Is it possible to stop moonshine and then continue. Optimal heat for efficient fermentation. Temperature conditions for the distillation of mash into moonshine on various devices. Temperature conditions during the distillation of mash

01.04.2022

The most popular drink - moonshine was driven by our distant ancestors and, for sure, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will drive. But not everyone knows how to make moonshine right, especially if this activity was not part of the family culture.

There is some knowledge, but they are fragmented and not always correct. Therefore, those who wish to join this interesting and creative activity must first acquire theoretical knowledge.

In principle, you can even make moonshine with the help of two pans and a film. But this is if there are no other options. We propose to do everything in a civilized way, according to the rules.

For our grandparents, and parents, an aluminum milk flask was considered normal utensils for preparing mash and subsequent distillation. Today it is not just an atavism. It has been experimentally proven that aluminum enters into chemical reactions with an aggressive environment, which is in such dishes. Therefore, we recommend abandoning the use of aluminum both for the maturation of the mash and for its distillation. What remains?

For setting the wort it is better to take:

glass bottle the right size. It is supplemented with a rubber glove fixed on the neck, or with a water seal;
plastic utensils, specially designed for the maturation of mash, also equipped with a water seal;
food grade stainless steel tank. For example, when setting sugar mash without additives, you can immediately use a distillation cube. If this is a grain or fruit must that needs to be filtered before distillation, then it is better to take the dishes separately.

The moonshine is preferably made of food grade stainless steel. A good material, especially for the distillation of grain wort, is copper, but apparatuses made from it are much more expensive than those made from stainless steel. You can limit yourself to a copper coil, with its help sulfur compounds are removed, which are certainly present in the grain mash.

Before use, all dishes are thoroughly washed, otherwise the finished product can be spoiled - it will acquire an unpleasant odor, and the mash can turn sour in a dirty fermentation tank.

Equipment needed by a moonshiner

If the use of a pot or a bottle is acceptable as a container for fermentation, then you cannot do without a moonshine still. It can be homemade or industrial production.

The first option for a skilled owner will be cheaper, but it will require careful selection of materials and a lot of effort.

Advice. For starters, you can try a pressure cooker as an apparatus (if you have one).

It is equipped with two blast valves, one of which is left, and the other is removed and a silicone tube is put on its place (the fitting remains). But you will have to deal with the manufacture of a cooler with a coil.

It is advisable to equip a home-made moonshine still with a dry steamer, even better - two for partial purification of moonshine from fusel oils and other impurities that occur during the fermentation process.

When buying a ready-made device, you save yourself the trouble, but approach the choice responsibly. Do not chase cheapness, but choose a reliable device with good user reviews. Additional options - a steamer (preferably two, one of which is collapsible for flavoring moonshine already during the distillation), a strengthening column will be very useful in the production of high-quality home-made alcohol.

Another moonshiner can not do without:

alcoholometer. You need to know what your moonshine has;
thermometer. It will help to correctly separate the distillate into fractions and will not allow the temperature in the cube to be brought to the point of splashing (ejection of mash or foam into the finished distillate). The best thermometer is digital, but you can get by with a bimetallic one at first;
correct and simple mash recipes and the subsequent run.

Raw material selection

Remember from the first steps: a distiller who wants to achieve mastery and make delicious moonshine will never use low-quality raw materials. This applies to both sugar and fruits, vegetables, cereals or grains. Waste raw materials are called so because they are suitable only for disposal.

Buying cheap, for example, swept sugar (in fact, its waste) or deciding to process jam covered with mold, you will only waste your time and effort, and you will remain extremely dissatisfied with the resulting moonshine. Therefore, in order not to be disappointed from the first steps, use fresh raw materials.

Safety Compliance

This question is extremely important. You have probably heard about cases of explosions of moonshine stills and fires, sometimes claiming the lives of people. So you shouldn't joke about it. Here are the basic moonshiner safety rules:

Never don't leave moonshine during the haul unattended. If splashing occurs, which cannot be insured against, the thick part of the mash can clog the tube and coil. As a result, an explosion will occur. Alcohol ignites easily and a fire cannot be avoided.
Before you put the mash for distillation, check tightness of all connections. If you hear a whistling sound during heating, or even see the release of steam, immediately stop heating. Due to the release of alcohol vapors, you will not only feel a lack of product, but can also cause a fire.
Follow steam cooling in the refrigerator. If the cooler is of a closed type (most of them today), it should always be cold, especially at the point where the distillate exits. Water in a non-flowing refrigerator should also not heat up. Otherwise, some of the non-condensed vapors will escape, filling the room, and then bang!

How to expel moonshine

Obtaining moonshine at home includes the mandatory steps:

, its clarification, filtration and preparation for distillation.
The first "straight through" distillation.
divided into factions.
Purification of the obtained distillate.
If necessary - dilution to the desired strength, aromatization and tinting.

Since all stages are important for obtaining a product that is not embarrassing to put on the table and be sure that it will not harm the users, we will consider them in more detail.

