Almost every person, especially who loves to receive guests, sooner or later there is a desire to master home brewing and regale guests. quality product homemade.

Perhaps someone will argue that gatherings can be arranged without alcohol, for example, over a cup of herbal tea. But, surely, there will be a great many of those who will find a lot of arguments in favor of a feast with "warming" drinks.

Agree: it is not in the tradition of our people to sit down at the table "dry": they will not understand, they will condemn and stop making friends.

How can one fail to recall the memorable struggle for sobriety in the days of Gorbachev. Yes, the older generation remembers very well the planting of “non-alcoholic” weddings, the wave of which swept across the country for the sake of reporting to the top that, they say, they have implemented, we are re-educating, we are convinced of the advantage of a healthy way of life!

And what is in practice? Somewhere, one by one, they ran to the back room and returned from there clearly cheerful, with a twinkle in their eyes. And somewhere they even put alcohol on the tables in teapots. So the people laughed at the dry law, and the manufacture continued to be the favorite creative hobby of the people.

There are countless arguments in favor of the quality of home brewing. But we will only mention the most important of them:

1. Having prepared high-quality moonshine, you will be sure that after drinking it, neither you nor your guests will end up in intensive care, if not worse.
2. This is much cheaper than buying vodka from the store.
3. Homemade moonshine can be significantly cleaner and tastier than a supermarket product.
4. Even if you are against alcohol, you still probably know that it is best to prepare various medicinal products with strong moonshine, and not vodka bought in a store.

Manufacturing process

Hardly anyone does not know what moonshine is, but not everyone knows how to do it correctly and what is needed for this. So let's start with the basics. Moonshine is a product with a high alcohol content, obtained in the process of distillation of fermented raw materials (mash). In turn, the main components of the mash are:

• yeast;
• sugar;
• water.

Some of these three components make a pretty good product. But it is static, so to speak, boring, it lacks a bouquet of taste, and the smell is not very attractive. And here other ingredients for moonshine can come to the rescue, adding a touch of piquancy and seducing with a more pleasant aroma:

• jam;
• berries and fruits;
• bread;
• corn.

Some “ national traditions". In Ukraine, for example, sugar beets and a by-product of its processing, malias, are often used to make home-made moonshine. A strong drink made from potatoes is popular in Belarus.

However, the mentioned "national drinks" can hardly be attributed to the masterpieces of home brewing. The resulting product has a characteristic, not too pleasant smell and taste, which is unlikely to be pleasant to the connoisseur.

You can cook it correctly according to the classic recipe in one or two steps, achieving maximum purification of the finished product from impurities:

• pour the mash into a cube;
• bring the liquid to a boil over high heat;
• reduce the heating by half as soon as the first drops of pervak ​​appear;
• separate the "head" in the amount of 50 ml. This product can be used like industrial alcohol;
• mash should be distilled until the moonshine contains 35-40 ° fortress;
• the rest of the distillation product ("tails") is characterized by an increased amount fusel oils, therefore, not suitable for internal use. If a second distillation is foreseen, then the "tails" are poured into the wash. Otherwise, the liquid will spill out.

Distillation apparatus

Learn the secrets of home brewing and reach the high-quality level of making drinks of the highest category is possible only in a practical way... And for this, of course, you need alcohol mashine... What is he like?
In fact, a moonshine still is a distiller operating on the principle of evaporation (not water, but alcohol), cooling and converting steam back into liquid, but with different properties.

How are moonshine stills made?

1. Ready-made moonshine stills under the name "Distiller" are sold on the Internet. The device, as a rule, is adapted for running water (for cooling the evaporator). In such a distiller, only one thing is bad - the price, which is usually very high.
2. However, among the people, everything has long been invented. The main differences are only whether you have to change the cooling water manually (which is only needed if there is no water supply), or connected to running water.
3. For a long time and successfully, the well-known pressure cooker was adapted for home brewing.
4. New technologies "gave impetus" and national "innovations" - there are craftsmen who have already adapted the multicooker to make moonshine at home. It is desirable that it has the maximum capacity (there is already not only 6-7 liters, but also 10, and even 12.5). A tube is inserted into the steam valve that every multicooker has, water cooling is connected, and moonshine is obtained.

The moonshine still consists of:

• mash tank... It is either made from stainless steel or fitted with a milk flask. A very convenient flask from the milking machine, which already has a hole in the lid with a nozzle, onto which a hose (tube) is put on;
• cooler... In the absence of water supply, it is needed (a wave-like tube in a large container - a trough or a boiler, a saucepan). Water is poured into the container, which constantly needs to be changed - hot is taken from above, cold is added, etc. If there is a faucet with cold water, then make a small water jacket around the part of the tube and two taps (tubes on which the hoses are put on). Cold water enters the upper tube, heated water flows out of the lower one;
• tube or hose, along which alcohol-water vapors rise from the tank, cool and drain into a substituted container in the form of moonshine.

