Who invented moonshine. Who invented moonshine. Moonshine from peaches
Preparation of moonshine and alcohol for personal use
absolutely legal!
After the demise of the USSR, the new government stopped the fight against moonshine. Criminal liability and fines were abolished, and an article prohibiting the production of alcohol-containing products at home was removed from the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. To this day, there is not a single law that prohibits you and me from engaging in our favorite hobby - making alcohol at home. This is evidenced by the Federal Law of July 8, 1999 No. 143-FZ “On Administrative Responsibility legal entities(organizations) and individual entrepreneurs for offenses in the field of production and circulation of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products” (Collection of Legislation Russian Federation, 1999, N 28, Art. 3476).
Extract from federal law RF:
"The effect of this Federal Law does not apply to the activities of citizens (individuals) who do not produce products containing ethyl alcohol for the purpose of marketing."
Moonshine in other countries:
In Kazakhstan in accordance with the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan On Administrative Offenses dated January 30, 2001 N 155, the following liability is provided. So, according to article 335 “Manufacture and sale alcoholic beverages home-made" illegal manufacture for the purpose of selling moonshine, chacha, mulberry vodka, mash and other alcoholic beverages, as well as the sale of these alcoholic beverages entails a fine in the amount of thirty monthly calculation indices with confiscation of alcoholic beverages, apparatus, raw materials and equipment for their manufacture, and also received from their sale of money and other valuables. However, the law does not prohibit the preparation of alcohol for personal purposes.
In Ukraine and Belarus things are different. Articles No. 176 and No. 177 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Ukraine provide for the imposition of fines in the amount of three to ten tax-free minimum wages for the manufacture and storage of moonshine without the purpose of sale, for the storage without the purpose of sale of apparatus * for its production.
Article 12.43 repeats this information practically word for word. “Production or purchase of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), semi-finished products for their production (mash), storage of devices for their production” in the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses. Item number 1 says: "Manufacturing individuals strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), semi-finished products for their manufacture (mash), as well as storage of devices * used for their manufacture - entails a warning or a fine in the amount of up to five basic units with confiscation of these drinks, semi-finished products and devices.
* It is still possible to purchase moonshine stills for home use, since their second purpose is to distill water and obtain components for natural cosmetics and perfumes.
Good day, our dear and beloved readers! You probably wondered what moonshine is, how did it appear in the history of Russia, and how moonshine differs from vodka? And today we will answer all your questions.
Moonshine is a traditional and primordially Russian drink that gained fame throughout the planet and was widely distributed in Rus' in the early 15th century. Moonshine is a vapor of cold alcohol, released as a result of heating and long boiling of the alcohol mass. Alcohol mass (i.e. mash) is obtained as a result of the preparation of moonshine by fermentation of sugar, apples, pears and other various products containing sugar or saccharified starch substances.
Let's delve a little into the history of the appearance of the original Russian alcoholic drink!
Initially, the use of moonshine was taken not as a drink from alcohol, but as a medicinal, medical tincture. In its definition, the drink is described in the Novgorod Chronicle dated 1533. In those days, moonshine was produced in Rus' from four types of “simple wine” and “good wine” (drinks of medium strength), “2nd wine” (moonshine vodka of a special strength), “Bor wine” (a drink of the highest grade). Russian moonshine start XIX century surpassed such alcoholic beverages as English whiskey and French cognac in terms of manufacturing quality. I would like to note that during Ancient Rus' moonshine was more expensive than gold itself! Each noble estate had its own secrets and recipes for making this very strong drink. Moonshine production 19th - 19th For centuries it was nominal and it was not sold.
It was under Ivan the Terrible that the first tavern was opened, in which the main drink was, of course, our Russian moonshine, which kept. But there were also some reservations about visiting this drinking establishment. Only guardsmen or otherwise "royal dogs" could visit this tavern. In the times of Ancient Rus', medals and orders were not awarded for various feats, but the royal ladle was presented. Thanks to such “orders”, the owner could, in various places, in any tavern, drink as much moonshine for free as he could scoop into a ladle just once!
moonshine
For the preparation of moonshine vodka raw materials are needed. The composition of alcohol should include only available components in a certain region or region. Subdivided according to composition different kinds moonshine, for example as: fruit and berry or fruit, grain, beetroot, etc. In addition to the main component from which mash is made, vodka also contains candied starch, water and, of course, sugar. Often used in cooking yeast starter. One hundred grams of moonshine contains more than 67 g of water, 33.4 g of alcohol, 0.1 ash, 1 mg of calcium and 10 mg of sodium.
