At a time when you often hear about underground workshops, where technical alcohol is bottled, fake labels and excise stamps are stuck, and then a dangerous surrogate is put on sale, old recipes for home brew on grape mash will not superfluous.
Moreover, if such alcohol is made for oneself and, as they say, conscientiously, then after using it, the head does not hurt in the morning. Of course, with the observance of measures in use and proper cleaning technology.
Braga from grapes is an ideal raw material for the production of wine alcohol, on the basis of which you can always make chacha, tinctures, brandy, brandy, vodka from grapes not worse, and maybe even better than many drinks with beautiful stickers, available at retail.
Braga from grapes - features cooking homemade moonshine
Braga can be made from any fruit and grain. It has long been observed that the smell of moonshine contains the essential oils of the products from which mash was prepared. Grapes and other fruits - the ideal raw material for the preparation of homemade raw alcohol. Essential (aromatic) oils, like alcohol, have a light molecular weight, have a “volatility”, and therefore during distillation they turn from home brew into moonshine along with alcohol.
You can make a good home-made brew from last year’s jam made from fruit marc remaining after making homemade grape wine or juice. The quality of raw materials for making mash depends on the smell of moonshine, the presence or absence of unwanted impurities in it.
The second important point for obtaining alcohol from the mash for grapes is the availability and low cost of raw materials. If you do not have your own cottage and grapes or other fruits grown on it, then buying fruit on the market or in the supermarket is not profitable. In addition, vendors often process fruits with hydrogen sulfide to increase their shelf life. Such raw materials must be washed, because hydrogen sulfide, going into the mash, and then into alcohol, gives the alcohol the smell of a rotten egg, which is unpleasant and harmful, spoils the product. For the same reason, to prepare mash from grapes and dilute the finished alcohol, after distillation, only purified water should be used. Water from the tap, even without a specific smell, contains impurities of metals and other elements, which in combination with alcohol can cause severe poisoning and various diseases. Adding water to the mash is necessary to create a favorable moist environment, regulating the acid balance in the mash from grapes, because without the required level of pH, fermentation will not start.
In the grape cake, after cooking the wine, there are still yeast and a small amount of sugar. These components are the basis of any home brew. Fermentation occurs as a result of the activity of yeast.
The yeast-processed sugar is split into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The amount of the finished product and its strength depend on the amount of sugar and yeast, their ratio in a wet environment. Twenty grams of sugar, processed by yeast, give 1% alcohol. It is calculated that out of 5 kg of sugar, 5 l of raw alcohol with a strength of 50-55% is obtained.
If, for example, 10 liters of water and 2 kg of sugar are added to the mash for grape mash, then during distillation it does not make sense to continue heating the mash after obtaining 2.0 liters of moonshine, because this will reduce the strength of the alcoholic beverage. In addition, together with the water vapor, the unwanted impurities contained in the braga will begin to flow into the alcohol tank, which will adversely affect the quality of the alcohol.
Braga from grapes - the essence of the process of obtaining alcohol
Yeast, as mentioned above, as a result of fermentation, alcohol is released, which, after the end of fermentation, is distilled from the container with home brew to clean dishes. When the mash is heated, water vapor along with the alcohol passes through the cooling system into a prepared, clean container. It is important not to allow the boiling of grapes in the distillation process. It should only be heated to 90 ° C, because at this temperature, water vapor is maximally formed. Alcohol has a lighter molecular weight than water. As a result of heating, it, together with water vapor, leaves the hermetically sealed tank with brew through the cooling system, where water again goes into a liquid state and flows through the hose (tube) into the tank for raw alcohol. The water molecules in the liquid state become heavier and carry along alcohol. When distilling home brew, it is important to use high-quality moonshine. Some home distillers, trying to save on the purchase of sealed containers, with a normal cooling system, “invent” their own distillation apparatus, but as a result they get smaller volumes of low-quality alcohol. Home distillery - not cheap pleasure, and this is the case when you need to solve the question: if you do, then well, and if it's bad, then it is better to abandon the venture at all - after all, it is not only about the strength of the drink, but also about its safety for health .
Next, the resulting moonshine is cleaned, after which it can be consumed or distilled again to get the wine spirit, or make other, more interesting alcoholic beverages based on it. Everything is very simple.
How to cook mash on grapes?
Fruit ferment is placed in a large saucepan - wine production waste. This mass is combined with the required amount of sugar and filled with warm water. 300-500 grams of grape marc substitute 100 g of alcoholic yeast. Grape cake should be fresh, with no signs of mold. Usually, mash is prepared immediately, after preparing the mash for wine.
The sugar content in grape marc (secondary raw materials) is negligible, since in the process of making wine all the sugar has already been processed by yeast. If for the preparation of grape mash, whole berries (primary raw materials) are used, they are sorted and crushed to accelerate fermentation. When sorting, berries with signs of rotting and mildew must be removed.
The sugar content of whole, previously unused berries depends on the grape variety. When using sweet grapes, it is not recommended to add too much sugar. Yeast with elevated glucose content is sluggish. Sugar should be added taking into account the content of glucose in grapes.
If you follow the correct ratio of sugar, water and wild yeast in the process of making grape mash, you can be absolutely sure that the fermentation stage will be successful and you will get high-quality raw alcohol from the mash. Remember or write down:
3.0-3.5 l of water (purified but not distilled);
1.0 kg of sugar for grape cake, or 0.7-0.8 kg - for berries of primary processing
0.3 - 0.5 kg of wild yeast (or wine ferment).
