The Best Moonshine Corn Mash Recipe

Better than "Georga Moon" and "Ole Smokey" brand moonshines if distilled correctly
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/ wcemichael

[@0615conroy]

I made the mash and I did two batches. The first batch I followed your recipe to the tee using corn meal, 2-3 pounds of dried fruit, but I also added a jar of Welch's grape jelly when I heated up the fruit to hydrate it. I did use a blender to chop it all up. I added 7 lbs of sugar to this batch and used regular bakers yeast. That fermented in 2 weeks. The second batch was a box of frosted flakes and 3 boxes of corn chex. I used 10 lbs of sugar and used regular bakers yeast too. This fermented in 10 days. I distilled all if it and got 2 gallons from the first distillation and then distilled again and that yielded 1.5 gallons. The second distillation was at 86% ABV and then dropped down to 56% ABD at the end. I am very happy and satisfied with my results and now I will dilute this batch to get average around 100 proof. I am going to flavor some of it with apple cinnamon. But the corn taste in this shine is very nice and has a smooth mellow taste. Thanks for you recipe and your video. Mike

[@hottrizzle]

I like the changes you've made.. I'm surely gonna give it a try as well.. thx for sharing

[@GeneralSulla]

Breakfast of champions!

[@bradleydempsey3842]

Right on

[@kerrmann]

Yum!

[@12hardknocks]

What temps should be used @Michael Conroy

[@DrDiff952]

Old time moon shiners understood chemistry far better than most people think!

[@robertericks]

This is a very good recipe for small batches. Doing it just as shown in the video produced a 7.5% ABV corn beer that distills into a tasty white whiskey. Fermentation time was two weeks using active dry bread yeast. I blended the rehydrated fruit as suggested which allowed it to mix into the mash nicely. I did have to re-energize the fermentation with an additional yeast pitch after four days. Finally, I used a mesh brew-in-a-bag that fits into a 6.5 gallon bucket to filter out the solids before distilling. Next time I'll probably just use raisins instead of exotic fruit and see how that works. Thank you for this video instruction, wcemichael!

[@wcemichael]

+Rob Ricks Glad to hear it worked for you, and thank you for your input

[@wcemichael]

Rule of thumb (for me anyway) I use 1 teaspoon of yeast per gal (estimated). I also add a couple spoons of turbo yeast in this 5 gal mash. You can add more for quicker fermentation, but that could also affect taste so I add as little as possible and let time do most of the work.

[@2tommyrad]

To do a simple "starch-end" test [to see when all starch has converted to sugars] get a small plate or mug [white porcelain] and place a drop or 2 of the mash liquid [without any corn at all, just mash liquid] onto the plate. On the edge of the pool of mash liquid, place 1 drop of iodine. If the iodine/mash liquid turns black, starch is still present. No color-change of the iodine means no starch [all sugar]. Toss that test into the sink, not back into the mash :D Thanks for the video!

[@wcemichael]

That works great but I just take a small sample and add a pinch of yeast. After 10 min it will foam up. it won't tell me if it's totally converted but it works.

[@fakename8896]

Tommy Rad Thanks! Where can we get the iodine? Would be great, since there are so many uses!

[@lifuranph.d.9440]

Toss the 2-3 drops of your test back INTO your mash and you will have a "Scotch" flavored product. HaHa!

[@safetyfirstintexas]

@@fakename8896 walmart drug section with rubbin alcohol and witch hazel

[@wcemichael]

I've already had this argument. I have more corn than sugar. I also have fruit so argue that it's brandy, another person insists it's corn wine. It's a very *traditional style* corn whiskey. Go argue with the southern mooners over the name. I don't care if you call it a "flying artichoke sundae"

[@timw9919]

Its called a mixed distillate or mixed spirit. Techincally if you followed the other guildlines such as proof and oak aged it can be labeled a bourbon. The only base requirement of the mash is that at least 51% is corn. You could add whatever as long as the corn is 51% or more of the mash You are also correct its very traditional to add fruit various botanical s herbs you name it.

[@Junglehunter677]

It's good ole down home white lightnin

[@STUBERGAMECRAZY]

Flying artichoke sundae tastes...lightenin-gy(to quote the brother rat in Ratatouille movie)

[@phuketbungalowinfo2757]

@@Junglehunter677 haha sounds about right, i m loving the name :D :D

[@Poke-billy]

Ahhh he said flying artichoke aunday!

[@katherines9304]

also I watched a lot of videos before choosing this recipe. I found this one to be easy to understand and follow. thanks! i really love the end product I got from this recipe!

[@trevork9515]

Are you using a pot still or reflux?

[@scottyweimuller6152]

Go check out Rosie O'Kelly she makes great shine videos and recipes and is really nice. Just go in with a open mind before you watch her vids

[@bebnnyangel4438]

Scotty Weißmüller and

[@SiegePerilousEsauMaltomite]

Scotty Galloway Lol, she knows her shit.

