How to overtake fruit mash while maintaining taste. Algorithm for making fruit mash

Most fruits can be used as an ingredient in home brew to make moonshine. Fermentation is the process by which sugar is converted into alcohol by yeast.

Adding sugar to fruit allows you to increase the level of alcohol that is produced during the fermentation process. By using fruit mix can be produced, or stronger alcoholic drink- . In order for the mash fermentation process to begin, yeast is needed. There are many, they can be purchased in stores or on the Internet.

To prepare the mash you will need:

• At least 2.5 kg of fruit
• Half a kilo of sugar per 2.5 kg of fruit
• 30 grams of lemon juice per 2.5 kg of fruit
• Yeast
• Press
• large saucepan
• big spoon
• Five liter plastic bucket

Preparing fruit for mash:

1. Thoroughly wash and clean the fruit. Be sure to remove the seeds from them. Cut fruit into medium sized pieces.

2. Place the chopped fruits in a saucepan, and fill with water so that the liquid completely covers them.

3. Bring this mixture to a boil. Add sugar and lemon juice and mix everything well.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Using a press, grind everything thoroughly. You should get a kind of fruit puree. You can also use a blender for this, but then it will take more time.

5. Allow fruit puree to cool to room temperature.

6. Pour the fruit puree into a plastic bucket and add water (until the bucket is three-quarters full).

Braga fermentation process:

1. Add yeast to the diluted fruit puree and mix everything well.

2. Cover the bucket with plastic wrap to keep air out. Make 5-10 small holes in the film to exit carbon dioxide.

3. Let your fruit puree sit for about three days.

4. Remove the plastic wrap and remove any floating mixture from the bucket. Do it with big spoon. After that, mix everything again, cover the bucket with a clean film. Don't forget to make about 10 holes in the film to let the carbon dioxide escape! We leave the fruit puree to infuse for another 2-3 days.

5. Remove the plastic film, then again remove the rest of the fruit puree floating on the surface. Again we cover the bucket with a clean film, make several holes in it and leave it for 2-3 days.

6. At this stage, the fruit mash is already completely ready. A distillation process may be carried out. If you have such a desire, then you can leave the must to continue fermenting, in which case you will get a fruit liqueur.

Technology for making fruit mash - video:

Fruit mash. Part 1. Theory:

Fruit mash. Part 2. Wort preparation:

Fruit mash. Part 3. Add yeast:

Fruit mash. Part 4. The proportions of the mash:

Fruit mash. Part 5. Adding wort:

Fruit mash. Part 6. Preparation for distillation:

Fruit and berry mash. Part 7. Distillation:

you can use different kinds yeast. Even regular ones can fit. baker's yeast, but still it is better to use special yeast designed for making wines and liquors.

The temperature of the mash should remain stable, around 25 degrees Celsius. Temperature fluctuations can adversely affect the fermentation process.

During the fermentation process, fruit mash will smell unpleasant. Therefore, it must be located in places where it is not quite nice smell will not be heard by you and others.

There are cases when during the fermentation process it is necessary to add water to the wort. This happens with intense evaporation. The vessel in which the mash is located must be two-thirds full during fermentation, watch this!

Yeast can be activated by stirring it with fruit puree, then insist one night, and the next day add to the mash.

During fermentation, fruit mash should be covered to prevent air and unwanted bacteria from entering, which can spoil its quality, and hence the quality of the future alcoholic beverage.

It is necessary to distill twice - this question is asked by many moonshiners, both beginners and with experience. After all, moonshine was driven earlier at a time, and it even turned out to be quite good.

So why do you need to get raw alcohol first, and then bring it to the desired condition by the second stage? Let's try to answer these questions step by step, based on both science and practical experiments.

This is a distillate obtained by the first distillation (more often without separation into fractions), which is further amenable to and.

Why do you need to distill raw alcohol again?

The moonshine obtained during the first distillation is extremely rich in other impurities, which not only spoil the taste and aroma, but also cause irreparable damage to health. Of course, occasionally drinking such a liquid, you may not even go on a drip. Unless you know what a hangover is.

Reference. It is contained in unrefined moonshine acetaldehyde along with others" free apps"in the form of acetone, furfural, other substances called fusel oils, causes poisoning of the body.

