Now, not everyone knows the meaning of the word “polugar”, although a century and a half ago it was not only constantly used in speech, but simply used ...
Classical Russian bread wine is a legendary alcoholic drink based on traditional recipes from the 18th and 19th centuries. The concentrate is a product of double distillation from various types of malt. The composition can be used barley, wheat or rye. The output strength reaches 38.5%.
An interesting technique for checking the strength of wine, or "kindness", as they called it in the old days. For this, the method of annealing bread wine is used. The recipe is as follows: the distillate is brought to a boil and set on fire. The amount of liquid remaining after burning determines the quality of the drink and the percentage of alcohol in it. To check, even special tools were invented - an annealing pot and a flask. A liquid is set on fire in the pot, poured into the second vessel, which shows whether the "kindness" of wine is a reference.
The recipe for making polugar has a number of differences from other strong drinks. For example, in the production of vodka, any food containing starch is used - not only cereal grains, but also potatoes, sugar beets, etc. the industrial method of obtaining alcohol loses its taste. In addition to the completely natural substances used to create the polugar, only natural cleaning methods are involved in the manufacturing process that improve the aging and concentration of the drink: charcoal, bread products, milk, and others.
The best temperature for drinking polugar is 8-10°C. Usually the drink is drunk from small piles, called lafitniks, with a volume of 100-150 ml.
In old Soviet films, they often show how the characters throw back a glass and drink the contents in one gulp. However, to enjoy the real aftertaste of polugar, you should sip it in small sips.
Best of all, bread wine is combined with traditional dishes of Russian cuisine: various types of meat, pickles, peppered and garlic dishes, etc.
Classic wine pleasure
The traditional recipe for making bread wine, which is based on ancient methods described in the cookbooks of pre-revolutionary Russia, includes the following ingredients:
- Malt brewed from varieties of wheat, barley or rye. You will need to grind about 5 kg.
- Water - about 20 liters.
- Dry yeast - 50 grams, or pressed - up to 300 grams.
What cereals to take as a basis is not important. However, most classic recipes are based on rye. The water must be clean. A well or spring well is perfect. If this is not available, then ordinary tap water can also be used, after letting it stand for a day and passing it through a special purification filter.
Stages of making wine
Malt production
First you need to grind cereals to coarse grains. It is important to note that it is not worth turning grains into flour, so that there are no complications at the next stages of production. And most importantly - the malt must be thoroughly dried.
You can also run to the store and buy ready-made ground malt. Fortunately, the shops offer a lot of options. The purchase of a finished product is ideal for those who are just beginning to comprehend the science of winemaking - the grains are already ground and dried.
Mashing
It looks like a terrible word, but there is nothing terrible and complicated in it. This is a trivial way of breaking down starch-containing substances into sugar under the influence of water and high temperature.
The recipe is simple: fill the pan with water, put on fire and bring to a boil. We turn off the burner and wait for the temperature to drop to 55 ° C - this is where the thermometer comes in handy. Then we pour the malt solution and carefully mix until a homogeneous mass is formed (so that there are no sticky lumps at the bottom of the vessel). The liquid is heated to a temperature of not more than 65 ° C, and the container is tightly closed with a lid. The most difficult thing is to maintain a fixed temperature of 60–65°C for an hour and a half. Deviation from the regime can lead to a reduced formation of sugar from starch in the wort, which in turn will significantly affect the stage of fermentation.
Fermentation
Yeast enters the fray. They are needed to convert sugar into alcohol.
First, the solution is cooled to 28°C and poured into a vessel specially prepared for fermentation. Separately, it is required to prepare the yeast - dilute them in accordance with the instructions on the pack. Then we pour the diluted yeast into a fermentation vessel, mix gently and fix a strong water seal on top. The container is stored in a dark place at a temperature of 20-25°C.
The duration of the fermentation period is influenced by several factors: the amount of sugar produced from the malt, the quality of the yeast, and the constancy of the temperature regime. The process of preparing the wort can take up to 16 days. Once a day, it is highly recommended to mix the solution with clean hands.
The readiness of the product is determined by color and taste - the mash acquires lighter tones and a bitter aftertaste appears. If the drink changes its color and is bitter, you can start distilling.
