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I have been brewing moonshine for 10 years. During this time, I tried a lot of ways – I drove mash from wheat, potatoes, rice. But when I tried berry moonshine, I began to experiment.
Every season I make mash from different garden berries. In this article, I would like to tell you which berries make the base for moonshine better. Everyone, of course, has their own individual preferences, so I will share with you what taste this or that berry gives.
Story from my subscriber Valery.
A little about the fermentation process
Before starting the preparation of the mash, I will tell a brief story about the fermentation itself. The fermentation process is an important stage in moonshine brewing, therefore, the strength, taste and aroma of the future alcoholic beverage depend on compliance with all the rules.
Alcoholic fermentation is a process that takes place without the participation of oxygen, during which the decomposition of carbohydrates into ethanol and carbon dioxide occurs.
I remove carbon dioxide, as a useless product, through a water seal, and distill ethanol into moonshine. Also, during the fermentation process, methyl alcohol, acetone, fusel oils and esters accumulate. It is the oils in small quantities that give the alcoholic drink a characteristic taste and aroma.
It is worth remembering that due to an excess of fusel oils, an alcoholic drink will smell bad and can adversely affect health.
Does moonshine differ depending on the berries from which the mash was made
To make moonshine, you can use any berry, all of them have their pros and cons. To get the perfect alcohol, it is important to consider:
- acidity and sweetness;
- light aftertaste;
- color and aroma;
- distillation method.
I usually use the classic proportions for 10 liters:
- berry puree and water in equal proportions;
- sugar – 1-1,5 kg, depending on the sweetness of the berries;
- yeast 50 g
For the preparation of mash, forest and garden berries are suitable
What berries give what mash and what taste does it have
For the preparation of mash, I always use berries from my summer cottage. You can use any product, even watermelon, it all depends on the taste and olfactory preferences of the moonshiner. Consider what kind of mash give certain berries:
- strawberries – ready-made mash does not emit gas, bitter in taste, light in color;
- chokeberry – the taste is bitter, there is an alcohol shade;
- raspberries – ready-made raspberry mash will not taste sweet, if the sweetness has not disappeared, then the proportions were violated or bad yeast was used;
- cherry – the readiness of the mash is determined by the light color, the absence of fermentation and the bitter taste.
Drawing a conclusion, it is clear that a properly prepared mash always has a bitter taste, regardless of the type of berries. Sweetness and sourness in Braga is unacceptable.
Quality mash has a bitter taste
TOP berries for making mash
In my experience, the most delicious moonshine is obtained from mash made from the following berries.
Watermelon moonshine is not for everyone, as it has a slightly bitter and neutral taste. But I liked this drink, so I use this berry for making moonshine very often.
Homemade moonshine is clean and even tasty, if you can talk about strong alcohol that way. The quality of the finished product depends on the ingredients used and the observance of the rules for preparing mash. Most importantly, remember that excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to health.
Who had experience in making berry mash? If there are experienced moonshiners among the readers, then please share your experience, if not, I will be glad if the article was useful to you.