Q&A for How to Make Moonshine

Yes, you can use just about anything.

It will depend on how much mash you are distilling. Methanol vaporizes at a lower temp than ethanol. For each 1 gallon of mash, throw out the first shot glass full.

They do mix. Ask a distiller, or your local bartender. You might be thinking of water and oil, which do separate when mixed.

No, yeast needs nutrients to turn the sugar into alcohol. Add a small can of tomato paste to the mash.

Any clean, sealed, glass, stainless steel or copper vessel with one exit for the steam can be used. It needs to be sealed so that the steam can only escape out the tube to the condenser, because the steam is your product. Letting alcohol vapor escape directly from the boiler is dangerous and a waste of moonshine. Copper helps to remove impurities, so it's best to use copper tubing in the condenser, regardless of what you use as a boiler.

Yes, anything that has a controlled heat source or flame will work. Just make sure you are set to the right temperature.

This is not recommended, as the ingredients will react with the aluminum and result in an unpleasant taste. You may also risk damaging the aluminum.

Punch a small hole in the top lid of the pressure cooker for the stem of the thermometer. Before cooking your mash (really wash) make sure to have sealed around the puncture with heat resistance sealer or just plain old water and flour.

The heat from your stove will be on and even being set at a low temperature it will make your mash temperature keep rising, therefore, it will eventually reach 200 degrees.

Technically, it is better to use cornmeal rather than apples. This is because cornmeal has better and more readily available nutrients for the yeast to grow. However, if you want to use apples, make sure that the mass of the apples is the same as the cornmeal. Make sure that you first remove the stem and seeds of the apple.

You can add the sugar while the mash is still hot, but don't add the yeast until it has cooled or you will kill it. It should be warm but not hot, around 35°C/95°F when you add the yeast.

If you take the first 30ml or so from a 1 gallon batch, you can check this. This is because methyl alcohol (methanol) has a lower boiling point than water and ethanol (grain alcohol) so this is the part that turns to steam and comes out of the condenser first. You can take a separate glass for the first 30ml that comes out of the condenser and then a separate container for the rest after that. Heads, body and tails.

About 5 to 7 days. When it stops making foam at the top of your mash barrel, then it's ready.

Yeast grows as it ferments. A couple of slices will get you going. If you want it to start faster, then use more.

Pretty much, everything that has nutrients can be converted, just remember to filter out the remains.

A typical 25L wash will take around 4.5 hours to run through the Still Spirits Super Reflux still. It will take about 1 hour and 35 minutes to heat up before any condensate will run out of the condenser. How long does moonshine take to distill? About 10 to 14 days.