Authors: Ron Foster
http://www.wikihow.com/Brew-Moonshine
on common creative license that might be just what we need. Hang on a sec.” Dennis said as he went to get the formula.
Making homemade hard alcohol, also known as moonshine, can be a dangerous undertaking, but if done with caution and common sense it can be an interesting small-scale science experiment. Making moonshine is illegal in the
United States, and drinking the final product is NOT recommended.
[[
Category: Spirits and Liqueurs]]
== Steps ==
===Get the Equipment Ready===
#Gather supplies. It's important to use the right supplies when you're making moonshine, because using equipment made from the wrong material can backfire - literally. For the sake of safety and the best chance of making true moonshine, collect the following supplies:
#*A pressure cooker. Use one you don't intend to use for other purposes, or buy a new pressure cooker specifically for making moonshine.
#*Copper tubing. You'll need about two yards of tubing that is 1/4" in width. This can be purchased at
hardware or home and garden store.
#*A drill with at least a 1/4" bit, for drilling a hole in the lid of the pressure cooker.
#*A 15-gallon metal pot.
#*A large plastic bucket.
#*Cheesecloth.
#*2.5 pounds of cornmeal, 10 pounds of sugar and 1/2 ounce of yeast.
#Build a still. Drill a hole in the lid of the pressure cooker and thread it to snugly receive a 1/4" copper tubing. Insert the end of the 1/4" copper tubing into the hole, being careful that it does not project through more than an inch. This is your condensing tube.
#*The tube should be long enough to go from the cooker to a sink and extend beyond the sink down to near the floor.
#*If you don't want to drill a hole in the cooker's lid, you can thread it through the vent and affix it there using duct tape.
===Make the Mash===
#Boil 10 gallons of water. Place the pot under the sink and fill it 2/3 way, then place the pot on the stove and turn the burner on high. Let the water come to a rolling boil.
#Cook the cornmeal. Add the 2.5 pounds of cornmeal to the water and stir it will a wooden paddle or another instrument. Let it cook for a few minutes until the water combines with the cornmeal and thickens into a paste. Remove the mixture from heat and allow it to cool,
and then pour it into the clean bucket.
#Add the sugar and yeast. Stir in 10 pounds of sugar and 1/2 ounce of yeast. Use a wooden paddle or another large instrument to thoroughly incorporate the sugar and yeast into the mash.
#*Bread, brewers' yeast, naturally occurring yeast or even sourdough starter may be used in place of dry yeast to start the fermentation process.
#Ferment the mash. Loosely cover the bucket with cheesecloth and place it in a cool, dark place, such as in your cellar or basement, to allow fermentation to take place. Fermentation occurs when the yeast metabolizes the sugar and corn carbohydrates and produces alcohol.
#*A brown or light tan foam will appear on top of the mash bucket, gradually rising up higher each day. When the mash quits working, the sugars are "used up," and you will notice the foam, or "head" is no longer rising.
#*The mash is ready for the next stage when it stops bubbling. At this point it is referred to as "sour mash."
===Distill the Mash===
#Strain the sour mash through a cheesecloth. Place the cloth over the bucket, then tip the bucket over a clean bucket or pot. You may also use a screen wire or a clean white t-shirt to strain the mash.
#Pour the strained mash liquid into the pressure cooker. Clamp down the lid and place it on a stovetop burner. You may discard the solids that you strained out with the cheesecloth.
#Position the copper tubing to create a condenser. Run the copper tubing run from the lid (or vent) of the pressure cooker to a sink filled with cold water. Coil the middle of the copper tubing in the cold water, then run the other end of the tube over the edge of the sink to a clean container on the floor.
#Turn the stove on under the pressure cooker. Let the contents heat to exactly 177 degrees F (80 Celsius) and no more. This is the approximate boiling point of grain alcohol. As the pressure cooker heats, the alcohol turns into ethanol steam, travels through the condensing tube to cool. The resulting liquid drips into the container on the floor. That's the moonshine.
#*The liquid that comes out of the copper tube before the cooker reaches 177 degrees contains methanol, which becomes steam at a lower temperature than ethanol. This low-boiling liquid must be tossed out. Methanol attacks the optic nerves when consumed. You'll probably have to throw out at least two ounces of liquid before ethanol, which can actually be consumed, begins to emerge.
#*Keep monitoring the temperature and collecting alcohol until the temperature rises above 177 degrees or drops below it. You should be able to collect about 2 gallons of liquid.
#Transfer the alcohol to jars. Finished moonshine is between 180 and 190 proof (90 to 95%) - practically pure grain alcohol. To make this product drinkable, responsible brewers cut it to ''half'' strength by mixing with pure spring water.
== Tips ==
*Using a hydrometer to test for alcohol content and a thermometer to cook the mash will give better results.
*Most people who make "'shine" do so outside, over a wood fire, near a cold-water creek. This eliminates the danger of cooking alcohol indoors. The mash, while "working," has a very strong odor, which is another reason to do this outdoors.
*Do not invite friends over while the mash is working. I have personally smelled mash from over a mile away while fishing on creeks in moonshine country.
*Let the mash work as long as the head, or foam, seems to be rising, but it will ferment out and go sour, so about 10 to 14 days is maximum, depending on temperature. Yeast acts more slowly at lower temps.
*Keep the sour mash covered, but not air tight. A wine maker's flask with an air lock would work well for this.
*Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a singular species of yeast used in both bread and brewer’s yeast. Brewer’s yeast and Whisky yeast are carefully bred strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that are simply more resistant to higher concentrations of ethyl alcohol and take longer to die off thus extending their lifespan and their production of ethyl alcohol. Neither bread nor brewer’s yeast create by-products that will cause illness, blindness, or death. Distillers generally remove the first 5% of the distillate termed 'foreshots', (containing esters, methylates, and aldehydes). They are distasteful but not fatal and the smell and taste is naturally prohibitive. On record, fore-shot distillate has never blinded, killed, or sickened anyone, it just tastes bad.
== Warnings ==
*In the unlikely event someone may accidentally drink the spirits you produce, do not use aluminum tubing or pots in this process.
*A pressure cooker can be dangerous. This author recommends using a "turkey cooker" deep-fat fryer with the lid clamped down, instead.
*Using a yeast other than High Quality Brewer's Yeast will produce some amount of methanol, which will lead to illness, blindness, or death.
*Brewing moonshine is legal in the
USA, but you must have a permit and pay taxes on it.
*Do not drink this product, use it for experimental purposes only.
== Things You'll Need ==
*Pressure cooker
*5 feet 1/4" copper tubing
*Clean bucket with cover
*Cheese cloth or an old, clean white t-shirt
*Cornmeal
*Sugar
*Yeast
“Well that sounds like just the ticket for what we need to acquire us a little herd and if you got some extra sugar I got a bunch of feed corn we can grind up for the meal needed.” Jeb said as his eyes sparkled and he gleefully rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
“We got the sugar you will
need; however, the whiskey you will be distilling will taste different than ours so maybe we can play with pricing on different batches.” Dennis said thinking of al the different types of drinking alcohol he could tweak out of the two stills.
“Liquor is hard money, as long its safe to drink and don’t taste entirely awful I can move it.” Jeb stated confidently while taking a big swig of white lighting from his cup.
“Kind of grows on ya don’t it?” Suzy said smiling as she took a tiny sip out of her drink...
“Sure enough does” Jeb replied and Margo concurred that this stuff wasn’t half bad if you watered it down enough.
“Oatmeal beats no meal.” Dennis declared using one of his southern euphemisms that meant a bit of something was worth more than a whole lot of nothing.
“You said a mouthful there.” Margo replied.
“I tell you what, when we get done here I will see what the folks on my road might be willing to contribute towards having a steady supply of beef. I know everyone would pay highly for that privilege but how much cash they got on hand is another story.” Jeb said rubbing the beard stubble on his chin.
“Why don’t you let them contribute some Bernie bucks?” Suzy asked Dennis while smiling knowingly she had a great suggestion.
“What the hell is Bernie Bucks?’ Floyd asked forgetting he didn’t want anymore attention drawn his way today by speaking up.
“She is referring to a fictional banking system setup by an old man in the
books of the Prepper Trilogy. Just might work though, basically you get script you can trade for value. One Bernie Buck equals one hour of labor or they can be purchased by barter. Say someone over there doesn’t have any Fed Dollars to contribute but can cut wood or offer some chicken eggs to the cause. I might be willing to back some Bernie bucks in silver or maybe cut a deal with him to deliver eggs to me if I put up the cash for him. It’s a community currency of sorts.” Dennis explained.
“Damn sounds far too complicated. How do you set the value of things like that gallon of whiskey? I am damn sure not working 50 hours doing whatever for one jug of hooch.” Floyd said adamantly.
“Not yet you won’t, but you might just consider it later!” Charles said smirking at Floyds known love of the stuff.
“Well that’s where the horse trading and bartering comes in “Top Side”. Dennis said referring to an old navy term of first man on deck when something interesting was going on.
“Maybe you could sell the stuff at a profit if you diluted it 20%. Maybe I give you the local’s price or I tell you I will give you 5 gallons of hooch for finishing building my deck etc. We get into all that later; right now you are part of these roads collective. I will think of a way to assign shares to everyone and we just work on our little tribe’s mutual survival right now.” Dennis said looking around at the group.
“That’s the spirit! I will do the same on my road. There wont be no big I little u when it comes to eating and protecting around here if everyone makes the effort to pull there own weight. Course mind you it’s my land and my original herd etc so I am THE “Head Cattleman” and what I say goes when it comes to raising and slaughtering them beef cows!’ Jeb said looking about with a ship captain’s stare of warning for any dissenters to his will on his ship.
“That’s fine and ok by me and I bow to your knowledge and experience raising cattle but keep in mind the division of choice cuts of meat or any profits involved are a decision of the shareholders of the association. Voting rights and such need to be worked out and…” Dennis was saying before Jeb started to stomp his foot in protest.
“Hell boy you being too political dag nab it. I said everyone would eat beef and I meant it. You all don’t know the first thing about butchering and you already talking good steaks and profits. Why we going to have to break leg bones to make marrow soup as well as dig out the brains and sweetbreads in the carcass as well as put everything including the cows lips and asshole in a hotdog to feed all the hunger that will be seen around here!” Jebediah huffed as everyone tried to get the picture of what Jeb was going to put in his special “hotdogs or sausages “out of their heads and off their dinner plates.
“Well I for one don’t mind ox tail soup, but I ain`t eating cow lips or a bung hole knowingly if I am supporting the lions share of this communities contribution to paying for something. Now don’t get me wrong, I see your fairness and points Jeb and I still say rank has its privileges the same as a better buy in or larger contributor to this scheme. We best set some ground rules and reasonable expectations on return of investment before we go soliciting the neighbors.” Dennis said not pleased at the problems he was either anticipating or foresaw trouble with in the future.