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Good day, dear readers of the Rum Diary, as well as those who got lost on the Web and just random passers-by. In the last article, I sang an ode to the moonshine still, and we superficially got acquainted with the tools necessary for making moonshine. Today we will analyze the technology in detail and find out how to properly expel homemade moonshine.
However, the technology I am describing applies to the preparation of almost any alcoholic beverage that is obtained by distillation. If we consider the recipe of various alcoholic beverages, it turns out that they differ only in the original raw materials, as well as in a number of subtleties inherent in a particular region. Otherwise, whether it is tequila (blue agave) or rum (cane sugar), gin (juniper and spices) or whiskey (various grains), the technology rests on the very process of home brewing, which will be discussed later. So get comfortable, we’re getting started!
Distillation of moonshine at home
What is distillation, I think, we will not analyze in detail. Simply put, this is the evaporation of a liquid, followed by cooling and condensation of vapors. Even simpler: the mash is heated to a certain temperature – it evaporates – the vapors are cooled – the vapors condense in the form of a purified liquid, that is, moonshine.
In home brewing, it is definitely worth using fractional distillation, that is, during distillation, the resulting product should be divided into separate fractions. In addition, be sure to use double distillation if you don’t want to drink the smelly, muddy chatter that Baba Lyuba regaled you with from the window in the dashing 90s (do not forget to season your “pervak” with carbide or diphenhydramine).
The first distillation, as mentioned in the previous article, will separate all alcohol-containing parts from the mash, that is, raw alcohol of a certain strength (the strength depends on the equipment used). After the first distillation, we load the resulting alcohol into the distillation cube and start the distillation process again. Now let’s do the magic…
Divide and Conquer: Divide Moonshine into Fractions
The first distillation must be maintained at a steam temperature of about 78 °C. It is worth continuing until alcohol is felt in the condensed liquid. Further, the resulting raw alcohol should be diluted with clean water to 25-30 degrees (in rare cases, a stronger SS is used). The process of the second distillation should be divided into 3 main stages. They can be divided by temperature regimes:
Step 1. The steam temperature is 65-68 ° C and light, volatile impurities, which are contained in the raw material, begin to stand out from it. This faction is called the “head” or, in our opinion, “Pervak”, “Pervach”. Depending on your desire, the “head” part can be from 0,5 to 5% of the total volume of distillate.
Despite the fact that in our country “pervach” is considered a delicacy, you should never drink it. For example, the boiling point of wood alcohol, that is, methanol, is about 64 ° C, and this is a potent poison, the use of which can lead to complete loss of vision. In addition to methanol, Pervacha also contains a lot of other harmful impurities that literally “hit the balls”. This fraction is most often poured out, but some moonshiners leave it for disinfection (for example, before brewing beer) or use it as a poultice for the joints.
It is better to warm up the mash quickly, or rather, the heating rate to the first critical point shows the “level” of your moonshine still – the faster the better. When the steam temperature reaches about 68 ° C and the first drops start to flow, the heating of the cube must be reduced by about a third or more so that the “heads” are taken literally drop by drop. When you collect the expected amount of “pervach” (the head fraction has a pungent smell of acetone), you need to raise the temperature again and take away the “body” of moonshine.
Step 2. Steam temperature 78 °C is the boiling point of ethyl alcohol. Actually, we need this fraction, so the temperature inside the distillation cube should be maintained at this level. This faction is called the “heart” or “middle shoulder strap”. Here it would be good to get an alcohol meter, since we need alcohol with a strength of at least 55% at the output, and it is better to interrupt the process by 60%. However, for each individual raw material there are limits. Usually in recipes this limit is indicated.
Step 3. When the alcohol begins to weaken in strength, you can complete the distillation and increase the heating of the distillation cube. The moonshine collected at this stage is called “tails”, and in the common people – fusel oils, “fusel oil”. These are the heaviest compounds, which are also not desirable in a drink, but it is the “tails” that make whiskey, cognac and other drinks the way they get into our glass. It is a whole science – to understand at what stage the selection of the “body” should be stopped.
At distilleries, the tail fraction is added to the next batch of raw alcohol just before distillation to increase the yield of the product. Experienced moonshiners “tails” are distilled on a distillation column, and the resulting alcohol is either drunk or ennobled, like the middle fraction.
The finishing touches of the production of moonshine. Aging, refining, barrel preparation.
In principle, the resulting product can be drunk without fear for your health (only you need to dilute it with crystal clear water to the desired strength; how to do this is described in this article), but the taste of moonshine will be more pleasant if left for several days. Scientifically, this process is called “egalization”, or, simply put, “rest”. If you are not in a hurry at all, then it is better to let your moonshine brew on some herbs, roots, fruits and berries. Better yet, put a fresh product in a barrel of some kind of wine (sherry and Madeira are especially appreciated).
A barrel before pouring moonshine must first be prepared. First, replace all metal elements with wooden ones – the drink should not come into contact with metal. The ends of the barrel should be treated with hot paraffin with drying oil. Then, the barrel should be soaked with hot water for 15-20 days: change the water 1 time in 2 days. During this time, the wood should swell and the barrel will stop leaking. Then, for 2-4 weeks, the barrel should be filled with raw alcohol, diluting it to a strength of 25%. This alcohol can be further distilled. Everything, the barrel is ready for aging your drink.
It is better to keep the barrel in a dark, cool and damp place – so less valuable liquid will evaporate from it. The cellar is the best suited for these purposes, but, of course, not everyone. For a year, no more than 3% of distillate should leave the barrel – this is the “share of angels”. How much to endure? The more the better, but within reason.
During aging, the alcohol will acquire a pleasant caramel color and absorb the aroma of the drink that was stored in the barrel earlier. Also, tannins and woody “notes” pass into the drink, so the wood should be “the most noble” (ideally, the barrel should be made of oak). The minimum aging time is at least 1 year, but I recommend opening the barrel no earlier than after 3 (for small barrels, 5-10 liters in volume, the aging time can be reduced to 6 months). As Comrade Erkin said about this: “The drunks cannot wait for the result for several years. Only intelligent drunkards can afford it … “.
However, there are ways to achieve barrel aging without a barrel. To do this, moonshine is insisted on roasted oak chips or chips, which significantly speeds up the process of staining moonshine, as well as saturating it with tannins and other substances. This process is described in the article on homemade cognac from moonshine, where you will find several recipes that are useful for yourself, as well as everything you need to know about the infusion of alcohol-containing raw materials on oak chips.
Video from Discovery about the production of Canadian whiskey to understand the moonshine process in general: