What kind of fire is best to distill moonshine? Features of maintaining the temperature regime for moonshine distillation. Is it possible to do without a thermometer?

Instructions on how to distill moonshine are passed down from generation to generation. But don’t despair if you haven’t had a mentor in your life who could teach you how to make moonshine. Especially for you, we have collected in this article several proven methods for preparing moonshine. Even if you have experience in this matter, you will certainly find something new and interesting for yourself, and you will definitely want to immediately implement it.

You should distill moonshine strictly according to the instructions below in order to get the desired result and simply not spoil the raw materials. Carefully study the technique of how to distill moonshine, and in the end your efforts will pay off, you will not be disappointed. Prepare carefully for this process; without the necessary equipment nothing will work.

Making moonshine begins with preparing mash

1. The classic recipe is when you take 1 kg of sugar and 100 grams of pressed yeast per 5 liters of water.
2. Everything is mixed and placed in a warm place for about 10-14 days until the end of fermentation.
3. After settling or clarification, the mash is distilled into moonshine.

It should be borne in mind that the less the mash interacts with air oxygen, the better for it. When settling, interacting with air, the mash can turn into vinegar and its further distillation into moonshine will become impossible. Therefore, it is better to use water seals or a punctured rubber glove.

The above mash recipe results in a fairly hard product. However, its important advantage is the simplicity and availability of source materials. You can choose a recipe for making mash from grain or flour. The alcohol obtained from such mash at home is softer and has a grainy taste. The recipe for making moonshine from grain can be found on the Internet and watch the attached video.

Moonshine distillation

• The recipe for making good moonshine at home will require a distillation cube with a steam chamber, a thermometer, a cooled coil or distillation columns.
• Such old-fashioned methods as freezing or evaporating mash in a saucepan, offered for viewing in the video, will allow you to distill moonshine of the lowest quality and insufficient degrees at home. This product will contain a large amount of aldehydes, esters, substances that are easily separated by a device with a steam chamber.
• When the mash has settled or clarified, it is carefully poured into the distillation cube, trying not to disturb the sediment. This can be done by filtering or through a nylon tube, using the principle of communicating vessels. In this case, a liquid level of 0.5-1 cm should remain above the sediment.

The distillation cube is heated to a temperature of 65-70 o C and maintained until 5% of the calculated amount of moonshine is separated or when the escaping liquid has a characteristic odor. At this temperature, there is active evaporation of aldehydes, methanol, and ethers with a boiling point several degrees lower than that of ethanol. The resulting “pervak”, which has a large number of impurities, is no longer involved in further production, but it can be used for technical purposes

Raising the temperature

After cutting off the heads, the temperature is raised to 85 o C, and active evaporation of ethanol occurs. Water and fusel oils, which have a higher boiling point, evaporate less actively. If the apparatus has a steam chamber or the resulting product will be re-heated, the heating temperature in the cube can be increased to 92-95 o C in order to speed up the process. The selection of the main part of the resulting product is carried out until the strength of the outgoing moonshine drops to 40 o C. The remaining tails, approximately 15%, can be used in subsequent distillations by adding to the mash.

If the resulting product is supposed to be re-distilled, then the strength of the resulting product can be reduced to 30 o C. It is better to check how much strength the moonshine has with a household alcohol meter, or, in its absence, using folk methods. If cold moonshine burns with an even blue flame, then the alcohol strength is more than 40 o C and the product can be taken further. If only flashes occur when attempting to ignite the liquid, then the main body selection process should be stopped and the tails separated. Obtained after the first distillation, properly made moonshine for yourself usually has a strength of 50-55 o C.

Re-distillation of moonshine

The recipe for obtaining good moonshine with a high degree and almost complete absence of odor has long been known; this is secondary distillation.

• The process of secondary distillation is carried out in the same way as the primary distillation using an apparatus with a dry steamer.
• Before the secondary distillation of raw materials, chemical or biological purification of the resulting moonshine is carried out.
• This will reduce the concentration of harmful substances in the processed moonshine. Before re-distillation, the product’s strength should be reduced to 20-25 o C.
• This can be done by diluting the liquid with distilled water in a ratio of 1:2 or 1:2.5.

Properly carried out secondary distillation will significantly improve the quality of the product and greatly reduce the content of fusel oils and other harmful substances. The strength of re-distilled moonshine can be 65-70 o C. Further distillation 2, 4, etc. times will not allow us to significantly improve the quality of the product or increase the content of degrees in it. This will require special equipment that cannot be used at home. .

Modern distillation technologies

An important part of the moonshine still is the steamer, which allows you to separate a large amount of fusel oils from the resulting product. Its structure is quite simple - it is a small sealed container (no more than 10% of the volume of the distillation cube) with an inlet and outlet tube. The device must be collapsible or have a drainage device. The inlet pipe must be located below the outlet pipe in the steam tank body.

This device should be located between the distillation cube and the cooled coil. Modern equipment for producing moonshine at home, offered for sale in advertising videos, can significantly facilitate the production process and obtain a high-quality product.

1. However, such complexes are quite expensive, but some of the required equipment can be made independently or ordered from good specialists.
2. When the liquid in the distillation cube is heated, vapors of all substances are deposited on the walls of the colder steam chamber.
3. Hot vapors heat the body of the device, causing re-boiling of ethyl alcohol and other low-boiling fractions, the vapors of which enter the coil for cooling.

At the same time, most of the fusel oils with a higher boiling point remain in the steam tank body. You can watch the video on how to properly make a simple steamer with your own hands. Therefore, it should be remembered that this device will not completely remove all harmful substances from moonshine, but it can significantly reduce their amount.

Vacuum distillation

Vacuum distillation allows you to remove alcohol from mash at home using lower temperatures and pressure created in the distillation cube. With this method, a higher quality product is obtained, in which fusel is almost completely absent.

When using vacuum equipment, moonshine can be distilled at a temperature of 60-70 o C. This method will require additional equipment, in particular a vacuum pump. You can learn more about the process of vacuum distillation of moonshine in the video.

tonnasamogona.ru

First distillation

Pour the fully prepared mash into the distillation cube. The purpose of the first distillation is to separate the alcohol from other substances. The process takes place over low heat. The entire yield of the drink is divided into fractions, which we will call by common names: “head”, “body” and “tail”. The first 50 grams of the drink for every kilogram of sugar consumed are collected in a separate container and disposed of or used for technical needs. Under no circumstances should they be consumed, as they are hazardous to health.

Next, you select the “body” - the raw alcohol itself - which is necessary to obtain high-quality moonshine from sugar. When the strength of the distillate drops below 40 degrees, the selection should be stopped. To determine the strength, you can use an alcohol meter, or you can use the traditional method - as long as the alcohol collected in a spoon burns, you can continue sampling.

At the end of the first distillation, collect the “tails”, which also contain a fair amount of fusel oils, into a separate container. However, this distillate, unlike the “head”, is not dangerous, and zealous moonshiners, whose production of the drink is on stream, pour it into the next mash - this makes it stronger.

Cleaning

This stage precedes the second distillation, and its purpose is to rid the drink of harmful impurities. To do this, there is purification of moonshine using coal, potassium permanganate and some other methods that we have already written about. Choose the method that seems most effective to you and proceed, but do not forget to dilute the drink with water to a strength of 15-20 degrees.

