How to make moonshine

WARNING!!!!!
this is for informational purposes only and should not be used for illegal activities. there are many legal things one can do with a still including fueling cars (must register with the federal government) as well as extracting essential oils from plants (not necessary to register). also, implementing the following procedures could result in bodily harm from explosions, fires, burns, not to mention what could happen if you actually consume your final product. use your head, be careful and be safe. 


Thank you to everyone who has made this a successful Instructable!  I appreciate the views and positive feedback.  Please cut me some slack where I am lacking.  I have recently updated to include a few more specifics, but this does not take the place of doing your own research.  I am not an expert, though I play one on TV.  I am also toying with a discussion forum for all the numerous repeat questions.  Please continue to check the comments discussions before posting questions.  Many have been answered before and plenty more than once.


as a further note, i have decided to add this link to clear up any misunderstandings about what United States law has to say about distilling. Hopefully this will make some of you think a little harder about this and the rest to stop posting comments debating the legality of this. This is ONLY for the US.

Distilling Code

let's begin.

anything alcoholic can be distilled. i've distilled everything from my own moonshine washes to jug wine purchased at my local liquor store. distillation is actually quite simple. the hard part is making sure you are getting ethanol and not methanol (or the like). in this instructable i will show how i made a wash, fermented it, and consequently--the most important part--how i distilled it. i have added more specifics in order to answer some of the most asked questions i've gotten in the comments.  i hope this helps. i might also mention that everything here is hypothetical and for informational purposes only. hope that covers the bases.

and. . . let's begin. for real this time.

(if this doesn't make sense or you would like more info, check out my instructable--distilling basics--for more detailed information on the distillation process or read through the comment strings before posting a question.  I get repeat questions constantly and I don't have time to answer the same questions over and over.  Sorry.)

Step 1 Fermentation

i used a sugar water solution to create a wash which i then distilled to a neutral spirit. i dissolved about 5lbs of sugar in 3 gallons of water (not an exact formula, play around a bit) and then let it cool to room temperature. this is about as basic a wash as you can get. many more options are available for different flavor characteristics.  for instance, if you ferment molasses you will end up with rum.  if you ferment blue agave you will end up with tequila. i was looking for simplicity for a beginner and ran with this. it is the easiest to procure and make. unfortunately white sugar creates a decidedly cidery flavor to the spirit, but much of that can be distilled out or masked by flavoring or blending.

the wash (fermentable solution, a.k.a. sugar water) was then poured into a clean carboy (big glass bottle, see pic). after that i 'pitched' the yeast (dumped yeast into wash) and then capped the carboy with an airlock (see pic). now we wait. depending on yeast, temperature, amount of digestible materials, etc., a couple of weeks is usually good. at this point yeast is eating sugar, and excreting carbon dioxide and alcohol. give it some time. let it work. when the bubbles stop (and look close) it's done.  if it is still bubbling, let it go.  the two week time is just a very rough estimate.  it will vary for everyone.

if the bubbles have slowed considerably, taste a bit. if it is sweet, let it go a bit longer.

when it is done. we're ready for the next stage:

distillation.

Comments

[NaTeB1]

Your setup up is pretty proportionate did the ice do the job for the entire run? Was there any vapor coming out? I like the thermostat addition. You cant go blind from distilling small amounts Perhaps if you drank the entire forshots of the batch you would get a intense headache. In order to reach LD from meths in distilled spirits you would have to be distilling in the hundreds of gallons.

[pdub77]

i would generally have to refill with ice water after each successive running. sometimes i would get some vapor. this is one area i would refine a bit. i would fill the cooler up with water and then freeze the whole thing. this didn't work as well, hence the vapor, so i went back to simple ice, water and salt. basically the ice around the pipe would melt away leaving empty space around it and therefore not dissipating any heat. there was still plenty of ice, just none of it touching the pipe.

