I don't see any forums for making spirits, so I am not sure if I'm in the right place. I normally make beer, but lately i wanted to try to make spirits. For those of you who don't know mash is like a pre-cursor to spirits. You ferment it in a still then distill it, to make the ABV higher. But i'm not looking to distill, just ferment. The process is pretty simple. you warm up water, add a lot of sugar and turbo yeast and wait till fermentation is complete. is anyone familiar with this process? if so, what kind of sugar is best for fermentation? sucrose, glucose, dextrose? like i said, i don't have a still and i don't want to distill it, so will my mr. beer keg work for this?
Making mash/spirits with mr. beer keg?
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Doing what you are describing will probably produce something that will not be very tasty to drink without distilling. And since this is a forum dedicated to brewing something that is end point drinkable, I would say to try to check this out: http://homedistiller.org/
You can certainly use your Mr. Beer keg in any manner you see fit. I think that you would make a vile tasting hooch but why not experiment and find out?
I make quality wines so I'm afraid I can't help you with any specifics. You may want to try google.
I make quality wines so I'm afraid I can't help you with any specifics. You may want to try google.
Beerrific said:
I already make delicious beer so I'm not too concerned with making something that tastes good. I'm just looking to make something that will get me really pissed.
YBM, so you don't see any reason why making mash or wine in a mr. beer keg wouldn't work?
Brewsmith
Home brewing moogerfooger
Like she said, it will work to ferment in. You just might not like the results.
Kai
Well-Known Member
Kai said:
that recipe looks good, i'll prbly make that the next time around, but the turbo yeast that makes the mash im talking about yields 20% abv. this is an example of what i'm talking about:
http://cgi.ebay.com/A-package-of-li...ryZ38172QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
the only problem is it requires 16 pounds of sugar. I can't tell if this liquor quick yeast is liquid or dry yeast, but more importantly can I use part of this package and save the rest for the next batch? my mr. beer keg only holds 2.5 gallons and this makes 6.5 gallons.
Also, do i need carboy for bottling? Or can i use plastic PET soda bottles? thats what i normally use for bottling beer. i also have a bunch of old wine bottles i could use and create airlocks for them. Would both work?
Really now. If you want information on getting drunked up on nasty, go to http://homedistiller.org/ Plan to spend a week or better reading all about making sugar washes, grain mashing, and things of that nature. You will be my 14 year old hero if you can manage to drink ANY of this crap without distilling it.
The UJSM looks like a good recipe from the site...But Really, You are going to go to jail if you try it. And if you ever get any of this crap built, you will have a very hard time convincing anyone that you intend to drink it.
The UJSM looks like a good recipe from the site...But Really, You are going to go to jail if you try it. And if you ever get any of this crap built, you will have a very hard time convincing anyone that you intend to drink it.
BigKahuna said:
14 year old hero? wtf is that supposed to mean? are you implying i am 14?
And i don't see why it should taste so bad. Have you ever tried it? No. Distilling really just removes water. Carbon filters are what clean it of cogoners and other crap. And i don't really care if it tastes like ****. Distillers cost lots of money
Brewsmith
Home brewing moogerfooger
From those on here that have tried it, they say it does taste like ****
And most people asking to make the kind of stuff you are asking about on this forum have turned out to be under age just trying to make some hooch to get wasted off of.
If making some nasty fermented sugar to get blitzed is what you are trying to do, go ahead. Just don't be surprised when real homebrewers try to give you pointers on how to make a real, good tasting beer.
And most people asking to make the kind of stuff you are asking about on this forum have turned out to be under age just trying to make some hooch to get wasted off of.
If making some nasty fermented sugar to get blitzed is what you are trying to do, go ahead. Just don't be surprised when real homebrewers try to give you pointers on how to make a real, good tasting beer.
You came here looking for information... don't get all crabby when you are given information that you don't want to hear.
