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's not all. Of course, because the germinated grain and can not be different. But here the process of its manufacture is very long and painstaking, it is easier to buy a finished product. But those people who independently make malt for whiskey are not afraid of difficulties, because they value it more. Homemade alcohol and pastries from our own malt are much tastier.
Whiskey at home: manufacturing principles
Today there are a lot of recipes for making whiskey, the recipe depends on the manufacturer, so when preparing it at home, do not worry that you will make a mistake with taste. There are many ways you can choose any of them. The main thing is to prepare a good mash, and this will require good malt. What is the best malt for whiskey ? Of course, barley!
The most famous producers of whiskey are Scotland and Ireland, but even in these countries the cooking technology is very different. The Scots have a harsher taste. According to the technology, peat is used as a fuel when drying malt, so the drink has a smoky taste. In Ireland, whiskey is distilled three times, so it is softer, aged in oak barrels.
On the whole, the process is quite reminiscent of moonshining, therefore, despite all the technologies, aging in barrels, they still cannot get rid of the taste of fusel oils completely. The basis for the preparation of whiskey at home is the well-known moonshine.
Whiskey was born a long time ago, the recipe was brought to Scotland by Arab monks who took it from the crusaders. Naturally, in those days they did not have serious equipment for making whiskey, therefore, this can be done at home. Homemade malt is taken as the basis. For whiskey, this component is very important.
The main stages of making whiskey
- Barley grains are soaked, germinated for several days, dried. Thus, malt for whiskey is obtained.
- After drying, the malt is crushed to make small grains.
- The crushed malt is mixed with hot water and can withstand all this for a certain time.
- The resulting liquid is called a must. It is separated from the crushed malt, cooled and poured into the container, where the fermentation process will take place.
- Yeast should be added to the must. Leave for a few days for fermentation.
- When the wort turns into a mash, it is poured into a cube for distillation.
- After the first distillation process, crude alcohol is obtained, the second distillation separates the head and tail of the distillate.
- The resulting distillate is poured into an oak barrel, where it finally matures to get the proud name of “whiskey”.
What is malt?
Malt has been used since ancient times for baking, as well as for distilling and cooking. Today this product is no less relevant. Malt is used for whiskey, bourbon, it is used in cooking and in the preparation of beer and kvass. Bread wine was popular in Russia , for it they took rye malt. Malt is prepared from various cereals - wheat, barley, rye, oats and other crops. When germinated in the grain, an enzyme is formed that easily turns starch into fermentable sugar. Preparing malt yourself is not easy, it is a very time-consuming process, it takes a long time. Now you can buy ready-made malt in the store. But, despite this, many distilleries and brewers manage with a product made with their own hands.
Malt for whiskey at home: theory
Have you decided to act on your own? Be thoroughly prepared for this process. Making malt for whiskey is a long and responsible task. The main thing is to stop the process of seed germination in time, otherwise they will use up all their nutrients. To do this, malt must be dried in time.
To prepare the malt, it is necessary to choose the right grain. It must have the ability to sprout quickly. The newly harvested barley has low germination, this ability is manifested only 2-3 months after harvest. It is easier to work with grains having the same size.
You need to prepare malt only with high-quality water, it should not contain chlorine, any other heavy metals. Well water, standing or filtered , is best suited.
Before the process of making malt at home, you need to check the germination of seeds. Soak one or two hundred, inspect in two days. How much has sprouted? Of the hundreds of ninety sprouts - a remarkable germination, if the indicator is worse, it is better to purchase other raw materials.
Practice. Preparing the grain for soaking
Starting to prepare malt for whiskey, pay special attention to the soaking process, you need to approach it responsibly. To cook barley malt at home, you need to use clean grain, no debris, sifted. Pour the amount you need into a suitable container, pour clean water. It is necessary to mix the grain well - this way all empty grains, garbage, husks will surface. Everything that has surfaced needs to be removed. Rinse the remaining mass in two waters. After that, pour clean water so that it covers the surface 5 cm higher. Leave everything for 6-7 hours.
After this time, drain the water and rinse the grain well again. In order to disinfect the 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. Pour the grain with this solution and let stand for 1-2 hours.
Germination
After the grain has been disinfected, the entire mass must be laid out on pallets. The layer should not exceed a height of 4-5 cm. During the day, the grain should breathe. Periodically every 2-3 hours it needs to be mixed. 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, grain should be monitored, using a spray gun to moisten the fabric, but make sure that the humidity is not too high. Normal: for 10 kg of grain in dry form, use 100-150 ml of water daily. On the 3-4th day of germination, the temperature in the room must be increased to 20-23 degrees. It is necessary to turn the grain more often during this period so that the process of sweating does not start.
