Content
American moonshine, for the distillation of which is used mash from corn, has a specific taste and aftertaste. There are a large number of recipes that differ not only in the cooking time, but also in the ingredients used. For the first time, you should choose the simplest method, which will not take much time, after which you can move on to more complex recipes.
A bit of history
Moonshine made from corn is what most Americans call moonlight. The official homeland of bourbon is Kentucky. This drink is considered the most favorite among the majority of the population of the United States and the surrounding area.
As a base, corn malt is used in the cooking process. If we take into account traditional production technologies, then only sprouted grain is used for the preparation of moonshine, which is subsequently dried and crushed.
The finished products are boiled and then saccharified for the onset of the fermentation process. If necessary, all the components can be purchased at the store, for this you will need: corn flour or chaff, malt, or enzymes.
Stages of making corn moonshine
It is not so difficult to cook corn mash at home with or without yeast if you follow the recipe, but you should take a responsible approach to this matter. If we consider the main stages of cooking mash, then it is worth noting the following:
- select quality raw materials and prepare them properly;
- follow the fermentation process;
- carry out the distillation of the mash;
- clear the resulting drink;
- give taste.
If the drink turns out to be cloudy, then this indicates the presence of significant errors and deviations from the recipe.
Preparation of raw materials
As a rule, predominantly corn needs preliminary preparation. It must either germinate or grind to flour. For these purposes, you can use a meat grinder with a large attachment or a special grinder.
To make mash, you can boil the grains or use raw materials. The boiled corn can significantly shorten the time it takes to make the drink.
Fermentation and distillation
Fermentation of a drink is an important stage, because the quality of the finished product depends on this process. It is important to take into account that a certain temperature must be observed for fermentation - from + 18 ° С to + 24 ° С. If the temperature is below the permissible level, then the yeast simply will not be able to work.
For the distillation of the mash, special moonshine stills are used, which can be found in specialized stores or prepared on their own.
Excerpt
To make real bourbon, most corn-based mash recipes involve aging in oak barrels. That is why it is recommended to purchase all the necessary ingredients and equipment in advance.
If you plan to use oak chips, then it is worth adding up to 5 bars for every 2.5 liters, which are pre-soaked and fried. It is recommended to insist from 3 to 6 months. Home-made bourbon tastes just as good as a store-bought bourbon.
Making corn moonshine at home
Before you start cooking corn mash at home, you should first select a suitable recipe and purchase the necessary ingredients. Moonshine can be obtained from whole grains or flour. The strength and richness of the finished drink will depend on the components used and their quality. To make corn mash, you can use the following methods:
- use corn grits;
- also corn flour is great for mash;
- formulation without the use of yeast;
- use peas, granulated sugar, corn;
- a simple recipe using yeast.
After the recipe has been selected, you can start purchasing the ingredients.
Malt-based corn moonshine
To make malt-based corn moonshine, you need the following ingredients:
- flour or corn grits - 1.5 kg;
- malt - 300 g;
- water with a minimum content of salts and minerals - 7 liters;
- yeast - 5 g dry or 25 g pressed.
Cooking algorithm:
- They put a large saucepan on the fire, fill it with water, heat up to + 50 ° C. After that, a smaller pan is placed on top and, using the method of a water bath, the water is heated in it to the same temperature.
- Flour or cereal is poured into the upper pan and porridge is prepared.
- Pour the groats into the container slowly and cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly and without reducing the heat.
- Then the temperature is increased from + 50 ° С to + 65 ° С and cooked for about 15 minutes more.
- Pour 1 liter of water, raise the temperature to + 75 ° C and cook for 20 minutes.
- Grind the malt.
- Pour into porridge, which is cooled to + 65 ° C. Cover the pot with a blanket and leave warm for 7 hours.
- While the porridge is suitable, you can start revitalizing the yeast using the instructions on the package.
- Cool porridge to room temperature, add yeast.
- Stir all ingredients and leave to ferment.
Braga is ready in a week, you can start distilling.
