Grain moonshine at home. Moonshine from grain

Making good moonshine from wheat at home is real. There are many time-tested recipes. Braga, or wort (a product resulting from the fermentation process) for a drink is made with and without yeast. This affects the speed of the fermentation process and determines the taste of the finished product. It is important what equipment is available - a home-made device of dubious quality or a modern, convenient to use, made of good metal, equipped with everything you need (filters, thermometers).

What is moonshine

Strong alcohol, which is produced by the method of artisanal distillation of mash using special devices, is called moonshine. You can make your own devices, but factory-assembled equipment is much more effective. Braga, from which moonshine is obtained, is obtained during the fermentation of sugar syrup, grain, potatoes, beets, fruits. If everything is done correctly, you will have a home-made drink that will surpass store-bought vodka, whiskey, and you will be able to create delicious natural liqueurs and liqueurs based on it.

How to make moonshine from wheat

The classic recipe for moonshine from wheat at home has been known since ancient times. There are also Russian traditions of creating strong alcohol, but the technological conditions have changed - the process of making malt, mash, wheat moonshine has become less complicated and faster. Moonshine from wheat at a home distillery is more laborious to make than from sugar, but the quality of the product is much higher. You can use yeast and do without it, take germinated grains and regular ones. The main thing is to follow the instructions:

prepare a quality seed;
make mash and overtake it;
purify the resulting product.

A decent drink will not come out of low-quality cereal, therefore, when choosing raw materials, you should always focus only on high-quality grain. The shelf life of the seeds is an important condition for production, since the rancid taste will necessarily affect the quality and aroma of the resulting alcoholic product. Look for grain fresh, harvested at least two months ago, dry, free of mold, debris and husks. Then moonshine on wheat without yeast will meet expectations.

Sprouting wheat

It is possible to prepare good wheat moonshine only from grain, without excess sugar. To make it a truly high-quality alcoholic drink, wheat should be prepared. It should be germinated so that each grain forms enzymes that contribute to the complete breakdown of starch into sugars. How to do it right so that moonshine from germinated wheat without yeast comes out successful:

Choose quality grain that has not been grown or processed with chemicals.
Put the peeled grain on flat trays or dishes with a layer of 2 cm, pour water (room temperature), covering 3-5 cm on top.
Leave for a day in a warm place, then drain the water. The grains should soften and “grow up”, become larger.
Wet raw materials are laid out in boxes and left in a warm and dark place.
Stir the contents of the boxes constantly to remove carbon dioxide. It is supposed to moisten (do not fill with water!) Grain every 7-8 hours. You can close the drawers with a damp cloth, which is supposed to be moistened as it dries.
Sprouts should appear on the 3rd day, if this did not happen, you will have to start all over again with another batch of grain. Unsprouted grain cannot be used - it is considered "dead".
Sprouted grains can be dried for future use and used to make moonshine. It is necessary to dry the grain with sprouts 6-7 mm long, in a ventilated room, using a fan. It is allowed to heat the raw materials in the oven (keep at least a day at a constant temperature of 40 ° C), under the sun or on a hot battery radiator. A sweet smell will indicate the readiness of the malt.

Recipe for wheat moonshine without yeast

Since ancient times, grain moonshine has been prepared in Russia - a natural, alcoholic drink of great strength. Even then, there were many recipes for a traditional drink, and to this day, ancient methods are very popular. Raw materials for moonshine are used natural - these are fruits, vegetables, berries, any fruits. But the wheat drink remains the leader. By the beginning of the process, it is necessary to prepare sugar, clean, better - spring or well water and a good, modern moonshine still.

Ingredients:

water - 7 l;
wheat - 1.5 kg;
sugar - 1.5 kg.

Cooking method:

Mix 200 g of sugar in a liter of water.
Sift the grain cleared of debris and husk.
Pour the grain into a dish with a wide neck, fill it with prepared syrup and leave for 3-5 days so that the mixture ferments well.
Pour the rest of the sugar and water into the same container, close with a water seal. Leave for 10 days, but not unattended, but periodically shaking and stirring so that the wheat mash for moonshine completely outplays. The color of the mash should be transparent.
Strain the liquid through a layer of cheesecloth.
Distill the mash through the moonshine at least 2-3 times until you get a clean, strong, high-quality alcoholic product.

From germinated wheat at home

The scheme of how best to germinate wheat for mash is already there. Germinating wheat should not be wet - just a little damp, so as not to let the seeds turn sour, deteriorate, rot. Then the mash will turn out to be correct, and moonshine from wheat without yeast will please the consumer. The drink will be created according to all the rules and will turn out lively, soft, with a pleasant bready aftertaste. It must be borne in mind that the finished mash cannot be stored for a long time, it must be overtaken in time.

Ingredients:

water (soft) - 14.5 l;
sugar - 5.5 kg;
raw wheat - 5 kg.

Cooking method:

Put sprouted wheat into a large saucepan or bottle, pour in a barely warm syrup consisting of one kilogram of sugar and seven liters of water, mix, leave for 4 days. Get a sourdough.
Add the remaining sugar and water to the starter, put it under a water seal for 10 days or put a rubber glove with a hole on the neck of the bottle.
A glove that inflates during fermentation will fall off in about a week and a half. Braga is ready for distillation.
A thick sediment can be diluted with water again, you get another, secondary mash for the second portion of the drink.

With wild wheat yeast

Fermentation of moonshine with wild wheat yeast results in bread vodka. Such yeast does not have a pronounced sour smell, and the finished drink will have the aroma of natural wheat grain. The aftertaste will be pleasant, soft, bready. Such “wild moonshine” can be prepared both from wheat and from other cereals. First you need to start sourdough, which will require the grain of any spring crop, water, sugar. Seeds must be selected, cleaned, sifted.

Ingredients:

wheat - 1 kg;
granulated sugar - 2200 g,
water - 11 l.

