Tips for making moonshine at home. We make homemade moonshine from scratch to full readiness

What is moonshine, all connoisseurs of homemade alcohol preparations know. This classic drink can be prepared independently, and it can be varied in taste, which will satisfy the requirements of any consumer.

And knowledge of the intricacies of the process and the constituent features will eliminate errors in the manufacture of the correct moonshine.

home brewing

All the inhabitants of vast Russia, of course, have heard of moonshine. To some extent, it is the same symbol of the Russian people as nesting dolls, a bear or a balalaika. Affectionately Russians for foreigners simply call him "Sam".

However, it should be noted that moonshine is popular not only in Rus':

in Ukraine it is called vodka;
in Georgia and Abkhazia - chacha (grape moonshine);
in the USA - moonshine;
in Germany - schnapps;
in Hungary - polinka.

To date, there are many recipes for making homemade wine, which differ:

constituent components;
their quantitative ratio;
the sequence of adding ingredients in the cooking process;
time spent on fermentation;
purity and transparency of the finished product.

As a rule, it takes an average of one month to prepare a homemade "Sam". This time depends on the period of fermentation of the sourdough. Sourdough for moonshine is a ready-made homemade wine, it is called Braga.

Cooking homemade mash

Before we learn how to brew moonshine, we will learn how to insist the brew at home. This wine can be made in just from a mixture of sugar and yeast, it is considered the most popular home-bottled alcoholic drink. And there are many varieties of mash, depending on the ingredients.

The process of its preparation will begin with the study of the recommendations that will allow you to get this degree drink of the highest quality.

It is important to achieve an effect in which the infusion will be transparent, while not having extraneous odors. Cook a little for the first time - if you succeed in the recipe and everyone likes it, you can aim for large volumes.

The sequence of cooking homemade mash:

take a perfectly clean and dry container (it can be a bottle, a bucket or a large jar);
pour 2 kg of sugar into it;
add 10 g of citric acid;
dilute 200 g of pressed yeast (or 40 g of dry) in 6 liters of purified water;
mix everything and leave to ferment at room temperature, closing the container with a water seal or pulling a rubber ball or glove over the neck;
the fermentation of the product will be visible by the swollen ball, and so that it does not burst, the bottle must be shaken periodically.

To understand the exact calculation of the connected elements, you need to know that when using 2 kg of sugar, as in our case, the output will be approximately 2.2 liters of brew drink. Braga does not need to be cooked, it is enough to infuse it for a certain time, periodically checking the taste. When infusing homemade wine it is important to guess the moment so that the mash does not turn sour. But this is not difficult to understand. When you like the result, bottle homemade wine, cork tightly and store in a cool place.

mix all products;
leave for a week in a warm place, covering the neck with a glove;
after filtering, you can start the distillation process.

From the must

This recipe is within the power of those craftsmen who have mastered the manufacture of homemade alcohol in all of the above ways. He is especially meticulous and laborious. Flour, grain, any cereal can serve as raw materials for the preparation of such alcohol - this is the basis of the wort. To get it, follow these steps:

The distillation of such a mash must be performed not on fire, but in a water bath. After all, when cooking sourdough on an open fire, a thick mixture (porridge) will simply burn and spoil the taste and color of the future moonshine.

After repeated cleaning and boiling of pervach, the finished moonshine should be filtered and tasted. The drink obtained in such a complex and extraordinary way can be used as an ideal basis for further preparation of cognac or whiskey at home.

We have considered only a few of the most simple recipes for making moonshine at home. When performing them, you should carefully study the recommendations below.

The beauty of homemade alcohol is that it is prepared only from natural products. After all, moonshine is driven from almost everything that is at hand.

For this, in addition to sugar, they use:

vegetables;
berries;
fruits;
jam;
candies.

You can use this versatile product as a separate drink (we already know that it is called Sam), or you can make more noble alcohol from it:

cognac;
whiskey;
liquor.

From the first time, homemade moonshine may not work. Do not despair. Be patient. After gaining the necessary experience, you will be able to brew luxurious alcoholic drinks right in your kitchen.

Attention, only TODAY!

In our country, the technology of home brewing has been mastered by almost all the able-bodied population. And it is strange to blame the Soviet authorities for this, or rather personally M.S. Gorbachev, who came up with the “dry law”, since we cooked, cook and will cook it, regardless of anything. Of course, only a few abuse the drink, the rest prefer to enjoy the quality of real moonshine and elite drinks made on its basis.

