Technology for preparing and purifying moonshine in a flask. Moonshine still from a flask

Moonshine in a flask is a way to distill mash at home. For this purpose, a milk flask with a seal to allow carbon dioxide to escape is most often used. Any mash is prepared in such a container, including a drink made from sugar, jam, fruits, grains, and vegetables. Properly prepared, it has a pleasant color, taste and smell, it is safe for health, and suitable for making moonshine.

Basics of making mash for moonshine

High-quality mash is prepared from good raw materials. It is not advisable to use rotten and moldy fruits and vegetables; this will spoil the taste and smell of the drink and will require repeated cleaning. Elements for cooking are taken in a certain proportion. The intensity of fermentation processes depends on the amount of sugar and yeast placed in the drink. Sugar increases the amount of alcohol, which causes the death of yeast and prevents the mash from fermenting in a timely manner.

Moonshine still from a flask

In the process of preparing moonshine from mash, special attention is paid to the number of distillations and subsequent cleaning. To obtain good moonshine, it is distilled at least 2-3 times, separating the heads and tails.

Not knowing how to put mash on moonshine so that it not only ferments, but is also suitable for drinking and distillation, you must adhere to the following rules:

The most suitable utensils for preparing mash are containers made of stainless steel and food-grade aluminum. Plastic utensils intended for food purposes can also be used. If you plan not only to cook, but also to distill in this container, then it is better to opt for an aluminum flask. The mash is poured into a flask, and a water seal or a medical glove with a slit in one of the fingers is installed on top. These devices are designed to remove gases resulting from fermentation, as well as to signal that the fermentation processes are completed.
The water for mash is pre-purified. The liquid must not contain chlorine, salts or impurities. Before filling the mash and preparing it in an aluminum flask, the water is allowed to settle for 2-3 days and filtered. All water settles, regardless of its origin. Thus, water from a spring or well contains mechanical impurities harmful to health. Water cannot be boiled or distilled; it is deprived of oxygen and is therefore useless for the fermentation process.
Having accurate scales when preparing moonshine and mash is a must. There is no point in risking the quality of the drink based on the information contained on the packaging of sugar or yeast.
Braga is prepared using granulated sugar.
The yeast is selected in accordance with the products included in the drink. If the preparation is made from fresh apples, pears, plums and other fruits, wine or wild yeast is used, which does not detract from the aroma of the final product. Sugar-based mash is prepared using baker's yeast, which can be either regular or dry.

If there is such a possibility, then the same mash can be seasoned with different yeasts, poured into separate flasks. The proportions mentioned above are easy to maintain, knowing that to obtain 3 liters of mash you will need 1 kilogram of sugar, yeast in the amount of 100 and 20 grams, respectively, if we are talking about their regular and dry counterparts. The amount of yeast depends on how complex the mash recipe is.

The flask must not be filled more than 3/4 of its capacity. Otherwise, gases remaining in the mash may accumulate on the surface of the drink and lead to an explosion.

Homemade moonshine still

The mash container is sterilized before filling it. To do this, pour boiling water over the flask. Sterilization is necessary to prevent harmful impurities from entering the drink from an uncleaned surface. After sterilization is completed, the flask is filled with mash and set aside for 20–45 days for fermentation. Instead of a lid, use a water seal or a medical glove.

After the mash has fermented, it is poured into a moonshine still. The absence of this can be compensated for by using a metal flask and a heating device - an electric or gas stove. The required power of the electric stove is 600 W. The tile is installed on a flat surface, table, chair, floor, and then covered with a metal shield. The flask with fermented mash is installed directly on the shield.

Before using the flask as a homemade moonshine still, an open gas fitting is mounted in its upper part, connected via a hose to a jar designed for 3-4 liters. The size of the jar depends on the amount of mash placed in the distillation flask.

Braga is distilled at temperatures above 75 degrees, so when buying an electric stove, pay attention, first of all, to the power value already mentioned above. Attention is paid to the safety of the manufactured device, the absence of wire cracks and socket defects. Before distilling the mash, the flask and electric stove are checked, subsequently carrying out the process of processing the drink as usual.

Moonshine cleaning

Using a flask allows you to distill the drink, but a homemade moonshine still cannot clean it. High-quality cleaning of mash from fusel oils and other impurities is carried out using a solution of potassium permanganate before the second or third distillation.

