Highest ABV without distillation?

[NinjaBear]

Question is in the title.

I saw a kit that promises 40% alcohol that you can then add artificial flavoring (sold separately) to make it into 80 proof rum, whiskey, bourbon, etc.

I thought to achieve that high of alcohol you needed to distill. (Which last I checked was illegal for the homebrewer)

Am I mistaken? How high can you push yeast?

I'm guessing it's mostly water+sugar+yeast+energizer/nutrient.

 

[progmac]

wlp099 can theoretically go up to 25% if managed very carefully. from there you could freeze distill to perhaps go up towards 40%. unless you are trying to make something very unique, the question that comes to mind is....why? certainly bottom shelf whiskey would cost less and taste better than whatever you might be able to pull off.

 

[hunter_le five]

Are you sure it wasn't just a neutral spirit flavoring kit? I've seen those on the market before. You are not making the alcohol, basically just flavoring vodka to make it taste like gin/whiskey/rum/etc.

I'm not aware of anything that can ferment to 40%, or anywhere close, not even nasty turbo yeasts.

 

[NinjaBear]

Are you sure it wasn't just a neutral spirit flavoring kit? I've seen those on the market before. You are not making the alcohol, basically just flavoring vodka to make it taste like gin/whiskey/rum/etc.

I'm not aware of anything that can ferment to 40%, or anywhere close, not even nasty turbo yeasts.

The individually sold flavors all say they can be added to vodka.

But the kit was very much being sold as brew your own 40% ABV liquor. (Without details on how it works, gotta buy it to find out.)

Kind of curious how it works.

 

[hunter_le five]

Link? Name? Anything?

 

[Josefio]

Craigtube did one of these.

Easy Home Brewing - Prohibition Whiskey Kit: http://youtu.be/ET4BxmtYq_M

 

[NinjaBear]

Maybe I misread and its 40 proof not 40ABV.

Which would make more sense.

 

[hunter_le five]

Maybe I misread and its 40 proof not 40ABV.

Which would make more sense.

'Twould make far more sense.

 

[Josefio]

Yeah, the one he did was only 20%. If it does claim 40%, I bet you are adding alcohol from another source at some point.