To prepare grape mash, there is no need to add “factory” yeast. Cooked home brew is placed in a warm place. After 4-5 days, a foam should form on the surface, a sour odor will appear. At the stage of rapid fermentation, fruit particles will float on the surface. When the sugar is completely processed, the solids will begin to settle. The taste of home brew at the final stage of fermentation becomes bitter, the presence of alcohol is felt. The whole fermentation process takes place within 10-15 days.
It remains to hermetically seal the pan with the finished grape balsam, insert the distillation tube through the “fridge” into the hole in the lid and put the container on the stove for heating and distillation.
Grape Braga - Home Cleaning Technology
The alcoholic liquid obtained as a result of distillation of brew from grapes must be thoroughly cleaned. Even the best moonshine based on fruit raw materials contains fusel oils, which give it an extremely unpleasant smell and are harmful to the body. It is better that the cleaning was multistage. Known folk methods of aging and filtering of moonshine.
First method.
After the first distillation, manganese crystals are added to the moonshine. A bottle of 3 liters is enough for a few crystals (6-7 pieces). The alcoholic liquid is initially painted in a bright pink color, then gradually acquires a rusty color, and sinks to the bottom in the form of a brownish clot. Moonshine after such a cleaning does not have any odors, except for the characteristic smell of alcohol, it becomes absolutely transparent. If after the first cleaning it was not possible to achieve the desired result, then the process must be repeated. The second method.
Put wood or activated charcoal in a bottle of moonshine and hold it for 7-10 days, after which the drink is filtered and used for further preparation.
1. Braga from grapes - a recipe of the Georgian “chacha”
Composition:
Grape cake cake 20 kg
Sugar 7 kg
Raisin 0.5 kg
Water 25 l
Preparation:
This “chacha” is not ordinary moonshine, but Georgian brandy, which after distillation is kept in oak barrels. But in ordinary home conditions, when grapes are a luxury, oak barrels are nowhere to take, all the more. Therefore, we use little tricks.
To fermentation process passed without problems, chop the raisins and cook the sourdough. Put it in the bottle, add a glass of sugar and fill it with warm water. Put the bottle in a warm place, wait for rapid fermentation. Further preparation of the mash from grapes and distillation is the same as described above.
The trick is that after cleaning the resulting alcoholized liquid, you need to add oak bark to it. Caps of chacha and oak bark should be corked, wrapped with opaque paper or cloth, removed from the light, and forgotten for at least one year, and even better for three, five or seven years. Patience will be fully rewarded with a great drink.
2. Braga from grapes - the recipe of the Italian drink “grappa”
Composition:
Wine yeast 100 g
Water 24 l
Sugar 8 kg
Grape cake 5 kg
Cooking:
“Grappa” - brandy in the Italian version. The preparation of the mash and its distillation at the first stage is no different from the Russian moonshine or the Georgian “chacha”, with the exception of one feature: the prepared mash is fermented during the fermentation process, like wine, tightly capped with a water gate. The main secret of the Italian drink is that for making the mash grape marc are used, which contain a sufficient amount of juice - the taste and aroma of the future drink depends on it. After the fermentation is completely stopped, the masters are distilled, the resulting alcohol is purified and insisted on cherry branches. Especially popular is the "grappa" with a sweet taste, so when aged add sugar syrup to it. Withstand a drink need not less than six months.
3. Braga from nutmeg grapes with orange zest
Composition:
Grapes (white nutmeg with Sakh. 35-40% m3) 10 kg
Orange zest (fresh or dried)
Citric acid 20 g
Sugar 6.5 kg
Water 20 l
Activated carbon 20 tablets
Preparation:
Sort and chop the grapes in any of the available ways. Add sugar, citric acid, orange peel. Put the prepared mixture in a stainless pot (40 l). During fermentation, free space must remain in the pan so that the mash does not run away (at least 1/4 of the total volume). Put the pot in a warm place, exclude the presence of drafts. Pour in warm water, mix and wrap the dishes with something warm. Within 3-5 days, watch, mix. After the calm fermentation phase begins, you can not drop in until the tenth day. As soon as the berries settle to the bottom, try the mash. Readiness for distillation is determined by the absence of gas bubbles and the appearance of bitterness.
Start distillation (see process description above). If it turns out that the turbulent fermentation phase did not start after a week, then take 2-3 liters of brew, warm it up to 25-30C, and add 200 g of alcoholized yeast. In this case, the whole fermentation process will last longer.
After distillation, the resulting moonshine is poured into bottles, and in each of them put 10 tablets of activated carbon, after grinding them. Insist on a week. It is advisable to shake the bottles periodically. After filter.
Grape Braga - useful cooking tips
Often at home in the manufacture of moonshine there are no measuring devices, and therefore there are difficulties with checking moonshine on the fortress. You can use proven folk methods to determine the strength: If, for example, 5 kg of sugar was put into the tank for preparing the mash, then during distillation you need to take 5 liters of moonshine. His fortress will be at least 50%.
Drink a room temperature drink in a tablespoon and set it on fire with a match. If the fortress is below 40%, then this drink will not burn. Intense blue flame indicates the high strength of the drink.
If the moonshine fortress was lower than planned, do not rush to get upset. It can be re-distilled, and, by reducing the volume of effluent by 2 times, to get a drink with an increased alcohol content, also 2 times.