Why are we talking about quality? Because for many, moonshine is associated with a cloudy, foul-smelling liquid, dangerous even for external use. In fact, the process of moonshine brewing at home in compliance with the technology gives a crystal clear strong drink with a pronounced taste. In the article we will describe the basics of home brewing and tell you what this process is all about.

Basic terms

Much of what will be listed below is known to most, but still, for accuracy and further understanding, you must first understand the terms.

Moonshine- transparent drink with a strength of 48-60 °. Initially it has a neutral alcoholic taste, third-party flavors are added during the infusion process.
Moonshine- the technological process of obtaining an alcoholic beverage, during which mash is brewed.
Braga- sugar-containing wort, which is made from processed yeast and a selected main product. The fermentation process produces ethyl alcohol, gas and by-products.
Alcohol mashine- a design for obtaining an alcohol-containing liquid by boiling mash, during which the composition is separated into fractions. It consists of a distillation cube, a cooling unit, a coil and a storage tank (collector).
Pervach- an alcohol-containing liquid obtained during the first distillation of mash. It contains toxic impurities, is characterized by a cloudy color and a pungent odor.
"Heads"- the concentration of methanol and acetone, boiling at lower temperatures than ethanol. In the process of fractional distillation, they are cut off and their quantity is reduced to a minimum.
"Tails"- fusel oils that separate at a higher temperature than is created in the distillation cube. They are also cut off in the process of re-distillation and additionally settle in the steamer when leaving the refrigerator.

Separately, it should be noted that the quality of the drink directly depends on the amount of distillation. The saying “Less is better” works 100% here.

The main stages of moonshine

The rules of moonshine fix 4 main stages in the preparation of this wonderful drink:

Preparation of raw materials.
Fermentation.
Braga distillation.
Purification of the received drink
Aromatization is an optional but recommended step to enhance the taste and give it a bright aroma.

For those who are just learning the basics of home brewing, it is advisable to have a fully equipped apparatus, where there is:

hydrometer to determine the strength of the finished drink;
thermometer to control the distillation temperature;
manometer - a device for measuring pressure in a distillation cube.

Classical types of raw materials and methods of their processing

As it is written in the immortal novel "The Twelve Chairs", moonshine can be made even from a stool, and it will be a stool. Modern production does not offer such extreme measures, and therefore the best products for obtaining a good wort will be starch and sugar containing ingredients.

Depending on the time of year and financial condition, the following is used to prepare the wort:

corn;
potato;
sugar;
fruit and berry cake;
berries and fruits, etc.

starch products

The highest quality is grain, in particular, wheat, for good reason, it was wheat vodka that has always been a priority. In second place are whole fruits and berries, from which soft drinks with a low alcohol content are made. Potatoes also give a mild taste, but not such a rich aroma. The most unpleasant will be moonshine from sugar beets and cake, but such a drink is also prepared and consumed.

The concentration of starch and sugar in grains and root crops:

All of these products contain high concentrations of starch. In order to convert starch into glucose, the gelatinization technique is used - first, the product is abundantly wetted, then heated to remove the starch and make it a water-soluble state. Next, you need to saccharify the resulting paste, for which malt is used (the procedure itself is described below in the “Fermentation” section).

If you do not use malt or special enzymes, the wort will simply turn sour, and the drink itself will have a disgusting taste.

In order to prevent souring, do the following.

The raw materials are soaked so that it was possible to cook liquid porridge.
It is boiled until the state of "al dente" - when the grains or root crops are not yet completely boiled.
Add malt or enzyme preparation for saccharification.
Yeast is added and sent for a certain time until the wort ferments.
Braga is distilled and moonshine is obtained.

VIDEO: How to make mash with wild wheat yeast

These are the ingredients for making high sugar wort. Mostly apples, grapes, raspberries, viburnum and other berries are used. Cake also contains a large amount of sugar, but it is not enough to obtain high-quality raw materials.

The concentration of acid inhibits the activity of acids, so sour berries and fruits are first boiled to neutralize the acid, and then baking soda is added at the rate of ≈20 g. per liter of must.

In order to understand exactly which raw materials it is better to work with, we will give tabular values for the yield of alcohol (96%) and vodka (40 °) for individual products. The data was derived by the distiller Voldemar Strieter (Germany).

fermentation stage

The longest stage preceding the actual distillation. In the process of fermentation, ethyl alcohol, water and CO2 are formed, which are divided into fractions during distillation.