Compliance with the technology of making mash

In order for the braga to succeed and live up to expectations, there are rules that are not recommended to be violated:

Clean dishes.
soft water. In no case do not take distilled or boiled. It does not contain substances that feed the yeast. It is better to take a spring or purified household filter. If you are sure that you have soft water flowing from the tap (there are no deposits in the kettle), you can not filter it specifically for brewing.
Quality ingredients.
warm room in which fermentation will take place. For all types of wort, the recommended room temperature is from 22 to 28°C. The higher the temperature, the more rapid and short fermentation will be. In other words, the mash is more likely to become ready for distillation.

10 liters of prepared water;
2 kg of sugar;
dry yeast - 30 g, pressed - 200 g.

A few words about yeast. For moonshine, the best are alcohol (see:). They are sold either in specialized stores (including on the Internet) or on the market. In almost every market there is a "grandmother" who specializes in the sale of yeast. In her arsenal there will always be alcohol.

Heat the water to 28 degrees, add sugar, stir. It is better to space the yeast first: adding a pinch of sugar and a little water, wait for the formation of a “cap”. This is evidence of yeast activity. They quickly convert sugar into alcohol.

Carefully! Do not add yeast to hot water - it will die. The maximum temperature is 30 ° C, but it is better - less than a couple of degrees.

It is not necessary (although desirable) to put Braga under a water seal. Can be covered with a lid. Fermentation lasts from several days to two weeks (this is if it is cool). Check the readiness for driving on the following grounds:

the hissing has completely stopped, there is no foam;
Braga tastes bitter without the slightest sweetness and alcohol is felt in it;
liquid cleared, at the bottom of a small yeast sediment.

Braga lightening

Sugar mash, although popular because of its simplicity, the best homemade distillates are obtained using grain () or fruits, berries, grapes. The wort after the end of fermentation requires clarification. To do this, use or white clay. Perfect for cat litter.

Advice. See ingredients on the package. It should say: bentonite and no flavors, odor eliminators, etc. All this will turn into moonshine! Before use, the filler is crushed or ground.

2-3 tablespoons of powder are poured into a glass, water is added, diluted and poured into a mash. Stir and wait until it settles to the bottom, at the same time taking with it suspensions that make the mash not transparent. Shake several times for an hour necessarily! The process takes about a day. Then the mash is removed from the sediment. Better - with a silicone tube, like wine. And the sediment is poured, but not into the sewer (it can clog pipes).

Note. White clay will not only lighten the mash, but also remove harmful components from it. Because of what the resulting moonshine will have a pleasant taste and not a sharp smell.

First distillation

Previously, moonshine was driven at a time to the state of "while burning." That's why he was smelly, and the hangover was heavy. Today, this method is unacceptable. AND moonshine should be distilled twice. The first time - without division into factions. Exactly the way our ancestors did.

Second stage

After the end of the distillation, the resulting liquid must be diluted to 20-30 °, no more. Do not forget that - a highly flammable liquid! Secondary distill, dividing the moonshine into fractions:

head or- this is a pure poison, which should not be consumed categorically. The amount of this fraction is about 50 ml for each kg of sugar that you put in the mash;
body. The main part that you will put on the table. They are taken until the fortress is 40 ° in the jet. There is an opinion - 50 °;
tails- low-grade and low-grade liquid. It is also selected separately (see:).

Attention. Approximately from 1 kg of sugar you can get up to 1.2 liters of moonshine.

This means that the body or heart of the distillate will be approximately 1 liter. But it is better to leave a little more on the "tails", which do not differ in taste or pleasant smell and contain a large amount of fusel oils.

Proper temperature control

The distillation cube is put on fire and heated until the temperature reaches 70 °. Another guideline is until a “fog” of distillate appears in the receiving tube (preferably transparent silicone). Then the heat is sharply removed to a minimum and the heads are taken very slowly, drop by drop, avoiding a jet.

Having finished the selection of heads, substitute other dishes, add temperature so that the moonshine flows in a thin stream. When the thermometer reaches 85-88°C, the dishes are changed again and the tails are taken to 98°C. It doesn't make any sense - it's almost water.

Purification of drinking moonshine

To achieve an almost perfect homemade distillate, it is purified. The best ways are wood or, soda, milk. Many people use a household water filter jug. At the same time, the filter is used only for moonshine, and between cleanings it is stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in a film.

Dilution and settling of the finished product

After cleaning, homemade alcohol is diluted to the desired degree. You need to take soft (purified) water and pour alcohol into the water, and in no case - on the contrary, otherwise the liquid may become cloudy. To calculate the proportions, use the moonshiner's calculator or.

Before putting on the table, moonshine should be allowed to stand in the refrigerator for several days to stabilize the taste.

Flavoring and coloring

Improve the appearance and taste of moonshine with berry juice, orange zest, caramelized sugar, herbs, etc.

What to do with waste?

The heads are poured out. In the most extreme case, they can be used for tinctures, rubbing, but not for ingestion.

The tails will still come in handy during the subsequent haul. They are cleaned with oil and then added to the still. This increases the yield of moonshine.

Most people have an idea of how to overtake mash into moonshine. At least theoretical. But not everyone is familiar with the intricacies of the process. This often leads to poor product quality or low output, and in the worst case, the event can end up in a hospital. It’s better to study what the distillation of mash into moonshine is like step by step.

Before you start the process of distilling the mash, you should do two things:

choose the right moonshine;
Familiarize yourself with safety precautions and how to overtake correctly.

And only after that you can start distilling the mash.

Wash distillation

Now most people prefer to buy a ready-made device, and not "bother" with manufacturing. When choosing a purchased device, you should pay attention to the fact that the metal from which it is made is of sufficient thickness, namely at least 1.5 mm along the walls and 2-3 mm at the bottom. In addition, to make the device easier to clean, you should choose it with a wide filler neck. For those who love a flavored drink, a device with a collapsible steamer is well suited. For beginners, a device with a built-in thermometer will be the best.

Safety engineering has stood the test of time and absorbed the experience of many people:

Be sure to filter the mash before distillation. Any large particles can get into the steam pipes and lead to an increase in pressure inside the machine. In turn, this can provoke its explosion.
If you are heating the brew for distillation on a gas burner, it is very important that the receiving container is as far away from an open flame as possible, since alcohol is a flammable substance.
Check the device for leaks: put on the hose and blow into it. After you release the hose, air can escape from a leaky joint. Alcohol vapors can subsequently flow from it.
Use gloves, preferably heat resistant.
Do not open the cube until it has cooled.
Although many of these rules are known and obvious, they are not only worth remembering, but also writing down and hanging in a conspicuous place, since your safety depends on their implementation.

After the safety precautions have been studied, and the device is ready for use, one more thing needs to be done - check the readiness of the mash. How to do it right?

Moonshiners with experience easily determine it to taste. But for this you need to have some experience. Braga should taste unsweetened, if this is not the case, then not all sugar has yet been processed into alcohol. In this case, the distillation can still be done, but the yield will be small. Add more yeast and continue fermenting.
With a special hydrometer device, the readiness of the mash can be checked in a more accurate way. The readings of the finished mash should not exceed 1.002. If they are higher, then you need to add a little water and yeast and send it to a warm place for fermentation.

After the mash is ready, you can make the first stage.

Braga is poured into a distillation cube and closed with a lid. It is very important to tighten the screws tightly for sealing. The moonshine still is installed on the stove and the heating is turned on at full power. Under the exit from the coil, a container is placed where the heads will be collected. It is desirable that its volume be about three liters. It is also necessary to connect a refrigerator to the coil and fill it with water. If the cooling process is under the influence of running water, which is correct, connect to the water supply.
We monitor the temperature in the tank with a thermometer. When it reaches approximately 65–67 degrees, the first drops begin to drip from the coil. At this time, we reduce the heating power so that the temperature rises rather slowly - no more than two degrees per minute.
With further heating, the number of drops begins to increase, and the heads come out. Heads are substances that also contain alcohols, but in small quantities. Their composition includes methyl alcohol, acetone, volatile ethers and other substances harmful to the body. It is necessary to separate the heads slowly, no more than a drop per second, so as not to miss the moment when the body goes. In addition, with rapid evaporation, some of the harmful compounds may remain in the cube, and the product will be spoiled. Often experienced moonshiners do this by eye. The fact is that the first fraction has a persistent smell of acetone. If you do not have that much experience, then know that the general rule is 50 ml of product per kg of sugar in the first distillation, as a rule, this is enough.
Incorrectly chosen heads can cause severe headaches the next morning. In the process of cutting off heads, the temperature rises further to approximately 80-82 degrees. In this range, raw alcohol, or the body, is already beginning to come out. It is not necessary to pour out the heads, they are a fairly strong alcohol that can be used for technical needs.
At the end of the selection of heads, it is necessary to increase the heating power, the product should no longer come out in drops, but in a thin stream. At this time, ethyl alcohol evaporates. The temperature of the finished moonshine that comes out of the coil should be about 19-20 degrees, which is regulated using a refrigerator. This temperature gives the smallest error in measuring the percentage of alcohol.
The temperature in the cube continues to rise, but at the same time it should not be higher than 100 degrees, this must be monitored. At this stage, the product is already taken into a small container for constant monitoring of the alcohol content using a hydrometer. It is best to use a glass flask for sampling. When the alcohol content in the outgoing product reaches 40%, the selection of the body is completed. With further distillation, tails will come out, less strong alcohols with a high content of fusel oils. Tailings are selected up to 20% alcohol. Some use them for re-distillation, although many do not advise doing this.
After the end of the process, they wait for the apparatus to cool down and dispose of the remaining mash. The distillation cube and the coil are washed.

The resulting product of the distilled mash is called raw alcohol. As a rule, its purity is still not enough, so the run is done again. Not all experienced moonshiners do this, some do the first run quickly, often without fractionation, and the heads and tails are taken off during the second run.

Second distillation

How to overtake mash for moonshine during the second distillation? When re-distilled, the product is more pure, with a high alcohol content. Before pouring raw alcohol into the moonshine, do not forget to dilute it to 20% alcohol content to avoid concentrated vapors. Then everything is done as in the first distillation, except that it is considered sufficient to select 30 ml per kilogram of sugar. You should also not forget that the cube must be filled no more than 2/3 of the volume.

Another difference from the first distillation is that in this case it is recommended to finish the selection of the product at 50% alcohol concentration, since there is a possibility that the tails may also end up in moonshine with a concentration of 40-50%.

After the second stage, we get the finished product with an alcohol content of about 70%. We dilute it to the desired concentration with clean drinking water. In order for it not to become cloudy, it is recommended to pour alcohol into water, and not vice versa.