[@scottyweimuller6152]

Siege Perilous Probably as much as anyone would need to know, her and George from Barleyandhopsbrewing which just put that into youtube and you'll find more information then you can process its a expensive hobby but hell with my mile high 13 gallon electric variable controlled Dual purpose reflux/pot still its more than enough to get it right and as long as you dont use that shitty turbo yeast you'll be fine

[@wcemichael]

When going to a party, it's not as impressive to say "hey, I bought a bottle of Everclear" as it is to say "Hey, check this out I made it myself"

[@thomasharris4562]

I know this is an old video but if you don't mind how much emulast enzyme did you put in it and do you remember about how many quarts you got out of that

[@wcemichael]

@@thomasharris4562 No... I just eyeballed it... Any 5 gallon mash I make with sugar added gets me about 2 quarts distilled and about 100 proof

[@steveandrews8301]

@@wcemichael How would you then get it to near 200 percent proof, such as Everclear is? This is my goal, to make very high proof alcohol for herb tincture / herb oil extraction purposes. Thanks, Michael! Really enjoying your moonshine videos - all new to me - though I've made wine before, but never this. Thanks again.

[@13whip13]

@@steveandrews8301 if still wondering, you just have to run the distillate through the distiller again and again. My countertop distiller with 5 gallons of sugar wash (6 batches, very time consuming) makes almost 3 quarts @ 90 proof. Then I put that product through the machine 5x more to get less than 1 quart at 185 proof. It is a very old countertopdistiller.

[@steveandrews8301]

@@13whip13 Thanks!!

[@lloydwilson1058]

I used to work for rinkel mill, the building is exactly as shown on package.

[@davidb799]

This reminds me of learning how to make brew while in jail. Nothing fancy about it, simple and easy to do. I am going to try this recipe, thanks for sharing.

[@abphilippi]

My first two attempts at shine were dismal to say the least. Not even the foreshot would light up. After watching this video I tried using just golden and red raisins. I also used cracked corn and corn malt I sprouted and ground up. The yeast I used was just some bread yeast. I used sugar as well. I let the mash work for a week. Ran it and not only did it flame up high, but it was so smooth and sneaky. I didn't feel any burn and that made it very easy to enjoy. Thanks for the videos.

[@robertjones5669]

thanks for your patience and time. Looking forward to making my first batch!

[@roygunter3244]

My uncle made moonshine in the 1930s in a 50 gallon still, he said he always used chopped corn and never corn meal because of the problem you had. He cooked the mash in the still and he refilled the still twice more to get all the alcohol out of the mash. He used caramel that he made on the stove to color the whiskey. He said even after the third cooking the mash still had some alcohol in it when he cleaned out the still.

[@larrytischler8769]

If he had a good rectification section in his still and cooked it more slowly rerunning twice should not be necessary. But he did what he knew how.

[@crazytattooguy]

great vid i made and distilled this mash myself followed this recipe and it is 100% no fake i altered a couple measurements of things dew to own taste but with and with out fruit both came out 170 proof if any one tries this and it goes wrong its your own fault as this recipe works .

[@meverhart6815]

how many mason jars am i gonna need for this amount?

[@ebertaellenburg5865]

crazytattooguy how much shin does this make

[@perlandasfrazier2396]

Matthew Motes 3gg

[@deneysoosthuizen4041]

crazytattooguy u

[@scottyweimuller6152]

@@ebertaellenburg5865 thats relative to how much mash you make. If its a 5 gallon mash you'll end up close to 4 liters so it all depends on how big your fermenter is

[@fasteddiesgarage101]

I followed this recipe almost to a T. Made some great shine. However, with the fruit I added, it had a smell of distilled wine. Better than the smell of rubbing alcohol.

[@jaymeselliot8181]

for whatever reason, watching you squeeze the cheese cloth, and see all that nectar gush out calmed something in me. cheers.

[@wcemichael]

Hmmm....curious

[@TheLouisamite]

I'm on my way to an AA meeting now,,I got drunk watching this

[@wcemichael]

Vinegar. Boil a couple of cups of vinegar through whole still set up, then water. It's in my still safety video.

[@marjorielee5940]

Unfortunately I

[@Tycedi]

Actually, you can do freeze distillation. It's a process where you place the alcoholic "beer" (after the yeast is done fermenting) into the freezer. As ice crystals form on the surface, you scrape them away and throw them out (this is mainly water). The alcohol will not form into as in home freezers (it doesn't get cold enough). As you throw more and more ice away, your liquor gets stronger and stronger. There will be a point at which ice no longer forms. This is how apple jack is made.

[@wcemichael]

It's an insulated "igloo" water cooler. I have another video where I converted a pressure cooker. It holds 1 gal. You can get a mash done in a couple of hours and refill it and go again. My best tasting shine is made from fruit juice and common bread yeast. I'm sure you can come up with that.

[@PeterY44t]

Add yeast on end when temperature is betwen 20ºC-28ºC. Hot water will kill yeast's

[@wcemichael]

Simple reason, I want to keep things as simple as possible for the newbies. When they get their confidence up after a couple batches, they can start experimenting with other stuff like brewers yeast.

[@anonymousplayer5080]

Well as someone whos looking to start out i greatly appreciate it

[@wcemichael]

@@anonymousplayer5080 Oh no no no.. Don't start out with this. Practice re-distilling cheap booze then the wine....then making your own wine.... THEN this

[@phuketbungalowinfo2757]

@@wcemichael hey, glad to see a newer comment, means you are still around ;) ... just asking for a friend, there is some cheap likker here in THailland, is it possible to upgrade it? lets say a couple of bottles of this really shitty tasting booze added with some fruits, keeping it for 2 weeks and after stilling it?