First distillation
At this stage, it is important to strain out as much alcohol as possible from the fermented substance. To do this, you need a moonshine still, into which the infused bread mash is poured. Drainage should be carried out through a fine strainer, which filters large, undecomposed malt grains. If large particles get into the vessel, they can burn and spoil the quality of the moonshine at the exit.
Distillation takes place over low heat and continues until the fortress falls below 25 ° C. The result is a "source" of a cloudy color with a pungent odor.
Recycling
The new distillation is designed to purify moonshine from unhealthy impurities. This is done as follows: the solution must be diluted with water by half and re-distilled. Only this time the substance will need to be crushed into pieces.
The first 200 ml is “pervach”, that is, a harmful component that contains components such as acetone that are dangerous to the body. This portion of alcohol should be collected in a separate container and disposed of.
Then the main fragment will “run” - the “body” - and it will be necessary to carefully draw it into another container - this is the very half-gar, still uncleaned, raw.
At the end, "tails" will come out - a distillate with a low alcohol content. This raw material can be useful only for the next preparation of mash. It can no longer be used to make bread wine.
cleaning
Before use, excess impurities should be removed from the drink. In traditional recipes, four methods of removing toxic substances from polugar are advised: charcoal, bread, milk and egg white. As a rule, in all cases, either a special filter or direct contact of the liquid with the components is used. You can also practice several methods of cleaning at the same time.
Water again becomes an important element in the cleaning procedure. It is added to reduce the degree and improve the absorption of harmful substances into the excretory agents.
Last operation
The final step in the structure of the classic recipe is the final adjustment of the fortress to the standard - 38.5%. After the resulting drink is poured into bottles, which are tightly closed with corks, and kept for 3 days in a cool place protected from light.
The output is usually about 2-3 liters of pure polugar. Here, the determining factors are the sugar content of the malt, the quality of the grout and the quality factor of the distillation.
Conclusion
Many people compare bread wine with vodka or cognac. But polugar is something else. And it's not just about the production technology of products. A distinctive feature is the pleasant soft taste of bread and an unsurpassed natural aroma, which you will not find in any strong alcoholic drink, even in the highest quality original samples.
The lost symbol of the Russian feast, restored thanks to lovers of traditional distillation, bread wine distillate has become a new trend of domestic culinary recipes and national pride.
For many modern Russians, and even more so for foreigners, the word "polugar" does not mean anything. That is why some take the name of this revived drink as a marketing ploy, because every six months some new strong alcoholic drinks appear on the shelves. In fact, Polugar is the forgotten ancestor of Russian alcohol, it is nothing more than bread wine, which began to be produced in Russia much earlier than vodka we know.
A bit of history
Vodka is a mixture of alcohol and purified water. In Russia, it appeared only at the end of the nineteenth century. What was used earlier in Russia? Bread wine was the main one. It was obtained from ordinary stills, as, however, the whole world still does. The difference was only in raw materials.
Everyone drives a drink from what is rich. In France, Italy, Spain it is grapes, in Germany wheat is more often used, in England it is barley. Russia has always been rich in rye, so they made bread wine from it. The manufacturing process was not much different from ordinary moonshine or the production of "oak-by-strength" whiskey in Scotland. If you believe the first mentions, then Scotch whiskey was already in 1494. A certain abbot sent a request to King James to allocate barley for the production of a strong drink, then it was called "water of life" - "aqua vita".
In Russia, the first strong alcoholic drinks are mentioned in the book of the Pole Matvey Mikhovsky in 1517. He describes that in Muscovy the inhabitants, distilling honey and cereals, make a "burning liquid" that warms them in severe frosts. The Russians themselves called this liquid bread wine (due to the method of preparation).
What is called vodka?
Vodka was called bread wine refined in several stages, to which various spices and herbs were added. From a modern point of view, this is a tincture. And there were several varieties.
Sometimes there was vodka without additives, just the wine was distilled, additionally refined in a vodka cube. This drink was very expensive, only wealthy people drank, they know bread wine. Vodka accounted for only 5% of all alcoholic beverages in the country. The processes of distilling and making vodka from wine at that time were subject to different taxes, these were two completely different processes.
Only in 1936, vodka in Russia began to have a different composition. It has become a common mixture of rectified alcohol with purified water. All bottles with a strength of 40% began to stamp the label "Vodka".
