You’ll be able to make a beverage that is much better than any store-bought vodka. Bitter taste (all sugars are converted into ethanol), Carbon dioxide is no longer produced (the airlock is not bubbling), Top layers of the wash are lighter, there’s sediment at the bottom, A lighted match keeps burning when set to the wash. This distillate can be poured in the next wash (after decanting) to increase ABV. Warm 3 liters of water to 70-80°C in a large cooking pot. Fermentation lasts for 3-10 days (usually 4-7 days). You can also install fish tank heaters with a thermal regulation system. Stir this in briefly. When vodka is distilled using a pot still, or in this case a stock pot still, a portion of the aroma and flavor of the fermented liquid does pass on to the distilled product. Let’s learn all of the nuances in full detail. After 20-40 minutes you’ll see a layer of flat foam on its surface. Potato Vodka / Moonshine Step 1: What You Will Need. While heating, stir the mixture of sugar, raisins, and water with a large brewers paddle or spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved. On contrary, before adding yeast to the must you should first activate them. Alternatively, you can skip gathering this fractions altogether—just shut the distillation still after gathering the hearts. In part 2, tomorrow, we will distill it using the stock pot distilling technique we looked at in the previous distilling episode. Clarifying sugar moonshine with carbon is very natural but if handled properly manganese solution and baking soda also work well. Fresh pineapple also makes a great garnish. Add... Clean all your utensils and prepare the area properly.. Fermenting is the next step when learning how to make vodka. Ingredients: 7 kg White Sugar 200 g Yeast Nutrients 1 Pack Turbo Yeast Clearing agent ( Optional) Bring the syrup to boiling, cook for 10 minutes, skimming off the foam. Cake-flavored vodka just may be the best thing in a bottle; it tastes great mixed with just about anything. Crumbs of a half of a cracker or 10-20 ml of vegetable oil work great as foam suppressants. To make 5 liters of 40% ABV moonshine you’ll need: Per 1 kilo of sugar, you should add 4 liters of water (and another 0.5 liters if you perform inverting) and 100 grams of pressed yeast or 20 grams of dry yeast. How to Ferment Sugar Wash to Make Vodka - Part 1. Step 2: Preparing the Potatoes. In order to invert sugars for wash you’ll need to do the following: Before making sugar syrup I suggest settling tap water for 1-2 days. In a 10 gallon (38 l) metal pot with lid, heat 6 gallons (23 l) of water to about 165° F (74° C). Use a silicon elastic band to strap a skewer onto one end of the pipe so that just a half inch of the skewer protrudes past the end of the pipe. After that, you can start distillation. It contains a lot of fusil oil. This means that it’s time to dissolve activated yeast in the must. Allow the solution to cool to 40c or 104f, then add the turbo yeast. Vodka is by definition pure ethanol in water... it has not distinctive smell or flavor. I recommend shaking the wash for 45-60 seconds every 12-16 hours without removing the airlock. Doing this decreases water hardness and lets the sediment layer settle. The longer it sits the more flavorful it will be. You can use a coffee filter, cheesecloth-lined sieve or muslin to strain back into the original vodka bottle or another storage contain… Many novice moonshiners neglect sterility and then complain about odd smell and flavor. Otherwise, making a mistake is very easy. Please stay tuned for tomorrow's episode where we will distill this using a stock pot distiller. Once the flavor is right for you, strain the mixture. This is a quick look at the precipitate at the bottom of the fermentation vessel. Using bentonite eliminates foreign substances which haven’t precipitated out during fermentation. Put the cap on the bottle and place the wash in your refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Add sugar (6 kilos) and slowly stir the mixture until it becomes homogenous. Pour the degassed wash back into the bottle and clarify it with bentonite (preferably)—natural pipeclay sold in small packages as part of cat litter. This is very fine yeast particulate that has not precipitated. Add bentonite to the wash, seal the vessel and shake actively for a few minutes. Add cool water and/or ice until you’re at a volume of about 6.6 gallons, cooling the “sugar water” mixture so that it reaches 100° F. Take a hydrometer reading to find out your specific gravity (and write it down! There are many other sugar wash recipes and distilling methods out there, but for beginners, I recommend to follow this recipe in order to prevent spoiling