He is accompanied by severe headaches, nausea, sometimes vomiting and terrible weakness throughout the body. This is what they call a hangover. Therefore, it is necessary to distill raw alcohol again in order to rid it of harmful fuselage.

How to carry out fractional distillation?

In many recipes there is an indication - the first time to overtake, without dividing moonshine into fractions until the strength in the jet falls below 30°. How correct is this? Actually, this method is justified only by the desire to get more strong distillate as a result of two stages.

If you are primarily interested moonshine quality, and not its quantity (and the losses are not so significant as to grieve about them), then make the first distillation fractional. Moreover, during the first distillation, it is more important to cut off the heads, since they contain great amount the most harmful substances arising in Braga due to the vital activity of yeast.

It is life-threatening, furfural, acetone, aldehydes. Especially a lot of these substances in the "heads" of grain and fruit mash. Yes, you will be able to determine their presence. Allow the first drops to fall on your hand, then rub them into your skin. Smell. That's another impression! It is important to separate the heads from the body of the distillate and simply pour them down the drain or use them for technical purposes.

But this is the strength of methyl and other alcohols, which are strictly forbidden to use! How and to use for infusing ingredients for rubbing. Through the skin, poisons perfectly enter the body!

Therefore, get rid of impurities already in the first distillate. It is recommended to separate 50% of the heads during the first distillation and the same amount during the second.

In practice, it looks like this:

1. Determine the expected number of heads. You can do this in several ways:

• according to the sugar added to the mash, which is easy to determine on sugar mash. From each kilogram of sugar added, you need to take 60-100 ml of the first drops of moonshine and dispose of it;
• according to the sugar content of the wort, If we are talking about fruit, grain and other brews, where sugar content cannot be determined without a device. Sugar content can be measured using a saccharometer-hydrometer or vinometer. This must be done before adding yeast to the wort. Suppose the device showed a sugar content (density) of 20%. It is easy to calculate the amount of sugar from it. In 5 liters of mash, hypothetically - 1 kg. Calculate according to the formula: liters (5) multiplied by sugar content (0.2), get the amount of sugar per liter. In our case, 1 kg. Thus, if you have 20 liters of mash with a primary density of 20%, then - 4 kg of sugar. You need to select 240 - 400 ml heads. For two times - this is twice 120-200 ml;
• if it was not possible to initially determine the sugar content, then you need either select “by eye”, or do the first distillation without separation into fractions and then calculate the amount absolute alcohol, and already from this figure to select heads. It's easy to calculate. Measure the amount of raw alcohol and its total strength. Suppose: 2 liters and 40°. Multiply the amount in ml by the strength and divide by 100. 2000x40:100 = 800. That is, you have 800 ml of absolute alcohol, and the heads must be selected at secondary distillation 80 ml.

1. Put the device on fire and monitor the temperature. When reaching 63-67°C, sharply reduce the heat and wait for the first drops of distillate to appear. Those heads are the most harmful faction in moonshine. They are only taken drip. At the first stage - half of the calculated amount that you have already determined for your mash.
2. Next, add fire, let the moonshine go in a thin stream. Drive until the fortress in the jet reaches 35 °. This happens on different devices at a temperature of 90-92°C. Everything that follows, do not take into the "body", since these are tails containing a large number of fuselage. If you wish, drive them into a separate bowl until the fortress drops below 30 °. Going further is a waste of time and resources.

Note. Tails are not as useless as heads.

If you add them to the first run of the next wash, it will increase the body yield.

The output of the amount of raw alcohol from the mash

For sugar mash the standard is the output 1.2 liters of raw alcohol from 1 kg of sugar. In practice, it rarely happens more than 1 liter. Suppose you had 10 liters of mash, in which 2 kg of sugar. You received 2.3 liters of 40% raw alcohol.

Calculating according to the above formula, we get 920 ml of 100% alcohol. Divide by 2 (kilogram). It is obtained from 1 kg - 460 ml of absolute alcohol.

But keep in mind that during the second distillation, 45 ml will go to your heads and about 8-10 ml will remain in tail fractions. As a result, you will get the final product after the second stage - 405 AC or 810 ml of 50-degree moonshine.