Second distillation

After purification, pour the raw alcohol into the distillation cube and begin distillation over low heat. As with the previous distillation, select the first 50 grams for each kilogram of sugar separately and do not use it for internal use - by God, health is more valuable. Next, select the distillate until its strength drops below 40 degrees. Actually, this is a ready-made drink that just needs to be diluted.

The second distillation aims not only to strengthen, but also to additionally remove harmful and smelly impurities.

When to stop distilling mash

There are several ways to determine when the distillation process stops:

1. 1) The simplest one is to distill the mash until the alcoholic taste is felt, in order to take all the alcohol from the distillation cube. Thus, we taste it and make a decision.
2. 2) Wet a paper napkin with the dripping distillate and try to set it on fire: if it ignites quickly, the selection should be continued, if it does not burn, the alcohol has already come out and the process can be stopped.
3. 3) If you have a thermometer in the distillation cube, then determine the temperature of 96°C, this way we limit the content of fusel impurities in the moonshine. This moment corresponds to the release of moonshine from the cooler with a strength of 40%.

We know that controlling the distillation of moonshine by temperature in the still is based on the fact that each alcohol content in moonshine corresponds to a certain boiling point.

Data taken from the table below.

Monitoring the distillation process using a thermometer

Dilution and settling

At this stage, which completes the process, dilute the moonshine to the desired strength. Now everything is definitely ready, but, having gathered your will into a fist, be patient a little more, and after pouring the moonshine into bottles, let it stand for 3-4 days in a cool, dark place. This will make the drink softer and more balanced, and you will be able to appreciate its taste with friends and relatives.

Russiandymka.rf

How to make moonshine, sugar mash with apples

Ingredients:

• Sugar - 6 kg.,
• Water - 15 l., and 12 l.,
• Bekmaya yeast - 120 g.
• Flavored apples - 1.2 kg.

Making sugar mash

For the yeast test, I decided to prepare two mashes: for the first I took 3 kg of sugar and 15 liters of water (hydraulic ratio 1 to 5), for the second - 3 kg. sugar and 12 l. water (hydraulic module 1 to 4). Thus, I planned to test the yeast on different hydromodules.

The preparation of sugar mash begins with “confusion”; for this you need to take 30% of the planned sugar and dissolve it in 70% of the planned water for each of the mash separately. In our case, for the first option it is 1 kg of sugar and 10.

5 l. water, for the second - 1 kg. sugar and 8.4 l. water. Heat some of the water, dissolve sugar in it, mix, the temperature should be approximately +30C.

Next you need to start the yeast. Separately, add a couple of pinches of sugar to warm water and scatter the yeast evenly over the surface of the water. The ratio of water to yeast is 10 to 1. As for the weight of yeast: dry - 20 g per 1 kg. sugar, pressed - 100 g per 1 kg. sugars, cultivated - according to instructions and alcohol tolerance. When adding yeast, you also need to take into account its shelf life and storage conditions.

While the yeast is “starting up”, grate three apples and add them to each mash for 1 kg. sugar 200 g apples. In this case, apples act as bait for yeast and also as a way to give moonshine a light fruity aroma.

As soon as the yeast begins to foam, add it to the mash, mix well, and leave for a couple of hours in a warm place. When rapid fermentation begins, add the remaining sugar and water in the form of warm syrup and place under a water seal. Fermentation temperature is 25-30C, the mash needs to be stirred several times a day. I fermented both mashes for 4.5 days. The hydrometer reading is zero.

Clarifying mash

How to lighten mash? There are several options: the first is cooling the mash, the second is clarification using bentonite. Since it was winter and quite frosty, I took both mashes outside and left them for a day. Before clarification, remove the apple mass from the mash. For complete and better lightening, I recommend leaving the mash in the cold for 2-3 days.

After a day, I brought the mash into the house and carefully drained it with a hose, so as not to touch the yeast sediment. Based on the results of the lighting, I can say that the mash with a hydromodule of 1 to 5 was illuminated better, but the mash with a hydromodule of 1 to 4 needed more time.

Distilling sugar mash at home

As usual, I do two distillations. The first is the selection of raw alcohol, the second is fractional. After the first distillation of both mashes, I received 9.2 liters of raw alcohol with a strength of 36%, which is a very good yield. The raw alcohol was selected to approximately 4-5% strength.

1. After fractional distillation, I got 3.2 liters with a strength of 87%. I took the head fractions drop by drop, approximately for sugar washes this is 5-7% of absolute alcohol, in my case it was 250 ml.
2. The tailing fractions began to be selected after 75% in the stream.
3. During the distillation, I specially grabbed some of the pre-tail fractions, which smelled very much like apple aromas, in order to then put the distillate on oak chips.

The strength of the main product also directly depends on the design of your device.

How to dilute moonshine with water?

The age-old question arises - Pouring alcohol into water or vice versa, for this I will give an excerpt from the book - Technology of vodka and alcoholic beverages Educational and practical guide, page 23 Danilovtseva A.B., Makarov S.Yu., Slavskaya I.L.

“The water-alcohol mixture is prepared as follows: calculated quantities of alcohol are first supplied to the mixing vat (as a lighter liquid - to obtain the effect of spontaneous mixing with heavier water), and then softened water; alcohol and water are mixed until a homogeneous mixture is obtained; take a sample and determine the strength in it; the finished sorting is pumped into a pressure tank. If the strength deviates from the specified one, it is adjusted, after which the mixture is stirred a second time.”

Accordingly, I poured the water into the alcohol and mixed it well. I provide a link to an alcohol calculator with which you can dilute alcohol to the desired degree.

Water for dilution should be used well purified; I am perfectly happy with locally produced bottled water. Mineral or well water will not work; it can give a cloudy effect due to the content of a large amount of salts and minerals. At a minimum, I recommend passing it through a household filter several times and boiling it.

Cleaning moonshine with coal

I diluted part of the moonshine to 63%, added oak chips at the rate of 12-13 g per 1 liter, and decided to clean the second part with coal, which I diluted to 42%.

You need to purify with charcoal already diluted moonshine to drinkable grade. I use BAU-A charcoal at a rate of 1-3 tbsp. l. for 1 l. distillate, I also added 2 tsp. fructose per 1 liter to soften the distillate. Add charcoal and fructose, mix well and intensively for about 10 minutes, and several more times over the course of an hour. Then we filter using gauze (4-6 layers) to remove large parts of coal, then use cotton wool to remove small particles. Before drinking, it is better to keep the purified moonshine in glass for several days, the taste will become smoother and more pleasant. Moonshine with apple bait came out soft, pleasant to drink, with a light fruity flavor on the exhale.

Let's summarize the yeast test:

• 1.Excellent fermentability, you can use a hydromodule of 1 to 4, which saves the volume of the fermentation tank,
• 2. There is no intense foaming during fermentation,
• 3. Moderate odor during fermentation,
• 4. In the case of clarification of the mash, the resulting moonshine is excellent.

Below is a video on how to make moonshine at home using sugar mash with apples as an example. The video contains detailed recommendations, tips, and answers to typical questions for beginners.

alkofan.org

How to properly distill moonshine with a steamer

Starting distillation with a dry steamer - how to prepare the system?

