Gooseberry mash for moonshine

Moonshine at home can be made from many natural products. Often, fruits or berries are used for it, which can be found in unlimited quantities in the summer. Homemade gooseberry moonshine can turn out to be both a tasty and profitable drink if you manage to become the happy owner of a large number of berries.

Features of the preparation of moonshine from gooseberries

Gooseberries have many varieties. And not all of them bear fruit at the same time. There are earlier ones and later ones. But in a fully ripe state, the berries of almost any variety of gooseberries contain quite a lot of sugar. However, it is determined not only by varietal characteristics, but also by the region of growth, as well as by the weather conditions of the current summer season. Depending on all these conditions, the sugar content of gooseberries can range from 9 to 15%.

These figures indicate that from 1 kg of raw berries you can get from 100 to 165 ml of pure homemade moonshine with a strength of about 40%. And that’s without added sugar or any additional ingredients. When using only berries and water.

For some, this may not be enough. But here, too, there is a well-known solution to the problem – add sugar to the mash. This will help to significantly increase the yield of the finished product. After all, adding only 1 kg of sugar increases the volume of the finished 40% moonshine by 1-1,2 liters. But a significant part of the aroma inherent in a drink made from one gooseberry will definitely be lost. So there is always a choice and it remains with those who make moonshine from gooseberries at home for one or another of their needs.

As already mentioned, gooseberries of any variety can be used to make moonshine. But the quality of them must be treated especially. You can not use spoiled or rotten berries, especially those on which there are traces of mold. Even a few rotten berries that accidentally get into the mash can cause, at best, completely unnecessary bitterness in the finished drink. In addition, the more mature the gooseberries are, the better. From them you get a greater yield of pure homemade moonshine.

In the manufacture of moonshine at home, ordinary water is necessarily involved. And it should be said especially about it, since the features of the fermentation process depend on its quality and temperature.

It is best to use spring or spring water, but not everyone has such an opportunity. Do not boil water or use distilled liquid. They lack the properties of “living” water and yeast bacteria will be uncomfortable to multiply in such an environment. As a result, fermentation can be greatly slowed down or completely stopped.

The easiest way is to use tap water that has been settled for 24 hours and passed through a special filter to remove unwanted components. Water should also not be cold. The most favorable for fermentation is the water temperature ranging from + 23 C to + 28 ° C.

Various types of yeast can be used to make gooseberry mash for further distillation. Sometimes mash is made without yeast at all, while wild yeast that lives on the surface of unwashed berries is responsible for the fermentation process. The addition of artificial yeast can significantly speed up the process of making mash. But this will definitely affect the taste and aroma of the finished home-made moonshine, and not for the better.

In general, for the manufacture of mash, there are only three types of additional yeast:

• dry bakery;
• fresh pressed;
• alcohol or wine.

The first option is the most accessible and inexpensive. In addition, they can be stored for quite a long time in a conventional refrigerator. They require activation before use, but their action is stable and predictable.

Pressed yeast usually works even faster than dry yeast and is also easy to find on the market. But they do not last long in the refrigerator, and their effect, if stored incorrectly, may be different from what is expected.

Wine or spirits are the most suitable option for making home brew, as they ferment the fastest and minimally affect the taste and aroma. But they are sold only in specialized stores and their cost is incomparably higher than that of ordinary yeast.

How to make gooseberry mash

To make mash from gooseberries, you will need:

• 5 kg of gooseberries;
• 1 kg of sugar;
• 7 L of water;
• 100 g pressed fresh or 20 g dry yeast.

Manufacture:

1. Gooseberries are sorted out, removing spoiled berries, washed and chopped using any convenient device (blender, food processor, meat grinder, knife).
2. Sugar is added, mixed well and left for 3-4 hours to obtain the most homogeneous mixture.
3. Then the resulting mixture is placed in a special fermentation tank of a fairly large volume so that after adding water there is still about 1/3 free space. It can be, for example, a 10-liter glass jar.
4. Warm purified water and yeast are also added there.
5. Stir, install any suitable water seal on the neck. You can also use a regular new medical glove with one of the fingers pierced with a needle.

   

6. The fermentation container is transferred to a warm place (+ 20-26 ° C) without light.
7. The fermentation process with the addition of yeast usually lasts from 4 to 10 days.

At the end of the process they will say:

• a deflated glove or water seal will stop emitting bubbles;
• there will be a noticeable sediment at the bottom;
• all the sweetness will go away, and the mash will be slightly bitter.

At the last stage, the finished mash is filtered through several layers of gauze or cloth so that not the slightest piece of skin or pulp remains that can burn during distillation.

The classic gooseberry moonshine recipe

In the previous chapter, the recipe for the classic preparation of homemade moonshine on gooseberries was described. After the mash is completely fermented, it remains only to overtake it through the moonshine still.