Bread wine - polugar
For a long time, polugar was the highest quality and most popular alcoholic drink in Russia. The wine is quite strong - 38.5%, has a unique rye taste. Until 1895, polugar was considered a symbol of the quality of alcoholic products, because its strength was strictly controlled.
In 1842, Nicholas I even issued a Decree, according to which polugars were tested in a special way, that is, by annealing. How did it happen? Ordinary grain wine could have any strength from 38 to 50 degrees, while polugar strictly kept 38.5%. At that time there were no alcohol meters.
The regulated procedure was as follows: the wine was poured into a copper annealer and set on fire using a special technology. Polugar was supposed to burn exactly half. This is where its name came from - semi-garden wine. The poured two "glasses" burned through and merged into one "glass". It was the norm. Later, when alcoholometers appeared, we managed to find out how many degrees in half a fire, it turned out to be 38-39, but not 40 at all.
Where did 40 degrees come from?
Many are convinced that Mendeleev began to dilute alcohol to a point of forty degrees. In fact, this innovation was introduced by the Minister of Finance of that time, Reitern. This was done to facilitate the work of officials. After the introduction of excises in 1863, they painfully deduced tax amounts, multiplying by 38. The minister ordered that the strength of bread wine be 40 degrees. At that time, alcohol meters were already in full use and the “burnout” technology became irrelevant.
In 1895, in Russia, after the introduction of a state monopoly on the production of polugar, it was banned. Vodka began to be produced. Gradually, the recipe for bread wine was forgotten, and only recently the Russian market began to offer this ancient unique drink.
Types of polugar
Initially, only three types of polugar were supplied to the modern Russian market: malt, wheat and rye. Now new varieties have been launched into production: “garlic-pepper”, “rye-wheat”, “honey-pepper”. These new drinks are a bit cheaper as they are not egg white filtered. For the general public, they are quite affordable. The classic polugar is much more expensive and new options are quite suitable for a first acquaintance.
What is the difference between polugar and vodka
For vodka, pure alcohol is taken, which is made in chemically it is absolutely pure, has no extra smells and tastes. To make polugar, bread wine is used. Traditional distillation does not remove the taste of raw materials. Polugar has a rich, bright aroma of bread. The taste of the drink is incomparable to anything. To some extent, it can only be compared with Scotch whiskey. Polugar is not drunk like vodka. If it is better to drink vodka in one gulp, then polugar should be tasted in small sips, so you can better feel the bright, unique taste and aroma of the drink.
Bread wine recipe. Main steps
Rye distillate is needed to make polugar. For mash, they take selected rye, grind it coarsely and fill it with clean spring water. Water does not require additional filtration.
After the mash has matured and is ready for distillation, special distillation copper cubes should be set up. Following the technology, the mash drink is distilled, if required, in several stages. After that, the polugars are cleaned using either egg whites. The result should be transparent.
The resulting polugar has nothing to do with modern vodka. It does not need to be cooled much, at room temperature the bread flavor is better felt.
Polugar from flour
The recipe for bread wine (polugar) includes the following components:
- 2 kg flour;
- 8 liters of water;
- 100 g of yeast;
- 100 g sugar.
Bread wine without yeast (moonshine)
In Russia, a strong drink made from rye, wheat, oats, barley with the addition of wild yeast has been popular since ancient times. Now alcoholic homemade drinks are no longer so popular, but for lovers of their own natural product, this recipe will come in handy.
Bread moonshine has a special taste that is not inherent in other similar drinks. It has a slightly noticeable taste of grain, you need to drink it chilled, the minimum strength is 32 degrees. If rye was taken as a raw material, the taste of moonshine turns out to be rich, tart; from wheat sourdough, the drink turns out to be softer. The classic drink does not include the addition of extra spices (cinnamon, anise and others).
Cooking steps
We grow wild yeast. Rinse 4 kg of wheat in running water, pour evenly into a 25 liter container. Pour 2 cm higher with clean water. Add 800 g of sugar and mix thoroughly. Leave in a dark place for 5 days. When you smell a sour smell, you will understand that the yeast is ready.
Syrup preparation. In warm water (15 liters) stir 3 kg of sugar. Pour the syrup into a container with wheat. Cover tightly with a lid. Leave to ferment for 6 days. The temperature should be between 22 and 28 degrees.