The mentioned solution (purchased at a pharmacy or made independently) in an amount of 2.5 liters is poured into a three-liter jar with a gas tube placed in it and attached to the flask. The thermostat of the electric stove sets the temperature to 33.5 degrees Celsius. Cleaning is accompanied by bubbling of the manganese solution, which results in the oxidation of existing fusel oils.

Potassium permanganate will relieve mash and moonshine from the pungent odor characteristic of home-made drinks. Cleaning time 12–36 hours. The completion of the fermentation and purification process will be indicated by the absence of bubbles coming out of the hose. The purified liquid has a pleasant taste and aroma.

The tails released during the distillation process smell unpleasant and have a whitish tint. Consuming them as a drink is dangerous to health. It is prohibited to pour the potassium permanganate solution directly into the flask. This will not bring the expected result and will spoil the drink.

Use potassium permanganate with extreme caution. Without experience in such cleaning, you can get not high-quality wort, but acetic acid. This effect occurs when the temperature is set incorrectly. In general, preparing mash in a flask is as easy as in a regular moonshine still purchased in a store; the main thing is to remember how to properly prepare the container and the drink itself for distillation.

In order to get a good drink at the end, you should not neglect the elementary, but very important subtleties of creating mash for moonshine. In this process, every little thing is important: how much yeast, sugar, water to take, where to stand, and how to determine readiness.

Quality and quantity of ingredients for mash

The classic composition has only three ingredients:

water – volume 4.5 l;
pure sugar, preferably not using cane sugar – 1 kg;
yeast – 100 gr. (when using “live” pressed ones) or 20 grams of dry ones.

You can use a plastic barrel to combine the ingredients of the mash. It must be made from food grade material. But still, it is better to do the classic preparation of mash in an aluminum container. It is not recommended to use a container larger than 30 liters; it is difficult to move and lift when filled. The container must be airtight (just do not close it tightly with a lid), equipped with a water seal. If it is not there, then you can use a proven method: put a medical glove on the neck of the vessel, in which a hole is made to allow excess air to escape.

It is equally important to place the mash correctly. In a prepared flask you need to mix 6 kg of sugar and 24 liters of water. The liquid must be warm, about 30 °C; you can check the temperature with the back of your hand. Fermentation will proceed faster only if the sugar is completely dissolved.

Next, you need to take 0.5 liters of sweet syrup, dissolve 600 g of yeast in it and leave to infuse. For good fermentation, the yeast should sit for about 40 minutes at room temperature or slightly higher. If it has not risen, then it is better not to use the product; the quality of the mash made with inactive yeast will be low.

The fact that the yeast has started to play and is suitable for use is indicated by a fluffy cap. The finished dough is poured into a container with sugar syrup and mixed thoroughly.

If fermentation is not active enough, it can be improved. To do this, add dry peas or corn to the composition in a ratio of 250 g per 10 liters. When mixing in a 30 liter container, you need to take 750 g of additional components.

Fermentation - choosing the right container

You need to choose a barrel for mash taking into account your needs, the main thing is to remember that when the product is play, it will increase in volume. Therefore, it is not recommended to fill the container more than 80%.

You can put the mash in containers made of any material and shape. If you plan to prepare a large amount of raw materials, then the best option would be rectangular plastic tanks (they become more compact and do not take up useful space).

Another advantage of cubic containers is the ability to place them fairly close to the heat source. This is especially true during cold weather. Before purchasing a container, if it is made of plastic, you should make sure that it is chosen correctly - made of materials suitable for storing food.

To ensure that the process of obtaining moonshine does not cause difficulties, the flask for distillation must correspond to the container in which fermentation occurs. If moonshine brewing is planned on an ongoing basis, then the best option for a distillation apparatus would be a 40 liter metal cube. The amount of mash in the flask is no more than 32 liters. This means that the fermentation of raw materials should take place in a barrel with a volume of about 90 liters. In such a container you can prepare up to 65 liters of mash, which is enough for two distillations.

If you need to prepare a large volume of raw materials (for example, 50 liters), you need to remember that the container will need to not only be moved, but also lifted, and this is quite difficult. But there is a little trick here. Before starting fermentation and leaving the raw material to infuse, you can place the container on a hill, 50 cm from the floor, which will later facilitate transportation from one container to another. In addition, if you place the barrel on a pedestal, it will heat up evenly on all sides. When placed on the floor, the bottom of the container is colder than its upper and middle parts, the mash will sparkle worse and will need to steep longer.