Before you start distilling moonshine, it’s worth preparing our system well. The first thing you need to do is check the reliability of the fasteners. To do this, take a screwdriver and lightly tighten the nuts clockwise. The next step is sealing quality control. Often, the sealant loses its properties even when the moonshine still is turned off. Moreover, this is characteristic not only of cheap, but also of the most expensive and reliable sealing substances.

Another job that will need to be done before distilling alcohol is to check the condition of the coating of the hoses and distillation tank. This must be done extremely carefully, since the presence of even the smallest scratches leads to the formation of holes through which moonshine can leak. Also, don't be lazy to check the thermometer. Take it with one hand and tilt it to the sides. If the arrow has moved only slightly from its initial position, it means that the device is working properly and you can start working.

Replace the device

But if the needle begins to fluctuate strongly and continues to do so after the thermometer returns to its normal position, this is a sign of a malfunction of the device, and it should be replaced immediately. If you want to get moonshine with a distinct smell, it would be best to add a few grams of aromatic substances to the steamer before distillation. With the help of aromatization, your alcohol will acquire a bright taste and a pleasant aroma of spices.

After checking the moonshine still, the next thing to do is make sure the mash is ready. It is strictly not recommended to distill moonshine from a composition that has not reached its optimal physical state. This is very easy to check. Look at the recipe - if the mash, some time after mixing, should have become more liquid, but its condition has not changed, it is better to leave it for a few more days. Thus, you will reduce the risk of getting low-quality moonshine and severe poisoning.

How to control the process of preparing a drink?

After you have checked all the elements of the moonshine still and made sure that the mash is ready for use, you can begin distillation. It would be right if we start our work by pouring the raw materials into the distillation cube, and then put it on the stove

• This must be done so that the fire from the burner heats the middle of the container, and not a separate part of it. After this, connect the pipes and pour cold water into the cooler.
• Once again we check the condition of all connections and, if necessary, apply a little sealant to the seams.
• Turn on the fire under the stove. It is possible to turn on the burner more strongly at the beginning of the distillation, after which you can gradually reduce the fire. This way the container will heat up faster.

All that remains is to observe. If you notice that the mash has begun to boil and foam, then you should pour a glass of skim milk into the distillation cube. After heating the distillation container, it is best to place a jar or glass with a watering can under the tube from which the finished moonshine comes out. In this case, you need to put a little charcoal in the watering can. Passing through it, the alcohol is filtered and becomes purer.

The beginning of the moonshine distillation process

During the distillation process, you should carefully monitor the temperature of the water in the cooler. As soon as the temperature of the liquid has increased, the water should be replaced with cold water.

It is correct to collect ready-made moonshine already when it ignites. At the same time, you don’t have to worry about cleaning, because it happens automatically in a moonshine still with a steamer. You will be convinced of this by seeing a brown liquid with an unpleasant odor inside the steamer at the end of the distillation. These are fusel oils and other impurities dangerous to human health. Even if a certain amount of toxic substances can pass through the module, it will be easily absorbed by the wood coals in the watering can.
As we can see, there is nothing complicated in distilling moonshine with a steamer. All that is required of us is to prepare the system and the mash, after which all that remains is to observe the process and collect the finished purified alcohol.

3 Problems with the steam tank and methods for eliminating them

In the process of creating homemade alcohol, even the most expensive and reliable moonshine stills can fail. As practice shows, most often it is the steam valve in the system that breaks down. Among the most common part failures, it is worth highlighting:

• the formation of small holes through which waste drips;
• loss of tightness at the joints with the distillation cube or refrigerator;
• the ingress of mash particles into the structure of the steam tank, which is why the moonshine does not pass further through the system;
• damage to the fasteners with which the part is attached to the moonshine still.

If you notice that light brown liquid is seeping through the walls of the steam chamber, this means that a hole has formed in the device. You should not stop the distillation process to repair this breakdown.

Simply take a small strip of sealant and seal the hole. If there is no sealant, then you can use the test.

The second problem on our list is solved using the same method. Without interrupting work, take the sealant and apply it to the joints of the steam pipe and other structural elements. To make it dry faster, you can use a regular household hair dryer. If you notice that there are small particles of mash inside the steamer, then it is best to reduce the fire in the burner to a minimum, then open the module lid and use a teaspoon to remove the unwanted fractions. After this, immediately close the lid and continue working.

And the last thing is damaged fasteners. If the damage is minor, you can strengthen the fastener using regular electrical tape. But if the fastener comes off completely and the steam tank is literally hanging on one nut, it will have to be repaired right during distillation. To do this, take a screwdriver and screw in the new fastener. However, be careful when tightening, you don’t need to overdo it, since all the elements of the moonshine still are in a heated state, and even not tightening the nut too tightly can damage the body of the steamer or other component of the system.

Having an understanding of how to repair the distillation system while it is working, you can fix any problem and enjoy making your favorite moonshine from malt and other drinks without forced interruptions.

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nalivali.ru

Another variation

How to distill moonshine!

To make moonshine at home, we will need - definitely yeast, a lot of water and raw materials to choose from: sugar, berries, fruits, starch, malt from cereals, a stool. Traditional recipe for making homemade moonshine: 4 kg of sugar, 17.5 liters of water and 150 grams of yeast. After distillation and purification, we will get as much as 4 liters of ready-to-drink moonshine. Raw materials, for example sugar, are dissolved in water at a temperature of 25 C, after which crushed yeast is poured into it, and the finished solution is stirred and stored in a dark place with a temperature of about 20 C.

Only an experienced moonshine brewer will be able to determine by the bitter taste and the cessation of CO2 release that fermentation is coming to an end and you can move on to distilling and purifying homemade moonshine; if you are new to this business, then it is better to let it ferment for exactly one week.

Distillation and purification of moonshine.

The finished mash itself already contains from 10 to 15% ethyl alcohol, but in addition to it there is a lot of harmful fusel oils, so if you regularly use homemade moonshine without distillation and purification, you are guaranteed yellow eyes and a dead liver.

The whole secret is that ethyl alcohol and fusel oils have different evaporation temperatures, which means that by heating the mash and maintaining a certain temperature, in the end we will get quite suitable moonshine at home, containing no more harmful impurities than in cognac or whiskey. However, distilling and purifying the moonshine once is not enough; the procedure should be repeated several more times. During each moonshine distillation cycle, it is better to get rid of the first and last parts of the resulting alcohol (if the entire volume is conventionally divided by five) - they are the most fusel.

It will also be useful, before you start distilling moonshine, to clean it with 1 gram of potassium permanganate per 0.5 liter of mash, having previously dissolved potassium permanganate in water (important!) and filter with a cotton cloth.

• — Constantly monitor the temperature with a thermometer, with a scale of at least 100 C at 65 degrees Celsius.
• — Periodically change the water in the cooling container to colder one, this way you will significantly increase the amount of moonshine you get.
• — Don’t be greedy: when half of the original mash remains, add another half, or get rid of it.

DIY moonshine still.

