FORTIFICATION SPIRIT ADDITION CALCULATOR
Getting the perfect ABV is easier than ever with our fortification spirit calculator!
Making moonshine is not a quick or simple process, however, there are ways to make the process easier. When approaching anything new it is always helpful to have a healthy knowledge of the subject, but who wants to study?
Instead, you can trust How to Moonshine to do all the legwork for you. We have all the how-to guides, step-by-step recipes and of course, quality craft stills to help you along the way. Now we have taken it to another level with our How to Moonshine tools and calculators!
We often get a lot of technical questions at How to Moonshine so we decided to take the time to develop these tools to help figure out the more technical elements of making moonshine.
Is Making Moonshine Hard?
Making moonshine is not simple, however, it can be made as simple or difficult as you want it to be. This is just one of the awesome things about making moonshine. As you grow and learn in your moonshine journey, you can incorporate more and more technical elements into your shine to craft your own signature spirit.
While many may think of ‘white lightning’ when it comes to making moonshine, the truth is the term moonshine refers to the manufacturing of illicit spirits, not the actual spirit made.
It is for this reason we have recipes to make so many different types of moonshine. So whether you want to make whiskey, bourbon, rum, vodka, or even absinthe, we have a recipe for you!
Getting the Elements Right
While the promise of awesome recipes may make you think making moonshine is like cooking, it is in fact, closer to a science experiment. With this in mind, it is important to get different elements right. These include not only your measurements but also your time, temperature, and technique.
Using our How to Moonshine tools and calculators is a great way to make sure you get your numbers right. It’s a little hand up to help you in your moonshine journey.
Time
Making moonshine is not a quick process. In fact, you are usually looking at a commitment of at least a week’s worth of work.
Of course, good things come to those who wait. Rushing the process of moonshining is not going to result in a better shine, in fact, it is more likely to result in the opposite.
So before you commit to a batch of shine, make sure you have the time to commit to the process. Each of the three steps of making moonshine need you to pay close attention to timing. When making a grain mash, it is important to give your mash the time it needs to cook in order to convert your grains into fermentable sugar.
If you try to rush this step, you will end up with a low ABV because there won’t be enough sugar to convert into alcohol.
When fermenting, you need to be patient and allow the yeast in your mash to do its thing. Of course, its thing is converting the fermentable sugars into ethanol. If you try and rush this step you will end up with a weak shine.
Distillation is a step that you would think could not be rushed. While this is partly true, the number of runs you choose to do and the time you put into your distillation will result in a better ABV.
Equipment
A good quality still can make all the difference in the quality of your shine. It is important to have a still that is not only good quality but also easy to operate. After all, there is no point in owning a still that you are unable to use.
At How to Moonshine, we take the time to make sure you really understand you still. We offer assembly videos, online manuals, and our customer service is always available to answer any questions you may have.
Our Copperhead All-in-One Stovetop Still is a great combination of an easy-to-use still with top-quality performance.
Our Copperhead is versatile enough to function as both a still and a fermentor. This means there is less equipment to buy and store. It allows for a simple, yet functional, approach.
The Copperhead build combines a stainless steel body with copper pipes. This marriage of materials results in an easy-to-maintain still that is able to deliver a quality shine.
Stainless steel is a great material for easy cleaning and maintenance. Copper pipes are ideal as copper neutralizes any sulfur taste or smell in your shine.
Getting the Right ABV
When you are taking the time and effort to make moonshine you usually aren’t doing it for a weak ABV. The classic kick and burn of moonshine is made so much better with a high ABV guaranteed to be a good time.
But getting that high ABV is not a given. In fact, you need to get all of your elements right in order to achieve it. Even with the best recipe, you can still end up with a weak result if the technique isn’t quite right.
The good news is that a weak ABV is not the end of the line. You can still use our fortification spirit calculator. Our fortification spirit calculator will help you to achieve your ideal ABV by adding additional spirits. While it may not be the ideal way to achieve your desired ABV, it is a great way to save your shine.
What Does Moonshine Taste Like?
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When made with a grain-based mash, moonshine is a neutral spirit with a signature kick and burn that can only be described as ‘awesome’.
However, not everyone enjoys the taste of pure moonshine. It is for that reason there are countless options to customize your shine to suit your tastes.
For some, this means they will swap out a traditional grain mash for one made of fruit. The result is similar to that of a traditional moonshine but has a subtle fruity flavor.
Of course, you can also take your shine to a whole different taste experience by flavoring your moonshine.
Flavoring your moonshine opens up a whole world of possibilities. It allows you to recreate some of your favorite liqueurs using your moonshine. Using simple ingredients like fruit and sugar results in amazing (and dangerous) spirits.
Check out the Top 21 Moonshine Recipes