Pouring the finished mixture into a distillation container can be done manually using a mug or jar. But this process is quite long and sloppy. It is better to use a silicone hose, one end of which goes into a barrel of mash, and the other into a moonshine still. When the container is located on a hill under its own pressure, the raw material will quickly flow to the right place. The rest can be topped up
manually.

Conditions under which fermentation occurs best

The main condition for obtaining high-quality mash is the correct temperature. The room where you plan to place the raw materials must be warm (25 to 30 °C). The component of yeast is living microorganisms; it is at this temperature that fermentation will be optimal. In a cool room, the process of converting sugar into alcohol is slow; if it is too hot, the yeast may die.

Almost everyone who encounters brewing moonshine for the first time has a question about how much yeast to take and which one to use. There are special ones on sale that provide a stable alcohol yield of up to 18%. But if it was not possible to acquire them, then you can bet on the living ones. The main thing is not to use a product intended for baking bread and other products. Yeast consumption is approximately 100 g per 1 kg of sugar.

How to determine the readiness of mash and how long to stand

Braga prepared according to the classic recipe should stand for 10 days, but the process can take 2 weeks. It depends on the temperature and humidity in the room, as well as on the quality of the ingredients used.

The readiness of the mash can be determined by the following indicators:

Preparing mash for distillation

Preparing the mash for subsequent distillation is quite simple. You need to know the basic rules of this process:

You need to move and lift the container onto the table carefully, without shaking it (it’s good if it initially stands on a hill).
The raw material is poured into the distillation apparatus using a silicone hose (the sediment must be left in the barrel where the fermentation took place).
To obtain a quality product, degassing can be performed. To do this, you need to heat the raw material to 50 degrees (the temperature at which the remaining active yeast dies and carbon dioxide is removed).
The mash can first be lightened with white clay - dilute 3 tablespoons of clay in a glass of water, add to the raw materials and mix thoroughly, leave for another day and only then pour into the moonshine still.

If you decide to start distilling, then first you should find out the recipe for home brew for moonshine, since this is the most important thing in this matter. There are many different options that allow you to get a drink with an original taste.

general information

First, it’s worth understanding the basic terms that are used when preparing moonshine.

Braga is a sugar-containing wort made from processed yeast. The fermentation process produces ethyl alcohol, gas and some by-products.

Wort is a liquid containing sugar. It appears due to the introduction of yeast into it. The wort can be completely different:

fruit - consists of water and fruits;
grain - consists of water and special prepared grain;
sugar - water and sugar.

Sugar is of great importance in the preparation of mash, since its quality affects the drink. If it is of poor quality, then during the fermentation process the liquid will acquire an unpleasant odor and taste. In general, sugar is an excellent field for experimentation, since different options give their own taste to moonshine.

As for water, it must be potable and only of high quality. Under no circumstances should the liquid be boiled, as oxygen must remain in it.

Yeast selection

Yeasts are microorganisms that reproduce by budding. Without this product, it is impossible to obtain high-quality mash, and, accordingly, moonshine. To prepare the drink, you can use completely different yeast, but it is worth considering that each option has its own unique characteristics:

The baking version is used mainly for sugar mash. The result is approximately 10% alcohol and a large number of by-products.
The alcohol version allows you to get a mash with a large percentage of alcohol - up to 18%, but at the same time quite a lot of by-products are released.
Whiskey yeast is used to prepare grain wort.
The wine version is intended for the production of fruit must. The result is a mash with a high percentage of alcohol and a small amount of by-products.

When choosing yeast, it is very important to choose a quality product in order to ultimately get a good drink.

Nutrients

In order for yeast to grow quickly and well, in addition to sugar, it is necessary to use other minerals, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. An excellent combination is considered when there are 3 g of superphosphate per 1 kg of sugar. If you do not accept the use of chemicals, then you can get by with natural ingredients. You can add natural juice or chopped fruits and berries to the mash. You can also use boiled grain as a natural component, or the proportion for high-quality moonshine is as follows: for 10-15 liters of mash, take 1 kg of natural ingredients.

Important aspects

Particular attention should be paid to the container intended for fermentation. Any deep container with a lid will do, but it should not be airtight to allow carbon dioxide to escape. It is very important that all containers used are clean.

