It is pretty simple guys, I used a 15 gallon keg but there are stainless milk containers that are pretty reasonable that can be used as well. Just about anything that is stainless or copper. I used stainless because of the longevity, ease of cleaning and price is better. One thing to keep in mind is, you have to have copper that comes in to contact with the vapor somewhere in the system. The reasoning is, the copper reacts with the alcohol vapor to remove sulfurs from the product. That would be the case if you are using alcohol for oil extraction. If you are using hot water for oil extraction then you can use stainless the entire way. You can purchase copper pot scrubbers to pack in your column and use stainless for the entire system as well.
The process is quite simple.
1. You need 20 lbs cracked corn, deer feed is perfectly fine but you may have to remove some sticks from it. I use cracked corn from the coop and it is about $12 for 50 pound.
2. To that add 10 gallons water and heat it up on the burner for about 2 hours. It will form a porridge consistency. Bring the heat down to 150 and add 10 lbs malt and 5 lbs rye. Both can be purchased at any home brew store by the bag or pound. I buy it buy the bag for ~$35 for 50 lbs. So, once you add your malt and rye you keep the temp around 150F for a couple of hours. The malt will convert the starch in the corn into sugars.
3. You dump that into a plastic fermenter. I use a clean 30 gallon trash can with a lid. Let it cool to less than 100F so you don't kill the yeast when you add it. You will add about 2oz of yeast. You can use bread yeast which is cheap and plentiful but I like to use wine yeast because it will let you ferment to a higher alcohol content before dying. Dump your yeast in and stir it up good. I put an air line in the mixture to keep oxygen going in. That gets the alcohol content a little higher but you don't have to do that. It just makes a little more shine. The put the top on and wait until it quits bubbling. About 2 weeks.
4. Once it has fermented it will smell just like sweet corn. Strain the liquid off and put it in the still and fire it up. The hotter the fire, the quicker the run and the more impurities in your final product. The slower the fire the slower the run and the cleaner the whisky. I normally set my fire where there is a stream the size of a pencil lead coming out. I also double distill mine. The first time through it is normally 50% ABV, the second time through is about 75%. It will be crystal clear and smell very much like corn.
Lastly, I put mine in mason jars with some charred oak chips. That adds color, flavor and leaches out most of the heads and tails(esters, or byproducts from the corn fermenting). That is the crap that gives you the headache in commercial hooch. After about a month of storing in the wood chips you will have some of the finest bourbon man has ever tasted. The quality that can be made at home is 10 to 1 better than most anything that can be purchased in the store within reason. You can find some small batch bourbons for $100+ per bottle that will be as good but if done right. This recipe will be better and cleaner than 99% of what can be purchased.
One thing to keep in mind if you build a still. Make sure the first time you use it and every year after storage. Fire it up with water and bring it to a boil. Use a mirror and hold it close to every solder point on the still. If there is a pinhole leak you will see the mirror fog up and you will need to fix that leak. Make sure to use lead free plumbing solder on all connections. That is about it.
Honestly, this is a time consuming process and a lot of work. 15 gallons of wash will yield about a gallon of good quality product. It isn't easy but for years we have let our children be dumbed down by mass marketing and high production crap while going off to work in factories and sales positions. This is more a way for me to reconnect with my roots, family history and pass those on to my children. It isn't so much about the alcohol as it is about spending time with family and friends doing something that most people have forgotten about.
If you decide to pick up the hobby, shoot me a pm or ask a question here and I will be happy to answer it.
11th Year Anniversary