[NaTeB1]

Dont know if anyone has suggested this but you could use running cold water instead of ice Just attach an inlet near the bottom and an outlet near the top. Having a constant flow of cold water circulating around the coil is incredibly effective compared to most other methods although it is very wasteful I always collect as much used water as possible for other uses

[pdub77]

that may be my next incarnation. i was worried about wasting water as well. maybe recycling the hot water output through a fountain to cool it down with a bit of evaporation, and then pump it back into rotation. use less water that way. honestly, i don't know if i'll ever do this again anyway, so we'll see.

[the rowdyboy]

i cool my codenser with water pumped from a7 gallon bucket which sits below condenser i use a pond pump and water comes out of the bottom of condenser bucket. it works well and stays pretty cold.

[kretzlord]

i know this is years old now, but you could use saltwater/ice pre-cooled in a freezer. salt water holds a lower temperature. just a thougth....

[Motox1]

Can you tell me about how much distilled product one could expect from a mash recipe using the 5lbs sugar, 1lb of corn meal, 5 gallons of water and a packet or 2 of yeast. Also I think I understand the getting rid of the head comments but what is the tail referring to? Thanks a ton!

[bobby73]

I am using a mash of 2 gals distilled water, 4 lbs sugar, 2 lbs corn meal and 3 packs of Redstar quick yeast. I usualy get between 3 and 4 pints of spirit. The head is the first stuff to distill off that is not good for you, i.e. methanol it has a lower boiling point so it comes off first. The tail is referring to the end of the run when the mash in your still is approaching 212 degrees when water starts to boil and you are getting watered down alcohol. I use a spoon to sip it along the way as it is coming out of the worm to tell which stage it is in. But i would advise to spit don't swallow as swallowing tends to affect judgement fairly quickly.

[~KGB~]

Do you actually have to use malt or is it ok just to use: yeast, corn meal, water and sugar? Also, how much of each component would you need for about a 1Ltr kettel? Thanks...

[chillbro89]

The information here is awesome thanx for the all the help. a friend and i are wanting to make moonshine for the first time, and your information is great, plus all the feedback from everyone gives some great ideas. the only thing im fuzzy on is disolvinging the sugar water. what is the temp for heating it. should it be to a boil? after it has fermented will it still be a liquid that you will be distilling or a past? If i were to use cornmeal or some kind of grain, from other articles ive read that will be a mash so would there be any other information I would need to know about making a mash? thanx again for all the information!

[milokeller]

I was wondering how long the distilling process would take if i used about 5 gallons of water in teh mash like you suggested and used a tea kettle about the size or yours? I'm on sort of a time constraint with the distilling. How long would it take to distill all the mash?

[stevegrimmer]

just made my first batch of spirit. got 500ml out of 1 gallon wash. just need to know roughly how much water to add, and do i add water to spirit or spirit to water. only did a gallon because that size of my pressure cooker. ive added some pics of my set up. please help.

[twelsh]

How much yeast do you put in your moonshine sugar water solution?

[cmarshall246]

ONLY use yeast in the winter. The mash only needs heat, sugar, and a something to break down. In teh winter you do not have the natural heat of the sun so the yeast acts as a boost for the mash making process. Also when you make the sugar water you have to add something to it like a vegetable or fruit(not citrus) or grain. If you just use sugar water its not alcohol.

[pdub77]

I don't know where you are getting your information, but you are not correct. Yeast is necessary as it 'eats' the sugars and excretes co2 and ethanol. Some form of yeast MUST be used to get alcohol, whether it be wild or cultivated. And no, nothing else need be added to obtain alcohol. This is not truly a mash, it is a wash. But it DOES produce alcohol.

[seasheead]

I think he might of meant Sugar. Moonshiners started adding Sugar to raise the alcohol content (Sugar Wash or Sugar Head); as apossed to the natural individual sugars already present in the fruit or grain. I perfer quality over quanity!

[scrounger64]

Go to your nearest wine making supplier and ask for champagne yeast. It has a higher alcohol tolerance,better temp. range and can actually turn out 15-18%ABV (alcohol by volume) I usually use 2 of the 5gram packets for 5-6 gallons of wash. ......and yes, in this case it is a wash. Not a mash or a wort. One packet will work, but 2 just helps it get kicking faster. Be aware also, Sugar, water and yeast alone will not give very good results. The yeast needs more nutrient. YOU try living on only sugar and water. Ask your brewing/wine making supplier for yeast nutrient. Add 2-3 tbsp to start and an additional 2 tbsp in 3-4 days.

