Yeast from hop cones for moonshine. Alcoholic drinks

Hops is an amazing plant, the beneficial properties of which can be talked about for a very long time. Hops grow in mixed and deciduous forests, in plantations and wastelands, without presenting special requirements to soil and climatic conditions, so you can find it throughout Eurasia, North and South America.

The chemical composition and characteristics of hops

Hop is a climbing plant with a long stem, up to seven meters, beautiful leaves and cones that look like a decorative decoration. For this reason, hops are often used for arbors and pergolas, but most of all, hops are interesting for their medicinal properties, thanks to which they are used in cooking and medicine.

Hop is a dioecious plant, male and female inflorescences are on different vines. Basically, female inflorescences or hop cones are used as medicinal raw materials, which have a whole range of unique substances. These are lupulin, bitterness, flavonoids, anthocyanins, phenolcarboxylic acids, catechins, essential oil. However, for the treatment of certain diseases, the use of young shoots and leaves of the plant is allowed.

In hop cones, phytoestrogens (female sex hormones of plants) were found, which determine the estrogenic activity of hops. Thanks to female hormones, hops in traditional medicine has found application as a means for breast enlargement - this is a tool that has been tested for centuries. For the same reason, in men who drink too much beer, which is brewed with the addition of hop extract, not only the beer belly grows, but the mammary glands also enlarge.

There are vitamins in the composition of hops: A, C, E, beta-carotene, PP, vitamins of group B; macronutrients: magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur; trace elements: zinc, iodine, iron, manganese, copper, selenium, fluorine.

Hop has a sedative, wound healing, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, bactericidal, diuretic, choleretic action. Therefore, it is used for the production of drugs such as Novo-Passit, Sedavit, Valocordin, Valosedan, Corvaldin, Urolesan, and is included in various dietary supplements.

Traditional medicine considers it necessary to use hop cones for the treatment of diseases of the stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys, Bladder, female organs.

Hops normalizes metabolic processes, activates digestive system, has a calming effect on the nerves and heart, and at the same time cleanses the intestines and blood vessels from cholesterol, toxins and toxins.

Decoctions and infusions of hops can also be used externally: decoctions and tinctures - for gargling, for rinsing hair after washing in order to get rid of dandruff, for compresses and washings non-healing wounds, ulcers, abscesses and boils. Ointments from fat and hops - for the treatment of skin diseases, ulcers, wounds, abscesses. Alcohol tinctures of hops - for rubbing joints with rheumatism and arthritis.

Hops can not only be drunk, but also inhaled - make a sachet of hop cones and leaves, and put it at the head - the dream will become more calm and deep.

Note that the most valuable medicinal raw materials are small brown seeds, which are found in hop cones, and the yellow substance lupulin or pollen on the cone scales. A dry powder is made from the seeds, which is brewed and drunk with neurasthenia, vegetative-vascular dystonia, insomnia, gastric catarrh, gastrointestinal colic, inflammation of the bladder, inflammation of the female appendages.

But the use of exclusively seeds extracted from hop cones can lead to overdose and poisoning - the concentration of bioactive substances in them is very high, so the recipes are mainly about hop cones. Seeds in 3-4-5 cones are enough to prepare a whole glass of infusion.

Recipes with hops

Recipe 1.

Hops tincture in vodka or alcohol. To prepare it, take 25 grams of dry hop cones, 1 glass of vodka, or 100 ml medical alcohol. Put the cones in a glass jar, and fill with alcohol. Put the jar in the dark cool place for 3 weeks, then strain and take 10-15 drops three times a day.

Application: tincture of vodka or alcohol should be drunk with cholecystitis, insomnia, neuralgia, hypertension, cystitis. External use - for rubbing with sciatica, rheumatism and arthritis, for gargling with sore throat, for gargling oral cavity with stomatitis, gingivitis, periodontal disease.

Recipe 2.

An infusion of hop cones on water can be prepared when the application alcohol tinctures contraindicated. Take 5-6 hop cones, pour 200 ml of boiling water, let it brew for 1-2 hours, strain.

Recipe 3.

Infusion from the juice of young shoots of hops. Squeeze out 2 tbsp. juice from young shoots of hops, and mix it with 1 cup hot water.

Application: the cooled drink should be drunk during the day with hepatitis.

Recipe 4.