Proven classic

There is a best mash recipe for moonshine, which is the basis for other options:

First, let's start with the yeast. To do this, combine half a liter of water with 100 g of sugar. Then you need to put a little yeast into the resulting liquid in such a way that for 1 kg of sugar there are 100 g of pressed yeast, and if you take dry yeast, then 100 g corresponds to 6 kg of sugar. After this, everything needs to be put in a warm place for a couple of hours. The yeast needs to be stirred from time to time. When foam begins to actively form, this will indicate that this mixture can be added to the wort.
Now let's move on to preparing the wort. To begin with, dissolve 4 kg of sugar in 4 liters of water. It is not recommended to take less liquid, as there is a high risk that the mash will not have time to ferment. Everything needs to be cooked at room temperature, this is very important.
Combine the prepared yeast and wort, mix and leave to ferment at a temperature not lower than 20, but not higher than 35 degrees. Remember that heat is generated during the fermentation period, so control this, as overheating may cause the beneficial substances to die.
Remember that some yeast have the ability to produce abundant foam, so keep in mind that the container should not be filled to the very top. To extinguish it, you can use some crushed cookies or dry bread. Depending on the starting material, the fermentation process can last from 3 to 14 days. Consider the fact that the longer the mash sits, the more impurities are formed in it. Therefore, on average, it will be suitable for distillation in a week.
The mash for moonshine from sugar will be ready when carbon dioxide ceases to be released on the surface. Also another sign of readiness is the presence of a light layer and the yeast dropping down. It’s also worth trying the drink - it should be sour and bitter without the presence of sweetness.

What to do with the sediment?

In this case, the mash for moonshine can change and develop according to two scenarios:

Do not discard the sediment. It contains alcohol in addition to yeast and various other substances, so if you remove it, it will significantly reduce the alcohol yield. In this case, the final product may have a small amount of foreign impurities.
Drain off the sediment. In this case, you will significantly reduce the percentage of impurities contained in the final product. If the recipe for home brew for moonshine involved the use of fruit, then clarification of the drink is simply necessary.

In general, it’s up to you to decide whether to remove the sediment or leave it.

Possible difficulties

During the preparation process, some difficulties may arise that will negatively affect the final product:

Many people are interested in the question of how much moonshine is produced from mash. The amount of the final product directly depends on the raw materials. So, from 1 kg of sugar you get 1 liter of drink, and its strength will be 50%. It will be considered an excellent result if you end up with 1.2 liters.

Braga for moonshine from wheat

This base helps to obtain an easy-to-drink and fairly delicate final product. The main feature of this moonshine is the absence of yeast, which is replaced by cereal malt. It is very important to take only high-quality raw materials. So, the grain should be well dried and stored for no more than a year. In addition, make sure that it is not rotten or damaged.

The recipe for mash for moonshine is as follows. Take 4 kg of wheat and the same amount of sugar. The amount of water depends on the container you choose for fermentation. Preparing the drink is not difficult, so almost anyone can handle it.

Cooking process

Now let's figure out how to put mash on moonshine from grain:

First, you need to pour the wheat into a container, spread it in an even layer and fill it with water so that it is 6 cm higher. Cover with a lid and leave for a couple of days in a cool place.
When you see that sprouts have appeared, you can add half a kilogram of sugar to the grain. You need to mix everything very well and it is better to do it with your hands. If the mass is thick enough, you can add a little water. Then the container should be wrapped in gauze and placed in a warm place for 10 days.
After time, you have a starter that will be an excellent replacement for yeast. Now you need to pour it into a glass bottle and add 3.5 kg of sugar and 3 kg of wheat there. The resulting mixture should be filled with warm water.
You need to wear a glove with a small hole in the finger or a special water seal around the neck of the bottle. It should be placed in a place where the temperature does not fall below 18 degrees and does not rise above 24. The fermentation process will take you no more than 10 days.
When the glove deflates or the water seal stops producing bubbles, the mash can be considered ready. All you have to do is drain the sediment and start distilling the moonshine.

The remaining wheat can be reused to make three more servings.

for moonshine

Thanks to the sweet base, the drink is very aromatic and quite fortified. It is very important to follow all recommendations and not deviate one step from the recipe. Any jam is suitable for this option, even candied or already started to ferment. It is ideal if you take old preparations, as they will ferment very well.

The recipe for mash for moonshine is as follows. You need to take 6 liters of any jam, about 30 liters of warm water, about 300 g of alcoholic yeast and 3 kg of sugar.