[@gregry111]

I've made beer in the past and this seems like an extremely good recipe for making simply fermented beer. Thanks

[@wcemichael]

2 key things. Get your mash as strong as possible. After getting your still up to heat, turn the flame down and cook it off as long slow as possible. All my mashes with sugar added, usually have a proof of 130. My rice only mash made 80 proof.

[@geraldhoskowicz5157]

With all these fancy enzine ingredients that you're putting in i think I hear Old Man McCooch spinning in his grave! HA HA HA!!! It's always good to update/upgrade SOME old recipes.. I'm guessing that you must also live alone because when Mash is working it smells to High Heaven. Your house will have an aroma of it's own! HA HA HA!!! Most women usually don't take to the aroma! If they do MARRY them! HA HA HA! As to people usually young_uns that say "All that work for JUST THAT? I can spend ten bucks and get more!" These folks have completely missed the point! It's the self satisfaction of knowing that you CAN do it! Especially If the Dung Hits the Fan! Thank you Sir for an entertaining video. I wish you would of shown people the distilling process and some easy methods. A Pressure Cooker comes to mind.

[@pablorivera9881]

ask those poor lads in TX right now

[@Mcgangbangboggie]

I've been on the shine since 99' I can't kick it cause I sip it all the time ain't got no problems haven't even gone blind

[@JA-tu3iu]

Is he blind yet?

[@nobodywho3254]

I think you may be a bit blind bro, dern TOOTIN

[@6do6962]

1ll1l221llllp 1www

[@melanjack1743]

@@bisasomukasa ?

[@melanjack1743]

lot

[@JOTTO59321]

25 pounds of corn meal, 35 pounds of sugar, 20 packs of yellow pack red star yeast, 50 gallons of hot water, stir, let sit about 10 days. filter it after fermented and pump it into a 30 or 50 gallon still. and its now up to you if you want to break the law or not. enjoy!

[@phuketbungalowinfo2757]

and now imagine everyone would use the same measures like LITER instead of quarts or Celsius instead of dark ages Fahrenheit. Since a quart is 0,946353Litres and everybody has 10 but not 12Fingers it would make counting much easier. ;) Great Videos here, hope @wcemichael is still doing his Hobby in Oct. 2021, cheers from a grumpy ole German guy

[@jamesshepherd9415]

With 180 degrees between freezing and boiling, the antiquated fahrenheit measuring scale is more accurate. As far as I can tell the metric system was designed for people who are too lazy to do simple math. I refuse to encourage that type of attitude.

[@wcemichael]

"Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the saccharification of starch and fermentation of the resulting sugar. The starch and saccharification enzymes are often derived from malted cereal grains," My recipe does fit these guidelines. ALSO, moonshiners often refer to their mashes as beer. IN POPCORN SUTTON'S VIDEO (the last dam run of likker I'm ever gonna make) HE REFERS TO MASH AS BEER.

[@freedomfamily1358]

Yep hes running his made beer mash and strippings

[@charlesmanson855]

We're alcoholics

[@maciejlegowicz5834]

... and proud :-)

[@tonylama2012]

Big time

[@pattizayas1051]

yay

[@margaretwillard8366]

Charles Manson5

[@wcharliewilson7004]

What did you write? I see four of everything...

[@badmandagga]

thank you. I did it by just putting it in the garage in a cardboard box and putting towels around it. it just ferments slower in lower temp. took me about 2 1/2 weeks but I was also adding sugar until the yeast couldn't handle anymore.

[@wcemichael]

Of course you can. I only use it as a total volume booster. But as a rule of thumb, you'll only get about 1 lb of usable sugar for every 5 lb of corn, it might be a little more.

[@rwpatton]

run a good batch of sourmash meal, then when bottling put a handfull of cherries in the jar, thats goood flavor

[@wcemichael]

Depends on how much yeast you use. I tend to use less yeast and let time be the key ingredient. Mashes tend to need at least 5-7 days. When the brew stops bubbling, it's done.

[@wcemichael]

@@casperh-k324 If your house is 70 deg F...it should be fine. I have kept one next to a heat vent with a coat/blanket over both to catch the heat. If you can keep it at 90 it should work better

[@oldguitarguy7528]

i followed youre recipe for the first time i ever distilled and it proofed out at 140. everyone liked it.

[@wcemichael]

@@oldguitarguy7528 That's great, man. Have you been distilling long?

[@oldguitarguy7528]

@@wcemichael NO! I HAVE MADE 2 RUNS

[@wcemichael]

@@oldguitarguy7528 wow.. I hoped you at least saw the safety video

[@mariamaniscalco7413]

This looks so good. I bet this shine is top shelf.

[@wcemichael]

I have received quite a few compliments on it

[@wcemichael]

Yes, always. No matter what kind of mash you make, even simple sugar wash, or distill ready made wine.

[@rickhermann7639]

i use champagne yeast, it makes a higher proof wine

[@wcemichael]

In general, malt is seed that has been allowed to sprout. Seeds are full of starch, but plants run on sugar produced by the leaves and sunlight. Until a plant is big enough to grow leaves it survives on it own food supply and the sprouts have the enzymes to convert starch to sugar to allow it to grow it's first leaves These sprouts are collected, dried, ground up, and added to grain mashes to convert starches to sugar. Yeast then converts sugar to alcohol.