Cooking method:

Dissolve 200 g of sugar with a liter of heated water, cool.
Pour the prepared wheat into a glass or enameled container, pour the syrup so that it covers the grain by 2-3 cm.
Put the dishes covered with gauze in heat for 3 days to get a ferment. Wait for the appearance of bubbles and a sour smell of kvass in the mixture.
Dissolve 2 kg of sugar in 10 liters of water, cool to 30°C. Pour the ferment and syrup into a sterilized fermentation container.
Put the dishes under a water seal, send to ferment at 26–29 ° С. The sweetness has disappeared - it's time to pour the mash into the distillation cube and drive.
The wheat remaining in the container can be poured again with syrup and put for fermentation, even more than once.

With sugar

Brewing moonshine for your own use in our time is not prohibited. You can buy a good machine to make the manufacturing process high-tech. But the main thing is to choose a good recipe and grain for making a drink on wheat without yeast, but with added sugar. It will not be possible to make a “forty-degree” quickly, it will take at least 2 weeks, but the work will be rewarded - you will get a product with a pleasant sweetish taste with the aroma of wheat and bread. Moonshine from wheat without yeast is easy to drink, even if it is over 40 degrees.

Ingredients:

wheat - 4 kg;
sugar - 4 kg;
water - 30 l.

Cooking method:

Sort clean grain before use, rinse.
Spread a quarter of the grain at the bottom of a container. Pour in water so that the seeds are barely covered. Close the lid, hold for 1-2 days in a dark, humid environment so that the seeds hatch and sprout.
Add a 0.5-liter jar of sugar, mix everything. The dishes, tied with gauze, hold in a place where there are no drafts, for a period of 10-12 days, so that the leaven is formed.
Pour the starter into a glass bottle with a narrow neck, add the rest of the grain, sugar, pour everything with cool, but not cold water.
Pull a rubber glove over the neck of the bottle; when the fermentation process begins, it will rise. This process takes a week and a half.
Braga is distilled into alcohol by any moonshine still available - homemade or purchased. The labor-intensive process will end with a quality drink.

A strong natural drink can be obtained without yeast and sugar, but subject to the technology. Alcohol-containing mash can be made from grain, potatoes, corn, pre-boiled raw materials: this will simplify the process of splitting starch. Fruits and vegetables are also suitable for processing, especially if their sugar content is high. In times of shortage, moonshine at home was successfully made even from tomato paste! Be sure to follow the fermentation process: if it goes slowly, harmful impurities will appear in the mash, which will adversely affect the quality of the product.

Ingredients:

For parking:

water - 2 l;
fresh hops - a handful (if dry - 2 handfuls);
wheat flour - 1 handful.

For mash:

wheat grain - 3 kg;
water - 6 l.

Cooking method:

Place the peeled grains in a wide container, fill with water, covering the grain by 2-3 cm.
Place the container under the lid in a cool room for 3-4 days, so that the sourdough begins to ferment, white foam forms.
For steaming hops and wheat flour, pour water and soak for two days, let it brew.
You can add beets, potatoes, pears, apples, berries to the bottle with parka - that is, raw materials that contain sugar.
Dilute everything well, pour in 5 liters of tepid water;
After closing the dishes with a water seal, leave to infuse for 8 to 12 days. Stir regularly.
Distill the finished mash into moonshine.

Making moonshine without yeast in the home kitchen is a laborious task that takes time. But this is a fascinating process, which also leads to savings, because high-quality store-bought drinks are expensive, and you can also buy counterfeit products that are dangerous to health. Your own is always better, the main thing is to follow the production technology and follow useful proven tips from experienced moonshiners:

Wheat can be replaced with corn, peas, oats, barley, rye. This will not affect the degree and quality of the finished moonshine.
The thick, which remains after straining, is still useful. A good new mash will come out of it, you just need to add water, sugar. Such a “second” moonshine will turn out to be even better, with excellent taste.
You can check the readiness of the mash as follows: pour a little into a spoon, bring a burning match. The appearance of a flame in a spoon means the complete readiness of the raw material for distillation.
Beverage can be cleaned with activated carbon. Grind 50 mg of this product into powder and pour into a container with moonshine for a week. It is better to replace pharmacy coal with homemade one. You can also use potassium permanganate, but very little. The container must be kept in a dark place during cleaning.
Dilution of the finished moonshine is carried out with very clean water - take the ratio to taste and depending on the purpose. For consumption in its natural form, it is best to have a drink whose strength will be from 45 to 50 degrees. For the preparation of tinctures and liqueurs, it is better to take a stronger one, up to 55 degrees.

Video

Homemade grain-based moonshine is a drink that cannot be compared not only with store-bought alcohol from elite brands, but also with vodka obtained at home from other raw materials. Sometimes moonshiners are frightened by the long process of sprouting and distilling the drink. However, subject to the distillation technology, we have the opportunity to get a unique alcohol that will be a real decoration of any holiday table.

1

Before proceeding to the very first stage of creating alcohol from grain - the preparation of malt, it is worth remembering that the entire process of making homemade alcohol from "A" to "Z" will take a very long time. This does not mean that you should always be near the grain and "help it grow with your prayers." No, but a certain amount of your time and attention to preparing and creating a drink at home is still worth paying.

As we all well know, alcohol can be obtained from the fermentation of simple sugars by yeast. Sugar for this can be extracted from the grain by splitting the starch contained in it. To achieve this, you need to use enzymes. Having turned the starch into sugar, we must set it aside for fermentation. After a certain period of time, we get mash, the alcohol content of which can vary from 5 to 12%. After that, it remains only to overtake the raw materials, as a result of which we get pure homemade moonshine.

Braga from grain

Having understood the principle of preparation, you need to pay attention to studying the algorithm by which alcohol will be produced. So, the creation of moonshine is divided into the following stages:

selection and germination of malt;
wort digestion works;
sweetening the wort and mixing with yeast;
fermentation of raw materials;
distillation of the resulting mash.

To go through all the stages of creating a quality drink, you need to spend about 1-1.5 months. As a result, we get an excellent drink with a pleasant aroma and a delicate aftertaste, which is ready to compete with expensive whiskey or vodka.

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2

The first thing we need to make sugar is malt. Inside this mixture are enzymes that will stimulate the conversion of starch into sugar. . Getting the mixture at home is carried out in several steps. The first of these is the selection of grain. It is important here not to choose fresh grain. After harvesting, it should stand for at least 2 months. In addition, pay attention to the purity of the grain, it should be light and not contain any impurities.