If you are looking to get schlitzed on the cheap, try some everclear...or Mad Dog.
If you are looking to get schlitzed on the cheap, try some everclear...or Mad Dog.
Let me say this.. I once was one of those kids who figured out that I could put sugar and water and yeast together, produce alcohol and then distill it to make it strong. Let me tell you, it tasted bad even then.. it tasted like i was drinking perfume. The esters stay with it, and trust me they are not good ones. My hooch was ignitable so it was deffinately strong, and that was a homemade still (its not expensive. a pan and copper tubing). However, its a waste of time money and illegal. Make up 2.5 gallons of 8% apfelwein and that should be enough to get you hammered and a cool little science project as well. If you just want to get hammered though.. go buy a 30 of stones or 30 or stones ice. 12 bucks never went to waste on a 30 of stones if you were just lookin to get hammered.
FEARDIZ
Well-Known Member
isn't distilling only illeagal in the US ? maybe this guy in not from the us , so all the warning about illeagal is not worth anything ??
FEARDIZ said:
Only two people mentioned it being illegal... and yes, it is illegal in the US but he said he is not going to distill it.
IT WILL TASTE TERRIBLE, IT IS A WASTE OF TIME.
I encourage you to experiment, but I also say, if you are saying you are not going to distill it, then why do it at all.
Kaiser
Well-Known Member
I just have to say that the label design for the package is what made me laugh most:
Brewsmith
Home brewing moogerfooger
So are you saying that you're an alcoholic?lovebeer said:yeah cause all alcoholics are underage
david_the_greek
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his money, his product, his time = not my problem. Give it a try and tell me about it. Maybe you'll figure out a good hooch that you can mix with other beverages for parties on the cheap. To each their own.
Brewsmith said:
No, maybe i'm a boarder-line alcoholic, but i was just saying that certainly not everyone who wants to make cheap moonshine is a kid, more likely the person is an alcoholic.
david_the_greek said:
yea that was my plan. mix it with gatorade, cola, anything strong that will disguise the taste. and it's way cheaper than buying a bottle of popov or some cheap liquor like that. i mean it's 6.5 gallons for a $10 pack of yeast plus whatever the sugar costs..
btw xcrusader did you use carbon filters? b/c i think that will improve the taste much more than distilling. eta: can anyone answer my questions in post 8 or does nobody know?
ArcaneXor
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lovebeer said:
If you think you are a borderline alcoholic, maybe you should save the money and get some help? You'll end up sick, dead, in jail, and/or not being able to drink any alcoholic beverages at all, and that would be a shame.
Home brewing, to me, is an art, just like gourmet cooking. Experimentation is fine, but I'll never understand how one could brew up some awful "beverage" simply because its alcohol content is higher and kicks your ass more quickly.
lovebeer said:
No I didn't, but I have done it w/ cheap vodka. It works, but not very well. I'm sure it would take more out of the hooch than a cheap vodka though.. deffinately try it man, post up a thread about it when you do it.
rod
beer -just brew it
this may help:
The following method is recommended by Gert Strand, in order to get optimum performance from the carbon.
The following method is recommended by Gert Strand, in order to get optimum performance from the carbon.
- Activated carbon will work best when used in a granulated form as a filling in a filtration column using the following method.
- Fill a tube 1.5 meters in length and at least 40 mm diameter with pre wetted granulated, activated carbon. Beware! The tube must be at least 38 mm diameter or it will introduce a "wall effect" where alcohol slips through the column without being purified. The filtration must go as slowly as possible without stopping, or the effects are much reduced. The filtration rate must not rise above approx 400ml per hour. Place one coffee cup of Norit activated carbon (0.25 to 1 mm) at the bottom of the column to reduce speed. With some carbons the speed can be higher.