Fermentation time directly depends on the amount of sugar in the prepared must, but it should not be too much - as soon as the concentration of ethyl exceeds 10 °, fermentation stops. And vice versa. If there is not enough sugar, ethyl is released extremely slowly and little, so the mixture can simply turn sour.

Saccharification procedure

If you are working with starchy products (grains, potatoes or pure starch), you need to properly saccharify and there are certain subtleties.

Starch is diluted with water to a liquid state.
Pre-boil water, where water with starch is slowly poured in a thin stream, stirring constantly and preventing the formation of a paste.
When all the starch is poured in, turn off the stove, and put the cup with the solution in cold water. It must be cooled to a temperature of 68-60 ° C. Malt, malted milk or finished enzyme products are then added.

How to make malted milk

Pre-sprout grain (wheat, rye, barley).
Sprouted grain is well dried and crushed until gruel is formed.
Dilute with water to a creamy state.

After the starch solution and malt milk are mixed, the bowl with the liquid is left for 3-3.5 hours in a warm place. It is advisable to use a battery or wrap it with a blanket - the temperature should remain at around 60 ° C. Everything, on this the process of saccharification of starch is completed.

Which yeast to choose

It is during the life of fungi that ethyl alcohol is released, respectively, you need:

Choosing the Right Yeast
Use the correct concentration.

If there is a lot of yeast and a large amount of ethyl (more than 13%) begins to stand out, the remaining mushrooms will die and the fermentation stage will not reach a certain final.

To prepare high-quality mash, you need “live” yeast - pressed, fresh, moist with a characteristic aroma. The color is uniform, the edges are not dry. Dry yeast is of little use - although it is also a living unicellular organism, their concentration is not enough to obtain high-quality raw materials.

During the entire fermentation procedure, it is necessary to maintain a certain temperature of 18-30 ° C. To do this, put a vat of mash in heat, but at the same time control it so as not to exceed the mark of 30 °, otherwise the mushrooms will die. If this happens, carefully drain the collected layer on top and add fresh yeast.

You can determine that the wort is ready for distillation by its appearance and smell:

the taste of mash is bitter with a slight sour aftertaste;
there is no foam and air bubbles on the surface;
the smell is sweetish, but quite mild.

distillation process

The technology of home brewing is not limited only to this stage, but this is precisely the very mechanism for obtaining ethyl alcohol from fermented mash.

For this purpose, a moonshine still is used - it can be either home-made or factory-made.

The mash itself is poured into a sealed distillation cube, where it is heated to a certain temperature. The purity and content of the drink depends on how correctly the temperature is maintained at each stage.

The whole process can be divided into the following stages (distillation):

Intensive heating to a temperature of 66-68°C, when the first impurities begin to separate. Next, the temperature is gradually brought to 78°. It is important to do this slowly so that part of the mash does not splash out.

The drink obtained during the first distillation contains more than 50% of harmful impurities, including acetone and fusel oils. Its use is fraught with food poisoning up to a lethal outcome.

Maintaining the temperature at around 78-82 ° is the longest stage, during which the main part of the ethyl is released. After the second distillation, the product can already be consumed, but if not used, the concentration of fusel oils is still very high.

Periodically check the alcohol content in the collection with a hydrometer or the old-fashioned way - setting fire to a spoon. As soon as the liquid stops burning, turn off the heating.

In the millet of the third distillation, the temperature is raised to 87-90°C to begin the separation of heavy fusel oil.

Throughout the process of home brewing, the temperature in the refrigerator (coil) is controlled - it should not rise above 30 ° C. This balance is ensured by the constant circulation of cold water.

VIDEO: How to make high-quality moonshine

Finished product cleaning

Since we want to teach you how to cook a clean product, you need to learn how to clean it properly. After the second distillation, even in the presence of a dry steamer, it still contains some foreign substances that are harmful to health and taste. Experienced craftsmen do not recommend doing the third distillation, as it removes the very taste of moonshine.

Some organic compounds cannot be removed during the boiling of the mash - their boiling point is much higher (see table).

To get rid of the above organic compounds, several stages are practiced:

chemical in the first distillation;
fractional by re-distillation;
chemical after the second distillation;
filtration.

At the first stage, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is used, for which they take 2 grams, dissolve in 50 ml of purified water and dilute to a liter of moonshine. Incubated for about 10 minutes, then filtered through a cotton cloth.
Fractional distillation involves the division of the resulting drink into fractions again, but this does not guarantee total purification, since, for example, isomeric amyl alcohol with the highest boiling point cannot be separated.