[@OUTLAW_THA_KID]

Sounds awesome...the dried fruit probably gives it nice hints of flavor. Genius bro.

[@usucmehardutube]

Charlie my boy ! You won the chocolate factory! You are the first video that Ive watched that actually knew you had to do more than just heat the corn up to mash it. Thanks for showing how to use the Amylase.

[@tennesseelegend4303]

Thanks to yer vidjas I done built myself a still. And made shine fore the first time. I no longer need to steal my dads beer

[@aaronmorgan1879]

same boat. buying from bums

[@alexkay6995]

ROFL

[@kash7768]

I fucking love you lol lost brothers me and you

[@wingmanalive]

I use simple cracked corn as my medium for my mash. 50 lb bag at tractor supply costs $11. That can yield me a 7-8 5 gallon batches of wash for distilling. Add 5lb sugar and you're done. Cheapest solution I've found thus far. After distilling I plan on adding some sliced peaches in the collection jars for flavor, just for an experiment this go around. I estimate each batch of my shine costs only $5 to make, plus the time/effort. Can't beat that!!

[@psychedelicbilly84]

I finally got a chance to try this recipe, only I had no access to dried fruit so I just used corn meal, spring water and a few pounds of sugar. I use a different yeast as well, but yeast is a debatable thing and typically something each brewer approaches differently. I tried this before with cracked corn, but cracked corn doesn't really convert well with amylase, least it didn't for me, but corn meal works wonderfully. I use a doubler keg to get a cleaner product as well, and distilled correctly, this is the best straight corn I've ever made and I've been at it awhile, this is now my standard. I didn't even have to charcoal filter it either, just a clean coffee filter. I may do variations of ground grains as well, like rye and barley.

[@wcemichael]

If you can't find dried fruit, you can add whatever you can get, like a can of your favorite fruit juice concentrate, or even hawaiian punch

[@psychedelicbilly84]

I actually use to use raisins as a yeast nutrient in my old cracked corn/sugar batches, my cousin who is a winemaker told me about it as opposed to using the "chemical" yeast nutrients that you buy a brew suppliers. I want to try the dried fruit though, I'm sure if I look hard enough at the local Amish market I will find it for reasonable, just as I was able to finde the yellow corn meal for $2 for 5 pounds.

[@wcemichael]

Oh yea, I can get a BIG bag of corn meal. But I don't know yet if I'd use it all. Still exploring what I show people and I live in a small house with no man cave.

[@56Tdub]

Ive done this and messed up my last two mash attempts because of temperature issues. DO NOT ADD THE AMYLASE UNTIL YOU COOL DOWN TO AROUND 150 DEGREES F. Also meal is ok to just heat up like this but if you use cracked corn, you must boil it for a while until it gets nice and soupy and thick. Ive been doing a lot of research because i cant get my starches to covert with the amylase enzyme. Any input?

[@wcemichael]

Sounds like you have a good grasp of the subject and utilizing available data nicely

[@chelseaarend3508]

If you did your research a bit more thoroughly, you would find that you have only converted your starches from the corn into UNFERMENTABLE long-chain sugars (i.e. dextrose, etc.). In order to convert long-chain sugars into short-chain FERMENTABLE sugars (sucrose, fructose, glucose) you must add GLUCOamylase AFTER the alpha amylase. ALPHA amylase turns starches into long-chain non-fermentable sugars only. you should start adding the Alpha at around 165 F, rest an hour, then add the Glucoamylase at 150 F, rest it there for a few hours. Insulation really helps keep the heat at this stage (Use an insulated 5 gal water cooler as per this vid and extra blankets). My main point here is, you could make more and better shine using this method (or by using malted barley that has ALL the enzymes needed to convert starches from corn into fermentable sugars). You should be able to nearly DOUBLE your yield of shine. I happen to be gluten intolerant, so I will stick to enzymes. Hope this helps all the new distillers out there! BTW, using table sugar is cheating and adds toxins and off-flavors. Potentially lethal ones like methyl alcohol, also potentially causing blindness. Use common sense.

[@dannymars]

Dextrose is 100% fermentable.

[@katecoombes1000]

How much yeast and Amylase Enzyme do you add to the mash recipe?

[@satanicpanic1313]

Thaen Watkins if you were paying attention he never let it get passed 150. Thats standard.

[@katherines9304]

I made my 1st batch of moonshine the other day with this recipe and I have to say the flavor from the fruit is absolutely delish. I will use this recipie again and again! highly recommended. very high alchol content and smooth yummy flavor! give it a go you wont be disappointed!

[@wcemichael]

Thank you very much.

[@tomkerins3886]

Just wanted to say thanks for putting up the video. Once I make it a few times I'll be moving on to my great grandmas recipe. It's been hanging framed in my house for 24 years!

[@wcemichael]

+Tom Kerins I want to say sooo much about that but I can't think of anything to say, so I'll leave it to just one wordAwesome!!

[@troyyarbrough]

Good video. I noticed in your description, you noted that this is better than "Ole Smokey". I should hope so. I tried Ole Smokey and it tasted like rubbing alcohol smells. It was NASTY.

