Distillation cube temperature regime for the distillation of mash. The sequence of actions during the first distillation of sugar mash

Despite the fundamental nature of the issue, opinions regarding distillation differ. We will try to express our point of view in simple words so that the average moonshiner gets a quality and tasty distillate. The instruction is suitable for any devices, most importantly, keep your equipment clean and follow our recommendations.

Conventionally, the whole process can be divided into three stages: preparation, first distillation and second distillation. For each stage, we will give recommendations, as well as show photos to illustrate the process. If you have not yet got down to business, we recommend starting with, which is considered the least difficult for a moonshiner.

The quality of moonshine is seriously affected by the modernity of the equipment and its cleanliness, so do an intensive cleaning before distillation.

Checking the readiness of the mash

It doesn't matter what raw materials you used for fermentation. The finished mash has the following characteristics:

A silent water seal will hint to you that it is time to check the readiness of the wort

1. Carbon dioxide is not released, the mash is silent.
2. The taste of the liquid has a bitter taste (if sweet, then the fermentation is not over).
3. There was a residue.
4. The upper part of the liquid has brightened.
5. There is a pronounced smell of alcohol.

All seven ways to check the readiness of mash for distillation can be studied in this publication -.

If you miss this point, you can reduce the amount of alcohol output or even worsen its quality.

Filtration and desludge

Do not be too lazy to remove the mash from the sediment and filter it through a layer of cotton wool or gauze. You will clean the liquid from yeast, which during the distillation process will stick to the stacks of the apparatus and damage your equipment.

For the operation, you only need a tube and a filter.

Degassing of mash

Ideally, it is necessary to degas the finished liquid, that is, to remove excess carbon dioxide, which during the distillation process will create excess pressure. There are two easy ways:

1. Shake the mash vigorously until it stops sizzling. Beat it for two or three minutes and everything will be ready.
2. Pour the liquid into the pan and heat to 50 degrees. Gas in the form of foam will come out much faster.

Braga lightening

This procedure is carried out on request. The filtering you recently did should be sufficient. But if you want to make everything straight 100% reliable, then do some lightening.

Precipitation after clarification

First distillation

We proceed from the fact that your mash is completely ready and poured into a distillation cube. To improve the quality, we will use double distillation, recognized among moonshiners as the most effective.

Try to heat the contents of the cube slowly to avoid over-saturation with vapors.

1. We start the first distillation without extracting fractions (we will do it during the second distillation).
2. We collect the maximum amount of moonshine up to the moment when the fortress in the stream does not fall to 30 degrees. After that, distillation must be stopped.
3. We dilute the resulting product with clean water to a strength of 20 degrees and send it to the second distillation.

Any comments here are superfluous. Tighten all connections for a good seal and watch out for the moment when the strength starts to drop below 30 degrees. Alcoholometer to help you.

Second distillation

The second time we are distilling moonshine already with the separation of fractions "head", "body" and "tails". This topic is discussed in more detail in another publication, but we will still note the main points so that your moonshine turns out to be good.

1. When the temperature reaches about 67 degrees, the “head” of our distillate will begin to drip. This is a strong moonshine with a high content of harmful impurities, because of which the head hurts in the morning. We need to separate 50 ml for each kilogram of sugar in Braga, and then use them for technical needs. This moonshine is not suitable for drinking.
2. After the separation of the first fraction, the "body" begins. This is good quality moonshine, which we select up to the fall of the fortress in the jet to 40 degrees. Everything that comes out up to this point will be our distillate, which we will put on the table.
3. From 40 to 20 degrees, "tails" are selected, a liquid with a low alcohol content and a high concentration of fusel oils. We do not recommend to select it at all, so as not to spoil your product.
4. It is recommended to infuse moonshine for at least a day in a dark place, but usually everyone immediately proceeds to tasting, this is normal 🙂 .

