Moonshine - is there a definition?

[PalCabral]

Hiya distillers.

I was looking at this excellent thread about Sugar heads, viewtopic.php?t=94085 and thinking what I should call my own sugar head I just racked off the remains of my first YLAY fermentation. It's a moonshine, in all the intents and purposes, but what is a moonshine. Not being American or Anglo-saxon, I learned that Moonshine was illicit spirit. If it is illegally made, it is Moonshine. Is this a correct definition?

But then there are legal, over the counter, spirits sold as Moonshine. Casey Jones, the Kentucky distiller with the square still, makes three different brands they call Moonshine. These are either a mix of Whiskey and Sugar, or a sugar head made on top of the spent grains from their normal whiskies, I couldn't tell. Are there any "rules" (yes I know there can't be rules as in a law book, but you know what I mean) regarding how the Moonshine was made?

Then there's the thing about the color, or about aging. Moonshine is often referred to as unaged. But then there are those who do age their Moonshine. Some for a short period, others for a longer one. Must the Moonshine be white?

The fermented sugar head, the moonshine, smells great. It's the Emmer Bourbon I made, but I added 2kg of sugar and 1kg of dry wheat/barley malt extract. And a rye bread I boiled in Whiskey backset. I just don't have enough of it for a stripping run so I need to make another YLAY batch. I know it's a lousy excuse but I'm sticking by it

[NZChris]

If legal distillers want to cash in on the "moonshine" name by putting it on their bottles, there are no legal impediments to stop them doing that.

As there are no legal requirements for calling a product Moonshine, it is made out of anything that can be fermented and can be any color and any age.

I don't call anything I make "Moonshine" because I don't sell.

[decoy]

Moonshine is a term for illegal. or illicit liqour, it can any type of liqour.

Be kindof dumb to call a legally made product "MOONSHINE", but I guess its the kind of world we live in.

[jonnys_spirit]

Historical term = Illegally produced spirits. Probably corn based because it’s cheap but could be anything.
Contemporary term = marketing bull$#!t but probably also corn based because it’s cheap.

My opinion.

Cheers,
Jonny

[SW_Shiner]

Historically, If its distilled illegally then its moonshine. It seems like many distilleries jumped on the moonshine train around the time the TV show came out.
Seeing as how most people here are, by definition, making moonshine, it just makes more sense to break it down to categories like sugarhead/all grain/rum. The beauty of doing it at home is you can write whatever you like on the bottle. However i wouldn't write Moonshine on any of my bottles. Not only do i not want to, it would also be factually incorrect.

[Homebrewer11777]

I don't believe there is a legal definition the way there is for bourbon or whisky. There is historic meaning that it was illegally produced (at night so you don't get caught) and now there is legal moonshine which appears to just be marketing.

For my distilling I have been using following names, not sure if these are correct but it keeps my notes straight:

Bourbon...follows the rules of bourbon, all grain, 51% + corn, aged on new oak. Everything I make is double pot stilled at this point in time so I feel that gets me close enough to the bourbon ABV rules even if I happen to keep an 81% jar as part of my hearts cut.

Sugarhead...I made UJSSM and Birdwatchers when I first started but now the only thing I call sugarhead I make by adding sugar and water and perhaps backset to the squeezings left over from a fresh bourbon batch. Aged on oak (new or used).

Gumballhead...this is what I call a sugarhead that I make on top of spent beer grains instead of bourbon mash squeezings. Aged on oak (new or used).

I do plan to make whiskey in the future, probably will aim for American Single Malt and aged on used oak.

[shadylane]

The legal term is Illicit alcohol, and I don't want to hear that when it's close to election time.

[Bolverk]

Why you see so much legally sold "moonshine"... because new distilleries need white product to sell while their whiskey is aging.

[PalCabral]

Sugarhead...I made UJSSM and Birdwatchers when I first started but now the only thing I call sugarhead I make by adding sugar and water and perhaps backset to the squeezings left over from a fresh bourbon batch. Aged on oak (new or used).

Gumballhead...this is what I call a sugarhead that I make on top of spent beer grains instead of bourbon mash squeezings. Aged on oak (new or used).

Could you explain a bit more the difference between a sugarhead and a gumballhead, homebrewer? Sugarhead using grains after a stripping run?

