H O M E M A D E A L C O H O L Version 3 =========== By: Zero
[email protected] November 24th, 2014 ===========
=============== INTRODUCTION =============== In this file I am going to present to you the simple method(s) for making drinkable alcohol; this is so easy a kid could do it. There isn't much to introduce here, as everyone on Earth (well, almost everyone) knows what alcohol is, and the effects it has when it is consumed. So let's just get right to the alcohol production. =============== INTRODUCTION TO VERSION 2 =============== After researching the home production of alcohol quite a bit, I decided to expand this file a bit more for further education. Many things remain the same; the first "fermentation" recipe stays the same as in the July 19th 2008 file, but with a few added twists to increase yields of alcohol, give more options, etc. What is primarily different is the recipes for Beer, and higher alcohols;
ex: distilled alcohols. You will read how to build a basic distillation apparatus for distilling higher alcohols. Please take note, though, that while it is perfectly legal to brew your own alcohol, it is completely illegal to distill your own alcohol. This is a crime, no matter how you look at it. Now, as to whether or not that crime is enforced, or not, is another issue. But be aware that distilling alcohol is (for some reason), illegal. This is not the case in New Zealand, as far as I am aware. Thank you Jason Scott of textfiles.com for hosting all of my files. I'm glad to see that you are still keeping the spirit of textfiles alive. Take note that this file was written in Windows Notepad, and therefor is under the "FIXEDSYS" font. If you transfer this file over to scribd (where I've seen quite a few of my files land), or to any HTML website, be sure to change the font to "FIXEDSYS" to save the ASCII art rendering, and keep the file looking the same. =============== INTRODUCTION TO VERSION 3 =============== This has turned out to be a textfile I return to quite a bit. Maybe it's because I make lots of alcohol (even though I don't drink much at all; go figure). For this version, I've added a method for wine making using grape juice concentrate. This is a legitimate method of wine making that I have used dozens of times to produce a very good quality wine that is byallmeans very palatable. Also, I have added a method to making a distillation apparatus at home. It is not the most fancy apparatus, but it will get you started, if you
want to go that direction. In the previous version, I covered the basics of distillation, but didn't go on about how to make your own still. Building a still is very subjective, so it's all up to you, how this is done. I've also included a new little section debunking a popular myth, as well as some dangers for homemade alcohol (which are easily avoided). I have also included a recipe for simple corn whiskey you can produce at home. This is a triedandtrue method for making moonshine whiskey, and produces a very respectable Americanstyle corn whiskey. I hope you enjoy it. For version 4 in the future, I am thinking of going into more detail about some basic science behind alcohol making, including using tools like a hydrometer and alcohol meter, as well as how to do the calculations to determine how much alcohol you will achieve, along with more specific methods for alcohol making. Maybe a better beer recipe? Who knows. If anyone has any suggestions for what to add to this file for Version 4, please just email me at
[email protected], and let me know what you would like to see. I am very experienced with alcohol making, and can write up just about anything anyone would want. Again, thank you Jason Scott (founder of textfiles.com) for hosting all of my files, as well as several more. I really do miss reading through textfiles, and hope to keep writing these files in the same spirit. To me, textfiles have always had this sort of "black art" type thing to them. I was always drawn to textfiles which had some sort of 'forbidden knowledge" aura to them. I've tried to write textfiles which stay in this same spirit. Even in old age I think I will fondly look back at textfiles, and how exhilarating they were for me to read. Anyway, again, thank you Jason Scott. =======
CONTENTS ======= i. Introduction 1. DEBUNKING THE BLINDNESS MYTH 2. DANGERS 3. BEGINNING 4. ALCOHOL IN THE CABINET 5. A BASIC ALCOHOL RECIPE 6. BASIC WINE MAKING 7. BEER RECIPE 8. CONCENTRATION 9. DISTILLATION THEORY 10. BUILDING A SIMPLE STILL 11. SOUR MASH WHISKEY RECIPE 12. CONCLUSION
=============== DEBUNKING THE BLINDNESS MYTH =============== I have received a few emails from people asking some simple questions. The most frequent question I get, though, is if you will go blind or die from making the alcohol covered in this textfile. The answer is a flat no; you will not die or go blind. Let me explain the origin of this myth, and why it does not apply to you: The idea that homemade alcohol can cause blindness is rooted in truth, but typically applies to almost no one. When you make alcohol (beer, wine, whiskey, whatever), a byproduct is methanol. This goes for any alcohol; even the largest companies making alcohol have these byproducts, there is no possible way for you to prevent them. Methanol is the poisonous cousin to ethanol (drinkable alcohol). Methanol is what is primarily responsible for nasty hangovers, and is the cause of the blindness legend. The fact is that yes, you can go blind from drinking methanol. But this is the product of absolute