Infusion for strengthening and growth of hair, and getting rid of dandruff. Fill in liter jar hop cones by 1/5, brew with boiling water. Let it brew for 5-6 hours, then strain and use to rinse your hair after washing. The infusion does not need to be washed off with water. The use of infusion of hops will make your hair stronger, shinier, more resilient.

Recipe 5.

Hop ointment. Melt 1 cup of pork or goose fat, put 10 tablespoons in it. hop cones, and heat in a water bath for 1 hour, stirring constantly. Then strain and use for rubbing with radiculitis, rheumatism. Good results gives the use of ointment in the treatment of abrasions, scratches, bruises.

Recipe 6.

Decoction for hair loss. Grind the calamus root, and in equal proportions mix with hop cones. Brew 25 grams of the mixture with 1 liter of boiling water, and cook over low heat for half an hour. Infuse for 2-3 hours, then strain and wash your hair in case of hair loss and dandruff. The use of a decoction will relieve dandruff and oily sheen of hair.

Recipe 7.

Hops against colds. Pour 1 tbsp into the teapot. tea leaves (black or green tea), 1 tbsp. oregano, hops and peppermint, 1 tsp chamomile. Brew boiling water, let it brew for 30 minutes. Pour into a cup through a strainer, add boiling water and drink as a tonic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic drink. For colds, the use of a drink with honey is especially useful.

Recipe 8.

Essential oil of hops in an aroma lamp. 1-2 hours before bedtime, make an aroma lamp with hop essential oil. to do this, it is enough to pour a little water into the lamp container and add 5-6 drops of oil. Deep sleep you are provided, moreover, during the flu epidemic and colds aroma lamp will destroy harmful bacteria and viruses in your apartment.

Hops for breast growth

Hops have long been used to increase breasts, and this is not surprising, it contains a female hormone - phytoestrogen 8-PN, which allows you to solve the problem of a small bust. The effectiveness of hops can be illustrated by the example of male beer drinkers. As you know, hop extract is used in brewing, from which in men an undesirable enlargement of the mammary glands is observed, a beer belly begins to grow. What happens with this? Too many female sex hormones enter the body of a man, it changes hormonal background, and it becomes more feminine - breasts and tummy grow by leaps and bounds.

Perhaps this is the most convincing argument that hops should be used for breast enlargement. For our purposes, hops should be used both internally - in the form of decoctions and infusions, and externally - by rubbing the essential oil of hops into the mammary glands.

Recipe 1.

Infusion for breast enlargement. 1 tbsp place hop cones in a thermos and pour a glass of boiling water. After 8 hours, you can start drinking the infusion. The infusion should be drunk in three divided doses 10-15 minutes before meals.

Judging by the reviews on the forums, the use of infusion gives good results - breast enlargement by 1 size can be achieved in 1 month. In some girls, breast enlargement is observed only with the constant use of hop preparations - as soon as they stop taking them, breast size decreases.

Some women complain about the disgusting bitter taste of hops infusion, although it is not as sharp and piercingly bitter as centaury or yarrow infusions. Hops have the same bitter-tart flavor as beer.

Women who decide to achieve an increase in the bust with the help of hops should consult a doctor, undergo an examination to determine the level of hormones in the body.

With prolonged use of hop infusions, there may be an increase in menstruation, an increase in libido, and hormonal disruptions. Hops have others side effects- drowsiness, increased appetite, decreased pressure.

More harmless, but also less effective way breast augmentation is the application essential oil hops. You can buy it at a pharmacy or make it yourself.

Recipe 2.

Hop oil. 10 tbsp hops need to be ground in a coffee grinder, take the mixture and add an equal amount of olive or sesame oil. Infuse the oil in a warm place for 7-10 days, then strain and rub into the mammary glands after a shower. After rubbing, wrap the breast with a soft cloth, and wash off the oil after 1-2 hours. warm water with soap.

The procedure can be performed every day, phytoestrogens in the body will accumulate gradually, not as quickly as when taking hop infusions inside, but the effect will still appear after 1.5-2 months. In addition, the skin on the chest will become even softer and more tender, and the breast itself will become elastic and toned.