Making sugar from malt

The second stage is grain soaking. This is necessary in order to activate the growth of cereals. This is followed by the growth of the grain, during which enzymes are produced in it. The fourth stage is the languishing of germinated cereals, during which the content of enzymes inside them increases. In order to have a clearer picture of the preparation of alcohol at home, consider the process using the example of barley, wheat or oats. Almost everyone has these products, so getting basic raw materials should not be a problem.

After collecting cereals, you need to soak them. To do this, we take boxes, about 10 cm high, and pour water into them. After that, we fill in the grain and wait for all unwanted impurities to emerge. After a day, you can drain the water and rinse the grain under running water. Next, we proceed to the growth of the product. To do this, we put slightly damp grain into several boxes and leave it for 10 hours. After that, mix a little and raise the raw material, letting it breathe a little. Then we leave the cereals in the container, but "visit" them every 6 hours for spraying.

3

In order to make the wort, the crushed cereals are poured with hot water, after which the mixture must be constantly stirred so that lumps do not form. It is necessary to fill in the liquid at the rate of 3.5 liters. water per kilogram of material. Next, using a steam generator, you need to bring the temperature of the mixture to 60 ˚C, after which we hold this temperature for 15 minutes. During this time, enzymes begin their work of breaking down starch into sugar.

Boiling wort from crushed cereals

Next, raise the temperature by another 5 ˚C and again delay for 15 minutes. Then raise the temperature again and bring the mixture to a boil. The raw material should boil for 1 hour, after which we turn off the burner. Next, you need to sweeten the wort. To do this, we close the vessel with the mixture, insulate it and leave it in a warm, closed room, not forgetting to stir every 30 minutes. After 2 hours, the wort should acquire a sweet aftertaste. After that, you need to let it cool down and you can add yeast to it. This must be done at the rate of 1 g of yeast per 300 g of wort. If you use pressed yeast, then you need to follow the proportion of 1:60 g of the mixture. After we send the must to ferment.

The time spent on this depends on the crop. On average, you need to wait 1 week, after which you can check the mash. If it is completely ready, then its main mass will be motionless and will acquire a light shade.

4

You can prepare homemade drinks from grain according to various recipes. You can use different amounts of yeast for fermentation or use different modifications of moonshine. The meaning is always the same - moonshine should be clean and cool. After preparing the mash, you need to take care of the serviceability of the distillation apparatus. We assemble the device and check the presence of sealant and the reliability of fasteners. After we pour the mash into the distillation tank and start the distillation process.

Apparatus for the distillation of moonshine

It is desirable that the distillation system be. Moreover, this is strongly "required" by some recipes. With the help of this element, moonshine will turn out to be cleaner and will have a sweetish aftertaste and a delicate aroma of cereals. After distilling the drink in a distiller, it can also be reused, which will completely remove the remaining heavy fractions from alcohol. As we have seen, it is not so simple. This requires patience, because without it all your efforts will not lead to the desired result.

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The highest quality is moonshine made from grain. By the way, according to GOST R 56368-2015, moonshine is an alcoholic drink, in the manufacture of which grain mash, then the distillate has the aroma of the raw material used. There are no other options!

The most commonly used:

wheat. At the same time, the distillate is soft and slightly sweet;
rye gives a strong bread aroma;
barley moonshine resembles whiskey, and when insisted in an oak barrel, it is almost indistinguishable in taste from the Irish-Scottish counterpart;
Bourbon is made from corn.

In terms of organoleptic indicators, moonshine from grain is superior to sugar: it is more pleasant to drink, it has a pronounced taste, it does not have a fusel aroma (see others).

Sugar is hidden in the grains of cereal crops and there is enough of it, that's just in the form of starch, which yeast is not able to directly process into alcohol.

There is another way - adding crystalline sugar and yeast to grain mash. But this method is controversial: you will get a distillate and it will even have a slight grain shade (depending on the cereal used), but the sugars present in the grains will not be involved in the creation of alcohol. That is, such a distillate will not be as good as that created by natural malting.

Attention! It is not necessary to germinate all the grain intended for setting the mash. Practice shows that 1 kg of malt can saccharify 3-4 kg of dry grain.

However, supporters of organic home brewing prefer to germinate all grains, selecting for this only a product with a germination of 90 percent or more.

In home brewing, green or dried malt is used.

Reference. Green malt is freshly germinated grain, ground (can be in a meat grinder) along with sprouts. Dried - only grain, sprouts and roots are removed after drying. You can do this with a construction mixer.

Distillation of grain mash

It is desirable to distill grain mash twice. The first time - without division into factions. The second time, diluting the resulting raw alcohol to 20 °, with the selection of heads-body-tails in separate containers. Moreover, the number of heads is determined by the maximum - up to 100-120 ml per 1 liter of absolute alcohol.

The calculation of absolute alcohol (in which the conditional 100% ethylene, which does not happen in nature, but it is more convenient to think so) is made according to the formula. The amount of raw alcohol converted into milliliters is divided by 100, then multiplied by the real strength.

For example, you have 6 liters of 45% distillate. 6000:100x45=2700. That is, you have 2.7 liters of absolute alcohol. Process technology:

Heads should be selected 270-300 ml. Watch the thermometer on the still. When the temperature reaches 68°C, reduce the heat and watch for the first drops of distillate to appear. These are heads filled with acetone, the most harmful methyl and amyl alcohols. They should be taken drop by drop, avoiding a jet.

Attention. Experienced distillers prefer to select half of the total number of goals during the first distillation.

