Sugar shine is popular among beginners and those looking to experiment with flavors as it doesn’t require any mash. The hybrid mash replaces some corn with table sugar, allowing for a higher yield with the same amount of corn. Final Words Moonshine is a distilled alcohol made from any grain or fruit, depending on what is accessible to you. The classic uses corn as the fermentable sugar. Avoid letting your moonshine drip into a plastic container, because this can lace your drink with BPA and may cause other issues. Remember that the temperature is critical to your success. If it gets too cold, boiling temperature, the fermentation can stop because the yeast will go dormant. Remember that yeast likes it warm and moist. The first 5% of the liquid separated fuel alcohol made by your distilling process is the foreshots. The foreshots has the earliest-evaporating alcohols in your corn mash water.

They have a distinct “solvent” smell that comes from its alcohols, such as the acetone present in the heads. Again, collect the heads in a separate container and throw it out. Collecting Hearts After fermentation, the fermented mash, is strained and distilled to separate the alcohol from the other substances. The distillate is then collected and stored properly. What are the ingredients and equipment needed to make moonshine? Note that the ingredients we mentioned above will differ, depending on the recipe you follow if you are making something other than the classic corn-barley-yeast moonshine recipe. Equipment and Supplies You Will Need Basic Moonshine IngredientsHearts, the next 30%, contain mostly ethanol and are the desirable part of the distillate. Tails, the final 35%, have a unique taste and can be set aside for distillation later or discarded. What is moonshine and what is its history? Now that you are reaching the end of your product, you will get to the end of the ethanol and hit the last stage: the tails.

Write the specific gravity reading at the start of fermentation and at the end of the process. If you had not guessed it, you can increase the ABV by adding more sugar, more on this below. Straining Now, you’ve successfully finished making moonshine! All you need to do is collect it with the yield of your distillation equipment. Collecting Foreshots This is most popular for beginners and those looking to really experiment with the flavors of their shine because it doesn’t require any mash and you still get the same abv. Similarly, the choice of bread yeast could result in variations in both yield and flavor, compared to specialized distillers’ yeast. It’s important to note that distillation of alcohol for personal consumption is illegal in many jurisdictions without a proper license. On a speculative note, future advances in fermentation technology, such as engineered yeast strains or enzymatic treatments, could potentially optimize yields.Use cheesecloth or auto-siphon to transfer the mash water into your still, including none of the solid material that may be leftover. You’ll notice there will be a significant drop in the sweetness from the cane sugar. You will even see an oily top layer on your alcohol. Moonshine can be made from different types of mash, including corn liquor, whiskey mash, sugar shine, and a hybrid of the two. Corn whiskey mash gives the classic, smooth, full-flavored moonshine. Congratulations! You’ve had a good run, finished the entire process, and now have your very own moonshine! Make sure you clean up your entire setup, let it thoroughly dry, and then store it in a cool, dry place. How Much Moonshine Does This Recipe Yield? Increase the heat to high until the still produces drips. Keep it between water and alcohol’s boiling point (173°F and 212 °F)

Moonshine is a distilled alcohol made from any grain or fruit, with corn being the classic choice to produce moonshine. The term “moonshine” originated from its illegal production, which was often done at night or under the moonlight. During the Prohibition era in the U.S., moonshine became one of the most profitable businesses in the country. What are the different types of moonshine mash? This mash is just a mix of the previous two. Many people use this because it is a more convenient and economical mash the achieves something pretty close to the classic taste of moonshine. Here’s what you can expect for the amount of sugar added vs the potential alcohol in your mash. Up to you on how to proceed. Proper Storage The basic ingredients for making corn moonshine are water, flaked corn maize, crushed malted barley, bread yeast, and optionally, sugar.

Before we get started on how to make your first run of homemade moonshine, here’s some information about it that’s really interesting. You can make moonshine from different mash made of different ingredients. There are also various recipes you can try, depending on the flavor you want to bring out. Some distillers add 2 tsp. of gypsum to the mash water at this step. Then they test the pH of the mash water.