The difference between vodka and moonshine is that moonshinein its composition it has a lot of various impurities, which give it such a specific taste and smell. While vodka smells a little weaker and is easier to drink. That is, the less impurities in the drink, the closer it is to vodka.
Precautionary measures
Do not forget also that any alcoholic drink brings some harm to the human body. The harm of moonshine is more obvious than its benefits. As a result of the distillation of the alcohol-containing mass, fusel oil is formed (a toxic impurity, which in turn causes various convulsions), amyl alcohol (inhibits brain activity) and many other toxic substances. We especially want to emphasize that moonshine causes considerable harm to the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, as a result of which the membrane becomes thinner and can lead to gastric bleeding or ulcers.
But there is no bad and no good. Some moonshine lovers claim that there are real benefits to moonshine made according to old family traditions and recipes. Just some 40-50 grams of moonshine vodka will help to avoid various colds. Also in medicine there is a large number of recipes for compressors from moonshine and rubbing for joint pain, colds, fever.
Throughout its long history, moonshine has been made in many ways. The so-called " homemade moonshine» manufactured . There is also this strong drink, but it is believed that factory-made moonshine cannot be compared in terms of production quality and taste with home-made options!
Dear readers of the blog, we draw your attention to the fact that we do not promote the use of alcoholic beverages!
Moonshine is a strong alcoholic drink, familiar, perhaps, to everyone. The drink is obtained from fermented sugar syrup or any sugared products: cereals, beets, potatoes, fruits, berries. Its production is an interesting and even fascinating process. A moonshine still is, in fact, a real distiller. Their history goes far back into the centuries.
The first mention is found in the IV century. n. e. in the writings of the Chinese alchemist Ge Hong. He compared alcohol to clear wine that had been distilled 9 times. The technology was known to the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.
The ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks distilled mainly water and essential oils. For this they used ceramic or clay vessels and metal pipes. For some reason, for a long time it never occurred to anyone to throw fermented grapes into the apparatus in order to finally get a mysterious elixir that produces an amazing effect of intoxication on a person.
Diagram of an ancient Greek moonshine still, 3rd century AD.
Later, the Arabs invented a new copper design: this metal heated evenly, removed some of the fusel oils, was safe in contact with food, and even had an amazing ability to absorb unwanted impurities from liquids.
- Alcohol - Arabic word- “al cogol”, which means “intoxicating”.
- The first bottle of pure alcohol was made by the Arab Ragez in 860.
In IX, the Persian physician Avicenna created the serpentine.
The widespread use of moonshine in Europe began in the Middle Ages. The most important science in those days was mystical alchemy, in the center of which was the problem of obtaining the philosopher's stone. Naturally, such essentially fabulous tasks were not performed by scientists, monks and healers, but they made amazing progress in other sciences and in distillation.
It was in his alchemical quest that the monk Valentius, having distilled wine through the apparatus, made an amazing discovery - aquavita (Latin aqua vitae - water of life). The clear liquid had many healing properties. According to one written source, doctors prescribed aquavit to those who caught a cold, from bad breath; treated her wounds, cuts and bites. In addition, in the Middle Ages, the property of a magical distillate, when used in reasonable quantities, was already noticed to nourish new forces, relieve pain, cheer up in hours of despondency and increase fun during festivities.
In the 15th century, Basil Valentin dramatically improved the moonshine installation. He advises immersing pipes with fumes in a container with cold water which should be changed if possible. Condensation due to this is accelerated at times. In addition, Basil began to conduct re-distillations of the resulting condensate and noted that the aquavit is stronger.