What moonshine to use?

Even at the first stage it is better to use dryer apparatus. Moreover, after the selection of heads, it should be rid of the assembled stinking bard.

If you have a stainless steel steamer, unscrew the faucet below and remove the liquid that has collected there. If “canned”, then unscrew the can and immediately replace it with a new one.

Suitable and straight-through apparatus. But using it, be sure to separate the distillate into fractions during the first distillation.

Is your device equipped with a strengthening column? Wonderful. The first stage will already be largely freed from fuselage.

On distillation column no need for a second run. But if you are cooking fruit or grain moonshine, it is important to preserve its organoleptic properties. Therefore, turn off the column and carry out the distillation, as in a ramjet.

How to clean before the second distillation?

Before the second distillation, clean the raw alcohol from fusel oils. This will qualitatively affect the second stage, after which you will get clean and pleasant to drink moonshine with minimum content fusel oils. Here are some proven folk methods:

1. woody or coconut charcoal . It is better to use a special one designed for cleaning alcohol-containing liquids. It is made from birch or coconut shells. Before use, grind it and pour it into raw alcohol at the rate of: 1 full spoon per three-liter jar. Shake, leave to settle for 2-3 hours, then filter.
2. Charcoal household water cartridge. Raw alcohol is passed through a filter jug. The alcohol purification cartridge must be separate. Store it in the refrigerator.
3. pasteurized milk low fat. Excellent besiege fusel oils. True, filtering is quite difficult.
4. soda and salt is also a good way. You need a spoonful of both for a three-liter jar. Filter thoroughly after cleaning.

How to properly dilute raw alcohol before secondary distillation?

It is not recommended to distill raw alcohol a second time in the form in which it was obtained (total strength 50-60 °).

First, for reasons fire safety. Such a high-grade liquid is highly flammable. Secondly, it is impossible to overtake “clean”, as a result, you will significantly lose moonshine. Thirdly, it is much more difficult to select impurities and fusel oils from a high-grade product, since the bonds at the molecular level are stronger.

Therefore, before distilling raw alcohol for the second time, it must be diluted to 30, or even 20 °.

• puree + syrup
• juice + syrup
• compote + syrup
• juice + compote + syrup, etc.

It is important that the wort be sufficiently sugary (at least 20 g/dm3) and fragrant initially. I often prefer to use compote (highly concentrated decoction) of fruits and berries with low humidity (dense apples, rose hips, blackthorn, quince, mountain ash, honeysuckle, some types of pears, etc.), in combination with other fractions to facilitate the work with the mash during its preparation for distillation. Of course, there will be losses in aroma, but in any case it is desirable to make up for them. aromatization. To do this, immediately, it is desirable to set aside some of the raw materials for the secondary flavoring of moonshine (it is possible to freeze). Making compote is very easy. Put portions of fruit into boiling water for 10-15 minutes, then discard them in a colander (drain the drained liquid back into the concentrate). With this method, almost all sugar (glucose and fructose) will fall into the compote, respectively, into the wort.

So, in accordance with our ideas and wishes, we made a must, which consists of a fruit component and syrup invert sugar. Be sure to measure its sugar content and acidity, and again think deeply. We decide to bring our complex solution to the correct indicators: sugar - 18-24 g / dm3, acidity 4-5 units. RN. We prepare invert sugar syrup in the right amount. But its concentration can be different, depending on the sugar content of the wort itself. If the sugars in the wort are 6-12 g/dm3, prepare a solution at the rate of 1/3; 12-15 g/dm3 - 1/4; 15-23 g/dm3 - 1/5. Finally, we have mixed the wort and its sugar content suits us (16-24 g/dm3). HOORAY!!!

Let's get back to slicing. We will bring the pH of the solution to 4-4.5 units. using the above method. The must is waiting to be added. We will not test it for strength, we will bring wine yeast in full accordance with the instructions for them and make the waste container with our unicellular fungi work.