The concentration of heavy impurities can be reduced by diluting the drink to 45 °.

At this stage, activated carbon or charcoal obtained from fruit logs is used. This is the highest quality method, in which porous coal absorbs up to 85% of impurities.

Moonshine is poured into the container and coal is added at the rate of 150-180 gr. for every 3 liters. Insist for 15-20 days, periodically shaking strongly (at least 2 times a day). Strain through a cotton cloth.

Mastering the technology of home brewing is actually not difficult. The main thing is to follow the order, to maintain the temperature and sequence at each stage. But the most important thing is to make high-quality wort and work with a working moonshine still.

VIDEO: How to make high-quality moonshine at minimal cost

Moonshine is a strong alcoholic drink. Its history goes back several hundred years. Now on the shelves of stores offers a huge amount of alcohol. Despite this, many continue to engage in moonshine. The whole secret is that this drink is not inferior in quality to more expensive competitors. Moreover, it contains only natural products. Throughout its existence, manufacturing technology has undergone some changes, but the basic principle has remained the same.

I would like to note that the process of home brewing is quite complicated and requires a lot of attention. In addition, negligent actions can lead to the fact that the product is not suitable for consumption. Therefore, it is very important to strictly observe the technology and devote enough time to each stage. Only under such conditions it is possible to prepare a high-quality and environmentally friendly product.

Raw material

First of all, you need to decide on the choice of raw materials. The main requirement is the presence of sugar in the composition of the product. Therefore, various fruits and vegetables are most often used. You can even use pure sugar. In addition, many prepare wort from grain crops. The whole secret is that they contain a large amount of starch. Separately, starch is not subject to fermentation, but in combination with malt, the desired effect is created.

Home brew

The first and most important step is the fermentation process. Given that mash can be prepared from different products, consider a few examples:

The recipe is quite simple. To implement it, you will need:
- thirty five liters of water
- ten kilos of wheat
- ten kilos of sugar
To make the drink of good quality, only selected grains are used. All wheat must be carefully sorted out, sifted, separated from the husk and other debris. Then everything is washed under running water, and laid on sheets from a conventional oven.

In order for the wort to ferment well, the wheat must be germinated. It is in the sprouts that important enzymes are contained. To ensure germination, the grains are cleaned in a warm place and filled with water. After about forty-eight hours, small shoots will begin to appear. After that, we pour one and a half kilograms of sugar into the wheat. In this state, the grains will stay for a week. This is quite enough to form natural yeast.

The next step is to pour clean water into a large jar and dissolve sugar in it. Next, pour in the wort and mix thoroughly. The resulting mixture should be stored in a warm room for ten days. During this time, the mash should completely ferment. During this process, a foam cap may appear on the surface. It must be removed periodically. Otherwise, everything can get messed up.
The easiest way to make mash is from granulated sugar. This product is available in every home and is quite cheap. At the same time, the quality of the final product will not be inferior in terms of its taste characteristics.

To implement this recipe you will need:
- six kilos of sugar
- thirty liters of water and six hundred grams of pressed yeast. If dry yeast is used, then 120 grams is enough.
Warm water is poured into a prepared container and all the sugar is dissolved in it. It is very important to pay special attention to this process. Undissolved grains of granulated sugar will fall to the bottom and will not participate in fermentation. Next, we dilute the yeast according to the instructions on the package and add it to sweet water.

We clean the resulting solution in a warm room, where he will spend the next seven days. The resulting product is carefully poured into another container to separate from the sediment. It is best to use a small tube or hose for this.
Almost everyone in the house has several jars of jam. But not everyone knows that you can make excellent moonshine from it.

To prepare the mash you will need:
- thirty liters of clean water
- six liters of jam
- fifty grams of dry yeast
- three kilos of sugar. If the jam is not sweet, the amount of sugar can be increased.
When all the components are assembled, you need to find a large vessel and fill it with warm water. Next, dissolve all ingredients in water. Now we transfer the container with the contents to a warm and dark room. The optimum air temperature is twenty-five degrees.

Fermentation period

The fermentation period is the most important. Therefore, it is very important to constantly monitor the temperature regime. Sudden jumps or drops in temperature below eighteen degrees can ruin the entire product. If the temperature rises above forty degrees, the yeast may die, which will also lead to a negative result. To achieve the desired effect, the vessel with mash is left in a warm room with a constant temperature. To avoid sudden jumps, the container is placed on a wooden stand and wrapped with a blanket.