[SW_Shiner]

A sugarhead uses fresh grains, or a portion of if "sour mashing". A gumballhead, which i first read in Jimbo's T&T recipe, uses the spent grains from an all grain mash. Usually after fermenting on grain, then adding essentially a sugar wash on top of the grains after removing what you are going to distill. Its a good way to get a bit extra out of your grains, and gives you something to sample while you leave the all grain alone to age.

[Corn Cracker]

When I first got into this I was excited to make some shine, that changed after my first good bourbon, now if someone that samples it says that's some good shine, they get corrected. what we make is so much better than the shine I've tried.
If I had to put a definition on it, it would be a yellow corn mash that's illegally distilled, white lightening would be the same but with white corn

[PalCabral]

A sugarhead uses fresh grains, or a portion of if "sour mashing". A gumballhead, which i first read in Jimbo's T&T recipe, uses the spent grains from an all grain mash. Usually after fermenting on grain, then adding essentially a sugar wash on top of the grains after removing what you are going to distill. Its a good way to get a bit extra out of your grains, and gives you something to sample while you leave the all grain alone to age.

Thanks for clarifying, SW. So when I have added a bit of sugar, DME and a rye bread to my spent YLAY grains after fermentation, I made a gumballhead?

What does the expression gumball mean?

[NZChris]

Probably not, but it's your shed and you can call whatever you make in it whatever you want.

viewtopic.php?t=39617&start=480

[Steve Broady]

I guess I have a somewhat different take on the subject. Living in the heart of NASCAR territory, I’ve had my share of moonshine from various sources over the years. All of them have had a similar flavor. Mostly sugar and corn, consumed white and at fairly high proof. I’ve had a few white corn liquors which had a similar flavor, so my feeling is that the defining characteristic is corn and little to nothing else.

For me, if it looks like moonshine and it tastes like moonshine, I’ll call it moonshine. If it looks and tastes like bourbon, I’ll call it that. UJSSM tastes like moonshine to me when it’s white, so that’s what I call it if I need to call it anything. I don’t worry about the legality aspect, because everything I make is equal in that regard. I label based on flavor.

[SW_Shiner]

A sugarhead uses fresh grains, or a portion of if "sour mashing". A gumballhead, which i first read in Jimbo's T&T recipe, uses the spent grains from an all grain mash. Usually after fermenting on grain, then adding essentially a sugar wash on top of the grains after removing what you are going to distill. Its a good way to get a bit extra out of your grains, and gives you something to sample while you leave the all grain alone to age.

Thanks for clarifying, SW. So when I have added a bit of sugar, DME and a rye bread to my spent YLAY grains after fermentation, I made a gumballhead?

If I were to do the same thing, that's what i would call it.

What does the expression gumball mean?

I call it that because of Jimbo's easy 1/2barrel Wheated Bourbon and Gumballhead

The second recipe is a sugarhead made with the spent grains. Since its wheated, and its a sugarhead, and my favorite wheat beer ever is Three Floyds Gumballhead, I stole his name for this. Its a nice drinkin likker but especially good for pantydroppers and flavored stuff.

[Homebrewer11777]

I got it from Jimbo's recipe too. Now I see he appropriated it from that beer and understand the rationale. It is a really nice wheated beer.

I guess the thing I have started calling sugarhead is really very close to Jimbo's Gumballhead and the name should be used only when my bourbon is the wheated bourbon and use (??? Sugarhead) for the rest of the bourbons. (of course like NZChris says it is my shed and I can call it what I want but the inspiration was Jimbo's recipe I'm happy to get at least that name correctly applied)

Now I need a name for the other product I've been making. This is something I make on a regular beer brew day. My beer mash is about 40 pounds of grain, mostly barley malt, step mashed for a fermentable wort, sparged and lautered. There is some sugar left behind in that spent grain bed along with a lot of flavor and nutrients. I add sugar, water, yeast, and maybe some fresh flavor grains (roasted barley and chocolate malt are nice, or maybe some crystal malt), ferment on the grain, and then squeeze it before distilling.

[Homebrewer11777]

Sugarhead...I made UJSSM and Birdwatchers when I first started but now the only thing I call sugarhead I make by adding sugar and water and perhaps backset to the squeezings left over from a fresh bourbon batch. Aged on oak (new or used).

