The Stillhouse Rambler Moonshine Whiskey Blog

How to Make Blackberry Moonshine

July 14, 2015

Blackberry moonshine is an amazing summer treat. This article will show how we made this delicious drink in just a few simple steps. We have enjoyed it as a shot and also used it to enhance summer cocktails. WARNING this blackberry moonshine recipe is packed with intense flavor and it also provides quite a kick! When we tested this recipe,... Read more

Fuel Alcohol Permit: The Ultimate Guide

June 19, 2015

How To Apply For A Fuel Alcohol Permit In order to legally make fuel alcohol one must have the proper permits. A federal fuel alcohol producer permit is available for free from the TTB. The application must be submitted and approved by the TTB before fuel alcohol is manufactured. The TTB is the division of... Read more

What Color Is Moonshine?

April 8, 2015

What Is Moonshine? Moonshine is often called white lightning, mountain dew, or white whiskey. The terms used to refer to high-proof distilled spirits that were produced illegally. However, many companies, like Ole Smoky, for example, now make and sell it commercially. Moonshine is a spirit that is typically made from a mash of corn and... Read more

How to Make Fuel for Cooking

November 26, 2014

Before we get started, a reminder: Distilling alcohol is illegal without a federal fuel alcohol or distilled spirit plant permit as well as relevant state permits. Our distillation equipment is designed for legal uses only and the information in this article is for educational purposes only. Please read our complete legal summary for more information... Read more

Distillation Equipment – An Essential Addition to Any Prepper’s Checklist

October 22, 2014

How to Make Apple Brandy

September 18, 2014

Brandy is created by distilling fruit wine. After the fruit has been fermented into a wine, the wine is then distilled to produce a strong, clear spirit with the essence of fruit it was made from. Overview of Brandy Traditionally Brandy was distilled in pot stills; today column stills are often used, as they can... Read more

How To Maintain Distillation Equipment

August 28, 2014

Making quality distilled products (whether that be water, fuel alcohol, etc.) requires equipment that is clean, safe, and in good working order. Commercial distilleries clean their equipment regularly. Not only when switching from one sprit type to another, but sometimes also in between batches of the same product. Why? Because fresh copper reduces sulfides in the... Read more

Making Alcohol: The Importance of Enzymes

August 22, 2014

Why are Enzymes Important? Enzymes are important because they convert starches from grain into fermentable sugars. Starches are made up of long chains of glucose molecules and have to be broken down into smaller molecules in order for the yeast to be able to turn them into alcohol. If these starches are not broken down by enzymes, then the yeast are not able to perform their job. The most common enzymes used in brewing/distilling come from malted barley. Malted barley is the most commonly used malted grain in commercial distilling as it has a high diastatic power. Diastatic power is the measurement used to measure the malt’s ability to break down starches into simpler fermentable sugars during the mashing process. How Are... Read more

Adding Sugar for Higher Potential Alcohol

August 11, 2014

Adding sugar to a solution before fermentation may be done for a variety of reasons. For example, a lot of homebrew recipes call for sugar additions. The Double IPA we brewed a while ago, for example, called for a 12 ounce dextrose addition. Adding highly fermentable sugar, such as dextrose, as opposed to adding more... Read more

Distillation Equipment - Max Fill Guidelines

July 31, 2014

Making Beer, Distilling, and More