unequivocal carelessness on the part of the person making the alcohol. We are talking carelessness beyond measure. Here's what happens: You make your batch of alcohol (beer, wine, whatever). The drink is made up mostly of water, then about 510% ethanol (drinkable alcohol), and then about 0.2% methanol (or less). If left in the beer or wine, then you have no problem at all; it's not enough to even begin to affect your health. Even if you drank 50 of these beers you made, the alcohol is going to kill you before the methanol ever will. All the methanol is going to do here is increase how bad the hangover is. The problem comes up when you go to distill the stuff. Since you are concentrating the alcohol, you are also concentrating the methanol. Because the methanol boils before the ethanol, it is the first liquid to drip during distilling. Anyone who distills always knows to throw away the first 1/4 cup of liquid, since it contains most of the methanol. But even this is not enough to have any negative health effects; it'll just make the hangover worse, and make your alcohol taste kind of bad. If this is left mixed in with the rest of the drinkable alcohol, then you'll just have a bad hangover, along with some nasty aftertastes while drinking it. The REAL problem comes from people who do big (and I mean BIG) distillations. If you have a 1000 gallon still, then the first gallon that comes over will be methanol. On rare occasions, moonshiners who are complete idiots will just run that methanol into a gallon jug, and consider it good to go. The other 99 jugs of moonshine are fine, drinkable alcohol. But that first jug is just pure poison. If he were to mix that 1 gallon among the other 99 gallons, it would just taint the other 99 gallons and leave you with a moonshine that doesn't taste right, and give you a bad hangover; but it will not kill you. It's diluted now. If he were to be smart about it, and flush that 1 gallon down the toilet, then the other 99 gallons would be alright.
So now you know the reason. Does this apply to you? No. Just throw away the first 1/4 cup of liquid you are distilling, and quit worrying about it. If you are making beer or wine, then don't worry about it. ======== DANGERS ======== There are some things to avoid. The biggest danger, in my opinion, is drinking an alcohol that you made that is not poisonous, but tastes like shit. Try, if you can, to make your alcohol good on your taste buds. The first true danger that you will run into is infection. Since you are fermenting alcohol (rotting sugars, in such a way), you open up the possibility of your drink becoming infected with a bacteria. If you see signs of a bacterial infection, then you need to clean everything out, and start over. This does happen, even to people who have been brewing for years. It's easy enough to spot an infection; if anything is growing, that looks like mold, it's bad. Off colors, such as green, black, yellow, white, etc; they are bad. Infections will always start small in one location, and then grow. It's not like one day you will check on it and the whole jug will be black. Again, if you spot any of this, start over. Don't even consider drinking it; it's poisonous. The second danger is in distilling. If you start building your own still, and you get to the point of soldering; do not under any circumstances use lead solder. You must use plumber's lead free solder. When distilling, alcohol leeches the metals into the liquid, which is usually fine. But if there is lead present, then it will give you lead poisoning. This also means that you cannot use a car radiator as a condenser for a still; they are loaded with lead. They also have small amounts of antifreeze left over, which will poison the alcohol. Don't be stupid.
Another danger is really nonexistent anymore. But it is still a danger, technically. That danger is when people add undrinkable poisons to the distilled alcohol to increase the quantity. This doesn't happen anymore, as it was only a problem in American Prohibition. It was perpetuated by greedy people wanting to sell more alcohol than they could produce. Moral here: Don't add anything to your alcohol that is undrinkable. Something to remember, too, if you are truly set on obtaining alcohol. Do not think that pharmacy bought alcohols are drinkable. "Isopropyl alcohol" (rubbing alcohol) is a different type of alcohol, and is poisonous. "Methanol" is a different type of alcohol, and is poisonous as well. Sometimes you will find "ethyl alcohol" at the pharmacy, but this, too, has been made poisonous by adding small amounts of an undrinkable chemical to it. The warning is simple: Do not drink alcohols bought at the pharmacy. This also goes for Mouth wash; don't drink it, it has poisons in it which will make you very sick, or even die. The last danger, which is more common, is alcohol poisoning. This refers to consuming too much drinkable alcohol. Please know your limits. Do not 'chug' alcohol as fast as you can. Just drink your drink and enjoy your time. Immature kids are the ones who do shot after shot, and chug their alcohol. It makes for a shortlived night, bad decisions, and terrible hangovers. You can get plenty drunk by drinking your drink like a soda throughout the night. Just know your limits, and treat your alcohol with some respect. Don't overdo it, because it can have bad consequences.
