Moonshine Wash When Is It Done?

Instructions: –

1. Heat up 2.5 Gallons of water so that it is hot, add sugar slowly so that it fully dissolves in the water. Warm water will dissolve the sugar with less effort.
2. Pour contents into fermenting carboy or pail. Top up with remainder of water. Final temperature should be between 25 C to 30 C. You don’t want your wash to get hotter then 33 C or you’ll kill the yeast when you add it.
3. Make a yeast starter
4. Add starter to fermenting carboy and give light stir.
5. Seal up with airlock and allow 5- 10 days to ferment.

Stirring in sugar to wash. Adding turbo Yeast to Fermenter Seal up the fermentor and add an air lock to the top this keeps out any unwanted bacteria but allows the gasses produce in the fermentation process to escape. Make sure you stays above 20 C while fermenting. If it dips below this temperature you could risk stalling the fermentation. Fermentation can take anywhere from 1- 2 weeks depending on temperature and health of yeast. You’ll know when it’s done because the air lock will stop bubbling. The wash will look milky and if you taste it, it should have a strong alcohol flavour and lack any sugar as it should now be converted to alcohol.

1. If you prefer to watch a video of someone making a sugar wash, George over at Barley and Hops Brewing does a fantastic job of explaining things.
2. At this point your sugar wash is complete and it’s time to distill it.
3. To learn how to distill your sugar wash check out our Distilling 101 resource section,

If you’re new to distilling feel free to ask me any questions you have in the comments section below.

How do I know when my wash is ready to distill?

HOW TO USE YOUR HYDROMETER – To use your hydrometer is not a difficult task, Simply fill the hydrometer ⅔ of the way full. Gently add your hydrometer and roll the hydrometer slowly in your hands to remove any bubbles. When the hydrometer falls take the reading.

How do I know when my sugar wash is done fermenting?

Fermentation of Wash – Careful attention to producing a clean and high quality wash will reward you with higher quality finished spirits and liqueurs. The Distillation process is where most of the impurities are removed, but care and effort to make a clean wash makes a very satisfying difference to the Alcohol produced.

1. To produce a wash most suited to the T500 Distillation System, we recommend you ferment 6kg white sugar in 25 litres clean water using a Still Spirits Classic Turbo Yeast.
2. Still Spirits Turbo Yeasts are carefully developed and premixed with the optimum nutrients to give high levels of Alcohol fermentation with minimal impurities.

Adding Still Spirits Liquid Carbon to the fermenting wash absorbs a significant portion of the undesirable flavours. The carbon makes the wash into a black liquid. The carbon does not harm the fermentation process, and is removed when the wash is cleared.

1. Ensure the fermentation is allowed to run until all sugar is converted to Alcohol.
2. A specific gravity reading on a Hydrometer of 990, or less, indicates the fermentation is complete.
3. Clear the wash of yeast, and other fermentation by-products.
4. These will contain undesirable flavours and odours.
5. Use Still Spirits Turbo Clear following the instructions on the pack, and carefully siphon off the clear clean wash leaving the fermentation sediment in the fermenting vessel.

Actual steps to produce the cleared wash ready for distilling:

Clean and sterilise your fermenter. Add 21 litres of water to your fermenter at 40°C Add 6KGs white sugar and stir well to dissolve. Add Classic yeast and Turbo Carbon and stir well. Leave fermenter at 20°C room temperature to ferment The wash has finished fermenting when SG reading is at 990 or below and wash has stopped fizzing Add Turbo Clear; first stir vigorously to remove all gas, then add part A and stir well.1 hour later, evenly and gently mix part B in the top of the wash. Leave for 24 hours to clear. Carefully siphon contents of wash into boiler, leaving behind as much sediment as possible. Add 3ml (capful) of distilling conditioner and ceramic boil enhancers supplied, to help prevent frothing and surge boiling.

: BEGINNERS GUIDE – MAKING & FERMENTING THE WASH

How long does an alcohol wash take?

How long does it take to make each batch of spirits? 7 days (1 week) best case scenario using Turbo Yeasts, or 12 days using a slower cleaner yeast (Super 6 Ultra Pure). General rule of thumb, 5-10 days to ferment your wash (dependant on the type of yeast used).24hrs to clear your wash, 4-7 hours to distil (again dependant on the type of still unit used), and approx.24hrs to carbon treat your alcohol (using the modern carbon filters available).

How long does it take for moonshine to be ready?

