By now, your product should lose the harsh, solvent smell you found in the heads. The flavor of your moonshine or whatever flavor you want from your recipes should now come out. The distillate is collected in four stages: foreshots, heads, hearts, and tails. Foreshots, the first 5% of the liquid, contain potentially harmful alcohols like methanol and should be discarded. Heads make up the next 30% and contain volatile alcohols that can cause unpleasant effects like hangovers. The next 30% yielded by your distilling process contains mostly ethanol. This is the good stuff you want to collect and store. Increase the heat to high until the still produces drips. Keep it between water and alcohol’s boiling point (173°F and 212 °F) A rough estimate, assuming a 10% alcohol by volume (ABV) in the mash and 85% distillation efficiency, suggests you might obtain around 0.425 gallons of pure ethanol.

So, purists opt for a corn whiskey mash, which will give you the classic, smooth, full-flavored moonshine. 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 Similarly, the choice of bread yeast could result in variations in both yield and flavor, compared to specialized distillers’ yeast. 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. Distillation happens when you heat a mix of corn, sugar, and yeast (this mix is called corn mash) in a big tank or pot. The heat causes the yeast to turn the sugar into alcohol, a process known as fermentation.

In the historic run, farmers used this to earn extra money because low-value corn crops could be made into high-value whisky. The U.S. government had a hand in this because of the how much sugar how highly they taxed alcohol. This yield translates to approximately 2-3 gallons of moonshine at a more palatable 40-50% ABV (80-100 proof) when the collected distillate is diluted. Using sugar can potentially increase the fermentable material, thereby boosting the yield, although it may also impact the flavor profile. With a good stilling kit, moonshiners can make anything, even apple pie and chocolate-flavored moonshine! It all depends on the recipe you decide to follow or create. The term moonshine came from its illegality, which forced people to make it at night or under the light (or shine) of the moon. Hearts, 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?

In this guide, we’ll give you the most basic recipe so you can build on it for future purposes. The Classic: Corn WhiskeyBefore 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. 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.

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?

Once you reach this drip rate, decrease the heat to maintain it. You can usually reach this by dialing it down to the medium setting. The yield of moonshine from a 5-gallon recipe using 8.5 lbs. of flaked corn maize, 1.5 lbs. of crushed malted barley, bread yeast, and optional sugar can vary significantly due to several factors. These include the efficiency of fermentation, which depends on yeast quality, fermentable sugars, and environmental conditions, as well as the efficiency of the distillation process itself. 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. We highly recommend taking down notes throughout your distilling and moonshine-making process so you know what to improve on whenever you start a new batch. Prepping Your Still

Some distillers add 2 tsp. of gypsum to the mash water at this step. Then they test the pH of the mash water. Now, you’ve successfully finished making moonshine! All you need to do is collect it with the yield of your distillation equipment. Collecting ForeshotsBy doing this, you can use a formula to figure out how much ABV (alcohol by volume) your fermentation has produced, or an ABV calculator like this. 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?