[@wcemichael]

Well....90% of good spirits is in the distilling, and they didn't have it

[@scottyplug]

What everyone here needs to know is that without the Amylase Enzyme, the corn (regardless of what type) WILL NOT CONVERT TO SUGAR! Unless you use fully malted corn, or some combination (over an extended ferment period) to convert the corn via malting, there is NO WAY to convert the corn starch into sugar via heat alone. Period. It's simple chemistry. Otherwise all you get is a corn flavored (barely, and by that I mean vey little flavor) sugar wash. Fine for making "alcohol", but not corn whiskey. If you follow this recipe properly, I promise you it will produce delicious, proper corn whiskey, And if you use a higher grade, better yeast, you can actually get much higher yields. I've done it.

[@wcemichael]

Very well said. My recipes are as basic as they can get but still get the job done, and I do use basic stuff found in common places. This is done so the average layman can understand the basic principles involved. I hope that they can be creative and inventive and find new and/or better ways to do things, such as you have done.

[@t.jonnson7306]

I love this. It can be made on the back of my pickup truck on the tailgate with a Coleman camp stove whilst at the lake and the kids playing in the local watering hole !

[@rmwtsou]

Amylase will convert starch into mostly dextrin, which is not fermentable. What you need is glucoamylase, which will convert starch all the way down to fermentable glucose. I know BSG Handcraft markets "Convertase AG-300", which is glucoamylase extracted from Aspergillus molds, however, I don't know where one can purchase it in small quantities. China appears to be the main manufacturer of all these enzymes.

[@wcemichael]

Yes. Don't ask me why. All the beer and wine you buy at the store are the same way. Someone told me you can leave it in there, BUT I won't and there is also a taste difference, so cutting it out adds smoothness.

[@CarsCatAliens]

Its an Okay recipe.. wouldnt call it the best though.. Enzymes are not necessary to add to this mash.. Adding Enzymes is for when you are using a Back set as your yeast.. Starch,sugar,water, yeast.. all you need.. If you were to use whole kernels, and not sprout them, you would need the enzyme.. If the corn is milled in any way, the enzyme is released..

[@CarsCatAliens]

also, for a higher proof wash, you want at least One pound of sugar per gallon of water

[@wcemichael]

I had to call it something, and it does seem to outclass most corn mashes that have been posted on YT

[@benpress8884]

You said sugar and yeast could be found on any shelf in any store. I looked on the motor oil shelf at my local auto parts and didn't see either of those things...

[@wcemichael]

If you literally thought I meant to look in an auto parts store then you should never be without adult supervision.

[@matt420740]

wcemichael "any shelf in any store"

[@wcemichael]

And you REALLY think that means to go look in an auto parts store?

[@davidhall4140]

every man likes A__ __ but not many like a smart A__ __

[@davidhall4140]

Yes , but not afraid to show my face Anvilshock ..... ASS ASS ASS !!!

[@samking73]

Funny! There are so many 'back seat' corn mash makers commenting that they are right and everyone else is wrong. If that's truly the case, why are those people even here watching? Wcemichael's videos are much better and more informative than most on the tube. Mine is the opinion of someone whos been in the Ozarks all my life and have seen more than one hillbilly distillery.

[@MrSomethingElse]

Yeah nice one, a way thicker mash than I am used to, I tend to do 50l sugar washes, cornmeal once in a while and fruit when it's in season (especially if theres a tree handy). I am running the stills this weekend, I'm just de-gassing and sterilizing everything, but I will try this method next time, thanks man. I expect you are still at it...

[@TheRBW62]

How do you know it's the best? Have you tasted all the rest? I know u ain't had nary a drop of mine.

[@wcemichael]

"I think I have the best but I haven't tried Real-Batman's moonshine" doesn't just quite make a good title...

[@patrickb9687]

yeah, yeah... Everyone's got "the best."

[@wcemichael]

Patrick Bohler Well then, my title is perfect.

[@davidblack5053]

Had a friend from up in Tennessee and he would go up and get 5 gallons of popcorn suttons finest brew . You had to buy it at least 5 gallons at a time so we would go in together . Was $80 a gallon way back then . But a couple of shots had you walking sideways .

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

David Black Not unless the drinker was an 8-year-old. Popcorn tempered his liquor to right around 90 proof, just like everyone does.

[@terrancestegen5847]

You know you are alcoholic when you search this video

[@thonatim5321]

I followed this recipe (5.4# corn meal and 4# of sugar) and it yielded a SpGr of 1.09 (12% potential ABV) with a pH of 6.5. I added some Apple Cider Vinegar to lower the pH to 5.25. I pitched 7 grams of EC-1118 yeast sprinkled on top, no stirring. Temperature at 71-75F. I used an new pillow case ($5 at Wallys) to strain into another 5 gallon bucket. Mash tasted very good as the video demonstrated. However, I wanted a little more kick to my likker.

[@wcemichael]

Distill half. Add the first distilled half to the second undistilled half. Distill second half.

[@wcemichael]

Antonio Giardina No, the sprout IS the important part of the malt

[@NatureMovies]

wcemichael Incorrect, the acrospires need to be shaken off because if fermented they introduce off flavors since they are protein/starch profile outgrowths of the corn, to form the plant. You don't make whiskey with the acrospires, or what you again incorrectly call sprouts. You need to learn this before passing on all this dangerously wrong information. But at least they will know how to make bad sugar liquor.