To avoid foreign smell and harmful connections, it is best to use a copper tube or hot water hose.

Mastering the technology

The correct technology for home brewing includes the following steps:

1. Mash preparation... Proportion is very important here. Recommended amount: for 4 - 5 liters of lukewarm water (its temperature should be about 30 ° C) you need 1 kg of sugar and 100 g of pressed yeast, which can be replaced with dry (20 g).
2. Stir, leave to ferment warm for several days. It would be nice to put the tank or pan with the mash on a warm mat so that it does not stand on the cold floor and wrap it up additionally. Braga ferments well at temperatures above 18, but not below 40 ° C. We cover the mash necessarily, but not hermetically - air is needed for fermentation.
3. Duration approximately from 4 to 10 days... It depends on many factors: the temperature, the ingredients added, and the quality of the yeast. When the vigorous fermentation has already passed, it is believed that the mash can be distilled. But not everything is so simple.
4. The process of home brewing itself usually lasts several hours... The fire should be kept slow so that the mash does not boil sharply and it is not thrown into the tube, which will simply ruin the product that you have worked hard on.

Tips from experienced distillers:

• Experienced homebrewers do not recommend using dry yeast fast food... They help to shorten the fermentation time and reduce the finished product yield.
• Information for beginners: yeast does not develop in the cold and your mash may simply not play. At high temperatures, yeast also ceases to function and your product will turn sour, never reaching the moonshine still.
• To test it, you have to try it! If it’s sweet, it’s not time, let it wander for a day or two. Braga should be slightly bitter - with a taste of vodka, that's when it's time to prepare the moonshine still.

A sure sign that you did everything right - from the tube into the jar you put in a thin stream, a clear, like a tear, strong liquid with a rather pleasant intoxicating smell is pouring! It is best to learn the secrets of home brewing in practice - the more you drive it, the better you will get it. And it will help you calculate all the important parameters online.

There are calculations regarding the rate of output of moonshine. An industry norm considered to be an excellent result - 1.28 liters of 50% vodka from 1 kg of sugar... A good result is 1.24 liters, a satisfactory result is 1.2 liters. Among moonshiners, it is considered that conditionally from 1 kg of sugar in the mash, 1 kg of sugar turns out to be strong 50% of moonshine.

"Heads" and "Tails"

It has been proven that the very first and very last portions of moonshine are unusable. Wondering how to make the right moonshine? If you plan on distilling about 5 liters of moonshine, you need to remove the first 200 milliliters.

This is the so-called "head" or pervach - the strongest moonshine, but at the same time - containing greatest number extremely harmful, which cannot be removed by any cleaning. What to do with them?

Pervach is very good to use for tinctures of various medicinal plants intended for rubbing (not for oral administration). Its strength is about 80%, which contributes to the best "selection" of medicinal substances from plants.

What is commonly called the "tail" is the very last moonshine. Firstly, it has a very low strength, and secondly, it also abounds in harmful substances. How to determine that this is already a "tail"?

Some people define it by the fact that it no longer lights up. But this is not quite the correct method. The best indicator is alcohol meter... All the moonshine is drained and the fortress is measured. There is 50 degrees, you can stop the process, more - drive out a little more in order to reach this figure, which is considered a reference for moonshine.

Favorite recipes

Now you know how to make moonshine at home. And there is a lot of it, looking for them and trying them out in practice is a very interesting hobby.

Over time, you will turn into a real pro and learn how to properly make moonshine at home from grain, wine waste, old jam. How to cleanse a finished product from harmful impurities and turn your product into a masterpiece of taste, after which you want to sing and have fun, and without a heavy hangover!

The above recipe for moonshine from sugar is, so to speak, the base, the base necessary in order to further check with it, adding ingredients to the container with the future mash. We've introduced you to the basics of home brewing, a fun, fun and cost-effective activity.

Introduction ................................................. .................................................. .................................................. 3

1. Technology for the production of moonshine at home .......................................... ............. 4

2. Selection and preparation of raw materials ........................................... .................................................. 6

2.1 Germination of grain ............................................... .................................................. ..................... 7

2.2 Preparation of a solution from germinated grain ............................................ .............................. 7

3. Fermentation ............................................... .................................................. ............................................... nine

4. Distillation ............................................... .................................................. ............................................ eleven

5. Purification of moonshine .............................................. .................................................. ............................... 12

6. Giving aroma, taste and flower qualities to moonshine .................................... 14

6.1 Aromatic substances ............................................... .................................................. ........... fourteen

6.2 Drying of prepared raw materials .............................................. .................................................. ..... 16

6.2.1 Important points drying ..................................................................................................... 16