[whiskymonster]

marmite or vegemite works well. its basically dead yeast, so contans all the stuff needed to make live yeast.

[fragmaster4]

I'm pretty sure you can make 100 gallons of alcohol for your own personal use in the U.S. You can MAKE Moonshine but you can't sell it. THAT is what is illegal about it.

[seasheead]

If you distill even a thumble of likker, your comitting a Federal Crime. You don't have to sell it to get locked up you just have to make it!

[whiskymonster]

nope. every still must be registered and regulated by the govnt. its easy enought to get a fuel alc license, but its expensive

[bobby73]

http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C300-399/3110000055.HTM

[bobby73]

According to the Missouri statutes in Mo. you can make 100 gals of distilled alcohol, 200 gals if there are more than one person over the age of 21 living in the residence per year. But it has to be for personal and family consumption it can not be sold

[pdub77]

Not true.  You can make certain amounts of beer and you can make certain amounts of wine, but you cannot make liquor of ANY quantity without registering your still with the federal government and therefore, I would assume, pay the taxes on it.

I'm not sure why I'm debating this.  Check my link about distilling laws.  And if you still don't agree, cite your statute.  = )

[chinds]

pdub77 is right, you can brew beer, wine, mead, and that kind of stuff all day long in your garage as long as you're not under 21 and not distributing it. i believe you need a business license to distribute it. not sure about the liquor thing though, but moonshine, aka 100% pure alcohol is illegal to possess just like a drug. everclear is only legal because it's made by government-authorized stills and is only about 99% pure, they add that 1% of water just to be pricks. lol i think you might be able to register a moonshine still for ethanol-powered vehicles though, but it's probably expensive to get the license and you gotta pay taxes.

[pdub77]

You can't get 100% pure ethanol with a basic still. Google 'azeotropic solution' to see what I'm talking about here.

[faked]

Do you have to have a thumper on a moonshine stil?

[bobby73]

I bought brewers yeast at the health food store but after I got home I was reading on it and found it is the yeast that has already been used to brew beer... will this work or do I need a different type?

[Abrnth3]

No, you would need a yeast that is active and for more alchol you need a strain that is alchol resistant.

[pdub77]

That may still work. Dried does not indicate any problem as yeast can be dried and "reawakened" over and over. As long as it was not pasteurized or otherwise heated until death it should work. Try mixing some of whatever sugar you will be fermenting with about a pint of warm (not hot) water and drop a teaspoon or so of your yeast into it. Let it sit for the day or overnight or until you see bubbles forming, whatever happens first. If it begins bubbling and foaming you have live yeast and you can pitch this mixture into your wash. If nothing happens it is dead and you will need to use something else. I have never seen this product or know anything about how it is processed, this is just how to make a basic yeast starter that will show you if your yeast is still viable.

Anyone else care to weigh in on this?

[tricker69]

Brewers yeast from health food stores are sold as natural health supplements. According to the warnings/disclaimers, it seems it might have the potential to be live.
Considering the price of a packet of yeast used in homebrew libations to be extremely cheap, I would avoid the supplement kind sold in natural health shops.

[bobby73]

Also I made my own air lock by sealing a piece of rubber tubing in the top of my fermenting bottle and running it into a 20 oz. bottle half filled with water. Any one know if this will work?

[pdub77]

That should work great. Post pics if you can. How to make an airlock is a question that has been asked many, many times. Thanks!

[bobby73]

a better picture

[chillbro89]

is the tube in the water, and is the water bottle sealed? thanx for the great idea btw

[bobby73]

I'm sorry... did you mean the 5 gal. water bottle? If so yes it needs to be air tight except the tubing going into the 20 oz. bottle whith water in it which you do not want sealed

[bobby73]

Yes the tube is in the water and No it is not sealed. It needs to be able to release the gases when it bubbles. It works pretty good. I hope it helps

[pdub77]

Looks great!

[bobby73]

It works pretty good to, its just bubbling away

[bobby73]

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