Cooking process

Now let's look at how to put mash on moonshine from jam:

You need to take a 40 liter saucepan. Pour warm water into it, add sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Then we send the jam there and mix again.
The yeast must be diluted in a separate container and only then added to a large saucepan. The resulting mixture must be mixed thoroughly and placed in a warm place. It is also recommended to cover the pan with a blanket.
The fermentation process will take you approximately 10 days. It is very important that the liquid ferments well, otherwise you won’t make moonshine.
After this time, the mash must be poured into a moonshine still, and then further cleaned.

Sugar moonshine is a classic of Russian moonshine. She has won the love of many homemade alcohol lovers. There are a huge number of recipes for making mash from sugar at home in which the proportions sometimes differ, but the yield of moonshine is always almost the same. Making homemade alcohol is justified for several reasons. First, the raw materials are environmentally friendly, sugar is a pure product and properly prepared moonshine does not cause poisoning or a severe hangover. The second is the cost of the product; making moonshine at home is much cheaper than buying store-bought alcohol.

1 kg of granulated sugar yields approximately 1.1 liters. finished drink with a strength of 40 degrees.

As a result, you will get a decent drink, and if you refine it using various methods, it will be in no way inferior to expensive elite drinks. The easiest way for a beginner is to make mash from sugar and then get a distillate. How to prepare the drink correctly, what proportions to use, what dishes and how many ingredients to take, the entire cycle of making moonshine is described in detail in this article.

To make mash you will need: fermentation dishes, water, sugar, yeast, water seal, saccharometer, aquarium heater. The last three devices are not required; it is quite possible to do without them.

Container for mash. The main indicators when choosing vessels for fermentation are: volume, material of manufacture, tightness. Some types of mash still require a water seal, which performs two functions: it ensures the release of carbon dioxide and prevents oxygen from entering the mash.

The volume of the fermentation container depends entirely on your needs. It is imperative to take into account that the mash should fill no more than ¾ of the volume of the fermentation tank. Otherwise, there is a risk of foam being thrown out during fermentation.

Material. The most preferred material for fermentation is glass. Various bottles, glass jars. Food grade stainless steel can also be used. Currently, plastic containers of various sizes are sold, the main thing is to make sure that it is suitable for food products. Aluminum utensils, milk flasks, and pots are often used at home. It is very convenient if the container has a drain tap, which will greatly facilitate the work.

1.Before use, be sure to thoroughly rinse all dishes with hot water and detergent, and then dry well with a clean towel. The cleaner the dishes, the less the risk of the mash turning sour, which can lead to an unpleasant taste of moonshine.

2. Before pouring water, place the fermentation container on a stand 0.5 meters high. Firstly, this will improve heat exchange and secondly, in the future it will be easier to drain the fermented mash.

Which yeast to choose. To prepare moonshine, it is advisable to take special alcoholic yeast. The use of alcohol yeast gives a higher yield of alcohol during fermentation and better organoleptic properties. The instructions always say how much sugar the pack is designed for. The only disadvantage of alcoholic yeast is that it is difficult to find and is quite expensive. But instead of alcoholic ones, available dry or pressed ones are suitable. Dry yeast is taken at the rate of 20 grams per kilogram of sugar. Proportions for pressed: 100 grams per 1 kg of sugar.

When using dry yeast, the quality of the mash is no worse, and sometimes even better. Raw pressed ones give the drink too much of a fusel taste, while the use of dry ones results in rapid fermentation and abundant foaming. Another advantage of dry and alcoholic yeast is their long shelf life.

What water to use. Good, proper water is the basis for the taste of the final product. To prepare sugar mash, well-purified water should be used, odorless, tasteless and without additives. The most suitable water is spring or bottled. If tap water is used, it is recommended to let it sit for 1-2 days before use, and then carefully drain it with a hose. Hydraulic module: 1 kg. sugar - 4 liters of water.

Classic sugar moonshine recipe

This recipe is used to prepare mash from sugar and yeast. The yield of purified moonshine is approximately 5.5 liters after the second fractional distillation, the alcohol content of the drink is 45°.

Sugar – 5kg;
Dry yeast - 100 g;
Spring water – 20 l.

