How Much Moonshine Legal In Illinois? - Moonshine info (2024)

FAQs

How much moonshine can you legally make in Illinois? ›

The bill creates Class 1 and Class 2 licenses for craft distilleries, as well as a distilling pub license. Class 1 licensed craft distillers would be able to manufacture up to 50,000 gallons of distilled spirits per year.

Despite being the home of the famous moonshine community, it is not exactly legal to make moonshine in Illinois. It is illegal to own a still that is designed to make alcohol. If a still is found in your possession, and it is suspected that it is used for making alcohol, your still will be confiscated.

We make this 20 gallon heavy copper moonshine still to order. We have been making moonshine stills for generations. We have it perfected! This still is capable of producing over 4 gallons of shine per run.

A 10 gallon run will yield 2-4 gallons of alcohol.

State Overview state laws

It is illegal in Illinois for residents to own or operate a still for any reason. A license is required to manufacture spirits, fuel, essential oils, etc.

But federal law trumps state law, and to the feds, distilling at home for personal consumption is illegal, period. "If you distill without permits, you're looking at roughly a dozen felonies," says Tom Hogue, spokesman for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

The following will apply to you if you live in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. The act of making a mash thus making alcohol is not illegal.

On average, a proof moonshine could range somewhere between 100 to 150 proof. When you convert that alcohol by volume, 150 proof is equivalent to 75% alcohol by volume. Now that's high!

It is not legal to distill alcohol for personal consumption in Illinois.

General Alcohol Yields

For example, the average run in a 5 gallon still can be expected to produce about a gallon or a gallon and a half of moonshine.

How much moonshine do you get from 10 gallons of mash? ›

The starting alcohol is commonly known as the alcohol by volume or ABV. This is simply a measurement of the amount of alcohol in your mash. If your starting alcohol was 10% you could expect 1 gallon of alcohol from a 10 gallon run.

An 8 Gallon will make about a quart of distillate per hour and you'll end up with about a gallon to a gallon and a half of product when finished. The 13 will work at the same output (a quart an hour) but end up producing around two gallons to two and a half gallons.

If less than 10 ml of methanol is consumed then the worst someone will experience is a hangover, (albeit, quite possibly the worst hangover of their life). However, if someone consumes 10 ml or more of methanol, even split up among drinks, that can be enough to cause permanent damage or kill them.

I'm on my second batch distilling the all bran wash and I'm not sure how long to distill in my 6qt pot still. The last run I stopped after it wouldn't light on fire anymore and after 3 gallons of mash I only yielded about 20 ounces and that took about 3 hours per gallon to distill.

Q: How long does it take to receive a new state Retailer liquor license? A: Once your Retailer application is received, it typically takes between 1-5 business days for the ILCC Licensing staff to complete a review of your application.

A person may not produce distilled spirits at home for personal use. Except as otherwise provided by law, distilled spirits may only be produced by a distilled spirits plant registered with TTB under the provisions of 26 U.S.C. 5171.

Today, federal rules say a household with two adults can brew up to 200 gallons of wine and the same amount of beer each year. (A few states have their own laws prohibiting the practice.) The 1978 law didn't legalize moonshining, though; you still can't brew spirits for private consumption.

Moonshine usually has an ABV of 40% but can sometimes be as high as 60%-80% ABV. Alcohol content can be converted to proof by multiplying it by two. So, 40% ABV is 80-proof. The distilling process is the key to a spirit's alcohol content.

What is illegal moonshine? ›

Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. Moonshine. Type.

If you're drinking moonshine, yes. Although alcohol that's properly manufactured and regulated does not by itself cause blindness, people sometimes do go blind from drinking bootleg beverages. One common concern with moonshine is lead poisoning, which has been linked to blindness.

Many believe that you still need a moonshine still in order to make moonshine at home. Fortunately for those who don't own a still, this is actually completely incorrect. You can make moonshine without using a moonshine still. However, there are both risks and rewards for taking this approach.

HOME DISTILLING - Beginners Overview on how to Distill - YouTube

The amount of alcohol in moonshine differs depending on the distillation process, but in the United States, moonshine can't legally be distilled to more than 80 percent ABV, and can't be bottled at more than 62.5 percent ABV, and many are much lower than that.