Upon reaching a temperature of 78 ° C, the evaporation of the ethyl alcohol we need begins. add a little so that there is a thin stream and take off the distillate until the strength in the stream reaches 40 °. In order not to make a mistake, the following methods are used:

parrot use. It can be purchased or homemade, but it is better to use an electronic thermometer, which shows the real strength, taking into account the temperature of the distillate. Bimetallic or glass will wiggle a little, since moonshine usually flows warmer than the reference 20 ° C;
arson in a spoon. Dropping distillate is collected in a spoon. Approximately note the amount and set on fire. If half burns out and goes out - this is a fortress of about 40 °;
flame color. To do this, set fire to a piece of paper (for example, a strip of newspaper folded in four, soaked under a stream of moonshine. With a distillate strength of 60-70 degrees, the color of the flame is blue, the fire is strong and high. At 40 °, a lot of red reflections appear in the flame, it does not burn for long. If below 30 ° - flashes red and goes out.

Tailings are taken to a fortress of 20 °. In the future, they can be added to the next mash during the first distillation, which will increase the yield of raw alcohol. But many prefer not to select them at all, considering it a waste of energy and energy.

Carefully. To obtain grain moonshine, distillation columns are not used, since they, together with fusel oils, take away from moonshine the natural smell and taste of the grain base, for which everything is started.

Sugar grain mash

Such mash does not require the purchase or creation of malt, but it gives moonshine with a pleasant grainy aftertaste, and a cereal note is felt in the aroma. Try to make grain mash on sourdough (sourdough).

You will need:

5 kg of grain (wheat, barley, rye, or a mixture in any proportions).
5 kg of sugar.
22-25 liters of water.

Break the preparation of the mash into several stages:

Grain selection does not need to be as thorough as for malt, as it does not need to be germinated. The main thing is that it should not be treated with any compositions, since confusion may not work out. Feed is also suitable, rinse it thoroughly several times and remove floating debris.
Add 1 kg of sugar to the grain. Fill with water so that the level is 1-2 cm above the grain layer. If water is absorbed, add more - up to the same level. At this stage, up to 5 liters of water will go out of the total.
Leave in an open container (cover with insect gauze) for 3-5 days. During this time, the smell of fermentation should appear, and foam will appear when shaken.
Add all the sugar that is left and the water according to the recipe. Leave in a warm place (preferably under a water seal) for 7-15 days. Stir once every 2 days. During fermentation, most of the grain will float. The end of fermentation is evidenced by the settling of the grains (not all) down and the clarification of the must.
Taste the brew. If it is bitter and sugar is not felt at all, you can carefully remove it from the sediment, strain through a sieve (gauze) and distill.

Carefully. It is not recommended to clarify grain mash with bentonite, as it takes away the aroma.

You can also put sugar mash with the addition of grain on ordinary alcohol or baker's yeast, using the usual proportions: for each kilogram of sugar - 100 g of raw or 20-25 g of dry yeast. But in this case, the grain aroma will be less pronounced.

Note. The beauty of this recipe is that an excellent mash is obtained 2-3 times if you immediately put a new mash on the filtered residue. But no more than 4 times!

Braga from barley - preparation for cooking

One of the most popular cereals for making homemade alcohol is barley. Moreover, moonshine can be prepared without the addition of sugar and industrial yeast.

The role of sugars necessary for the production of alcohol takes on starch, which is converted into a form digestible by yeast by applying malt and malting the mash.

Malt

The easiest way is to buy ready-made malt in a specialized store. But it is quite a feasible task - to cook it yourself. For this:

Choose quality barley. At least 4 months must pass from the time of collection, but it must not be older than 2 years. Check germination: soak 100 seeds, then count the number of sprouted seeds. At 95 or more - germination is excellent, if less than 80 - and you should not fool around, this result is unsatisfactory. Buy another barley.
Rinse and remove any floating husks.
Fill with water 3-4 cm above the grain. Change the water 3 times during the day.
Completely drain the water and spread the wet grain in a layer up to 10 cm. Cover the top with wet gauze and leave at 12-20°C.
Turn the grain gently with your hands every day. This is to remove carbon dioxide, which can lead to mold. Spray the dried grain with a spray bottle.
Germination lasts 6 to 10 days. During this time, the sprouts should begin to tangle. Bite the grain. It becomes soft, slightly bitter and tastes like cucumber.
This is green malt. And there are two ways for it:

use in this way. Grind the grain together with the sprouts in a meat grinder and get malt milk, which must be used immediately, since long-term storage of such a product is not provided;
drying at 40°C, followed by separation of sprouts. Get dry malt. To use it in the future, grind the grain with a special malt mill.

Leaven

In order not to use industrial yeast, which can add an unpleasant aftertaste to the finished product, it is better to use wild yeast found on the grain shell. That is, to make a leaven, due to which alcoholic fermentation of malt will occur:

about 200 g of barley, rinse it and lay it in a layer up to 3 cm on the bottom of the jar;
pour a little warm water a couple of centimeters above the barley;
cover the container with a cloth and leave it in a cabinet in the room;
when the grains hatch, add 100 g of sugar.
after 5 days or a week, signs of fermentation will appear: the sourdough will give out hiss and smell. Ready for refueling.

Barley mash recipes

Braga on barley demands more attention than sugar, however, the result will please you much more. Properly prepared, it significantly surpasses in taste both other types of home-made alcohol and elite varieties of vodka.

From barley and sourdough sugar

You will need:

4 kg of barley grain or cereals;
1 kg of green malt;
1 kg of sugar;
21 liters of water;
50 g of dry yeast or 500 g of sourdough (according to the recipe above).

If you take grain, you need to grind it (preferably smaller) and saccharify. That is, to convert starch into simple sugars. For this:

Sprout 1 kg of barley.
Heat water to 55 ° C at the rate of 4.5 liters per kilogram of cereal.
Carefully pour the cereal into it, stirring so that there are no lumps. As a last resort, use a mixer.
Heat the resulting mixture to 58°C, cover and infuse for 15 minutes.
Heat up to 65 ° C, hold for another 15 minutes.
Bring to a boil and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. At the end, the mass should be smooth and homogeneous.
Cool to 65°C.
While the mass is cooling, prepare the malt milk. Grind green malt in a meat grinder with a fine mesh and add 3 liters of water at a temperature of 27-28°C.
In the cooled "porridge" add malt milk with constant stirring.
Keep for 2 hours at a temperature of 58-65°C. You can heat it up, but - stirring and not allowing it to rise to 70 ° C, otherwise the malt enzymes may die and malting will not occur.
The wort ready for fermentation should be sweet.
Quickly cool it in a bath of cold water (preferably a chiller) to 27-28°C.
Add the starter (yeast) and put it in a warm place for fermentation under a water seal (medical glove).

