Although we are all aware of the risks associated with alcohol, you will wish you had some, whether there is a social breakdown or you are simply without electricity for a few days.
Alcohol can be kept in storage indefinitely because it doesn't spoil. It can also be used in various ways, including as an antiseptic, sterilizing tools, creating weapons, and, more crucially, in a SHTF scenario, as a bargaining item, making it an excellent must-have for survival stockpiles.
Even if your home is dry, it's a good idea to have a few bottles of grain, ethyl, or drinking alcohol on hand in case of an emergency.
Learning how to make alcohol now will allow you to improve your abilities and perfect your recipes while you still have time.
In a world after collapse, alcohol might be precisely what makes you powerful.
How to Make Alcohol at Home
Since at least 10,000 BC, people have been producing alcoholic beverages. A container to ferment in, yeast and sugar are all needed to produce alcohol here. Things get trickier if you want to build something that genuinely tastes good!
Different Types of Alcohol
Here is an overview of the several alcoholic ferments:
Beer
Fermented grains are used to make beer. The grain is first malted to add sugar and enhance flavor. To preserve and add flavor, hops are then added. The typical beer ranges from 4% to 8%.
Fruit Wine and Cider
Both wine and cider are crafted from fruit using the same techniques. Early cap-off of fruit juices the cider results in sparkling cider with an alcohol content between 3% and 12%. Wines are fermented for 12 to 14 days.
Bread Kvass
Kvass is a simple substitute for brewing beer here. Instead of grain, it is created from toasted bread and is best consumed while it is still sweet and sparkling. Since it requires neither specialist materials nor machinery, it is a simple ferment for beginners.
Mead
Another classic alcoholic beverage created from raw honey is called mead. Its ABV can range from 8% to 20%.
Rice Wines
There are numerous varieties of alcoholic rice drinks, and the production method is more like making beer than wine. The typical alcohol content of rice wines is 18–25%.
Starting with a straightforward fruit juice cider is good if you have never made alcohol before. Juice and yeast are used to make this simple ferment. A sweet and sparkling beverage can be made in just a few days.
Basic Steps in Making Alcohol at Home
Here is a summary of everything you should know about making alcohol. Regardless of whether you are making wine or beer, this information applies.
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Sanitize everything: Sanitize everything: It's crucial to ensure that all of your tools and bottles have been washed and sterilized. The best approach to avoid producing sour homebrew is to do this.
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Primary Fermentation: Primary fermentation is the initial stage of fermentation when the yeasts are actively converting the sugar to CO2 and ethanol. Doing this in a large jug with an airlock that will let CO2 escape while preventing mold and wild yeast contamination is preferable.
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Secondary Fermentation: Secondary fermentation is primarily about taste development and conditioning. To remove sediments and dead yeast, the generated alcohol is racked (transferred) to a clean container. After that, it is allowed to ferment gradually for a few more weeks.
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Stopping Fermentation: The yeast will continue to ferment as long as the conditions are favorable until the sugars are entirely consumed or until the ferment exceeds the maximal alcohol tolerance for that particular variety of yeast. Stop fermentation early by chilling your ferment or adding sulfur dioxide (from 5% for wild yeasts to 18% for champagne yeast).
Specialized Equipment
For making homemade alcohol, there is little special machinery needed. But if you want to create delicious drinks or even beer bottles or if you intend to keep your produced alcohol for longer than a week or two, it is helpful to have more control.
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Tubing: Food-grade tubing and an auto-siphon help transfer liquids between carboys and bottles. They are usually worth the investment and cost around $20.
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Airlocks: If you are serious about creating alcoholic ferments, airlocks are crucial. It keeps the fermentation environment sterile while allowing the CO2 to escape. It is generally best to use cylindrical airlocks over S-shaped ones because they are simpler to clean.
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Hydrometer: A hydrometer compares the amount of sugar before and after fermentation to determine the estimated alcohol content of your beverage.
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Chemicals: To assure fruit ripeness, total acidity, and pH, a variety of chemicals are usually employed in the production of wine and cider.