We put a rubber glove on the neck of the container and make a small hole in it. It will serve as a kind of signaling device. During fermentation, it will rise and inflate a little. As soon as the mash is ready for further distillation, the glove will fall off. On average, the process takes about a week. If the neck is too wide, you can use a water seal instead of a glove.

Degassing and clarification of mash

In order for alcohol to turn out to be transparent and pleasant to the taste, it is necessary to carry out degassing and clarification. During fermentation, a large amount of carbon dioxide is formed in the liquid. As a result, it resembles a factory lemonade.

To carry out degassing, the liquid is poured into a clean container and heated to fifty degrees. As a result, all the gas rises to the surface and exits the wash. Also, the heating process kills the remaining yeast, which is superfluous at this stage. After heating, a small precipitate forms again at the bottom. It must be separated by transfusion.

There is another way of degassing, but it is less effective. A special nozzle is put on the drill, after which the liquid is actively mixed. The procedure is carried out within ten minutes. This technology is suitable for those who prepare mash in large quantities. Large barrels will be inconvenient to heat and pour from one container to another.

As for clarification, this is done quite simply. To do this, you need bentonite, which is also called white clay. We crush the substance in any convenient way. For ten liters of mash, we need one tablespoon of the resulting powder.

We dissolve the clay in 500 milliliters of mash and wait until it swells. The process can take up to four hours. After that, add the mixture to the common container with mash and mix thoroughly. The liquid will become cloudy, but it should be. After one day, all the clay, together with harmful substances, will settle to the bottom. It remains only to separate the precipitate from the clarified workpiece. After that, you can start the distillation process.

Distillation is the process of separating ethyl alcohol from mash. This stage requires extreme concentration and temperature control.

At the very beginning, you can heat the mash with any intensity, this does not affect the quality of the product. When the temperature reaches 65 degrees, the release of harmful substances begins. Therefore, the first portion of the drink, which is obtained at a temperature of 65 to 78 degrees, is hazardous to health. Such alcohol can be poisoned and harm the body even by wiping. The first portion is always poured out, and the container is changed to a clean one.

When the threshold of 78 degrees is overcome, the device begins to produce a safe and high-quality product. The optimum temperature range is from 78 to 83 degrees.

During the distillation process, the amount of alcohol in the mash will gradually decrease. Distillation must be stopped if the temperature of the mash rises above 85 degrees.

If a thermometer is not available, another method can be used. We moisten the paper with moonshine dripping from the apparatus and set it on fire. If it flashes, then we continue the distillation process. If there is no intense combustion, then there is no alcohol in the mash and you need to stop distillation.

Cleaning the "pervacha"

After the primary distillation, the drink contains not only alcohol, but also many harmful impurities. To get rid of them, you can use one of the effective cleaning methods:

Secondary distillation

Secondary distillation is necessary in order to get rid of residues of harmful substances. This is the only way to obtain a perfectly pure product without foreign odors and impurities. Devoting a couple of hours to the process, you can significantly improve the quality of the drink.

Before starting the process, moonshine is diluted with clean water to a fortress of twenty degrees. It is this consistency that will allow you to get rid of harmful impurities as much as possible. In addition, distillation of undiluted product is flammable.

Distillation occurs in the temperature range from 83 to 85 degrees. We stop the process when a liquid with a strength below forty percent alcohol begins to flow out of the apparatus.

Tinctures and liqueurs from homemade moonshine

Homemade moonshine is used not only in its pure form, but various tinctures are prepared. There are a huge number of recipes, but we will consider the most interesting of them.

To prepare this drink, we need the following ingredients:

- one kilogram of fresh pitted cherries;
- eight grams of ground cinnamon;
- three hundred grams of sugar;
- fifty grams of ground cherry pits;
- carnation;
- one liter of moonshine.

All ingredients except sugar are mixed and sent to a dark place for fourteen days. After that, the solution is filtered through several layers of gauze and sugar is added. After another two weeks, the liqueur is considered ready.

In one liter of moonshine, add four tablespoons of black leaf tea and leave for thirty minutes. After the time has elapsed, add the burnt sugar and mix thoroughly. At the end, the tincture must be filtered through a thick layer of cotton wool and bottled.

The most popular drink - moonshine was driven by our distant ancestors and, for sure, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will drive. But not everyone knows how to make moonshine right, especially if this activity was not part of the family culture.