If you don’t have a coil, don’t have the money to buy good quality moonshine stills, or you make moonshine in your kitchen, you have to make do with minimal resources and are obliged to maintain the confidentiality of the process, in other words, so that your apartment doesn’t stink, you can use the following diagram of a homemade moonshine still with your own hands :

Cold water (1) poured into a basin (2) cools the moonshine (4), which evaporates from a pan (5) with mash (6) and condenses at the bottom of the basin, after which it drips into a special collection bowl (3).

Among the disadvantages of this design, one can note the high content of fusel oils (however, who is stopping you from re-distilling this), among the advantages - ease of manufacture and tightness (for this, the gaps between the basin and the pan are covered with putty made from flour fried in a frying pan and diluted with water or melted wax with the addition of coniferous resin).

Moonshine recipes

How to make moonshine in 2 hours?

The washing machine is filled with 30 liters of water, 10 kilograms of sugar, 100 grams of yeast, three liters of milk and runs normally for two hours. The resulting mash must be allowed to settle, after which moonshine can be distilled from it.

How to make moonshine in 24 hours?

The ingredients for this moonshine recipe differ only in proportions and the presence of peas: for 5 kilos of sugar and 15 liters of warm water we will need half a kilo of yeast, a liter of milk and a kilo of peas. The resulting nuclear mixture sits for 24 hours, after which the homemade moonshine is ready for purification, distillation and consumption.

If there are no peas, but there is bread and potatoes, then a kilo of peas is replaced with 4 loaves of bread and 25 potatoes (after carefully crumbling them). In this case, we will need a little more water, about 25 liters.

Moonshine from fruits and berries

Now I think I understand why the older a person is, the more he is drawn to plant his own orchard. Any fruit and berry syrup or jam in a volume of 6 liters is diluted in 30 liters of water. 200 grams of yeast and resting in a dark place for about a week will make your moonshine at home tasty, and your summer weeding work in the garden will be an unforgettable carbon dioxide adventure

combatz.biz

Sugar mash recipe

1. Calculation of proportions.

First, let's decide on the amount of moonshine that is needed at the output. At home, 1 kg of sugar produces 1.1-1.2 liters of moonshine with a strength of 40 degrees. But when making calculations, I advise you to increase the amount of ingredients by 10-15%, since for various reasons (temperature, quality of raw materials, improper distillation) the real yield is always less than the theoretical one by this amount.

For 1 kg of sugar add: 4 liters of water (plus another 0.5 liter if inverting is done) and 100 grams of pressed yeast or 20 grams of dry.

2. Inverting sugar.

A very complex name refers to the preparation of ordinary sugar syrup with citric acid. The fact is that during fermentation, yeast first breaks down sugar into simple monosaccharides - glucose and fructose, and only then converts these substances into alcohol. Heating also kills pathogenic microorganisms on the surface of the sugar, which are waiting for more favorable conditions to reproduce (temperature and humidity). The activation of harmful microbes in the mash is undesirable, since it can negatively affect the smell.

Moonshine made from inverted sugar ferments faster and tastes better. Although the inversion step is considered optional, and most recipes only suggest dissolving the sugar in warm water, I still recommend boiling the syrup.

To invert sugar for mash, you need to do the following:

A very important stage, during which the taste of the finished product is largely formed. Water for mash must meet hygienic standards and have no color, taste or smell.

Attention! Water for moonshine should not be boiled or distilled, as this will lead to the loss of oxygen needed by the yeast for fermentation.

4. Mixing ingredients.

Pour the syrup prepared at stage 2 into a fermentation container, add cold water (24 liters). If using non-inverted sugar, dissolve it in warm water, stirring vigorously. In both cases, the optimal temperature of the finished mixture is 27-30°C.

The container cannot be filled to more than ¾ of the volume, otherwise during active foaming the mash may overflow over the edges and you will have to collect the product with a specific odor along the floor.

5. Adding yeast.

Pressed yeast can be added directly to the container after kneading with clean hands. But it’s still better to first dissolve the briquette in a small amount of prepared wort (water and sugar), cover with a lid and wait until foam appears. Usually everything takes 5-10 minutes.

1. Before adding to the wort, dry yeast needs to be pre-activated.
2. To do this, just strictly follow the instructions on the bag. 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 thick cloth or placed in a warm place to maintain a stable temperature.

3. After 20-40 minutes, a uniform foam cap 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 extends beyond the container. As a defoamer for mash, I recommend using crumbled half of a dry store-bought cookie or 10-20 ml of vegetable oil. Adding these products will not affect the quality of moonshine in any way.

The video shows a method for setting mash without inverting sugar with a hydromodule of 1:4.

6. Fermentation. Install a water seal on the bottle with mash and move it to a room with a stable temperature of 26-31°C (very important for normal yeast development). Braga made with inverted sugar has a pleasant caramel smell that does not spoil the air.

To maintain the temperature regime, cover the container with blankets or fur coats, insulate it with building thermal insulation materials, or install aquarium heaters with a thermoregulation system. Fermentation lasts from 3 to 10 days (usually 4-7). Every 12-16 hours I recommend shaking the mash for 45-60 seconds without removing the water seal. Thanks to shaking, excess carbon dioxide will evaporate, which interferes with the normal functioning of the yeast.

Signs that sugar mash is ready for distillation:

• bitter taste (all sugar is processed by yeast into alcohol);
• the release of carbon dioxide has stopped (the water seal does not gurgle);
• the upper layers of the mash became lightened, and sediment appeared at the bottom;
• the hissing stopped;
• there is an alcohol smell;
• a match brought to the mash continues to burn.

Use the signs comprehensively; you need at least 2-3 to appear at the same time, otherwise it’s easy to make a mistake. For example, an excess of sugar leads to the fact that the yeast dies before it has time to process everything. Most yeast fungi “fall asleep” at an alcohol concentration above 12%, so even the finished mash will remain sweet.

7. Degassing and clarification.

Making the right moonshine is unthinkable without this stage. It's time to remove the sugar mash from the yeast sediment by pouring into a large saucepan through a straw, then heat to 50°C. High temperature kills remaining yeast and promotes the release of carbon dioxide from the liquid.

Pour the degassed mash back into the bottle and lighten it with bentonite (preferably) - natural white clay, which is sold in bags and as part of cat litter. Verified brands (at the time of publication): “Pi-Pi-Bent”, “WC Closet Cat”, “Kotyara”.

Attention! When choosing white clay, make sure that the composition does not contain aromatic additives that will irrevocably spoil homemade moonshine. Also, fermentation must be completely finished before clarification, otherwise the method will not work.

To clarify 20 liters of mash, you need to grind 2-3 tablespoons of bentonite in a coffee grinder and dissolve in 250 ml of warm water. Then stir and wait until the clay turns into a thick mass, reminiscent of rich sour cream. This takes 10-15 minutes.

Add bentonite to the mash, close the container tightly and shake vigorously for several minutes. Next, leave the mash alone for 15-30 hours, after which you can begin distillation.

The sediment should not be poured into the sewer; cement plugs may appear there, which are then difficult to eliminate.

The use of bentonite removes foreign impurities that did not precipitate during fermentation. As a result, the mash loses its unpleasant yeasty smell, and distilled moonshine is much easier to clean, since the clay removes most of the harmful substances.

