Moonshine from corn: a recipe at home

The biggest fans of corn moonshine are Americans. Only they keep it for more than two years in burnt oak barrels and call it nothing but bourbon.

The specifics of the issue

Probably, many people know that this drink is made from corn, or to be more precise, from corn grits and even from corn flour. This is due to the fact that sprouted raw materials significantly reduce the yield of the finished product, and the cost is simply prohibitive.

Of course, there are companies that can afford it, because they have their own audience willing to pay more than $500 for a bottle of bourbon.

But we're going to go the tried and true route and use a technology that is used by over 70% of businesses in Kentucky.

So, first we need to prepare the brew. This process is a bit troublesome and in order not to spoil the product, it is better to use a culinary thermometer. This will greatly simplify your work.

The result is a drink with a light sweetish flavor and a subtle aroma of corn grits.

Corn brew recipe

Ingredients

1. Corn grits (flour) - 1.5 kg

2. Wheat, barley or rye malt - 300 g

3. Water - 7 liters

4. Pressed baker's yeast - 25 g (5 g dry)

The method of preparation

1. In a water bath, heat 6 liters of water to 50 degrees.

2. Now add the corn grits (flour) in a thin stream and cook the porridge for about 15 minutes, remembering to stir to prevent lumps from forming.

3. Then raise the temperature to 65 degrees, continue stirring and cook for another 15 minutes.

4. At this stage, pour in the remaining liter of water, raise the temperature to 75-80 degrees, and at this temperature continue to cook the porridge for another 20 minutes. Now the pan can be covered with a lid.

5. While the mash (starter) is being prepared, we need to prepare the malt: grind the dry malt to the state of coarse grits, and grind the green malt in a meat grinder.

6. Cool the finished porridge to 65 degrees, add the prepared malt and mix well until smooth.

7. Cover the mass with a lid and wrap it in a warm blanket. Leave in this state for 7 hours. During this time, thanks to the malt, the starter will have time to sugar.

8. After 7 hours, dilute the yeast according to the instructions on the package.

9. Cool the jam to 25-29 degrees. To speed up the process, you can add a little cold water or put the container itself in an ice bath.

10. Add yeast to the cooled mass, mix thoroughly and pour into a sterile fermentation container.

11. Install a water seal and leave for 3-7 days in a dark room at a temperature of 18-30 degrees.

12. As soon as the fermentation process is over, pass the mash through a cheesecloth filter.

The method of making corn moonshine

1. Distill the prepared brew in a cube for the first time without dividing it into "tails" and "heads".

2. As soon as the strength drops to 25% in the jet, stop collecting the distillate.

3. Measure the total strength of the resulting drink, and then determine the amount of pure alcohol.

4. Dilute the corn alcohol with clean water to 15-20%.

5. Then distill the distillate again over low heat. Collect the first 12-15% of moonshine in a separate container (these are harmful fractions).

6. After the strength in the stream drops to 45%, stop collecting distillate.

7. Before tasting, dilute the corn moonshine to 40-45 degrees with water, pour it into jars and leave it in a cool place for two days.

8. To make homemade bourbon, corn moonshine must be aged for 6-9 months on oak chips or in oak barrels, ideally if they are burnt inside.

Update: 30.03.2018

Category: Vodka an Moonshine