Apple Moonshine Mash Recipe

Apple Moonshine is a type of alcohol distilled from apple cider or apple juice. Apple contains enzymes that break down sugars into alcohol, producing a sweet and fruity-tasting beverage. 

This post shows you step-by-step instructions on apple moonshine mash recipe. First, we will start with the easiest way to make apple moonshine mash and end with the advanced apple brandy recipe.

Making moonshine from apples isn’t rocket science, but with patience and time, anyone can make the perfect apple shine. It was originally created in Appalachia in the early 1800s. Today, it is commonly found at bars, restaurants, and even grocery stores. Apple moonshine is also called apple wine or apple brandy, depending on where it comes from.

How to Make Apple Moonshine– The Easiest Way

This is a quick and easy way to make apple moonshine without going to a store. You can also call this homemade apple brandy moonshine recipe. Since the only other ingredient, you’ll need apples, the cost is minimal. And since it contains no additives, it’s safe to drink.

Ingredients for Homemade Apple Moonshine Recipe

This requires only two things: apples and a pot. Here’s a detailed guide to making apple moonshine in your kitchen.

Step 1: Start with the apples.

Firstly, gather all the apples together before proceeding to any distillation process. You can buy them in bulk from local stores or farmers’ markets. However, if you want to make moonshine on a large scale, you should choose organic apples as they are free of pesticides.

Make sure to peel the apples. To remove the skin, simply use an apple corer. Then slice the apples into small pieces and store them in a pot.

Step 2: Add water

Next, add some water to the bowl containing the apples. Make sure that there is enough water to cover all the apples. Use distilled water to wash the apples. You must not use bottled water or tap water because they contain chemicals that may affect the quality of your moonshine.

Step 3: Crush the apples

After adding water to the bowl, crush the apples with a potato masher. It is essential to crush the apples well so that the liquid inside gets adequately mixed.

Step 4: Put the crushed apples in a pot

Now comes the fun part – putting the crushed apples in a big pot. Don’t worry about the pot size – just get one that fits all your apples.

Step 5: Fill the pot with water

Now pour all the crushed apples into the pot. Make sure that the water level reaches up to the top of the pot.

Step 6: Bring the mixture to boil

When you see the water starting to boil, turn off the stove. Let the mash cool down to around 160°F (70°C).

Step 7: Strain the mixture

Once the temperature goes down, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth, which helps remove the apple bits and leaves behind pure apple juice.

Step 8: Collect the apple juice

Collect the apple juice in another container. Now you have pure apple juice.

How to Make Apple Moonshine– Advanced Way?

Apple brandy is made by distilling apples, typically through a continuous still process. It takes many hours to produce apple brandy, and it’s expensive to make. Apple brandy is not very popular because it’s too firm, bitter, and hard to drink.

However, there is a way to make apple brandy milder, sweeter, and smoother than traditional apple brandy. This is called apple moonshine mash.

Note: This advanced recipe requires the authorities’ special fuel and alcohol permission. Also, you must maintain the TTR requirements. So, it’s suggested not to try this recipe without proper license and allowance.

Ingredients for Advanced Apple Moonshine Recipe

This is an advanced method of preparing apple moonshine mash, and that’s why it requires some additional ingredients. But there is no need for concern. You should be able to find them all at your local supermarket.

• Ripe apples: We’ve picked 25 pounds of apples for this recipe. Mixing various type of apples are suggested for better result.
• Water: adequate water so that the total amount of liquid is 5 gallons when the apples are juiced.
• Cane sugar: There are three types of cane sugar available. We’ll be using dark brown cane sugar in this recipe.
• Yeast: We use yeast for better fermentation and to prevent uncontrolled bacterial growth. So that we get our desired taste from the moonshine. The amount varies according to the brand. Usually, ½ tsp per gallon.

Mashing Equipment: This is an all-grain homebrewing kit, including everything you need to brew great beer at home.

Mashing And Fermentation Process

1. Apples that are more acidic and sourer are best for this apple shine recipe. 
2. Apples were washed.
3. Grated the apples
4. Put the grated apples into the apple grinder.
5. Grinded the apples to a pulp
6. Put the mash bag into the apple press.
7. Pressing the apples
8. Collected the juice in a sanitized container
9. We added the juice into the mashed pot.
10. We added 9 cups of water to the pot.
11. We mixed the apple juice and water until we had a uniform consistency.
12. Then we took an OG reading. Our OG was 1.012.
13. We heated the pot to boiling point.
14. We added 6 pounds of sugar while the mixture was at 162 degrees Fahrenheit.
15. We found during testing that anywhere between 4-8 pounds of sugar could be required to achieve our desired final gravity of 1.066. The amount of sugar in the fruit is the determining factor.
16. We started our fermentation at 70 degrees F. After 24 hours, we checked the gravity*, which was 0.971. So, we added 4 pounds of sugar and waited another day.
17. Then we rechecked the gravity, and it was 1.074. This means we had 10.7% *ABV.
18. We added water to our brew kettle and brought it to a boil.
19. Then we added malt extract, honey, and molasses.
20. After boiling for 60 minutes, we removed the wort from heat and let it cool to 70 degrees.
21. We then transferred the wort into a 6.5-gallon fermentation bucket using a wort chiller.
22. We then added 4 grams of dry yeast.

23. We added 2.5 teaspoons of yeast nutrients.

24. We added an airlock to our fermenter and then fermented it in a dark room with a temperature of 70°F. Our fermentation lasted anywhere from 7-10 weeks, depending on the yeast strain we used.

*Specific gravity: One way to characterize a substance’s density is through its “specific gravity,” or the percentage it differs from some “standard” density. When conducting a home distillation, the density of a sugar-water solution is compared to that of pure water.
*ABV: The possible ABV percent scale is displayed in percentages down the spine. Typically, hydrometers range from 0% to 20%, which signifies that the solution has enough sugar to make that much alcohol if the yeasts do their work completely.

Last Words: 

As you have been through the whole article, you know both recipes for the moonshine. If you are at home and need a beverage-type drink and low calories, go with the simple method. But, 

if you want your drink to feel like brandy, not a daily go-to beverage, you can go with the advanced method. But remember, as I said earlier, you will need authorized papers for your liquor requirement for the recipe. 

Though there is a bit of process to have the apple moonshine, yes, it is worth it

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