6.3 Preparation of herbal decoctions and infusions ............................................ ...................... 17

6.4 Giving taste to moonshine ............................................. ........................................ 17

6.5 Tint ................................................ .................................................. ........................... eighteen

6.6 Sweetening moonshine ............................................... .................................................. .......... 19

7. Equipment for the production of moonshine at home ........................................ 19

From time immemorial in Russia, they stocked up with all kinds of drinks from juices of forest and garden fruits and berries, less often vegetables. Our ancestors knew a lot about them. And so that all the preparations could be consumed in one or two sessions, fruit and berry juices were fermented. So gradually people learned to make all kinds of wines for home consumption. As a rule, this drink did not differ in alcoholic strength in the modern sense. Along with tea, kvass, sbitnem or punch, they were used to decorate the table for private conversations, and were treated in case of family and family celebrations.
Gradually, human needs for alcoholic beverages have transformed somewhat. Man gradually mastered the technology of distillation of "weak" alcohol-containing mixtures. With the advent of "intoxicating" drinking - vodka, alcohol-fortified liqueurs and liqueurs, brandy, interest in homemade wines gradually decreased, with the exception of the southern regions, where grapes were cultivated and orchards were planted on large areas.
Moonshine is a traditional Russian strong drink that has become widespread in Russia since the 15th century, and is rightfully considered a unique drink of the Russian land. The originality and variety of recipes, a wide range of tastes of the finished moonshine distinguish it favorably from foreign "brethren": Scotch and American whiskey, English brandy, Georgian chacha and Chinese sake.
Moonshine in Russia has rich history... The recipes for obtaining moonshine have been perfected for centuries in the families of distillers, who, as the greatest value, passed on their " company secrets" from generation to generation.
It is noteworthy that until the 70s of the last century, the main principle of distillers, or, in the present, moonshiners, was to drive as slowly as possible, using no more than 45% of the volume of the available mash for distillation. The principle of "less is better, but better" in moonshine brewing was characteristic not only for the first run, when a simple moonshine was obtained, but also for the second and third. All this led to significant losses of raw materials, and was possible only in the conditions of non-commercial production that existed in Russia during the period of serfdom. The distiller hardly thought about the profitability of his business - his main concern was the quality of the drink, for which he spared neither the initial products nor the time. So, for example, from 28 liters of home brew, only one liter of simple, but "good" moonshine was obtained, which, when re-distilled and diluted, gave 0.55 liters of vodka the highest quality... And if the Russian landowner had to choose, he always preferred his native vodka to overseas strong drinks, including the famous French cognacs.
The process of making high-quality moonshine, liqueurs and liqueurs based on it is very complicated. The variety of chemical components involved in all stages of making moonshine, from the selection of raw materials to distillation and purification of the finished product, requires a careful approach and the strictest adherence to technology. Considering that for a long period of time the literature on "distilling" was banned, as many recipes for making moonshine were irretrievably lost and forgotten as they did not correspond to the "socialist way of life", the centuries-old experience of making quality drinks based on moonshine at home has been lost. Therefore, when writing this term paper, special attention was paid to individual issues of preparing high-quality moonshine due to the correct use of the accumulated experience at all stages of a complex technological process moonshine. It should be remembered that many novice "distillers" do not have sufficient experience, do not know the technology homemade, become victims of their "kitchen" - they undermine health, are poisoned.

Life experience has shown that the main criterion when choosing a raw material is its availability, that is, minimizing the cost of purchasing it. Sugar is most often used as a raw material, but at the same time it should be remembered that sugar is not only valuable, but often a deficient nutritious product, while, depending on the geographic location of the region, other types of raw materials may be more accessible: starch, various grains, sugar beets, potatoes, etc. For comparison, when choosing a raw material, below is a table of the yield of alcohol and vodka from 1 kg of various types of raw materials. The choice of the type of raw material determines in many respects the quality of the finished product. So, for example, moonshine made from sugar beets and pomace is not suitable for the preparation of thin high-quality varieties of moonshine, but it is better than many others for simple, spicy and harsh drinks that are distinguished by a relatively low cost. Potato moonshine turns out to be of somewhat better quality, but it requires improvement (double distillation, additional cleaning). With appropriate processing, moonshine from fruits and berries approaches the high-quality category, and is applicable for high-quality drinks. For the preparation of high quality spirits, it is recommended to use moonshine obtained from starchy raw materials (wheat or other grain). The process of preparing starch raw materials can be divided into two stages: germination of grain and preparation of a solution from germinated raw materials. Considering that the quality of the final product and the economical use of raw materials largely depends on the observance of the specified parameters at each of the stages, detailed description the process of preparing starch raw materials.