How to distill moonshine

8. First distillation.

Drain the bentonite-clarified mash from the sediment into a distillation cube. The purpose of the first distillation is to separate the alcohol from other substances. Many novice and lazy moonshiners stop there, never having tasted the taste of real homemade moonshine made according to all the rules.

Distillation is performed over low heat. I propose immediately dividing the output into factions: “heads”, “body” and “tails”. Collect the first 50 ml per 1 kg of sugar in a separate container. According to our proportions, this is 300 ml of “pervak” - the head fraction, which can only be used for technical needs; due to harmful impurities, this distillate is hazardous to health.

Then select the “body” - the useful middle fraction, called raw alcohol. Stop sampling when the strength of the distillate (in the stream) 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 traditional method - while the distillate is burning in a spoon, continue sampling.

The last thing to collect in a separate container is the “tails” - the third fraction containing a lot of fusel oils. This distillate can be poured into the next mash (after removal from the sediment) to increase the strength or not collected at all, turning off the moonshine still after collecting the “body”.

9. Cleaning.

Before the second distillation, the middle fraction (raw alcohol) needs additional purification from harmful impurities. There is no single generally accepted method; any can be used.

Purifying sugar moonshine with charcoal is considered natural and environmentally friendly, but with the right approach, for example, potassium permanganate with baking soda also gives good results.

The main thing before cleaning is to dilute the distillate with water to 15-20 degrees so that the molecular bonds become weaker.

10. Second distillation.

Pour the diluted raw alcohol (necessarily for fire safety purposes) into the distillation cube and begin distillation over low heat. As the first time, especially if you are brewing moonshine for yourself, cut off the “heads” - the first 50 ml for each kilogram of added sugar.

Immediately after selecting the first (head) fraction, it is advisable to replace the steam chamber if the module is provided for in the design of the moonshine still. Next, until the strength in the stream drops below 40 degrees, select the main product.

11. Dilution and settling.

At the last stage, dilute homemade moonshine with water to the desired strength (usually 40-45%). To make the taste of the drink softer and more balanced, pour the finished product into bottles, cap it, and let it brew for 3-4 days in a cool, dark place. This time is enough for the completion of chemical reactions that occur when mixing liquids.

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What is needed to make moonshine at home?

For the moonshine distillation process The following equipment is required:

1. Moonshine still for running or bulk water, the design of which is significantly different. The distribution network presents various models of units at almost every taste and budget client.
2. Alembic, which can be used as steamers, cans, pots, buckets, equipped with a lid in which it is necessary to drill a hole for a tube that discharges alcohol vapor into the coil. The preferred material is stainless steel, but enamel cookware is also possible. The container must withstand heat and not oxidize.
3. Connecting tubes, preferably copper or stainless steel.
4. When distilling moonshine with a steamer, it is ensured cleaning and flavoring finished product.
5. Container for sealing mash(glass bottles, plastic or metal containers are used).
6. Water seal, impervious to oxygen. You can use a simple rubber glove that fits over the neck of the bottle.
7. Wooden spoon to stir the mash.

Tools also needed:

1. alcohol meter to measure the strength of the resulting product;
2. thermometer to regulate temperature requirements;
3. saccharometer to control the amount of sweet product in the mash.

note! Properly distilled homemade moonshine quality is not inferior, and sometimes even surpasses factory-made alcoholic drinks.

Composition - what ingredients are used in moonshine brewing?

At home, you can brew moonshine from products containing starch or sugar. During fermentation, these components turn into alcohol. The distillation of alcohol and the yield of the final product depends on the amount of processed components and the strength of the drink.

Fermentation is provided by yeast of natural or artificial origin. “Wild” yeast fungi are found on the surface of unwashed fruits and berries collected in sunny weather. They ensure slow fermentation of the product. You can also use malt, produced from sprouted grains, hops.

Yeast offered by the retail chain comes in several types:

1. alcohol yeast (most suitable for distilling moonshine at home);
2. dry active (dissolves in water) and inactive (preliminary soaking in a sugar solution is required);
3. pressed;
4. bread;
5. wine

You can add to the final product:

• food colors and flavorings that change the taste and aroma of homemade alcohol;
• vegetable raw materials, the infusion of which improves the quality of the finished drink;
• sweetness that softens the taste of alcohol.

Ways to kick out and ennoble There is a lot of home-made alcoholic drink, but, nevertheless, new folk recipes are constantly appearing.

A decent method for making moonshine at home is to prepare mash using inverted sugar syrup:

• prepare a saturated sugar solution (2 kg of sweets per 1 liter of water);
• boil down with slow heating to half the volume of liquid;
• Citric acid is added to prevent crystallization.

The method promotes cleaning the mash from living microorganisms, the activity of which can worsen the taste of an alcoholic drink. In addition, yeast reacts faster with sugar prepared in this way.

How to prepare mash for moonshine?

How to properly distill moonshine according to the classic recipe: for 1 kg of sugar (preferably beetroot, yellowish in color), take 2.4 liters of water and 60 g of alcohol yeast. The yield of the finished product is 1 liter of strength 45-50°(see: dilution with water calculator).

It is believed that it is better for a person to drink a drink containing alcohol 38-42% , but often the recipe requires a much higher strength:

Important! To obtain such a high-quality drink, double or triple distillation (distillation) of the mash is required.

There are a lot of recipes on how to properly brew moonshine, but every craftsman, by slightly changing the ingredients or procedure, gets a new flavor bouquet every time.

Water required medium hard, it is better to use bottled one, which is sold in retail chains.

You can use spring or well water.

How to put mash on tap water:

• collect the required amount of liquid into a clean container;
• stand, covering the neck with gauze, for at least a day at room temperature;
• heat to 35-40°С, dissolve in it the required amount of sugar according to the recipe;
• fill the mash vessel 3/4 full so that when foaming the liquid does not overflow;
• add yeast;
• install a water seal, cover the container with a thick cloth that retains heat.

The readiness of the drink is checked by the following signs:

• the liquid has become transparent, sediment has collected at the bottom of the container;
• a clear alcoholic aroma has appeared; a match lit above the surface does not go out;
• the mash became bitter, gas bubbles stopped being released.

The liquid should be carefully drained from the residue and poured into the distillation cube.

How to make moonshine?

When the mash is ready, the problem arises of how to properly distill the liquid to obtain a high-quality product.

Must be observed following conditions:

• not used for food first 50 ml moonshine, called " head" The product is used for technical purposes;
• liquid below 40° (“tails”) add to the next portion of mash to increase the yield of the finished drink;
• The middle part is used for drinking "body", which contains fewer harmful impurities.

At what speed to distill moonshine is determined individually. Primary requirements:

• the liquid should flow in a continuous stream;
• the final product is cold;
• no additional alcohol vapors escape from the coil;
• no loud gurgling can be heard in the distillation cube.

Usually, after the mash boils, the heating is reduced by half.

Finished Product Cleaning

The rules on how to distill moonshine to get a good quality drink are complemented by the mandatory purification of homemade alcohol. The following methods are used for this:

• filtering liquid through several layers of gauze;
• disinfection with manganese, activated carbon;
• cleansing the drink with egg white, milk, kefir.

Can combine all methods in turn.

