Body
Moonshine is among the favorite and famous spirits with a very rich history. It can be prepared by home distillers and when done properly, it offers you a smooth, sensational liquor to enjoy. If you want to perfect the art of moonshine mash making, you want to know the tidbits of it. Distillation is the ideal way of making moonshine, and a popular method is to use pot stills. One thing you want to know is that the consistency of the corn mash if going to be effected by the yeast, sugar, and corn mixture. This guide helps you in your mash making and distillation process:
The mash
It’s not like cooked mash, but rather a simple one. Usually, the corn is used to make the flavor and not necessarily the alcohol. Sugar is the product that produces the alcohol. A natural process occurs in converting starches to sugars, but it can be accelerated by cooking.
First fermentation
The first distillation is going to produce a sweet run, so use the spirits obtained from that initial run for the next run. Again, the second run is going to give you a sour mash though it may not have the consistency and flavor, so it will not have reached the peak. A third run will probably do.
When you put your ingredients, you will start seeing fermentation taking place within a period of 12 hours. It may take you about 4 days. You now siphon the bear from the fermenter using a racking cane. Take about 25 percent of the backset and use it in the subsequent mashes. Do the first run.
Second fermentation
Take part of the backset that you collected from the previous distillation to use it in this stage. Add sugar and it should be able to dissolve easily. You don’t want to use hot backset since it may destroy your yeast, so allow it to cool.
Put the mixture to the fermenter, which contains water. Allow the fermentation to take about 4 days. This should be able to give you a sour mash. Now do the second run by siphoning off the beer.
The trick in obtaining the right fermentation is by making appropriate ‘cuts’ before proceeding to the next point. You can repeat the process in the third fermentation and run by collecting some of the backset, which you are returning to the fermenter for the next batch.
With time and practice, you will be able to learn the perfect way of moonshine mash making and producing quality mash whiskey.