The 16th century is truly the heyday of moonshine brewing. Various types of devices are ubiquitous. Somewhere they use copper alambiks, somewhere they use various alloys in the design of the moonshine still. In France, for example, for distillation wine spirit a new type of alambic was invented - Charente. It differs from its progenitor in that it has an additional intermediate tank in which the wine is preheated and the vapors are additionally cooled. In countries where grapes do not grow, alcohol begins to be distilled from fermented grains, berries and fruits. Drinks from different countries are getting more and more pronounced differences.
Moonshine still in Rus'
Moonshine in Rus' was initially perceived with caution. But soon the population gets acquainted with both the healing and intoxicating qualities of the drink, and traditional Russian vodka appears on grain and potato raw materials. Initially, vodka was pursued by the monks as a healing elixir; it was widely used in all kinds of tinctures.
The first alcohol mashine in Rus' appeared from Venice as a gift to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Before that, only mash and mead were made in Rus'. But over half a century, the technology quickly took root, and in the 17th century almost every village had a moonshine still. As a rule, it was a wooden or clay container with metal pipes.
But the 19th century was marked by a real technological revolution in moonshine, both around the world and in Russia. The method of heating is improved - it becomes more
uniform and gentle, which allows you to organize continuous distillation. The main discovery is, of course, the distillation unit - this is a column in which steam is separated into volatile and heavy fractions. Using such a device, you can get the highest quality alcohol: a very high strength (96%) and without impurities, which makes it surprisingly soft.
Invention of the ratification column
In the 19th century, a ratification column was invented, which made it possible to obtain alcohol of the highest purity and a strength of up to 96%. Modern industrial validation columns can reach a height of 100 meters.
Moonshine in different languages of the world
- Ukraine: moonshine, horilka, bimber, palinka
- Belarus: Samagonka, Garelka, Spatykach
- Poland: bimber, samogon
- Hungary: palinka
- Spain: chicha casera
- Germany: Schwarzbrennerei
- France: tord-boyaux
- England: moonshine
The history of moonshine is not complete without dark spots. Initially, the presence of a moonshine at home was a sign of the high status of the owner. Then drinking establishments began to appear. When the production of alcoholic products acquired an industrial scale, authorities everywhere began to practice a ban on home-made alcohol in order to gain a monopoly and replenish the treasury. By the 20th century, thanks to the work of the government, in Russia, "moonshiner" becomes a swear word.
By 2002, everything is back to normal. Now anyone can do home brewing. In addition, this is relevant - in our time it is impossible to completely trust the products from the store. But at home, from products of which there is confidence, it is quite possible to expel a strong alcoholic drink for your own use and treat guests.
The love for nature in a person is laid, as you know, from his very birth. Every day, knowing more and more the world, our ancestors strove to prolong their lives in it as long as possible and enjoy all the charms and benefits provided by this world.
Even in ancient times, people began to prepare food, including a variety of drinks from fruit and berry juices. Having a sufficiently large number of children in his house, the owner tried to stock up as much food as possible for the family. And more than once it happened that over time, drinks stored in a secluded place were fermented and, in order to avoid possible poisoning were destroyed.
Subsequently, a person learned to understand a lot about a product “spoiled” by time and already deliberately put such drinks. But the wine of that time did not contain such an alcohol strength as today's, and was equated with drinks decorating the table for eminent guests or family holidays.
But in the world there is one very fabulous and different from all other legends about the origin of the "foggy" drink, which often makes people smile when they hear about it for the first time.
A long time ago, in a country unknown to anyone until now, a terrible heat came. Juicy soft grasses dried up before our eyes, and animals and birds, who had previously lived in peace and harmony, began to kill each other in order to quench their thirst with the blood of their “brother”. And because of this natural disaster, the quickly ripening fruits of trees and shrubs fell into pits and ravines formed on the once fertile land.
Gradually rotting, they turned into a fetid mess and dried up. But once North wind brought black pouring clouds to this country, and torrential monsoon rains were not long in coming. Pits and ravines instantly filled with water, and when the rains passed, the humus of fruits and berries began to enter into a natural chemical reaction with moisture sludge.