Second video from Moonshine Sanych. Step-by-step instructions for the second distillation, which Konstantin conducts quickly and professionally.

Purification and filtration (addition)

If for some reason moonshine after double distillation does not have sufficient quality, then it is necessary to clean it. Usually it is done after a single distillation, but just in case, we will arm you with this knowledge.

We recently compiled, in which we described in detail how to carry out this procedure with various substances. Their list looks like this:

Appearance of BAU and KAU coal

1. Activated carbon BAU and KAU.
2. Egg white.
3. Sunflower, refined, deodorized oil.
4. Milk.
5. Black rye bread.
6. Soda, salt.
7. Freezing cold.
8. Potassium permanganate (the method does not work absolutely).

This is a multi-step process that will require a deep and rational approach. The most responsible and time-consuming stage of home brewing is to overtake the mash into moonshine. It will require the most minimal knowledge of theory and constant attention. The taste and good quality of moonshine depends on the correct distillation, but if the brewing technology is not followed, this can lead to very serious health consequences and costly repairs in the kitchen.

Before setting fire to the stove, it is worth making sure that all the subtleties are observed. Otherwise, all misses will be found empirically, and this is not the best way when working with high temperatures and liquids that are flammable.

The readiness of the mash

Before driving the mash into moonshine it is worth making sure that the mash is ready for distillation. Moonshiners with extensive experience can easily determine this by sight and taste, and for accurate results, you should use proven methods:

The question of the possibility of distilling unfermented mash can often be heard from beginners. Of course, this can be done, but why? In such a mash, there will be a lot of unprocessed sugar, which will simply disappear in vain due to the maximum strength not being reached, and it will turn out that the driven moonshine will turn out to be quite modest.

Safety

A couple of moonshine stills that were made from pots and milk cans are already yesterday. If you have plans to brew alcohol at home often, then acquiring a good device will pay for itself pretty quickly.

You need to carefully study this section, because the safety precautions for moonshine have been developed by most of the blown up appliances and burned hands.

The table below will tell you about all the safety methods.

All these rules are well known and observed by experienced moonshiners.

Temperature conditions during the distillation of mash

Distillation is based on the principles that mash contains substances with different boiling points. With a successive change in the heating of the distillation cube, these substances alternately pass into the state of gas. So moonshine is divided into fractions, differing in the content of foreign impurities:

1. Harmful impurities such as aldehydes, methanol and ether begin to evaporate at 65 degrees. When distilling mash into moonshine, this temperature must be maintained until the first fraction of heads is separated. Per kilogram of sugar used for mash, the volume of the fraction is calculated as 30-60 ml.
2. Further, the heating is increased to such a level that the distillation of the mash into moonshine reaches the temperature of the distillation. Ethyl alcohol evaporates at 78 degrees, and as a result, the second, purest portion of moonshine comes out. During this period, the temperature in the cube slowly increases, and it should not reach 85 degrees.
3. Fusel oils disappear at a temperature of 85 degrees. This is the end mark.

Distillation can be completed at a temperature reached 98.5 degrees, at this temperature the ethanol content in the condensed liquid is not more than 1%. Very patient people reach this stage.

Distillation of mash into moonshine step by step

Regarding the need for double distillation Moonshiners observe a unanimous opinion. In this case, you can get a very soft, clean moonshine, which is devoid of various impurities. Some even distill 3-4 times.

The first distillation does not have a clear opinion on the distillation technology. On this occasion, moonshiners were divided into two camps, and each has its own arguments. You should not figure out whose method is better, because for the entire time of moonshine brewing, disputes have not led to anything.

Quick distillation of mash

The principle of the method is that the yeast and impurities that remain in the mash are not subjected to long heat treatment. This treatment increases the number of impurities. Distillation without separate temperature conditions is carried out at maximum power.

1. The distillation cube must be put on fire and water must be brought to the coil.
2. Heat extremely quickly until the mash boils.
3. We continue the distillation at maximum speed up to 3-5 degrees in the jet.

