Many fans of alcoholic beverages know that barley mash is one of the best varieties of moonshine. It has a good taste, is easy to drink, and in terms of the sophistication of its aroma it is not inferior even to expensive brands of whiskey. This list of advantages explains the fact that a large number of people are trying to make mash from barley on their own. However, the recipe for creating such a drink has its own specifics. Therefore, if you want to make a quality product, you should read the information below.
Features of barley malt
As you know, yeast ensures the conversion of sugar into alcohol. However, natural grains (wheat, barley) contain pure starch, which makes it difficult to produce alcohol from these ingredients. By and large, starch is not processed. This means that with the standard approach, the grain mash will not ferment, which will put an end to the attempt to make moonshine. Due to the presence of this nuance, people who like to make homemade alcohol must first ensure the so-called saccharification of the cereals. To achieve this goal, when making mash, barley grains are germinated. During germination, special enzymes are released that can break down starch into regular sugar (glucose).
This leads to the conclusion that to make moonshine from barley, you first need to prepare the malt. This malt is made from part of the grain. The whole process looks like this:
- barley is sprouted;
- specific enzymes are produced;
- then the sprouted grain is added to regular cereals;
- starch and enzymes of sprouted cereals interact;
- sugar is released.
When carrying out this stage of work, the temperature regime must be strictly observed. To effectively monitor temperature readings, it is recommended to use a thermometer. Temperature deviations can reach a maximum of 2–3 °C.
The ratio of malt to grain should be 1:5. The maximum yield of the finished product can be obtained only if the starch is completely broken down.
Using grain starter
If you are a true admirer of natural alcohol, you can replace factory yeast with grain sourdough. This replacement is possible due to the fact that the surface of the grains contains yeast-like fungi (they are also called “wild yeast”). When optimal external conditions are created, these fungi will actively multiply and also perform the function of factory yeast. If you use a yeast-free recipe, you can get a significant advantage at the end: the finished product will have a pleasant smell without foreign aromatic impurities. But, as you know, every coin has two sides. In this case, the negative side is the possible absence of fungi on the grain surface. In this situation, the fermentation process will not begin, and the wort will become moldy.
To increase the yield of finished alcohol, it is recommended to add a little sugar to the mash. The amount of sugar should be limited, because if it is in excess, the product loses its exquisite bready aroma. In addition, the softness of moonshine noticeably decreases.
Often, 1 kg of barley grains yields 800 ml of 40% distillate. However, it should be remembered that in some cases this figure decreases by 5–20%. The extent of the loss depends on a number of factors:
- the quality of the cereals used;
- concentration of starch in the composition of grains;
- severity of loss after the saccharification process.
As a rule, only those who try to make barley mash for the first time get a minimum of finished product. Experienced moonshine makers obtain the maximum amount of alcohol (in extreme cases, production losses are negligible).
The process of making mash from barley
If you decide to make this alcoholic product yourself, the recipe will require you to prepare the following ingredients:
- 6 kg of barley grains;
- 60 g of pressed yeast (the ingredient can be used as desired);
- 1 kg of sugar (this component is also used optionally);
- 27 liters of clean water.
When selecting ingredients, pay special attention to grains. They must be at optimal maturity (2-10 months after harvest). If you take grain that is too fresh (less than a couple of months have passed since harvest) or too old (more than a year old), the manufacturing process will be very difficult (fermentation will be slow), and the finished product will not be as high quality.
Washing the barley also plays an important role. For this purpose, only clean water should be used without adding any chemical components (for example, potassium permanganate). Only if you use clean water will you keep the “wild yeast” on the surface of the grain and ensure proper fermentation.
The entire process of making mash consists of many steps, each of which has its own specifics. You will receive a quality product only if you unquestioningly follow the proposed recipe. So, let's start making barley mash.
Preparing malt
Based on the ratio of 1:5, you need to make barley malt. Before work, be sure to prepare a container that will take into account the subsequent swelling of the cereals (there should be a 15-centimeter reserve in height). After preparing the container, you need to take 1 kg of grains (you can even do a little more) and perform a series of actions. These actions look like this.
- Pour the grains into the prepared container, fill them with water and leave for a day. After filling the barley with water, make sure that it covers the grains by about 4–5 cm. Three times a day, you need to collect the litter and change the water (it is recommended to use an 8-hour interval). At the end of the day, you need to pour out all the water.
