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The preparation of sugar moonshine can be called a classic of domestic moonshine. In terms of love and prevalence among Russians, this alcohol is the undisputed leader. There are many recipes for sugar mash and distillation methods, but not all methods give a good result. So that beginners do not waste precious raw materials for nothing, I will tell you how to brew moonshine at home. Subject to technology, the drink will turn out better than most store-bought vodkas. We will consider in detail all the nuances of the process.
First, I advise you to take care of the cleanliness of the containers used. Rinse the container with hot water and wipe dry with a clean cloth. The cleaner the bottles and pans, the higher the quality. Many novice moonshiners make the mistake of neglecting sterility, and then complain about a third-party smell or taste.
As an example, I will give the exact amount of ingredients that are needed to prepare a little more than 5 liters of forty-degree moonshine using classical technology:
- sugar – 6 kg;
- water – 24 liters;
- dry yeast – 120 grams (or 600 grams pressed);
- citric acid – 25 gram.
Sahara recipe
1. Calculation of proportions
First, let’s determine 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. But 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 real yield is always less than the theoretical one by this value.
For 1 kg of sugar add: 4 liters of water (plus another 0,5 liters if inverted) and 100 grams of pressed yeast or 20 grams of dry.
2. Invert sugar
A very complicated 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 with fructose, and only then processes these substances into alcohol. Heating also kills pathogens on the surface of the sugar, which are waiting for more favorable conditions (temperature and humidity) to thrive. Activation of harmful microbes in the wash is undesirable, as it can adversely affect the smell.
Moonshine made from inverted sugar ferments faster and tastes better. Although the invert 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:
- Heat 3 liters of water to 70-80°C in a large saucepan.
- Pour sugar (6 kg) and mix slowly until a homogeneous mass is formed.
- Bring the syrup to a boil, boil for 10 minutes, removing the foam from the surface.
- Very slowly (a lot of foam will appear), pour in citric acid (25 grams), reduce the heat on the stove to a minimum.
- Close the pan with a lid, boil 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 hygienic standards, have no color, no taste, no smell.
Before preparing sugar moonshine, I recommend standing tap water for 1-2 days. Due to this, rigidity is reduced, and harmful impurities settle to the bottom. After settling, drain the water from the sediment through a thin tube.
Attention! Moonshine water should not be boiled or distilled as this will deplete the oxygen the yeast needs to ferment.
4. Mixing ingredients
Pour the syrup prepared at the 2nd stage into a fermentation container, add cold water (24 liters). If non-inverted sugar is used, dissolve it 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 the volume, otherwise, during active foaming, the mash may overflow over the edges and it will be necessary to collect the product with a specific smell along the floor.
5. Introduction of yeast
Pressed yeast can be added directly to the container, after kneading with clean hands. But still, it is better to first dissolve the briquette in a small amount of cooked wort (water and sugar), cover with a lid and wait until foam appears. Usually it takes 5-10 minutes.
Before adding to the wort, dry yeast needs to be pre-activated. To do this, just follow the instructions on the package. In most cases, boiled water is cooled to 32-36 ° C, the right amount of dry yeast is poured in, covered with a lid, and the container itself is wrapped in a dense cloth or placed in a warm place to maintain a stable temperature. 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 goes beyond the capacity. As a defoamer for mash, I recommend using a crumbled half of dry store-bought cookies or 10-20 ml of vegetable oil. The addition of these products will not affect the quality of moonshine in any way.
The video shows the method of setting the mash without inverting sugar with a 1: 4 water ratio.
6. Fermentation
Install a water seal on the bottle with mash and transfer 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, 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. Shaking will remove excess carbon dioxide that interferes with the normal functioning of the yeast.
Signs of readiness of sugar mash 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 lighter, and a sediment appeared at the bottom;
- the hissing stopped;
- alcohol smell is felt;
- a match brought to Braga continues to burn.
Use the signs in a complex way, you need at least 2-3 to appear at the same time, otherwise it is easy to make a mistake. For example, an excess of sugar leads to the fact that the yeast dies before they have time to process everything. Most yeast fungi “fall asleep” at an alcohol concentration above 12%, so even ready-made mash will remain sweet.
7. Degassing and lighting
Making the right moonshine is unthinkable without this stage. It’s time to remove the sugar wash from the yeast sediment by pouring into a large saucepan through a straw, then heat to 50 ° C. The high temperature kills the yeast residue and promotes the release of carbon dioxide from the liquid.
Pour the degassed mash back into the bottle and clarify 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, before clarification, fermentation must be completely over, 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 mix and wait until the clay turns into a thick mass, reminiscent of fatty 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 start distillation.
The sediment cannot be poured into the sewer, cement plugs may appear there, which are then difficult to eliminate.
Применение бентонита убирает сторонние примеси, не выпавшие в осадок во время брожения. В результате у браги пропадает неприятный дрожжевой запах, а выгнанный самогон чистить намного проще, поскольку глина удаляет большинство вредных веществ.
How to drive moonshine
8. First distillation
Drain the mash clarified with bentonite from the sediment into a 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 tasted real homemade moonshine, made according to all the rules.
The distillation is done over low heat. I propose to immediately divide the output into fractions: “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, because of harmful impurities, this distillate is dangerous to health.
Then select the “body” – a useful middle fraction, called raw alcohol. The selection should be stopped when the strength of the distillate (in the stream) falls 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, continue the selection.
The last to collect the “tails” in a separate container is 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 by turning off the moonshine 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 universally recognized method, you can use any.
Cleaning sugar moonshine with charcoal is considered natural and environmentally friendly. 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 diluted (required for fire safety purposes) raw alcohol into a distillation cube, start distillation at minimum heat. As for the first time, especially if you make moonshine for yourself, cut off the “heads” – the first 50 ml for each kilogram of added sugar.
Immediately after the selection of the first (head) fraction, it is advisable to replace the steamer, if the module is provided for by the design of the moonshine still. Further, until the fortress in the jet falls below 40 degrees, select the main product.
11. Dilution and settling
At the last stage, dilute home-brew 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, close with corks, let it brew for 3-4 days in a cool, dark place. This time is enough to complete the chemical reactions that occur when the liquids are mixed.
Stanislav shared the secrets of diluting alcohol with water especially for Alkofan.