How to determine the readiness of the malt? The sprout should increase in such a way that it will be 1.5 times the size of the grain itself. The greenish malt tastes sweetish, reminiscent of a fresh young cucumber. Such a product is suitable for use in saccharification. But it is stored for only three days. To increase the service life, malt must be dried. When dried, it can be used to make not only whiskey and bourbon, but also for beer, you can make malt milk.
Drying
Before drying, green malt undergoes a disinfection process again. For this, a solution is prepared from potassium permanganate (0.3 grams of manganese per 1 liter of water). In this solution, the malt is aged 20-25 minutes. Drying is carried out at a temperature of 30-40 degrees. If the temperature is higher, then beneficial enzymes will simply die. At home, you can do the drying on a warm floor, you can direct the stream of a warm fan. In hot weather, the malt is dried in the attic, the main thing is to provide good ventilation. The malt will dry completely after 3-4 days. The next procedure is the removal of sprouts and roots. To do this is quite simple: you need to grind the grain in the palms, the dried sprouts themselves will fall off.
Properly prepared malt has enzymes with very high activity. 1 kg of such a product is capable of saccharifying up to 5 kg of starch-containing raw materials. Malt is stored in linen bags or unopened containers in a dry room. Ground malt is obtained from the finished grains. For whiskey, for beer, this raw material is the best of all analogues. Grind malt in special mills or crush it in crushers.
Chateau malt for whiskey
Those who consider the process described above too laborious and tedious can buy ready-made malt. Many companies specializing in the preparation of malt offer customers ready-made varieties. This business is widely developed in Belgium. Chateau Whiskey malt is very popular. It has a smoked taste, which is unlikely to be made at home. Chateau Whiskey was developed specifically for the production of whiskey. During drying, it was fumigated with Scottish peat, due to this it has not only a smoky taste, but also a longer shelf life. To make whiskey at home, you can order this kind of malt for yourself through the online store. The cost will be approximately 160 rubles per 1 kilogram.
How to make malt mash
Braga from malt for whiskey is prepared quite simply, and if you follow all the points, then everything will work out. To prepare, you need to prepare:
- 6 kg of malt.
- 25 liters of pure water.
- 300 g pressed or 50 g dry yeast.
Stages of preparation:
- Grind malt into groats.
- Pour into a large saucepan, pour hot water (45-50 degrees). Stir the wort until a homogeneous substance is obtained.
- Heat the mixture to 65 degrees. Stir, close the lid. Reduce the fire to a minimum and withstand the wort at a temperature of 55-60 degrees for an hour. Stir every 15 minutes.
- As soon as the flour porridge settles to the bottom, the top layer of the wort will become light, you need to cool it to 25 degrees as quickly as possible. To do this, remove the pan and place in a container with cold water (bath, basin with ice).
- According to the instructions on the package, ferment the yeast.
- Pour the wort into a fermentation tank, add the cooked yeast.
- Install a water seal on the neck with a braga. Transfer to a dark room where the temperature should be at least 20-25 degrees.
- Fermentation lasts 3-6 days. During this period, the must must be mixed daily.
Sugar mash in the malt
Classic sugar mash is prepared like this:
Ingredients:
- 3 kg of sugar.
- 1.2 kg of malt.
- 15 liters of water.
- 300 g of pressed yeast.
Process:
- Heat water to 40 degrees, pour into a fermentation tank. Add a third of the sugar, crumble the yeast, pour it into the mash. Mix well. Grind green malt into grits, pour into the total mass. Stir everything well, leave in a warm place for 3 hours.
- If everything is done accurately, during this time the fermentation process will begin. After this, the remaining sugar is added, before this it must be dissolved in a small amount of warm water.
- Braga is ready. Transfer to a dark and warm place and wait for the ripening, which will last 4-5 days.
Braga for classic whiskey
To prepare real home-made whiskey, which is not inferior in quality to Scotch, you need to use only barley ground malt for whiskey. Sugar is not needed in this classic case.
Required:
- Malt - 8 kg.
- Water - 32 l.
- Pressed yeast - 300 g.
Cooking:
- Heat the water to a temperature of 70 degrees.
- Pour ground malt in a thin stream. Stir constantly with a wooden spatula. The result is a homogeneous mixture resembling porridge.
- Warm up to 65 degrees, reduce heat, cover, leave on stove for 1.5 hours. Stir constantly.
- Remove from the stove, cool to 25 degrees.
- Pour into a fermentation tank, add fermented yeast. Stir everything.
- Install a water lock on the neck. Leave the container in a warm, dark room.
Depending on the sugar content of the malt, yeast activity and temperature, the mash for whiskey matures from 5 to 15 days. To avoid souring, the must must be mixed daily.