Distillation. Braga carefully drain without sediment. Distill on a moonshine still. You should get 3 liters of bread moonshine. Its strength reaches 79 degrees. It is better to dilute the drink with clean water to 45-50 degrees.
Cleaning. Manganese is used to clean the drink from. Add a few crystals to the bottle. After a few days, black flakes will fall out at the bottom. After that, you need to filter the moonshine. Lay several layers of gauze in a watering can, laying it with either cotton wool or crushed coal. On the topmost layer, you need to pour 1 teaspoon of soda and sugar. In a small stream, pass the drink through the watering can. Change the filter after every three liters. To improve the taste, filtered moonshine should be infused for 3-5 days.
Now, few people know what a polugar is, although back in the 19th century this word was on everyone's lips. So called wine from bread, which our ancestors made from wheat, rye or barley.
It got its name due to the original method of verification. After cooking, a little clear liquid was poured into a copper saucepan and set on fire. When the flame burned out, the remains of the drink were measured. If half remained, then the polugar turned out well and it can be served on the table.
Gradually cooking technology bread wine was forgotten and replaced by ordinary vodka. But in the old books there are unique recipes by which you can cook polugar and enjoy the traditional Russian drink.
Bread wine - a classic recipe
You will need:
- Malt made from rye, barley or wheat grains, 5 kg.
- 20 liters of filtered or settled water.
- 300 grams of fresh yeast.
It is very important to choose the right raw materials for malt. To do this, you need to grind the grains with coarse grinding or purchase the finished product in the store. Make sure it is dry and clean.
Cooking:
1. Pour water into a saucepan and boil. Wait until it cools down to 55°C and pour prepared malt into it. Thoroughly stir all the lumps and heat the mixture to 61-64°C.
Cover the container with a lid and let the malt stand for an hour and a half, maintaining the temperature in it up to 65°C.
2. Then cool the liquid a little, and pour it into a large glass bottle. Dissolve yeast in warm liquid and stir.
Put a water seal on the neck and leave in a warm place for two weeks. Open container daily and stir.
3. When the raw material brightens and tastes a little bitter, strain it through a sieve and pour into a moonshine distillation vessel. Put on the stove and distill the mash until its strength drops to 25 degrees. It will be white and tasteless. requires re-distillation.
4. Dilute the cloudy liquid with water by half and use a moonshine to get a clean, clear drink.
Collect about 200 ml of pervak in a separate bottle. It contains harmful impurities, and it is better not to use it. As soon as the strength of the polugar drops to 40 degrees, turn off the fire and stop distillation.
5. When the high-grade drink cools down, dilute it with distilled water to 45 degrees and clean the liquid from harmful impurities.
In Russia, they gave softness and a delicate taste to polugar with the help of bread, milk, charcoal or beaten egg white.
You can use all cleaning methods or try just one, such as charcoal. Put some black pebbles into a deep sieve, strain bread wine through them or dip a few tablets of activated charcoal into the liquid for a day.
6. Measure the drink with an alcohol meter, and dilute to 38.5 degrees. Bottle the polugar and store in the cellar.
You can drink it after a few days. Pour the chilled liquid into a tall glass and savor it in small sips. This will give you the opportunity to feel all the softness and aroma of polugar made according to an old recipe.
When the conversation turns to hard liquor, the interlocutors usually think of vodka, cognac or whiskey.
Meanwhile, we Russians have another drink, the recipe of which was well known to our ancestors in those days when vodka had not yet been invented.
In terms of taste, it is in no way inferior to good whiskey and vodka, while it is prepared quite easily at home. This is bread wine, otherwise called “polugar”.
The original name of this alcohol was thanks to the method of checking its readiness and quality. Checking whether it was ripe enough for consumption, the Russians poured it into a ladle and set it on fire. If, after the end of combustion, the volume of the remaining liquid was half of the original volume, the drink was considered ready.
In part, polugar is similar to: its strength is 38.5%, it is unsweetened and transparent. But there is a fundamental difference: only alcohol and water are used to make vodka. Polugar is prepared on the basis of three types of raw materials - malt:
- rye;
- barley;
- wheat.
In this case, the fermentation method is used, after which follows double distillation. Often (but not always) polugars are cleaned with:
- milk;
- charcoal;
- bread.
But the main difference is Polugar has a bright bread aroma, which vodka cannot have.
How to make bread wine?