Admirers of this method believe that there is no need to separate the heads and tails during the first stage. They believe that filtration through coal and drop-by-drop selection of fractions will not give quite good quality moonshine.

Fractional first run

Do not use charcoal filters if you want to cook. Because the strong absorbent reduces the flavor of the raw material. And in this case cutting heads and tails carried out both in the first and in the second stage.

1. Preheat the cube to 65 degrees and reduce the heat as soon as the first drops begin to appear.
2. On the first stage, the number of heads is 30 ml per 1 kg of sugar; experienced moonshiners can easily distinguish them by the sharp smell of acetone.
3. The container for collecting moonshine should be changed, the heating should be increased so that something between rapid drops and a thin stream is obtained.
4. Select moonshine before reaching 30 degrees of fortress. Some moonshiners practice cutting tails at 45 degrees, but this is considered superfluous at 2-3 hauls.
5. Change the container again and increase the heat to the maximum. Collect tailings containing up to 5% ethanol.

The heads that you will receive during the first haul are the pervach, which the popular rumor has honored with impeccable fame. You can get drunk from it very quickly, and the content of toxic impurities in it is very high. For those who wish to try it, morning well-being will definitely remind you of this.

Second faction, obtained during distillation, is raw alcohol. You can drink it, but it will be average in quality. And since you have taken up the preparation of alcohol, then prepare a drink that will be many times better than any eminent vodka.

Raw alcohol has a natural light turbidity, which is typical for rural moonshine, it has a moderate amount of impurities, if the tails and heads have already been selected.

Filtration

1. For one liter of liquid, add 20 g of refined vegetable oil, cover with a lid and shake well. After 12 hours, the liquid must be drained from under the oil film with a bendable tube. Then pass through a gauze or cotton filter.
2. Put a cotton filter in the funnel and pour birch, coconut or stone activated charcoal on top of it. If there are no suitable elements, you can safely use ordinary activated carbon.
3. Moonshine is recommended to be filtered on starch-containing or sugar raw materials.

Second distillation

Distillation Technology almost indistinguishable from fractional first distillation, except for some subtleties.

If the mash is properly distilled into moonshine, a drink of 50-60 degrees of strength is obtained. But it may not suit everyone, you can get the desired degree of fortress by simply diluting it with water. For this, distilled, filtered through a filter jug ​​or bottled water is suitable.

Attention, only TODAY!

All the rules for the distillation of mash were formed on the basis of the practical experience of winemakers. To get high-quality moonshine, it is enough to determine the "maturity" of the mash and follow the distillation technology.

How to determine the readiness of mash for driving

The duration of fermentation depends on many conditions. This is both the quality of the yeast and the ingredients on the basis of which the wort is mashed. The fermentation period lasts from 3 to 14 days. It is important to determine in time the degree of readiness of the mash for distillation. Permanent mash can turn sour and harmful impurities form in it. Unfermented wort will give a lower alcohol yield and lower its degree.

For the entire practice of home brewing, the main signs were determined by which the readiness for distillation is determined:

1. The first, but not the most significant indicator is the exposure time. On average, it is believed that mash ferments 8-10 days.
2. Taste and smell will more accurately tell about readiness. A characteristic alcoholic aroma emanates from it, and its taste becomes bitter. This means that the yeast has converted the sugar into alcohol. If the mash stands for a long time, but it tastes sweet, the fermentation process must be resumed. For this, new yeast is added.
3. Ready mash does not hiss. If a water seal was used, then air bubbles are not released into the vessel from the tube.
4. It is known that carbon dioxide is released during fermentation. It, in turn, prevents combustion. Therefore, you need to light a match and bring it to Braga. If the fire does not die out, then no gas is released and the mash is ready.
5. At the bottom of the container, a sediment from processed yeast forms. Braga becomes transparent.
6. The concentration of sugar, and hence the degree of readiness, is determined by a special device - a hydrometer.

