Content
American moonshine, distilled from corn mash, has a specific taste and aftertaste. There are a large number of recipes that differ from each other not only in preparation 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 little history
Corn-based moonshine is what most Americans call moonshine. The official birthplace of bourbon is Kentucky. This drink is considered the most favorite among the majority of the population of the United States and surrounding areas.
Corn malt is used as a base during the preparation process. If we take into account traditional production technologies, then only sprouted grain is used to prepare moonshine, which is subsequently dried and crushed.
The finished products are boiled and then saccharified to initiate the fermentation process.If necessary, all components can be purchased in the store; for this you will need: corn flour or chaff, malt, or enzymes.
Stages of making corn moonshine
Making corn mash at home with or without yeast is not so difficult if you follow the recipe, but you should approach this matter responsibly. If we consider the main stages of preparing mash, it is worth noting the following:
- select quality raw materials and prepare them properly;
- monitor the fermentation process;
- distill the mash;
- purify the resulting drink;
- impart taste.
If the drink turns out cloudy, this indicates the presence of significant errors and deviations from the recipe.
Preparation of raw materials
As a rule, it is mainly corn that needs preliminary preparation. It must either be sprouted or ground into flour. For these purposes, you can use a meat grinder with a large attachment or a special crusher.
To prepare mash, you can boil the grains or use raw materials. Boiled corn can significantly reduce the time it takes to obtain a drink.
Fermentation and distillation
Fermentation of the drink is an important stage, because the quality of the finished product depends on this process. It is important to consider that for fermentation a certain temperature must be maintained - from +18°C to +24°C. If the temperature is below the permissible level, the yeast simply will not be able to work.
To distill mash, they use special moonshine stills, which can be found in specialized stores or prepared independently.
Excerpt
To create real bourbon, most recipes for making corn-based mash 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 for every 2.5 liters you should add up to 5 bars, which are pre-soaked and fried. It is recommended to insist for 3 to 6 months. Bourbon, prepared at home, is not inferior in taste to a high-quality drink from the store.
Making moonshine from corn at home
Before you start preparing corn mash at home, you should first select the appropriate recipe and purchase the necessary ingredients. Moonshine can be made from whole grains or flour. The strength and richness of the finished drink will depend on the components used and their quality. To prepare mash from corn, you can use the following methods:
- use corn grits;
- Corn flour is also excellent for mash;
- recipe without using yeast;
- use peas, granulated sugar, corn;
- simple recipe using yeast.
Once the recipe has been selected, you can begin purchasing the ingredients.
Corn moonshine based on malt
To prepare malt-based corn moonshine, you will need the following ingredients:
- flour or corn grits – 1.5 kg;
- malt – 300 g;
- water with a minimum content of salts and minerals – 7 l;
- yeast - 5 g dry or 25 g pressed.
Cooking algorithm:
- Place a large saucepan on the fire, fill it with water, and heat it to +50°C. After this, place a smaller saucepan on top and use the water bath method to heat the water in it to a similar temperature.
- Flour or cereal is poured into the upper pan and the porridge is prepared.
- The cereal must be poured into the container slowly and cooked for 15 minutes, stirring constantly and without reducing the heat.
- Then the temperature from +50°C is increased to +65°C and cooked for about 15 minutes.
- Pour 1 liter of water, raise the temperature to +75°C and cook for 20 minutes.
- The malt is ground.
- Pour into porridge, which is cooled to +65°C. The pan is covered with a blanket and left warm for 7 hours.
- While the porridge is rising, you can start reviving the yeast using the instructions on the package.
- Cool the porridge to room temperature, add yeast.
- Mix all ingredients and leave for further fermentation.
The mash is ready in a week, you can start distilling.
Mash made from corn grits with barley malt
To prepare mash you will need:
- cereal – 4 kg;
- premium wheat flour – 0.5 kg;
- barley malt – 3.5 kg;
- yeast – 60 g;
- water – 15 l.
The process looks like this:
- Mix water, cereal and flour.
- Mix thoroughly, put on low heat, and bring to a boil.
- After boiling, cook for 4 hours.
- When a homogeneous mass is obtained, remove the container from the heat, cover with a blanket and leave for 6-7 hours until the temperature of the liquid drops to +40°C.
- After the mash has fermented, you can begin distilling 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 grains 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 l.
The step-by-step process is as follows:
- The grain is poured with 1 liter of warm water.
- Add 4 tbsp. Sahara.
- Mix everything and leave for 3 days for the corn to germinate.
- Pour in the remaining water and add sugar.
- Mix everything and cover the container.
- Leave for 15 days.
The fermentation process should be controlled at all stages.
Corn moonshine with peas and sugar
In this case, you need to use dry peas:
- corn grains – 2 kg;
- sugar – 4 kg;
- dried peas – 0.6 kg;
- water – 6.5 l.
Prepare the mash as follows:
- Corn is ground using a meat grinder.
- Pour the resulting mixture into a container.
- Add 0.5 kg of granulated sugar, peas, 1.5 liters of water.
- Mix everything thoroughly and leave for 10 days.
- When the mixture begins to rise and come out of the container, add the remaining ingredients.
- Mix everything thoroughly and leave for another week in a warm place.
The mash 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 a regular recipe it is necessary to add malt, then in this case it is replaced by enzymes; the rest of the preparation 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;
- 5% more finished products will be received;
- the efficiency of the raw materials used is significantly increased.
Enzymes are often used as a malt substitute.
Corn mash with koji
To prepare 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 in all the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
This recipe is the simplest, as it does not take much time. After an hour the boiling will begin. After a few weeks, when a sour smell appears, you can start distilling.
The end result should be 4.5 liters of finished product, 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 correctly
It is important to understand that each drink is consumed differently. One must be consumed in a diluted form, using fruit juice or soda for these purposes, others must be consumed only after the drink has reached a certain temperature. Corn alcohol is no exception in this case; you also need to know how to use it correctly.
Not divorced
Bourbon strength 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 slices are perfect as a snack. In this case, you can use all the same snacks as for whiskey. Many Americans believe that a cigar is an excellent combination with bourbon.
In diluted form
Few people prefer to drink fairly strong drinks undiluted. In this case, you can use soda, cola, still water, or any fruit juice. Some people add pieces of ice, only in this case the taste of the drink will be lost. As a rule of thumb, 1 part bourbon is 2 parts of any non-alcoholic drink.
Conclusion
Corn mash can be prepared at home using any of the existing recipes. If you follow a step-by-step algorithm, then even a person without special knowledge and skills can cope with this task.