Table I

type of raw material	alcohol yield, l / kg	vodka yield *, l / kg
Starch	0,72	1,52
Rice	0,59	1,25
Sugar	0,51	1,10
Buckwheat	0,47	1.00
Wheat	0,43	0,92
Oats	0,36	0,90
Rye	0,41	0,88
Millet	0.41	0,88
Peas-	0,40	0,86
Barley	0,34	0,72
Potato	0,11-0,18	0,35
Grape	0,9-0,14	0,25
Sugar beet	0,08-0,12	0,21
Pears	0,07	0.165
Apples	0,06	0,14
Cherry	0,05	0,121
* - vodka is understood as a 40% alcohol solution

Otherwise, this stage is also called the preparation of malt. Good malt is the basis of high quality moonshine. The germination periods for different crops are as follows: 7-8 days for wheat, 5-6 days for rye, 9-10 days for barley, 8-9 days for oats, and 4-5 days for millet. During germination, active enzymes are formed in the grain, which significantly accelerate the saccharification of starch. If necessary, the malt should be dried; however, after drying, the enzyme activity decreases by 20% and, accordingly, the germination time increases.

How to make moonshine? This question can be attributed to the national tradition that has existed for centuries. Many recipes for this strong drink have become a real folk art. Moonshine is driven everywhere, and almost everything that grows and can give at least a little sugar or glucose is used in its preparation. Human imagination is inexhaustible, and therefore the technology of moonshine is constantly being improved.

1

For many Russians, the question of how to make moonshine with their own hands becomes not only a tribute to tradition, but also a kind of competition for the quality of the drink. After all, making moonshine at home does not cause any particular difficulties, and the degree of purification and taste come first.

In essence, moonshine is a handicraft alcoholic drink, in which the ethyl alcohol content exceeds 30%. The principle of home brewing is based on the production of an alcoholic beverage by distilling an alcohol-containing composition obtained during the fermentation of substances containing sugar or saccharified components.

Making moonshine with your own hands

The problem of how to distill moonshine is solved in stages with the passage of the following mandatory stages: making mash, distilling it and purifying the product. The most important stage is getting the mash, i.e. liquids with an ethyl alcohol content of the order of 10-18%. The mechanism for the formation of such a composition is based on yeast fermentation of the wort (water solution of sugar). It is when yeast interacts with sugar that a chemical reaction occurs, as a result of which ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide and a certain amount of by-compounds are formed.

The problem of how to drive out moonshine with your own hands at home is solved at the second stage, when the alcohol is separated from the water as much as possible. This process is provided by distillation or distillation of the mash. The principle of the process is based on heating the raw material to the state of steam and its sharp cooling, in which it condenses. Most of the water remains in the initial tank, and the condensate has a higher alcohol content. To ensure distillation, special apparatus or devices are used, which must contain an initial container with wash, dishes for collecting condensate (moonshine) and a cooling surface. After the completion of the procedure, the remainder of the mash (stillage) should collect in the initial container, in which there is practically no alcohol, and in the second - a strong alcoholic drink.

Distillation of moonshine at home

During the fermentation of the mash, various side compounds are formed that affect the taste and smell of the final product. In this regard, the question of how to distill moonshine correctly is solved by including another necessary stage - cleaning the resulting composition from harmful impurities.

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2

The wort for making mash can have a different composition, but for example, we can consider the most common option for making mash from sugar. To obtain moonshine in an amount of 5 liters, the following classic recipe is recommended: sugar - 6 kg, dry yeast - 120 g (if pressed yeast is used, then 600 g), citric acid - 25 g, water - 18 liters. In general, the proportion of the composition is calculated based on the receipt of the final product (with an alcohol content of about 40%) 1.2 liters per 1 kg of sugar according to the following rule - for 1 kg of sugar, 3 liters of water and 20 g of dry yeast (pressed - 100 g) are needed.

Making marriage at home

3

Sugar can be immediately dissolved with water, but in order to accelerate fermentation and improve quality, it is recommended to preliminary inverting the sugar - preparing the syrup. It can be prepared as follows: sugar (6 kg) is slowly poured into water heated to 75-80 ° C (3 l) with stirring; the mixture is brought to a boil and cooked for 10 minutes; citric acid (25 g) is introduced, and then we cook everything over low heat for 1 tsp.

Sugar syrup (or just sugar) is mixed with water (18 l) in a large container; at the same time, the filling of this container should be no more than 3/4 of the volume, which is necessary for the fermentation process. The optimum mixing temperature for the components is 28-30 ° C. Before making the wort, tap water should be defended for 2 days.

Preparation sugar syrup

For moonshine, you can use baker's, wine, wild and other yeast. The pressed yeast is kneaded by hand and loaded directly into the container.

Dry yeast requires preliminary preparation: it is infused in warm water at a temperature of 31-35 ° C until a foamy layer forms (usually 25-35 minutes).