The hunter, exhausted by thirst, who took refuge in the cave during the rains, finally decided to come out of his hiding place and enjoy the juice of the newly appeared fruits. But, passing by one of the puddles that had already fermented, he smelled a pleasant smell of wine and, greedily pressing his lips to the settled clean drink, received great pleasure from its taste. So, they say, the era of the birth of a unique and at all times respected drink by people under the simple name "wine" began.
In Rus', wine has always been valued and often drunk in large quantities, and many have tried to find all sorts of ways to strengthen it. Gradually, simple winemaking was replaced by technological production moonshine and other strong alcoholic drinks made at home.
Distilling mash containing little alcohol (compared to the result obtained), the distillers spared no time and raw materials to achieve the only goal: to get a strong drink. nai highest quality. That is why the “good potion” produced on Russian soil began to differ sharply from foreign drinks.
The great tsar of the Russian land, Peter I, at one time even issued a decree in which a requirement was put forward for the captains of Russian ships leaving on a long voyage, so that on the territories of foreign states sailors “were not allowed to consume overseas wines instead of bitter Russian, so as not to cloud their bright heads with demonic a drink from which, except for diseases and dope, nothing can be expected ... "
But Prince Orlov, who once became famous as "amorous adorer of the fair sex", often liked to repeat to his friends that "transparent and strong-smelling moonshine, like an angel of love affairs" always helped him in intimate relationships with women: “... I’ll knock over three stacks, and desires - it’s a quarter! Yes, and in my head the thoughts are all clear: I absolutely understand what my lady longs for ... even without words! .. "
But with the advent of Soviet power, existing since the 15th century. numerous methods of making moonshine gradually began to be eradicated: the ban on its production untied the hands of many false masters who did not understand anything in the present case and at the same time undeservedly “appropriated” the glory of a muddy and foul-smelling tincture to a good old Russian drink. How can one not recall the “great schemer” Ostap Bender with his ability to make moonshine from anything, up to a stool.
Recently, however, manufacturers of high-quality products have begun to appear in our country again, raising all Russian moonshine from the “bottom”. With the help of their advice, many novice "distillers" will be able not only to avoid all kinds of poisoning that is possible if technological process making a drink, but also save a lot of raw materials.
Moonshine is one of the most ancient occupations. And the most necessary too. Perhaps, in no country in the world this type of production of alcoholic beverages is not as in demand as it is in our country. The soul of a Russian person is distinguished by a special breadth. If there is a desire to drink something, then this desire simply needs to be immediately satisfied.
The landscapes of Russian open spaces are as wide as the Russian soul. So that those who passionately desire a strong drink do not have to pull on their skis and walk through the entire taiga, there is such a profession as a moonshiner. To become a real moonshiner, you need to learn a lot. Moonshine is not
without knowledge of physics and chemistry. Yes, and mathematics is useful to make the necessary calculations. In addition, a real moonshiner must have a fair amount of ingenuity. Because to build a moonshine still from the most unsuitable, at first glance, objects is, frankly, not an easy task.
An excellent sense of humor and the ability to philosophize will not interfere with the moonshiner. After all, a huge number of people come to him, to the moonshiner. This means that communication skills and the ability to communicate are inalienable attributes of a person who has decided to devote himself to such a difficult and necessary business as home brewing.
Usually, at the word “moonshine”, a certain cloudy liquid appears in the mind, after taking which people usually feel bad. And the word "moonshine" for many is associated with a series of portraits under the heading "They are wanted by the police." In a word, moonshine for many is something vulgar and unworthy of attention.
Such negative ideas arise only in those cases when the moonshine process is treated in the most inappropriate way. Imagine such a situation. Grandmother, who does not understand anything either in wines or in tinctures, suddenly decided to earn some money. She built, not possessing even the most meager knowledge of physics and chemistry, a kind of moonshine unit. I reacted to the moonshine process without a soul. It turned out that my grandmother had a foul-smelling brew, which cannot even be called moonshine. Just not moonshine, but "sivuha". And the granny sells this sivuha to little men with blue faces and red noses. Because a person with a noble complexion will not shame his personality by taking such a nasty drink.