[@wcemichael]

NatureMovies The definition of acrospire is the first shoot/sprout. "you don't make whisky with the acrospires" Not seeing were I said you did You soak a seed, it starts to grow, before it has leaves to convert sunlight into sugar, it's called a sprout. You know, like in bean sprouts? All vegetation runs off sugar from sunlight, it's called photosynthesis. Until it has leaves to do that, it has to run off it's own starch reserve found in the seed. The sprout has the enzymes to convert the starch into sugar. You collect them, dry them, grind them, add them to grain starch, you get sugar

[@MarquisEstelle]

wcemichael In the above comment you said "the sprout IS the important part of the malt." It isn't....only what it does, which is to convert the starches to fermentable sugars naturally. Also, Alpha Amylase only convers sugars into long chain sugars, Gluco Amylase is necessary to make those same long-chain sugars actually fermentable. You only mention amylase, well, there are several kinds, the Alpha and Gluco being two critical one's for fermentation. I'd really suggest you look at homedistiller.org and do some reading, you will find it extremely enlightening. Your information here is pretty spotty and I barely see how anyone could actually get a distillable wash out of your recipe. Fruit? Fruit requires an entirely different enzyme to break it down into usable nutrients and sugars, called pectinase. You never mention that. You can get marginal sugar results from simple water exposure, but you are missing around half of available sugar without using a pectinase. That and the lack if distingusihing between the amylases are prime examples of incorrect knowledge of distillation, knowledge that can make the difference between having no fermentation, or a crappy distillate, or having something worthwhile from the same mashing materials. Again, no offense intended. I appreciate your enthusiasm, if you did this right you would have some useful videos. Please consider research, it would help your mashes as well. For reference, I am a Federally licensed distilling professional.

[@MarquisEstelle]

MarquisEstelle Enzyme conversion. You have to use two enzymes in the right order and at the right temps to get any kind of conversion. If you add either one above 170 they will be of no use. Alpha Amylase should be added between 150-160 Far. and kept at around 155 to convert starches into long chain sugars, these sugars ARE NOT fermentable. You must add Gluco Amylase at between 147-155 and keep it at strike temp for at least an hour to get conversion. Most don't let it go over 151, but the enzymes can handle a little variation. Keep in mind too that in grain mashes barley does this job, but commercial distilleries use amylase to ensure complete conversion. Iodine starch test can easily confirm. It is important to use both enzymes at the right temp in order get good conversion of starches. Corn needs to be cooked in order to loosen and expose the starches. Using fruit for mashes requires pectinase enzyme to break open the sugar containers in order to ferment. There are high temp versions of these enzymes that can be added at high temps and start conversion before chilling. In real-life distilling situations an immersion chiller is used to chill the wort faster for adding enzymes and heat is controlled to maintain and hold strike temps to get complete conversion. No need to use enzymes on sugar, in fact, do not put enzymes in at the same time as sugar, add sugar after fermentation has commenced. Alpha added first, then Gluco later, Gluco is the enzyme that does the real work, but it can only work with long-chain sugars provided by the Alpha.

[@wcemichael]

MarquisEstelle I didn't read your whole comment. I will read it in full later, but you were spot on from what I did read. However, I use a mixed amylase. It has both parts in it and used it with whatever info I could scratch up. Maybe I'll have to do a follow up video on this later. Thanks for the info.

[@_AVF]

Your next bowl of pasta is gonna get you tipsy.....

[@dbd2191]

You can put that in my pasta any day lol.

[@dustincombs622]

+wcemichael I had did EVERYTHING you did except add fruit. Also I used The White Cornmeal with Amylase enzymes, and it is Day 3 and My Mash Smells Like Sourdough bread.. Is this Normal?

[@Doomfire01]

DEE BEE. yes you want your mash sour... no sugar that how you no the yeast did its job and ya getting the best percent on alcohol

[@wcemichael]

Do what you want with your mash. This is my recipe, it's suppose to give you ideas of what you can do with a mash. You can even make a shortcut by adding fruit juice. However, you're fruit is going to be limited because... A. You're not fermenting any of the natural juices. B. You're not giving the fruit TIME to blend in with the mash. Just like adding fruit to Midnight Moon brand. The flavor runs through the shine because it was given time. What you have is a garnish

[@solshine41]

The temperature of the mash when you pitch the yeast is very important. If it's too hot it will kill the yeast. I usually let it cool to about 80deg F. Also temp during fermentation will effect the time it takes to ferment. You want it to stay over 73 deg but less than 90 deg. Also use fresh yeast. It does have an expiration date.

[@padraickennedy1232]

Ya'll goin making liquor in the woods too.

[@wcemichael]

Methanol has an almost burning sensation on the tounge. When this taste starts to mellow out, I start keeping it. I show this in my saftey video.

[@4sipswhiskey322]

Does cracked corn gel up when cooked? Like this corn meal?

[@steveandrews8301]

So the "firsts" are methanol, not ethanol? Thanks. All new to me, at this point.

[@elihoffman6906]

@steve Andrews, as a rule of thumb, most people throw out the first 2oz, as this contains the highest concentration of methanol and acetone.

[@ventedreaper6385]

@@elihoffman6906 thank you for that Ive been thinking of making moonshine but I never understood the concept of heads

[@bonnieswenson9925]

I hope you're doing well Michael.

