A mycologist makes moonshine

[Dr_T]

"Yeast," I thought, "is a fungus."

Indeed, it's not just a fungus, it's the most important fungus to humans. There actually are many kinds of yeast, but Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the one we use most. You may read that name as "sugar-fungus of-beer" and it's an accurate description.

Fermentation happens when yeast encounters sugars and starches. In the presence of oxygen, yeast will break these ingredients all the way down to carbon dioxide and water. But in an anaerobic environment- one free of oxygen- ethanol is produced as a metabolic byproduct.

The following is the story of my moonshine experiment. It isn't the only way to do this, it may not even be the best way- but it works.

Ingredients: corn meal, sugar, water and yeast. I bought some new jars, but you can use jars you have. Any size will work- if you have gallon-size pickle jars, use 'em.




Each jar gets:

1 1/2 cups water


a cup of sugar.


A five-pound bag of sugar is about 10 cups- I ran out and used brown sugar to finish.


Whatever kind of sugar you use, stir the jar to dissolve it.


Each jar gets a cup of corn meal.


Stir again.


Put the lids on. You don't want to jars to seal up- turn the lids upside down, and don't tighten the bands all the way.


Cook your mash. Biggest pot I have is my pressure cooker, I gave them about 10 minutes at pressure. There's other ways to cook a jar of corn meal, obviously. Use any method you like.




Remove the jars, let them cool. I had to do mine in two batches- no worries. Once it's cooled off, taste a little bit of the mash. MMmmmmm.... see why yeast likes it?


Time for the yeast! Brewer's yeast will produce more alcohol, but baking yeast will work ok. I use bread machine yeast in my bread machine, so I had a jar on hand.


I used a quarter of a teaspoon of yeast for each jar. The actual amount doesn't matter too much, it's going to grow and expand and reproduce.


You'll need to finish filling the jars- make some sugar water. (More brown sugar here- white is ok too). Add water to each jar, stirring it in well. The corn meal may have clumped up or solidified- that's ok, the yeast will still eat it.



Filled jars. Leave a gap at the top, don't fill them all the way up. As the yeast grows, it will produce gas and you need room for the expansion.


Yeast at work- see the bubbles? That's why the lids can't be sealed- the pressure may break your jars. You need to allow outgassing, while preventing fresh air from entering the jar.

Now we wait. The yeast will produce alcohol as it works, and when the percentage of alcohol gets too high, it will kill off the yeast. This is where brewer's yeast or champagne yeast will be helpful, it can tolerate a higher concentration of alcohol in the mix.

In about 10 days (depending on temperature and other factors), the bubbles will stop. That's your sign that the yeast is done, and it's time to distill.

So- you have time to make a still! Lots of great designs on the 'net. Lab glass works really, really well if you have it- but the classic pot with a copper coil works quite well, and generally holds more liquid.

Ok, more when the jars are ready- about a week from now.
__________________________________________________ _____________

[ez_goin]

Nice write-up. Good pictures. Looks to be fairly simple so far.

[Dr_T]

Yeah, it's pretty simple.
At least compared to growig oter kinds of fungus.

It's amazing what you can learn on the 'net.

[Beast]

Right on Dr T! I'm grabbing a chair for this one, looks good so far!

[Norman]

I don't get using cornmeal. Don't grain starches need to be mashed into sugars before the yeast can break them down?
You can get turbo yeast here:
http://www.homebrewheaven.com/
and make 20% mash in five days out of corn sugar.

[Shroomette]

I recall corn is a source of moonshine Norm at least that's what my grandfather used so, I can see where cornmeal comes into play here. Great thread Dr. T definitely in for this write up.

[steelyourface]

How do you make a still
and
how do you use it

this is awsome
thanks for this tutorial

[eastwood]

Subscribed..

[Dr_T]

Originally Posted by steelyourface

How do you make a still
and
how do you use it

this is awsome
thanks for this tutorial

A still is pretty simple- a pot to boil the mash, a way to cool the steam, and a vessel to collect that condensate.

There's a million ways to do it. One method uses a Pressure Cooker as the boiling vessel- you take the steam out to port where the weight sits.

[steelyourface]

do you have a good link for a tutorial on how to correctly make and use a still? I want to make sure I dont get any methanol

[evlovevlove]

http://www.homedistiller.org/

Lots of knowledge in the forums.

