Most elite spirits are aged for a certain amount of time in barrels made from various types of wood. Many experts argue that there is no particular difference where and in what alcohol was stored. However, true gourmets are able to catch the tart notes in the alcoholic beverages that wood gives it. So, how to insist moonshine on oak chips?
Why wood?
Since it is not difficult to insist on moonshine on oak chips, itβs worthwhile to understand why many people use wood. There are several explanations for this. Oak chips, once in alcohol, acts as an adsorbent. This is due to the structure of the material. Capillaries of wood, like sponges, to draw impurities hazardous to human health from a liquor. Aldehydes do not disappear on their own during distillation. Thanks to this, alcohol aged on oak chips for several years is a cleaner product.
As practice shows, moonshine, insisted on such raw materials, acquires a milder taste. This is achieved thanks to the biochemical substances contained in the wood. They also, in addition, give the drink a pleasant aroma, and also bind toxins.
Most doctors agree that tincture of alcohol on oak wood chips is an amazing product in terms of properties. Such a drink can help a person get rid of many diseases and improve the general condition. In this case, it does not matter at all where the tincture was made: at the factory or at home.
What substances get into alcohol
Oak allows you to make homemade alcohol softer and noble. What is this happening for? Oak chips not only removes harmful compounds from the drink, but also gives away its beneficial substances, among which:
- Tannins. These compounds give moonshine a peculiar slightly bitter aroma, gradually softening during aging, as well as pleasant astringency.
- Aromatic acids. Wood contains lignin. During its biosynthesis, the release of natural flavors occurs. There are a lot of them. But it is worth highlighting lilac aldehyde. This substance gives the drink a smell that looks like a lilac aroma. A flavor like vanillin also arises. This component can be found not only in oak wood, but also in cloves, and in cinnamon.
- Phenolic compounds and lactones. During the heat treatment of oak wood chips, substances of the furan series are formed. It is this compound that gives the alcohol a pleasant caramel flavor.
Wood is different
How to insist moonshine on oak chips at home? First of all, it is worth clarifying what kind of wood is required for this. Alcohol can be infused only on chips made from oak grown on impoverished soil and in a dry climate. Such wood is considered ideal. If you take oak chips made from trees growing in other conditions, you can make a drink with an unpleasant taste. Indeed, such wood is saturated with tannins. They spoil the taste of alcohol.
Choose material from oak
How to insist on moonshine on oak chips and get a tasty drink? To do this, you need to choose the right raw materials. Alcohol can be infused on oak bark, on oak chips or in oak barrels. Each of the methods has its own characteristics:
- Oak bark. When using such raw materials, a bitter tincture is obtained. Compared to the original product, alcohol will only have a slightly mild taste. In this case, the drink will acquire a reddish-brown color. Thanks to tannin, alcohol will become more healing. However, if you over-brew moonshine, then it will become bitter.
- Oak chips. Such raw materials can improve the alcoholic drink, removing toxins from it. If necessary, oak chips can be purchased at the distillery store or in a pharmacy, but you can cook it yourself if you wish. Alcohol infused with oak sapwood, crushed into slivers, has a light aroma and amber color. At the same time, the alcoholic beverage contains light notes of vanilla or prunes.
- Barrel made of oak. Neither wood chips nor bark are able to completely clean the liquor. Best of all, oak barrels cope with such tasks. For several years, the composition of moonshine stored in such containers has been completely changing for the better. This affects the taste, aroma, and color of the drink.
How to harvest chips
Before answering the question of how and how much to brew moonshine on oak chips, it is worth clarifying how to properly harvest raw materials. Of course, you can purchase the material in a specialized store or in a pharmacy. But if you wish, you can prepare wood chips yourself. This requires:
- Find oak logs of the required size. It should be left at room temperature until completely dry.
- Prepared logs must be cleaned of bark. It can be used to prepare a bitter tincture. From the rest of the wood should be prepared wood chips. The sizes of each piece should be no more than 2x2x10 cm.
- Oak chips, which will be used to infuse moonshine, should be poured with cold water. Raw materials must stand for at least 24 hours. Every 8 hours, the water must be changed to fresh.
- After this procedure, the flail needs to be leached. For this, a solution of baking soda is used. You can cook it yourself. It is enough to dilute in 10 liters of water two tablespoons of baking soda. Soak the chips in the solution for 6 hours.
- After the specified time, the oak chips should be washed, poured into a deep pot, pour clean water, and then boil for 5 minutes.
- Water needs to be drained, and raw materials washed. Dry oak chips in a dark but dry room. It takes at least a day.
- In conclusion, the raw materials must be warmed up well in the oven. Oak chips should be placed in the oven, heated to 150 Β° C, for two hours.
Raw materials prepared by this method can be stored for many years.
Does firing affect the taste of the drink
How much to insist on moonshine on oak chips? In this case, much depends on the formulation, as well as on the degree of firing of raw materials. These factors also affect the aroma and taste of alcohol. Before use, the wood should be burned on the grill. There are three ways:
- Easy firing. The raw material remains light brown. In this case, moonshine infused with oak wood chips will have a pleasant aroma of fruit, vanilla, and also have smoked notes.
- Medium firing. Chips acquire a brown tint. Thanks to such raw materials, the alcoholic drink will acquire the taste of almonds or caramel.
- Strong firing. The wood should become a dark brown hue. A drink infused with such wood chips will have a chocolate flavor with a touch of smoked meat.
Which moonshine is better to use
How long does it take to brew moonshine on oak chips? It depends on taste preferences, on the method of firing raw materials, as well as on the type of alcoholic beverage. For insisting, it is better to use:
- grain;
- sugar;
- fruit moonshine.