The question arises: is there a need to feed the yeast? Our experience tells us that it is not worth it. Correct modern alcohol yeast contain in their composition a full range of vitamins and trace elements for the normal functioning of yeast. In addition, excessive protein feeding can release ammonia compounds into the wash, formed as a result of putrefactive fermentation of amino acids. This problem is solved by removing (draining) a layer of dead fungi, for which correct fermentation tanks there are bottom taps for draining the sediment at the final stages of fermentation.

So, sooner or later, the mash is ripe for driving. If everything was done correctly, it should taste like dry fruit wine. How tastier than mash, so, accordingly, moonshine will be tastier. We're getting ready for the chase. We collect the remains of fruit floating on the surface, carefully decant the rest of the liquid. READY!!!

We prepare moonshine for work. In this situation, be sure to use a 3-fold stage.

Collecting the configuration "straight run" and simply distill all the enemy to the primary distillate without fractional selection up to 15-20% alcohol content in the jet. Let's try distillate. We draw conclusions and again think for a long time what to do next.

In our noble cause, nothing is ever unambiguous, as in any other business with the use of the human mind and hands. Again we bow our heads, only this time over the receiving container, we sniff for a long time, lick the drops and think. Sometimes you have to pour everything into a canal, for example melon distillate. And sometimes you get some kind of masterpiece on the first chase (more often with wild yeast, with long fermentation(up to 4 weeks) must). In any case, with the use of the Favorit-Exclusive distiller, it is not necessary to use carbonization, cleaning with milk, potassium permanganate. Although I would like to talk about potassium permanganate separately.

In a very low dilution (8-10 crystals per 1 liter of water), a solution of potassium permanganate, when added to the distillate from above, is able to solve the problem of odors. In this case, the released atomic oxygen neutralizes (oxidizes) the esters of foreign compounds and tail alcohols. At the same time, one should not forget that potassium permanganate reacts with ethyl alcohol, forming a compound that falls to the bottom in the form of white flakes. After straining this sediment, you can add potassium permanganate again and again get this sediment. The process can be repeated until all the alcohol has settled in the form of flakes, and a weak solution of acetone remains in the container.

More often and most likely, we will have to overtake the resulting fruit distillate again, but already with separation into fractions. In this situation, we can not do without the magic . We collect it in the configuration "complete without MFP" in the version with a 50 cm side, or with a 30 cm side. We fill the sides with nozzles. The options are as follows: the lower nozzle is always .

From above, at your discretion, any combination of copper tap-changers, steel and copper SPN Selivanenko(3-3.5mm). Copper nozzles should be applied in case of doubtful smell of the distillate, or one coat prophylactically.

Dilute the distillate with prepared water to a strength of 30%.

We heat up the cube, wait for the first drops, immediately after they appear, we significantly reduce the heating of the system, increase the water pressure. Let the system think for about 15 minutes about how to behave further (just kidding). Everything is ready for selection "head faction".

We increase the heating along with the increase in cooling of both refrigerators. Starting very slowly . It is not difficult to achieve this selection rate (1-1.5 drops per second), it is enough to adjust the heating by reducing it; and cooling the reflux condenser by slightly opening the cold water supply valve.

We will select the heads in the volume that will be 6-10% of the volume .

For example: in a cube there are 20 liters of distillate with a strength of 40%. This means that pure (absolute) alcohol in the distillate is 8 liters. Heads will be selected 480-800 ml. at the same time, sniff the drops from time to time, rubbing them in dry and clean palms. As soon as the smell of acetone in drops disappears, you need to change the receiving container and begin to select the “body”. Increase the heat and adjust the water supply. Alcohol will flow in a thin stream. We select it until its strength in the stream drops to 60%. Again we change the container and select the so-called "pre-tails" up to a strength in the jet of 40%. On this shoulder strap, you can stop, or you can change the container again and select all the remaining alcohols for incomprehensible purposes. The selection in this case is carried out until the temperature in the cube reaches 99 degrees. We disassemble and wash the device.

So we got 4 containers. The first fraction - in the toilet, or leave to light fires. The second faction is the most valuable. It must be evaluated for strength, taste and smell. If everything was done correctly, then it will turn out delicious moonshine 65-85%. It can be consumed, although the smell of the raw material may be partially or completely absent. We take the third bank. Again we try and smell. The usual fortress of this faction is 45-50%. It can taste better and more fragrant than the second, and it may not work. In general - again think and make a decision. If the aroma has disappeared altogether, mix the 2nd and 3rd fractions, dilute with water and distill using a gin basket. We put the necessary fruits for flavoring in it. We carry out the distillation without connecting a reflux condenser and without nozzles, up to a temperature in the cube of 98 degrees. All is ready.

In any case, no additional purification (coal, oil, milk, potassium permanganate) is required.

Moonshine based on fruit mash turns out to be softer, more aromatic and more palatable. In pursuit of the ideal, many moonshiners refuse to use yeast and sugar (fermentation in this case takes place on wild yeast), experimenting with proportions and raw materials. We will introduce you to the best recipes fruit mash, and also tell you about the technology of their preparation and distillation into moonshine.

Needless to say, cooking fruit mash takes more time and effort compared to. The breakdown of sugar in fruits is much more difficult, which is why fermentation takes longer and is less intense. But the main "trick" of this work is to obtain moonshine of exceptional quality, which is very difficult to make from regular sugar and yeast.

Any fruit can be used as a raw material, but the yield of alcohol per 1 kg will be different for everyone.

In terms of taste, there is no difference. Almost all fruits equally give their aroma, it remains only to choose the most pleasant taste for you, after which you can immediately put the mash.

Another question - "exhaust" of alcohol per kilogram of raw materials. It depends on the amount of sugar in the product and can vary greatly. The more sugar, the more alcohol the yeast can process. The table of fruit raw alcohol yield is presented below.

As you can see, against the background of sugar, most fruits are 10 times less effective. This suggests that in order to obtain the same amount of alcohol as with 1 kg of sugar, approximately 10 kg of fruit raw materials will be needed.

Due to the large volumes, fruit mash is put in the season when an excess of raw materials appears in the villages.

Recipes and proportions

With yeast and sugar

The most popular approach among moonshiners is the use of yeast and sugar, which can be used to increase alcohol yield and improve fermentation. Taste in this case worsens a little, but for moonshine it is completely uncritical.

Wine yeast Lalvin EC-1118 ( a good option for fruit brew)

• Fruit - 6 kg.
• Sugar - 2 kg.
• Alcohol (15 grams) or wine (5 grams) yeast.
• Water - 12 liters.

For fruit distillates try to use wine yeast, for example, Lalvin EC-1118.

But alcohol is quite enough, they do not interrupt the aroma of the fruit so much, so you can safely use them.

No yeast and sugar

If you decide to get moonshine highest quality, then it is best to abandon any additional ingredients. Fermentation in this case is started with wild yeast that are on the surface of the fruit.

That is why during the cleaning of raw materials it is forbidden to wash it, so as not to wash off the same fungi!

Approximate wort consistency

• Fruit - 3 kg.
• Water - 1 liter.

When preparing the wort, all fruits are ground with a blender or meat grinder, so you should not have problems with mixing.

Near 25–30% it is advisable to leave the fermentation tank under the foam.

Examples of recipes on different fruits

Below is a list of links to brags that we have already analyzed on our site. When you go to any of the presented pages, you will have complete instructions and proportions for the preparation of wort and distillation into moonshine.

Both berries and fruits can be used as a base.

Fermentation and distillation into moonshine

There is no fundamental difference between yeast and yeast-free fermentation. They are distinguished only fungal activity And mash maturation time. The whole technology looks like this:

The variety of fruits is not of fundamental importance. Any will do.

1. The fruits are cleaned with a towel. Stems, twigs and seeds are removed. Fruits should not be washed, as extremely valuable wild yeast will be washed off them.
2. All raw materials are ground with a blender and fall out into a fermentation tank.
3. If you are using the first recipe, then in addition to water, add sugar and yeast according to the proportions. If not, then just add water.
4. For about a day, the wort should breathe through gauze, after which it is necessary to put a water seal and take the container to a dark place.
5. Yeast fermentation will end in 5-10 days, and yeast-free will gurgle for 3-5 weeks.
6. When the mash subsides and brightens, it will be necessary to drain it from the sediment and filter through gauze. After that, pour the liquid into the distillation cube.
7. We recommend you double distillation, and for the first time it is done without separating fractions. We make distillation until the fortress in the jet drops to 30 degrees. After that, stir the moonshine with water to 20 degrees of strength and send it to the second distillation.
8. The second time we select the "heads", "body" and "tails". Remember that for every 1 kg of sugar you need to separate 50 ml of heads and only after that you should start collecting the main product. Distillation goes on until the fortress drops to 40 degrees.
9. Try to infuse moonshine for a day to stabilize the taste, although most often the tasting begins immediately after turning off moonshine still 🙂 .