Pour warm water at 25-30° into the container where fermentation will take place and add sugar. Stir the mixture thoroughly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Lately, there have been frequent complaints about sugar - it doesn’t ferment well, it’s not sweet, etc. To avoid embarrassment, you can use a device - a saccharometer. A saccharometer shows the density of sugar in the wort. For normal mash, the saccharometer should show a density of 18-22%.
In a separate bowl, ferment the yeast. Pour in 300 ml of water 28°, add a tablespoon of sugar, stir, add dry yeast, stir, after about 10-15 minutes, when the yeast has risen, add it to the fermentation container. To reduce foaming during fermentation, it is recommended to add “Saf-moment” yeast - 11 g. If you use pressed yeast in the recipe, then you need to take 500 grams of it.
In addition to sugar and water, yeast requires additional feeding to function properly. This is not a mandatory point, but desirable, it allows you to speed up the process. There are chemical special fertilizers with phosphorus and nitrogen, and there are ordinary household methods of feeding mash. First of all, this is black bread, for 20 liters of mash, half a loaf will be enough. It is also recommended to use grapes, raspberries, and strawberries as top dressing at the rate of 15-20 pieces per 20 liters.
It is not necessary to use a water seal for sugar mash; just close the lid loosely, and if the neck is small, then cover it with several layers of gauze.

Fermentation. In order for the wort to ferment well, it must be provided with a favorable temperature regime. The ideal temperature for fermentation is 28-31 °C. It can be a little lower, but in no case higher than 35°, at this temperature the yeast will die and the mash will not ferment.

This mode can be achieved in a warm room or using an aquarium heater. Heaters come in various capacities from 50 watts and more powerful. For 40 liters of mash, a power of 100 watts is enough, provided that it is located indoors. The convenience of the heater is that it maintains a stable temperature using a built-in thermostat. Set the regulator to 28° and lower it into the fermentation container, connect to the power supply.

With proper temperature maintenance and the presence of fertilizing, fermentation lasts 7-14 days. The sugar mash must be thoroughly mixed once or twice a day to remove carbon dioxide.

How to determine the readiness of the mash:

Carbon dioxide stopped being released, the water seal calmed down and stopped gurgling. No rising bubbles are visible on the surface. Light a match over the mash; if it burns, it means no gas is being released.
There is separation in the mash, the top layer has become light, and the yeast has partially precipitated.
The taste of the mash has become bitter, the sweetness is not felt.
The smell and taste of the mash contains the smell of alcohol.
The most accurate method is to use a saccharometer. If the wort has fermented, the saccharometer will show “0”.

Clarifying and cleaning mash

Clarification and degassing must be done in order to improve the final taste of moonshine. Degassing is the process of removing residual carbon dioxide. To do this, the wort must be heated to 55 °C; live yeast dies at this temperature. One of the easiest ways to lighten mash is with cold, if the temperature allows. Place the mash in the cold -5° or +5° for a day or two and it will naturally lighten. The yeast will form a sediment, after which the mash must be decanted, that is, carefully drained from the sediment using a thin silicone or PVC hose.

You can speed up the process and lighten the mash in other faster ways using bentonite, gelatin or protein. For sugar mash, they most often prefer to use bentonite for clarification. Bentonite is a natural product, natural white clay. The Pi-Pi-Bent brand is suitable for cleaning, the main thing is that it does not contain fragrances. For 20 liters of mash, 2-3 tablespoons of clay are enough. Before use, it must be dissolved in a glass of warm water and stirred thoroughly. Then pour the mixture into the mash and mix. After 12-24 hours, the mash becomes transparent, all that remains is to drain it from the sediment.

Making moonshine from mash

First distillation. Pour the clarified, purified mash into the cube of the moonshine still. And overtake at high power. There is no need to select heads and tails during the first distillation. The first time, the raw material is taken almost up to the water, so that the stream would be 5-7 degrees.

Intermediate cleaning. The resulting moonshine must be cleaned of harmful impurities before the second fractional distillation. There are many proven methods for this. The most popular method among distillers is charcoal purification. There is a method of cleaning with oil and others.

Cleaning moonshine with coal. You can clean raw coal using a carbon filter or fill the coal with raw coal. For the first method, you need to make a filter from a plastic bottle. Cut off the bottom of the bottle and drill several holes in the cork. Place a thick layer of cotton wool into the cork and screw it onto the bottle. Pour BAU or KAU coal at the rate of 10-12 grams of coal per 1 liter of moonshine. Pass the moonshine through the filter. In the second method, pour the coal directly into the raw alcohol. First grind the coal, add 50 grams per liter. Stir thoroughly and leave for a day. Then filter the moonshine. Coal absorbs up to 80% of fusel and various esters.
Cleaning moonshine with sunflower oil. To clean, you need to take refined sunflower oil. Dilute moonshine to 15-20 degrees strength, add 20 grams of oil per liter of raw alcohol. Stir well three times at intervals of 1-3 minutes. Leave to settle for a day, drain with a straw without touching the top oily layer. Strain through a cotton filter. These two methods can be combined for cleaning efficiency. First with oil, then with charcoal.