As for the last type of alcohol, chacha should be used to make an elite alcoholic beverage. This is moonshine made from grapes. Of course, a lot depends on taste preferences. If you use oak chips in combination with other types of moonshine, you can get an unpleasant result. The drink may acquire a pungent smell or bitter taste, and may also contain harmful components.
Classic recipe
So, how to insist on moonshine on oak chips. This will require oak chips and moonshine. It is best to use a drink with a strength of 45Λ.
To prepare a tasty and fragrant drink, you need to add wood chips to the container with alcohol. In this case, it is worth observing the proportions. For 1 liter of alcohol, 20 grams of raw material is required. How much do you need to insist moonshine on oak chips according to this recipe? It all depends on the desired result. On average, it takes from 3 to 6 months. When the drink is completely ready, it is necessary to remove wood from it. Now you know how to brew moonshine on oak chips.
To prepare a drink, it is worth using a container made of glass or stainless steel with a sealed lid. Plastic products are not good. Moonshine should be infused in a dark and cool place.
Raisin Recipe
If you want to get an alcoholic drink with smoked, vanilla and grape notes, then you need to insist on oak chips with raisins. The cooking process is simple. 3 grams of moonshine requires 20 grams of raisins, 60 grams of burnt wood chips, a handful of oak bark.
All components must be combined in one container and insisted for 2-3 months. In conclusion, it is worth trying the finished drink. If necessary, the infusion time can be increased. The result should be a soft, slightly astringent alcoholic beverage.
How to speed up the process
How to insist moonshine on oak wood chips for smoking in just a few weeks? In this case, spices will help. For 1 liter of moonshine, 0.3 grams of vanillin, two peas of allspice, two umbrellas of cloves will be required. It is necessary to insist a drink in a container made of glass or stainless steel. The room should be dry, cool and dark. How much do you need to insist on moonshine on oak chips and spices? It takes 2 to 3 weeks to prepare an elite drink.
It is worth considering that alcohol prepared according to such a recipe will not have healing properties. To obtain the desired color, the addition of caramel will be required, which reduces the strength of the alcoholic beverage by 2 or 3Λ. This factor should be taken into account during the first haul.
Country Style Alcohol
Is it possible to insist on moonshine on oak chips differently? A recipe for a liquor may include various herbs and spices. How to make moonshine "Village Style"? This will require:
- high-quality moonshine with a strength of at least 45Λ - 3 liters;
- white sugar for caramel syrup - 2 large spoons;
- oak chips of medium roasting 4x4x10 centimeters - 6 pieces;
- rose hips - 15 pieces;
- black pepper - from 3 to 4 peas;
- black tea, preferably large leaf and high quality - 1 teaspoon;
- St. John's wort - 1 teaspoon of ground or 1 small twig.
The last component is not worth adding a lot. Better put less than more.
Additional ingredients
To make the drink aromatic and softer, it is worth adding:
- 1 tablespoon of white and black raisins;
- 1 seedless prune berry;
- Vanilla pod, no more than 3 centimeters long;
- 15 grams of oregano;
- 15 grams of thyme.
These components are optional. However, thanks to them, moonshine will acquire a more interesting taste. Also, St. John's wort can be excluded from the recipe. But you should not refuse from vanilla.
Cooking process
First, make caramel syrup from sugar. It should turn out a light brown shade. The remaining components should be placed in a glass container and carefully filled with moonshine. At the end, it is worth adding ready-made caramel syrup and tightly close the lid.
In time, it is necessary to insist on moonshine on oak chips for at least 14 days. However, it is worth considering a few rules. A week after laying all the components, you need to remove the prunes and vanilla from the container. In general, alcohol costs from 14 to 28 days to insist. At the same time, the container must be shaken periodically.
What to do then
When moonshine gains a more pronounced aroma, and its color becomes darker, it is necessary to filter it. To do this, you can use gauze, previously folded in several layers, as well as a cotton filter.
The finished alcoholic beverage should be poured into glass containers and left to rest for three months. If desired, this time can be increased. The containers should be placed in a cool and dark place. As a result of this procedure, the taste of the drink will become softer and more harmonious. At the same time, all tanning compounds will be removed from moonshine. If, after the indicated time, a precipitate has formed, then the alcoholic beverage should be filtered again.
What you should not do
In time to insist moonshine on oak chips can be more than 3 months. Much depends on the desired result and formulation. However, there are general recommendations. What is not worth doing?
- It is not recommended to fry oak chips for too long. If you are doing this for the first time, then it is worth practicing on a small amount of raw materials. Do not use black chips.
- It is not necessary to use damp or raw material for brewing moonshine. Wood chips should be dry and charred.
- It is not recommended to insist alcohol in containers made of plastic. Such a drink can be poison. After all, alcohol can corrode all types of plastic.
- Do not add to the moonshine a large number of spices and wood, violating the proportions. This can negatively affect the taste of the drink. It will be practically impossible to correct the consequences.
- Do not over-brew moonshine. It can also affect the taste and smell of the finished product.
- It is not recommended to insist a large amount of moonshine on the chips according to an unverified recipe. It is better to put a small amount of alcohol.
In conclusion
Moonshine, infused with oak chips, acquires a pleasant and mild taste. Even with the same recipes, an ambiguous result will be obtained in each case. Alcohol will vary in taste and aroma. However, oak wood chips are still the best material for removing harmful compounds from moonshine. The drink as a result of insistence becomes noble and purer.