- After this, spread the wet barley in a 5-centimeter layer and cover it with damp gauze. To achieve germination, it is necessary to place the grains in a well-ventilated room, in which the temperature will be between 15–20 degrees. You will need to wait approximately 7 days. It is this period that is needed for the cereals to sprout sprouts about 7 mm long.
- In addition, during the germination stage, the grains must be stirred periodically. It's better to do this 3 times a day. This measure is necessary to ensure that carbon dioxide does not accumulate between the lower grains. If necessary, it is necessary to additionally moisten the cereals (it is recommended to spray them periodically).
- After a week's time period, check the readiness of the grains. This is very simple to do: take a grain and bite it. When the grains are properly cooked, you will notice a sweetish taste containing a slight bitterness.
Remember that finished malt is only suitable for use for 3 days. On the 4th day, enzyme activity practically disappears. But waiting exactly three days is not recommended. It is better to make so-called malt milk immediately after the malt is ready. To obtain such a component, you just need to grind the barley using a meat grinder, then pour it with warm water (about 30 degrees). The ratio of barley and water should be 1:3.
Malt milk retains its quality for only 1 day, so after preparing it you should immediately use it as a basis for the future drink.
Creating a moonshine base
Here you will need to consistently and carefully follow these steps:
- The remaining 5 kg of grain (or less) must be ground into flour. Pour the resulting flour into a saucepan. After this, carefully pour hot water into the pan (its temperature should be approximately 50 °C); When adding water, be sure to stir the flour to prevent the formation of lumps. Then bring the mixture to 60 degrees. Keep this indicator for about 15 minutes. After this, heat the mixture even more (up to 64 degrees). Here you will also need to hold the temperature for 15 minutes. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook it for a couple of hours, remembering to stir it every 15 minutes.
- Then cool the mixture slightly (to 65 °C) and begin to carefully pour in the “malt milk”. While pouring in the milk, stir the liquid. After pouring this ingredient, cover the pan with a lid.
- Keep the temperature between 55–65 degrees for about a couple of hours. Stir the mixture every 30 minutes. Once ready, the wort should have a sweetish taste. It is extremely important to ensure that temperatures do not reach the 70-degree mark. In this case, the enzymes will die, and the saccharification process will finally stop.
- After the 2-hour time period has passed, quickly cool the wort to 28 degrees. To quickly cool, place the pan in a bath of cold water. Once cooled, pour the mixture into another fermentation container. If desired, you can add sugar and water (in a ratio of 1:4). Then add the yeast. At the final stage of preparation, it is necessary to install a water seal and move the container to a darkened corner. After a week, the barley mash will be ready for distillation.
If you decide to make malt from all the grains you have, the recipe will change slightly. Heat the mixture to 63 degrees, then immediately begin to follow the 3rd step of the described recipe.
Preparing sourdough for the yeast-free method
If you want to make mash without using factory yeast, you will have to prepare a special starter. To obtain it you need to perform the following steps:
- take 150 g of barley grains and rinse them 2 times with cool water (a 10-minute interval must be maintained between rinses);
- after this, remove all debris;
- then spread the grains in a 3-centimeter layer inside a wide container;
- fill the container with water so that it covers the grain layer by about a couple of centimeters;
- cover the dish and leave it in a dark corner at room temperature for two days (this period should be enough for sprouts to appear);
- after the specified period, add 50 g of sugar to the container and stir it thoroughly;
- add a little more water if necessary;
- cover the dish with gauze and leave it in a dark place for another 7 days;
- after this period, check the readiness of the starter (indicators of readiness are a sour smell, a slight hiss of the mixture);
- To extend the shelf life of the starter, install a water seal.
The combination of the resulting sourdough and mash occurs at the moment when the recipe calls for introducing yeast.
In terms of its effectiveness, this product is in no way inferior to yeast, so the final stage of preparing the mash will also last 7 days.
Features of using ready-made mash
Barley mash can be served at the table during dinners. With its help you can improve your appetite; in addition, 50–70 g of such alcohol is enough to relieve nervous tension. For health reasons, it is recommended to limit the consumption of this product. In one evening you should drink a maximum of 150 g of mash (during the holidays this norm can be slightly increased).
Unfortunately, not everyone is allowed to consume this wonderful type of homemade alcohol. In particular, those who suffer from:
- alcoholism;
- individual intolerance to alcoholic products;
- gastric and cardiac pathologies;
- diabetes mellitus
Drinking mash during pregnancy and lactation is also contraindicated.
The product should be stored in a cool place, protected from direct sunlight. In addition, the place where alcohol is stored must be inaccessible to children.
