| For centuries there have been people who made | | | | that is used for its ability to reduce the |
| ethyl alcohol, or ethanol. Now a lot of | | | | bacteria levels before the fermentation |
| people are wanting to learn how to make | | | | process. After the mash is done it will be |
| ethanol. But for years it wasn't called | | | | cooled and directed to the fermenters where |
| ethanol. Many people know of it as | | | | the yeast is then added. When the yeast is |
| moonshine. Moonshine is the stuff that | | | | placed into the cooling mash, the conversion |
| people think of being made in a still nestled | | | | of sugar to carbon dioxide and ethanol will |
| deep in the Appalachian Mountains by a man | | | | begin. This is where the money making |
| missing a few teeth. But if people knew that | | | | process takes place and is important to |
| the same steps that are needed for creating | | | | remember when learning how to make ethanol. |
| moonshine are the ones that are used to make | | | | |
| ethanol, they would be surprised. So with | | | | It can take up to forty or fifty hours for |
| the constant rise in gasoline prices many | | | | the fermentation process to be completed. |
| people are wanting to learn how to make | | | | When in the fermenters, the mash will be |
| ethanol. | | | | turned and agitated and also be kept cool so |
| | | | that it can facilitate what needs to take |
| There are a couple of ways that are used to | | | | place with the yeast. Once the fermentation |
| make ethanol. There is both wet and dry | | | | has taken place it will result in an |
| milling. These are two very different ways | | | | alcoholic liquid very similar to beer. To |
| that are used with the making of ethanol. | | | | separate the ethanol from the other corn mash |
| Wet milling only accounts for about eighteen | | | | brew, it will be transferred to distillation |
| percent of all ethanol production whereas dry | | | | columns. Using conventional distillation, |
| milling is the most commonly used at eighty | | | | the ethanol will be concentrated down to 190 |
| two percent of production. These are some | | | | proof and then inside of a molecular sieve |
| things that you will need to know when you | | | | system, will be dehydrated to around 200 |
| learn how to make ethanol. | | | | proof. That would be some really strong |
| | | | moonshine if it were made in the hills. Talk |
| Dry milling works by crushing the entire corn | | | | about white lightening. |
| kernel into corn meal, or corn flour to some. | | | | |
| The ground meal is then processed without | | | | At this point this liquid would be considered |
| ever separating the different components of | | | | drinkable if you could handle it. To render |
| the grain. That ground up meal is then mixed | | | | the ethanol undrinkable, the anhydrous |
| with water to make something that looks like | | | | ethanol will be blended with approximately |
| cornmeal mash. Cornmeal mash is a little | | | | five percent of natural gasoline or other |
| different than the look of uncooked cornbread | | | | type of denaturant. By this happening the |
| but they're pretty close. In order to | | | | substance will now not have to worry about |
| convert the starch to dextrose form, there | | | | paying any alcohol beverage taxes. Not a bad |
| are enzymes that are needed to be added. | | | | thing to make note of when you learn how to |
| Dextrose is a type of simple sugar that will | | | | make ethanol. |
| be needed later on for the yeast to feed | | | | |
| from. Ammonia is one ingredient that will be | | | | Now that all that has taken place the |
| added both for pH control and also as an | | | | resulting ethanol can be shipped to various |
| added nutrient to the yeast. | | | | gasoline terminals and other retailers. |
| | | | Ethanol is something that has been around for |
| This pretty mash that was created will then | | | | centuries with us finally realizing how to |
| be moved on into a high temperature cooker | | | | tap into its vast abilities. |