For breast enlargement, you can use both methods - and ingestion of the infusion, and rubbing with oil. However, an overdose in this case is also not allowed - do not forget that hops are a slightly poisonous plant, with excessive and prolonged use of drugs, poisoning can occur. And in general - in the treatment with hops, as well as in the use of other drugs - everything is individual. Some can't get enough of him, others get more harm than use, and experience an irresistible disgust for the plant. But it’s still worth a try, and it’s better from small volumes - it’s never too late to stop taking hops.

Contraindications

Hops are a slightly poisonous plant, so you need to use it carefully, without exceeding the dosage. Otherwise, you can poison the body and cause nausea, lightheadedness, dizziness and vomiting. Hops in large volumes are contraindicated for men - hormonal changes can occur in his body, which disappear after stopping taking drugs from hops.

Hops should not be consumed by pregnant and lactating women, persons suffering from reduced pressure, children under the age of 12, persons with individual intolerance to substances found in the plant.

Every professional distiller knows what is possible not only in the presence of yeast, but also with the use of other ingredients. Suitable for making mash and common hop. It has slightly different characteristics than, and drinks with its use differ in their taste, color and nature of the impact on humans.

Fungi settle on fresh hop cones, which do not die in the process of prolonged boiling. It is they who give violent fermentation and also activate the yeast. In addition, the addition of hops to the wort allows you to get rid of proteins and extraneous microflora, which abound in berries, fruits and cereals. Due to this, less harmful substances, and at the output, in ready moonshine, there will be a minimum fusel oils and other unwanted impurities. So the use of hop additives in home brewing, even in small doses, can be considered one of the stages of product purification.

Where to get hop supplements

If you decide to try to make moonshine with hops, you can collect it yourself - a wild species called common hop grows almost everywhere - throughout the temperate climate zone. It is necessary to collect unpollinated cones in late August - early September. They need to be thoroughly dried, and only then put into action. They contain tannins, antioxidants, antiseptic compounds, which destroy or inhibit the growth of harmful microflora and microfauna, "leaving alive" only ordinary yeast.

It is not necessary to extract the hop cones yourself. In brewing and in the manufacture of moonshine, the use of extracts, granulated and powdered hops is practiced. All this is in pharmacies, as well as in grocery stores. There are also ready-made hop yeast on sale.

Hop Yeast Recipes

In order for the cones to start “working”, it is necessary to prepare a starter from them. There are several options:

Recipe 1. Hoppy sourdough with pharmaceutical granules

Required:

• prepared water - 1 liter (plus a glass or two for topping up);
• granulated pharmaceutical hops - 25 gr;
• hot water for washing the meal - 1 glass;
• - half a glass;
• granulated sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon.

1. In 1 liter of water, pour the hops bought at the pharmacy.
2. We put the mixture on the fire and boil for about 45–60 minutes, constantly adding water to the previous volume.
3. We leave the broth for 12 hours, after which we squeeze it, wash the cake with a small amount (a little more than 1 cup) of hot water and add this “dirty” water to the filtered liquid.
4. After our hop "brewing" has cooled to a temperature of + 35 ° C, add half a glass of flour and one tablespoon of sugar to it in a container.
5. After a maximum of 3 days, and more often after a day or two, rapid foaming will begin. This means that the sourdough is ready and can be added to the blank (wort) for mash. For 3 liters of future mash, you can add 4 tablespoons of hop sourdough.

Recipe 2. Hop yeast in two days

Required:

• dried hop cones (not granules!) - 1 cup;
• prepared water - 2 cups;
• sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon;
• flour - 0.5 cups.

1. Fill the cones with water, put the container on a quiet fire and boil until 1/2 of the water has evaporated. After that, close everything with a lid and leave for 8 hours.
2. We decant the liquid, squeeze out the cake that is unnecessary during moonshine brewing.
3. We take a glass of hop tea leaves, add sugar and flour to the liquid, mix thoroughly until the mass becomes homogeneous, without lumps. We leave the future sourdough without a lid to ferment for 2-3 days in a room with t from + 30 ° С to + 35 ° С. When the mixture has grown to about a widow's volume, the hop yeast (sourdough) is ready.

Recipe 3. With the addition of malt

Hops in pellets

Required:

• granulated hops - 200 gr;
• flour of the 1st or 2nd grade - 2 kg;
• - 1 kg;
• prepared water - 12 liters;

1. We heat the water to + 40 ° C, pour hops into it, barley malt and flour, mix well.
2. Bring to a boil, make a quiet fire, keep boiling for 1 hour. We constantly add water so that its volume remains unchanged.
3. We filter the hop cake. The resulting liquid is suitable for use as a fermentation catalyst.