People like the grandmother described above, and gave the word "moonshine" a bad name. In fact, home brewing is rooted in a deep and wonderful past. The process of moonshine brewing is based on something quite decent and not causing such bad associations as the word "moonshine", the word "braga".
Even in the Jewish Talmud there is written evidence that even in those days it was very popular to prepare a sweet and intoxicating drink, which was nothing more than a fermentation product, i.e. mash. Years passed, and the intoxicating j drink, which the ancient Jews called, of course, not Braga, but somewhat differently, became more and more popular.
In Rus', they always stocked a variety of drinks, not just juices. People quickly realized that fermented juices last much longer. In addition, fermented juices evoked high spirits, which could not be said about kvass and tea. And so the wines were born.
Gradually, human attachment to Braga became stronger and stronger. Over time, people had a desire for the mash to become as strong as the very desire to drink it. Thus, the technology of distillation of weak alcohol-containing products into stronger and stronger ones began to emerge. Since the invention of moonshine, interest in wines has somewhat weakened.
Moonshine can be considered a traditional Russian drink. The first mention of it is found in chronicles dated to the 15th century. The taste range of moonshine is completely unique. There are a huge number of tinctures made on the basis of moonshine. And many of them, especially those infused with herbs, have a healing effect. Some recipes are very old and have their own history, as they have been preserved and passed down from generation to generation for centuries.
In contrast to the current perverted understanding of the meaning of moonshine, it was previously believed that what
the smaller and slower the distillation, the better the quality. In the old days, no more than 50% of the total volume of available mash was used for distillation. This principle was observed not only for the initial stage, but also for the second one.
In the old days, they easily treated the loss of raw materials, which cannot be said about modern moonshiners. This is probably why the quality of moonshine has decreased significantly. A simple example can be given. To prepare 1 liter good moonshine, distillers needed about 30 liters of mash. During the secondary distillation, exactly half as much vodka was obtained. But the quality was excellent. It was from that time that the fame of Russian vodka began to spread. It was preferred to overseas wines and French cognacs. Russian vodka was exported along with furs and paid for it to Russian merchants exclusively in gold.
Making moonshine is a complex and very responsible process. This requires the most sophisticated technology. In addition, you must strictly follow the recipes. Only if you follow the basic principle of home brewing, you will get high-quality moonshine.
If you decide to cook not sivukha-babble, but real, crystal clear moonshine, you will certainly have to follow all the stages of moonshine brewing. The first thing you should start with is choosing the right raw materials. The second stage is fermentation. The third is distillation. The fourth is cleansing. At the last stage, you give the moonshine the desired color, smell, taste, i.e. here a kind of “ennoblement” of the product takes place.
In order not to get a cloudy liquid, the sight of which immediately causes nausea, do not be careless about the rules of home brewing.
So where do you start? Of course, with the choice of suitable raw materials. Here you need to connect all your
knowledge about chemical composition products. To make the highest quality moonshine, you need starchy or sugary products. It's hard to say what is better and what to choose. Long-term observations show that home-grown distillers prefer relatively cheap and affordable products for home-brewing.
If you are a village dweller, with a high degree of probability you will prefer cereals, sugar beets for the production of moonshine. If you are a city dweller, but tend to spend all your free time in your garden, then for moonshine you will most likely collect various fruit pomace, berries or fruits. Citizen without suburban area prefers sugar. Although these products are far from all that moonshine can be made from.
When choosing your feedstock, the main thing you should keep in mind is the quality of the finished drink. Therefore, it is probably not worth driving him out of the stool. You still won’t succeed in “stool-tovka”, but poisoning with subsequent disgust for everything “that burns” is guaranteed to you.
But moonshine also does not appear from scratch - it is made from mash, the history of which is very interesting and also deserves close consideration. Remember that ditty about Columbus? "He'd better open a pub on our street ...". Unfortunately, Columbus did not open a pub on our street, but why not prepare invigorating drinks in the old-fashioned way? Let's quench our thirst, there will be a holiday on our street even without Columbus.