Fermentation, depending on conditions and yeast activity) lasts from 4 to 10 days. When it stops gurgling (the glove falls off) - the mash is ripe. the easiest way to determine the haul is by trying the brew. The taste of barley wort should be bitter-sour without a sweet aftertaste.

Homemade barley whiskey

To make real homemade whiskey, you will need:

5 kg of malt;
15 liters of water + 5 liters for flushing;
25 g dry yeast.

Malt grouting with temperature pauses is required.

Grind the malt with a special mill or blender.

Attention. The malt should not be too finely ground, as this will make it difficult to filter.

Heat the water to 100°C and gradually add the malt to avoid lumps.
Cover and wrap the pot to keep the temperature within 65°C for 80-90 minutes.
Test for iodine: mix a drop of iodine and a drop of mash on a white plate. If the color has not changed - everything is fine. Turned blue? It is also necessary to heat the mash to 65 ° C, insulate for half an hour, then test again.
Heat the saccharified wort to 72°C and incubate for 15 minutes. It stops fermentation.
Heat again to 78°C, hold for a couple of minutes and filter.

Advice. Make a special bag (for example, from nylon), which is lowered into the water, and malt is poured into it. After the mash and temperature pauses, remove the bag, and the finished wort will remain.

Heat 5 liters of water to 80°C and pour in the remaining grain. This process is called rinsing and will help extract the remaining sugar from the malt. Stir, filter.
Connect liquids. Cool to 27-28°C, add yeast and ferment under a water seal.

Barley for moonshine on enzymes

You can make moonshine from barley groats without malt on the enzymes gluquamorin (G) and amylosubtilin (A):

Steam barley groats (4 liters per 1 kg) in boiling water and wrap for 1 hour.
Add enzyme A to the mixture at a temperature of 70 ° C (diluted with warm water at the rate of 2 g per 1 kg of cereal).
After an hour, add enzyme G diluted at the rate of 3 g per 1 kg of cereal.
Incubate for an hour at 62°C, stirring every 20 minutes.
After cooling to the optimum temperature, add the yeast.

From barley without yeast

You will need:

2.5 kg of barley grain with good germination;
4 kg of sugar;
22-23 liters of water.

Germinate the grain as described above, but only until the first sprouts appear. Dry in the oven and grind. Fill with hot water, mix until smooth and heat over high heat to 70 ° C. In this case, the malt should sink to the bottom, and the liquid will become transparent from above.

Cool in a natural way to a warm state, dissolve sugar in the wort and put on fermentation under a water seal.

From germinated barley and sugar

For 25 liters of water, take 5 kg of quality barley and 6.5 kg of sugar. In a 30-liter fermentation tank, put a layer of washed barley, add 1.5 kg of sugar and pour in water to cover 5 cm of grain. Put in cool and dark for 7 days.

Add the rest of the water and sugar and leave for another 3-4 days. During this time, the mash will be ready for driving.

You can start with a simple recipe and then move on to more complex ones. But once you've tried homemade grain moonshine, you won't want to go back to sugar.

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Alcoholic beverages prepared at home are increasingly popular among consumers. They do not pose even the slightest danger to human health, since environmentally friendly raw materials are used to create them.

Traditionally, sugar and yeast are present in the recipe for the manufacture of alcohol-containing products. However, the grain drink has a pleasant taste and aroma. The manufacturing process involves the transformation of a natural sprout of cereal plants into a microorganism that can convert starch molecules into sugar. Home craftsmen have to work hard to create high-quality products, but the result is worth it. Grain moonshine will become a real decoration of the festive table. With its taste qualities, it will surprise even the most fastidious guests who are accustomed to drinking branded alcoholic beverages.

Features of the procedure for processing grain for the preparation of moonshine

Alcohol products of any kind can be obtained only in the process of fermenting sugar with yeast. Therefore, when creating moonshine at home from grain, it is necessary to obtain a sweet mass from the starch contained in it. For this, special enzymes are used, which can be purchased at specialized stores, or malt prepared at home. Strong drinks from various types of cereal plants differ in taste and smell. Wheat allows you to get a soft product with a sweetish aftertaste. Fans of fragrant moonshine with an increased number of degrees are recommended to use rye grains. Barley is an excellent raw material for creating a drink,.

To obtain malt, the grain product is pre-sprouted. At the same time, it is laid out in convenient pallets with a layer of no more than 2-3 centimeters and filled with warm water. In the room where the grains are germinated, the temperature should not be lower than 18°C. Home craftsmen need to remember that products with husks are more capable of retaining moisture, so their processing must be carried out very carefully to prevent excess water in germinated grains. To get rid of harmful bacteria, it is recommended to pre-soak the working mass in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or sulfuric acid.

Raw materials prepared for sprouting are mixed several times a day. After the sprouts appear, it is dried and sorted. Malted milk is obtained by crushing grains in special milling equipment and then boiling it, which contributes to the process of splitting starch. The finished product becomes green in color. It is stored fresh for no more than 3 days. Dried malt can be used after a considerable period of time. However, this procedure must be carried out at a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees. Otherwise, the enzymes necessary for the manufacture of an alcoholic beverage will completely die. The activity of the dried malt, which acquires a white color, is no more than 80%. This must be taken into account when adding it to moonshine wort.

The amount of alcohol obtained from fermented grain depends on the choice of recipe for the preparation of an alcoholic beverage, as well as the quality of the raw materials and the method of distillation. The process of creating moonshine at home has several stages. After the preparation of malt, wort is produced from starch-containing raw materials, which is saccharified and fermented. The main manipulation in the creation of alcoholic beverages is distillation. For this process, special devices are used. Equipment with different levels of productivity, quality and comfort can be purchased in the online store. Some home craftsmen prefer to make distillation units on their own, using various improvised materials.