There is some knowledge, but they are fragmented and not always correct. Therefore, those who wish to join this interesting and creative activity must first acquire theoretical knowledge.

In principle, you can even make moonshine with the help of two pans and a film. But this is if there are no other options. We propose to do everything in a civilized way, according to the rules.

For our grandparents, and parents, an aluminum milk flask was considered normal utensils for making mash and subsequent distillation. Today it is not just an atavism. It has been experimentally proven that aluminum enters into chemical reactions with an aggressive environment, which is in such dishes. Therefore, we recommend abandoning the use of aluminum both for the maturation of the mash and for its distillation. What remains?

For setting the wort it is better to take:

glass bottle the right size. It is supplemented with a rubber glove fixed on the neck, or with a water seal;
plastic utensils, specially designed for the maturation of mash, also equipped with a water seal;
food grade stainless steel tank. For example, when setting sugar mash without additives, you can immediately use a distillation cube. If this is a grain or fruit must that needs to be filtered before distillation, then it is better to take the dishes separately.

The moonshine is preferably made of food grade stainless steel. A good material, especially for the distillation of grain wort, is copper, but apparatuses made from it are much more expensive than those made from stainless steel. You can limit yourself to a copper coil, with its help sulfur compounds are removed, which are certainly present in the grain mash.

Before use, all dishes are thoroughly washed, otherwise the finished product can be spoiled - it will acquire an unpleasant odor, and the mash can turn sour in a dirty fermentation tank.

Equipment needed by a moonshiner

If the use of a pot or a bottle is acceptable as a container for fermentation, then you cannot do without a moonshine still. It can be homemade or industrial production.

The first option for a skilled owner will be cheaper, but it will require careful selection of materials and a lot of effort.

Advice. For starters, you can try a pressure cooker as an apparatus (if you have one).

It is equipped with two blast valves, one of which is left, and the other is removed and a silicone tube is put on its place (the fitting remains). But you will have to deal with the manufacture of a cooler with a coil.

It is advisable to equip a home-made moonshine still with a dry steamer, even better - two for partial purification of moonshine from fusel oils and other impurities that occur during the fermentation process.

When buying a ready-made device, you save yourself the trouble, but approach the choice responsibly. Do not chase cheapness, but choose a reliable device with good user reviews. Additional options - a steamer (preferably two, one of which is collapsible for flavoring moonshine already during the distillation), a strengthening column will be very useful in the production of high-quality home-made alcohol.

Another moonshiner can not do without:

alcoholometer. You need to know what your moonshine has;
thermometer. It will help to correctly separate the distillate into fractions and will not allow the temperature in the cube to be brought to the point of splashing (ejection of mash or foam into the finished distillate). The best thermometer is digital, but you can get by with a bimetallic one at first;
correct and simple mash recipes and the subsequent run.

Raw material selection

Remember from the first steps: a distiller who wants to achieve mastery and make delicious moonshine will never use low-quality raw materials. This applies to both sugar and fruits, vegetables, cereals or grains. Waste raw materials are called so because they are suitable only for disposal.

Buying cheap, for example, swept sugar (in fact, its waste) or deciding to process jam covered with mold, you will only waste your time and effort, and you will remain extremely dissatisfied with the resulting moonshine. Therefore, in order not to be disappointed from the first steps, use fresh raw materials.

Safety Compliance

This question is extremely important. You have probably heard about cases of explosions of moonshine stills and fires, sometimes claiming the lives of people. So you shouldn't joke about it. Here are the basic moonshiner safety rules:

Never don't leave moonshine during the haul unattended. If splashing occurs, which cannot be insured against, the thick part of the mash can clog the tube and coil. As a result, an explosion will occur. Alcohol ignites easily and a fire cannot be avoided.
Before you put the mash for distillation, check tightness of all connections. If you hear a whistling sound during heating, or even see the release of steam, immediately stop heating. Due to the release of alcohol vapors, you will not only feel a lack of product, but can also cause a fire.
Follow steam cooling in the refrigerator. If the cooler is of a closed type (most of them today), it should always be cold, especially at the point where the distillate exits. Water in a non-flowing refrigerator should also not heat up. Otherwise, some of the non-condensed vapors will escape, filling the room, and then bang!

How to expel moonshine

Obtaining moonshine at home includes the mandatory steps:

, its clarification, filtration and preparation for distillation.
The first "straight through" distillation.
divided into factions.
Purification of the resulting distillate.
If necessary - dilution to the desired strength, aromatization and tinting.