precious raw materials at home. Carbon dioxide interferes with yeast growth. This yeast enjoys higher temperatures, does not develop any nasties, it has yeast nutrient built into the formulation and as an added bonus, an anti-foaming agent. Otherwise, during active fermentation, the wash might overflow and you’ll have to wipe the oddly smelling product off the floor. Allow the solution to cool to 40c or 104f, then add the turbo yeast. Oxygen is required for yeast and fermentation. Close the cooking pot and cook for 60 minutes. We want to clear most of this before distilling. It is the perfect wash for beginner distillers, and especially when using a stock pot still where it is really inconvenient trying to remove heads and tails during the process. Rack this off again, and you're ready to distill the wash. 60g Turbo yeast (this comes in many brands, and is available from your local home brew supplier). According to our proportions, these 300 ml are the “head” fraction, which can be used only for technical purposes because they are high in harmful substances. Although the inverting stage is considered optional as most recipes suggest simply dissolving sugar in warm water, I recommend cooking syrup. Don’t boil or distill the water for moonshine because this will cause deoxygenation. However, this only true for vodkas that have been distilled using refraction, or column stills. Dissolve sugar, adding more hot water if necessary. Use alcoholmeter to measure ABV (only at a temperature of 20°C), but you can also use a rule of thumb: keep gathering while the distillate is burning in a spoon. Moonshine made from inverted sugars ferments faster and has a better taste. Warning! This takes about 10-15 minutes. Once again, notice the precipitated yeast at the bottom. In order to maintain temperature conditions cover the vessel with warm blankets or fur coats, provide heat insulation with construction thermal insulating materials. Heat the water and stir the solution until the sugar has totally dissolved. ). Adding these products won’t affect the quality of your moonshine even a tiny bit. After 48 hours listen to the fermentation. Here is the racked, fermented sugar wash. You will notice how cloudy it is. Give it a taste to see if the flavor is where you want it. Shaking allows excessive carbon dioxide elimination. Usually, it has to do with cooling boiled water to 32-36°C, pouring in a certain amount of yeast, closing the vessel, and covering it in thick fabric or placing it in a warm place with a stable temperature. To achieve the relatively high alcohol content of between 14 and 19%, we are using specially formulated yeast called Turbo yeast. First, make sure that all of the containers and vessels used are squeaky clean. Fill the vessel up to ¾ of its volume. After this time, notice how much clearer the wash is. Reduce the heat to 30c or 86f, place the lid on the pot and allow this to ferment for 48 hours. We are going to make a fermented sugar wash which ideal for producing vodka. As a result, the wash won’t have an unpleasant yeast odor. This yummy cocktail combines the flavored vodka with pineapple juice for a sweet treat. This keeps the end of the pipe clear of the precipitated dead yeast at the bottom of the pot. Also in order for this method to work wait until fermentation is fully stopped before starting clarification process. Making sugar moonshine is a traditional moonshining recipe. After this decant the water through a thin tube. Just follow the instructions on a label of the yeast package. SharePin Different Mashes. Leave it alone for 15-30 hours. Wine, Vodka, Moonshine, Whiskey and other drinks! Don’t pour off the sediment into drains as this might cause the formation of cement plugs, which are very hard to eliminate. Warning! Add sugar (6 kilos) and slowly stir the mixture until it becomes homogenous. When choosing pipeclay keep an eye out for flavor additives which will irreversibly spoil your homemade moonshine. Place other end of the pipe in the bottle and run the fermented liquid into the bottle. Gather the last third fraction (tails) in a separate container. Add the water and sugar to you fermentation vessel. The next middle fraction (hearts) is also called raw alcohol. It is ready to distill. After the sugar has completely dissolved and you are waiting for the mixture to reach temperature (70F), re-hydrate your yeast by following the instructions on the back of the yeast package. Distilling the moonshine will also be much simpler because pipeclay removes most hazardous substances. The main signs that the sugar wash is ready for distillation: Be cautious, as at least 2-3 of these signs have to appear to make sure that fermentation has stopped.