml of alcohol (a common UK small-batch range is 10–40g/100ml).
• Steeping time — days the jar sits before filtering (1–42 days).
• Batch size — total alcohol volume in the jar, which sets how many bottles the run fills.
• Alcohol strength — proof of the base spirit used for extraction.
• Daily agitation — toggles whether the jar is shaken daily during steeping.
• ↺ Restart steep — resets the animated steeping clock. Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom.

Did you know?

UK small-batch producers typically filter propolis tincture through fine cloth or coffee filters, then let it stand so wax fragments float clear before bottling — the same wax-separation step this scene glosses over with a clean filtration animation.