Make a mash using grains such as corn or sugar. The specific type of alcohol that commercial distillers seek is called ethyl alcohol. Ethanol is able to be separated from water in a wash because ethanol boils at a lower temperature than water pure ethanol boils at degrees Fahrenheit, while water does not boil until degrees.
In a nutshell, wash is heated up in a still to a temperature above degrees, but below degrees. Ethanol starts to boil and turns into a vapor, separating from the wash water. The vapor is then condensed turned back into a liquid and drips out of the still into a mason jar or some other collection vessel.
The overall process of distillation is pretty cut and dry, but it is complicated slightly by the fact that there are several different types of alcohol as well as many additional chemical compounds that will be extracted during the distilling process. These are known as congeners remember this word, it will come up again and some are desirable in small quantities, while others such as the foreshots are not.
Like ethanol and water, these compounds have different boiling temperatures. How does Absolut make vodka? When making vodka, as many congers are removed as possible because it is supposed to be a very pure, flavorless spirit.
When making whiskey, the congeners are desirable because they add flavor and complexity. However, with the good congeners come some of the bad. One of the reasons that whiskey, like Jack Daniel's, is aged is to smooth out the flavorful, but somewhat harsh congeners present in the final product. Because the various alcohols and chemical compounds in a wash separate at different boiling temperatures, there are several phases of each distillation run: foreshots, heads, hearts, and tails.
During the different phases of a run, a commercial distiller will notice that the taste and smell may vary considerably. Generally, only the "hearts" portion is kept for commercial distribution.
The tails are set aside to be distilled again in the future. The foreshots are the first vapors to boil off during distillation. These contain the most volatile alcohols and should not be ingested, as they contain methanol and other undesirables. Commercial distillers always discard the foreshots and never consume them. For more info on foreshots, read this article on methanol blindness. The heads contain "lighter" compounds such as Acetone, Acetaldehyde, and Acetate.
A commercial distiller will notice that these compounds taste bad and they smell like solvent. Additionally they are said to be the primary culprits in causing hangovers.
There is little to no sweetness in this part of the run and it is far from smooth. The heads are not worth keeping for commercial distribution and should be set aside. The hearts primarily contain ethanol and it is the most desirable part of the spirit run.
A commercial distiller can tell when a still starts producing hearts because the harshness of the heads has dissipated and the smell is no longer harsh. The more you practice it legally! Not only does understanding and identifying the different parts of moonshine produce a better product, but it also ensures the safety of the product as well.
This is a lethal product that contains methanol. The heads still contain methanol only in smaller amounts and smell like nail polish remover. Better to play it safe, be patient, and wait on the quality product to be produced before consuming. Finally, the end of the run is known as the tails.
The slickness comes in because the amount of ethanol has drastically decreased, and water, carbs, and proteins have taken over. Well, the recipe could vary slightly which will produce a different flavored product. Even so, the greatest thing which separates the quality of moonshine between two different moonshiners is the ability to separate the moonshine. Well, the more you make moonshine the easier it becomes to separate the product out with greater accuracy.
The purer the product, the better the flavor. Again, this will take time and practice, but with both of these investments, you should see an improvement.
Moonshining still exists because of people mentoring others in this art. However, I must reiterate, only seek out a legal mentor. Well, you now know how to produce moonshine and hopefully, have a better understanding of the skill required to become a better moonshiner over time. This article contains incorrect information. This article does not have the information I am looking for. Your answer will be used to improve our content. The more feedback you give us, the better our pages can be.
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Make the Mash. For best results, use a hydrometer and check specific gravity at the start of fermentation and when fermentation is complete to ensure that all sugars have been used. This will tell you how much ABV alcohol by volume your fermentation produced. Be sure to write down the specific gravity reading at the start of fermentation and at the end of fermentation. Use formula to tell you how much alcohol was produced. See how to use hydrometer video.
Siphon mash water out of the mixture, taking care to leave behind all solid material and sediment, and into a container to adjust pH. Straining your mash water through a cheesecloth is recommended at this step. Advanced Some distillers will add 2tsp of gypsum to their mash water at this point.
They then test the pH of their mash water. The ideal pH is 5. Use citric acid to bring the pH down and calcium carbonate to bring it up. Great job! Like making mash, distilling is as much an art as it is a science. The best way to become a good distiller is to practice.
We recommend taking notes throughout the process so you can become better with each run. We carry everything from the traditional copper still , to stainless reflux units, to the new Grainfather Brewing System. We also carry quality supplies from high quality grains to a replacement carbon filter.
Keeping up on prep-work for your still is mission critical. Even if you cleaned your still after your last run and let it sit for a while, it is still recommended to clean it before transferring your mash water. This is especially the case on copper stills that are showing a salt buildup. If you add packing to your column, this is the time. Pack your column with the amount of copper packing that is appropriate for your setup.
Again, you can use a cheesecloth or auto-siphon to transfer the mash water into your still without including solid material. The name of the game here is reducing the sediment in your mash water to as close to zero as possible.
Now for the fun part! Distillation is an incredible process. Distillation is the process of separating different chemicals by taking advantage of different evaporation temperatures between the chemicals. This process is not creating alcohol, it is separating it from all of the other substances in your mash water. You created all of the alcohol during fermentation well, the yeast did. Next, dial up your heat source to high until your still starts producing.
Time your drips as they speed up until you reach 3 to 5 drips per second. Congratulations, you went from researching How to Make Moonshine to making your own moonshine! Never use plastic containers as this can lace your product with BPA among causing other issues.
These contain the earliest-evaporating alcohols in your mash water and should never be ingested. Foreshots can contain methanol and should never ever be consumed. Methanol can make you blind among causing other problems. Collect the foreshots in their own container and throw them out.
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