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An old Russian drink based on rye, which in the XNUMXth century was considered a measure of strength, was undeservedly forgotten for a long time.
Today, bread wine according to a recipe restored from the depths of centuries is produced by the private distillery “Rodionov & sons” in Poland, which offers consumers more than a dozen varieties of an unusual drink.
What is polugar and how is it made
Some mistakenly believe that polugar is vodka or moonshine. But this is not true, although there is some truth in this.
Firstly, the technology for making the drink includes triple (sometimes double) distillation in copper alambicas, and secondly, its strength is 38,5%, which brings it closer to classic distillates.
But, according to old Russian sources, polugar is nothing but bread wine. It was first made in the XNUMXth century and, before the introduction of the state monopoly on the production of alcohol, it was always popular, especially among the noble population.
Polugar tastes softer than vodka and is very easy to drink. The consistency of the drink is absolutely transparent. And the aroma and taste have nothing comparable to the bread spirit.
Coarsely ground rye (or other cereals) and natural water, which is not subjected to strong purification, are used as raw materials for traditional polugar.
After the end of fermentation, the grain mixture is distilled in alambicas, made according to old drawings, and purified with birch charcoal and egg white.
Then comes the period of “rest”, which lasts about 1 month.
The second meaning of the semigar
Also, in the Russian Empire, a polugar was called the standard of fortress, equal to approximately 38 degrees (with a possible deviation of 0,5 °).
The alcohol content in alcoholic beverages at that time was determined by the “annealing” method. The tested product was set on fire in a special container and the strength was estimated by the amount of liquid remaining after combustion. According to the official standard, the original volume was supposed to burn out by about half. Hence the name – polugar wine, and in short – “polugar”.
In the alcohol trade, such a measure was used until the end of the XNUMXth century, until an alcohol meter began to be used to determine the strength, and distillation was not replaced by rectification.
Types of semi-tan
In addition to rye raw materials, other cereals are also used to make bread wine. As a result, different types of it are obtained:
Polugar Rye
It features a complex warming bouquet with pronounced bready notes and soft sweetness.
In the composition, in addition to selected rye, there is about 30% rye malt.
Main accents: fresh bread, cereals, homemade cakes, dill, cumin, buckwheat honey, young herbs, meadow flowers, hazelnuts, spices.
Malt semi-malt
Rye malt is used exclusively as a raw material.
This is the most refined version of bread wine with a creamy texture, light rye bitterness, aromas of freshly baked homemade cakes, coriander, malt, linden honey, wild flowers, sweet almonds and cereals.
Polugar Wheat
The recipe includes malted and unmalted wheat grains.
The taste is soft, rounded, delicate, velvety with tones of wheat crumb, cereals, hay, dry herbs, sweet honey, flowers, spices, salty cabbage brine.
Polugar Buckwheat
Produced from selected buckwheat. The warming taste is characterized by softness, sweetness, light spice.
Main notes: buckwheat porridge, cucumber pickle, homemade cakes, field herbs, straw, buckwheat honey, straw, bran, fragrant bread crumb.
Polugar Barley
Made from a mixture of malted and unmalted barley.
The rich sweetish taste is dominated by tones of hazelnuts, honey, malt, field herbs, bran, fresh barley carpet, homemade cakes, and straw.
Polugar Wheat-rye
Produced from a mixture of rye and wheat.
The drink has a warm, delicate, slightly sweet taste with hints of rye and wheat bread, crackers, honey, cereals, fresh straw and meadow herbs.
How to drink and what to eat
Polugars do not need to be chilled before use, like vodka. Its taste is perfectly revealed at room temperature.
Traditional Russian dishes are recommended as appetizers: sour cabbage soup, borsch, solyanka, fish soup, meat pie, beef stroganoff, dumplings, pancakes with caviar, fish pies, pickles, game, mushroom zrazy, jelly, black pudding, etc.
Relevance: 27.08.2019
Tags: vodka, mash, moonshine