Homemade Alcohol for Survival Skills
Although there are other ways of producing alcohol, this article will focus on three essential formulations.
Since this article is about making alcohol after the world has been turned upside down, the quicker and more straightforward the process, the better.
These recipes don't call for expensive equipment or difficult-to-find ingredients.
Sugar Wine or Kilju
Kilju produces simple alcohol by mixing yeast and regular table sugar. Although it won't taste good, it can be used to sterilize medical equipment or as fuel. It is technically edible, but it won't taste like the alcohol you used to drink before civilization collapsed.
In Finland, kilju is a well-known inexpensive beverage. It is not intended to be sipped for its great flavor; it is an alcoholic drink consumed only to make someone drunk.
Step 1: Gather the necessary supplies
- 2-liter bottle, lidded bucket, glass jar, etc.
- 1 cup sugar, table
- Two teaspoons of baker's yeast or, if you'd prefer, one teaspoon of wine yeast
- 4 cups of warm water, not hotter than 85 degrees, as it will kill the yeast
Step 2: Mix and Wait
Fill a clean, sterile plastic bottle with the mixture. Gently shake the bottle to mix the ingredients properly. Wait to tighten the lid once you've put it on the bottle.
Gas will be produced during fermentation, and the bottle will blow up if the gas cannot escape. Place the bottle close to a window or outside to avoid the pungent odor of the gas that is leaving.
About a week will pass as the food ferments. The fermentation process is then complete, and your kilju is prepared for the following phase when there is no bubbling.
Step 3: Strain and Enjoy
Kilju needs to be strained before drinking since it becomes quite gritty just after fermentation. Using an old pantyhose or a coffee filter will filter the Kilju.
Kilju is ready to be consumed after being strained. Kilju typically contains between 16 and 20 percent alcohol, a nice little kick. This translates to a kilju that is roughly 40 proof.
Kilju won't taste great but add fruit, grape juice, or fresh mint leaves to the booze to make it more tolerable. Kilju should only be kept in a bottle with a lid for seven days.
Fruit Wine
Making wine is possible with almost any fruit, with berries and grapes being the two most popular options.
You can go to the grocery store and buy fruit juice to make your spirits if you prefer a fruity beverage to straight booze. The procedure is straightforward and does not call for a lot of expensive machinery.
It's quick and simple to follow this recipe. Fruit juice can be offered with supper or savored with friends and flavors of alcohol.
Step 1: Gather the necessary Supplies
Only a few supplies are required, which you can purchase online or from a retailer for brewers. Additionally, buying the yeast in bulk is wise if you intend to make multiple batches.
- One gallon of 100 percent fruit juice,no sugar added
- One air-lock bubbler
- One bottle stopper
- ½ cup cane sugar
- ¼ teaspoon wine yeast
Step 2: Mixing the Drink
In a glass, pour half a cup of the juice. Add the sugar and yeast, secure the lid, and vigorously shake the liquid. Shake the juice for a few seconds to help the yeast and sugar dissolve.
Refill the bottle with the juice. Check that there are 2 inches of headspace. Set the bottle on a platter or inside a baking dish, then loosely replace the cap. This will catch any juice that pops out.
Give the bottle two days to sit.
Step 3: Two Day Shakes
Retighten the bottle's lid after two days. Reposition the bottle on the dish after a thorough shake, then loosen the top. Give the bottle two more days to rest.
Repeat the procedure when two more days have passed. The juice could appear strange throughout this process. Don't worry; it will appear better after you start drinking.
Step 4: Add the Air Lock
After waiting and shaking for six days, it's time to install the airlock. Half-fill the airlock with water. Add the airlock after inserting the stopper into the bottle. The stopper needs to fit tightly.
When producing wine or beer, an airlock or fermentation lock is employed. It prevents air from entering the fermenter, preventing oxidation while still allowing carbon dioxide to be produced during fermentation.