Alcohol, for the preparation of which grain was used, is of high quality and pleasant taste, which is why many moonshiners prefer recipes for making alcohol from barley. Moonshine from barley is more difficult to prepare when compared to alcohol obtained from sugar mash, but the result is worth all the effort. So what is the peculiarity of moonshine, for the preparation of which barley (malt raw materials) is used?
How does fermentation occur?
The result of moonshine brewing is alcohol, which is obtained due to the fermentation of simple sugars by yeast. However, barley mash will not contain a large amount of sugar and yeast, since sugar will be obtained by converting the starch contained in barley.
Barley for moonshine
The first step in preparing moonshine from barley is preparing the malt, because its quality will determine how much sugar will be obtained from starch. First, you need to select barley for moonshine, and it should not be freshly harvested grains, but barley that has been lying in a dry place for some time. First of all, such grain should be sifted to remove excess impurities from it. After this, the barley should be laid out in an even layer in a plastic bowl and the grains should be filled with water. Spoiled grains will immediately float to the surface, and you can get rid of them without much difficulty. The presence of rotten grains in the mash can lead to spoiled moonshine having an unpleasant taste and smell.
After removing the spoiled grains, the water in the basin will need to be changed. In order for the grain to germinate well, the water with which it will be filled must contain a minimum amount of salts. This condition is also necessary for the formation of sugar-forming enzymes in barley. In summer, the water for soaking grain is usually changed 3 times a day, and in winter, it is enough to stir the liquid in a basin throughout the day. In total, the process of soaking the grain will last 24 hours, after which the water must be completely drained and the barley itself must be thoroughly washed.
Important: if a white area appears on the grain break, then it is considered unsuitable for making mash, so it should be removed from the malt.
In order to qualitatively germinate the barley from which mash will be prepared, after soaking the grain should be allowed to “breathe”. To do this, spread it on a baking sheet in an even layer and leave it there for 8 hours. Once every three hours, the grain should be mixed, while lifting it up so that it is properly saturated with oxygen and excess carbon dioxide is released from it.
To germinate grain, it should first be distributed in an even layer and left for 8 hours, turning it from time to time. To prevent the grain from drying out, it is recommended to irrigate it with water. It is important to remember that during the process of grain germination, the temperature inside the barley layer increases, therefore, as soon as the barley begins to germinate, its layer should be made a little smaller.
Germination of the grain from which barley moonshine will be prepared usually takes 7 days. The readiness of the grain will be indicated by the appearance of sprouts 6 millimeters long. To disinfect malt, it can be soaked for some time in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
To extract enzymes from barley for saccharification of starchy raw materials, it is recommended to prepare malted milk. To do this, you need to thoroughly grind the malt, then dissolve it in warm water (take 2 liters of water per 1 kilogram of grain). Malt milk has a short shelf life (no more than a day), so it should be used immediately.
How is mash prepared?
Moonshine from barley malt is prepared according to special rules. First, you should start boiling the raw materials, using a steam generator for this, but not an open fire, since the grain can burn near it. How to steam grain:
1) First, you should grind the grain and fill it with water, heat everything to a temperature of 50 degrees (take 4 liters of water for 1 kilogram of raw material). The grain should be thoroughly mixed in water to avoid the formation of lumps. When the water temperature rises to 55 degrees, the grain should be left in it for 15 minutes. Then the fire should be turned on again and the water temperature increased by 5 degrees. Mix everything again and leave for 15 minutes. After this, the steam generator is turned on at full power and the raw materials are boiled for an hour.
2) As soon as the raw material is brewed, it should be cooled to 65 degrees and malted milk should be poured into it. The components are thoroughly mixed, after which the saccharification process begins, it lasts 1-2 hours. In this case, the temperature of the workpiece should be maintained at 50-55 degrees. As soon as the wort acquires a sweetish taste, you can begin to prepare moonshine from barley without yeast.
3) The wort is quickly cooled, after which yeast is added and the bottle with mash is placed in a room where the temperature is maintained at 28-30 degrees. This kind of mash cannot be prepared with wild yeast, so to make it you will need wine yeast (1 in 300) or pressed yeast (1 in 80). According to the recipe, yeast is diluted with warm water, after which it is added to the wort. If desired, the yeast can be combined with a small amount of sugar.
During the fermentation process, barley mash produces abundant foam, so the fermentation container should be filled only 75%, leaving free space in it. Braga usually ferments for 5-6 days, but only if the temperature is maintained at 28-30 degrees.
