Homemade malt for whiskey

Malt is a very useful product, contains a group of vitamins B, as well as phytohormones, fatty acids, minerals, trace elements, amino acids, folic acid, enzymes. And that is not all. Of course, because the germinated grain can not be different. But here the process of its manufacture is very long and laborious, it is easier to buy the finished product. But those people who independently make malt for whiskey, are not afraid of difficulties, as they appreciate it more. Home-made alcohol and baked from own malt are much tastier.

Whiskey at home: the principles of production

For today, there are a lot of recipes for making whiskey, the recipe from the manufacturer depends, so when preparing it at home, do not worry that you are wrong with taste. There are many ways, you can choose any of them. The main thing is to prepare a good bra, and this will require good malt. What malt for whiskey is best ? Of course, barley!

The most famous whiskey producers are Scotland and Ireland, but in these countries the cooking technology is very different. The Scots taste more sharp. By technology, when drying malt as a fuel, peat is used, so the drink has some smoky taste. In Ireland distillation of whiskey is made three times, so it turns out to be softer, aged in oak barrels.

In general, the process is quite reminiscent of brewing, therefore, despite all the technologies, the aging in barrels, from the flavor of fusel oils, can not be completely eliminated. The basis for the preparation of whiskey at home is taken by all the famous moonshine.

Originated whiskey for a long time, the recipe was brought to Scotland by Arab monks, who adopted it from the Crusaders. Naturally, in those days they did not have serious equipment for the preparation of whiskey, therefore, it can be done at home. The basis is homemade malt. For whiskey, this component is very important.

The basic stages of preparation of whiskey

• Barley grains are soaked, germinated for several days, dried. Thus, malt is obtained for the whiskey.
• After drying, the malt is crushed to make small grains.
• Crushed malt is mixed with hot water and can withstand this all the time.
• The resulting liquid is called a wort. It is separated from the crushed malt, cooled and poured into a container, where the process of fermentation will take place.
• In the wort you need to add yeast. Leave for several days to ferment.
• When the wort turns into a brew, it is poured into a cube for distillation.
• After the first distillation process, raw alcohol is obtained, the second distillation separates the head and tail portions of the distillate.
• The resulting distillate is poured into an oak barrel, where it finally ripens to get the proud name of "whiskey".

What is malt?

Malt is used since ancient times for baking, as well as for distilling and brewing. Today this product is no less relevant. Used malt for whiskey, bourbon, used in cooking and in the preparation of beer and kvass. In Russia it was popular bread wine, for it rye malt was taken. Malt is prepared from various cereals - wheat, barley, rye, oats and other cereals. When germinating in the grain, an enzyme is formed, which easily turns starch into fermented sugar. It is not easy to prepare malt, it is a very laborious process, takes a long time. Now you can buy ready-made malt in the store. But, in spite of this, many distillers and brewers dispense with a product manufactured with their own hands.

Malt for whiskey at home: theory

Have you decided to act on your own? Prepare thoroughly for this process. To cook malt for whiskey is a long and responsible occupation. The main thing is to stop the germination process in time, otherwise they will consume all their nutrients. To do this, you need to dry the malt in time.

For the preparation of malt it is necessary to choose the right grain. It must have the ability to quickly germinate. The newly harvested barley has a low germination, this ability is manifested only 2-3 months after harvest. It is easier to work with grains having one size.

Cook malt only with quality water, it should not contain chlorine, any other heavy metals. The best is well water, standing or filtered.

Before the process of cooking malt at home, you need to check the germination of seeds. Soak one or two hundred, two days later, take a look. How much did it sprout? Of the hundreds of ninety shoots - a remarkable germination, if the indicator is worse, it is better to buy other raw materials.

Practice. Preparing the grain for soaking

When preparing malt for whiskey, pay special attention to the soaking process, it must be approached responsibly. To cook barley malt at home, you need to use a clean grain, without debris, sifted. Pour the quantity into a suitable container, fill it with clean water. It is necessary to mix well the grain - so all the empty grains, debris, husks will surface. Everything that surfaced on the surface must be removed. The remaining mass of rinse in two waters. After this, pour clean water, so that it covers the surface higher by 5 cm. Leave everything for 6-7 hours.

After this time, drain the water and rinse the grain again. To disinfect raw materials, it is necessary to carry out the following procedure: pour 2-3 grams of potassium permanganate into a bucket of water, mix well. With this solution, pour the grain and let stand for 1-2 hours.

Germination

After the grain has been disinfected, the whole mass should be spread out on pallets. The layer should not exceed the height of 4-5 cm. Within a day the grain should breathe. Periodically every 2-3 hours it needs to be stirred. After that, cover with a damp cotton cloth and leave in a room where the temperature should be 15-20 degrees. It is very important that the air in the room circulates, does not stagnate. Every day for the grain you need to monitor, use a spray to moisten the fabric, but make sure that the humidity is not too high. In norm: for 10 kg of grain in a dry form, use 100-150 ml of water daily. On the 3-4th day of germination, the temperature in the room should be increased to 20-23 degrees. Tear during this period, the grain needs more often, so that the process of sweating does not begin.

