What does this recipe make? (Grandpa's mystery brew)

[fizzix]

I'm a distiller and find the malt to be a yeast nutrient.
My calculations for 50 lbs. sugar in 55 gallons of water would equal about 6%.
Distilling that out would make a nice potent moonshine for diluting down to ~40% ABV.
Slightly sweet with a sugar "bite", but a nice drink. Aging in a barrel would give the impression of a tasty whiskey.
Similar recipes exist for use today. Some classics never die.

 

[Roxana Lopez]

I'm a distiller and find the malt to be a yeast nutrient.
My calculations for 50 lbs. sugar in 55 gallons of water would equal about 6%.
Distilling that out would make a nice potent moonshine for diluting down to ~40% ABV.
Slightly sweet with a sugar "bite", but a nice drink. Aging in a barrel would give the impression of a tasty whiskey.
Similar recipes exist for use today. Some classics never die.

Thanks for your insight.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I don't brew, never have, and don't plan to. But... can you ferment beer in just 6 days?

You can ferment beer in 2 days.

Check BYO's Bonneville Speed Brew recipe. Brewed on Sunday, served on Saturday. I've made a number of these over the years.

The recipe says to keg on Wed, but that batch got diacetyl since the yeast didn't have enough time to clean up after itself. Now when I make this I don't keg until Friday. Never had another diacetyl issue after that.

 

[Roxana Lopez]

You can ferment beer in 2 days.

Check BYO's Bonneville Speed Brew recipe. Brewed on Sunday, served on Saturday. I've made a number of these over the years.

The recipe says to keg on Wed, but that batch got diacetyl since the yeast didn't have enough time to clean up after itself. Now when I make this I don't keg until Friday. Never had another diacetyl issue after that.

Thank you.

 

[bpgreen]

A number of people have pointed out that this would be a good candidate for distilling, but the recipe doesn't call for distilling.

I think this is a recipe for beer.

I know we now usually try to keep simple sugars low and malt content high. But this recipe is similar to other recipes for beer during prohibition. A little hopped malt, a lot of sugar, some yeast, and time.

I think we now usually try to keep simple sugars below about 25% of fermentables, unlike the ~80% in this recipe.

But we have lots of options. During prohibition, people didn't have lots of options. They did what they could with what they had.

Beer.

Not good beer, but beer.

 

[Miraculix]

A number of people have pointed out that this would be a good candidate for distilling, but the recipe doesn't call for distilling.

I think this is a recipe for beer.

I know we now usually try to keep simple sugars low and malt content high. But this recipe is similar to other recipes for beer during prohibition. A little hopped malt, a lot of sugar, some yeast, and time.

I think we now usually try to keep simple sugars below about 25% of fermentables, unlike the ~80% in this recipe.

But we have lots of options. During prohibition, people didn't have lots of options. They did what they could with what they had.

Beer.

Not good beer, but beer.

I really would like to try one of those brews. I cannot imagine how this would taste. Maybe I will brew a gallon of this at one point, just to satisfy the curiosity

 

[ewrzesinski]

Shine. Definitely not for beer, as the mostly corn sugar grain bill would produce a cidery and thin alcoholic drink. This was meant to be distilled.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Roxana Lopez]

A number of people have pointed out that this would be a good candidate for distilling, but the recipe doesn't call for distilling.

I think this is a recipe for beer.

I know we now usually try to keep simple sugars low and malt content high. But this recipe is similar to other recipes for beer during prohibition. A little hopped malt, a lot of sugar, some yeast, and time.

I think we now usually try to keep simple sugars below about 25% of fermentables, unlike the ~80% in this recipe.

But we have lots of options. During prohibition, people didn't have lots of options. They did what they could with what they had.

Beer.

Not good beer, but beer.

Just knowing my grandfather, I tend to agree with you. I never knew him to drink hard liquor, and I am 100% positive he would not have been selling liquor during prohibition. It was meant for home or family use, without a doubt. He lived in a place by the beach -- actually moved his family to a 1 room vacation cabin there during the Depression. Mom told me that house had a boat house/garage under the house, and that when they helped grandpa move out of there they dug up lots of bottles of wine and port being stored in the sand of the boat house. No hard liquor. So, I think you are right. Beer made for large gatherings, is my guess.

 

[Roxana Lopez]

I really would like to try one of those brews. I cannot imagine how this would taste. Maybe I will brew a gallon of this at one point, just to satisfy the curiosity

Oh, I would be so excited if you would actually make this recipe, and give us a definitive answer. haha.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Just knowing my grandfather, I tend to agree with you. I never knew him to drink hard liquor, and I am 100% positive he would not have been selling liquor during prohibition. It was meant for home or family use, without a doubt. He lived in a place by the beach -- actually moved his family to a 1 room vacation cabin there during the Depression. Mom told me that house had a boat house/garage under the house, and that when they helped grandpa move out of there they dug up lots of bottles of wine and port being stored in the sand of the boat house. No hard liquor. So, I think you are right. Beer made for large gatherings, is my guess.

I hear what you're saying, but you knew your grandfather when he was an old man...

Since it was during Prohibition it would have been self incriminating to write "Distill" at the end of the recipe.

 

[Roxana Lopez]

I hear what you're saying, but you knew your grandfather when he was an old man...

Since it was during Prohibition it would have been self incriminating to write "Distill" at the end of the recipe.

Yes, I get that. But I also had lots of stories about grandpa as a younger man, and dad saying that grandpa was the most honorable man he ever knew. That tells me something about this scenario. Just my thoughts.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Yes, I get that. But I also had lots of stories about grandpa as a younger man, and dad saying that grandpa was the most honorable man he ever knew. That tells me something about this scenario. Just my thoughts.

Being Irish we learn to not believe everything you hear about relatives. LOL!

What tipped me off was the "spare" tub in the basement of my grandparents home that didn't have any plumbing attached to it and the weird smell.

 

[Roxana Lopez]

Being Irish we learn to not believe everything you hear about relatives. LOL!

What tipped me off was the "spare" tub in the basement of my grandparents home that didn't have any plumbing attached to it and the weird smell.

Hahaha

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Notice the big wink?

As an aside:
TheThreeStooges088BeerBarrelPolecats1946CurlyLarryMoeDaBaron17m38s

Bunch of BS! I called the number and no one answered. Knew it was too good to be true!

 

[biochemedic]

Looks like Prohibition Moonshine makings to me.

That was my first thought is that this looks like a recipe for making a wash for distillation....

 

[JKenshi]

Looks like Prohibition Moonshine makings to me.

That is exactly what I was thinking... rocket fuel.

 

[bpgreen]

That is exactly what I was thinking... rocket fuel.

You'd be wrong.

Please read the long post I made early on in this thread.

This recipe is very similar to other prohibition beer recipes.

Thus is a recipe for beer. Bad beer, but beer, nonetheless.