4

Fermentation of the mash is best carried out in a glass bottle with a water seal (a stopper with a gas outlet tube, the end of which is placed in a vessel with water to exclude the penetration of air from the outside into the fermentation zone) at a room temperature of about 24-28 ° C. Cover the container with a blanket to keep it warm. The fermentation process lasts for 4-10 (most often 5-6) days. It is recommended to shake the bottle 1-2 times a day for 0.5-1 minutes without removing the shutter.

Moonshine fermentation process

The main signs of a mash ready for distillation are: bitter aftertaste, cessation of gas evolution, formation of sediment at the bottom when the upper layer is clarified, the cessation of hissing sounds, the smell of alcohol, when a lighted match is brought to the surface of the liquid, the fire does not extinguish.

The finished mash is gently poured through a tube to get rid of the sediment. To solve the question of how to cook delicious drink, it is recommended to degass and clarify the wash. The first is produced by short-term heating of the liquid to a temperature of 45-50 ° C. Clarification can be done by adding bentonite (white clay). It is preliminarily diluted in warm water to the consistency of gruel, and then introduced into the mash (3 tablespoons per 20 liters of raw materials). The clarification time is 18-26 hours.

5

How to cook or how to make moonshine with your own hands is decided at the most important stage - the distillation of the mash. The task of this stage is to ensure the optimal heating temperature of the raw material and to collect the suitable condensate (with the maximum alcohol content). Alcohol is a light fraction and therefore begins to evaporate before water, which is the basis of the process. The quality of the moonshine depends on the temperature at which the moonshine is brewed.

The desired evaporation of alcohol begins at 65-66 ° C, and the real distillation is performed when heated at about 78-80 ° C. At temperatures above 85 ° C, water vapor rises, which devalues ​​the process. Thus, the production of moonshine should be carried out at a temperature of 78-82 ° C.

Do-it-yourself distillation of moonshine

The production of moonshine is carried out over low heat with the separation of 3 main fractions of the drink. The initial collection ("head") in a volume of 40-50 ml per 1 kg of sugar has a lot of harmful impurities and its use is dangerous for humans. Then the main collection of condensate ("body") begins, for the sake of which the whole procedure is carried out. It is collected until the alcohol content falls below 40%. After that, the third fraction ("tail") with a low strength and a high content of fusel oils begins to flow, it is usually used to add to the next wash.

6 Apparatus for distillation

It is best to drive moonshine at home using special apparatus with a refrigerator, coils, etc. However, their absence can be compensated for by the simplest devices. How to make moonshine in the absence of an apparatus? To do this, prepare 2 pots of different sizes and a bowl. A stand is placed in a large saucepan, and a small saucepan or bowl is placed on it. Mash is poured into the first. A bowl of cold water is placed on top, and the installation site is sealed with a damp towel. This whole structure is set on fire, the vapors of the mash rise up and condense on the bottom of the basin, and the drops flow into the inner container.

7

The resulting drink is a raw alcohol, and to make a full-fledged drink, it must be cleaned of harmful impurities. Primary cleaning can be achieved by passing a liquid through the bed activated carbon... Good results are obtained by the introduction of potassium permanganate with baking soda. The main purification is carried out by a second distillation.

Activated carbon for moonshine purification

To do this, the drink is diluted with clean water to a strength of 20-25 °. After that, distillation is carried out according to the described technology. It is recommended to weed out the “head” again, but only to select the “body”. The resulting moonshine can be bottled - it is ready for use, but it is better to insist it for 4-5 days in a dark place.

8 Homemade Moonshine Recipe

Sugar moonshine is far from the only option for home brewing. You can offer other folk recipes:

1. On honey with sugar: honey (3 kg), sugar (3 kg), alcohol yeast (300 g), water (20 l); fermentation for 7-8 days.
2. On honey: flower honey (3 kg), alcohol yeast (200 g), water (5 l); before adding yeast, the malt is boiled for 10-12 minutes.
3. Moonshine without yeast: honey (1.5 kg), wheat (1 kg), water (7 l); fermentation for 10 days.

Moonshine can be made from a wide variety of berries and fruits. The production technology is as follows: unwashed fruits are crushed and put into preliminary fermentation for 2-3 days. After that, sugar, water are added and the main fermentation process is carried out. The amount of sugar in such malt should be at least 25%, taking into account its content in the fruits themselves. So for the preparation of plum malt ( own sugar about 10%) for 10 kg of plums you need 1.5 kg of sugar.