The process of preparing polugar is not so complicated, but it is lengthy. Be patient, and then you can surprise your friends who came to visit with an unusual drink. The main thing is to strictly follow the sequence of cooking steps.
Cooking malt
Some prefer to germinate the malt themselves. In this case, you should buy grain and treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate. Germination takes 3 days. The malt is then dried and ground using a blender. Raw materials should be obtained, the size of grains of which is similar to the size of grains of buckwheat.
Mashing
The next step is rubbing. For rubbing you will need:
- water - 10 l;
- malt - 2.5 kg;
- yeast.
We put water on the stove and heat it up. First, bring the water to a boil, and then cool it to 55 0 C. Pour malt into the water and stir. Slowly heat up the mixture. When the temperature reaches 65 0 C, close the raw material with a lid and simmer.
It is necessary to ensure that the temperature does not fall below 60 0 C, otherwise the malt will not split. Remove the mixture from the heat, wrap it in a blanket and let it sit for a while.
Fermentation
When the mashing phase is over, you will need to place the wort in a container with a water seal. Fermentation takes place at a temperature of 26 to 28 0 C. As soon as the temperature reaches the indicated values, we breed the yeast, following the instructions on the pack, and add it to the wort.
We keep the wort under a water seal for 3 weeks. As soon as the yeast settles, the foam goes away and there is no hiss, it's time to pour the young wine into a distillation vessel.
First distillation
Bread wine is distilled twice. For the first time, the prepared raw materials are drained from the sediment, doing this very carefully so that nothing gets into the distillation cube. Then the raw material is distilled as quickly as possible, cutting off about 3% of the head and transitional fractions.
The result is alcohol. Before the second distillation, it is diluted with water up to 30%.
Second distillation
Make a calculation of the volume of product cut off on the calculator. When cutting off "heads", their volume should be no less than 10% of the total volume. For selection in the “body”, drop a drop of young wine into your palm and rub it. If there is a smell of fresh bread, you can start distillation. Only such raw materials are suitable for selection in the "body".
After distillation, a very strong alcohol is obtained - from 77 to 93%. It is needed to get 38.5%.
cleaning
Some people skip the cleaning step, believing that it is not so important. However, purification allows you to get a drink, devoid of harmful impurities, which could remain in alcohol, so experienced winemakers are advised to spend a little more time and still clean up.
How it's done? It is necessary to choose an adsorbent, the role of which is most often coal.
Note! Activated charcoal sold in pharmacies is not very suitable for this purpose. Experts advise using charcoal.
The adsorbent is mixed with bread wine and left overnight at room temperature. Next, the drink is drained from the sediment.
Storage
Taste young wine. If it seems too strong to you, dilute it a little. Then bottle and refrigerate. 2 weeks the wine should be "on vacation" - only then it will turn into an interesting drink, ready to serve.
Types of polugar
Today we know three varieties of bread wine, perhaps our ancestors knew more of them. This is a semi-garb:
- wheat;
- rye;
- buckwheat.
The first is obtained by double or even triple distillation from wheat raw materials. This wine has a mild bread aroma, and while drinking it seems as if the taste of white bread is felt on the tongue.
The second after two distillations is cleaned with birch charcoal, after which it is subjected to a long exposure. It is interesting that this polugar is aged in oak barrels, like cognac (read:). Exposure time - 3-4 years. The taste of wine - with a hint of butter and rye bread.
The third is prepared on the basis of buckwheat raw materials. The wine will have a pleasant smell of buckwheat honey.
How to drink bread wine?
Like any alcoholic drink, bread wine must be consumed in accordance with certain rules so that its taste and smell are not “lost”.
Polugar must be cooled before serving to guests. Then poured into a transparent decanter and put "at the head of the table." They drink from small glasses, because it is a strong drink. You can take the ones you use for vodka.
Before you drink, you should have a bite to eat so as not to get too drunk during the celebration. For a snack, use light salads, such as cabbage or cucumbers.
As main dishes for bread wine, prepare:
- cabbage soup (sour cabbage soup is especially good);
- meat cutlets;
- roast veal.
Any fish is perfect for a snack, there should be a lot of fresh herbs on the table: dill, onion, parsley.
Polugar goes well with barbecue. When planning a summer meal in the country, replace the usual vodka with bread wine.