As an illustrative example, I want to give you a video on Youtube from Antonych and Alexey Podolyak. Professional and experienced moonshiner will tell you about all the subtleties of fruit distillates, from harvesting to the economics of raw materials.

Even before the first distillation, the mash needs to be properly prepare. The processes described below have a positive effect on the quality of the final product, so they should not be neglected.

Degassing

When the fermentation process is completed, the mash remains some carbon dioxide. During distillation, additional pressure may occur, which will lead to spitting out the mash along with the distillate. This can lead to cloudiness of the drink.

In addition, many harmful compounds from the initial fraction will get into the distillate. Therefore, before distillation, get rid of carbon dioxide.

If you just leave the fermentation tank open, then the mash can turn sour, because it oxygen will enter. This will lead to a deterioration in quality and a decrease in the yield of moonshine.

There are several proven degassing methods:

• Mechanical. This method assumes intensive mixing mash for a few minutes. The easiest way to do this is with a drill with a special nozzle for building mixtures.
• Temperature. It is necessary to pour the mash into a metal container and quickly heat it to a temperature of 50º. When heated, the gas bubbles will rise up, forming foam. When the foam disappears, the process must be completed.

Important! Before degassing, be sure to drain the mash from the sediment. Using a tube, it must be poured into another container. This must be done regardless of the method of degassing.

Lightening

This is one of the most effective methods for cleaning the wort. After degassing, add bentonite, which, settling, makes the mash more transparent.

Together with bentonite, many harmful compounds settle at the bottom, which have a bad effect on the smell and taste of moonshine.

Bentonite is powdered white clay. Sold in a pharmacy as cosmetic product for skin care. Face masks are made from the powder.

You can use cat litter made from bentonite.

It is worth choosing a filler without the addition of various kinds of dyes and flavors. First you need to grind the filler granules to a powder state.

White clay powder is added at the rate 1 tablespoon for 10 liters of mash. Before adding bentonite, it must be thoroughly mixed in 0.5 liters of water.

After adding fermentation tank tightly closed and left to settle for a day. If after 24 hours the mash has not cleared, it is recommended to heat it to a temperature of 50º, then it should be defended again. When the composition becomes transparent, you need to carefully drain it from the sediment with a hose. Then pass through a paper filter. After that, you can start distillation.

Braga temperature

Even if all the rules and cleaning of the wort were followed, moonshine can be spoiled by violating temperature regime distillation.

Braga consists from water, alcohol and other compounds. The boiling point of water is 100º. Ethanol boils at 78.3º. It turns out that the mash will boil in the temperature range from 73º to 100ºС. The useful part is taken at 78-83º.

In addition to alcohol and water, various impurities are present in the composition, etc. They begin to evaporate at 65º. At this temperature, the selection of the first fraction begins. It consists of compounds not intended for ingestion. This faction is worth take before reaching a temperature of 78º. After that, the selection of raw alcohol begins.

When the temperature rises above 83º, need to stop the selection of the main part. This is followed by the final fraction, which, like the first, contains many harmful compounds. It is taken into a separate container, and can be used in subsequent distillations of the mash.

The temperature regime in moonshine is very important. But what if, including with, is not equipped with a thermometer? There are methods by which the need for the use of this measuring device is practically eliminated. However, it should observe desired temperature mash distillation.

How to properly expel moonshine from mash: first distillation

In the question of the first haul moonshiners are divided into two camps. Some believe that during the first distillation, the resulting alcohol pointless to split into fractions. Others, on the contrary, advise separate the beginning and end parts from the main. Consider both methods:

Fast distillation

Braga is quickly brought to a boil. The selection starts immediately, without separation of the initial fraction and continues up to 5º in the jet. In this case, the process proceeds at maximum power.

note. The strength must be measured in a small container (preferably in a glass test tube) special device –alcoholometer.