Here is the Russian spirit, here it smells of hops

In the production of beer, hops play an important role: they brighten and cleanse the brew from harmful microorganisms. It has also found its application in home brewing: based on it, a high-activity sourdough is made. If you are preparing moonshine for yourself, by all means and be sure to add the dried cones to the vat to the wort. You will get a completely new taste of fun product that will enrich your experience.

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Alcohol home cooking has a special soul. The ancient hoppy braga drink combines the naturalness of the ingredients with the absence of heat treatment, thereby retaining its benefits. original products. Let's talk about how to prepare mash for drinking, considering general principles and specific drink recipes.

Delicious mash for drinking: the secrets of creation

The taste of the drink is determined not only by the recipe, but also by the products used, as well as the technical aspects of preparation. With seeming simplicity, losing sight of some points, you run the risk of completely spoiling the mash, making it undrinkable.

Product selection

There are many options for recipes for preparing mash for drinking. Crops, fruits, berries or honey are used. In this way, stagnant or fermented compotes, juices or jams that were supposed to be thrown away are used. In addition to the base, the composition of the mash includes the following components:

• Yeast. The best option is to select the type of yeast based on the main component of the drink. When preparing grain or honey mash, it is better to use alcohol types, for fruit and berry wine are suitable. In practice, they go into action baker's yeast as the most affordable option. The main condition will be the viability of the yeast, so pay attention to the freshness of the product and check this point before using. Due to the lack of distillation, pressed yeast gives the drink a specific flavor, so it is preferable to add dry yeast.

• Water. Too much soft water does not contain the minerals necessary for the life of yeast fungi, and boiled is deprived of oxygen. Therefore, it is better to use spring or well water of medium hardness. tap water pre-filtered or settled. In any case, it should be pleasant to the taste, without foreign odors and impurities.

• Sugar. This point is often overlooked, but granulated sugar impurities may also be present, especially if a bagged product is used. Cooking will help clear sugar invert syrup. This item is irrelevant only for jam mash, in which sugar is not added.

photo from http://xcook.info

Cooking technology

The fermentation process is quite capricious in terms of the conditions, and observe general rules necessary regardless of which drink recipe is chosen. This is where compliance matters. temperature conditions, oxygen restriction and time gaps.

• Provide optimal temperature for fermentation is not difficult, since the yeast does well under about the same conditions as people. They show the greatest activity at a temperature of +26-28⁰С, with permissible deviations from 18 to 30⁰С. At lower values, the production of alcohol slows down, and at + 3-5⁰С they die. In summer, a container with mash is left at room temperature, and in winter they are wrapped in blankets or old outerwear.

• It is necessary to limit the supply of oxygen so that ethyl alcohol does not oxidize in acetic acid. Sour mash does not contain alcohol, and it remains only to pour it out. To avoid this, put a rubber glove with 1-2 pierced fingers on the container, or a lid with a water seal. A water seal is easily made from a lid with a drilled hole into which a flexible tube is inserted. The other end of the tube is lowered into a container of water - this provides a drain carbon dioxide without allowing oxygen in.

• An important question is “how much should mash be for drinking?” does not have a single correct answer. Grain mash is ready after 5-7 days, and the preparation of berry mash can take up to two months. Need to focus on external signs the completion of fermentation, which manifests itself in the fact that gas bubbles in the water seal cease to be released or the glove worn on the neck is blown off. When the mash is ready, it stops foaming.

photo from the site osobnyachkom.ru

Touching on the time intervals, it is worth answering another popular question - is it possible to drink unfermented mash? Degree of alcohol after completion of fermentation alcohol yeast reaches 18, but if the goal is to cook less Reviver, then it is quite possible to use unfermented mash. It should be borne in mind that live yeast will continue to ferment in the intestines, which can lead to bloating and loosening of the stool.

Stop fermentation

You can stop fermentation yourself when the drink has reached the required strength. It is enough to cool it for several hours to 0⁰С or warm it up to 40⁰С. yeast mushrooms will die, which will save you from seething in the stomach after consumption.

Aromatic fruit mash for drinking

Intoxicating drink with fruit flavor it is better to cook with dry wine yeast. Any recipe that uses pressed raw materials can be adapted by using a third of the dry yeast by weight.