Also check here if the first link is down

http://distillers.tastylime.net/libr...Org/index.html

[bigboy]

i use 75lbs cracked corn 25lbs maulted corn 100 lbs sugar 50 gals rain water 1 block of turbo destillers yest and a still made from an old keg

[Dr_T]

Originally Posted by steelyourface

do you have a good link for a tutorial on how to correctly make and use a still? I want to make sure I dont get any methanol

You won't get methanol starting with corn and sugar. You can't.

[Norman]

Originally Posted by Shroomette

I recall corn is a source of moonshine Norm at least that's what my grandfather used so, I can see where cornmeal comes into play here. Great thread Dr. T definitely in for this write up.

I know. But doesn't it have to be malted and mashed first?
I mean, barley is used to make beer (and whiskey) but it has to be malted and mashed to create sugars for the yeast to convert. Isn't it the same with corn?

[jwmyspace2000]

lol i thought you sealed those jars at first,i was like oh shit that guy is gonna have a super huge mess.i'v used bread machine yeast before and i didnt distill, the end product was the worst thing i'v ever tasted.it tasted like bread and stuff.i beleive bread machien eyast will create more methanol than normal brewing yeast so make sure you distill correctly to get rid of any methanol.make sure you dont get corn meal and corn starch confused,corn starch is very bad for brewing.you dont even really need the corn, sugar and water are alright for yeast.i had very good results with vitamin c. i dont think you will get any methanol with corn,methanol is only with fruits right? bread machine yeast is different than brewing yeast and will grow ontop of the liquid and produce alot more CO2 than brewing yeast.why did you put them in jars? use a bucket,its way easier.

[TVCasualty]

Ever check out a reflux still?



It produces a higher proof than most designs (it's for making your own E85 fuel) and you can order the plans for it here.

If you get some 3 angstrom zeolite you can produce 100% absolute ethanol for use as a safer solvent than most for, um, making other stuff. Or driving your car for that matter.

[jay-pheno]

diy booze tastes the best !

awesome bro

[Dr_T]

Originally Posted by Norman

I know. But doesn't it have to be malted and mashed first?
I mean, barley is used to make beer (and whiskey) but it has to be malted and mashed to create sugars for the yeast to convert. Isn't it the same with corn?

Malting/mashing convert starches to sugars- but I've added sugar up front, so no malt is needed. You could use it if you like.

Again, there's a lot of ways to do this.

[seymorebunz]

Right on Dr T.......subscribed. Nice write up so far

[apear]

This is kick ass

[livewire420]

cant wait to see the ending results

[AKcoast]

Malting/mashing convert starches to sugars- but I've added sugar up front, so no Malt is needed. You could use it if you like.

Why add corn if it's not fermented? You seem to know yeast can't eat starch.

[Dr_T]

Originally Posted by AKcoast

Why add corn if it's not fermented? You seem to know yeast can't eat starch.

I'm pretty sure that it can.
That's the impression I got from my research, anyway- the yeast eats the starches, uses that energy to work on the sugars.

If the starch isn't utilized- why does anybody use it? Why not just work with straight sugar?

[livewire420]

let the dr. do his work. i mean he's done this b4 or he wouldnt share. i just dont want this thread to go unfinished im wanting to learn.

[Dr_T]

I'm no expert.
The batch in the pics is my second run- first one was just two jars.
But yes, it gave me some usable product.

[TVCasualty]

Some of the recipes I've seen only call for yeast and sugar, no grain or grain products of any kind.

[Arbol]

Nasty, and disgusting
Bread yeast make gross tasting alcohol
Why didn't you use Brewers yeast.

All brewers and distillers KNOW this is FACT!!!
The best whiskey's and other alcohols always start with brewers yeast.

I guess if it's your moonshine thats fine.

Bleh, I feel like throwing up. The stuff smells bad too.

I tried that back in the late 80's and it takes at least 3 runs to clean up the alcohol, and it still taste like armpit sweat.

[Dr_T]

Ok, dude. You win.

[prism]

Do it up bro, I got your back!!

I personally don't give a shit what yeast you use, I just want to see you make some Hooch!!

We love the ghetto teks here at the topia!!

[twoguysupnorth]

checking it out!

[Dr_T]

For those playing along at home-
be aware of jars with a block of solidified corn meal in the bottom. If gas starts to build up *under* that, it can push the contents of the jar up, and the sticky yeasty stuff will leak out of the top. You've been warned.

[Dr_T]

Lots of ways to make a still, but a pot still with a copper cooling oil is a classic for a reason.