How to determine that the mash distillation process can be completed?

The easiest way is to taste the finished product. If alcohol is still felt in it, then we continue, if not, we finish.
Another easy way is to wet a napkin and set it on fire. If it ignites quickly, continue the distillation process. If it doesn't light up, we're done. There is a similar way to determine the beginning of the head fraction when the product is poured into a spoon and an attempt is made to set it on fire. If it lights up, then you can take away the body further.
If there is a thermometer in the distillation cube, the selection of heads is stopped at a temperature of 96 degrees, or 40% alcohol.

Filtration

Sometimes, before the second time, the distilled mash is filtered to get it of higher purity and quality. This is done as follows:

20 g of refined oil is added per liter of liquid and closed with a lid. The mixture is infused for 12 hours, after which it is drained from under the oil film using a flexible tube. It is also recommended to pass it through a cotton or gauze filter.
Another way is to put coal on the filter, preferably stone birch or coconut. If this is not available, you can use the usual pharmacy. Next, filter the alcohol through a watering can. Some advise lowering the coal into a container with alcohol, but this is not recommended, as it can become sour there and it will be difficult to get it.

If fruits were used to obtain moonshine, then it is recommended to do another distillation instead of filtration, since otherwise it may lose some of its taste.

The use of heads and tails

After making moonshine, it is undesirable to throw away heads and tails, since they have a significant alcohol content, and therefore can be used for other needs.

The heads are used as technical alcohol. They can be used as a solvent, stain remover, window cleaner.
Tails are great for making infusions, but only for external use.
Sometimes tails are added to the next batch of mash, but experienced moonshiners warn that this can affect the quality of the product.

Often, in order to purify the product, substances such as milk, egg white, rye bread and others are used. Many believe that this really helps, but this fact remains unproven, so it is recommended to rerun the product to achieve higher quality. In order for the re-distillation to make sense, it is important to carefully select the heads and tails each time, then the quality of the moonshine will be at its best without any additional purifications.

Perhaps, in order to answer all the available questions, this will not be enough, especially for those who have never done this before. To replenish your knowledge and do the job as well as possible, you must also communicate with experienced moonshiners. However, keep in mind that not all of their advice is applicable to your case. Real mastery can be achieved only after a while and thanks to the accumulated experience.

At what temperature to drive moonshine at home and from what is it better to distill it? The distilled material can be absolutely anything - jam, honey, fruits, grains and berries, even potatoes. The initial wort that you choose as the starting material for the distillation of moonshine will determine the taste. Also, a good end product depends on the exposure time and temperature conditions. You can get completely different alcoholic drinks, which will differ not only in color and taste, but also in degrees. And if you need to sublimate an alcohol-containing liquid, then we must also talk about the quality of the final alcohol, and, as practice shows, it can be different. You can, of course, take fermented jam and throw a handful of yeast into it, but there are simply wonderful products that can give an amazing effect when distilled.

In the south of Russia, chacha is popular - a drink whose cultural roots come from Georgia. Nothing compares to what is made from the pomace of grapes that you have crushed with your own hands. And if you manage to find mulberry somewhere and somehow manage to grind it - either with a mortar, or again by hand, then the effect will be unimaginable. Fantastic feijoa chacha comes out, it is very easy to drink, has a delicious ethereal range and extraordinary flavor characteristics. It will be an interesting experience if you add to the recipe:

quince;
pear.

Armenians, for example, are distilled from mulberries and figs, which certainly adds value to the final product. Thus, the distillation process is a creative thing, limited only by your imagination.

Distillation process and required temperature

In order to get crystal clear moonshine without harmful impurities and unpleasant odors, it is not enough to purchase a high-quality moonshine still. Things like the right order of operations and maintaining the optimum temperature are very important here. These are the most important stages of home brewing. You can experiment, but without observing the distillation technology, even the best initial wort (mash) will turn out to be bad moonshine.

So, consider the procedure that is necessary for the high-quality distillation of alcohol.

First of all, to start the extraction of moonshine, you need to prepare the mash. There are countless recipes for making mash. It all depends on the taste that you want to get at the end. And the recipe itself depends on what you decide to distill moonshine from. The main thing to remember is that if you decide to use natural remedies that can ferment on their own - candied jam, honey, apples - then yeast is not needed. If you decide to go the traditional way with the use of sugar and yeast, then you must carefully observe the necessary proportions and recipes.

The choice of water is extremely important - it is not recommended to use tap liquid: neither the hydro-alkaline balance, nor its hardness, nor the presence of minerals and chemicals in it, which can adversely affect the fermentation process, is known. In no case do not boil the water - you will remove all the oxygen from it, which is so necessary for fermentation.

Tip: buy any clean, preferably spring or artesian water, as well as water from wells.

Fortunately, there are now a huge number of suppliers and you can always choose a water option for any budget in the nearest store.

The easiest mash recipe

We will need:

1 kg of sugar;
5 liters of water (temperature not more than 40 ° C),
pressed yeast 100 g or dry - 20 g

You can increase the amount of the desired product, the main thing is to keep the proportions.

Cooking process

First you need to dissolve the sugar in the water: if you do not do this, then it will settle to the bottom, not dissolve and will not stimulate the fermentation process.

