Making alcohol with moonshine mash is common because it only requires a few inexpensive components. Put the yeast, sugar, water, and cornmeal in a large bowl and stir them together.
The next step is to ferment the mash to produce an alcoholic beverage, and then distil it to remove any undesirable flavours. Moonshine mash can be sipped neat or mixed with other drinks for an extra kick.
Ingredients:
- 5 lb. (1.1 kg) of cornmeal flour
- 5 kilogrammes (10 pounds) of white granulated sugar
- Water, around 10 gallons (38 l) worth (preferably distilled)
- Active dry yeast, preferably Turbo, 1/2 ounce (14 g)
- water, 1 to 2 cups’ worth (0.24-0.47 l)
- optional: 1–2 bags dried fruit
Blending the Ingredients
1: In a stainless steel saucepan that can hold 20 gallons (76 l), bring 10 gallons (38 l) of water to a boil.
Bring the water to a rolling boil, with big bubbles breaking the top.
Put your food in a clean, sterile pot. If the pot has any visible dirt or stains, don’t use it.
2: Boil the mixture with the cornmeal for 7 minutes after stirring in 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg).
Cornmeal should be added once the water has come to a boil and stirred in with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring it until it reaches the desired thickness.
3: Bring the temperature down to 150F (66C).
Adjust the temperature so the cornmeal is heated but not boiling. Keep the cornmeal at the ideal temperature with the help of a thermometer.
The cornmeal’s interaction with the yeast can be optimised by first allowing it to cool.
4: Put in 4.5 kilogrammes of sugar and 12 ounce of yeast.
Add the yeast and sugar to the cornmeal. Combine with the help of a wooden spoon. Toss it about for a few minutes. The finished product should be thin and soupy.
Once the sugar and yeast have been incorporated into the mash, take it off the fire.
5: If you want more flavour, mash in some dried fruit.
Add 1-2 bags of dried fruit to 1–2 cups (0.24–0.47 l) of water for a fruitier flavour in the mash. Then, use a potato masher to turn the dried fruit and water into a juice. Add the mashed dry fruit to the cornmeal and stir to combine.
Banana, apricot, and pineapple fruit mash would be a great choice for this purpose. The combination can also be given a fruity flavour with the addition of a dry fruit mash consisting of blueberries, cherries, and strawberries.
Mash Fermentation
1: In a cool, dark place, cover the mash and let it ferment.
The mash can be left in the saucepan and covered with a lid or a towel. The mash has to ferment in a cool, dark place like a cellar or the back of a closet.
A comfortable temperature range is between 60 and 16 degrees Celsius. The mash can alternatively be fermented by pouring it into a sealed, empty chiller.
2: Let it sit out for a few days to ferment.
When using Turbo yeast, moonshine mash will ferment in about 5 days. It could take up to a week for the mash to ferment if you use bread yeast.
3: For huge bubbles on the surface of the mash, check the surface.
After four to five days, you should inspect the mash to see whether any huge bubbles are sitting on the surface or moving extremely slowly. This typically indicates the mash is at the right stage to be distilled.
The mash may not be ready for distillation if there are many tiny bubbles on the surface.
Making a Spirit from the Mash
1: If you have access to a copper still, use it to distil the mash.
You can either buy or rent a copper still from a homebrew shop. A copper still designed for residential use will be more manageable in size. Next, follow the instructions on the copper still and pour the mash in to begin the distillation process.
Those who regularly distil their own moonshine mash or other alcoholic beverages at home may want to consider purchasing a copper still. A copper still that holds 13 gallons (49 l) of liquid can cost anywhere from $900 to $1,300.
2: Make a still out of a pressure cooker and some copper pipe.
Heat the mash to a temperature of 173 degrees Fahrenheit (78 degrees Celsius) in a pressure cooker. Put electrical tape over the pressure cooker’s vent and attach a coiled copper pipe.
Clean the copper coil by running it under cold water and storing the end in a new container. Moonshine is created from the vapours released from the mash as it boils in a pressure cooker, which travel through a copper pipe and condense. After passing through the tube, the moonshine will enter the sterile storage jar.
Since this is a makeshift copper still, careful observation may be required to guarantee it produces the desired results. Make sure the mash is kept at a steady temperature so it can ferment into moonshine.
3: Let the mash cool down.
The mash should be let to cool to room temperature after distillation. The mash should resemble a transparent liquid in which some visible contaminants are suspended.
4: Use cheesecloth and a strainer to filter the mash.
Cover a large soup pot with a plastic strainer. The cheesecloth is then used to cover the strainer. Use your non-dominant hand to hold a smaller strainer over the cheesecloth. Scoop the mash into the smaller strainer using your dominant hand while holding the spoon.
To eliminate larger contaminants like chunks of cornmeal or fruit, simply raise the smaller filter. After straining the mash through the cheesecloth, you can press out any remaining contaminants.
The head, or debris floating in the mash, can be removed using the cheesecloth to ensure a clear mash. Continue doing this until no more mash can be squeezed out. The soup pot should show no signs of cloudiness or dirt. Once the mash has been strained, the unwanted materials can be discarded.
5: Moonshine mash should be kept in sealed containers.
The glass containers should be sterilised and spotless. Store them in the fridge or a dark cupboard. Moonshine mash can be consumed straight or mixed with other beverages. Moonshine mash can be kept for anywhere from six months to a year.