4) The mash from barley malt is distilled twice using a moonshine still. The first time the mash is distilled, that is, it is distilled into raw alcohol. The second time the raw material is distilled, dividing it into fractions, that is, into ethyl alcohol and impurities, the use of which can be very harmful to health. Many moonshiners perform three distillations of the mash, as they believe that this approach allows them to get rid of all harmful impurities. This is true, but a large number of distillations can also deprive moonshine of its pronounced taste.
Moonshine, the recipe for which was reviewed, has a pleasant sweetish taste. This alcohol goes well with all types of dishes, so it can be safely served at any feast. It is believed that moonshine made from barley grains tastes like whiskey. Perhaps for this reason this drink has a large number of fans. Moonshine from malt is recommended to be served chilled, and the drink should be stored in a glass container.
- a cereal crop that has been famous for its healing qualities since ancient times. In ancient times, diseases of the bladder, kidneys, stomach, intestines, mammary glands, and skin were treated with decoctions and infusions based on sprouted barley and barley grains. It was believed that barley was the best natural medicine for strengthening the immune system after illnesses. The grain contains a large amount of vitamins (A, group B, C, D, E, PP), microelements (phosphorus, iodine, calcium, etc.).
But respect for barley was sought not only by supporters of a healthy lifestyle, who prefer to eat barley and pearl barley porridge, bread and kvass. The grain is famous in the production of beer, and lovers of strong alcohol make excellent moonshine from barley at home. Amateur moonshine brewers believe that it is grain distillate (and especially barley distillate) that is soft to drink and has a pleasant smell of raw materials. Let's look at the features of making homemade moonshine from barley groats (grains).
What do you need to know before you get started?
To prepare barley moonshine, you will have to follow these steps:
How to make moonshine from barley?
The recipe for barley moonshine is quite simple, you just need to follow the tips below.
Ingredients
- Barley – 5 kg;
- Water – 23 l.
Cooking process
- Before you make mash from barley for moonshine, you will need to prepare a starter. To do this, take 100 g of the total amount of barley, rinse the grains twice, removing all debris that floats to the surface of the water: bad grains, blades of grass, dirt. Place the barley on the bottom of a plastic or metal container in a layer of about 3 cm and fill it with water so that it covers the grains by no more than 2-3 cm;
- Soak barley grains with water in the dark (at room temperature) for 1-2 days until sprouts appear. The container with barley and water should be covered to prevent dust and insects from entering. When the grains sprout, add 50 g of sugar to the starter and mix everything thoroughly. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water. Tie the neck of the container with the starter and put it in a dark place for about a week. When foam appears, sizzling sounds will be heard and a sour smell will be felt, which means the starter is ready;
- At this stage it will be time to make malt. To do this, add 0.8-1 kg of grains from the total mass of barley. Pour them into a saucepan and add water to cover the barley by approximately 5 cm. After 6 hours, drain the water with the debris and poor-quality grains that have floated to the surface and refill the barley. Let the grains brew with water for another 18-20 hours;
- When the time is up, drain the barley. And spread the grains in a convenient container in an even layer about 7-10 cm. Place a damp, clean cloth (for example, gauze) on top. Take the barley into a room with a temperature of 15 to 18 °C. Stir the grain twice a day and, if necessary, sprinkle with a little water. Wait about a week to ten days. When sprouts of more than 4-5 mm appear, it means the wort is ready;
- Grind the resulting malt and mix with lukewarm (about 25-30°C) water. A mixture of ground malt and water produces malted milk;
- Grind the remaining barley as finely as possible. Pour it into a large saucepan and carefully pour in warm water (45-50 °C) so that no lumps form. The volume of water should be 4 times the volume of barley flour;
- Place a saucepan with barley flour and water on the stove and heat to 60°C. “Hold” the temperature for 15 minutes, and then increase it by 2-5 degrees (up to 62-65 °C). Maintain this temperature for another 15 minutes, and then boil the contents of the pan and cook for 1.5-2 hours, stirring occasionally so as not to burn;
- Remove the pan from the heat, cool the contents to 65 °C. Pour malted milk into the boiled grain, stirring;
- Put the pan back on the fire, covering it with a lid. The temperature when heating the wort should reach 63-65 °C;
- The temperature (60-65°C) will have to be maintained for 2 hours. Stir the wort periodically (2-3 times an hour) to prevent it from burning to the bottom of the pan;
- Remove the pan with the wort from the heat and transfer it to a bath of ice water so that the contents quickly cool to 27-28 °C;
- Pour the wort from the pan into a fermentation container and install a water seal. The correct place for fermentation is where it is dark and the temperature is around 20-28 °C;
- When fermentation is complete, drain the mash from the sediment. And then . Dilute the finished distillate with water to the desired strength (usually 40-45%) and keep it cool for a couple of days.