Preparation of mash for distillation

How many people, so many opinions - this phrase is fully consistent with approaches to home brewing. Some winemakers believe that the mash does not need to be subjected to additional processing before distillation, others recommend removing it from the sediment and clarifying. They explain this by the fact that the quality of alcohol will be poor if the substances dissolved in it are not removed from the mash. Another reason is yeast sediment and especially fruit particles (if the wort was rubbed on their basis), getting into the cube of the moonshine still and heating up, burn to its walls.

Removing the sediment is quite simple. First of all, carefully drain the mash. For this, an ordinary rubber hose with a diameter of 1 cm is used. The container is placed on a chair, the mash is allowed to settle. The hose is lowered so that it does not reach the sediment 2-3 cm. Air is drawn in from the hose so that liquid flows through it.

The next step is lighting. It is desirable but not required. The suspension from the liquid is removed by adding white clay (bentonite). A flask of 30 liters will need 60-70 gr. powder. It is diluted in warm water and poured into a container. A day later, a loose sediment forms at the bottom of the vessel.

Haul technology

After the preparation work is over, the distillation itself follows. Braga is poured into a cube of a moonshine still and heated. First, the fire must be strong in order to warm the entire volume of the liquid and bring it to a boil. The distillation cube is not completely filled. It should leave room for the resulting vapors. A thermometer, if fitted to the distillation apparatus, will help control the heat and determine the end of the distillation.

Temperature regime

Braga consists of several compounds, with different boiling points. Alcohol boils at 78.3°C. It remains constant throughout the boiling process.

Water boils at 100°C. Fusel oils and mash impurities, including methyl alcohol, boil at 64-65°C.

Therefore, when the cube heats up, methyl alcohol is the first to evaporate and condense. It is hazardous to health. Therefore, everything that drips from the outlet tube during the period when the thermometer is at around 78 ° C is better to pour out or use later for technical purposes. This procedure is called "head separation".

After boiling alcohol, the fire is reduced. Throughout the process, there will be less and less alcohol in the mash.
The thermometer will indicate the end of the run when the scale approaches 85°C. It is important not to overheat, otherwise the bard will go through the pipes and spoil the pure moonshine. Homemade devices do not always have a thermometer. In this case, the first 50 grams are taken as "heads". moonshine.

An alcohol meter will help to correctly determine the strength of the finished product. If it is not there, a piece of paper is used to determine the end of the distillation. She is soaked in moonshine and set on fire. If it burns, it means that the fortress is still high.

Separation of heads and tails during the second haul

Ready-made moonshine, regardless of the raw materials from which it is made, will have an unpleasant odor and contain a proportion of impurities and fusel oils. To improve the quality, the drink is subjected to repeated distillation. But at the beginning it is cleaned with potassium permanganate or activated carbon.

Re-distillation technology is not much different from the first. But still there are certain rules, the observance of which is mandatory.

The resulting moonshine is mixed and diluted with water to a strength of 20 ° C. This is done so that there is no fire and does not break the distillation cube. At the stage of the second distillation, the “body” of moonshine is separated from the “head” and “tails”.

Moonshine is poured into a cube and heated. The first 20-30 gr. merge separately - these are the "heads". Then the drink (“body”) will go, the strength of which will be 60-70 °. When the thermometer shows a mark of 83 ° C and the strength of the drink drops below 40 °, it is collected separately - these are “tails”. They are not mixed with the resulting drink, but added to the next portion of the mash to increase the strength. The finished product is diluted with water in the right proportion.

Is it possible to overtake mash without an apparatus

If there is no special apparatus, a saucepan and two metal cups can be used for distillation. But it is worth considering that the quality of the drink will be low. Separate "heads" and "tails" will not work.