Braga from jam

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Any candied or fermented jam will do, but it is better not to use jars with traces of mold, since the drink will not be subjected to sufficient heat treatment. You will need next set products:

• water - 10 l;
• yeast - 20 g;
• jam - 5 l.

Braga has a special taste and aroma, to which are added fresh fruits or berries from which jam is made. Preparation consists of the following steps:

1. In a heat-resistant bowl, mix the jam and water until smooth.
2. Warm up the mixture to a temperature of 50⁰С, then cool it down to 25-28⁰С.
3. Pour into a fermentation container and add yeast, mix.
4. Install a water seal on the bottle, and place it in a warm, dark place.
5. Shake the liquid daily without removing the water seal to remove excess carbon dioxide.

After 10-14 days, fermentation will end, which will be seen from the clarification of the liquid and the silence of the water seal. Using a flexible tube, drain the drink from the sediment, and then filter through gauze folded in several layers.

Drinking mash from juice

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Great suitable home canned or freshly squeezed juice, but the store may contain substances that inhibit the development of yeast. If you are in doubt as to whether purchased juice, check it out on a small amount products. In ½ warmed glass of juice, add 1 tbsp. sugar and ½ tsp. yeast. Place the glass in a warm place, and if after 20-30 minutes a foam cap forms on the surface, feel free to use it. The amount of carbohydrates in the juice is not enough to get ethyl alcohol so no need to add sugar.

• juice (fruit, berry or mixed) - 10 l;
• sugar - 1 kg;
• dry wine yeast– 15 y.

Juice with pulp before use must be filtered through gauze or stand for a couple of days in a cold place. Preparing delicious mash for drinking is extremely simple:

1. In a fermentation vessel, mix warmed up warm state juice, sugar and yeast.
2. Close the bottle with a water seal or a glove and leave in a warm place.
3. Change the liquid daily, shaking it in a circular motion.

When fermentation is over, drain the drink from the sediment. It will take about 2 weeks to process, so it's not the fastest brew to drink, but it taste qualities worth the patient wait.

Braga from compote for drinking

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The efforts spent on preserving the compote are easily canceled out even by minor violations of the technology. Do not be upset, because the mash from the fermented compote comes out wonderful. You will need:

• compote - 10 l;
• dry yeast - 20 g;
• sugar - 2.5 kg.

The amount of sugar needs to be adjusted depending on the sweetness of the compote, so taste the wort, it should be intensely sweet, but not cloying. Cooking in progress according to the standard scheme:

1. Add sugar to warm (24-28⁰С) compote and stir until dissolved.
2. Pour in the yeast, close the container with a water seal and insulate it.
3. Do not forget to stir the mash, this will speed up its ripening.

If you're unsure if fermentation is complete, put a full rubber glove over the neck. Even with a slight intensity of fermentation, the glove will quickly fill with carbon dioxide.

Braga from honey for drinking

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The mead, beloved by the Slavs, is not only a way to utilize honey from the year before last, but also a delicious, original drink with unique aroma. Required Ingredients:

• honey - 600 g;
• water - 4 l;
• dry yeast - 10 g;
• hops - 5 cones;
• cinnamon, nutmeg or other spices to taste.

Do not use aluminum pan for cooking mead, this can darken it, but any honey will do.

1. Add honey to boiling water and stir until completely dissolved.
2. Turn the fire down so that the liquid is actively boiling, but not escaping.
3. brew honey syrup 5-7 minutes, removing the resulting foam to remove impurities.
4. When the boiling drink stops foaming, add hop cones and spices to it.
5. Cover with a lid and leave to cool to a temperature of 26-28⁰С.
6. While the liquid is cooling, activate the yeast by adding it to warm sweetened water.
7. Pour the cooled honey syrup into a fermenter and add the yeast to it.
8. Install a water seal and place the container in a warm, dark place.

After 4-6 days, try the drink, it should acquire a bitter aftertaste of alcohol, but remain sweet. When you try real mead, the question of whether it is possible to drink mash will disappear forever.

