Contents
What alcohol can you use to make moonshine?
What is Moonshine – Moonshine is a very high proof spirit made primarily from cereal grains such as corn, barley, and rye. It’s clear because it isn’t barrel aged. Often called, “white lightening,” moonshine is technically a white whiskey. Although the majority of the grain used to make moonshine is corn, it typically is made using malted barley and rye as well.
Does moonshine mash have alcohol?
How is Moonshine Made? – The traditional ingredients for moonshine are corn and sugar, and during fermentation, the sugar produces ethanol, which makes hooch or moonshine. During distillation, alcohol separates from the mash. Unlike other liquors such as whiskey or bourbon, moonshine is unaged, which produces a distilled spirit with high alcohol content.
The stereotype of moonshiners centers around how “country folk” distill and transport their potables in jugs marked “XXX” during the night to avoid being detected. But having access to commercially produced all-copper moonshine stills on the internet has made moonshine distillation less risky in the modern era.
But for a great drink, here is the recipe:
How do you increase alcohol in mash?
Shipping Update: Shipping Daily M-F. Orders Placed After 10 AM Ship the Next Business Day. This blog provides information for educational purposes only. Read our complete summary for more info. August 11, 2014 Last updated March 28, 2022 Adding sugar to a solution before fermentation may be done for a variety of reasons. For example, a lot of homebrew recipes call for sugar additions. The Double IPA we brewed a while ago, for example, called for a 12 ounce dextrose addition. Adding highly fermentable sugar, such as dextrose, as opposed to adding more grain, will increase the ABV of the final product without increasing sweetness and malt character.
- The chart below shows how many pounds of sugar are required to reach a particular potential alcohol percentage for a 1, 5, and 10 gallons of finished fermented beer, wine, etc.
- A couple of notes, this chart assumes that the fermentation will end at 1.000 specific gravity.
- This is possible, but keep in mind that many beer yeasts finish around 1.010.
Also, the chart assumes a starting point of zero sugar in the solution. But it is also useful useful if you make an all grain mash or a fruit mash and you want to increase potential ABV to a specific amount. Examples below. Let’s pretend that we make 5 gallon batch of what is supposed to be a Double IPA.
| Added Sugar vs. Potential Alcohol in 1, 5, and 10 Gallon Batches | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pounds of Sugar | 1 Gallon | 5 Gallons | 10 Gallons |
| 1 lb. | 5.9% | 1.2% | 0.6% |
| 2 lbs. | 11.9% | 2.3% | 1.2% |
| 3 lbs. | 17.7% | 3.6% | 1.8% |
| 3.5 lbs. | 20.5% | 4.1% | 2.1% |
| 4 lbs. | x | 4.8% | 2.3% |
| 5 lbs. | x | 5.9% | 3.0% |
| 6 lbs. | x | 7.1% | 3.6% |
| 7 lbs. | x | 8.3% | 4.1% |
| 8 lbs. | x | 9.5% | 4.8% |
| 9 lbs. | x | 10.7% | 5.4% |
| 10 lbs. | x | 11.9% | 5.9% |
| 11 lbs. | x | 13% | 6.6% |
| 12 lbs. | x | 14.2% | 7.1% |
| 13 lbs. | x | 15.4% | 7.7% |
| 14 lbs. | x | 16.5% | 8.3% |
| 15 lbs. | x | 17.7% | 8.9% |
| 16 lbs. | x | 18.8% | 9.5% |
| 17 lbs. | x | 20% | 10.1% |
| 18 lbs. | x | x | 10.7% |
| 19 lbs. | x | x | 11.2% |
| 20 lbs. | x | x | 11.9% |
| 21 lbs. | x | x | 12.4% |
| 22 lbs. | x | x | 13% |
| 23 lbs. | x | x | 13.5% |
| 24 lbs. | x | x | 14.2% |
| 25 lbs. | x | x | 14.7% |
| 26 lbs. | x | x | 15.4% |
| 27 lbs. | x | x | 15.9% |
| 28 lbs. | x | x | 16.5% |
| 29 lbs. | x | x | 17% |
| 30 lbs. | x | x | 17.7% |
| 31 lbs. | x | x | 18.2% |
| 32 lbs. | x | x | 18.8% |
| 33 lbs. | x | x | 19.5% |
| 34 lbs. | x | x | 20% |
Remember, while brewing is legal in almost all US states, distilling alcohol is illegal without a federal fuel alcohol or distilled spirit plant permit as well as relevant state permits. Our distillation equipment is designed for legal uses only and the information in this article is for educational purposes only. Kyle Brown is the owner of Clawhammer Supply, a small scale distillation and brewing equipment company which he founded in 2009. His passion is teaching people about the many uses of distillation equipment as well as how to make beer at home. When he isn’t brewing beer or writing about it, you can find him at his local gym or on the running trail.
How do I increase the alcohol content of my mash?
Want to ramp up the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) of your homebrew? Yeah. We know you do. The best way to increase the ABV is to add more fermentable sugar for your yeast to snack on. Unfortunately, dumping a few extra cups of sugar into your wort, and praying for success won’t get you the beer you want. But there are steps you can take to ensure you will. Here’s how.
How do people accidentally make methanol?
How is Methanol Produced? – Methanol is found naturally in certain fruits and vegetables. It may also be produced as an unintended byproduct during the fermentation process. Spirits distilled from fruits, such as apples, oranges, and grapes, are more likely to contain methanol.
What alcohol do you distill?
You’d think that all spirits, whether gin, rum or whiskey, are basically made the same way, right? Not exactly. Although it’s true that each of these styles of alcohol undergoes similar processes, the details behind every bottle are a bit different. So how are spirits produced? In short, via distillation.
Distillation is what sets spirits apart from beer, wine and other styles of nondistilled alcohol. Alcoholic beverages can basically be broken down into two categories: fermented (or nondistilled) beverages and fermented (distilled) beverages. Fermented beverages that do not undergo a distillation process include beer, hard cider, mead, saké and wine.
Alcohol that’s fermented and distilled includes brandy, gin, rum, vodka and whiskey. In this explainer, we’re focusing on this latter category—the general aspects, that is. A given category may require additional steps that aren’t covered here. Liquor.com / Laura Sant