Not many distillers prefer to make moonshine from barley. This is due to many disadvantages in the process of preparing such a drink. This includes large labor costs, consumption of time and energy, the complexity of the process itself, etc. However, if at least once they managed to prepare and taste a properly prepared drink, they no longer want to return to ordinary sugar raw materials. Grain-type distillate is much tastier, more aromatic and softer. However, to achieve this result, the right approach is required.
Theoretical points
Yeast is capable of converting only simple sugars into alcohol, which are not initially present in the grains, so you cannot simply add only yeast and pure water to the raw material.
To obtain the necessary sugar from cereal crops, you can start the process of breaking down starch with enzymatic compounds that are released when the grains germinate. This process is called saccharification.
It follows that in order to obtain mash from barley, it is necessary to first germinate the grain in order to activate the enzymatic substances. Then it is necessary to isolate sugar from sprouted raw materials (malt). To do this, sprouted grains are mixed with those that are not sprouted. All this is carried out at a certain temperature. Only after this can the resulting mash be left for further fermentation.
Before putting in the mash, the barley needs to be sprouted
It has been established that on average a kilogram of malt can saccharify approximately 4 kg of simple grain. However, if possible, experts advise germinating all the grain or as large a proportion as possible. This is necessary for the complete breakdown of starch, due to which the distillate yield will increase.
People who love all-natural drinks prefer moonshine, which is prepared without the use of yeast.
Artificial baker's or dry yeast can easily be replaced with grain-based sourdough. The advantage of this method is that the drink will not have a yeast aroma, even if mistakes are made in the technology of the distillation process. But there are also disadvantages. For example, yeast does not always remain on the surface of the raw material, which is why fermentation of the sourdough does not begin. In addition, the wort may become contaminated due to this with pathogenic bacteria and fungi, which will cause mold. This method is used by professionals in this field, but for beginners it is better to use ready-made yeast.
Yeast for mash can be replaced with grain-based sourdough
To increase the yield, you can make mash from barley with added sugar. Beetroot is usually used. It slightly removes the grain reserve and the soft taste of the distillate, which is why it is so important and valued by professionals and amateurs.
The more sugar is used, the less characteristic bread notes are felt in the drink. But the liquid itself will be much larger. Each winemaker determines the optimal proportions for himself.
According to calculations, 1 kg of grain yields approximately no more than 0.8 liters of moonshine, the strength of which is 40 ºC. But this is only under ideal conditions, but in practice the concentration of starch in the grain is much lower. In addition, beginners always have losses in the saccharification of the product, so the actual yield of the alcoholic beverage is approximately 5–20% lower than the calculated values. For more information about barley moonshine, watch this video:
From 1 kg of sugar, approximately 1.2 liters of distillate comes out with a strength of 40 ºС. In this case, the result is much easier to predict, since losses will only be due to poor quality, that is, the yeast will not process all the alcohol into sugar. Another option that leads to volume loss is improper distillation.
Barley mash recipe: initial stage
To prepare barley moonshine, only high-quality grain is used, which must rest for at least a couple of months, and in the best case, about six months. But at the same time, raw materials should not be stored for more than 3 years, since old grains germinate much worse.
The more sugar, the less moonshine smells like bread
The process of saccharification with malt requires strict adherence to the correct temperature. An error of no more than 2 ºС is allowed, so be sure to have a thermometer. The temperature cannot be detected by eye.
You will need the following components:
- 6 kg of grain;
- 27 liters of clean water;
- 1 kg of sugar (this ingredient is optional);
- yeast (this component is also optional), use either 20 g of pressed or 12 g of dry product.
The further process is as follows. First you need to prepare the starter. It is only suitable for moonshine, which is made without the use of yeast. Sourdough should be made on the same day that work with grain begins. You will need to rinse 150 g of barley in cool water. After 15 minutes the procedure must be repeated. Watch the recipe for moonshine that makes your soul sing in this video:
All particles that float up (including dirt and husks) must be removed. Now all the grains need to be laid out evenly. The layer should be approximately 2 - 3 cm high. Place the grain in a container made of metal or plastic. Next add water. It should cover the grains by 1 - 2 cm. Now all that remains is to cover the container and place it in a dark place where the temperature will be room temperature.