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As it seems, everyone knows about moonshine - a strong alcoholic drink. And many people mistakenly believe that moonshine "loses" in its qualities to more noble drinks. In fact, this is completely wrong, because if everything is done correctly, observing the technology of each stage without violations, you will get an ideal product - transparent, strong, and most importantly - your own!
Homemade moonshine recipes are very diverse, because the peculiarity of the drink is that it can be prepared from a wide variety of raw materials. Grain, berries, fruits, vegetables, all kinds of jams, tomato paste, starch and even sweets - all of the above is suitable for brewing mash and subsequent distillation, while each type of raw material makes it possible to prepare a certain type of moonshine. Grains will make a strong and captivating drink, from berry mash - more aromatic, the main thing is that the raw materials are of high quality.

Sugar mash recipe.

1.Calculation of proportions. First, they are determined with the amount of moonshine that is needed at the exit. At home, from 1 kg of sugar, 1.1-1.2 liters of moonshine with a strength of 40 degrees is obtained. When calculating, I advise you to increase the amount of ingredients by 10-15%, since for various reasons (temperature, quality of raw materials, improper distillation), the actual yield is less than the theoretical one.
For 1 kg of sugar add: 3 liters of water (plus 0.5 liters if inverting is done) and alcohol Turbo yeast.
2. Inverting sugar. A very complex name refers to the preparation of ordinary sugar syrup. The fact is that during fermentation, yeast first breaks down sugar into simple monosaccharides - glucose with fructose, and only then processes these substances into the alcohol we need. Heating also kills pathogens on the sugar surface, which are waiting for more favorable conditions for reproduction (temperature, humidity, and so on). The activation of harmful microbes in the mash is highly undesirable.
Inverted sugar moonshine ferments faster, since we do part of their job instead of yeast, and is different best taste than its usual counterpart. Although the inverting step is considered optional and most moonshine recipes only suggest dissolving sugar in warm water, I still recommend boiling the syrup.
To invert sugar for mash, you need to do the following:
1. Heat 3 liters of water to 70-80 ° C in a large saucepan.
2. Add sugar (6 kg) and stir slowly until smooth.
3. Bring the syrup to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Gradually add citric acid(25 grams), reduce stove heat to minimum.
5. Close the saucepan with a lid and simmer for 60 minutes.
3. Water preparation. A very important stage, during which the taste of the finished product is largely formed. Water for mash must comply with all hygienic standards and have no color, taste or smell.
Before making sugar moonshine, I recommend that you stand for tap water for 1-2 days. Due to this, its hardness decreases, and harmful impurities settle at the bottom. Then the water is drained from the sediment through a thin tube.
4. Mixing ingredients. The syrup prepared at the 2nd stage should be poured into a fermentation vessel, add there cold water(18 liters). If you have not inverted the sugar, then it must be dissolved in warm water, stirring vigorously. In both cases, the optimum temperature of the finished mixture is 27-30 ° C.
The container must not be filled more than ¾ of its volume, otherwise, during active foaming, the mash may overflow over the edges and you will have to collect it all over the floor.
5. Yeast addition. To do this, it is enough to clearly follow the instructions on the sachet. In most cases, boiled water is cooled to 32-36 ° C, the required amount of dry yeast is added, covered with a lid, and the container itself is wrapped in a thick cloth or placed in a warm place to maintain a stable temperature. After 20-40 minutes, a uniform foam head will appear on the surface. This means that diluted dry yeast can be added to the wort.
When using baker's yeast, active foaming sometimes begins, which goes beyond the container. As a defoamer for mash, I recommend using a crumbled half of dry store biscuits or 10-20 ml vegetable oil... The addition of these products will not affect the quality of the moonshine in any way.
6. Fermentation. A water seal is installed on a bottle with a wash and transferred to a room with a stable temperature of 26-31 ° C (very important for the normal development of yeast). Braga on inverted sugar has a pleasant caramel smell that does not spoil the air.
To maintain the temperature regime, the container is covered with blankets or fur coats, insulated with building thermal insulation materials, or aquarium heaters with a thermoregulation system are installed. Fermentation lasts from 3 to 10 days (usually 4-5). I recommend shaking the mash every 12-16 hours for 45-60 seconds without removing the water seal. This will remove excess carbon dioxide that interferes with the yeast's normal functioning.
Signs of readiness sugar mash to distillation:
bitter taste (all sugar has been processed into alcohol);
the release of carbon dioxide has stopped (the water seal does not gurgle);
the upper layers of the mash became lighter, and a sediment appeared at the bottom;
the hissing has stopped;
an alcoholic smell is felt;
the match brought to the wash continues to burn.
All these signs are used in a complex manner, it is necessary that at least 2-3 of them appear at the same time, otherwise it is easy to make a mistake. For example, an excess of sugar causes the yeast to die before it can process everything. They cannot live with an alcohol concentration higher than 12%, so even the finished mash will be sweet.
7. Degassing and clarification of the mash. Making the right moonshine is unthinkable without the implementation of this stage. First, the mash is removed from the yeast sediment by pouring it into a large saucepan through a tube. Next, the mash is heated to 50 ° C. The high temperature kills the remaining yeast and promotes the release of carbon dioxide from the liquid, which we do not need at all.
The degassed mash is poured back into the bottle and clarified with bentonite - natural white clay. It is sold in sachets.
To clarify 20 liters of mash, 2-3 tablespoons of bentonite are ground in a coffee grinder and dissolved in 250 ml of warm water. Then they mix and wait until the clay turns into a thick mass, resembling fatty sour cream. This takes 10-15 minutes.
Bentonite is added to the mash, the container is tightly closed and shaken vigorously for several minutes. Next, the mash is left alone for 15-30 hours, after which it is ready for distillation. The sediment must not be poured down the drain, where it can create cement plugs, which are then difficult to eliminate.
The use of bentonite removes foreign impurities that did not precipitate during fermentation. As a result, the unpleasant yeast odor disappears from the mash, and the expelled moonshine is much easier to clean, since most of the harmful substances will be removed with clay and will not get into it.

