Moonshine from rice refers to cereal distillates, which, together with fruit, are considered the highest quality and most delicious. But during the preparation of rice mash, several features must be taken into account, otherwise nothing will work.
Attention! We won’t be making sake, the national spirit of Japan, because it requires a special mold-based yeast (called “koji”). In addition, sake is not distilled, and after fermentation, the brew is only squeezed out.
Ingredients:
- rice – 3 kg;
- malt (barley, rye or wheat) – 0,5 kg;
- water – 17 liters;
- dry yeast – 15 grams (pressed – 75 grams).
The cheapest rice is suitable for mash, this will not affect the taste of moonshine. You can use purchased or homemade malt, which is needed for saccharification – the breakdown of starch in grains into glucose, rice will not ferment without malt, since it does not contain natural sugars. The theoretical yield of moonshine (40%) from 1 kg of rice is approximately 1,1 liters (excluding malt), but the real yield will be 12-18% lower.
rice mash recipe
1. Pour the washed rice with water (10 liters), boil and simmer for 40 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly (especially near the bottom). During the cooking process, periodically add water (2 liters) so that the mixture does not burn. You should get a homogeneous thick porridge.
2. Remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid and cool the porridge to a temperature of 65-68°C.
It is very important to observe the correct temperature regime, since saccharification depends on this, otherwise moonshine will not work or the yield will be minimal.
3. While the mixture is cooling, grind the malt in a meat grinder and dilute with 1 liter of water.
4. Slowly add the malt to the rice mass, stirring constantly. You should get a uniform consistency. Heat the mixture on the stove to 63°C, maintain the specified temperature for 90 minutes (a variation of 2-3 degrees is allowed), then remove from heat and quickly cool to 25-28°C (so as not to infect the wort with pathogenic microorganisms). This can be done by dipping the pot into a tub of cold water.
5. Pour the wort into a fermentation tank, add 1 liter of water and yeast diluted according to the instructions, then mix well and install a water seal (you can use a medical glove with a hole in your finger). It is desirable that at least 20% of free space for foam is left in the container.
If the saccharification is successful, the wort will be sweet.
6. Transfer the container with mash to a warm (18-25°C), dark place.
7. After 4-7 days, the mash will win back (the water seal will stop bubbling, the mash will become lighter and bitter in taste without sweetness).
Getting rice moonshine
8. Filter the finished mash through a colander or cheesecloth to remove solid particles that burn during distillation, otherwise moonshine may turn out bitter.
9. Distill the mash on a moonshine still. Finish collecting the distillate when the strength in the jet falls below 30 degrees. The output may be cloudy, this is normal. Measure strength. Determine the amount of pure alcohol (percentage of the fortress multiplied by the volume and divided by 100). Dilute rice moonshine with water up to 20%. To leave a characteristic taste, it is advisable not to clean anything. As a last resort, only coal and a household water filter are allowed.
10. Distill the distillate a second time. Collect the first 12-15% of the yield of pure alcohol separately. This harmful fraction is called the “head”, due to the content of methanol and aldehydes, it is hazardous to health. Suitable for technical use only. Select the desired product (“body”) until the fortress in the jet falls below 45%.
11. Dilute the drink with water to the desired strength (I recommend 40-45%), pour into glass containers, close tightly and leave for 1-2 days. Moonshine from rice turns out to be very soft with a subtle taste of the raw materials and notes of sweetness. It is easy to drink and goes well with any dishes.