Braga is poured into a saucepan (cube), a stand is placed on which a cup of small diameter is placed. A cup, the diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the pan, is placed on top and filled with cold water. The container is put on fire, when boiling begins, the mash vapors will rise and turn into alcohol, which will flow along the walls of the upper cup into a container standing on a stand. This is the easiest way to get moonshine.

The process of formation of moonshine from mash is based on the difference in the boiling points of the substances of which this mash is composed. At the same pressure, water will boil at 100 °C, and ethyl alcohol already at 78°C. All other impurities also have their own boiling point. Knowing these parameters helps to isolate alcohol from the mash, obtaining moonshine, partially freed from harmful impurities. There are three stages of distillation.

At the first stage, the initial fraction of the isolated product is separated. It's called heads. The fact is that a number of toxic impurities have a boiling point lower than that of ethyl alcohol.

They stand out start earlier and mostly, this happens at the initial stage of distillation. These substances areacetaldehyde, methyl alcohol, acetic methyl ether and formic ethyl ester. Their boiling point is 65-68°C. The initial fraction of the product has a fairly high concentration of them. Popularly, such moonshine is called "pervak" or "pervach" and enjoys a certain popularity, as it has stronger intoxicating properties. But in fact, it is a poison, and its use can have sad consequences. Therefore, this fraction is collected in a separate container and used only for technical needs. The procedure is the following. First, the mash uses maximum heat. Upon reaching a vapor temperature of 63 ° C, the heating power should be reduced in order to smoothly reach the temperature 65-68 °C. At this stage, the first drops begin to stand out, these are the “heads”. The temperature gradually rises and upon reaching 78°C, the heads are finished, and the collection of the main fraction, the “body”, begins. Since with this technique the selection of the product is slow, drop by drop, this stage takes a significant amount of time. In return, we get savings in ethyl alcohol, which evaporates poorly at this temperature. The volume of the "head fraction" should be about 10-15% of the expected volume of moonshine.

The selection of the second faction begins. It is called "body" or "food". This is the main fraction of moonshine in terms of volume and it is she who is used. You should change the container for collecting moonshine. If there is a dry steamer in the design of the moonshine still, then it must also be replaced after the selection of the “head” fraction. The optimum temperature regime for isolating this fraction is 80-83°C. The selection of this fraction stops when the steam reaches a temperature of 85°C, as the fusel oils begin to evaporate. Also, a signal to stop the selection of the main fraction is the cessation of the ignition of moonshine and the fall of its strength below 40%.

We pass to the third stage of distillation. At this stage, the "tail" fraction, or simply "tails", is selected. This portion is also collected in a separate container. It is rich in fusel oils and is not used. It is added to the next portion of the mash for distillation, or used for technical purposes.

The temperature in the process description is the temperature of the vapor before the condenser or at the top of the column. The temperature in the distillation cube will be higher. This temperature is closer to the boiling point of mash. It depends on the alcohol content of the mash, that is, the alcohol content. In the proposed table, you can see how the ratios of these parameters change.

The data in the table correspond to equipment without reinforcing dryers, columns and evaporator modules. You can edit it by measurements and make it more appropriate for your moonshine still. Knowing the strength of the mash, you can determine the boiling point and, when approaching it, reduce the heat. This will prevent the mash from being thrown into the refrigerator, which significantly reduces the quality of moonshine. Also, the strength of the selected product of 40% will correspond to a temperature in the cube of 96 ° C, at this stage, you can proceed to the collection of the "tail" fraction.

Hi all! We continue the theme of moonshine. Today we will talk about how to properly drive moonshine at home. As you remember, I wrote about the full one in this article. Now it is time to dwell in more detail on the process of distillation (or simply distillation).

For the distillation of mash, I use fractional double distillation with intermediate purification. The moonshine obtained by this method is very different from the usual one for the better.

First distillation

So, we got raw alcohol (SS). This is the same middle fraction, it is also the “body”. Of course, you can drink it, but the quality of such moonshine is still very low. Now the SS should be cleaned.