Quick mash for drinking in 12 hours

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Nature cannot be deceived, and no matter how hard you try, the yeast will not work hundreds of times faster. Therefore, if a quick mash for drinking in an hour communicates with a recipe, you should not trust such a source. The fastest fermented drink is kvass, and it contains a small degree of alcohol. Prepare the following ingredients:

• Borodino bread - 0.5 kg;
• Water - 8 l;
• Sugar - 2 kg;
• Dry yeast - 15 g;

Fortress homemade kvass can be adjusted independently, increasing or decreasing the fermentation time. For 12 hours, the drink will receive about 2.5⁰ of alcohol, which is quite enough for a refreshing effect.

1. Dry the bread in a pan until crispy.
2. Dissolve sugar in warm water and add yeast.
3. Cover the container with gauze and leave for 12-18 hours.
4. Drain ready kvass from the sediment and bottle, adding 5 raisins to each of them.

Do not flatter yourself if they offer you a recipe fast mash for drinking in a washing machine, because in a few hours it will not be possible to get a full fermentation.

How to make brew for drinking from cereals

photo from the site http://tonnasamogona.ru

You can use any cereal crops but preferably in the form of malt. Sprouted and dried grains give the drink a special flavor, and convert the carbohydrates they contain into monosaccharides available to yeast.

• barley malt - 0.5 kg;
• rye malt - 0.5 kg;
• water - 5 l;
• dry yeast - 7 g;
• hops - 250 g;
• honey - 150 g;
• mint - 5-6 sheets.

The cooking technology is not the easiest, but believe me, this recipe delicious mash for drinking it is worth the trouble with it.

1. Grind the malt and mix with water, leave for 8 hours to infuse.
2. Add yeast, hops to the wort and leave for 10 days for fermentation.
3. Filter the mash, add honey and mint, insist for a day.

In the same proportion, you can prepare mash from any malt or mixture different types. So that after adding an additional portion of carbohydrates in the form of honey, fermentation is not activated again, the drink should be cooled to 0-3⁰С. Store barley-rye mash in the refrigerator.

photo from the site http://pikabu.ru

As you can see, many recipes have been accumulated over the centuries. traditional drink, each of which is worthy of a little work before drinking mash. Efforts will be more than rewarded in kind, light taste And stunning aroma, with which no purchased alcohol can be compared!

Common hops (curly or scented hops) are perennial herbaceous plant, which is ubiquitous in the temperate climate zone, and has a lot of useful properties, due to which it has enough wide range applications.

In medicine, the list of diseases that can be cured with the help of hops is unusually diverse, in the production of bread - it is used as a leaven or for making yeast. Everyone knows the use of hops in the production of beer.

1 biological digression

A plant with a very long cord-like rhizome, a hollow stem, covered with fairly poisonous spines along its entire length. Rough wide castings on long cuttings, also covered with spines.

There are female and male plants. Female intoxicating inflorescences are the same cones that we are all used to. Male plants - instead of cones, they form paniculate inflorescences. Hoppy vines can grow in one place for many years. Flowering time - July-August, the time of final ripening - mid-late September.

There are only two main groups different varieties hops:

• district;
• selective.

Varieties of regional groups are natural, wild-growing, subject to centuries-old natural changes within the variety, depending on changes in climatic conditions and soil conditions. Breeding, of course, were bred in laboratories, and divided into three categories: fine, coarse and medium. To this day, subtle categories of hop products are considered the most suitable for beer.

2 Hop application

Common hop is a clockwise climbing plant that has long been used by people for all sorts of needs. Everything is used - cones and stems, leaves and pollen, young and old shoots, roots.

It is convenient to make hedges from it, braid them with arbors and fences. Hop plantations are very fond of bees, because during the flowering period there is an unusually high amount of pollen. And hop cones were often used in weaving workshops to dye fabrics in all shades of yellow and brown. From hops (more precisely from its stems) you can make a strong enough fiber to weave ropes or coarse thread for burlap.

As already mentioned, beer is made from hop cones, and liquid yeast, for baking bread. And the young shoots of the plant are widely used as food, for soups, salads, or as a food vitamin supplement rich in essential oil, phenols, acids and flavonoids.

"Urolesan" and "Valocordin", hormonal drugs and drugs for various dermatitis, painkillers and anti-inflammatory, acne, dandruff, gout, insomnia, scurvy and spasms - that's just short list ailments that ordinary hops are able to cope with.

Along with useful properties due to toxicity, the plant also has contraindications. The use of drugs based on cones is contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation, as well as children under the age of 2 years.