How to make moonshine.

8. First distillation. The mash clarified with bentonite is drained from the sediment into distillation cube... The purpose of the first distillation is to separate alcohol from other substances. Many beginners and lazy moonshiners stop at this, never having tried the taste of real homemade moonshine, made according to all the rules.
Distillation is carried out over low heat. We will immediately divide the entire output into fractions: "heads", "body" and "tails". The first 50 ml of the yield per 1 kg of sugar are collected in a separate container. According to our proportions, this is 300 ml of "pervak" - the head fraction, which can be used only for technical needs (fire ignition, glass washer ...). It is so harmful that drinking it is dangerous to health.
After that, the "body" is selected - a useful middle fraction, called raw alcohol, for which we are making moonshine from sugar. The selection is stopped when the strength of the distillate drops below 40 degrees. It is better to determine the strength with an alcohol meter (necessarily at a temperature of 20 ° C), but you can also use the folk method - while the distillate is burning in a spoon, we continue the selection.
The last in a separate container are collected "tails" - the third fraction, containing a lot of fusel oils. This distillate can be poured into the next mash to make it stronger, or not collected at all.
9. Cleaning. Before the second distillation, the middle fraction (crude alcohol) needs additional purification from harmful impurities. There is no one-size-fits-all method, so you can use whichever method you like.
Purification of sugar moonshine with coal is considered natural and environmentally friendly, but with the right approach, for example, potassium permanganate with baking soda, also give a good result. The main thing is to dilute the distillate with water to 20-30 degrees before cleaning.
10. Second distillation. The diluted crude alcohol is poured into a distillation still and the distiller is turned on at minimum heat. As in the first case, especially if you are brewing moonshine for yourself, I advise you to select "heads" - the first 50 ml for each kilogram of added sugar.
Immediately after the selection of the first (head) fraction, I advise you to replace the dry steamer, if it is provided for by the design of your moonshine still. Further, until the fortress drops below 40 degrees, the main distillate is taken.
11. Dilution and settling. At the last stage homemade moonshine diluted with water to the desired strength. To make the taste of the drink softer and more balanced, I advise you to pour it into bottles, close it with corks, let it brew for 3-4 days in a cool dark place and only then start tasting with relatives and friends

All connoisseurs of homemade alcoholic preparations know what moonshine is. 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 component features will eliminate errors in the manufacture of the correct moonshine.

Home brewing

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

However, it should be noted that the moonshine drink is popular not only in Russia:

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

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

• constituent components;
• their quantitative ratio;
• the sequence of adding ingredients during the cooking process;
• time spent fermenting;
• purity and transparency of the finished product.

It usually takes an average of one month to make a homemade "Sam". This time depends on the fermentation period of the sourdough. Moonshine sourdough is ready-made Home wine, it is called braga.

Cooking home brew

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

Let's start the process of its preparation by studying the recommendations that will allow us to obtain this high-quality alcoholic beverage.

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

The sequence of cooking home brew:

• take a perfectly clean and dry container (this can be a bottle, bucket or large jar);
• pour 2 kg of sugar into it;
• add 10 grams of citric acid;
• dilute 200 g of pressed yeast (or 40 g 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;
• 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 about 2.2 liters of beer... Braga does not need to be cooked, it is enough to insist on it for a certain time, periodically checking taste qualities... When brewing homemade wine it is important to guess the moment so that the brew does not sour... But this is not difficult to understand. If you like the result, pour the homemade wine into bottles, cork tightly and store in a cool place.

To improve the taste, various aromatic additives are added to the infusion:

Braga is the basis for the next stage of the production of pure potion - moonshine. Having learned how to cook home brew, let's take a closer look at how to make moonshine.