After a couple of days, shoots begin to appear. Now you need to add 50 g of sugar to the sprouted grain and mix everything with your hands. If the mass is too thick, you can add water. Now the neck of the container remains to be bandaged with gauze. After that, you just have to wait a week. The grain starter will be ready when foam and sizzle appear. In addition, this is symbolized by the light aroma that is characteristic of fermentation.
It is best now to place the substance under a water seal. This will help prevent the product from souring.
Now at least 1 kg of barley (this depends on the proportions in the recipe), which must be sifted and cleaned in advance, is poured into a container where it will be soaked. A plastic basin or enamel pan is suitable for this. The grain must be filled with water so that its level exceeds the barley by 4 cm. If debris floats up, it must be removed. After 8 hours the water must be replaced. Then repeat the procedure 2 more times. In general, soaking will take a day.
Be sure to soak the barley
Now the water needs to be drained completely. The beans will remain slightly moist, but not completely wet. Now the raw materials need to be decomposed for further germination. The layer should be approximately 5 - 10 cm thick. Some people prefer to cover the raw material with a damp towel or any other clean and wet rag on top to speed up the process. The room temperature should remain between 12 and 20 ºС. Aeration is desirable. When the grains swell and germinate, they increase in volume, so the container must be selected with a margin of at least 15 cm.
To prevent gas from accumulating in the grain layer, everything needs to be stirred directly with your hands every 8 - 10 hours.
If the grain dries out, it is sprayed as needed, but care must be taken that liquid does not accumulate at the bottom of the container. On average, it takes from 6 to 10 days to germinate grains. This applies to barley and other cereal crops. The length of the sprouts should be approximately 0.5 - 0.7 cm. They begin to gradually intertwine with each other. If you bite into the grain, the taste will be bittersweet. The aroma, oddly enough, is cucumber.
Ready barley should have a cucumber aroma when bitten.
The result is “green” malt, which is the best option for saccharification. It must be used within 3 days, but it is best to use the product immediately. Otherwise, the activity of enzyme compounds is greatly reduced.
To increase the permissible storage period of green barley malt, it is necessary to dry it at temperatures up to 40 ºС and remove the sprouts.
The moisture content of the product will be no more than 3%. The result will be “white” malt. It can be sealed in a container and stored for several years. However, in the future, when adjusting the proportions, it will be necessary to take into account that the efficiency for saccharification will decrease by approximately 20%.
Barley mash recipe: next steps
The malt that is now turned out (meaning “green”) must be ground so that the particles are as small as possible. To do this, you can use a meat grinder. Next you need to add water. For 1 kg of product you will need 3 liters of liquid. Its temperature should be between 26 – 29 ºС. The result is licorice milk, which must be used throughout the day. To learn how to make barley mash, watch this interesting video:
Now you need to grind the barley, which has not sprouted, until flour is formed. It is necessary to take a maximum of 5 times more than the resulting malt. You can immediately take ready-made flour, but only from this grain. It must be poured into a bucket or pan in which the drink will be brewed. Water heated to 50 ºС must be poured in a thin stream. You will need 4 liters of liquid for 1 kg of flour. Stir everything constantly so that lumps do not form.
The mixture must be heated to 60 ºС and maintained at this temperature for 15 minutes.
Then increase to 64 ºС and hold it there again for 15 minutes. After this, the resulting wort must be boiled for 2 hours. The liquid should be stirred every 15 minutes to prevent it from burning. The coarser the grind and the worse the quality of the grain, the longer it will take to cook. The mass should become homogeneous.
Stir the mixture every half hour
Cool the liquid to 65 ºС and add licorice milk. It should be poured in a thin stream, stirring the whole mass. Now cover the container and heat to 63 ºС. Over the next 2 hours, it is necessary to maintain a stable temperature within 55 – 65 ºС. You need to stir the mixture every half hour. At the end the wort will taste sweet.
Now it needs to be cooled to 28 ºС as quickly as possible. Pour into a fermentation container. You can add sugar ─ per 4 liters of 1 kg mass. The container may only be filled to 70%. Add yeast: per 1 kg of raw material or starter, 10 g pressed or 2 g dry. Then mix thoroughly. Yeast must first be diluted. Watch this video for more details:
Now place the container under the water seal. You can use an ordinary medical glove, but make a puncture in one finger with a needle. The room temperature should be approximately 19 – 26 ºС. Fermentation lasts from 4 days to a week. The liquid becomes lighter. It has a sour-bitter taste. There is sediment left at the bottom.