It should be remembered that good moonshine is obtained only from high-quality raw materials. It is better for novice moonshiners to adhere to generally accepted requirements when brewing homemade alcohol. Masters of their craft, as a result of constant experiments, create new recipes, which over time become national property.

https://posamogonu.ru/samogon/kak-sdelat

How to properly distill moonshine at home

To get moonshine, you don’t need any special skills or any special knowledge. It is enough to have a moonshine still and mash on hand. Everything else comes down to three simple points: pour, heat, wait. But distilling moonshine correctly is a real science. This requires some knowledge of their chemistry, and certain qualities such as attentiveness and patience, and a lot of specialized equipment, for example, precise hydrometers and graduated cylinders. To properly distill moonshine, you need to do three things correctly: install the mash, choose a device, and follow the technology.

The right mash

The right mash- This is mash prepared according to the correct recipe from fairly simple ingredients. Many people limit themselves to regular sugar, since there is practically no need to bother with it. You just need to dissolve sugar in warm water and add yeast to it.

But the best way is to invert the sugar first. This time we won’t explain how to do this - it will take a long time. Just remember that the right mash is made from inverted sugar.

Correct moonshine still- this is a more difficult question. Everything depends solely on the capabilities and needs of the person. It is possible to distill a high-quality product using a fairly simple apparatus, but this will require several distillations.

If you have free time and don’t have extra money, then you can buy an inexpensive distiller with a steamer. If you don’t want to spend extra time on a second or even third distillation, then it is better to choose a strengthening column, a distillation apparatus or a universal system.

Finally, let's talk about proper process. In principle, all distillation comes down to one thing - careful observation of the distillation and making certain decisions. It is necessary to constantly monitor the temperature, increase or decrease the heating power and the pressure of the cooling water. The most difficult thing is to keep the circuit temperature at the same level for a long time.

Let's summarize. To properly distill moonshine, you need:

• make a good mash, for example, with invert sugar;
• choose a suitable moonshine still;
• Fully comply with distillation technology.

Among these three points there is no main thing - all are important. But if the ingredients for the mash are not too expensive, and sooner or later you will learn how to properly distill moonshine, then choosing a moonshine still is a very responsible matter.

http://zmeevar.ru/kak-pravilno-gnat-samogon

First distillation

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

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

Intermediate cleaning

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

• First we clean the raw alcohol with oil.

As a result, we get raw alcohol, purified from a large amount of fusel oils that have dissolved in vegetable oil. Alcohol itself does not dissolve in oil due to its low concentration. That's why we diluted it.

But still, moonshine still contains small drops of unfiltered oil with harmful impurities. To get rid of them, we move on to the next cleaning method.

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

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

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

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

A household filter jug ​​from the store is also perfect for filtration.

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

Second distillation

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

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

1. To improve the taste of the final product, raw alcohol diluted after the first distillation can be infused with dark raisins. You need 20 g of raisins for every liter of SS. The taste will noticeably improve.
2. If the final product is too strong for you, dilute it with water.

3. I keep writing about the fact that it is necessary to measure the alcohol concentration at 20 degrees, but it rarely happens that moonshine flows from the refrigerator at such a temperature. It is either warmer or colder. In this case, the hydrometer readings can be corrected using this sign

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

That's all. The process is not very difficult and if you follow it, your efforts will be rewarded. You will get excellent moonshine, head and shoulders above what is obtained with conventional distillation.

http://vinodela.ru/kak-pravilno-gnat-samogon.

The process of preparing high-quality moonshine at home depends on many factors, ranging from the recipe used to obtain the mash and ending with the purification of the resulting product. The promotional video promises to produce high-quality moonshine using advertised devices that have a steam chamber, a built-in thermometer and distillation columns. In fact, this is a little different. Even with the machine advertised in the video, which has a steam chamber, you can produce a product of very low quality at home.

Getting mash

Braga for moonshine

Making moonshine begins with preparing mash. The classic recipe is when you take 1 kg of sugar and 100 grams of pressed yeast per 5 liters of water. Everything is mixed and placed in a warm place for about 10-14 days until the end of fermentation. After settling or clarification, the mash is distilled into moonshine. It should be borne in mind that the less the mash interacts with air oxygen, the better for it. When settling, interacting with air, the mash can turn into vinegar and its further distillation into moonshine will become impossible. Therefore, it is better to use water seals or a punctured rubber glove.

The above mash recipe results in a fairly hard product. However, its important advantage is the simplicity and availability of source materials. You can choose a recipe for making mash from grain or flour. The alcohol obtained from such mash at home is softer and has a grainy taste. The recipe for making moonshine from grain can be found on the Internet and watch the attached video.

Moonshine distillation

The recipe for making good moonshine at home will require a distillation cube with a steam chamber, a thermometer, a cooled coil or distillation columns. Such old-fashioned methods as freezing or evaporating mash in a saucepan, offered for viewing in the video, will allow you to distill moonshine of the lowest quality and insufficient degrees at home. This product will contain a large amount of aldehydes, esters, substances that are easily separated by a device with a steam chamber. When the mash has settled or clarified, it is carefully poured into the distillation cube, trying not to disturb the sediment. This can be done by filtering or through a nylon tube, using the principle of communicating vessels. In this case, a liquid level of 0.5-1 cm should remain above the sediment.

The distillation cube is heated to a temperature of 65-70 o C and maintained until 5% of the calculated amount of moonshine is separated or when the escaping liquid has a characteristic odor. At this temperature, there is active evaporation of aldehydes, methanol, and ethers with a boiling point several degrees lower than that of ethanol. Received?first? having a large amount of impurities is no longer involved in further production, but it can be used for technical purposes.

After cutting off the heads, the temperature is raised to 85 o C, and active evaporation of ethanol occurs. Water and fusel oils, which have a higher boiling point, evaporate less actively. If the apparatus has a steam chamber or the resulting product will be re-heated, the heating temperature in the cube can be increased to 92-95 o C in order to speed up the process. The selection of the main part of the resulting product is carried out until the strength of the outgoing moonshine drops to 40 o C. The remaining tails, approximately 15%, can be used in subsequent distillations by adding to the mash.

If the resulting product is supposed to be re-distilled, then the strength of the resulting product can be reduced to 30 o C. It is better to check how much strength the moonshine has with a household alcohol meter, or, in its absence, using folk methods. If cold moonshine burns with an even blue flame, then the alcohol strength is more than 40 o C and the product can be taken further. If only flashes occur when attempting to ignite the liquid, then the main body selection process should be stopped and the tails separated. Obtained after the first distillation, properly made moonshine for yourself usually has a strength of 50-55 o C.

Re-distillation of moonshine

The recipe for obtaining good moonshine with a high degree and almost complete absence of odor has long been known; this is secondary distillation. The process of secondary distillation is carried out in the same way as the primary distillation using an apparatus with a dry steamer. Before the secondary distillation of raw materials, chemical or biological purification of the resulting moonshine is carried out. This will reduce the concentration of harmful substances in the processed moonshine. Before re-distillation, the strength of the product should be reduced to 20-25 o C. This can be done by diluting the liquid with distilled water in a ratio of 1:2 or 1:2.5.

Properly carried out secondary distillation will significantly improve the quality of the product and greatly reduce the content of fusel oils and other harmful substances. The strength of re-distilled moonshine can be 65-70 o C. Further distillation 2, 4, etc. times will not allow us to significantly improve the quality of the product or increase the content of degrees in it. This will require special equipment that cannot be used at home. .

