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Yeah the Booners I just did fermented from 1.048 to .99x in 24 hours. Its still going a little but no boiling any more.. a few more points will hit .990 B How did you get that to go so fast? My last 2 runs have taken 7-8 days each to ferment. Both went from 1.074 to 0.994. During the summer my ferm...

Oh sure, I can calculate numbers and plug into formulas with the best of yous guys, but why do I want to? What's the benefit of the final product? I have my wash, I add sugar and yeast....wait for it to finished fermenting and then distill it, right? Will knowing any of that other stuff actually ma...

Where are you guys getting the enzymes for this recipe? I got mine from Amazon: SpiritCraft Liquid Alpha Amylase + Glucoamylase Enzyme Kit (2oz) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DAM49I8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_7.4WxbY79BJ6H" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow Ke...

Hi, time for an update. I have done lots of reading at everyone recommendation, thank you. During this time, I have tested my still with water, only to learn I had pooling in the worm, loose fittings, and a few other "bugs". All bugs worked out. Tomorrow I'm going to run a 50/50 mixture o...

With my last batch I used grits. Straining wasn't too bad, and I got a pretty good OG (1.074). I gave up on a batch of rye flour because I knew it would be impossible to strain and either too thick to make the yeast happy or just too easy to burn in the still. I am hoping to find something cheaper t...

I have not made any whiskey with popcorn since last posting in this now long dormant thread, but I do have an update. I scored an Air Popper at an estate sale for a dollar. I think that if you're going to do anything with popped popcorn, the air popper is the way to go because it needs no oil. I ma...

even though those charts show a given temp for geletinization. For example it you look at corn. We all know higher temp or a very long time to gelatinize. Personally I would still go to a higher temp and then add high temp and hold.... and then do low temp. I think this will get you a better yield ...

City water here.


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Hi all, I recently finished my very first run, using Booner's all-corn recipe. It turned out great! I learned a lot and ended up with some mighty fine 'shine that I'm drinking now! I also want to give all-rye a shot. From my reading I found this link that MichiganCornhusker shared: http://braukaiser...

Wish I had read this before my first run. I used tap water and everything went cloudy the next day. Still tastes mighty fine though.


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Mikey-moo wrote:

njurbanshiner wrote: I'm surprised it's taken this long but I'll be patient...not easy since I'm excited for my first

You've done your 3 cleaning runs though... right?

Yes. Did my sac run just before my stripping run yesterday.


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Finished the run. End result 70oz at 80 proof. Slight bite and nice sweetness at the end.

Thanks to everybody for the help. I'm really enjoying this!!!


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Update: finished the fermentation after 10(!) days. FG 0.994, so I'm at 10.3% alcohol. Success! Now doing my stripping run, but it's coming out at a much higher ABV than I expected. Per the calculations page on the home site, I expected (through 70 minutes) to have collected about 1 gallon at 28.72%...

Cheap strong cider cleans very well and where I'm from is evem cheaper than wine :-D I was able to find 3L of wine for $13.99. Lord knows I wouldn't want to drink that. I also grabbed a jar of cheap rye moonshine that was on sale for $4.99. I'll throw that in and water it down so I can get things n...

Question about a sacrificial run. My still came with instructions (yes I bought it) only including a vinegar run. Reading now I definitely want to do a sacrificial run. My question is, I had a failed run that produced about 1/2 oz of liquid from it. Is that enough for a sacrificial run or should I g...

Hey look, another guy from Jersey! Welcome!


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Just a thought Patience and let it finish. But, if you had mashed with malt, it would be a race between the yeast and bacteria :lol: So much of what I had read made me paranoid about (unintentional) bacteria. Didn't realize that was mainly something to worry about with malt. I'm going to let it fin...

Your wash won't spoil if you wait until it is completely done and cleared... Patience...!!! Thanks. My biggest worry was it finishing Monday night and then just sitting for over 2 days (day job gets in the way...). I'm surprised it's taken this long but I'll be patient...not easy since I'm excited ...

Update: Fermentation has been going for almost a week now (started last Monday morning, now Sunday afternoon). I still have corn and yeast at the top of the mash and some bubbling and fizzing going on, but it's slowed down quite a bit. Last night (Saturday) I measured 1.004 (OG was 1.074), so I thin...

Big temp swings aren't good for fermentation. If the package your yeast came from states a preferred temp range, I would use it and try to keep it steady. Thanks so much, MitchyBourbon. I'll just keep it inside the rest of the time for consistency. May slow down the fermentation but I hear that mak...

My DADY says it is good below 90°. I can either leave it inside (thermostat near 70°), leave outside (forecast highs mid 90s/lows mid 70s, but I don't get much direct sunlight so I'm not worried about cooking the yeast), or some combination. The yeast will produce some of their own heat, so how much...

@ njurbanshiner That is an excellent example of an iodine test showing a complete conversion. Well done! That said, I'm sure as you gain experience with mashing, you will eventually not bother with doing an iodine test. Many here, myself included, don't bother. Thanks! That test this morning was a ...

Just finished this mash this morning with 3 gallons (6lbs of grits) at 1.074 OG. Passed my iodine test, aerated, pitched my yeast. Hopefully all goes well with my little yeasty friends and either Thursday or Friday I'm running! Thanks for the recipe!


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Woke up this morning, temp was just over 80°. OG at 1.074 (adjusted). Pitched my yeast and fermax. Let's see how this goes. Oh, and MitchyBourbon, below is a picture of my iodine test. I'd say I have good conversion :-) http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160725/5aa9ceba6a36ccc505538221d41f414b.jpg Se...

Finally got around to starting that Boomer's recipe. 6lb corn grits 3 gal H2O I followed all the instructions from Boomer's, and I actually used a bit of extra heat early on after adding the alpha. Added the gluco at 130° (that's from the instructions on my enzymes) Right now I'm at 110°. The liquid...

I just tasted the mash. Yuck. It has a sour taste. Down the sink it goes Get some Gluco and high temp alpha amylase. Then follow this recipe. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=49869 Also when a mash has finished fermenting it will be sour. Already ordered. That's exactly what ...

What is the temp in the room the ferment is in? If the wash is sweet then you have sugar. How old is the yeast you're using? Have you left the grain in the fermenter to feed the yeast? Thermostat says 69F Yeast is new. Purchased less than a month ago. Yes, the grain is in there. Edit: I just tasted...

As far as recipes for someone just starting out, Corn and Rye are in the deep end of the pool. They can both be very challenging to work with. The questions you're asking are pretty basic, and the whiskey you are trying to make right out of the gate is fairly involved. My advise is to toss what you...

Hi nj. does the amylase come with some instructions? if it is meant for low temp you might have added it at the wrong temperature and denatured the enzymes. To answer your questions, to understand if conversion is done use a iodine test. If you add sugar now you'll have a very starchy end product, ...

So...is adding sugar considered cheating? And will it be worth drinking if I do? Because I'd like to have something to run instead of just pouring this out. I'll cook the next batch more...a lot more. Reading the recipes it looks like it's almost impossible to overcook it? I'm also going to experime...