How to get barley moonshine
At home, it will now be easy to obtain moonshine directly from barley. You need to do the following:
- When the mash is finished, it should be drained and filtered using ordinary gauze. Place in a distillation cube.
- Now it’s time to start the distillation process, without dividing it into parts. When the strength in the stream drops to 25 ºС and below, you need to stop sampling. The distillate often comes out cloudy, however, this is considered normal.
- Measure the strength of the drink after the first distillation. Determine the volume of pure alcohol. A simple form is used for this. It is necessary to multiply the strength of the drink by its volume and by a factor of 0.01. For example, if you get 5 liters of liquid with a strength of 50 ºC, then there will be approximately 2.5 liters of pure alcohol in this liquid.
- Start the second distillation. The first 8 - 15% of the liquid (in the example this is from 220 to 375 ml) must be collected separately. This part is considered harmful. It is prohibited to use it. As a rule, such liquid has a sharp and unpleasant aroma. People call this part the “head”.
- Now we need to collect everything else. This part is popularly known as the "body". In this case, the strength of the drink should be reduced to 45 ºС.
Now all that remains is to dilute the finished moonshine so that the strength is approximately 40 ºС or less. Then you need to leave the container with the drink for 3 days. It should be glass and tightly closed. Infuse the product in a dark, cool room so that all mixing with water stops.
After diluting the moonshine, store it for 3 days in a closed container.
Now all that remains is to taste the drink. You can also pour it into barrels for further aging. In this case, you will get a drink that resembles whiskey.
Conclusion
Barley moonshine is aromatic, tender and soft in taste. Many people no longer want to use other raw materials, which is not at all surprising. By the way, the recipe described can easily be used not only in relation to barley. It is also suitable for other cereal crops: rye, wheat, corn, millet and even various grain mixtures.
Moonshine is a homemade alcoholic drink that can be made from almost any product.
But the best, purest and highest quality is considered to be the one made from various grains, such as barley.
There are several simple, one might even say basic, recipes for making such alcohol. All of them are made on the basis of barley, but have significant differences, both in the raw materials themselves and in the technological process.
Without yeast
This cooking recipe is based on the saccharification of the barley itself; for this, a small part of it is first germinated and then mixed with the remaining barley.
This recipe should not be confused with the recipe for making malted barley moonshine, since the difference between them is quite impressive.
To prepare the drink you will need:
- barley – 6 kg;
- granulated sugar – 1000 g;
- water – 27 liters.
Reference! You should use grain that is at least 2 months old after harvest and not older than one year. The saccharification process must occur under strict temperature control, otherwise nothing will work. Therefore, it is very important to use a proven thermometer.
Leaven
You should start preparing moonshine with a starter.
Preparation:
- Approximately 150 g of barley grain should be washed in cool running water twice, at intervals of fifteen minutes.
- Place the prepared raw materials in an even layer, no less than one and a half and no more than three centimeters thick, in a plastic or metal container.
- Pour warm water over the barley 2 cm above the grain and cover with a lid.
- Place the starter in a dark place at room temperature for two days.
- Then add 75 g of sugar to the container and mix everything thoroughly.
- Cover the container with gauze and leave for seven days. After this time, the starter should ferment well and a sour smell and foam will appear.
The starter should be prepared at the same time as preliminary work with the grain. In this case, both it and the partially germinated barley will be ready for use at the same time.
Malt germination
First you need to germinate the malt.
How to do it:
- To do this, pour 1 kg of barley in a basin with warm water and leave for 8 hours.
- After this time, remove all dirt and debris from the surface, drain the water and fill it with new water, wait another 8 hours and repeat the operation a third time.
- Drain off any liquid and lightly dry the barley until it is moist.
- Spread the grain on a flat surface in a 7 cm layer and leave for 5–10 days for germination. Cover the top of the container with a damp cloth.
- Swollen grain greatly increases in volume, so initially you should take a large-capacity container.
- When the sprouts reach a length of 7 mm, the malt is ready for saccharification and should be crushed as finely as possible in any convenient way.
Grain mash
To prepare mash you will need only high-quality grain.
How to prepare grain mash:
- For 1 kg of the resulting slurry, add 3 liters of water at a temperature of 29 degrees above zero and mix thoroughly.
- The remaining barley is ground into dry flour and hot water at a temperature of 50 degrees is poured in. For 1 kg of flour you will need 4 liters of liquid.
- Heat the mixture over low heat to 60 degrees and boil for 15 minutes. Raise the heating temperature to 64 degrees and boil again for a quarter of an hour. Then bring the wort to a boil and simmer over low heat for an hour and a half.