Modern distillation technologies

Modern equipment for making moonshine at home, offered for sale in advertising videos, can significantly facilitate the production process and obtain a high-quality product. However, such complexes are quite expensive, but some of the required equipment can be made independently or ordered from good specialists.

An important part of the moonshine still is the steamer, which allows you to separate a large amount of fusel oils from the resulting product. Is it designed quite simply? This is a small sealed container (no more than 10% of the volume of the distillation cube) with an inlet and outlet tube. The device must be collapsible or have a drainage device. The inlet pipe must be located below the outlet pipe in the steam tank body. This device should be located between the distillation cube and the cooled coil.

When the liquid in the distillation cube is heated, vapors of all substances are deposited on the walls of the colder steam chamber. Hot vapors heat the body of the device, causing re-boiling of ethyl alcohol and other low-boiling fractions, the vapors of which enter the coil for cooling. At the same time, most of the fusel oils with a higher boiling point remain in the steam tank body. You can watch the video on how to properly make a simple steamer with your own hands. Therefore, it should be remembered that this device will not completely remove all harmful substances from moonshine, but it can significantly reduce their amount.

Vacuum distillation

Vacuum distillation allows you to remove alcohol from mash at home using lower temperatures and pressure created in the distillation cube. With this method, a higher quality product is obtained, in which fusel is almost completely absent. When using vacuum equipment, moonshine can be distilled at a temperature of 60-70 o C. This method will require additional equipment, in particular a vacuum pump. You can learn more about the process of vacuum distillation of moonshine in the video.

Alcohol becomes more expensive every year, but festive events in life, thank God, are not decreasing. Therefore, today for many it is becoming a more profitable and attractive business. Homemade spirits, subject to all preparation technologies, are distinguished by quality, purity and variety of tastes. To master the distillation process, you can start with the classics and (we recommend choosing a device with a distillation column brand). Reliable owners will always be able to help you choose the right model.

And now the device is purchased, the mash is ripening, and along with it the question is brewing: how to drive it? Let's talk about the temperature of moonshine distillation on a still with a steamer.

The essence of the distillation process is that different liquids boil at different temperatures. Thus, when distilling mash, the mixture of liquids is divided into three fractions: “heads”, “body” and “tails” of moonshine. The “heads” are represented mainly by ethers, aldehydes, acetone and methanol. “Body” is our desired ethyl alcohol (ethanol). In other words, the “body” is what everything is started for. Well, the “tail” fraction is the so-called “fusel oils”. Strictly speaking, these are not oils at all, but a mixture of many substances, mostly polyhydric alcohols, having an oily appearance.

The physics of the distillation process will be approximately the same for any model of apparatus at the same atmospheric pressure (let’s take 760 mm Hg as the norm). The temperature regime for distilling moonshine with or without a steamer will be oriented towards the following values:

• Heads begin to boil in the temperature range of 65-68°C;
• ethyl alcohol (body) boils at 78°C;
• “tails” boil when the temperature rises to 83-85°C;
• water - at 100°C.

Thus, when selecting the “body” it is necessary to maintain a temperature range of 78-83°C. It is best to rely on the readings of the thermometer at the top of the distillation cube, since it shows the temperature of the vapor, and this value more accurately reflects the state of affairs.

Let's go through it in order, indicating the temperatures for distilling mash into moonshine on a still with a steamer at each stage:

1. Heating the mash at maximum heat to 60-63°C. Then the heating decreases sharply and a smooth exit to the selection of “heads” takes place (65-68°C). If this fails to be done smoothly, then mash may be released into the system, but that is why we have a steam trap to prevent splashes and mash particles from getting into the refrigerator.
2. Selection of “heads”. Temperature range 65-78°C. The selection of “heads” is carried out in ml or by smell: as soon as the unpleasant odor is replaced by a clear alcoholic one, the selection of the “body” begins.
3. Body selection is carried out in the range from 78 to 83-85°C.
4. When the temperature reaches 85°C, the alcohol yield becomes negligible, and “heavy” fractions—fusel oils—begin to evaporate. At this temperature point, the collection of the “body” stops and the selection of “tails” begins (of course, if you need “tails” at all).

As for the temperature of the secondary distillation of moonshine with a steamer, the temperature values ​​remain the same. If a second distillation is planned, then the first (distillation of mash) can be carried out without separating fractions at maximum heat, and the second (distillation of raw alcohol) can be carried out with strict temperature control and division into fractions.

Hello everybody. Every novice moonshiner asks himself and not only himself the question - How to properly distill moonshine? So that the quality is at its best, so that there is no unpleasant taste and smell, so that anyone who once tastes your moonshine will praise you with pleasure, thereby giving you moral pleasure, and you will feel a sense of pride in the result of your work.

So let's start with the mash. I won’t tell you how I make grain mash using barley or wheat. I'll tell you about yeast mash. We put an ordinary aluminum flask of 38 liters, having previously poured 8 kilograms of sugar into it, under the tap and fill it with water at a temperature of 30-35 degrees to the level of the so-called skirt of the flask. Mix well until all the sugar dissolves. After that, take 800 grams and finely plan them and pour them into a flask. We can use any other yeast. Again, thoroughly mix our mash so that all the yeast is completely dissolved. After this, we must place the flask with mash in a warm place at 30-35 degrees. I personally solve this issue by immersing an aquarium heater in a flask, having previously set it to heat up to 30 degrees. The higher the temperature, the faster the mash preparation process occurs. The main thing is not to overheat it above 35 degrees, otherwise the yeast will simply die. My mash lasts for about a week, gradually becoming bitter. When the process ends, ideally the sugar level should be zero. You can check it using . Now you need to let the mash rest and sit for a couple of days. Preferably in a cool place. This way the yeast will settle faster than in the heat.

So our mash is ready and settled. Let's start distilling it. We take the distillation cube and carefully, without shaking the mash or raising the sediment, pour the mash into the distillation cube of your moonshine still. I do this with a hose. I place the flask above the cube and simply pump out the mash with a hose (like gasoline from a tank). After this, we begin to heat the mash at maximum temperature until the moonshine flows. Personally, I use the device by installing it on, cutting an electric heating element into it and installing it between them, thinking that this way the quality will be even higher :). Our water is open. Our moonshine is flowing. I don’t remove the heads during the first distillation. I take the moonshine until the output strength (not in the jar!) is 30 degrees. I control the process using an ordinary household one and a small flask. After the first distillation process is over, I rinse the distillation cube, pour the resulting raw alcohol into it, dilute it with water in a 2:1 ratio and start heating it again. During the second distillation, mistakes cannot be made; the process must be constantly monitored. The temperature must be controlled using. When heating is about 75 degrees, I lower the temperature so that the heating goes more slowly. I set the heating power to such a level that the moonshine drips at a speed of about a drop per second, and does not flow in a stream. Approximately 5% of the amount of alcohol should be dripped, in my case it is approximately 250 ml. You can also control the process of selecting heads by smell. The heads smell like anything sweet, like acetone, but not like alcohol! Drop it onto your palm, rub it, and place your palms in your nose. As soon as the smell of alcohol appears, everything is fine. After the process of selecting the heads is over, I add heat to 1.5 kW and begin selecting the moonshine in a stream at a speed of approximately 2-3 liters per hour. I select the moonshine to approximately 94 degrees on the still. I check the degree using an alcohol meter and a flask. The alcohol level should be no more than 40! Next will be the tails, the so-called “Vanyushka”. They contain fusel oils. If we have selected the heads and tails correctly, the moonshine should be clean and not smelly!