- To get achieve maximum effect from activated carbon the filtration must take place through the carbon bed without channeling, and in addition, the tube must be free of any air. To accomplish this proceed as follows;
- Put the carbon in a bucket or kitchen pot and completely cover with 2-3 times more hot or boiling water. Mix for a minute and pour out any excess water. Repeat 4-5 times to wash out soluble material from the carbon.
- Place filter papers in the tube. Fill the tube fill with warm water, then top up with the pre-wetted carbon so it flows into water and no air at all remains in the tube.
- Filter 2-3 liters or more of water through the column to wash out any water soluble substances present in the carbon.
- Start pouring the alcohol to be filtered directly "onto" the water so that no air comes into contact with the carbon in the tube. Filter all of the alcohol in one run, again to prevent any air from coming into contact with the carbon. Run about 1 liter of water through at the end of the alcohol to flush out the last of the alcohol. Taste the alcohol and stop collecting when you detect water.
Actually, Home distillation is ONLY legal in New Zealand. The entire rest of the world will have you in jail for this.FEARDIZ said:
IF you are really just looking to make a very strong experiment, try the sugar, water and nutrient (Turbo Yeast). AVOID THE CORN unless you intend to distill and want Whiskey.
Once fermentation is done, add some soda syrup or some fruit juice. It's kinda taking the back road to get something you can choke down, but what the hell.
Oh...ya
Most super yeasts are dry, and come with LOTS of nutrient in them. if you shake the pack, you should get to use more than once.
Most super yeasts are dry, and come with LOTS of nutrient in them. if you shake the pack, you should get to use more than once.
Oh...ya
Most super yeasts are dry, and come with LOTS of nutrient in them. if you shake the pack, you should get to use more than once.
Most super yeasts are dry, and come with LOTS of nutrient in them. if you shake the pack, you should get to use more than once.
Philip1993
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lovebeer said:
Try 23# of sugar...
16# of cane sugar in 6.5 gal = 1.113 OG (13.7% ABV). 23# of cane sugar in 6.5 gal = 1.163 OG (20.4% ABV)
lovebeer said:
Popov: $17.9/gal for 100 proof. Cut 4:1 for 5 gallons of horrible tasting 20proof swill. Total cost: $17.99 Total time: 5 minutes.
Your stuff: Yeast = $11.99 22# of sugar = $9.00 $20.99 for 5 gallons of horrible tasting 20proof swill. Don't forget fermenter, airlock, bottles, etc Total cost: About $50.00 Total Time: About 6 hours.
All that said, I gotta call BS. There is no logical reason to pursue this endeavor unless you're underage or you intend to distill this crap.
Tusch
Well-Known Member
pldoolittle said:
Well technically that's all for not, because his would be 40 proof, so you wouldn't have to cut the popov as much.
AND...If you're planning to distill....you would be fairly cheap to get a gallon of $4.00 wine., it should yeild about 1.5 Ltr...That's 100Proof.pldoolittle said:
Use sugar, water and turbo yeast as per the directions on the yeast pack.
Once fermentation is complete, run the resulting..er..liquid through a carbon filter (or use that activated carbon powder stuff as per directions).
Then take that alcoholic liquid and add one of those Liqueur flavorings. Such as at the bottom of this page.
I know people who have done this and it turns out pretty good. It is not illegal because it is not distilled.
Also, the person I know that does this quite often (makes them mostly for his folks) is 38, is a homebrewer, has 3 kids and is probably the biggest beer snob I know. So it's not all 14 year old kids looking for a cheap buzz.
Some of you need to untwist your panties before you have a stroke.
Once fermentation is complete, run the resulting..er..liquid through a carbon filter (or use that activated carbon powder stuff as per directions).
Then take that alcoholic liquid and add one of those Liqueur flavorings. Such as at the bottom of this page.
I know people who have done this and it turns out pretty good. It is not illegal because it is not distilled.
Also, the person I know that does this quite often (makes them mostly for his folks) is 38, is a homebrewer, has 3 kids and is probably the biggest beer snob I know. So it's not all 14 year old kids looking for a cheap buzz.