=========== BEGINNING =========== You should probably have a few things before you start. Through this document I'll explain, as you need them, what you'll need. A few things that would be a good idea to have, though:
*Basic Mechanical Skills *Food Grade Buckets and Containers *Cleaning Supplies *Sugars (can include fruits) *Supply of Fresh Water Take note that if you are serious about making alcohol, you will read this textfile, and then get on google and start searching. There are hundreds of books and websites way better than this textfile that will give you way more in depth information. This textfile is legitimate, all of these things do work; but it is the barebone starter for someone who is just messing around. If you are underage, trying to make alcohol under your parents nose. Then you will require a small space in your room to make the alcohol. Just remember that making alcohol puts off an odor. This odor isn't bad (some think it is; my wife and I love the smell), so you are going to have to be mindful of it. If you were trying to hide it, you couldn't keep it in your room, you'd be able to smell it as soon as you opened the door. You would, on the other hand, probably be able to keep the jug in your closet. You wouldn't smell it in your room, but as soon as you opened your closet you would get an overwhelming smell of alcohol. If you have a shed somewhere, then you can keep the jug(s) in the shed to ferment. But remember that the temperature has to be right. If it is winter, and cold outside, then it's not going to be a good idea. Alcohol needs about 80degF to ferment properly. So the summer months are ideal. You can ferment during the winter, but it will be very, very slow. You can always insulate the jug(s) with blankets to keep them warm. Just get inventive, and figure it out. Personally, I used to make alcohol in my closet. My parents came in my room sometimes, and they never smelled it coming out of my closet. I had four jugs hidden in the back corner with some stuff in front so you couldn't see what was going on back there. When you opened my closet door, you could smell the extremely
overwhelming smell of fermenting oranges and grapes; but it never leeched past the closet. To get my mom to pick up some yeast while at the store, I convinced her that I wanted to make some bread. I told her I needed about 8 packages, because I didn't know how many times I was going to screw up the bread. I did make some bread using a packet of yeast, but the other 7 went to my alcohol. When I was about 14, I was in town, and went to a wine making/beer making shop there. I bought $10 worth of wine maker's yeast. The guy who owned the store knew I was underage, but just giggled that I was buying this stuff. He knew what I was going to do with it. But it's not illegal to sell a kid yeast, and those store owners enjoy knowing that some kids are doing something interesting, so there was no problem there. Just be careful, if you're hiding it from your parents. As far as dorm rooms; you can brew alcohol in your dorm room. Most places have rules about running a hot plate in the bedroom, or similar rules, so this would probably forbid you from distilling alcohol in your dorm. But just brewing wine/beer; no problem at all. =============== ALCOHOL IN THE CABINET =============== This is more for the underage kids who want to get drunk, but don't have the time and/or ability to make their own alcohol. If you cannot find a way to make alcohol in your closet, then you are either lazy, or dumb. But in any case, this works just as well. All of those extracts that are kept in the cabinet, typically with the baking stuff; they all contain alcohol. Except for Vanilla Extract, that usually does not contain alcohol. But if you get Rum extract, Root Beer extract, Orange extract; they are all perfectly drinkable. They are very potent extracts, so they don't taste very good right off the bat. So if you mask them in a cocktail, it should work out fine. For example, if you were to get a
bottle of Orange extract, why not pour it in with a small glass of orange juice? This is a useless method, in my opinion. I only write it because when I was about twelve years old, I snuck some extracts out of our cabinet, and got drunk. It's laughable. But it's there. =============== A BASIC ALCOHOL RECIPE =============== We make ethanol (drinkable alcohol) by the fermentation of sugar using yeast. In this recipe, you will need three basic ingredients: *Sugar *Water *Yeast Lets start with the yeast. You will go to WalMart, or wherever, and go to the flour/sugar/cake section to find typical Baker's Yeast. You will find two items, either the yeast in small packets (sold as three packets each), or a small container of yeast. I suggest buying the packets. If you would like, though, you can order yeast off of the internet that will be better. The thing about baker's yeast is the bread taste that it has with it (this stuff is used to make bread), but it is tolerable and will work. If you order the yeast off of the internet, search for any yeast used to make high concentrations of alcohol; this is called "Turbo Yeast." Turbo Yeast ordered online is exceptionally cheap; a little over $1.00 per packet. When you use turbo yeast, you can potentially produce 18% alcohol; thats 36 Proof alcohol. The sugar is easy; just get a cheap bag of sugar. You'll only need a few cups per gallon of alcohol you make, so just get a big bag and make a crapload of alcohol; simple as that. You can substitute normal white sugar with brown