How Long Does It Take to Make Moonshine? – As you can see, the process of fermenting and distilling moonshine is quite time-consuming. In general, you can expect it to take between 1-3 weeks to make moonshine, as the mash must ferment and the distillation process must be continued until the final shine is safe for consumption.

Should I stir my sugar wash while fermenting?

If the wash is not bubbling and there is no froth around the top of the wash then check that the temperature is within the recommended range. A vigorous stir at this stage with a sterilised paddle (not wooden) will speed up the fermentation process. Stir gently to start with, to avoid a froth build-up.

Why is my alcohol wash not clearing?

Clearing A Wash We must say we are talking about a Sugar/Glucose Mix. If the wash fails to clear it is nearly always down to two things. It hasn’t been sufficiently degassed or the wash was still slightly fermenting when the finings was added. I know people will say we have done this for years in the same way and never had a problem so how could this happen.

1. Well, I can only give you the facts.
2. Maybe the weather has gone colder at night which has slowed the fermentation.
3. The liquid temperature of the water we added at the start was different.
4. The yeast sachet was just a bit older than normal (still fine but can take a little longer to start the fermentation).

The liquid wasn’t mixed properly at the start. We thought it had stopped fermenting as no bubbles were coming through the airlock (never take this as it’s finished always do two readings on your hydrometer a day apart with then being the same). As you can see there are quite a few factors in the equation and there are more.

So before you blame the product, the chances are it’s something you have done. So what’s the solution? What are the options? It’s too late now but degassing is important for us to get rid of the carbon dioxide gas (this is given off when the yeast converts the sugars to alcohol) in the wash. If we don’t we will struggle to clear it.

It’s also a good gauge of whether it has finished fermenting. If when we are degassing, we are continually getting heavy bubbles on the liquid surface the chances are we are still fermenting. Firstly, we can leave the wash a bit longer to see if it clears.

The turbo finings that we recommend using with the wash is a two-part type (Kieselsol and Chitosan). These should always be left for 24 hours. Finings are quite vicious and they will strip out flavour, body, bouquet, and colour all things we want to remove from the wash. Unlike wine where we want to keep all these things.

So we can leave it a little longer it won’t hurt. The only thing we should be careful off is the fermenting container should have little headroom (space between the liquid and the lid of the container). It’s fine for 5 to 7days but much longer than this we run the risk of infection.

So if this is the case we must put it into a perfect size container with little headroom. We love to use one-gallon glass jars (or PET plastic containers or our 23 litre glass or plastic carboy) if this happens so we don’t get headroom and we can also see if it’s clearing. If we are looking for a quicker solution and one more radical, we can simply add more finings.

Some people will siphon the liquid of the worst of the sediment first but this isn’t necessary as the finings like the sediment the more present the easier it works (within reason). Again once added just let it do the work. The good news is that even if the wash is a bit grey (not black) we can still run it through the still and will come out clear so don’t get too worried.

If the wash is still fermenting, we have a problem as there is no short term fix. We should move the container to a warm place and get the fermentation going again. Giving it a massive stir will also help get some air into the liquid. Once this has successfully finished we should go through the degassing and fining process again.

Another option is to purchase a wine filter to take out the sediment. There are two types the Mini Jet Automatic filter and the Harris Vinbrite Filter. : Clearing A Wash

Why is my sugar wash not clearing?

The most likely cause of poor clearing results is due to incomplete fermentation. You probably found it was difficult removing the gases at the end of fermentation prior to adding the finings. Always check that fermentation is complete with a hydrometer. Leave it for a few days and it will probably clear on its own.

What does a sugar wash taste like?

Think of it as a very flavorful vodka or an excellent white rum and you won’t be far wrong. Review Notes: Made in the original Dutch Schultz Bootleg Distillery in Pine Plains, New York, Where moonshine for New York Cities thirsty masses where longing for alcohol during the long dark night of prohibition in this country (1919-1933).

Restored (at least most of it – some of it remains off limits due to insurance) and revived Dutch’s Spirits now produces this the Dutch’s Spirits New York Sugar Wash Moonshine, along with a series of three bitters, Prohi-Bitters Cocktail Bitters, Colonial Cocktail Bitters, and Boom Town Cocktail Bitters,

Frankly sugar shine was the epitome of cheap moonshine and is still the easiest low cost option for backwoods distilling as you did not need to sprout,mash or otherwise fool with any grains fruits or vegetables.It was the simplest,easiest way to make alcohol that you could then dress up or manufacture to pass off as whatever the customer wanted, This was the reason the gangs got into it during prohibition and why it is still in use to produce cheap moonshine in (primarily) rural areas.