With hormonal disorders associated with increased secretion of estrogen, a medication made on the basis of hop components can greatly damage the hormonal background. Oil can have a wide range of manifestations of various allergic reactions.

2.1 Useful properties of hops

As a rule, hop varieties can differ in their chemical composition. Quantity and quality healing properties hops will depend on the climatic conditions and geography of its growth, the direct proximity to specific plants, the proximity of water bodies and the condition of the soil.

Usually, considering the properties of hops as a plant in terms of chemical composition, take the average values ​​of the content of various indicators. So a plant cone can contain from 0.3% to 3% essential oil, 11-26% of various bitter (tannic and astringent) substances, and shoots and young leaves - up to 0.18% ascorbic and formic acid.

In addition, the extract obtained from hops retains all glycosides, flavonoids, tannins and dyes, wax, resins and acids. And the amount of content of all these elements in the plant depends not only on the hop variety, but also on the choice right moment for harvesting. As a rule, the harvest time comes with the yellowing of the buds.

So let's recap. Hops are used in:

• landscape design;
• medicine and pharmacology;
• cooking;
• bakery;
• brewing;
• cosmetology and perfumery.

2.2 Medicinal properties of hops (video)

2.3 How to use cones to make mash?

Fragrant hops for mash can be harvested at the end of summer, or at the very beginning of autumn, before they begin to turn brown. The bump should be transitional from dark green to yellow color. Harvest varietal hops either before heavy rains, in dry, preferably sunny weather, or wait until the hop crop dries out a little from accumulated moisture.

Then, the collected material must be dried well already at home, in a well-ventilated room, constantly stirring, for a uniform fermentation process. Beneficial features hop cones will appear the more, the better the initial product will be prepared.

The starting drying temperature is from 29-30 °C, with a gradual increase in temperature up to 35 °C. An indicator of good drying is that the stem bends, but does not break yet. Under-dried or over-dried, it is no longer only not suitable for making drinks, but also loses most of its useful properties.

The recipe for sourdough starter at home is quite simple. We take:

• one glass of dried hop flowers;
• two glasses of water;
• a tablespoon of sugar;
• half a glass of flour.

It is necessary to fill the flowers with water and over low heat in enamelware boil until only half of the water remains. Then leave to infuse under the lid for 8 hours. Then strain, add flour and sugar, stir until smooth and leave to ferment without a lid for 2-3 days in a warm room. Cooked sourdough grows about twice, after which it is considered ready.

Made on hop starter product thanks to a large number antioxidants in hop cones are used and stored twice as long without losing their qualities. In addition, due to this amazing plant, the mash becomes lighter, and healing effect manifests itself in the fight against harmful microorganisms formed during the preparation of the drink.

Currently, two variants of hop products are used on an industrial scale:

• in the form of granules;
• in the form of extracts.

To prepare the pellets, the hop cone is ground into a powder, hermetically sealed and pressed into a vacuum.

The extract is prepared as an extract, for which an ethanol solution is taken, in which the oil and resin are dissolved.

The use of such raw materials in brewing is determined by the relative cheapness and availability, among other things, constantly allowing you to experiment with drinks, producing new varieties.

Choice of alcohol festive table always a very difficult question. good alcohol is expensive, and cheaper drinks are not always of high quality. Homemade drinks can help solve this dilemma. You can argue for a long time about the quality of these products, but who drank Home wine or good moonshine appreciated them. Yes, and the process of making drinks can not be called otherwise, except as magic.

You can make liqueurs, tinctures, etc. from moonshine. But remember that making drinks at home is only allowed for personal use! Do not try to drive a check to a neighbor or send a batch of alcohol into circulation.

The preparation of moonshine consists of several stages. The first stage is the preparation of the mash. When it ripens, it is distilled. The resulting alcohol is then purified re-distillation and in other ways.

Home brew
To prepare mash, you need water, yeast and carbohydrates (sugar, cereals, fruits, jam, etc.). To prepare the mash, you can use ready-made beer or wine yeast, which are sold in specialized stores. I do not advise using ordinary briquetted yeast, which is sold at every step. They are good for baking, but not for alcoholic drinks. You can make your own yeast.