Since all stages are important for obtaining a product that is not embarrassing to put on the table and be sure that it will not harm the users, we will consider them in more detail.

Compliance with the technology of making mash

In order for the braga to succeed and live up to expectations, there are rules that are not recommended to be violated:

Clean dishes.
soft water. In no case do not take distilled or boiled. It does not contain substances that feed the yeast. It is better to take a spring or purified household filter. If you are sure that you have soft water flowing from the tap (there are no deposits in the kettle), you can not filter it specifically for brewing.
Quality ingredients.
warm room in which fermentation will take place. For all types of wort, the recommended room temperature is from 22 to 28°C. The higher the temperature, the more rapid and short fermentation will be. In other words, the mash is more likely to become ready for distillation.

10 liters of prepared water;
2 kg of sugar;
dry yeast - 30 g, pressed - 200 g.

A few words about yeast. For moonshine, the best are alcohol (see:). They are sold either in specialized stores (including on the Internet) or on the market. In almost every market there is a "grandmother" who specializes in the sale of yeast. In her arsenal there will always be alcohol.

Heat the water to 28 degrees, add sugar, stir. It is better to space the yeast first: adding a pinch of sugar and a little water, wait for the formation of a “cap”. This is evidence of yeast activity. They quickly convert sugar into alcohol.

Carefully! Do not add yeast to hot water - it will die. The maximum temperature is 30 ° C, but it is better - less than a couple of degrees.

It is not necessary (although desirable) to put Braga under a water seal. Can be covered with a lid. Fermentation lasts from several days to two weeks (this is if it is cool). Check the readiness for driving on the following grounds:

the hissing has completely stopped, there is no foam;
Braga tastes bitter without the slightest sweetness and alcohol is felt in it;
liquid cleared, at the bottom of a small yeast sediment.

Braga lightening

Sugar mash, although popular because of its simplicity, the best homemade distillates are obtained using grain () or fruits, berries, grapes. The wort after the end of fermentation requires clarification. To do this, use or white clay. Perfect for cat litter.

Advice. See ingredients on the package. It should say: bentonite and no flavors, odor eliminators, etc. All this will turn into moonshine! Before use, the filler is crushed or ground.

2-3 tablespoons of powder are poured into a glass, water is added, diluted and poured into a brew. Stir and wait until it settles to the bottom, at the same time taking with it suspensions that make the mash not transparent. Shake several times for an hour necessarily! The process takes about a day. Then the mash is removed from the sediment. Better - with a silicone tube, like wine. And the sediment is poured, but not into the sewer (it can clog pipes).

Note. White clay will not only lighten the mash, but also remove harmful components from it. Because of what the resulting moonshine will have a pleasant taste and not a sharp smell.

First distillation

Previously, moonshine was driven at a time to the state of "while burning." That's why he was smelly, and the hangover was heavy. Today, this method is unacceptable. AND moonshine should be distilled twice. The first time - without division into factions. Exactly the way our ancestors did.

Second stage

After the end of the distillation, the resulting liquid must be diluted to 20-30 °, no more. Do not forget that - a highly flammable liquid! Secondary distill, dividing the moonshine into fractions:

head or- this is a pure poison, which should not be consumed categorically. The amount of this fraction is about 50 ml for each kg of sugar that you put in the mash;
body. The main part that you will put on the table. They are taken until the fortress is 40 ° in the jet. There is an opinion - 50 °;
tails- low-grade and low-grade liquid. It is also selected separately (see:).

Attention. Approximately from 1 kg of sugar you can get up to 1.2 liters of moonshine.

This means that the body or heart of the distillate will be approximately 1 liter. But it is better to leave a little more on the "tails", which do not differ in taste or pleasant smell and contain a large amount of fusel oils.

Proper temperature control

The distillation cube is put on fire and heated until the temperature reaches 70 °. Another guideline is until a “fog” of distillate appears in the receiving tube (preferably transparent silicone). Then the heat is sharply removed to a minimum and the heads are taken very slowly, drop by drop, avoiding a jet.

Having finished the selection of heads, substitute other dishes, add temperature so that the moonshine flows in a thin stream. When the thermometer reaches 85-88°C, the dishes are changed again and the tails are taken to 98°C. It doesn't make any sense - it's almost water.

Purification of drinking moonshine

To achieve an almost perfect homemade distillate, it is purified. The best ways are wood or, soda, milk. Many people use a household water filter jug. At the same time, the filter is used only for moonshine, and between cleanings it is stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in a film.

