TEMPERATURE CONVERTER CALCULATOR

 

Make following a moonshine recipe even easier with our temperature converter calculator! 

  

Making moonshine well involves many different elements which all need to be balanced perfectly in order to achieve your desired result. Fortunately, there are ways to make this process easier-namely our How to Moonshine tools and calculators! 

 

Within these ratios, arguably one of the most important is temperature. Temperature is a common theme throughout the moonshine process. From making your mash, fermenting and distilling, all of these steps require paying close attention to temperature. 

 

Of course, knowing what temperature to set often requires some conversions, and these are important to get right. This is why our temperature converter calculator is so important to use. 

How Hard is It To Make Moonshine? 

 

 

 

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This is definitely an interesting question, but one we do get all the time. The truth is, making moonshine can be difficult, but it can also be pretty simple. Just like with any hobby, there is a learning curve. 

 

The more you want to be able to do with your shine, the more skills you want to learn. 

 

However, as with many things in life, it is usually best to start simply. 

What Role Does Temperature Play in Moonshine? 

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Temperature plays a large role in making moonshine. Temperature is something that can make or break your shine during each step of the process. 

 

That’s right. Moonshine is a three-step process that can take between several days and several weeks to produce. In fact, if you want to make certain types of spirits, such as bourbon, you need to age your shine for several years. 

 

With temperature playing such an important role in every stage of making moonshine, it is important to set the temperature correctly each time. 

This is why we have our temperature converter calculator. Whether your recipe calls for celsius or fahrenheit you can get it right every time. 

Temperature and Making Your Mash

 

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Temperature plays an important role in making your mash, especially when you are making a grain mash. 

 

For a simple sugar mash, essentially all you need to do to prepare your mash is to make a simple sugar syrup. During this phase, temperature is an important element as you simply do not want to burn your sugar and essentially ruin the taste of your moonshine. 

 

 

 

 

However, while making a grain mash, temperature plays a much more important role.

 

This is because instead of simply bringing ingredients to a gentle boil, you actually have to do what is called a mash conversion. During a mash conversion you are essentially cooking your grain in order to convert it from a grain into a fermentable sugar. 

 

This step is critically important. Without a successful conversion you will not be able to have enough sugars present in your mash to achieve a good alcohol by volume (ABV). 

 

Fortunately, determining whether this conversion has taken place can be determined quite easily. 

How to Do an Iodine Test

 

 

Iodine is an easy to source and inexpensive product that can be a real lifesaver when making a grain mash. 

To determine if you are finished cooking your grain mash, you need to ensure your grain has converted into fermentable sugar. To do this test all you need is: 

• A white plate
• Iodine
• A small amount of mash

1. To perform an iodine test you simply spoon a small amount of mash onto a white plate and add a few drops of iodine. 
2. If your iodine stays the same amber hue then your mash has converted. If there are still starches present, your iodine will turn into a deep blue or black color. 
3. Discard this mixture. 

Temperature and Fermentation

 

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Temperature also plays a large role in fermentation. This is because yeast can be pretty sensitive to temperature. The strain of your yeast needs to determine your temperature.

 

It is important to not only know the right temperature, but also try your best to maintain it. A higher growth temperature will change the yeast's metabolism. This will produce a different range of by-products, which can have a major effect on flavor.

 

However, if the temperature is too cool, the fermentation will be sluggish. This can create an opportunity for the growth of contaminants, such as wild yeast and bacteria.

For these reasons, it is extremely important to maintain a consistent temperature during fermentation. Make sure to ferment in an area that is away from drafts or any heat surges. 

 

Check out: Everything you need to know about fermentation

Temperature and Distillation

 

 

Distillation may be the stage most people associate closely with temperature. This is because it is well known that you need to fractionate (separate) your moonshine by temperature.

 

Output	Temperature	Fraction	Keep or Toss?
Acetone	134°F or 56.5°C	Foreshots	TOSS
Methanol	147°F or 64°C	Heads	TOSS
Ethyl Acetate	171°F or 77.1°C	Heads	Keep for a second distillation or toss
Ethanol	172°F or 78°C	HEARTS	KEEP
2-Propanol	207°F or 82°C	Tails	Keep for a second distillation or toss
1-Propanol	207°F or 97°C	Tails	Keep for a second distillation or toss
Water	212°F or 100°C	Tails	Keep for a second distillation or toss
Butanol	241°F 116°C	Tails	Keep for a second distillation or toss
Amyl alcohol	280°F or 137.8°F	Tails	Keep for a second distillation or toss
Furfural	322°F or 161°C	Tails	Keep for a second distillation or toss

 

Temperature plays a large role in the process of distillation because your still is actually heating up your mash to remove the ethanol (and other by-products) from the water. 

 

With traditional distilling, this is done by heating up the mash. Ethanol evaporates at a lower temperature than water so by heating up the mash and then cooling it in the condenser you can easily collect the ethanol while the water remains in the still. 

 

Freeze Distillation

Freeze Distillation is a similar concept except instead of heating up your mash, you are freezing it. Water freezes at a much higher temperature than alcohol. You can essentially remove the water from your mash as it freezes into ice. 

However, this method is widely criticized as it does not allow for fractionation. Fortunately, this is a great option for transforming a commercial product into one with a higher ABV. So if you want to take cheap wine and turn it into brandy this is a great way to do it.