[@FUreplygirl]

I said that because the thumper would prevent your mash foam from getting into your coil/ whisky as you mentioned in my previous comment. Also preventing you from having to filter it so finely.

[@danssv8]

Got to give it a go , looks really good , all i will change is to use turbo yeast and use turbo clear after fermentation . Well done mate and thanks for sharing , cheers :-)

[@wcemichael]

Yes! I know! Your the 4th person to tell me! I never herd the word before, and I said it wrong! Sue me!

[@wcemichael]

You can't please all the people all the time, so I don't try to.. ..I get a lot more sleep at night! lol

[@wcemichael]

I don't know the exact numbers, but it is also my obervation (and Derp's argument), that a small 3 gal mash (for example only) containing 2 lb of corn won't make as much alcohol as the same mash made with 1 lb corn and 1 lb sugar. The sugar may be more expensive in the short term, BUT that sugar will give you a greater amount of alcohol. So in the long term, pound for pound and gallon for gallon, corn and sugar cost about the same.

[@speedwayaudio3]

Now I want a big bowl of grits.

[@lifuranph.d.9440]

With butter or maple syrup, maybe both with eggs and bacon?

[@user-tz2mc3sy2e]

Don't use 'bread yeast' for distilling; most bread yeast (including Red Star) produces an average ABV of around 8%... Use a high alcohol tolerant yeast which is designated for grain distillation mash; which runs usually around 14%- 18% ABV. A friend of mine who makes vodka uses a yeast made for Sake production; which can run as high as 23% ABV under optimal fermentation conditions (checking for the correct sugar content w/ a hygrometer per amount of yeast, using the yeast nutrients & fermentation temperatures as specified on the package.) It's probably one of the highest ABV producing yeasts in the world right now-. Made by Alltech.

[@johnnash5430]

Hey Alex... Privet! Where can you buy this yeast?

[@scottyweimuller6152]

Bull shit, i use redstar all the time for my fractional still and it works fine so this whole it doesn't provide high enough abv is bullshit, im getting 185 proof runs with my still just fine, I also use distillers malt/2 row/corn wash with 50 pounds of sugar so its not true about what you said.

[@MrCcfly]

he mean with just fermenting u will get 2x more with koji yeast

[@carloayars2175]

That's a rookie mistake. Keep the ABV of the wash to 8% or so but not higher. You develop off flavors when you shoot for higher ABV. Just make a larger wash at 8% and do a couple of strip runs then a spirit run. You'll end up with much better product that way. Also if using sugar (I don't) the very best yeast to use is typical bread yeast. Same for Rum. I wouldn't use other yeasts until you get into all grains.

[@kyzdawg]

Would work better at 98 degrees so you dont denature the enzyme.

[@scottyweimuller6152]

Whos telling you this bs?

[@nickknight8065]

Exactly. Proteins (almost all enzymes are proteins) lose their structure at that high of a temperature. 100 degrees is better

[@triton576]

Thanks for the video. For your next recipe try 3lb of peaches (peeled and mashed) 1 cup of sugar and yeast. For a 5gl batch

[@scottyweimuller6152]

1 cup of yeast? Thats overkill dude

[@jonewer]

You would get better efficiency by putting the mash in a cooler box with extra blankets over it. Aim for 66C or whatever that is in Fahrenheit and leave it for a couple of hours to overnight.

[@broark88]

Very detailed and informative! BTW, amylase is pronounced AM uh lace.

[@wcemichael]

Yes. I've been told how to pronounce it 101 times.

[@stephenwilliams4533]

Filtering sux so much

[@VTiredIron]

@Logan...the song (if your question hasn't been answered yet) is Man of Constant Sorrow by the "Soggy Bottom Boys" (aka Union Station)

[@wcemichael]

Hmmm... that indicates that it might be a "liqueur" not a"liquor" which is more of a cocktail, usually with a sweetness to it. Examples of this are Southern Comfort and Schnapps, in which case I wouldn't know how to copy this. A grain alcohol like Everclear might work if you put some blueberries in it. It might be too strong so water it down with some pure bottled water.

[@FernandoDiaz-fb1td]

the mash smell like Beer!!!, When I had the mash in my still it smells like alcohol and I got a contact high and got drink !!!.

[@petmogul2967]

what did u think it was going to smell like?

[@Forbidaxe]

@@petmogul2967 Well my mash smells strong of wine, so this statement is open ended.

[@bryanroupe8646]

@@Forbidaxe everything I have made has always smelled like wine but I have have done is fruit mash and sugar was. Never have done a corn wiskey. Mostly because I haven't done much research into amylase enzyme and I know its needed to convert starch to fermentable sugar.

[@drdeath8669]

When i saw the thumbnail i thought you were cooking your own vomit.

[@bellsnowgrehg3501]

Dr death today we're going to learn how to turn your body's waste into party liquor. first, you'll want to cut into​ your jenkem stash...