Some of you need to untwist your panties before you have a stroke.
Philip1993
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Tusch said:
Great point. Glad you caught that!
rod said:
thanks for the info. one question. why can't the carbon come into contact with air? all that water would dillute it a lot more.
guy i don't know where you buy your liquor but i've never seen a gallon of popov for 17.99. a liter costs that much in some places. And if its 40% abv you'd need to buy 2.5 gallons to get the equivalent, which would cost around 50 bucks here. And i don't a fermenter, bottles or airlocks b/c i already have all of those things except an airlock which i don't need b/c i'm not carbonating it. it will cost like $20. definitely cheaper, and i can't afford to waste money, especially on alcohol.pldoolittle said:
This is interesting stuff. One question, though: If I don't add any spirit flavoring, will the resulting vodka be bad? What I mean is, is the spirit flavoring required to cover up impurities?
And yeah, I've never understood the irrational hate directed toward people who want to make liquor. It's perfectly fine to inform them that it may taste bad, but personal attacks and rash assumptions about age are just out of line. Also, I doubt many of the people attacking the OP have ever actually tried the carbon filter process, so I don't know how'd they know it's a definite waste of time. The whole idea that homemade liquor is guaranteed to taste bad just seems like dogma passed around by homebrewers who, for some reason, want to hate people who experiment with liquor.
And yeah, I've never understood the irrational hate directed toward people who want to make liquor. It's perfectly fine to inform them that it may taste bad, but personal attacks and rash assumptions about age are just out of line. Also, I doubt many of the people attacking the OP have ever actually tried the carbon filter process, so I don't know how'd they know it's a definite waste of time. The whole idea that homemade liquor is guaranteed to taste bad just seems like dogma passed around by homebrewers who, for some reason, want to hate people who experiment with liquor.
There is a little too much hate here for someone experimenting with liquors however the OP has indicated that he is looking for a cheap alcohol source.beala said:
Distilling does remove some impurities in addition to the water, especially if done correctly and the heads/tails are thrown out. The biggest difference between cheap vodkas and expensive ones is how careful/wasteful the distilling process is. Your undistilled spirit will have everthing still in it and so it probably will not taste very good.
You will probably get slightly better results from the yeast by targeting an alcohol level slightly below its tolerance so as to not stress it as much. An 18% ABV target should be good.
The yeast should be dry so you could split the packet into 2 batches. Just be very careful about sanitation and sealing the unused portion.
Apfelwein is an inexpensive and easy drink to make that tastes great and has had much success. I think you could even boost it to 10% ABV without much problem. I think this is a better solution for an easy alcoholic drink. And it doesn't require any flavoring to hide the taste.
Craig
Tusch
Well-Known Member
lovebeer said:
You don't just need an airlock to carbonate, you need it to ferment. Technically if you don't use an airlock you will only carbonate it, and turn it into a keg bomb.
But it sounds like some people have experimented with this type of "liquor" so I say go ahead and experiment. I imagine if you take all the tips to heart, such as don't completely stress the yeast, filter it when it's done and maybe use some liquor additives, you might make something decent.
Best of luck if you end up going through with it, tell us how it ends up.
Philip1993
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beala said:
There's not an irrational hate for liquor makers. I personally like the idea, but just don't have the time for another hobby.
There is, however, a general dislike of people who's only goal is to make cheap hooch. Particularly if they couldn't care less how it tastes so long as it has alcohol in it. He would have gotten much the same response if he were looking to make prison wine or 12% beer out of cane sugar.
As for the age assumptions, most of the cheap hooch makers are teenagers looking to cook up something under the bed...