In case you never were told the definition of proof, 200 proof is 100% alcohol, 180 proof is 90% alcohol, etc. About the most a person can comfortably drink is 100 to 120 proof.

You can try and try but 200 proof will always be out of your reach. Through a distillation process, the highest and strongest concentration of ethanol possible is 190 proof. Therefore, 200 proof alcohol just is not possible using this process.

235 ILCS 5/6-36 exempts homebrewers from obtaining a license or permit to make homemade brewed beverages and allows for annual production of up to 100 gallons for a household with one resident 21 years or older, or up to 200 gallons for a household with two or more residents 21 years of age or older, as long as the ...

The Walter family is cooking booze at Illinois' only farm distillery. Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. crafts the only bourbon, whiskey and vodka made in the state from grain seeds sown, grown, harvested, distilled, barreled, bottled and sold on the same slice of fertile Illinois farmland.

What size moonshine still do I need? ›

Stills come in a wide variety of sizes. However, most craft stills will be between 3 gallons and 8 gallons. Have a think about how much moonshine you really need. In most cases, a 3 gallon still is all that a hobbyist needs.

Re: how much distillate to throw away

On a pot still, I throw away about 1 cup / 5 gallon wash.

When the Distillation Process Ends. Experienced commercial distillers generally run their stills until the alcohol from the wash has reduced to somewhere around 10-20 proof. It is not worth the time and energy to distill further to separate the little remaining alcohol from the water.

We make this 50 gallon heavy copper moonshine still to order. We have been making moonshine stills for generations. We have it perfected! This still is capable of producing over 10 gallons of shine per run.

Assuming you add enough grains to craft a 6.3% ABV beer, according to the chart, you'll need to add at least 1lb of sugar to hit a potential alcohol of 7.5%, because adding 1lb of sugar will increase the potential alcohol by 1.2% for a 5 gallon batch.

If a gallon of water is boiled, a pound of sugar and a pound of corn meal should be added. You would use 5 gallons of water, 5 pounds of corn meal, and 5 pounds of sugar to make a 5 gallon mash for your first batch of moonshine.

Additionally, commercial distillers have determined that simply discarding a standard amount per batch, based on batch size, is enough to keep things safe. The rule of thumb is to discard 1/3 of a pint jar for every 5 gallons of wash being distilled.

The selling price is around $25 a gallon if sold in bulk, or $40 for retail price. “They can make as much as $10,000 a month,” the task force said. Producers make five to six gallons every seven days in the winter and 7 gallons every five days in warmer weather.

It's easy to get drunk on moonshine quickly, since it's so strong. Try to limit yourself to 1 drink per hour if you're drinking moonshine.

Does moonshine expire? ›

Moonshine has an indefinite shelf life and is one of the strongest alcoholic beverages, like whiskey. On the other hand, flavored moonshine, which contains sugar, has a shorter shelf life but can survive for years after being opened.

Yes, you can drink moonshine straight. Moonshine is usually consumed straight from the jar. It's also available in shot. Some alcohol experts recommend drinking it by shots or mixing it with co*cktails.

What Type of Corn Should I use in my Moonshine? Our favorite type of corn to be used in moonshine is cracked, dry yellow corn. This type of corn is considered field corn and it needs to be clean and food-grade. It is recommended to use air dried corn rather than gas dried.

Vodka Turbo Yeast has a low congener profile and a great sugar-to-ethanol conversion rate, making it the best yeast for vodka, high purity neutral spirits or moonshine alcohol.

Ingredients: 5 lbs. cracked corn 5 lbs white sugar 5 gallons spring water 2 ½ pounds honey 2 packets dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons using bulk yeast) Directions: 1. Put all your water in a large pot or several pots and bring to 180 degrees.

A stripping still is used to strip the alcohol out of your initial wash quickly and efficiently. It is typically the first step in the distillation of many types of spirits.

Adding sugar can also adjust the taste of your moonshine

To add final touches, you can add 5 teaspoons of caramelized raw or white sugar per liter of your spirit. You can add additional sugar if you want it sweeter because your final product will greatly depend on your taste buds.

The low proof of your distillate was also because of the low alcohol content of your wash. The alcohol content of the wash was low because you did not use a recipe that included nutrients for the yeast to live on.