Step 5: More Waiting
It will take four to six weeks for the fermentation process to complete. Make sure the airlock is still halfway full of water every few days. The water allows the gas produced during the process to escape while keeping out insects who might be interested in tasting your wine.
The procedure is complete, and it's time to drink when the bubbling stops and there are no movements in the airlock or bottle. You can consume the wine now or later by pouring it into a fresh glass bottle and corking it.
Moonshine a.k.a "Corn Whiskey"
Moonshine is one of the first types of home-brewed alcohol. While professionals produce hundreds of liters of moonshine at once, this guide is intended for the typical person who wishes to distill a small amount of whiskey in their garage.
These recipes can be adapted in countless ways. You can modify the procedure to fit your preferences as you become more accustomed to the procedure. As you experiment, there is a lot of trial and error, but every mistake is a teaching moment.
Moonshine is more complex than the first two techniques above.
Step 1: Gather the necessary Supplies
Since moonshine is distilled, a Still is required. This can be created at home or purchased from a store. Buying one is more straightforward and affordable, mainly if you use it frequently.
Making a mash is going to be the first step. The mash will undergo fermentation and distillation to create the moonshine. Once you master the procedure, the mash is where you can express your creativity. Moonshine's flavor can be altered by adjusting the mash.
Mash Ingredients:
- water
- sugar
- cornmeal
- distiller's yeast
Equipment:
- airlock
- Still
- thermometer
- large metal pot
- heat source
- Fermenting container: A five-gallon water jug is a good option if you can't buy one
Step 2: Preparing the Mash
The components in this dish are all the same, making it very simple. Start with a small quantity. It is simple to recall that there will always be a 1:1 ratio. You will require:
- 5 gallons of water
- 5 pounds of sugar
- 5 pounds of cornmeal
Water should be heated to 90 degrees. Stir after adding the cornmeal. To keep the cornmeal from burning, stir continuously. Continue after adding the sugar. At this stage, the heat can be turned off.
The mixture needs to be stirred until the sugar dissolves. You can divide the recipe and create two mash batches if your pot isn't large enough to accommodate the entire batch. Then, it will all be poured together.
Step 3: Turning Mash Into an Alcohol
Pour the mash into the 5-gallon cooler or other suitable-sized container. Since using a bucket fermenter is typically more straightforward, and you don't have to worry about inserting an airlock into it, it is best to do so.
The airlock and hole are already present in the bucket in many cases.
It's time to add the yeast once the mash is in the bucket. The 5-gallon formula requires 2.5 teaspoons of distiller's yeast to make your moonshine.
First, stir the yeast with a wooden spoon or thoroughly combine it in the bucket. The stopper and airlock should then be inserted into the appropriate holes in your fermentation bucket.
Step 4: The Waiting Game
It's all about waiting in this step. The fermentation process typically takes two weeks to finish, so you must first wait for that to happen.
Once fermentation is finished, the procedure is finished. If you let it sit for one more week, no more alcohol will be made.
To check whether fermentation is still occurring, use a hydrometer. You can usually tell by how much the bucket bubbles and fizzes if you don't have one. If there is still a little fizzing, give it a day or two more and recheck it.
Step 5: Distillation
It's time to distill the mash into alcohol after the fermentation process is complete. The percentage of alcohol will range from 8% to 20%. The alcohol will be extracted from the mash during distillation, yielding clear moonshine.
If you still need to buy one, get someone who understands how to do it and assist you in building one. This is an essential stage, so you don't want to waste your mash on a skill that isn't functioning correctly.
Make One Now!
Much simpler than most realize, alcohol can be made at home. Of course, when you get fancy, it may get complicated, and there is a lot of possibility for error, but it is still enjoyable. These three recipes keep easiest alcohol to make it straightforward and traditional. You only need time, sugar, and yeast.
A bottle of premium booze will taste far smoother than the alcohol you manufacture at home. But as you gain knowledge, your alcohol tolerance will increase. So now is the perfect moment to start learning how to make your own alcohol, while rushing out to get the required supplies and ingredients.
One day, you might not be able to run to the shop and grab a bottle.