The main thing - never forget about the sense of proportion: this alcohol should be consumed a little bit. Connoisseurs recommend drinking it not like vodka, “in one fell swoop”, but little by little, in small sips, to taste the taste and enjoy the aroma.
Remember that polugar, despite its name - bread wine, refers to strong alcohol, rather close to vodka. Therefore, if you suffer from gastrointestinal diseases, it is better to refrain from using it.
Have you ever made bread wine? Maybe you have a recipe left by your great-great-grandfather? If you made wine according to this recipe, it probably turned out to be tastier than its store-bought "brothers" - vodka and whiskey, and in any case - healthier.
Write to us about your unique experience and tell us what you prefer to eat bread wine with. Maybe these are some "signature" dishes that are prepared only in your family?
Not everyone knows what Polugar is - some consider it vodka, but in fact it is rye, wheat or barley drink, which is most often referred to as bread wine.
This article tells more about this malt distillate, describes step by step the recipe for its preparation at home.
Talented marketing is able to arouse the interest of the public, both in new products and in traditional, but undeservedly forgotten ones. This is exactly what happened to strong alcoholic beverages, now united by the common name - Polugar.
This word does not reflect either the recipe or the method of making the drink. This is an old term for its strength.
He describes the way in which the most important characteristic of the intoxicating potion was measured in ancient times:
- Our resourceful ancestors poured an alcohol-containing liquid into a container and set it on fire.
- If half of it remained, then the product was awarded the title - polugar.
- With the invention, it was found that its strength corresponds to 38.5 - 40 degrees.
Reference! Polugar is not vodka or tincture, but a different category of alcoholic beverages.
The distilleries of that time produced mainly bread wines, so the name Polugar is associated with alcoholic beverages made on the basis of grain mash. Malt made from germinated barley, oats and rye was used to give a special taste.
Plant materials were used in pure form or mixed in various proportions. The lion's share in the blend was traditionally occupied by rye. This made it possible for craftsmen to get soft, warming drinks with dominant malt notes in the taste.
Watch a video in which a connoisseur of alcoholic drinks explains what kind of drink it is:
Owners of modern distillers have the opportunity to cook Polugar at home today.
Traditional homemade recipe
The production of this distillate can be broken down into several main steps.
How to make malt?
Trade offers ready-made malt in whole and crushed form. But many distilling enthusiasts prefer to make their own.
In the old days, the grain of cereals that grew in the area was taken as the basis. Therefore, you can take any unprocessed grain either in its pure form, or use several varieties of cereals.
Important! Each component of the future mixture is processed separately.
Cooking:
- Rinse the grains thoroughly with running cold water. Remove floating grains.
- Disinfect with a weak manganese solution. This is necessary to destroy the microflora living on the surface of the grain, which will spoil the future mash. Soak for 8 hours.
- Completely drain the water and lay out the raw materials for germination. For this purpose, use plastic fruit boxes lined with a soft cotton cloth.
- Moisten and stir the grain twice a day.
- Germinate for about three days. The size of the sprout should not exceed the length of the grain.
- Spread in a thin layer and dry.
- Grind in any way possible.
You can grind malt with a meat grinder, for example.
Congestion
- Pour three times the weight of the malt into the mashing container with water.
- Heat water to 38 degrees, add vegetable raw materials and mix thoroughly.
- Continue to slowly raise the temperature to 66 degrees.
- Keep the mixture at this heating for 60 minutes. This is the main temperature pause during which the starch contained in the grain is converted into sugar by the action of enzymes.
- Heat the mash to 78 degrees and soak for about three minutes. This reduces the viscosity of the product and can be filtered.
- Boil the resulting thick liquid for an hour. This is necessary for sterilization and removal of compounds containing sulfur.
- Quickly cool the solution to 25 degrees.
Important! Carry out a saccharification test: drop iodine into a small amount of the resulting wort. If it does not turn blue, then all the grain starch has turned into sugar.
Here is a white mash preparation scheme. It was it that the distillers of the 16th century used.
Getting mash
At this stage, yeast is added to the mash. Can be purchased professional wine cultures or in use dry or wet alcoholic baker's yeast. Their packages must be marked "for the preparation of drinks."
In the old days, ordinary bread dough was used for fermentation, so fans of traditions use strains used for baking.
The required amount of alcoholic pressed yeast depends on the starch content of the raw material.