Some are confused by the very word "moonshine". Well, moonshine can be embarrassed in special cases, which we will discuss separately, otherwise it is a normal drink. There is nothing reprehensible in the word "braga" either, it formed the basis for the name of the fermentation process - one of the most common processes in wildlife along with oxidation (respiration). And so that you have no doubts, we offer you a short digression into history, which will allow you to find out what Braga is.
The history of the preparation of this drink is rooted in the deep past. As the saying goes popular expression, the art of brewing is as old as human history. Yes, let the word “brewing” not confuse skeptics-moonshine. After all, Braga is homemade beer, and the whole history of alcoholic beverages began precisely with this home beer. On a large scale, brewing existed already in Ancient Egypt. Moreover, the finished beer was valued by Egyptian government officials as a particularly valuable product. The Talmud, the Jewish supplement to the Bible, tells the story of how the Jews captive in Babylon avoided leprosy by drinking beer made from hops. It should be noted that the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, including Babylon, especially revered beer. They repeated that he who does not know beer does not know happiness. For diluting beer with water, a brewer (beer was brewed by women) was executed. By the beginning of our era, all European barbarian tribes had mastered brewing. Then the production of beer became an industry. Rarely what folk holiday passed without the use of "fortified drinks".
In a word, while the Chinese were inventing cheap and easily prepared food, other peoples competed in manufacturing methods and in the search for components for moonshine. Everything went into business, that is, into the production process, especially cereals - barley, other grains; each nation chose what was easier to cultivate. The Japanese, for example, prepared their sake vodka from rice, a culture developed in Far East over six thousand years ago. Since then, sake, which, by the way, is drunk hot, has remained the favorite drink of the Japanese. A bad example is contagious, and the hero of a Japanese children's song, who "drank sake on the river," migrated to Russia, turning into Chizhik-Pyzhik.
Honey was also tested for "medicinal" purposes. Let's warn you right away that our ancestors used ordinary varieties of honey for drinks like mead, but not drunken honey. Despite such a provocative name, this honey can only be consumed after special processing. This is a type of honey containing a poisonous substance - the glycoside andromedotoxin. This honey is obtained by bees from the nectar of azalea, wild rosemary, heather, rhododendron and other heather. Drunk honey was called because the person who ate it became like a drunkard: he began to feel dizzy, followed by nausea and convulsions, vomiting opened. It is known from history that drunk honey once knocked down a legion of Roman soldiers.
Mead making has been known in Rus' since the 12th century. By the 16th century The Small Sovereign, Small Boyar and Small Camp Cellars were built in the Kremlin. In these cellars, honeys (meads), various types of beer and much more were prepared. Foreigners who visited Russia in those days were distrustful of the drinks of our honey and breweries, but having got to know honey and beer closer, they claimed that they had never tasted anything tastier.
Foreign travelers who visited Russia in the 17th century were surprised by the large number of people who lived to very advanced years, which, compared with Western Europe At that time it seemed simply impossible. One visiting foreigner wrote in his diary that Russian people recognize as a medicine only vodka infused with gunpowder, which they drink, after which they steam in a bathhouse and thereby get rid of all diseases.
For taste and sharpness, all kinds of spices were added to home-made alcoholic drinks. That is why they were worth their weight in gold in Europe and were the main subject of Europe's trade with the East. In the East, spices were commonplace. Oriental manuscripts dating back 5,000 years speak of the use of spices for various purposes, including the infusion of strong drinks. The main trading countries for spices were India and the states of the Malay Archipelago.
In fact, if it were not for the spices that make up the drinks that our book is dedicated to, then the contacts of Europeans with Asians would have begun much later, as well as European colonialism. The abundance of spices in America, especially new varieties of pepper, moved the conquistadors to conquer these lands. Of course, there were also gold and silver, but for a long time they seemed to Europeans a mirage, but spices are a very real subject of trade. And most Europeans dreamed of quite tangible things - beer with fish. The mythical country where they dreamed of eating fish (dorado) and drinking beer (ale) every day was called Eldorado. It was she who was looking for people tired of failures and battles.