Preparation of the wort for the preparation of grain moonshine

Cereal crops should not be boiled on an open fire. To avoid burning, special steam generators are used to effectively carry out the process of heat treatment of the prepared mass. Hermetic containers are equipped with heating elements and bubblers, which are a tube for the release of hot steam. As a rule, the wort container is made of stainless steel. Such material guarantees the absence of reaction products or catalysts. The tank is filled with crushed grain, which is filled with hot water. The mixture is constantly stirred to prevent the formation of lumps. For every kilogram of feedstock, at least 4 liters of liquid are added. At a temperature of 55-60°C, the action of the enzymes contained in the grain is activated.

The boiled raw material is quickly cooled. Cooked malt milk is added to the wort. After that, the mass is thoroughly mixed with a mixer or a drill with a special nozzle. For 4-5 kg of the main raw material, 1 kg of green malt is added. When using the dried product, its mass increases by 20%. The container with the wort is tightly closed and insulated. The saccharification process takes about two hours. During this period, it is important not to lower the temperature so as not to allow the rate of bacterial growth to decrease. However, in conditions where the heat exceeds 70 degrees, the saccharification process may stop, as the enzymes are destroyed. The sweet taste of the processed wort indicates the success of the process.

Grain mash with yeast

The finished mass should ferment. To do this, it is cooled to 28-30 degrees Celsius. Some recipes for making moonshine involve the addition of yeast. In dry form, it is recommended to add them in an amount of 1 g per 350 g of the main raw material. Pressed yeast will need at least 1 gram per 60-80 g of working fluid. The product must be applied as an aqueous solution. For this, drinking liquid heated to a temperature of 30 degrees is used. For a kilogram of pressed yeast, 10-15 liters of water will be needed. The working container is not completely filled with mash to prevent the release of the resulting foam.

The fermentation time of grain sourdough depends on many factors. The intensity of the procedure is affected by the quality of the yeast, the temperature in the room, and the type of cereal used. Braga ready for distillation is obtained in 4-5 days. An indicator of the complete fermentation of the liquid is the cessation of gas release from the water seal tube, as well as the acquisition of a bitter-sour taste. The amount of alcohol depends on compliance with the subtleties of the technological process and the quality of the feedstock. As a rule, grain mash has a strength of no more than 12%.

Yeast-free method for obtaining mash from grain crops

High-quality spirits with an impeccable aroma and pleasant taste can be obtained without the use of yeast. In the recipe for obtaining such alcohol-containing products, uncultivated raw materials obtained in a natural way take part. Braga is made only by adding malt. Sourdough can be made directly from sprouted grains. This saves time and money. 5 kg of sprouted grain must be placed in a wide-mouthed dish and add 6 kg of sugar dissolved in warm water in an amount of 15 liters. The initial fermentation will last about 5 days. After this period, the starter is poured into a bottle with a narrow neck. To control the fermentation process, you can use a rubber medical glove.

Ready for distillation liquid is obtained after about 3 weeks. With this recipe, the grain can be used 3-4 times. To speed up the fermentation process at the initial stage, you can add a small amount of malt milk to the starter. The procedure for making mash without sugar is complicated, but it does not require the introduction of additional products. During the fermentation period, the container with the working fluid is closed with a lid with a water seal. With rapid gas separation, the temperature of the wort may rise slightly.

Some home craftsmen prefer to use enzymes of bacterial origin in the manufacture of grain moonshine. This type of product greatly facilitates the production process, and also improves the taste of the alcoholic beverage. When using enzymes, it is possible to refuse the transformation of grains into malt. They significantly reduce the fermentation time, increase the amount of alcohol and the quality of the finished product. As a rule, when creating moonshine, amylosubtilin or glucavamorin is used. When creating a strong drink on enzymes, the crushed raw materials are poured with warm water and heated to 75 degrees Celsius. Active substances are dissolved in a homogeneous liquid. If necessary, you can add a small amount of yeast. The container with the mash and the water seal installed on it must be placed in a warm, dark place. Fermented sourdough ripens within two weeks.

Features of the process of distillation of mash prepared from grain raw materials

The sourdough starter prepared by any of the above methods is steam distilled. For this, special steam generators are used. The container, made of stainless steel, is filled with working fluid by about 2/3 of the total volume. This will prevent foam from being released. At the first sign of the boiling of the mash, it is necessary to reduce the intensity of its heating. When creating high-quality moonshine, it is necessary to carefully approach the selection of the highest quality fractions. The first liquid obtained with a high concentration of alcohol cannot be used as a food product. The most acceptable is moonshine, the strength of which is not more than 40%. The tail fractions are distinguished by the presence of a large amount of fusel oils, which have a negative effect on the human body.

If home-brew is planned to be used for technical purposes, then the separation of harmful parts can be neglected. In this case, the entire mass of the alcohol-containing liquid is mixed into the finished selection. Most often, wheat is used for the production of grain moonshine. It allows you to get a soft sweetish product with a pleasant aroma. Barley grains add a touch of beer to homemade vodka, and oats add a sharp taste. Double or triple distillation of the mash will simply overshadow the taste of the resulting drink with branded alcoholic products.

Making moonshine from wheat with or without yeast is not so much a matter of technique as of taste, because the final quality of the drink remains worthy in any way.

If you want to get wheat moonshine as soon as possible, and the taste of the drink and the smell do not play a role, then the yeast technique is exactly what you need.

On the contrary, if there is enough time for cooking, and aftertaste and aroma are in the first place (a yeast-free recipe gives the smell of freshly baked bread), then grain mash cooked on wheat is an ideal solution.

The most important thing is to approach work responsibly and strictly follow the preparation technology, then your drink will successfully pass the fermentation stage and will delight you with an excellent result! Now, let's move on to practice.

The basis for the manufacture of moonshine involves the careful preparation of the main ingredient - grain. There are several important rules for its selection, following which, mash on wheat will turn out to be of excellent quality. So:

The raw material must be clean. No garbage, bird droppings and other foreign matter.
The grains must match each other in size and color.
Avoid half and damaged beans.
Notice the smell. High-quality raw materials do not exude aromas of rot and mold.
Choose wheat strictly by age: it must be at least 2 months old, but not older than 1 year. This will ensure her active germination.