- When the wort has cooled to 65 degrees, pour milk into it in a thin stream and mix thoroughly. Then cover with a lid and heat the mixture to 63 degrees.
- Over the next two hours, maintain the temperature at 60 degrees. The mixture should be stirred every half hour.
- After boiling, the wort is cooled as quickly as possible to 28 degrees, and poured into a fermentation container.
- Add sugar, the remaining water and the starter prepared at the preparatory stage.
- Install a water seal and put it in a dark place with a temperature of about 25 degrees for one week.
Reference! If, during heating of the mixture at any stage, its temperature rises above 70 degrees, saccharification will not occur and all stages will have to be performed again with new ingredients.
Watch a video that shows the process of making mash from barley at home:
Distillation
After the mash is ready her must be carefully filtered and further:
- Distill through the apparatus until the stream strength is 25%.
- Measure the strength of the pervak.
- Distill through distillate a second time. Dispose of the first 10% of the liquid.
- Stop distilling when the stream strength reaches 45%.
- The finished moonshine should be bottled and kept in the cold for three days before drinking.
Reference! This option for making moonshine is quite troublesome and time-consuming. However, experts believe that this type of alcohol is the best.
From malt
Here the cooking technology is similar to the previous recipe. However, it has a number of differences.
And the whole process is divided into two stages:
- preparation of the malt itself,
- making moonshine from it.
So, for 10 kg of finished green malt you will need:
- 50 g dry yeast;
- 40 liters of spring or filtered water.
Malt is prepared according to the same principle as in the previous recipe. The only thing that needs to be taken into account is that the finished product is almost twice as heavy as the original grain. Therefore, to obtain 10 kg of malt, 100 g of granulated sugar and 6 kg of grain will be enough.
Cooking steps:
- Pass the malt through a meat grinder.
- Pour it into the tank, add water heated to 50% and mix everything thoroughly.
- Seal the container hermetically and wrap it in a warm blanket. It is necessary to ensure that the temperature inside the tank is 63 degrees plus or minus 3 degrees.
- Leave the container in this position for 60 minutes for saccharification.
- Then you need to cool the wort to 30 degrees as quickly as possible and pour it into a fermentation container.
- Add yeast there and mix thoroughly.
- Install a water seal and leave for 6 days.
- Strain the finished mash and distill through the apparatus
- Determine the volume of pure alcohol and repeat the distillation until the strength of the drink is 43 revolutions.
Important! The first 10% of the resulting moonshine should be poured out - it is not suitable for drinking.
Pour the finished drink into bottles and cool.
Watch the video in which an experienced moonshiner explains how to make barley moonshine using green malt:
From cereals
If it is not possible to use whole grain barley, then you can get by with regular cereal.
Ingredients:
- 150 g pressed yeast;
- 4 ml each of alpha-amylase and glucoamylase;
- 12 liters of water;
- 4 kg finely ground eggs.
In this case, you will need to purchase special enzymes, which are sold in specialty moonshine stores.
The further sequence of actions will be as follows:
- Boil all the water in a suitable sized container with a lid.
- With continuous stirring, add all the cereal, and stirring, bring the mixture to a boil.
- Remove the container from the heat, seal it tightly and wrap it tightly in a blanket. Leave for three hours to steam.
- After time, add alpha-amylase and mix everything thoroughly, preferably using a construction mixer. The consistency of the cereal will become more liquid.
- We measure the temperature, and as soon as it reaches 65 degrees, add the second enzyme and mix everything again.
- Then seal the container again, wrap it in a blanket and leave for another 60 minutes.
- Cool the mixture to 29 degrees and add yeast diluted according to the instructions.
- Mix everything and pour it into a fermentation container and install a water seal.
- After a week, filter the mash and pass it through the distillate.
- We measure the volume of pure alcohol and re-run the alcohol through the apparatus. When the strength reaches 45 degrees, the distillation is stopped.
As in previous cases, the first 10 percent of the liquid is disposed of. The rest of the moonshine is bottled and stored in a dark and cool place for storage.
Homemade moonshine made from barley according to any of these recipes turns out transparent, soft with subtle notes of this grain. It is easy to drink and goes well with almost any dish.
Despite the fact that barley moonshine is quite difficult to prepare and most of the time is taken up by preparatory work, those who have tried to prepare it once no longer want to return to other methods of preparation.
Therefore, anyone who has a personal moonshine still should definitely use these recipes.
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