How to determine the readiness of malt? The sprout should increase in such a way that it will be 1.5 times the size of the grain itself. Greenish malt tastes sweet, like a fresh young cucumber. Such a product is suitable for use in saccharification. But he is kept only three days. To increase the service life, the malt must be dried. In dried form it can be used to prepare not only whiskey and bourbon, but also for beer, you can prepare malt milk.

Drying

Before drying the green malt again undergoes the disinfection process. For this purpose, a solution is prepared from manganese (for 1 liter of water, 0.3 grams of manganese). In this solution the malt is aged for 20-25 minutes. Drying is performed at a temperature of 30-40 degrees. If the temperature is higher, the useful enzymes will simply die. At home, you can do drying on a warm floor, you can direct the flow of a warm fan. In hot weather malt is dried in an attic, the main thing is to ensure good ventilation. Dried malt completely after 3-4 days. The next procedure is to remove germs and roots. This is quite simple: you have to rub the grain in your hands, the dried sprouts will fall off.

Correctly prepared malt has enzymes with very high activity. 1 kg of this product is capable of sugaring up to 5 kg of starch-containing raw materials. The malt is stored in linen bags or closed containers in a dry room. From the ready grains, the malt is ground. For whiskey, for beer this raw material is the best of all analogues. Grind the malt on special mills or crush them on crushers.

Malt "Chateau" for whiskey

Those who consider the process described above, too time consuming and tedious, can buy ready-made malt. Many companies specializing in cooking malt, offer customers ready varieties. This business is widely developed in Belgium. The malt "Chateau Whiskey" is very popular. Has a smoked taste, which is unlikely to be made at home. Chateau Whiskey developed specifically for the production of whiskey. During drying, it was fumigated with Scottish peat, due to this, it has not only a smoky smell, but also a longer shelf life. For cooking whiskey at home, you can order for yourself this kind of malt through an online store. The cost is about 160 rubles per kilogram.

How to cook a brew of malt

Braga from the malt for whiskey is prepared quite simply, and if you follow all the points, then everything will turn out. For preparation it is necessary to prepare:

• 6 kg of malt.
• 25 liters of clean water.
• 300 grams of pressed or 50 g dry yeast.

Stages of preparation:

1. Malt grind into the groats.
2. Pour into a large saucepan, pour hot water (45-50 degrees). Stir the wort until a homogeneous substance is obtained.
3. Heat the mixture to 65 degrees. Stir, close the lid. Reduce heat to a minimum and withstand the wort at a temperature of 55-60 degrees for an hour. Stir every 15 minutes.
4. Once the flour porridge settles to the bottom, the top layer of the wort will become light, as soon as possible, it must be cooled to 25 degrees. To do this, remove the pan and place it in a container with cold water (a bath, a basin with ice).
5. According to the instructions on the package, disassemble the yeast.
6. Transfer the wort into a fermentation vessel, add cooked yeast.
7. On the neck with the barge, install a hydraulic seal. Transfer to a dark room, where the temperature should be at least 20-25 degrees.
8. Fermentation lasts 3-6 days. During this period, the must must be mixed daily.

Sugar brew on malt

Classical berg on sugar is prepared this way:

Ingredients:

• 3 kg of sugar.
• 1.2 kg of malt.
• 15 liters of water.
• 300 g of pressed yeast.

Process:

1. Heat the water to 40 degrees, pour into a fermentation vessel. Add a third of the sugar, yeast crumble, pour into the wort. Mix well. Green malt grind into the groats, pour into the total mass. All stir well, leave in a warm place for 3 hours.
2. If everything is done exactly, during this time the fermentation process will begin. After that, the remaining sugar is added, before that it needs to be dissolved in a small amount of warm water.
3. Braga is ready. Transfer to a dark and warm place and wait for ripening, which will last 4-5 days.

Braga for classic whiskey

To prepare a real home-made whiskey, which does not yield to the quality of Scotch, you need to use only malt barley ground for whiskey. Sugar in this classic case is not needed.

Required:

• Malt - 8 kg.
• Water - 32 liters.
• Pressed yeast - 300 g.

Preparation:

1. The water is heated to a temperature of 70 degrees.
2. Pour out the ground malt with a thin trickle. Constantly stir with a wooden spatula. As a result, a homogeneous mixture resembling porridge will be obtained.
3. Warm up to 65 degrees, reduce heat, cover, leave on the stove for 1.5 hours. Stir constantly.
4. Remove from the plate, cool to 25 degrees.
5. Pour into the fermentation tank, add the scattered yeast. All stir.
6. Install the water seal on the neck. Leave the container in a warm, dark place.

Depending on the malty sugar content, yeast activity and temperature, the brew for whiskey ripens from 5 to 15 days. To avoid souring, the must must be mixed daily.