Old grain, like freshly harvested, germinates difficultly, and if it is better to refuse the first one completely, then there is a way out with the second one. Sprouting fresh wheat for moonshine will give a good result if the grains are thoroughly dried beforehand.

To do this, you can use the oven (with a temperature of 30 to 40 ° C) or sunny weather. Please note: the oven door must be open, otherwise the grain will dry out.

Let's move on to the germination technique:

Prepare the right amount of clean and warm drinking water (the proportions for mash on germinated wheat will be lower in the recipe).
Rinse the wheat if using the yeast method. Raw materials cannot be washed without adding yeast, otherwise the wild yeast will dissolve and wash off the surface.
Pour the selected grain into a container of a suitable size and fill it with water so that it slightly covers the wheat (3 mm will be enough).
Cover the container with a breathable cloth (previously soaked in water) and leave at room temperature until full germination (4 to 5 days when the sprouts are about 5 mm long).
During the germination period, stir the grains daily with a clean large spoon (or whatever you are comfortable with).

Well-sprouted grains are the basis of the sourdough, which is responsible for the full maturation of the drink. However, you can make mash on wheat without sprouting: the process will be long and painstaking, and the quality of the drink is equivalent.

Let's start preparing mash for moonshine

Braga from wheat is prepared in two stages - this is sourdough and fermentation. It is important to observe the proportions here, so we look at the recipe for wheat mash for distilling moonshine:

3 kg of grain + 1 kg of germinated;
5 kg of sugar;
20 liters of water.

Before putting the mash, we make the leaven:

Sprouted grains are mixed with 0.5 kg of granulated sugar. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Be careful not to damage the sprouts. If the mass is too thick to mix, dilute with a little clean water.
We cover the container with a gauze cloth, fasten it with an elastic band or rope to prevent midges and other insects from getting inside.
We put in a warm, dark place and leave for 7-10 days. Open the container daily and stir the mixture so that it does not sour.

Now you can safely proceed to the next step. So, we make mash for moonshine from finished wheat (sourdough):

First of all, we send the sourdough to a large bottle with a medium neck, where the mash will be infused.
We also add the remnants of sugar, wheat and pour warm water (within 30-35 ° C).
We wrap the container very tightly with a woolen blanket (everything will do - from a down jacket to a fur coat, since it is heat that helps to make mash on wheat, contributing to active fermentation).
We put on a rubber glove on the neck, piercing one of her fingers with a thin needle, or a special water seal.
We place the bottle in a warm place (preferably at normal room temperature).

Braga from wheat without yeast for our moonshine will be infused for 7 to 20 days. The transparent color of the liquid, the bitter taste and the completely deflated glove are a signal that the product is ready.

The preparation of mash from wheat grains takes an average of 2 weeks. It all depends on the quality of the raw materials and the optimal temperatures at which the drink matures, so always be guided by external signs. If your grain has sprouted in 2 days, do not wait for the "put" 4 and proceed to the next steps.

The time has come: we look at how to make moonshine on wheat

As soon as the mash on wheat is ready, immediately start distillation, without leaving the mass to ferment for longer than it should be. The first step is to strain the liquid well using cheesecloth.

Leftover sediment and wheat grains can be reused for fermentation if you want a smoother moonshine. In this case, do not drain the water completely so that the grains do not have time to dry out while you are making moonshine.

Before you make homemade moonshine from wheat, get a special cube. You can buy such an apparatus for moonshine in a store or make it yourself from various improvised items (pots, flasks, etc.) and proceed to distillation - distillation of moonshine.

Here you can do in two ways: to carry out a simple or fractional distillation. In the first case, you get raw alcohol, the first drops of which retain harmful impurities and give an unpleasant smell to the drink.

Let's say more: this moonshine, which has not undergone fractional processing, contains a share of methyl alcohol, various aldehydes and other substances that are very harmful to health.

A full distillation will take almost twice as long, but the result is worth it: the drink will be completely cleaned and will acquire a pleasant aroma (regardless of which recipe for making wheat moonshine you used).

Technically it looks like this:

Remove the head fraction, that is, the first 10% of the resulting alcohol, without regret. It is there that harmful impurities are contained that make the drink unsuitable for drinking. The smell of this "primary" liquid gives off acetone and metal, which spoils the aroma of the final product.
The tail fraction is similar to the first, since it also spoils the smell of the drink due to the formation of fusel oils. This happens when the temperature in the cube reaches about 92-95 degrees. The selection of the drinking part is completed here.

Moonshine, made using the right technology, is considered the “cleanest” homemade drink, unlike simple distillation - do not forget about it!

Recipe options for a hop drink

Wheat mash has a sufficient number of recipes, so the field for experimentation is wide. Often, moonshiners, along with classic recipes, try innovations, partially changing the proportions to their own taste, or make unusual moonshine on kefir.

There are dozens of cooking methods, but not all of them allow you to get a truly worthy drink that will be highly appreciated by your guests. Therefore, we choose the best and more than once experience-tested recipes for moonshine made from wheat, which are prepared at home.

Let's start with wheat mash with yeast

Alcoholic yeast almost doubles the fermentation process, as it acts as a powerful catalyst. If you have already made wheat moonshine, but without adding yeast, the time difference will surely please you very much. So, for yeast moonshine from wheat, we need:

5 kg of sugar;
250 g of yeast;
3 kg of wheat;
25 liters of water.

First, we germinate wheat (according to the standard technology described above). As soon as the grains germinate, we proceed to sourdough.

Pour water at room temperature into a container with a wide neck (you can use a simple saucepan). Separately, dissolve the yeast and send it to the water together with sugar. Mix thoroughly and send to fermentation.

As soon as the mass ferments, add sprouted wheat to it and leave until fully ripened. Readiness is still determined visually and tasted: the grains have settled, the liquid has become transparent, has a bitter taste and smells of alcohol.

The recipe for this wheat mash is distinguished by a characteristic feature: at the beginning of the fermentation, the grains rise to the top, and at the end they settle to the bottom. These proportions allow you to get from 7 to 8 liters of high-quality home-made drink of high strength (about 43-48 °).