But beer has promoted and promotes not only international trade, but also development ... mental capacity! For example, the great English physicist James P. Joule (1818-1889) was a brewer. And it also happens that thinking about a mug of beer leads to a scientific discovery in the field of nuclear physics, as happened with one American scientist who, looking at a mug of foamy drink in front of him, thought why not use beer, a liquid that forms bubbles - in a Geiger-Muller radiation detector. Of course, when he was sober, he realized that nothing would come of this venture, but thinking about beer helped him come to other important conclusions.
The positions of beer from the distant times of the pharaohs and traveling merchants have only strengthened. For example, in good old England, beer is the drink of the nation, English pubs (in Russian - pivnushki) are known all over the world; beer in England is second only to classic British tea. And this is despite the fact that the English proverb says: life is not only pies and beer. What is true is true: not only beer, but also its preparation. However, modern beer - both English and any other - is prepared only in an industrial way, as a rule, it is not brewed at home. Paths of mash and beer diverged. And this split occurred in 1516, when Duke William IV passed a law on the purity of beer. Since then, to this day, beer in Europe is brewed from the same components, while mash (that's why it is moonshine) is made from everything that is at hand.
Where, where, but in Rus' Braga was appreciated. For a long time, the "potion" was put on honey. At large princely feasts, honey was served in large bowls. Each in his turn was given a bowl of honey; to enclose with a spell, that is, not to serve honey to the guest in the order of priority, was considered an insult on the part of the owner. Intoxicated honey was a rather strong drink, so it was not always drunk in its pure form, but was usually diluted with water. Diluted honey was called full, and from the fact that satu was served at the end of dinner, the expression “eat your fill” went for a walk. But besides honey, they drank green wine and drunken beer at feasts in the old days, and wine was served first, followed by beer, and only then followed by honey. Wine was usually served with first courses or even before meals, so to speak, to improve the appetite. Therefore, the main drinks were beer-braga and honey, which completed the meal, which led to the appearance of a common ending in fairy tales and epics - “honey, drank beer, flowed down his mustache, didn’t get into his mouth.”
The one who drinks his cup said a toast to the good host and all his household members, and if the occasion was suitable, then to honest guests. In many countries, in the old days, the owner brought a fried slice of bread for a snack to the person speaking toast. Since a fried piece of bread is “toast” in English, from that custom it was customary to “pronounce (say) a toast” at feasts.
When mankind mastered Braga - it is not known, but it is well known how this development began. Of course, from fermentation. The development of fermentation was the first and for many centuries the only victory of man over nature. Fermentation is the process of breaking down sugar into alcohol, water and carbon dioxide. This process is carried out by yeast fungi, which, like other fungi, have the ability to convert complex organic substances into simple ones. By the way, alcohol is a waste product of yeast. All around ancient man spoiled, rotten, fermented. No one had the opportunity to find out why this happens, but long-term observations helped out. Now you can talk about yeast unusually much. In brewing, two types of yeast fungi are used - Saccharomycetes, described in 1883 by the Danish scientist Emil Christian Hensen.
The main requirements for different varieties yeast from these main varieties is the rate of fermentation and the amount of flakes formed, which precipitate and, after thickening, are removed from the vessel (jug) in which the drink is prepared. According to the degree of completion of fermentation, unfermentation, normal (complete) fermentation and excessive fermentation are revealed. The amount of alcohol and carbohydrate in the drink depends on the degree of completion of fermentation. At home, it is recommended to bring the drink to normal fermentation. In production, drinks are brought to various degrees of fermentation, for example, numerous types of German beer are obtained by non-fermentation. Porter and English ale are made through a process of over-fermentation.
Found was yeast and a substitute. This is hops, more precisely, its cones, which are poured with water and boiled. Common hop is a plant of the hemp family that grows in the European part of Russia and in Western Siberia. It grows along ravines, in damp birch forests. Hop cones, its seedlings are formed when female inflorescences ripen, resembling spikelets with leaves covering them like tiles. Ripening of cones into fruits occurs in August-September. In nature, hops are not as common as some drinkers would like, so they are grown on special plantations to supply the brewing industry with “cones” of them.
