A Pox Upon Us by Ron Foster Read Free Book Online

process.  
    #Ferment the mash. Loosely cover the bucket with cheesecloth and place it in a cool, dark place, such as in your cellar or basement, to allow fermentation to take place. Fermentation occurs when the yeast metabolizes the sugar and corn carbohydrates and produces alcohol.
    #*A brown or light tan foam will appear on top of the mash bucket, gradually rising up higher each day. When the mash quits working, the sugars are "used up," and you will notice the foam, or "head" is no longer rising.
    #*The mash is ready for the next stage when it stops bubbling. At this point it is referred to as "sour mash."
    ===Distill the Mash===
    #Strain the sour mash through a cheesecloth. Place the cloth over the bucket, then tip the bucket over a clean bucket or pot. You may also use a screen wire or a clean white t-shirt to strain the mash.
    #Pour the strained mash liquid into the pressure cooker. Clamp down the lid and place it on a stovetop burner. You may discard the solids that you strained out with the cheesecloth.
    #Position the copper tubing to create a condenser. Run the copper tubing run from the lid (or vent) of the pressure cooker to a sink filled with cold water. Coil the middle of the copper tubing in the cold water, then run the other end of the tube over the edge of the sink to a clean container on the floor.
    #Turn the stove on under the pressure cooker. Let the contents heat to exactly 177 degrees F (80 Celsius) and no more. This is the approximate boiling point of grain alcohol. As the pressure cooker heats, the alcohol turns into ethanol steam, travels through the condensing tube to cool. The resulting liquid drips into the container on the floor. That's the moonshine.
    #*The liquid that comes out of the copper tube before the cooker reaches 177 degrees contains methanol, which becomes steam at a lower temperature than ethanol. This low-boiling liquid must be tossed out. Methanol attacks the optic nerves when consumed. You'll probably have to throw out at least two ounces of liquid before ethanol, which can actually be consumed, begins to emerge.
    #*Keep monitoring the temperature and collecting alcohol until the temperature rises above 177 degrees or drops below it. You should be able to collect about 2 gallons of liquid. 
    #Transfer the alcohol to jars. Finished moonshine is between 180 and 190 proof (90 to 95%) - practically pure grain alcohol. To make this product drinkable, responsible brewers cut it to ''half'' strength by mixing with pure spring water.
    == Tips ==
    *Using a hydrometer to test for alcohol content and a thermometer to cook the mash will give better results.
    *Most people who make "'shine" do so outside, over a wood fire, near a cold-water creek. This eliminates the danger of cooking alcohol indoors. The mash, while "working," has a very strong odor, which is another reason to do this outdoors.
    *Do not invite friends over while the mash is working. I have personally smelled mash from over a mile away while fishing on creeks in moonshine country.
    *Let the mash work as long as the head, or foam, seems to be rising, but it will ferment out and go sour, so about 10 to 14 days is maximum, depending on temperature. Yeast acts more slowly at lower temps.
    *Keep the sour mash covered, but not air tight. A wine maker's flask with an air lock would work well for this.
    *Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a singular species of yeast used in both bread and brewer’s yeast. Brewer’s yeast and Whisky yeast are carefully bred strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that are simply more resistant to higher concentrations of ethyl alcohol and take longer to die off thus extending their lifespan and their production of ethyl alcohol.  Neither bread nor brewer’s yeast create by-products that will cause illness, blindness, or death. Distillers generally remove the first 5% of the distillate termed 'foreshots', (containing esters, methylates, and aldehydes). They are distasteful but not fatal and the smell and taste