Update from 04/10/17: Now I have slightly changed the technology of the first distillation. I drive almost to the water (temperature 98-99 degrees cubed) without selecting heads and tails. Sometimes I still select a few heads if they come with a pungent smell, but this is extremely rare.

Intermediate cleaning

I call it intermediate only because it is carried out between the first and second distillation. And so this is a complete way to clean moonshine. More precisely, even two methods that I use together.

• First, we clean the raw alcohol with oil.

As a result, we get raw alcohol, purified from a large amount of fusel oils, which have dissolved in vegetable oil. Alcohol itself does not dissolve in oil due to its low concentration. To do this, we diluted it.

But still, small drops of unfiltered oil with harmful impurities are still present in the moonshine. To get rid of them, go to the next cleaning method.

• Activated carbon cleaning

For this method, birch (BAU-A) or coconut (KAU) activated carbon is used. It is able to absorb up to 80% fusel oils and 90% esters.

You can add coal to a container with raw alcohol and shake vigorously again. But it is better to make a flow filter.

The simplest design of the filter is a plastic bottle with a cut off bottom and filled with coal. Several holes are made in the cork and a piece of cotton wool is placed. Before use, it is better to rinse the coal, thereby removing coal dust from it, which clogs the cotton filter.

Coal consumption is approximately 5-15 grams per liter of moonshine.

Also, a household filter jug ​​from the store is perfect for filtering.

Now we have a well-purified moonshine, ready for the second distillation, during which we will increase its strength and try to get rid of the remaining impurities as much as possible.

Read more in the article - Purification of moonshine with coal

Second distillation

The principle of the second fractional distillation is the same as the first. Only the heating modes are different.

1. We heat up the brew. As soon as the first drop appears from the refrigerator, we reduce the heating temperature so that the moonshine comes out at a maximum speed of 1-2 drops per second. The slower the better.
2. At this speed, we select “heads” at the rate of 50 ml per kilogram of sugar in Braga.
3. We change the receiving capacity and begin the selection of the “body”. Heating can be set to the maximum possible, which the refrigerator will allow. But I still recommend limiting yourself to medium speed so that the moonshine flows in a thin stream.
4. “Body” is selected up to 45%. Once again, I remind you that we measure alcohol content at 20 degrees Celsius. If there is no alcohol meter, then moonshine must be set on fire in a spoon. The temperature should also be 20 degrees. The selection must be stopped when the liquid ceases to burn.
5. We change the capacity and select the tails at the highest possible heating.

1. To improve the taste of the final product, raw alcohol diluted after the first distillation can be infused on dark raisins. Raisins need 20 g for every liter of CC. The taste will noticeably improve.
2. If the final product is too strong for you, then dilute it with water. Read about it in the article.
3. I keep writing about the fact that it is necessary to measure the concentration of alcohol at 20 degrees, but it rarely happens that moonshine flows from the refrigerator at such a temperature. It is either warmer or colder. In this case, the hydrometer readings can be corrected using this plate.

1. It is better not to carry out intermediate cleaning of moonshine from fruit and berry mash, otherwise we risk losing its flavors.
2. Cleaning moonshine with oil and activated carbon are two separate, independent methods. You can use only one of them, whichever you like best. But in both cases, the SS must be diluted up to 15%, so it will be better cleaned.
3. If you still decide to apply both cleaning methods at once, then the sequence should be as follows - first oil, and then coal.
4. I clean the “tails” collected during the second distillation with oil and the coal used in the intermediate cleaning and pour it into a cube during the distillation of the next mash.

That's all. The process is not very difficult and if you follow it, then your efforts will be rewarded according to merit. You will get excellent moonshine, a cut above what is obtained with ordinary distillation.

Try it and share your results in the comments. Also subscribe to updates. I hope the article was helpful.

Best wishes!

Sincerely, Dorofeev Pavel.