Braga from corn grits on barley malt
To make mash you will need:
- groats - 4 kg;
- wheat flour of the highest grade - 0.5 kg;
- barley malt - 3.5 kg;
- yeast - 60 g;
- water - 15 liters.
The process looks like this:
- Mix water, cereals and flour.
- Mix thoroughly, put on low heat, bring to a boil.
- After boiling, cook for 4 hours.
- When a homogeneous mass is obtained, the container is removed from the heat, covered with a blanket and left for 6-7 hours until the temperature of the liquid drops to + 40 ° C.
- After the mash has fermented, you can start distilling the moonshine using a special apparatus.
The finished drink is poured into glass containers and tightly closed.
Recipe for moonshine from corn grains without yeast
You can get a better quality drink if you use whole corn in moonshine and do not add yeast. According to the recipe, you will need:
- corn grain - 2.5 kg;
- sugar - 3.25 kg;
- water - 8.5 liters.
The step-by-step process is as follows:
- Grain is poured into 1 liter of warm water.
- Add 4 tbsp. Sahara.
- Everything is mixed and left for 3 days for the corn to germinate.
- Pour in the rest of the water and add sugar.
- Everything is mixed, the container is covered.
- Leave for 15 days.
The fermentation process should be monitored at all stages.
Corn moonshine with peas and sugar
In this case, you must use dry peas:
- corn grains - 2 kg;
- sugar - 4 kg;
- dried peas - 0.6 kg;
- water - 6.5 liters.
Mash is prepared as follows:
- The corn is minced using a meat grinder.
- Pour the resulting mixture into a container.
- Add 0.5 kg of granulated sugar, peas, 1.5 liters of water.
- Everything is thoroughly mixed and left for 10 days.
- When the mixture starts to rise and come out of the container, add the remaining ingredients.
- Everything is thoroughly mixed and left for another week in a warm place.
Braga must be distilled several times, and then poured into glass containers.
Corn mash with enzymes
There is a recipe for making corn mash using cold saccharification enzymes. If in the usual recipe it is necessary to add malt, then in this case it is replaced by enzymes, the rest of the cooking process is similar to the standard recipe.
Two types of enzymes are used:
- amylosubtilin;
- glucavamorin.
Using these components, you can:
- reduce fermentation time to about 20 hours;
- stabilize production technology, which affects fermentation;
- finished products will be received 5% more;
- the efficiency of the raw materials used is greatly increased.
Enzymes are often used as a substitute for malt.
Corn braga for koji
To make corn mash for koji-based moonshine, you will need:
- koji - 60 g;
- clean water - 20 l;
- wheat grains - 3 kg;
- barley - 2 kg;
- corn - 1 kg.
Cooking process:
- Water is poured into a large container.
- Raise the temperature to + 35 ° C.
- Pour out all the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
This recipe is the simplest, as it does not take much time. An hour later, the seething will begin. After a few weeks, when the sour smell appears, you can start distilling.
Ultimately, 4.5 liters of finished products should be obtained, which will taste like wheat porridge. If necessary, you can filter the moonshine and add oak chips, as a result of which a pleasant woody taste will appear in a month.
How to drink bourbon properly
It is important to understand that each drink is consumed differently. One should be consumed in a diluted form, using fruit juice or soda for these purposes, others should be consumed only after the drink reaches a certain temperature regime. Corn alcohol in this case is no exception, you also need to know how to use it correctly.
Not divorced
The strength of bourbon is 40 degrees, so it is considered a drink for real men. It is necessary to drink the drink from a small glass, which is slightly widened at the top and has a rather thick bottom. Meat, cheese, vegetable or fruit cuts are perfect as an appetizer. In this case, you can use all the same snacks as for the whiskey. Many Americans believe that a cigar is a great pairing with bourbon.
Diluted
Few people prefer to consume fairly strong drinks undiluted. In this case, you can use soda, cola, still water, any fruit juice. Some add pieces of ice, only in this case the taste of the drink will be lost. Typically, 1 part bourbon accounts for 2 parts of any soft drink.
Conclusion
Corn braga can be made at home according to any of the existing recipes. If you adhere to the step-by-step algorithm, then even a person without special knowledge and skills can cope with this task.