Next in line - wheat moonshine without the addition of yeast

For those who do not want to spend a lot of time on sourdough, wheat mash without alcoholic yeast will be to their liking. For cooking you will need:

5 kg of wheat;
6.5 kg of sugar;
15 liters of warm water.

To make high-quality moonshine from wheat without adding yeast at home, follow the following technology:

In sprouted grains (all 5 kg), add 1.5 kg of sugar and mix gently, being careful not to damage the sprouts. Fill with water so that the wheat is covered by no more than 2 mm. Stir the mass periodically so that the lower layers do not rot.
As soon as the sprouts appear, the contents must be sent to a large bottle, add the remaining sugar there and fill it with a full amount of water. (Moonshine on germinated wheat without alcoholic yeast has a slight difference: the smell of the drink is many times more pleasant).
Close the container with a water seal or a rubber glove.
As soon as bubbles stop forming on the surface, check the readiness of the mass (still the same - in color and taste).
Drain the finished mash into a cube and run it through the apparatus twice.

The recipe for mash on wheat without the participation of "live" yeast will allow you to get about 5-7 liters of moonshine. For more, feel free to double the proportions, but be sure to respect the number of products.

Wheat moonshine without yeast and sugar

This is the most budgetary recipe for wheat moonshine, although the taste of the drink is not inferior even to “sugar” competitors. The secret ingredient here is the usual hops, which are successfully used in the preparation of wheat mash without yeast and a lot of sugar.

The technology is divided into two stages - zaparka and malt. Each of them will require careful attention and diligence, since the process is more laborious, unlike classic recipes.

For parking we need:

350-450 g whole wheat flour;
2 liters of clean drinking water;
hop cones (2 handfuls dry or 1 handful fresh).

What you need for malt:

3 kg of wheat grains;
6 liters of clean drinking water.

Moonshine from wheat without the use of yeast and sugar is very strong and does not contain foreign odors (including bread flavor). To get exactly such a drink, follow the technology in detail. So:

Free the grains from foreign debris and fill with warm water (with a wheat coating of at least 2-3 cm). Cover with cotton cloth or gauze, securing with a bandage. Place the container in a warm and dark place for 2-3 days until foam appears (it means that wild yeast has begun to ferment).
While the grains are "suitable", start preparing the stew. Pour the prepared flour and hop cones with water, close the lid. Leave for 2-3 days in a warm place.
Having endured the specified period, the brew and malt must be combined in one container and mixed well. Since sugar is not included in moonshine, wild yeast will require special nutrition that activates fermentation. Here you can add pears, apples or sugar beets. Fruit can even be replaced with stale bread (1-2 rye loaves per serving).
Mix well again and add the remaining water (there should be about 5 liters in the balance).
We close the bottle with a water seal or a sterile glove, in which we make a hole on one of the fingers with a thin needle.
We determine the container in a warm and preferably dark place until fully ripened (on average, the period takes from 8 to 15 days).

The readiness of the mash is determined by the same method: we look at the color of the product and evaluate the quality of taste. As soon as fermentation is over, you can start distillation. Moonshine on wheat, although without the addition of sugar, it is important to overtake 2 times (according to standard technology). So you get a clean drink without foreign odors.

Original moonshine from wheat on kefir

Grain mash on germinated wheat with the addition of fermented milk products gives a special softness and delicate aroma to home-made moonshine. Even if you are not a fan of experimenting with tastes, this masterpiece is worth a try!

So, we need:

2.5 kg of wheat;
100 g dry yeast;
6 kg of sugar;
20 liters of clean water;
2 cups of kefir or fermented baked milk.

In this recipe, the age of the grains is important, so use wheat that has had time to lie down for at least 3 months. In extreme cases, you can put moonshine on fresh wheat, but the end result risks being a little lower.

How to make mash from wheat grains with kefir:

We germinate raw materials according to standard technology. The only difference is the size of the sprouts, which should reach from 1 to 2 cm in length.
The finished grain will be strongly intertwined, but this is not scary: you do not need to unravel anything. Wheat can be used immediately, or dried well and ground into flour.
Transfer the grains (or flour from them) to a large bottle, add sugar, warm water and yeast. Mix thoroughly.
Install a water seal on the neck or put on a glove (remember to make a hole with a needle on one of her fingers). Place the bottle in a warm and dark place for 14 days. Make sure that a minimum of light enters the place where the container is located.
At the end of the fermentation stage, it is necessary to add kefir (ryazhenka) to the mass and send the drink for distillation.

When the moonshine is ready, measure the level of the fortress and, in case of an excessively high degree, dilute with a small amount of clean water and let it stand for another 3 days.

In theory, moonshine on wheat is very easy to prepare, but when it comes to practice, sometimes unforeseen situations arise. Most often they lie in wait for newcomers to this business, who have not yet had time to gain comprehensive experience. Here are the most common examples and tell you what to do in such cases:

After the allotted time, the wheat did not germinate. There is no point in waiting for sprouts after 5 days, so get rid of these grains and stock up on others. Most likely, they were of poor quality or you guessed wrong with age (unnecessarily old / fresh harvest).
During fermentation through the bottle, sprouts are not visible. There is nothing wrong with this, since the process itself is the determining link at this stage: if the air goes in bubbles, and the grains “walk” in the container, then everything is in order.
If fermentation has stopped and has not resumed after 2 days, the starter can be discarded. Unfortunately, something went wrong and the yeast stopped working.
The consistency of mash resembles jelly. This is also not scary, because there is a lot of starch in the mass. Just stir the mixture every day, shaking occasionally.
If you decide to replace sugar with honey or jam, pay attention to the proportions - they will also change. For example, for 1 kg of honey, about 7 liters of water will be required (sugar is 2 times less).

We conclude our review with a useful note on the preparation of malt, which will help to give the drink the desired taste:

green wheat malt gives moonshine softness and a sweetish aftertaste;
rye malt makes the drink more rigid;
barley malt is somewhat reminiscent of whiskey.

By the way, types of malt can be mixed and used in one recipe. Therefore, having gained experience in the technique of making moonshine, you can safely experiment with tastes and surprise your guests!