Homemade moonshine- This is a strong alcoholic drink that is produced at home by distilling mash through a moonshine still. In order to make moonshine in your kitchen or garage, you do not need special equipment or special skills or abilities.

How to make moonshine at home.

Make moonshine at home- can be done in several ways. Let's first take a look at what you need to make homemade moonshine. First of all, you will need a container for the production of mash. A glass container or glass bottle is best. Through the glass, you can observe how the fermentation process proceeds, the transparency of the must, and the precipitation. The optimal volume of the container is 20-30 liters.

For production of homemade moonshine You will also need a home-made or factory-made moonshine still.

In addition to the container and the moonshine still, you will also need an alcoholmeter. Next we move on to the process itself. how to make homemade moonshine.

Braga for moonshine at home.

Braga for moonshine- this is an alcohol-containing mass, which is obtained as a result of the fermentation of sugar and yeast, saccharified grains, potatoes, beets, fruits or other products that contain sugar or saccharified starch substances. To prepare the mash, we need to choose a specific moonshine recipe, and then proceed to the preparation of the mash.

The easiest way to make mash:

sugar - 5 kg;
water - 22 liters;
pressed yeast - 200 grams (or 70 grams of dry inactive).

Water for the preparation of mash should be settled, but not boiled or distilled, the wort in the bottle will occupy about 1/3, because during fermentation foam will be actively released.

For making moonshine brew You need to dilute sugar in 0.5 liters. warm (+ 25 ° - + 30 ° С) water until completely dissolved, after which we grind the yeast and place them in the solution. After that, the container with the wort should be placed in a warm place (+30°C, but no more) for about 30-60 minutes. During this time, the yeast will come to life and active foaming will begin.

The water that remained and did not participate in the preparation of the wort must also be heated to + 25 ° C, pour the resulting mixture into it. All contents are well mixed and placed in a warm place (+25°-+27°C). It is necessary to put on a rubber glove with several punctures on the neck of the bottle - carbon dioxide will leak through them, which will be released during the fermentation process. The fermentation process itself will take about a week.

The end of fermentation is defined as follows:

foaming has stopped;
the emission of carbon dioxide has ceased - the glove has opal;
There is no sugar in the taste of Braga, alcohol is felt.

This is the process of processing an alcohol-containing fermented mass into a strong alcoholic drink by evaporating alcohol with water and then distilling it. After the mash for moonshine is prepared, pour it into the distillation cube and start heating. According to the recipe, there will be no sediment (if you still have a sediment, it must be drained through cotton pads). The distillate output rate should be approximately 350-400 ml/h.

As a rule, the distillation product is usually divided into three parts:

head
tail

Head- the product primarily obtained by distillation. It has a strength of 75 ° or more and contains a large amount of fusel oils in its composition. They are difficult to remove, so we “cut off” this portion. It will be 50 ml for every 1 kg. sugar that we put in the mash. In our case - 250 ml.
Body- secondary product obtained during distillation. It is this part that is used for further processing (you can also immediately use it). The minimum strength should be 40°. We check with an alcohol meter or see if the expelled liquid burns or not (less than 40 ° does not burn).
Tail- this part also contains many harmful impurities. However, the "tails" can be used to prepare the next batch of mash.

How to clean moonshine at home.

Cleaning moonshine at home- this is the filtration of the resulting product through activated or ordinary carbon, the precipitation of the precipitate with the help of potassium permanganate, the addition of milk, settling and removal of flakes through the filter. Unfortunately, even with high-quality equipment, during the primary distillation of mash, it will not be possible to get rid of components harmful to health by 100%. Therefore, home-made moonshine must be cleaned of impurities.

Ways to clean moonshine at home:

Filtration of moonshine through activated or regular carbon. Coal can be placed in a container with moonshine, wait a while until the chemical reaction takes place and strain everything. You can also install a carbon filter at the outlet of the moonshine still. Homemade filter: (cotton wool, a layer of coal, again cotton wool)
Planting the sediment of moonshine with potassium permanganate. The maximum amount is 2 grams of potassium permanganate per 3 liters. moonshine. After a couple of days of settling, it is necessary to filter the liquid, add baking soda, stand and clean again. Old-timers of home brewing recommend distilling again after this method of cleaning moonshine.
Adding milk, settling and removing flakes through a filter.

After purification of moonshine you will receive a sufficiently high-quality product that will contain a low amount of harmful substances.