In another container, mix water, yeast and 2 tbsp. l. sugar, put in a warm place for 2 hours, stirring the sourdough from time to time.

When the yeast comes to life, you should mix all the ingredients in a container in which the entire fermentation process will take place.

It is advisable to take a glass jar, since glass is the most neutral material in terms of properties.

After combining all the ingredients, put an ordinary medical glove on the jar, after piercing the tips of her fingers with a needle.

What to do next?

You need to choose a suitable warm and dark place. The distillation temperature of moonshine should be in the range between 20-35 °C.

It is important to constantly monitor the fermentation process - when overheated, there is a possibility of loss of useful substances.

After 3-10 days, the mash will be ready for further distillation into moonshine. It is very simple to determine the readiness of the mash - by the glove: if it is still inflated, then the fermentation process is underway, if it is blown away, the mash is ready.

After receiving the finished mash, we proceed to its distillation.

The distillation process is based on the difference in the boiling points of alcohol, water and fusel oils. The boiling point of water is 100°C, but alcohol boils at 78.3°C. Accordingly, the boiling point of a mixture of alcohol and water will be the average of this range, it all depends on the ratio of the components. To distill high-quality moonshine, the heating process must be carried out in stages, and it is important to follow this.

The first step is heating the mash to the boiling point of light impurities, namely 65-68 ° C. Temperature control must be done using a thermometer, but if this device is not available, you can determine it yourself: a slight smell of alcohol will appear, condensation can be detected on the walls of the refrigerator, and the first drops of moonshine will appear from the exit point. At this stage, the heating process is not limited by anything, since what we have received at this moment is the so-called pervach - the most poisonous and unsuitable product for consumption.

But do not rush to throw it away, as pervach is a great alternative to acetone, and it can be used, for example, as a kitchen degreaser.

The transition from the first stage to the second is the most important, since after the pervac is drained, an intensive release of light impurities begins. From this point on, it is necessary to heat the mixture as smoothly as possible until the second critical moment of 78 ° C, which corresponds to the boiling point of alcohol. Skillful balancing of the heating rate in a relatively small temperature range between 78-83 °C is required throughout the distillation time. Otherwise, either the ejection of the mash will occur, or the connecting tubes will become clogged with cake.

It is important to understand that as the temperature rises, the amount of alcohol will steadily decrease due to the low boiling point, respectively, there will be more water, and the whole mixture will begin to boil faster. Then we will come close to the third stage, which should be avoided altogether - at temperatures above 85 ° C, an intensive release of fusel oils begins - extremely undesirable substances in moonshine that worsen its quality in terms of taste and safety for the body.

You can find out that the moonshine is ready with the help of a piece of paper - you need to moisten it and set it on fire. If it burns with a blue flame, continue the distillation. If it stops flashing, then you can end the process.

If you did everything right - from choosing the initial raw materials to observing the temperature regime during distillation, then the moonshine is ready.

And what to do with ready-made moonshine is up to you. You can use it in its pure form - this drink is popularly called "little white". You can insist it in barrels, in which case you will have the opportunity to distill your own cognac, rum and even whiskey. And you can start the rectification process, in which you can get pure alcohol. True, this requires more complex and expensive equipment.

Distilling moonshine is an exciting and creative activity. But at the same time, it is important to take a responsible approach to its use. Remember that excessive addiction to alcohol leads to sad consequences.

The distillation temperature of moonshine is not just data that distillers take into account for one reason or another. The temperature indicator helps to create a high-quality alcoholic drink at home.

It is known from the course of chemistry and physics that alcohol boils at a temperature of 78 degrees, its boiling continues until the indicator reaches 83 degrees. Water boils at 100 degrees.

Temperature regime of moonshine distillation

Braga is a mixture of water and alcohol (and not only), it contains a sufficient amount of impurities that boil when a certain temperature is reached. So, in order to get a high quality product, it is worth having a certain idea of how the degrees affect the distillation process.

The answer to the question at what temperature moonshine begins to drip is of interest to many lovers of making distillate at home. The thing is that it is difficult to answer it unambiguously. The indicator is in the range from 78 to 85 degrees.

Some moonshiners claim that moonshine boils when the temperature reaches 82-83 degrees.

At the same time, fusel oils and harmful impurities boil at a completely different temperature. In order not to get confused in the distillation mode, it is worth equipping the distiller with a thermometer. The sensor will help track performance and produce high quality moonshine.

So, here is the power of degrees:

compliance with the regime helps to produce fractional distillation, that is, to separate the distillate into fractions (cut off the heads and tails, thereby improving the quality of the product several times);
avoid getting into the main fraction (the so-called body) of tails and heads, and with them harmful impurities.

Focusing on time, trying to figure out the degrees, distillers pursue one single goal - to improve the quality of moonshine. Influence its taste and aroma. But it is worth remembering that the indicators depend not only on the amount of ethyl alcohol in the mash, but also on the moonshine still.

It must be borne in mind that a distiller with a dry steamer has its own characteristics, in addition, in devices of various designs, the temperature regime has different fluctuations. Everything is rather subtle here, since it is worth considering not only the main design features of the apparatus, but even the metal from which the distiller was made.