In order not to mess with additional purification, it is better to use a double distillation.

1. The first time the mash is distilled without separating the heads, until the moment when the fortress decreases to 30%.
   Comment! Moonshine may remain cloudy, this is normal.

2. Then the strength of the resulting distillate is measured in order to determine the amount of pure alcohol contained in the moonshine. To do this, the entire amount of moonshine received is multiplied by the percentage of the fortress, and then divided by 100.
3. Water is added to moonshine so much that the final fortress becomes equal to 20%.
4. The second distillation of the resulting drink is done, but the “heads” (the first 8-15%) and “tails” (when the fortress begins to fall below 45%) are already separated without fail.
5. The resulting moonshine is again diluted with water to a final strength of 40-45%.
6. In order for the water to mix well with the distillate, moonshine is infused in a dark place at a cool temperature for several days before use.

Moonshine from gooseberries with yeast

Using all the technology described above, you can make homemade moonshine from gooseberries with yeast, but without adding sugar. Only according to this recipe it is necessary to take the ripest and most sweet berries.

You need:

• 5 kg of gooseberries;
• 3 L of water;
• 100 g fresh yeast.

The entire procedure for making mash and further distillation remains exactly the same as described above. Only the berries after grinding do not need to be insisted, but you can immediately add yeast and water and place them in a container under a water seal.

As a result, from the above ingredients, you can get about 800-900 ml of fragrant home-made moonshine, 45% strength with an interesting grassy aftertaste.

How to make moonshine on gooseberries without yeast

If you want to get the most natural drink without the slightest impurities in aroma or taste, then use only:

• 5 kg of gooseberries;
• 3 L of water.

A feature of the manufacture of mash for moonshine in this case is the use of unwashed gooseberries. This is important, since fermentation will occur only due to wild yeast that lives on the surface of the berries. And the fermentation process itself will be stretched for at least 20-30 days, and it may take all 50. But the taste and aroma properties of the resulting moonshine can pleasantly surprise even a specialist.

Moonshine recipe for gooseberries and strawberries

Adding strawberries will help give the homemade gooseberry moonshine softness and extra berry flavor.

You need:

• 3 kg of gooseberries;
• 2 kg of strawberries;
• 1 kg of sugar;
• 7 L of water.

The very procedure for making mash and distillation is similar to that described in the classic recipe. The result will be about 2 liters of moonshine with a strength of 45% with a pleasant aroma.

Moonshine from gooseberries with lemon

Lemon has long been famous for its taste and cleansing properties. If you put gooseberry mash with the addition of lemon, this will help give homemade moonshine an attractive aroma and additionally cleanse it of unnecessary impurities.

You need:

• 3 kg of ripe gooseberries;
• 2 lemon;
• 10 glasses of sugar;
• 5 L of water.

Manufacture:

1. Gooseberries are sorted, crushed, mixed with 3 cups of sugar and left for a couple of hours in a warm place.

   

2. Then they are placed in a fermentation tank, water is added and placed under a water seal for about 10 days.
3. After 10 days, the lemons are poured over with boiling water, cut into slices, choosing the seeds.
4. Mix with the remaining amount of sugar according to the recipe.
5. Add to the fermentation tank and reinstall the water seal.
6. After the end of fermentation, which can happen in another 30-40 days, the resulting mash is drained from the sediment and, filtered through gauze, carefully squeezed.
7. It is distilled according to the technology described above and about 2,5 liters of fragrant homemade moonshine with a citrus aroma are obtained.

Gooseberry moonshine with sugar syrup

You need:

• 3 kg of gooseberries;
• 2250 ml of water;
• Xnumx g of granulated sugar.

Manufacture:

1. First prepare the sugar syrup. Mix water with sugar and boil it until a completely homogeneous consistency is obtained.
2. Cool and mix with grated unwashed gooseberries.
3. Put the mixture in a fermentation tank, put a water seal and place in a warm place. The first 3-5 days, the liquid is stirred daily with a wooden spoon or a clean hand.
4. Then filter, squeezing out all the pulp.
5. The remaining juice is again put to ferment in a warm place without light under a water seal.
6. After the end of fermentation, the juice is filtered again and distilled to obtain moonshine at home using already known technology.

Distillation and purification of gooseberry moonshine

The whole distillation process has already been described in detail above. If everything was done according to the described technology with the separation of “heads” and “tails”, then the resulting gooseberry moonshine does not need additional purification.

Storage Rules

Gooseberry moonshine should certainly be stored in glass containers with hermetically sealed lids. The temperature can vary from + 5 °C to + 20 °C, but more important is the lack of light in the storage area.

Under the right conditions, homemade moonshine can be stored for 3 to 10 years.

Conclusion

Making homemade moonshine from gooseberries is not too difficult with the right utensils and equipment. This drink can be beneficial especially with a large amount of ripe berries that have nowhere else to use.