How to Distill Home Brew

Since running a still is legal nowadays, distilling home brews has become a passionate hobby for some people. It takes several weeks before you'll be able to drink your beer, but some believe it is worth the wait. Some home brewers like to take the easy way out by buying a kit; other die-hard brewers make homemade beer from scratch.

Things You'll Need

• 20-qt. pot for brewing
• Large non-wood stirring spoon
• Table spoon
• Measuring cup
• 12-oz. glass jar
• Food-grade plastic bucket
• Airlock
• Chlorine bleach or other sanitizer
• Thermometer

Instructions

Preparing for Your Brew

1. Gather the ingredients for a 5-gallon batch. Three to 4 lbs. of pale unhopped malt extract syrup; 2 lbs. of amber dry malt extract; 12 AAU of bittering hops; 5 AAU of finishing hops; and 2 packets of dried ale yeast.

2. Boil a gallon of water for 10 minutes and let it cool, covered, until it's room temperature. You'll need the sterile water for a variety of tasks.

3. Clean and sanitize all of your equipment. Fill your 5-gallon bucket with water and add five tablespoons of bleach. After you wash each item, let it soak in the bleach water for 20 minutes. Rinse with your collection of sterile water.

Brewing Your Brew

1. Bring 2 gallons of water to a boil in your brew pot, pour it into the fermenter and let it cool.

2. Bring 3 gallons of water to a boil in your brew pot. While you're waiting for this water to boil, move on to Steps 3 and 4.

3. Rehydrate the yeast in one cup of the sterile water warmed to 95 to 105 degrees F (35-40 degrees C). Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes.

4. Proof the yeast. Put one tsp. of malt extract in a quarter cup of water and boil it to sterilize it. Let it cool, and add it to yeast mixture. Cover and place it in a warm area for about 30 minutes.

5. Turn off the stove after your water boils, add the amber malt extract and dissolve. Turn the heat back on, and bring to a boil, making sure it doesn't scorch.

6. Add your bittering hops, and boil for an hour. Be sure and stay vigilant making sure it doesn't boil over. The end product is called wort.

7. Cool your brew to 65 to 90 degrees F (18 to 32 degrees C) by immersing it in a sink filled with ice water while keeping the lid on the brew pot.

Fermenting Your Brew

1. Pour the yeast in the fermenting bucket.

2. Add your cooled wort very quickly so it splashes in the bucket to add oxygen to the yeast. The hops can also be strained out at this point.

3. Place the lid on the fermenter tightly, and allow it to ferment undisturbed for two weeks. When it is in its location, insert the airlock. The temperature may affect the taste of your brew, so make sure it's somewhere between 65 to 70 degrees F (18 to 21 degrees C) for the best results.

4. Clean your equipment with a mild detergent.

Tips & Warnings

• The airlock should start bubbling after about 24 hours. This means the fermentation process has begun.