Difficulties can arise if the unit was made in a handicraft way. The design does not provide for the presence of a thermometer, and there is nowhere to mount it.

Some craftsmen equip the distillation cube with a sensor, tracking temperature fluctuations with it. But such data is difficult to call accurate. However, it's better than nothing.

Having figured out why you need to monitor the indicators, it’s worth moving on to the features of fractional distillation.

How to choose moonshine?

It is no secret that the distillation temperature of moonshine changes during the distillation process. Tracking these fluctuations allows you to competently carry out fractional distillation, that is, to separate alcohol into fractions and, as a result, obtain a high-quality product.

So, the essence of the division into fractions:

The beginning of the selection of the distillate is due to the cutting off of the heads. The so-called head fraction is moonshine (pervak, or pervach) of high strength, which can be used only for technical needs. Of the total volume of moonshine, pervak is about 8-10%.
After the selection of heads ends, it is worth starting the selection of the body. The body is a quality product, which contains practically no fusel oils and harmful impurities. It can be taken internally. From such alcohol prepare tinctures and other noble drinks of high quality.
At the final stage, we proceed to the selection of tails. The tail part has a low strength, it contains impurities and fusel oils. But their concentration is slightly lower than in the head fraction. Tails can be poured into mash, which will significantly increase its strength and resistance to temperature extremes.

If you do not observe the temperature regime, then the risk of "grabbing tails" increases. That is, along with the body, capture the last, tail part, which contains harmful impurities and fusel oils. This will lead to a decrease in the quality of the product, change its taste and aroma.

To prevent this from happening, you need to learn to understand the degrees, equip the device with a good thermometer and follow the recommendations of experienced distillers. You can delve into the study of the problem and consider the stages of distillation in more detail.

Braga distillation: temperature stages and features

Conventionally, the entire technology can be divided into 3 main stages, which are related to the indicators on the temperature monitoring sensor.

So, the main stages or the connection of moonshine with degrees:

Let's start with the selection of volatile fractions. When the temperature reaches 65–68 degrees, the evaporation of light but harmful fractions (methyl alcohol, which is dangerous to human life and health, acetaldehyde, etc.) begins. They will be part of the so-called pervak, strong, but harmful moonshine. In this case, condensation is accompanied by the appearance of a characteristic, unpleasant odor. First, the "aroma" appears, and after it - the first drops of the long-awaited distillate. They usually act according to the following scheme: moonshine is actively heated until the indicator reaches 63 °. Then the temperature is gradually reduced, they continue to heat up, bringing it to an indicator of 65-68 degrees. If you miss the moment, then boiling mash can get into a steamer or refrigerator. This will spoil the quality of the finished product, affect its taste and aroma.
At the second stage, we proceed to the selection of the main product. The same moonshine that we will drink and use for its intended purpose. Separation of the body occurs when reaching 78 degrees. Before proceeding with the collection of distillate, it is worth replacing the steamer, it is advisable to rinse it and re-mount it in the apparatus. Raise the temperature gradually, do not do this abruptly. When the indicator reaches 78 degrees, the separation of the main product will begin. It won't happen right away, it will take some time. It is difficult to say how long you need to wait, because everything here depends on the design features of the distiller. Over time, the amount of condensed distillate will decrease and the temperature will rise. The selection of the main product is stopped when the temperature reaches 85 degrees. It is at this point that fusel oils and harmful impurities begin to evaporate. If you miss the moment, then alcohol will have an unpleasant smell and a sharp taste that burns the receptors. Re-distillation will help correct the situation.
When reaching 85 degrees, it is worth starting the selection of the tail section. Before starting the collection, it is necessary to prepare a special container. While product selection may be considered complete, tailings are selected for several reasons. In most cases, they are used in order to increase the strength of the mash, to speed up the process of its fermentation. Ethyl alcohol is contained in a small amount in the remains of the mash, but it cannot be obtained by condensation. Even after repeated distillation, the tails will be undrinkable, they are not used for this purpose.

Having finished the step-by-step review of the process, it is worth noting that there are three main indicators in the production of moonshine:

65–68 degrees - heads begin to move away, the first drops of distillate appear.
78 degrees - we proceed to the selection of a quality product that has good characteristics and can be used for its intended purpose.
85 degrees - you need to stop the selection of the body and proceed to the selection of tails that can be used to create a high quality mash.

If you control the production process and monitor the temperature sensor, you will eventually be able to make a drink at home that will have a mild taste and pleasant aroma.

From this we conclude that the boiling point of high-quality moonshine ranges from 78 to 85 degrees. The distillate begins to boil when it reaches 65–68 degrees.

How to do without a thermometer?

If it is not possible to control the distillate production process with a thermometer, then fractional distillation should not be abandoned. It will help to significantly improve the quality of alcohol. You can do without a thermometer, but in this case you will have to follow the following rules:

The appearance of a sharp, unpleasant odor will help to recognize the exit of the head fraction. It indicates that harmful impurities and aldehydes began to evaporate.
You can use an alcohol meter instead of a thermometer, when the strength in the stream drops below 40 degrees, tailings begin to be collected.
If the distillate output dropped to zero, that is, condensation stopped, then the temperature reached a level of 83 degrees.