We cook moonshine

The brewing of moonshine also occurs in several stages:

• preparation of sourdough (mash);
• fermentation period of the sourdough;
• the first cooking on low heat (pervach);
• cleaning the first.

All other actions are performed if you want to get even better quality alcohol, which differs in taste and smell, characterizing which, one could say: "Clean as a tear."

Now we present several recipes for home brewing, each of which will give you an excellent result.

Classic strong

Let's start with the traditional and the most simple recipe- moonshine based only on yeast and sugar.

Required components:

• water - 4.5 l;
• sugar - 1 kg;
• yeast - 40 gr.

Cooking technology:

• heat the water up to 30 degrees;
• pour sugar and stir;
• crumble yeast;
• put the resulting mash in a warm place for 2 weeks;
• on the 15th day, you can start distillation.

Distillation of moonshine by experienced masters of their craft is carried out using a moonshine still. But we will consider the manufacture of the first on the basis of available tools and minimum capabilities. For this:

• take the pan;
• pour the leaven into it;
• preparing a container for collecting alcohol;
• put a tight-fitting basin on top of the pan instead of a lid;
• pour very cold water into the basin, you can add ice and snow, they must be changed periodically so that the water in the basin does not heat up.

The next stage of forcing is cleaning... It is necessary to purify alcohol from fusel oil formed during heating, from the residue and pervac. After the first cleaning, it is best to distill moonshine again... Preliminary cleaning can be an effective method of cleaning. adding potassium permanganate to the leaven at the rate of 2 g per 1 l, and filtration through cheesecloth folded in several layers.

The drink is ready to drink. This trial step will allow you to get approximately 1 liter homemade moonshine... Now, knowing the basics of moonshine, having tasted alcohol and making sure that something is missing in it, it's time to learn how to brew moonshine in other ways.

Lactic

Let's make the starter for this potion recipe in just 2 hours. The work is complicated by the fact that it is necessary to have in household an old, but working washing machine (not a modern automatic machine, but an activator type of action). For such a capacity and volume of the prepared mixture, we will lay a much larger one.

You need to take:

• water - 30 l (three 10 l buckets);
• sugar - 10 kg;
• yeast - 100 g;
• milk - 3 liters.

Cooking technique:

• pour all the ingredients and pour into the machine;
• turn on the unit in operation for 2 hours of continuous operation;
• Defend the resulting leaven (mash).

The next stage of brewing moonshine is the distillation of the sourdough. How to properly expel moonshine from the mash - we look at the recommendations given during cooking classic recipe... Since the volume of alcohol produced will be impressive, it is better to use a ready-made moonshine still. But in the absence of it and in the presence of a mass of free time, it is quite possible to do without it, using the same large saucepan and a basin of ice water. We carry out cleaning by double or triple distillation and filtering through a fine sieve.

Pea

This option can be prepared using just a day to get the mash.

Ingredients:

• granulated sugar - 5 kg;
• warm, but not boiling water (approximately 30 degrees) - 15 liters;
• yeast - 500 gr;
• peas - 1 kg.

Preparation:

• a mixture is made from sugar, yeast and peas;
• fill in with water;
• leave for 24 hours to swell;
• after a day, the brew is filtered and distilled.

Pervach can already be consumed. But it is better to clean it up and overtake it a couple more times. So you can get high-quality and transparent moonshine.

Potato

Products composition:

• sugar - 5 kg;
• warm water - 25 l;
• yeast - 500 gr;
• bread - 4 loaves of black;
• potatoes - 25 pieces of medium tubers.

Preparation:

• grate potatoes;
• crumbling bread;
• mixed with yeast and sugar;
• poured with water and left for a day.

After cleaning and distillation, the product can be tasted. Double or triple distillation and purification is recommended.

From jam

Have to take:

• any candied or fermented jam - 3 liters;
• warm water (30 degrees) - 15 liters;
• yeast - 100 gr;
• granulated sugar - 1 kg.

Cooking mash:

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

From wort

This recipe is within the power of those craftsmen who have mastered the manufacture of homemade alcohol by all of the above methods. He is especially painstaking and time consuming. The raw material for the preparation of such alcohol can be flour, grain, any cereal - this is the basis of the wort. To obtain mash from grain, you need to follow these steps:

Distillation of such mash must be performed not on fire, but on a water bath... After all, when boiling the leaven over an open fire, the thick mixture (porridge) will simply burn and spoil the taste and color of the future moonshine.

After repeated cleaning and boiling of the first liquor, the finished moonshine should be filtered and you can taste it. The resulting drink 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 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, they drive moonshine from almost everything that is at hand.

To do this, use, in addition to sugar:

• 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.

Homemade moonshine may not work the first time. Don't despair. Be patient. After gaining the necessary experience, you will be able to cook chic alcoholic drinks right in your kitchen.

Attention, only TODAY!