I think you could widen the copper out and fit it over the nozzle, but I didn't do that- I took off the nozzle, flared the tubing, then sealed with RTV:



By itself, that little coil doesn't have enough cooling power to capture all of the distillate- though it certainly gets hot enough to burn you:


Some people put the coil into a bucket of water, but I chose another path- a cooled receiver. The copper acts as a pre-cooler, then the lab glass catches the steam:

[Dr_T]

Several of my jars had slowed down, and turned juicy. So I did a small batch distillation. I strained the liquid into the bottom of my still.


Pot full of mash:


The glassware is more complicated than it needs to be- my spare condenser is part of my extractor, and the flask, well... it worked.


Heat gently, try not to boil it over, or you'll get corn mash in your receiver: (No matter, we're going to redistill anyway)


If the mash is 5% alcohol, then that four-quart pot is going to have like 200 mL. But this first run won't be pure, I took about 500 mL of distillate.

Then, redistill. I used a reflux column, as mentioned upthread by another poster. This allows 'fractional distillation', lets you get a more pure product with fewer cycles.


Once you have your final distillate, mix in some activated charcoal.


The charcoal absorbs volatile organics that cannot be distilled away. I used a teaspoon, which is probably plenty.


I put a little more yeast into each jar, then added back all of the (now cooled) leftovers.


Time to let the moonshine age- I'll give this batch until tomorrow:



So that's it- starch+sugar+yeast = booze!

[steelyourface]

wow that was such a great read

amazing post man

the still part looks pretty complicated to me. I need to read a lot more to get a better understanding of all this.

[TVCasualty]

I've heard about people using Brita water filters to purify vodka. They pour it through two or three times and the cheap stuff ends up as smooth as the most expensive brands. It'd probably work great for this project as well, and I'm not sure about the specifics but I believe the activated carbon in the Brita is food-grade and the aquarium stuff is not.

Since charcoal is supposed to adsorb the bad stuff, I'm not sure how big a deal getting "food grade" is in regards to charcoal; fish in aquariums are really sensitive to pollutants so in this case having different grades is probably about charging more money for the exact same charcoal when packaged for human consumption, but don't quote me on that.

[Dr_T]

Bourbon distillers, like Jack Daniels, take an oak barrel and char the inside with a propane torch... I'm sure any sort of 'clean' charcoal will work (not briquettes!)

And to steelyourface, yes that still is more complicated than it needs to be- it's just how the pieces I have worked. But the concept is simple- there's a pic and lots of info on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:S..._apparatus.svg

[Shrooms&I]

>>> This is really a great low-tek thread, thank you for the post. My grandfather once found some old sake recipy which did involve the usage of raisons. However I looked this up and several internet recipies have been been found. As to the starch component' I had not yet to make my own booze though in agreement yes this fungus or yeast "Sacchromyces cervisiae" maybe the one used for all beers and stronger proof alchohols.

Though in reading of sake preperations one should read about Koji or kojikin "aspergillus oryze". I believe it is the steemed rice is the substrate for this type of fungi to grow. In the wild (rice crops) is where its found. This is another "one of the many" species of fungi in which breaks down the starches who contain very large molecules in their own right into the sugars. I have been doing the research to construct my own still. Anything that wrots that contains sugars and starches can ferment into alcohol. So as for the starch issue. Many things can be included in the mash just as long as they break down into the sugars during fermentation.

I have read (wikipedia and other resources) that prior to the importation and local developments of sugar in Peru and other areas where Chica is prduced (Indigenous brews of bear in South and some areas of Central America .aka, Panama, Costa Rica to Nicuragua). They are produced in many of the local, tribal Indigenous regions and all through these countries. This is disgusting but the fact is true' that the saliva does contain alpha-amylase ensyme in human-saliva. Which does aid in fermentation process (safe to say that form is not for the faint of heart). I am thinking just sticking with basic mash' recipies, lol:-). For other interesting wines other bizzare ingredients have been used for example in for fermenting "Palm Wine" West Africa from Nigeria to Ghana and others Palm wine is one of the drinks in which the husks of coconuts and other related materials are fermented.

A funny albeit a cautionary tail; story though a FOAF had some home made bear a while back in university days and he had sealed vessels in which the CO2 expanded each vessel would explode in his bedroom' in which they were kept (so I was told this cautionary tale). However my friend and I are in agreement perhaps this was not the best approach in fermenting home-made beer, lol:-). My friend told me his friend was kept up several nights due to the expansion of the CO2 in the sealed vessels, lol.

Great reading material for this subject.
http://www.sake-world.com/html/how-sake-is-made.html - for sake distillations, history and more.