Even distillers often use the ability of the distillate to burn. They set fire to a napkin or piece of paper dipped in moonshine. When the paper ceases to burn with an even, blue flame, the selection of alcohol is stopped.

It is worth noting that tailings can be taken until the fortress in the jet drops to 15–20 degrees. There are no strict restrictions on this. Most moonshiners continue to collect tailings as long as they somehow burn.

The high price of alcohol today does not guarantee that you will buy a quality product and not get poisoned. Counterfeiting is a mass phenomenon and so far the fight against it has not been successful. This is the main reason for the popularity of home brewing.

After all, a hand-made product from ingredients selected by you personally often surpasses store-bought vodka both in taste and quality.

Consider how the mash is distilled into moonshine step by step according to modern requirements. We hope the tips will be useful not only for beginners (see also:).

Before preparing for the transfer, you need to make sure that the mash is ripe. There are reliable methods for this:

The scientific approach provides measurement of density with a sugar meter-hydrometer. It is believed that it should show no more than 1.002%. But sometimes fermentation stops earlier. Then it is recommended to add a little water and yeast and put the container in heat. After a couple of days, measure the density again and if it is suitable, the mash is ready.
The surest of folk methods is to taste it. Mature mash bitter, it is clearly felt and there is not the slightest sweetness.

By checking and pouring the mash without prior preparation into the distillation cube and putting it on fire, you run the risk of getting a low-quality distillate with a burnt “aroma”. Even repeated distillation will not help get rid of it. And this happened because even in sugar mash invariably sediment from dead yeast is present.

Partly it accumulates at the bottom, partly remains in the form of suspensions (from which the mash is cloudy). Therefore, one of the main rules of the moonshiner is to clarify the mash and remove it from the sediment. Even if a tiny part of the raw alcohol is lost, your moonshine will have a much better organoleptic quality than if distilled without clarification.

For clarification, there are several methods:

If the mash, after the fermentation has stopped, is taken out for a couple of days in the cold (but not in the cold), self-clarification will occur. The remaining yeast from the low temperature will die and settle to the bottom, the liquid will become transparent.
Add bentonite (cat litter without additives) to the mash at the rate of a full tablespoon with a slide of ground powder per 10 liters of mash. After settling for 12-20 hours, remove from the sediment.
Pour a liter of milk into 10 liters of liquid into the finished mash. After settling, white flakes form. They need to be weeded out.
Pour into a waste container a tablespoon of salt and baking soda. After the appearance of a precipitate, carefully filter.

After applying any of the methods of clarification, the mash is removed from the sediment using a thin tube. The container is placed on an elevation, the tube is lowered into the container, not bringing a centimeter and a half to the liquid level. Braga is drawn in by mouth and when it goes through the tube, the other end is lowered into a container placed on the floor.

Advice. If you feel sorry for pouring out the remaining liquid with sediment, strain it through several layers of cheesecloth, and then filter through cotton wool or cotton pads.

Temperature conditions

The temperature in the cube at the appearance of the first drops of distillate is from 63°С. But this is not yet the substance that can be ingested. This is what the common people call heads. They consist of methylene, ethers, acetone, aldehydes and all impurities whose boiling point is lower than that of drinking alcohol.

The boiling of ethyl alcohol, and hence the transformation of the released vapors into real moonshine, begins when the temperature rises up to 78°C.

And up to 85 ° C, this is basically raw alcohol, and then fusel oils begin to boil and distill. Moonshine is driven, as a rule, until the temperature rises above 92 ° C. Further - it is almost water and it is not worth wasting time and gas with electricity on it.

First run

Most often, the first distillation is carried out directly, without separation into fractions, until the strength in the stream reaches 35-30 °. But this is not quite the right approach.

Focusing on the boiling point of the various ingredients included in the raw alcohol, already during the first distillation, half of the head fractions should be removed.

Knowing the amount of sugar added to the mash, it is easy to determine the number of goals. This is 60-100 ml from each kilogram of sugar. For the first stage, half should be removed, that is, 30-50 ml. Say, with 3 kg of sugar, this is 90-150 ml.

Advice. The minimum or maximum number of heads is determined by the smell of the mash itself. The more flavor and fuselage, the more heads should be removed.

Tails at the first stage leave or withdraw in a separate bowl. With this approach, the finished distillate will be somewhat less, but its quality will be many times higher.

The liquid obtained after the first distillation is called raw alcohol, and requires additional distillation, since it still contains a large amount of fusel oils and other impurities harmful to health.

Processing and filtering

Before re-distillation, it is necessary to remove as much fusel as possible from raw alcohol so that the distillation gives out as clean a distillate as possible, which can then be further refined to improve organoleptic indicators (taste, purity, degree of softness).

To do this, it must be processed with subsequent filtration, or passing through a household carbon filter, which is practiced by many distillers. Used for this purpose:

activated birch or coconut charcoal (you can make it yourself). Enough 1 tablespoon of crushed coal per 1 liter of raw alcohol;
potassium permanganate at the rate of 1 g per liter;
salt and soda - a tablespoon per liter. First add soda, then salt.

Attention. The soda-salt method can be supplemented with potassium permanganate treatment: first add potassium permanganate, and after half an hour - soda, then salt.