The resulting moonshine with a strength of 70-80 degrees must be diluted and cleaned. I dilute moonshine to 45-50 degrees with boiled water or filtered water. After which I clean the moonshine, passing it through the same 3 times (according to the old Russian tradition). Afterwards I dilute the resulting pure moonshine to 40-42 degrees with water. Some people like strong moonshine at 50-60 degrees. But I prefer not to fall over after three glasses, but to sit at the table for a long time and pleasantly communicate with friends! After we have cleaned and diluted the moonshine, we let it rest for a couple of days.

The moonshine is odorless, soft and pleasant! Then whoever likes it, infuse it or drink the white one! I personally found my favorite range of drinks: 1. Belenkaya. 2.Berry tincture (cherry, currant, rowan). 3. Tincture on and prunes. 4.Whiskey obtained in !

P.S. I want to clarify right away! I’m not saying that moonshine should be distilled exactly the way I do and no other way! I'm sharing my experience. I will be glad if it helps someone.

It is impossible to obtain excellent moonshine without observing temperature rules and distillation standards. If you make mistakes, the quality of the drink will noticeably decrease and the color will become cloudy.

With proper understanding and application of the alchemical process of distillation that occurs during distillation, the distiller will achieve the highest results and create his moonshine masterpiece.

Temperature standards do not deviate depending on the material being distilled. They are universal. By maintaining the t° modes below, you will receive a distillate as crystal clear as a tear with excellent taste and no odor. It is precisely this ideal that every alchemist strives for. However, you will have to put in some effort.

The spent wort contains not only alcohol and water, but also various compounds of essential oils and other impurities. The main task of the alchemist is to extract the maximum amount of ethanol by heating the mash.

Ethyl alcohol can be separated more thoroughly and quantitatively only by dividing the moonshine into fractions. To do this, the master moonshiner will need to maintain heat control at each stage.

The temperature difference is the key with which it is possible to separate ethanol from the wort, as well as rid the drink of fusel oils. Despite the constant pressure of 755 mm Hg, ethyl alcohol begins to boil at 78.3 ° C, and boiling of water is possible only when it reaches 100 °. Since the leaf liquid also contains other elements, the boiling point ranges from 77 to 100°.

We can conclude that the stronger the mash, the lower the heating achieved in the cube, and, accordingly, the higher the quality of the final product.

Reference! Some substances contained in fermented wort have an evaporation temperature above 100, so do not exceed this threshold, otherwise all harmful oils will directly enter the moonshine.

Boiling table for all elements contained in the distillation tank (in the mash):

How many degrees should you heat up to when distilling mash with a steamer?

To control the heating of the liquid, specialized thermometers are installed in the devices. In modern units, such meters even show the degree inside the distillation cube.

The process is important. Therefore, instructions are attached:

1. On low heat, make sure that the temperature in the tank rises by approximately 1-1.5 degrees per minute. It is necessary to bring the wort to 89-92°. This is the golden mean, right now the nectar forcing will begin.
2. The potion will flow in a thin stream or quick droplets into the collection container. The approximate "drip" rate should be between 110 and 140 drops per minute. The proper speed can be adjusted by heating.
3. Pay attention to the temperature of the moonshine at the outlet. If it exceeds 27 °, then you need to increase the cooling.
4. Slowly watch the process. The temperature in the distillation tank should very slowly rise to 98.5°. This completes the process because there will be no ethanol left in the tank.

But what to do if there is no thermometer? In this case, good old fire will come to the rescue. Apply a few drops to a flat surface and set fire.

• A bright flame with a blue tint or completely invisible will indicate the high strength of the elixir.
• If the fire is predominantly yellow and barely burns, then the temperature is no higher than 37-40.

When the puddle of droplets has completely evaporated, a film with a rainbow tint can be observed on the surface. These are the same essential oils.

At what temperature and how to properly cut off the ends of the head and body at the exit

Heating power is directly related to the division of moonshine into fractions . To obtain the “tops”, “middle” and “tails” we use our own thermal tricks.

For the first time

If the mash masses are brought to a temperature of 65–67 °, then the esters and alcohols that we do not need will go first. However, this will please the moonshiner’s eye. After all, “things went well” and “the drops began to run.” Pervak ​​is what comes out first. He has earned the title of “stunning” among the people. It's not worth using. The content of impurities from acetone to methyl is too high. Can be used instead of solvent in the household.

Among the alchemist-distillers, such a faction acquired “heads” for them, which an experienced moonshiner is obliged to “cut off.” The collection of “tops” (heads) is carried out in a ratio of 9-12% of the total volume of the expected amount of moonshine.

Reference! The hangover from the first drink will become very unpleasant and painful. Remember that you consume a huge amount of esters and oils diluted in alcohol, and the body will react negatively, even to the point of poisoning.

During the second sublimation

The next temperature stage is the collection of the “main body”. The heat is slowly increased to 77°. must be replaced at this time. If there is only one, then simply rinse in cold water.

Now the most active reaction begins, and the distillate rapidly begins to drip and fills the collection container.

At these moments, the moonshiner collects the “golden” mean of his “philosopher’s stone”. This nectar is already suitable for consumption and making tinctures. If time permits, after distillation is completed, the body is filtered with charcoal or potassium permanganate.

Since over time the heating in the tank will increase, the output of the middle fraction of moonshine will end. Having overcome the threshold of 85°, the rapid release of essential and fusel oils begins.

Reference! During cooking, do not allow tail oils to get into the middle selection. The quality of the drink will sharply decrease, and the nectar will acquire a repulsive odor, as well as a cloudy color.

Take the tail part of the nectar into a separate container. Although this fraction has 30-35 revolutions, the smell will knock you off your feet faster.

The distillation apparatus will produce the last fraction until the degree drops by 25°. This is where the alchemical experience ends.

Important points

Some distillers claim that the tails can be distilled by adding them to a new mash. The Potions Masters disagree and make very valid points. The last part contains no less impurities and fusel oils than the first. Repeated distillation with new mash will spoil the taste of the extracted elixir and add a cloudy tint.

Interesting! Master moonshiners offer a very interesting alternative to distillation - producing alcohol by freezing the wort. In theory, in practice, alcohol freezes faster than water. The result, of course, will be less, but the experiment can be done.

Distilling highly alcoholic nectars at home is not a complicated alchemical process. But every amateur experimenter wants to get a masterpiece, not a surrogate. Potions masters have spent centuries gaining experience through a lot of trial and error. Using proven methods and observing temperature rules, you will be able to distill the real elixir. Ignoring recommendations and haste are the main enemy in this matter..

• Mistakes can lead not only to a decrease in the quality of the drink, but also to harm the health of the taster.
• An excessive increase in temperature will harm the bouquet and color of the moonshine, and maintaining the correct temperature will allow you to feel the triumph of victory.