Fractional distillation. Pour the purified, diluted moonshine from sugar to 20 degrees into the distillation cube of the moonshine still and begin distillation with the selection of fractions. At low power, select the head fraction. The heads are selected drop by drop, the sampling rate is 1-2 drops per second, such a slow selection allows you to qualitatively get rid of the poisonous first fractions. The number of heads is taken 50 ml for each kilogram of sugar.

Then change the receiving container and select the “body” drinking fraction. The body is taken up to 45-50 degrees in the stream. Next will be the tails, whether to select them or not is up to you. Usually the tail fraction is added to the mash before distillation to increase the yield of moonshine.

Finishing and refining of moonshine

As a result, you will get moonshine from sugar with a strength of approximately 65 degrees. This strength is too high for drinking, so it needs to be diluted with clean bottled water to 40-45 degrees. A special calculator will help you do this correctly. To soften the taste, you can heat the moonshine on the stove to 70 degrees, and unnecessary substances will evaporate from it. Pour the diluted distillate into bottles, let it “rest in glass” for 2-3 days, or better yet a week, and you can start tasting.

Sugar moonshine has a more neutral taste compared to grain and fruit distillates. Therefore, at home it is used more for preparing various tinctures and liqueurs and making other homemade alcohol.

6 liters of water
1.5 kg sugar
3 packs Saf-moment
Tap water into a plastic bottle for a day to settle.
In the morning I got up, made syrup (5 liters of water and sugar, a little citric acid - half a teaspoon) - 1 hour over low heat.
I put it in a bowl of cold water and add the remaining liter of water to cool it faster.
When it became less than 30 gr. pour a little into a bowl, dilute the yeast and return it to the container. Mix and leave under a water seal for a week.
There is no foam, although to be on the safe side I put the bottle in the basin.
I clean it with bentonite (pee-pee-bent), yes, I take it away from the cat.
A day later - like a tear.
I distill and get

700 ml 80 g of moonshine without heads and tails

Is it necessary to take away the head and tails? Or is it very dangerous?

Will the mash be good enough, and will the moonshine be clean and tasty? This largely depends on the fermentation container and moonshine still. The utensils must meet certain criteria, be technologically suitable for working with food, and not enter into chemical reactions. Many distillers use aluminum and plastic flasks at the mash preparation stage. also well suited as a distillation tank for a moonshine still. It turns out that the flask is a universal vessel for moonshine brewing.

Availability. Aluminum, ceramic, and plastic flasks are easy to find in any hardware or hardware store. It often happens that the necessary utensils were purchased in advance for storing other products, for example, juices, milk, water.
Volume. The assortment is wide, the volume should be chosen depending on the expected scale of production. Artificial yeast produces a lot of foam during fermentation; 1/3 of the container must be left free. Natural wine yeast does not give such an effect; the flask is used as usefully as possible.
Mobility. You can choose a shape that is convenient for storage, moving, and edging. Large volume implies large weight. The handles on the sides of the lid will help out here.
Easy to care for. The walls of such a container are easy to clean, both inside and out. The material is smooth and easy to process. The wide neck allows you to conveniently reach to the very bottom.
Safety. The flask was invented and created specifically for storing food liquids. It is sealed, does not allow light to pass through, and eliminates the possibility of any extraneous chemical reactions.

Moonshine in a flask

The process of moonshine brewing is a painstaking work consisting of many stages. Constantly racking your brains over questions of where to pour it, how to transfer it, what to store it in, how much to do, and others, is simply impractical. It’s better to spend money once, buying a good container, and not worry about trifles in the future. To make their work as easy as possible, distillers buy containers already equipped with a water seal and a thermostat. With such equipment it will be possible to solve all problems at once.

Basics of making mash

The ingredients of the mash can be fruits, berries, vegetables, grains, and herbs. The simplest, standard recipe involves the use of three elements: water, yeast, sugar. The main thing is to observe the proportions correctly, weigh everything yourself, not trusting the labels on the packaging.