Lyrical digression...
Recently I was asked what can be done with hops (?), and then a bag of dried buds materialized. Well, what's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word hops? Of course, delicious fresh beer. But the cones were overripe, and most of Pollen, valuable for beer, was already crumbling. Moonshine is another matter. If you make moonshine on bread yeast and sugar, mash ripens in a week. But the smell remains from the yeast in the final product and contains more heavy fuselage, poisons. Why spoil the product if there is a bag of dried hops. You can make yeast from it for our mash. Well, it's decided, we make moonshine with intoxicating yeast!

If, nevertheless, you need to expel the mash urgently, and you are not afraid to spoil the product, you can use store-bought yeast in briquettes and regular sugar. The proportions of the mash are then as follows: for 3 liters of water, a pack of yeast and a kilogram of sugar.

We prepared homemade yeast from hop flour and sugar like this:
Free the dried hop cones from the twigs and sort out, pour water at the rate of 1 glass of cones per 1 glass of water. We used eight glasses of hops for eight glasses of water. The hops now need to be boiled until the liquid is reduced by half. The cones will float to the surface all the time, so you need to constantly drown them with a spoon. Gradually, the broth will acquire a light brown color and will resemble unfiltered beer in appearance. The liquid will need to be filtered and squeezed out of the cones with gauze. Then you need to introduce sugar into a warm broth, a tablespoon per glass of broth. While stirring, pour the flour at the rate of half a glass per glass of broth. We used a mixer to make sure there were no lumps left. We cover the vessel with yeast with a towel and leave for 1-2 days until they ferment.

In the meantime, we filter and defend water for mash in a large bowl. When the water has settled, add jam or sugar there (for 3 liters of water 1 kg of sugar). As an experiment, this time we decided to add some more fragrant black bread. We put a vat of mash on a warm rug (there are such rugs for drying vegetables and fruits), so that it is warm, like in summer, we add yeast. And now she wanders with us for a week, and we constantly stir her. Foam is still in full swing, but it is getting stronger day by day, and the smell! Beaujolais is resting. So let's wait a few more days. The disappearance of foam and a strong alcohol taste should serve as a sure sign of readiness.

In the meantime, the braga looks like this

Let's go!
And now the long-awaited day has come, and our mash is ready. She almost stopped foaming, acquired a characteristic alcoholic smell and taste. The strength of the drink resembles wine. But I do not recommend drinking it, too much fuselage.

We need a pressure cooker, a serpentine and running water. The coil, in our case, is a copper spiral inside the water tank. The container in which the coil is located has two holes for the flow of water.

So, we pour the mash into the pressure cooker and twist the lid. We insert a coil tube into the steam outlet in the pressure cooker lid, and seal the joint with bread crumb so that valuable vapors do not escape.

We connect the container with the coil using a flexible hose to the tap. Water will flow out of the second hole, so we connected a hose to it too and lowered it into the sink. A jar was placed under the second end of the coil, into which evaporating alcohol will flow. All is ready! Now you need to wait until the mash boils, and turn it on running water. The alcohol will begin to evaporate, and the vapor will go straight into the coil tube, where, passing through the container with the flow cold water, they will condense on the walls and drain into our jar. But since alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water, as soon as the mash boils, we make the light very small. In general, in this case, it is recommended to use a thermometer and make sure that the temperature does not exceed 85-90 degrees, otherwise not alcohol, but mash will pour out of the coil.

Our coil looks like this

To find out when the alcohol in the mash runs out, we periodically set fire to a few fresh drops on the board. If it burns well and there is little water left, then there is enough alcohol. As soon as there is a lot of water in the drops, and the liquid begins to drip a little cloudy and less often, it is most likely time to change the mash.

Now that all the mash has been distilled, it is necessary to overtake the resulting moonshine several more times in order to get rid of the excess fumes. It is desirable to overtake at least three times. You can do more, as long as you have the patience. In the last distillation, it is desirable to cut off the so-called head and tail, they contain the most rubbish. For drinks, we leave only the “middle”, and the rest can be used for household needs. How to separate the middle at home is a rather philosophical question. This is where the "by eye" method comes into play. Depending on the total amount of alcohol, it is necessary to separate some part of the "pervak" - 5-10%.

That's actually all. The process is not difficult, but very long. It took us about 20 hours to distill 12 liters of mash. The product turned out to be about a few liters, but very strong, in pure form you can't drink it. Alcohol should be diluted cold boiled water. And it is cold, otherwise the solution will become cloudy.

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