How to Know When Fermentation Has Finished

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Portrait of Emmet Leahy

Emmet Leahy is the Chief Operating Officer and lead product developer at Clawhammer Supply, a small scale distillation and brewing equipment company. He loves the process of developing new equipment for making beer at home just as much as he does using it to brew his own beer. He's also passionate about teaching people how to use distillation equipment to produce distilled water, essential oils, and with the proper permits, fuel alcohol and distilled spirits.

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96 Comments

  • H
    Comment Author: Harry

    Can i put a glass carboy in a large aluminum bucket of water and heat the two together to vaporize? in other words, indirectly heat the carboy and use it as a still?

  • DS
    Comment Author: DEnny sEnters

    At what temp should wheat mesh maintain until finished and what is the best yeast to used for wheat vodka

  • B
    Comment Author: Bill

    Man some of you guys need to do research on moonshine b4 you do a ferment. No Dnt add turbo yeast to an already fermenting bucket. You Dnt have to siphon water off there is no way for you to do that. That’s why you distill it. Nobody ever taught me anything. I watched moonshiners and did plenty of research and I’ve never had a problem. I have a 5 gallon going now with Fleishman yeast for 6 days at around 75 degree room it bubbles 1 time every 2 minutes. I’m gonna let it set another week

  • B
    Comment Author: Bill

    Man some of you guys need to do research on moonshine b4 you do a ferment. No Dnt add turbo yeast to an already fermenting bucket. You Dnt have to siphon water off there is no way for you to do that. That’s why you distill it. Nobody ever taught me anything. I watched moonshiners and did plenty of research and I’ve never had a problem. I have a 5 gallon going now with Fleishman yeast for 6 days at around 75 degree room it bubbles 1 time every 2 minutes. I’m gonna let it set another week

  • SR
    Comment Author: SHine RHine

    You guys are way overthinking this entire process. All you need is for yeasts to eat the sugar and turn it into alcohol. Then you boil off the alcohol at a temperature lower than which water boils (212) for those that don’t know that. Henceforth you get distilate that is always above 50% alcohol. Once your run starts to slow down even while still at 210 degrees you better start paying attention to the liquor coming out of your worm, it will get cloudy very soon thereafter. If its me, once it only drips at 210 degrees i shut er down and pour whatever else is left in the still out.