Contents
Experienced moonshiners know that grain moonshine is much better than regular sugar mash. But it will take more time and effort to prepare it. We will look at how to make moonshine from wheat or other grains (barley, oats, millet or corn) at home. The technology is not very complicated, anyone can repeat it.
First, let’s deal with the taste of grain moonshine, it depends on the choice of culture. Wheat makes a soft drink. Strong and sharp moonshine can be driven out of rye, something like whiskey comes out of barley. The choice of raw materials is yours. Personally, I prefer wheat.
Ingredients:
- grain – 2,5 kg;
- water – 25 liters;
- sugar – 6 kg;
- dry yeast – 100 grams (or 500 grams pressed);
- fermented baked milk (kefir) of high fat content – 0,5 liters.
Before soaking, the grain should lie at least 2 months. It is better to use alcoholic yeast, rather than baker’s yeast, then the fermentation will be more intense. Sugar increases yield without compromising quality.
Wheat Moonshine Recipe
1. Brewing malt
Lay the wheat in a layer of no more than 2 cm on flat pallets, then soak in warm water. Water should only slightly cover the grain, otherwise it will not germinate. Place pallets in a warm (18-25°C) dark place.
On the second or third day after soaking, the first shoots will appear. If they are not there, then the grain is of poor quality and you will have to take another one. During germination, turn the wheat once a day so that it does not become moldy and sour.
When the sprouts reach 2 cm in length and begin to intertwine with each other, remove the grains from the water without separating.
2. Cooking mash
Add warm water (40-50°C) and sugar to a 60 liter container. Mix well. Wait until the water cools down to 28-30°C. Then add the malt made in the previous step and the yeast diluted according to the instructions on the package. Stir again, then install a water seal on the container. During fermentation, the room temperature should be between 18-28°C.
3. Distillation
Strain the mash that has won back (it will taste bitter without sweetness) through a colander to filter the wheat. The collected grain can be used 2-3 more times. The quality of moonshine will not deteriorate.
Add 0,5 liters of kefir or other fermented milk product to the wheat mash to eliminate the fusel smell.
Distill the mash on a moonshine still of any design, selecting the distillate, until the fortress in the jet drops below 35 degrees.
4. Cleaning
An optional step, but many experienced moonshiners clean the moonshine with charcoal after distillation, even if it is not from sugar, but from cereals.
5. Redistillation
Improves the quality of wheat moonshine. Measure the strength, determine the amount of pure alcohol. Dilute the distillate with water up to 20% and overtake a second time. The first 8-15% of the yield from the amount of pure alcohol is poured into a separate container. This is a harmful fraction that worsens the taste. When the strength in the jet falls below 40 degrees, complete the selection of the main fraction.
6. Dilution with water
Dilute the resulting moonshine of the second distillation with water to the desired strength (usually 40-45 degrees). Before use, it is advisable to let it brew for 2-3 days to stabilize the taste. The result is approximately 6-7 liters of the finished product with a strength of 40 degrees.
The technology of cooking without sugar is shown in the video.