The percentage of starch in cereals used to make Polugar:
- Wheat 65-75;
- Rye 57-66;
- Barley 58-67;
- Oats 41-50.
Multiply the starch content of your raw material by the weight of the grains you used. For 1 kilogram received, 100 grams of yeast will go.
Braga preparation:
- Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of lukewarm water and pour into the chilled wort.
- Close the fermentation container tightly and install a water seal.
- Maintain the room temperature + 20-22 degrees.
- Ferment for 4-6 days.
- Place the container with the mash in a cool dark place to lighten for 12 hours.
The fermented liquid should have a pleasant, fresh smell.
Raw alcohol
Cooking:
- Carefully drain the raw material without raising the sediment.
- Distill as quickly as possible in a distiller, cutting off at least 3% of the head and transitional fractions.
- Finish the process when the strength of the jet falls below 5%.
- Dilute the resulting alcohol to a strength of 30%.
Fractional distillation
The purpose of this stage is to separate the body, or rather the heart of the distillate, from the heads and tails.
- Determine the estimated volume of the final product using address calculators. Cut off heads will be at least 10% of this indicator.
- Focus not only on numbers, but also on organoleptic indicators. A drop of alcohol, rubbed between the palms, gives them the aroma of fresh bread.
- Take only such a distillate into the “body”. A change in odor indicates that it is time to separate the tailings.
Dilute it with water for a traditional 38.8 proof bread wine.
Important! Cool both liquids to 10 degrees to avoid a chemical reaction with the formation of by-products.
cleaning
Fans of bread wine did not agree on its necessity.
Opponents of purification argue that a well-made distillate does not contain a large amount of harmful impurities. They do not carry out this process, wanting to preserve the maximum of aromatic substances.
Proponents refer to the fact that old books mention the settling of distillate in barrels with charcoal. For cleaning, they use well-proven - milk, egg white or charcoal.
The technology is simple: the adsorbent interferes with the drink, settles for a day and merges with the resulting sediment.
Reference! Use only charcoal. Pharmaceutical activated charcoal tablets are not suitable for this process.
Leisure malt drink
The resulting clear drink with a pleasant malt aroma is poured into glassware and put on "rest" for two weeks.
The softness and drinkability of the product increases with the increase in its shelf life. Aging in wooden barrels does not always benefit the distillate because the characteristic smell of wood interrupts the delicate aroma of bread.
Video
The awakening of interest in Polugar is the revival of the best traditions of the national feast. Lovers of strong alcoholic beverages, mastering the technologies of their ancestors, strive not to get alcoholic intoxication, but to new impressions of the aroma and taste of grain wine.
Watch a video showing how to make this distillate at home:
How to use bread wine?
Drinking traditions of Polugar were closely connected with the way of life of his admirers:
- Ordinary people got less refined forms of grain distillate.
- The nobles used complex bread wines. In home distilleries, they made drinks with the addition of garlic, horseradish, juniper berries and fresh cherries.
Old books from two hundred years ago contain detailed recipes and manufacturing techniques for various Polugars. Modern mass media give them unlimited access.
Despite the variety of varieties, the general rules for their use remain.
Polugar is a drink for a feast. They were washed down with dense first and second courses of Russian cuisine. To obtain true gastronomic pleasure, distillates from various cereals were used for different types of dishes.
The choice of drink can be compared to the choice of a slice of bread that is consumed with a meal.
- For example, rye Polugars appropriate for sour cabbage soup, roasted piglet or kulebyaka.
- And the softer wheat, suitable for spring soups made from fresh vegetables or meat stewed in sour cream.
- Kebabs or game are good with bread wine made from barley malt.
Polugar should not be chilled before serving. Bready notes and a warming malt aftertaste sound brighter in a drink at room temperature.
In the tradition of using this Russian national distillate, a special place is given to the size and appearance of the dishes used.
- An ensemble of a decanter for strong alcoholic drinks and small lafitniks will complement the pleasure of a feast.
- Containers for pouring Polugar should not exceed a volume of 25 milliliters.
- In the old days, glasses-flies were used for this drink, in which only 15 ml of intoxicating potion was placed.
The reward for the modern distiller who made Polugar will be the opportunity to taste the drink that our ancestors loved and that overseas guests enjoyed with pleasure.