Gumballhead...this is what I call a sugarhead that I make on top of spent beer grains instead of bourbon mash squeezings. Aged on oak (new or used).

Could you explain a bit more the difference between a sugarhead and a gumballhead, homebrewer? Sugarhead using grains after a stripping run?

I ferment on the grain and squeeze out the beer. The grain after squeezing gets recycled into a sugarhead which is also fermented on the grain. For this sugarhead you don't need new yeast because plenty sticks to the grain. My inspiration for this process comes from Stump Lake's awesome HBB Bourbon/Sugarhead flowchart.

[subbrew]

I got it from Jimbo's recipe too. Now I see he appropriated it from that beer and understand the rationale. It is a really nice wheated beer.

I guess the thing I have started calling sugarhead is really very close to Jimbo's Gumballhead and the name should be used only when my bourbon is the wheated bourbon and use (??? Sugarhead) for the rest of the bourbons. (of course like NZChris says it is my shed and I can call it what I want but the inspiration was Jimbo's recipe I'm happy to get at least that name correctly applied)

Now I need a name for the other product I've been making. This is something I make on a regular beer brew day. My beer mash is about 40 pounds of grain, mostly barley malt, step mashed for a fermentable wort, sparged and lautered. There is some sugar left behind in that spent grain bed along with a lot of flavor and nutrients. I add sugar, water, yeast, and maybe some fresh flavor grains (roasted barley and chocolate malt are nice, or maybe some crystal malt), ferment on the grain, and then squeeze it before distilling.

You are making some large batches! Even my imperial stout only runs 25 lb of grain.

[Homebrewer11777]

I oversize my batches a bit to make sure I will fill three corny kegs. Working backwards from 15 gallons I aim for 17.5 gallons into the fermentor and 20-21 gallons in the kettle at end of the boil. Heavy dry hop and whirlpool hop additions really soak up a lot of beer/wort.

I also don't push too hard on efficiency knowing I am going to ferment the sugarhead on top of the grains...leaving more fermentable sugar in the grain for the distillers beer than I might if I were looking to optimize brewhouse efficiency.

[subbrew]

I no longer drink enough beer to do that. Rather than my evening beer or two, since I have started this adventure I end up having a whiskey or, in winter, a hot toddy instead.

Sorry for the sidetrack of the thread.

To me, moonshine was illegal, white, and probably a bit rough. That is why I have never liked the term applied to what most of us here make. But since we have no rules in our sheds we can call it cool aide if that is what we want.

[Pure Old Possum Piss]

When I first got into this I was excited to make some shine, that changed after my first good bourbon, now if someone that samples it says that's some good shine, they get corrected. what we make is so much better than the shine I've tried.
If I had to put a definition on it, it would be a yellow corn mash that's illegally distilled, white lightening would be the same but with white corn

Moonshine can be white or yellow corn. It can be rum or brandy. The only thing that makes it moonshine is that it was made illegally and untaxed. Moonshine can even be brown from aging.
White Lghtning is a term for white/clear liquor straight off the still, as opposed to brown liquor that has been aged on wood. White Lightning can be made from a grainbill of rum, brandy, bourbon, whisky ingredients or even roots. White Lightning is just a synonymous term for white moonshine.

[contrahead]

They call it a thieves moon for a reason. Nights leading up to, including and following a full moon give thieves a little light to navigate by.

England in 1644 was the first country to regulate and tax distilled spirits. Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury liked the idea and advocated for it loudly; before the US federal tax on liquor was finally imposed in 1791. Many farmers (most Americans were farmers of some sort back then) would have gleefully strung Hamilton up by the pubic hairs, if they could have caught him alone in a dark alley.

Back in the UK there was once a story about these two guys driving a wagon of illicit (un-taxed) new spirits down a road one evening. Somehow, suddenly a wife or sister appeared, to warn that the revenuer (tax man) was up ahead. So the guys pulled up to the nearby shoreline of a pond and hurriedly rolled the filled wooden barrels off into the water. (Such barrels should almost, but not completely sink out of sight. The bog or lily-pond was probably filled with weeds and cattails too). Anyway the pair had to wait for good moonlight to appear again and shine across the water, before they could spot the whisky barrels and retrieve them, under the cover of darkness. This trick or device, might have been used more than once.