• Dutch’s Spirits Moonshine is however a completely different animal.
• First off it is completely legal, second it is far better in taste and quality than your usual sugar wash shine and produced with much higher standards (more like your drink in’ rather than selling’ moonshine) in a pot still of professional manufacture.

Made from Demerara sugar and local water this could be considered in some ways at least a member rum family for those who feel a need to classify this spirit. Appearance: Clear shining appearance, with a nice oily coat on swirling with legs then droplets forming.

• First Impression: Surprisingly herbal with a grassy note of sugar cane touches of vanilla, maple, tropical fruits (lychees or mammons), and caramel.
• Taste: Very much as the nose, herbal, grassy, with vanilla, maple, tropical fruits (lychees or mammons), slightly woody with some spicy caramelized sugar notes.

Drinks: Works well in vodka and white rum drinks as an excellent alternative. Bottle: Heavy clear glass jug design with a heavy decanter type base.Very reminiscent of stoneware jug down to the finger ring handle,cylindrical shape and sloped shoulders, it has a somewhat longer neck.

Label is cream colored and almost a full wrap around with old style currency type shading to the font and the same applies to the neck seal which sits atop the wooden disc and composite cork stopper.Altogether a classier looking jug style bottle than most of the ones we have seen previously. Other: Much better and more flavorful than we expected Final Thoughts: A decent, well made sugar shine.

Website: http://dutchsspirits.com Decent easy to navigate website if lacking the obsessive detail we like in a website. Amusing story behind the complex is covered in some detail.

Can I mash one day and boil the next?

Time to consider doing the splits with an overnight mash. There are occasions when even the most dedicated and organized of homebrewers runs out of time to brew. All-grain brewing, especially, can take the better part of a day. But what if you could divide your brew day into two parts? If finding five or six consecutive hours is proving increasingly elusive, then it’s time to consider doing the splits with an overnight mash.

Yes, you read right, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. With an overnight mash, you mash in an hour or two before you go to bed and then sparge, boil, cool, and pitch after you wake up the next morning. Successful overnight mashing means paying attention to a few things. Attenuation. A long, slow mash tends to produce very fermentable wort.

Perfect, say, for bone-dry styles such as saison, but probably inappropriate for a full-bodied British bitter. Make sure you’re prepared for a low terminal gravity when you mash overnight. Or look at it as an opportunity to improve recipes that challenge your normal brewhouse efficiency.

• Potential for souring.
• Theoretically, the Lactobacillus bacteria that live naturally on grain husks could start to sour your wort before you have a chance to boil it.
• In practice, as long as the temperature remains well north of 130°F (54°C), Lacto can’t really do much.
• The same goes for acetobacter and other nasties.

Nonetheless, be aware that the potential does exist. For your first overnight mash, consider brewing a style that can tolerate a bit of tartness, such as wit or Irish stout. Once you feel confident, you can move on to others. Insulation. When you mash overnight, the insulating properties of your mash tun become more important, not so much for starch conversion as for keeping bugs at bay.

My 5-gallon cooler tun rarely loses more than a degree or so in an hour-long mash, but the first time I mashed overnight, it lost nearly 30°F (17°C). Fortify your mash tun’s insulation (sleeping bags work well), or mash in a kettle and leave it in the oven overnight (assuming your oven is large enough and can hold the appropriate temperature: many ovens aren’t and can’t).

If the idea of leaving a mash to sit doesn’t sit well with you, then another option is to lauter and sparge before you go to bed, but bring the wort just to boiling. Then kill the heat, insulate the boil kettle, and let it wait for you overnight. You can conduct the full boil in the morning while you sip your coffee.

• Again, as long as the temperature remains sufficiently high, you’ll minimize the risk of contamination.
• Overnight mashing is definitely a try-at-your-own-risk technique.
• But if you lead a busy life and you’re willing to experiment, you might find that an 8-hour nap is a great way to keep brewing.
• From ingredients to equipment, process, and recipes—extract, partial-mash, and all-grain— The Illustrated Guide to Homebrewing is a vital resource for those who want to brew better beer.

Order your copy today.

Is it OK to distill to dryness?

NEVER distill the distillation flask to dryness as there is a risk of explosion and fire. The most common methods of distillation are simple distillation and fractional distillation. Simple distillation can be used when the liquids to be separated have boiling points that are quite different.