Suppose all of the above were true. Suppose he was a 14 year old just looking to make hooch. Is that good reason to dislike/hate him or even ridicule him? The only possibly sound reason is that he may be deceiving his parents, which might be good reason to dislike him, but even that is tenuous. It rests upon many unprovable assumptions. (1) Only kids make hooch (2) He lives in an area with a drinking age (3) His parents are in fact being deceived (I started homebrewing at 19. My parents knew, and didn't care). Reading the previous posts, I don't think any of those points can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The evidence is circumstantial at best.pldoolittle said:
Second, I find it questionable that even the previous argument is sound. Does deceiving parents necessarily justify hate? Let me create an analogy to illustrate this better. Suppose there's a nation, let's call it the Nation of Beala, where it's illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to make cookies. Further suppose that there's an enterprising young man, age 14, who really really likes cookies. One day, a friend of his excitidely approaches him and exclaims that he's gotten a hold of an illegal cookie recipe. If he were to go behind his parents' back, and produce these contraband cookies, would that be seriously immoral? Further suppose that the cookies are of low quality, because he couldn't get his hands on better cookie ingredients. Would he deserve ridicule and hate for it (or even just dislike)? My intuitions say no.
The only objection I can think of to this analogy is that the idea of a cookie law is ridiculous, and that it's not at all like a drinking age, but I challenge anyone to try to make a distinction between the two. They're both arbitrary restrictions on what sorts of (mostly) harmless substances you can put into your own body.
Other clearly unsound arguments would be: (1) Making hooch somehow demeans the art of homebrewing. (2) It's off topic, because this forum doesn't deal with this subject, and therefore he deserves to be ridiculed. These, to me, are clearly unsound, and I won't even bother to address them.
The reason underaged people are at all a concern is because it is ILLEGAL in the US to ferment if you are under the age of 21. Other countries have other laws, which we also ask you to abide by. You must attest when you sign up for HBT that you are of legal age in the country you live in. Our policy is not to assist in illegal activities, no matter if someone's parents care or not. I'm not in the business of policing other people's parenting abilities. Illegal is illegal, no matter what.
We don't have a "Hooch making forum" but I'm sure there are plenty on the internet. Google "pruno" for example. We don't have any interest on HBT to make high alcohol garbage. There are more appropriate places for that.
It has nothing to do with ridicule or hate. Let's get this back on topic, or the thread will be locked.
We don't have a "Hooch making forum" but I'm sure there are plenty on the internet. Google "pruno" for example. We don't have any interest on HBT to make high alcohol garbage. There are more appropriate places for that.
It has nothing to do with ridicule or hate. Let's get this back on topic, or the thread will be locked.
Moonshae
Well-Known Member
I would think that a Brita pitcher with the built-in filter would work pretty well for filtering...pour in the mess, then pour out the filtered liquid. It might take a while, and a few filters, but it would work.
I've actually heard that running cheap vodka through one of these cleans it up and makes it like premium vodkas...but haven't tried it to find out.
I've actually heard that running cheap vodka through one of these cleans it up and makes it like premium vodkas...but haven't tried it to find out.
Knowledge is not illegal. What you do with that knowledge may be.
For what I know, the reason for prewetting the carbon filter is so you don't end up with fine particles of carbon powder in your final product. You run water though the filter till the black crap stops coming out, then ou filter. I guess you could let it drip dry somewhat then filter your .. beverage.
If you are doing the 5 gallon turbo yeast thing then I'd get a household carbon filter and run it through that, they are pretty cheap.
I'd also go for the liqueur flavorings. There is even a whisky flavoring. At least then it would taste better than watered down vodka.
For what I know, the reason for prewetting the carbon filter is so you don't end up with fine particles of carbon powder in your final product. You run water though the filter till the black crap stops coming out, then ou filter. I guess you could let it drip dry somewhat then filter your .. beverage.
If you are doing the 5 gallon turbo yeast thing then I'd get a household carbon filter and run it through that, they are pretty cheap.
I'd also go for the liqueur flavorings. There is even a whisky flavoring. At least then it would taste better than watered down vodka.
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