Sake-worlds description of koji - http://www.sake-world.com/html/koji.html

I do agree that this site below.

http://www.home-distillers.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeast
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillus_oryzae

[liquidzonbie]

I've done a lil moonshining myself, but never with as good of results as yourself. Of course, I had only ever used sugar, water, and yeast before, but you seem to have some very nice results from that corn meal. I may have to give that a shot then. Thanks for the tek!

[Dr_T]

I've had more booze in the last couple of weeks than I have all year. I don't drink much, but when it's homemade, that's different!

Thinkin' about some Raisin Jack next, I think that would be a fun project.

[Lazlo]

Dr. T, how's that stuff look burning on a tablespoon? What color is the flame?

Nice thread.

[xerimyco]

Your yeast will have a hard time utilizing the corn.

Corn is a good adjunct, providing starch and protein, but without the enzymes provided by malting, it is largely unavailable to the yeast.

By adding a minimum of 20% malted grain of any type, you will provide the enzymes needed to properly utilize the starch and protein in the corn. It will also make your mash less "gloppy".

Why are you fermenting in jars instead of a regular fermentation vessel like a carboy or a 5 gallon bucket?

[Dr_T]

Originally Posted by Lazlo

Dr. T, how's that stuff look burning on a tablespoon? What color is the flame?

Nice thread.

Burns great, nice bright blue. Even the first round distillate burns well.

Put a couple drops in a flask, shake it around, and point the top at a flame, makes a nice popping sound.

[Lazlo]

Cool!

[bear]

Originally Posted by Arbol

Nasty, and disgusting
Bread yeast make gross tasting alcohol
Why didn't you use Brewers yeast.

All brewers and distillers KNOW this is FACT!!!
The best whiskey's and other alcohols always start with brewers yeast.

I guess if it's your moonshine thats fine.

Bleh, I feel like throwing up. The stuff smells bad too.

I tried that back in the late 80's and it takes at least 3 runs to clean up the alcohol, and it still taste like armpit sweat.

Then your still sucks.
It doesn't matter what yeast or starting sugar feedstock you use if your still has proper separation
Anyone looking for a really great purpose-built stillhead should google the PDA-1 - built by the amphora society. It's a high efficiency valved reflux still. I'm working on designing an automatic refluxing still with continuous distillation capabilities. Batch distillation is for chumps

[Dr_T]

Originally Posted by bear

Then your still sucks.

No need to be like that, his post speaks for itself.

In fact all of the posts asking why I did it this way instead of another way- the answer is in the first post. I did it this way because this is the way I did it. If anyone has a better way, post a tek, with pics.

As for the batch thing... I'm working with small volumes. No need for continuous distillation. But I think it would be fun to have a two-stage still, instead of doing it in two steps like I have been.

PS - the stuff is yummy. No armpit or other stench, just delicious corn whiskey.

PS again- that Amphora PDA-1 is a sweet little unit. $375 puts it out of my price range, and I really don't have a use for it- but if you need one, you need it bad.

[bear]

Yeah.... I understand what you're talking about here. We all do things the way we do them...
And if I was going to do small batches I'd do it about the same way you do (except with a sugar-only wash...or with whatever sugar I could get for cheap or free)

Id love to see someone do some serious production-scale work though
And...while your here, thanks for putting up this thread. Now that you've got the alcohol...can we see that soxhlet in use? Please?

[Dr_T]

uh... sure!
There's a thread on another site where I used it on some Salvia:
http://www.growery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/90428

If I ever get any weed, I'll do a hash oil extraction with acetone and post pics here. I did it once before, it worked really, really well.

[xerimyco]

Originally Posted by xerimyco

Why are you fermenting in jars instead of a regular fermentation vessel like a carboy or a 5 gallon bucket?

Originally Posted by Dr_T

In fact all of the posts asking why I did it this way instead of another way- the answer is in the first post. I did it this way because this is the way I did it. If anyone has a better way, post a tek, with pics.

Sorry. I thought your thread was an invitation to find out about your tek and the reasoning behind it. I won't make that mistake again.

[Dr_T]

Don't be a dick, dude.

I used jars because I used jars. I don't have a carboy, and all of my buckets have holes. Is that a better answer?

[Dr_T]

Ok, everybody-

I'm trying a different route. I'll post pics if it works, maybe a week from now.

In a gallon jug, with just sugar and no grains (so no need for malt) and using a pack of Champagne Yeast.

Meanwhile, if there's anything else I did wrong, please PM me or post here. I'll read your info while I sip my moonshine and Sunny D.