sugar, as well. If you substitute with brown sugar, then you are adding a different flavor. This may be suggested for those wanting to experiment. If you distill the brown sugar alcohol, you will have a rum, of sorts. Water is not extraordinarily important. If you have decent tap water in your house, then this will due just fine. If your tap water is suspect, or if you would like a "cleaner" tasting alcohol, then just buy a few gallons of drinking water (these are like 80 cents each). Also, you will need the 1gallon jugs anyway, so you may as well just buy the gallons of drinking water and use the water they have. For the materials, you will need only a pack of balloons, and the gallon size jug(s). When it comes to the gallon size jugs, I suggest using the drinking water jugs of course, but if you are forced to use a milk jug, then be certain to clean it out using bleach and hot water; you are going to be fermenting sugar in here for a few days, so you definitely want to make for certain that you don't get any crap bacterial growth in them. Things must be clean; period! The materials can and should be altered. The above (the plastic gallon jug, and balloons) are for the most basic thrown together setup. For someone wanting to have a little more success, I suggest buying a 5 gallon plastic pail these can be bought at WalMart, Lowes, Home Depot, or virtually anywhere. They are typical white 5 gallon plastic pails that have a lid. This will be used for fermenting your alcohol instead of a 1 gallon plastic jug. They allow for more head space, better fermentation, and more control. The balloons are used to keep air from entering into the
container; they are useful, but not the best. I suggest that you buy an Air Lock. You can find airlocks on Ebay, any brew shop, or any online brew shop for about $0.75 cents per air lock. All they do is keep air from entering into the container by using a water barrier. I suggest you have one of these; they are worth it. To use it, simply drill a hole in the lid of your container, and slide the air lock into the hole. When the air lock is filled with water, it will allow air to escape, but not allow air to come in. To start, add 3 1/2 cups of sugar to the gallon sized jug. Next, fill it with 13 cups of lukewarm water. Now, in a sauce pan (pot), add 1 cup of lukewarm water, and dump a packet of yeast in it. Do not stir the yeast; it will disturb it. You want to activate the yeast, so just let it sit there for a little while to hydrate. You will begin to notice that the yeast is foaming and bubbling. Once the yeast has dissolved completely into the cup of water, you can stir it a little bit, and add it to the gallon jug with the sugar and water. Note that the above procedure is meant for the gallon sized jug. Scale this up times 4 if you are using the plastic pail. So you would use 14 cups of sugar, and 3 1/4 gallons of water. You do not need to scale up the amount of yeast added; stick with 1 packet, and it will do the exact same thing as it did to 1 gallon. Put the cap on the jug, and shake the living crap out of it to get all of the sugar and yeast dissolved completely in the water. You should notice immediate foaming action. Now take the cap off, and put a balloon over the top of the container; secure it with tape. Now poke about 5 very small pin holes in the top of the balloon. Now
it's time to wait. If using the plastic pail, instead you should pour the yeast into it, then stir it with a large wooden spoon to give it some air to work off of. Once it is stirred very well, put the lid on with the air lock, and let it work. When you are making alcohol, a byproduct is carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide needs to escape from the jug while also not letting oxygen in. Oxygen is damaging to the fermentation process, so the balloon protects everything from oxygen while also letting the carbon dioxide out safely. In a few hours, you will see the balloon inflate and hear the carbon dioxide coming out. Put the jug in a good place (like in your closet), and allow it to ferment for about 7 to 10 days. This time is not specific, but you can judge when the fermentation is done by viewing if the balloon has deflated. Once the balloon has deflated a lot, and is no longer putting off any gas, then your alcohol is ready. For the plastic pail, you can judge when it is done by how many bubbles come out of your air lock per minute. When it stops blowing bubbles out, it is done. Remember that you do not want your ferment to be too hot, or too cold; this will kill the yeast. If it is really cold in your house, then insulate the jug, or bucket, with something to keep the warmth inside. If it is superiorly hot inside your house, then stick the bucket in the coolest place in the house; like the kitchen. Do not refrigerate; this will stop the yeast's action. You should notice at the bottom of the container some sediment; this is just yeast leftovers that taste like bread and will make you fart (it's true). Simply pour the strange smelling sugar wine into a new container, and leave