[@shavinmccrotch9435]

Ha! At first I thought this comment was kinda rude. Then I saw the mash with the fruit in it. Total puke bucket. 🤣

[@Adogsmate4267]

That's what l do. Told by all the best. I try to get as much of the skins of the fruit to spread out and become absorbable, like flat stone grind them and add them back. Deepened back end flavour is what I'm after. I'm blown away, I may as well be you. What do you do, two yrs in wood chips? An on going batch is where it's at, keep brewing, batch after batch, you must right everything down. In two short years, the supply of your learning will be at your tasting. That's what I did, after the first reveal or maybe the second, learning is at the forefront and adjustments can be made and blend's can take real meaning. I love this experience, the more you drive it, the more you take from your records, the better the outcome ( or not) ha, ha. But you can always go back and start again, with no loss to the good time's. I'm also glad to see you with the same draining issues that I have, patients is the key. Hopping up and down about your video, we might as well be brothers.

[@robertwalker8964]

Using a copper pot belly still with both thermostat and pressure gauge two tumbling kegs and instead of a condenser worm in a water filled container I use an up right freezer with 150 feet of copper tubing snaking through the door like a radiator keeping the freezer below 35 degrees

[@zideaxfast4162]

10:47 look at the eyes!!

[@t.jonnson7306]

He's in a trailer isn't he ? No hair on his hands, what's with that ? I'm starting to get scared.....................

[@mollynix1525]

Tickle was in a trailer when he made his lol

[@StillIt]

THanks for the link. I will have to watch this a few times before making any corn whiskey!

[@wcemichael]

No no no....Please, watch my other videos. Start with redistilling cheap whiskey or vodka, then move to distilling wine to learn to make your cuts, then make make brandy using your own fruit mash, THEN make grain alcohol. Each step has it's own lessons that need to be learned. If you dive into the final step, you could do 1 of 100 things wrong

[@5x535]

@@wcemichael That sounds like a wise approach to me. Thank you, sir.

[@wcemichael]

Amylase is basically the same thing as your own spit (but not really) as in your saliva breaks down starches into sugar for digestion. The amylase is basically doing the same thing. Take a small glass full of your cooked mash. Warm it up in the microwave if it's cold, but not hot. Add half teaspoon of yeast to it, stir it up, and let it set for 10-15 min. If you have made sugar then the mixture will foam up

[@teeopee100]

where de hell is this dudes ol lady while he's trashin her kitchen ? ARF!

[@turbinesafe9968]

teeopee10

[@lee0den145]

teeopee100 6

[@wcemichael]

Ah. You are right in that aspect, but also you wouldn't know if you were foaming because you could not see inside the barrel. It works but it's a little bit of a trade off.

[@duratoke]

I'm glad you showed how the amy thins out the corn-meal, maybe you used a little more than needed though. They generally say 1 teaspoon for 5 gallons. But I think you're doing a great "job anyway. This was one the most informative posts I could find out about using that stuff."

[@wcemichael]

Yea, this was only the second attempt ever at using this with grains. I was doing a fly by wire kind of thing. Luckily using too much doesn't hurt the mash

[@freedomfamily1358]

One helpfull add that i have used in this recipe is a bubble mesh bag that i put it all into so i had almost nothing that needed straining afterwards

[@wcemichael]

To a point....yes. I only count the 5lb of corn as 1lb of sugar AFTER converting the starch. It may be a bit more than that. You don't have to but I do add the sugar as an easy shortcut to increase the alcohol % BUT you can only ever hope to get a max of 20% WITH the best yeasts. I go by a simple rule of thumb. 1 lb of sugar (any kind of sugars from corn or honey ect) to 1 gallon of water.

[@bteel21]

just for future batches you should know that you only have alpha amylase in order to do a proper conversion you need to add gluco amylase at the end at a lower temp of 140ish alpha amylase converts the starches to long chain sugar(mostly unfermentable) then the G.A turns those to fermentable sugar

[@wcemichael]

Oh I'm sure this far from perfect, but it's better than all the videos that just use yeast in their corn

[@wcemichael]

Generally this statement is correct. Shiners primarily use corn because of cost. But I think there is more labor involved involved using grain than fruit.

[@wcemichael]

I still had some corn residue solids, making it cloudy. So once you get the chunky stuff out and an initial residue out, your good to go. A single or double will work

[@wcemichael]

Nobody taught me. I figured it out. You might be right about there there being an better enzyme temp, but 150 does work in this case.

[@riprockvx9]

1 bag Turbo Yeast 24 or 48 hour and 12lb sugar. Mix with 3 gallons then top up with cool water after suger is disolved into heated water. Add yeast when temp under 90f. Or let sugar-water sit over night and add yeast when cooled off. 70-80f would be great! Don't let fermenter get over about 90f if possible. Yeast puts off heat during ferment....exothermic. Will heat high enough to kill itself off.

[@wcemichael]

Depends on the yeast you use. You can only get 14%+- with bakers yeast. I get 20% because I add a spoon of turbo yeast to the bakers yeast, and give it enough time to work.

[@bizarrebrews101]

Amylase Works well between 148 and 158, you should also do an Iodine test to ensure conversion. Cracked Cork works Much easier btw. Bread yeast should never be used to produce Beer, Get a Cheap Beer yeast Like Nottingham Dry yeast, it works much better and is more efficient. Just some tips for you.

[@solshine41]

I use bread yeast so I only get a quart of 130 proof. Then I get about a quart and a half of tails that range from about 100 pr. To 40 real fast. If you use a yeast that is for high alcohol you can get alot more of the good stuff. I will be using a turbo yeast soon so I can get more. I'm new at this too but I've had good success with the 8 runs that I've done with just using the bread yeast. But I'm looking forward to using the turbo.