How to Make Grain Alcohol

People have been making their own grain alcohol since corn came to America. Made famous during Prohibition era, "moonshining" was the way bootleggers skirted the countries anti-alcohol laws. Grain alcohol still is available in liquor outlets in many parts of the United States. However, it is still possible to make it just like our bootlegging forefathers.

Things You'll Need

• 100 gallons of water
• 6 oz. of yeast
• 100 lbs. of sugar
• 25 lbs. of shelled corn
• Cooker
• Glass jars or bottles

Instructions

1. Start with cornmeal and add water. You can use whole corn, but you have to turn the corn into corn sprouts by placing it in a cooker for a few days. This process turns the corn into sugar. Grind the meal into mash by adding boiling water to it.

2. Add a ½ lb. of yeast for every 50 gallons of mash and a variable amount of sugar. Allow 3 days to ferment with yeast and 10 days without yeast. Once the mash stops bubbling in the container it is ready to be placed in the cooker.

3. Place the mash in the cooker. On top of the cooker, there is an arm that goes off to one side called the "worm." You place the worm in a barrel filled with cold water and seal it. Water should run through the barrel and out towards the bottom. Keep a fire underneath the cooker to vaporize the alcohol. The grain alcohol will vaporize at 173º F and enter the arm. Collect this liquid in a glass jar. The first few batches will be dark.

4. Throw away the first dark liquids that come out. These oils and leftovers are part of the distillation process. They are highly toxic. Failure to distill the alcohol is what happened when you hear stories about people going blind form drinking grain alcohol.

5. Take some of the mash from the end of the batch and distill it again. The mash can be stored but not used more than eight times.

Tips & Warnings

• Making grain alcohol may be illegal or require a permit in your area. Check with your local officials before you start.

• Because of grain alcohol's high alcohol content, it can be a dangerous substance when distilled or consumed by someone who is inexperienced. If you drink too much, overdose (alcohol poisoning) is a distinct possibility. If processed incorrectly, it can be toxic and anything high in alcohol content is very flammable. Take extreme care when making grain alcohol.