The Joy of Home Distilling: The Ultimate Guide to Making Your Own Vodka, Whiskey, Rum, Brandy, Moonshine, and More

by Rick Morris

Overview

The complete guide for beginner and intermediate distillers. Make your own brew at home!

”If you’re going to invest the $100 or so to get a basic equipment and recipe kit, then you’ll want to take care in ensuring that your first batch is brewed correctly.” –Rick Morris, HowBrewBeer

The Joy of Home Distilling covers nearly every facet of distilling:

• Step-by-step instructions for the different processes, from bucket to bottle
• The difference between spirit types and how to produce each
• What yeast is, what it does, and how to ensure that you get a strong, complete fermentation
• What distillation is and common misconceptions about the process
• Legalities surrounding distilling alcohol at home
• Carbon filtering—when it’s necessary, when to filter, and why you filter
• Flavoring and aging your spirits
• Keeping safety first when working with flammable materials, such as ethanol
• Yeast styles and nutritional requirements
• Different methods of distillation and equipment
• Post-distillation process
• And of course, fun drink recipes! (Try the Mudslide or the Cherry Bomb!)

Author Rick Morris, who has been selling distillation equipment for over 25 years, even includes his own recipes for different types of spirits and drink recipes. By learning not just how to distill, but also what is happening at each step and why it is needed, readers will be armed with the information they need to experiment with their own spirits and concoct their own recipes. Easy to understand even for a first-time distiller, The Joy of Home Distilling is sure to become your number one distilling resource.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629145860
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	10/21/2014
Series:	Joy of Series
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	106,261
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Rick Morris is the owner of Brewhaus (America), Inc., now celebrating over 25 years, and the founder of the Hobby Distiller’s Association. He has been distributing his own distilling products and brewing his own spirits for decades. He resides in Keller, Texas.

Table of Contents

Dedication 1

Introduction 3

What is distillation? 3

Is home distilling legal? 6

Part 1 Understanding the Process

1 Yeast 12

Nutrition 13

Stress on the Yeast 15

Yeast Storage 17

Effects of Yeast on Flavor 19

Types of Yeast 20

2 Fermentation 27

Yeast Life Cycle 28

Fermentation Equipment 33

How to Use a Hydrometer 38

How to Use an Alcoholmeter 41

Other Supplies for Fermentation 42

Sugar Fermentation 48

Non-Sugar Fermentation 50

Alternate Mashing Method 53

3 Types of Distillation 55

The Evolution of Distilling 55

Distillation Methods 57

Types of Distillers 59

To Buy or Build? 80

4 Distilling 86

Safety First! 86

Heating Your Distiller 88

Pot Distilling 91

Your First Distillation 97

5 Filtering Your Spirits 127

Why We Filter Spirits 127

What is activated carbon? 128

Alcohol Filtration 133

6 Aging and Flavoring 143

Adding the Finishing Touch 143

Aging in Barrels 145

Barrel Alternatives 148

At what proof should your spirit be aged? 151

Flavoring 151

A Final Note 154

Part 2 Distill at Home

7 Recipes 158

Vodka 159

Whiskey and Moonshine 163

Rum 171

Brandy 175

Schnapps 177

Liqueurs 178

8 Drink Recipes 180

Part 3 Resources

Frequently Asked Questions 188

Problems/Solutions 190

Calculations 191

Common Setup Methods 192

Record-Keeping Log 195

Glossary 196

Index 201

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the “Joy of...” Series

“The Joy of Hobby Farming will guide you toward self-sufficiency and restore your faith in your own two hands, if you’d just start digging.”
–Ferenc Máté, author of A Vineyard in Tuscany and A Reasonable Life

“[The Joy of Keeping Horses] is the connection between mankind’s mystical connection with horses, and the realities of buying and caring for those horses. A useful book for anyone who owns a horse, and an essential book for the first-time horse buyer.”
–Jim Wofford, three-time three-day event Ollympic medalist and recipient of the 2012 United States Equestrian Federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award

“The Joy of Keeping Goats is a great introduction to what will be your favorite obsession. The book is well written, beautiful, and delightfully laid out to serve both as reference guide and as a nice, pleasant read. If you’re interested in keeping and raising goats, this book should be on your bookshelf!”
–Steven Jones, publisher of From Scratch magazine and author of Homesteading From Scratch

Praise for Skyhorse Publishing

“My experience working with Skyhorse is always a positive collaboration. The editors are first-rate professionals, and my books receive top-shelf treatment. I truly appreciate our working relationship and hope it continues for years to come.”
–David Fischer, author

Praise for the “Joy of...” Series

“The Joy of Hobby Farming will guide you toward self-sufficiency and restore your faith in your own two hands, if you’d just start digging.”
–Ferenc Máté, author of A Vineyard in Tuscany and A Reasonable Life

“[The Joy of Keeping Horses] is the connection between mankind’s mystical connection with horses, and the realities of buying and caring for those horses. A useful book for anyone who owns a horse, and an essential book for the first-time horse buyer.”
–Jim Wofford, three-time three-day event Ollympic medalist and recipient of the 2012 United States Equestrian Federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award

“The Joy of Keeping Goats is a great introduction to what will be your favorite obsession. The book is well written, beautiful, and delightfully laid out to serve both as reference guide and as a nice, pleasant read. If you’re interested in keeping and raising goats, this book should be on your bookshelf!”
–Steven Jones, publisher of From Scratch magazine and author of Homesteading From Scratch

Praise for Skyhorse Publishing

“My experience working with Skyhorse is always a positive collaboration. The editors are first-rate professionals, and my books receive top-shelf treatment. I truly appreciate our working relationship and hope it continues for years to come.”
–David Fischer, author

From the Publisher