the yeast behind. If you want it to taste better, let it sit for about a month. It is perfectly fine to drink, though. The concentration of alcohol is low, but drinking it serves as no problem whatsoever. If you used the turbo yeast, then there will be no bread smell, or taste, at all. Remember that a good tell of whether or not the alcohol is done is whether or not you can taste a sugary substance, or a bitter substance. If the liquid tastes sugary; then it did not work. If it tastes bitter; then you made alcohol. =============== BASIC WINE MAKING =============== So, this is one step past a basic alcohol recipe. This time we're going to be making something that is actually drinkable. The thing about alcohol making is that you can invest as little, or as much time/money as you want. You can make the above alcohol (the basic sugar/water/yeast) recipe, which will yield you an alcohol which you probably couldn't force yourself to drink. Or you can get more advanced, and go with something like this. I suggest investing more time and energy, as it definitely will help you make a drink you can be at least mildly proud of. For this wine recipe, I wanted to keep it simple. So we're going to make grape wine using frozen grape juice concentrate. You will need the following ingredients: * 2 cans of 100% Frozen Grape Juice Concentrate * 11/4 pounds of regular sugar * 2 tsp of citric acid * Yeast A quick word on yeast. I highly highly suggest that you
order wine yeast. You don't have to, but it will help the flavor IMMENSELY. Baker's yeast from the store was not made to make wine. Yes, it will make alcohol, that is a fact. But it will leave a bread flavor to your drink. If you order wine yeast, you will not have that bread flavor. Do yourself a favor, and order some. If you do, I suggest you buy a yeast called "Lalvin EC1118". This is about 0.80 cents a pack, and is worth every penny. If you want to stay cheap and buy storebought bread yeast; go for it. It's all up to you. Just remember that your wine flavor will suffer. And when I say suffer, I mean your wine will (without question) taste like Bready Wine Alcohol. I know what you're thinking: "Well, it can't be THAT bad, I'll just try it with my bread yeast, since I don't want to order good yeast." Yeah, you're wrong; bread yeast makes wine taste like shit, so bad you can barely stand to drink it. First, boil 1 quart of water, and dissolve the sugar into the water. Remove the sugar water from the heat, and add your 2 cans of juice concentrate. Pour this mixture into a 1 gallon glass bottle (like the ones you get some Apple Juice's in). Next add the 2 tsp of citric acid. Now, add enough water to the bottle to make 1 gallon. Now let it cool to approximately 80 degrees F. A thermometer would help here. But if you don't have one, then just let it sit overnight in your kitchen, and that temperature will be appropriate. Remember: The temperature is important! Do not become impatient, or the yeast will die. Finally, add your packet of yeast. Shake the mixture vigorously to get it all mixed up. Take the cap off, and fit a paper towel around the opening with a rubber band. Let it ferment for about 5 days like this. After 5 days, siphon the wine into a new 1 gallon glass bottle, being sure to leave the nastiness on the bottom (you'll see it). Now, get yourself a rubber stopper with a hole in it. You
should buy yourself an air lock from a brewing supply company, and fit it to the rubber stopper. If you don't have one, no big deal. Just put a piece of fish tank hose into the rubber stopper, and put the end of the hose in a glass of water. When the fermentation starts, you will notice that it is bubbling into the glass of water, and not letting any oxygen in. This is superior to the above method where we used a balloon. You can use balloons, but it's definitely not as good as this method. Now let the bottle sit for about 30 or so days like this. After this, siphon again into a clean 1 gallon glass bottle. You can now pour off a little bit into a glass and taste it. If it's too dry for your taste, then add some sugar to it, and taste again. Keep adding sugar until you think it tastes good. Once this is done, bottle it, and you're done! You have successfully made a decent, drinkable grape wine.
=============== BEER RECIPE =============== Beer can be somewhat more difficult to make; but it is not beyond your limitations. It requires a few more ingredients all of which can be bought at a brew shop, at your local grocery store, or online. There are plenty of kits available online, or even at some grocery stores that will give you everything you need to make a fairly respectable beer. If you want to do this from scratch, though, then follow this recipe. Note that this is the most simple recipe for beer I could come up with. It does not require buying any grains or doing anything extensive; just a simple old style beer recipe. Enjoy this one. You will need: *4lbs Sugar
*1 Packet of Beer Yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp of baker's bread yeast) *2.2lb Can of Premier Malt Extract *Fresh Water *2 five gallon food grade buckets *Airlock *Bottles First off, you want to build your fermentation bucket. This bucket is nothing special, just a typical food grade bucket. Drill a hole in the top of it big enough to fit your air lock. What is an airlock? It is a device that allows air to escape, but does not allow ay air in. It's the same thing as the balloon method used in the simple recipe I gave earlier. It works like so:
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