When measuring the strength of the distillate, its temperature should not exceed 30ºС, otherwise the readings will be inaccurate.

Fractionally

With this method, the mash is brought to a temperature of 65º over high heat.

The initial fraction is approximately 10% of the total distillate obtained. She has cutting bad smell and low strength.

It is necessary to select it until the smell disappears completely. Followed by useful part (body). You can check the strength using the old reliable method.

Take a few drops of distillate into a spoon and set fire to.

If the liquid lights up with a blue flame, this means that you can start collecting the useful part. When the fortress falls below 30º, the selection of the body should be stopped.

Carefully! It must be remembered that alcohol is a flammable liquid. Careless handling can lead to fire and sometimes explosion.

Be careful! Do not leave containers with alcohol near fire and hot objects.

How to distill mash into moonshine: the second distillation

Regardless of the method of distillation, after the first distillation, it is necessary dilute the resulting alcohol to 20-30º and carefully filter.

Filtration

Best for cleaning coal. Tablets are usually used activated carbon, but wood is also suitable if it does not contain additional impurities.

To make a filter, just cut off the top of the bottle with a neck, place a cotton pad in the neck and pour in charcoal.

Ideal for distillate filtration carbon filter for water purification. It does not require additional manipulations and is easy to use.

Another effective assistant in cleaning moonshine is baking soda . For 3 liters of diluted distillate with a strength of 25º, one teaspoon of soda is enough. The solution is thoroughly mixed, after which it is left for a day.

The mixture is then carefully poured off. The main part of the soda should remain at the bottom. The distillate is then passed through a paper filter and sent to a second distillation.

Second distillation

In secondary distillation, fractionation is mandatory procedure. The process is almost the same as above. The only point that distinguishes the second distillation from the first is fortress in the stream, at which it is necessary to stop the selection of the useful part. The selection of the main fraction during the second distillation must be stopped when the fortress falls below 40º.

Purification after distillation

Here the opinions of manufacturers also differ. Many moonshiners believe that after the second distillation it is not advisable to clean the moonshine. It is enough to carefully separate the harmful fractions from the beneficial ones.

The fact is that with a high strength, fusel oils and others harmful impurities separated quite problematic, and dilute the distillate at the final stage can be at least 40º.

But there are supporters re-cleaning. In this case, it is recommended to use purification methods that do not affect the color and transparency of the drink.

Instead of cleaning at this stage, it is more expedient to use endurance. But before that, it is necessary to properly dilute the distillate with water.

Dilution with water

The optimal strength of moonshine is 40-45º. After distillation, its strength is more than 70º. Drinking such a drink is not very pleasant, it is worth diluting it. For this, they usually use household alcohol meter.

When diluting alcohol, it is better to be guided by a special Fertman table. It helps to determine right amount water for precise dilution of alcohol.

In addition, it is worth mentioning water quality. It is best to dilute alcohol with distilled water. It is neutral and does not affect the taste in any way. You can also use spring or well water. If it is not possible to get such water, then it is allowed to use settled and boiled water from the tap.

The use of heads and tails

As already mentioned, the tails and heads contain many compounds harmful to human health. Their ingestion is very dangerous. However, they can be used in the economy.

Tails are often used for preparation of various kinds of infusions for rubbing. They can also be added to the mash at the next distillation. This slightly increases the amount of alcohol produced.

However, there are moonshiners who advise not to use tailings for distillation. They believe that with the constant use of final fractions, a large amount of fusel oils gets into the moonshine.

Heads applied for technical purposes only e.g. for stain removal or as a solvent. Even the initial fractions are well suited for kindling fires.

Useful videos

Proper distillation of mash into moonshine, video in two parts:

The process of distillation of mash, selection of fractions, look:

The first distillation, answers to questions:

Technology of the second distillation into moonshine, answers to questions on moonshine:

This article discussed the main features of production homemade alcohol. If you apply all the above rules and tips, the quality of moonshine will always be on top.

But it's important to remember that overuse alcohol, even if it is the most best quality, adversely affects health. Therefore, you should drink in moderation.