After applying one or more substances, raw alcohol should be allowed to settle until a precipitate forms, which takes from 2-3 hours to 1-2 days.

For filtering use:

Cotton discs. It is best to twist them into a not too tight tube and insert them into the neck of a large watering can, or a plastic bottle with a cut off bottom.
Cotton gauze pads. In several layers of cotton wool or bandage, wrap a flat piece of cotton wool and pass raw alcohol through this homemade filter.
Special filters made of paper or cardboard.

Second distillation

Important. Be sure to dilute the primary distillate with water before distillation so that the total strength does not exceed 35 °.

The lower the alcohol content, the easier it is to separate moonshine vapors into fractions. And don't forget about the easy flammability of alcohol!

Step by step the second stage looks like this:

Pour diluted raw alcohol into a thoroughly washed cube. Connect all parts of the apparatus and set to heat up.

A dry steamer is a good helper for high-quality distillation. It is important that it has a faucet at the bottom to drain the stillage or be made in the form of a jar with a screw cap.

Watch the temperature carefully. When it reaches 62°C, lower the heat and wait for the first drops to appear. It started to separate heads. It is important that they drip and not flow in a stream, so keep the fire to a minimum. If you have already selected half of the estimated number of heads during the first haul, then when the end of the selection is approaching, conduct a “head test”. Substitute the back of your hand and catch a few drops of distillate from the straw on it. Rub them on your skin and smell them. An unpleasant odor with hints of acetone and fusel oil indicates that the selection still needs to be continued. An alcoholic smell or with notes of the original product (grains, fruits, etc.) indicates that it is time to remove the dishes into which the first fraction was taken and substitute a new one for the selection of the body.

Attention. Before driving the body (heart) of moonshine, remove the stillage from the steamer by substituting a receiving container under the faucet. Or replace the jar in the steamer with a clean one. This way you will not allow the accumulated fuselage to be picked up by the vapors and go into the final product.

Turn up the temperature, let the moonshine trickle. Select the heart until the strength in the jet reaches 40°. This usually occurs when the temperature in the cube is above 85°C.

Advice. To control the strength in the jet, it is desirable to have a parrot. But since the temperature of the distillation is rarely close to 20 ° C, use an electronic alcohol meter that automatically measures the temperature and corrects the readings on its own.

Do not take away the body if the fortress has fallen below 40°. At this stage, the secretion of fuselage is activated. This faction is the tails, they need to be collected separately. As a rule, degrees up to 25-30, or until the temperature in the cube reaches 92-94°C. Further collection of low-grade "water" is impractical.

For information:

cleaning

In front of you is an almost ready-to-drink product. You just need to bring it to perfection, possible at home.

It is believed that at home it is impossible to bring the purity of the product to perfection and completely get rid of fusel oils. But this is not necessary. The unique organoleptic of moonshine is determined by their presence. For example, in whiskey, the allowable amount of fusel oils is 3000 times higher than in vodka, in cognac - up to 1000 times higher. But more people suffer from vodka alcoholism than whiskey or cognac.

Even the ancients knew that the purer the poison, the faster it acts. And our body perceives any alcoholic drink as a poison.

But still, and at the last stage, resort to cleaning. This will help get rid of the most harmful substances. Homemade moonshine is “polished” with such substances:

Milk, but the proportions are not the same as for mash. For 3 liters of moonshine, take 100 ml of pasteurized milk of low fat content.

Attention. Moonshine can become cloudy from fatty milk, which is only necessary in one case - if you are striving for such an effect.

Egg white: 2 egg whites per liter of distillate.
Potassium permanganate, as described above. But remember: this method is not considered safe, since manganese forms its own chemical compounds with alcohol, which can be more dangerous than fuselage.
Freezing (on the street in frost not higher than -25 ° C or in the freezer).

Note: the more types of cleaning at different stages applied, the cleaner the moonshine. The methods complement one another: where potassium permanganate has not “finished”, it will “clean up” coal, etc.

After the applied cleaning, the moonshine must be filtered.

Dilution with water

After two hauls and cleanings, you have a high-quality, but too strong moonshine. It needs to be bred. Fits pure filtered water.

Carefully. Never listen to harmful advice, do not pour water into moonshine. You can only pour moonshine into water, but not vice versa. If water is poured into strong alcohol, the liquid may become cloudy from the reaction taking place. In this case, no filtering will help, you will have to do the third stage!

To achieve the correct proportions and achieve exactly the strength that you need, use the moonshiner calculator online or on your PC or smartphone.

How are heads and tails used?

As for the heads, they have only one way - into the toilet. As a last resort, you can use them for technical purposes. Do not use this fraction for infusion of medicinal raw materials, even for rubbing. Harmful substances enter the body not only through the stomach, but also through the skin.

Tails don't need to be so cruel. Add them to the first stage of the next mash. Thanks to the tail fractions, the strength of which is 20-30 °, you will get more strong and high-quality moonshine, as if you were driving it only from mash.

Drive the moonshine correctly, clean both the mash and each stage. Having spent a little more of your own efforts, you yourself will drink a home-made product in quality higher than store-bought counterparts. It is so pleasant to treat guests and make tinctures, liqueurs, liqueurs from it. There is no such alcoholic product that a real distiller could not repeat in his own kitchen! If you agree with this statement, please like.