The proportions are as follows:

water - four liters;
sugar - one kg;
yeast - 100 pressed, 20 grams dry or 200 grams wine.

The ingredients must be of the best quality; you don’t want to ruin the whole thing because of water with impurities or expired yeast. The same applies to fruits and other ingredients that may be used. They should not be damaged, they cannot be washed or treated with additional means. Failure to comply with the proportions will lead to the death of the yeast, and the fermentation process will be interrupted under the influence of alcohol. Poor quality ingredients will cause poor taste, smell, and appearance of moonshine.

Let's look at a step-by-step recipe for making mash based on a 40-liter flask. You need to know that sugar, taking up space in the container, displaces water: one kg is 0.6 liters. Based on standard proportions, we will need 10 kg of granulated sugar, 30 liters of clean water, yeast at the rate of: pressed - one kg, dry - 200 g, wine yeast - two liters. Water is placed together with sugar in a flask and stirred well. Having selected two or three liters of liquid, add yeast to it, mix until smooth, pour back into the flask. The result is a workpiece with a volume of 37 liters.

We leave the rest of the space empty; this space is needed for foaming during the fermentation process. If it is too active, crumble the cookies by sprinkling them on the surface of the mash. A little sunflower oil will also do. Now it's time for conservation. Close the lid and install a water seal on it. Stretched cling film with holes will also work. Store the mash at room temperature or slightly below, in a dark place. The optimal fermentation period is up to a week. You can check readiness in several ways:

To taste. Braga should not be sour or sweet.
Bring a match. If the fire does not flutter, this means that carbon dioxide is no longer being released.
No bubbles in the water seal.

The finished mash should be filtered from sediment through three or four layers of gauze, poured into a glass container, and left to wait for distillation.

The yeast in this recipe is unnatural, its mineral composition is minimal. It will be better to feed them naturally. A handful of crushed berries, black bread, tomato paste, natural juice will do.

It is important to choose the right fermentation vessel. It could be glass, food grade plastic. If distillation will be carried out in the same container, take stainless steel or aluminum.

You should not trust the purity of water taken from a water supply system, reservoirs, springs, or wells. It is better to let it sit for two or three days, then filter through gauze or a charcoal filter. You cannot boil water; this will remove all the oxygen necessary for fermentation.

You can get high-quality, pure moonshine if you distill the mash two or three times. This will rid the moonshine of all impurities, acids, and oils. It will give the drink crystal purity and a mild taste.

Moonshine cleaning

A flask is good for fermentation and distillation, but a transparent container will help to clean the moonshine, which will allow you to monitor the process. The following methods are used to purify moonshine:

Cleaning with potassium permanganate. This is done before the second distillation. Place a few grains of potassium permanganate in the bottle and mix. The liquid will turn pink. Leave to sit for three days. There will be a dark sediment in the form of flakes at the bottom. These are the harmful elements. You can separate the moonshine by pouring it with a pipe or straining it through thick cotton wool.

Cleaning with milk. Such purification means that milk must be added to moonshine and distilled like this: one liter of milk per five liters of drink. You can also add 150 grams of milk to three liters of moonshine, wait until it curdles, absorbing harmful impurities, and filter.

Coal cleaning. After the first distillation, crushed activated carbon is added to the moonshine: 50 grams per liter. In this way, the moonshine sits for a week, then it is filtered through a cotton-gauze filter.

Homemade moonshine still

The finished mash must be distilled in a moonshine still. But it happens that a specialized device is not available. Then distillers resort to improvised means. How to properly make a homemade apparatus to use in a flask? An aluminum flask is ideal as a distillation tank container. Before pouring the mash into the distillation cube, it is treated and disinfected. But you need to remove the rubber gasket under the lid: alcohol absorbs chemicals from the rubber. Replace with silicone.

Having finished sealing, you should drill a hole for connection with a coil or steam chamber, or with a more complex design - with a refrigerator. A simple three-liter bottle is suitable for selecting fractions. Such a flask must be installed on a heating element. Let it be an electric stove with a power of 600 watts. An aluminum apparatus is installed on its surface. It is worth paying attention to safety; before distillation, you can check the serviceability and load of the stove, the integrity of the moonshine still.

An even simpler way to make moonshine is to use the “grandmother’s” method, based on condensing alcohol vapor with cold water.

Thus, it is quite possible to prepare moonshine in a flask. This container can replace the corresponding apparatus for distilling mash into homemade alcoholic beverage.