The plant is used in brewing, because it is it that gives beer a specific taste, increases its activity (strengthens), i.e. makes beer beer: in itself it is a very weak drink. Surprisingly, but with all this, hops are not endowed with any “hoppy” effect.
And you can do with simple peas instead of yeast. The methods, as you can see, are varied. Among the ancients, such methods were even more diverse: hops spread throughout Europe thanks to its active use by Russian brewers, and before that different peoples used other herbs: heather, budra, tansy.
Winemaking also began with the manufacture of homemade fruit and berry liqueurs. There is a beautiful legend about how wine was first made. The demigod Bacchus, wandering the desert on some business, accidentally came across a stunted plant that was dying from drought. Bacchus took pity on the plant and took it with him. And so that it would not die, he stuck it in a bird bone, picked up nearby. But the plant began to grow in the god's hands, and he had to plant it in a large lion's bone, which he found on the way. But the miraculous plant grew and grew, and then, finding a huge donkey bone, Bacchus planted a sprout in it.
Finally, the path is completed, Bacchus found himself on his native fertile lands. There he wanted to plant his plant and suddenly found that the roots of the sprout were entwined with the bones of a bird, a lion and a donkey. I had to plant a sprout along with the bones. Time passed, the sprout became a bush, berries appeared on it. Bacchus made a drink from these berries and gave them to friends to try. What was the surprise of God when his friends, after drinking a little of this drink, began to sing like birds. After drinking more, they became bolder and began to boast of their strength, like lions. After drinking even more, the friends became stupid and hung their heads low like donkeys.
This legend comes from ancient Greek mythology. The ancient Greeks were excellent winemakers, their wine was preserved for centuries. But it was not saved for us, of course. The merry inventors of democracy liked to drink well. The favorite occupation of the ancient Greek intelligentsia was to organize symposiums. So in those days they called friendly philosophical conversations in the afternoon. Friends sat comfortably in the shade of the portico, listened to good music, discussed questions of philosophy in the company of young educated women and did not forget to accompany all this with libations of wine.
Plato, the great ancient Greek philosopher, wrote about the rules for drinking wine. He believed that one should start drinking wine no earlier than 20 years old, but very moderately; after 60 years you can drink without measure. And here is how the life of Epicurus, who believed that the meaning of being is in pleasure, ended: feeling the approach of death, Epicurus drank a goblet of wine in order to meet death cheerfully and without pain. Connoisseurs of viticulture and winemaking, the Greeks despised beer, calling it a barbaric drink. The same position on this issue was held by the ancient Romans, although they were more tolerant of beer. For example, they dedicated the beer to the goddess Ceres, and therefore called the beer Ceres, which is where the names of beer in Spanish Cerveza and Italian Cervisia come from.
The Romans are known for their orgies with libations of wine - bacchanalia, holidays dedicated to the god Bacchus, who was declared the god of winemaking. From ancient rome came the popular expression "In vino veritas" ("Truth in wine"). We will not find out where it is, the truth, but it is better to remember that you do not need to drink before turning into a donkey. However, as one cheerful alcoholic said: “But if the truth is in wine, then part of it is already in me ...”
In tribal times, drunkenness was considered a disgrace, as was gluttony. A person should know the measure in everything. Therefore, reader, do not misunderstand our words about the extraordinary love for strong drinks of the ancient peoples. In those distant times, they worshiped not just the “green serpent”, but one more useful food product and medicine. Everything useful was perceived in ancient world with respect, gave rise to cults. Beer was revered by the ancients as a powerful medicine. The Sumerians five thousand years ago treated toothache with beer. In the Middle Ages, beer was recommended for removing kidney stones and for preparing cosmetic masks that rejuvenate the skin of the face. And in the XVIII-XIX centuries. almost all medicines were washed down with beer at the insistence of a doctor. So beer, even homemade, can and should be respected.
Since we are talking about the culture of drinking, which so many of us lack, it is necessary to recall that the ancients strictly observed table traditions, and drank only homemade moonshine. The Sumerians, for example, drank beer through a straw, as we drink a cocktail today. Most modern homebrewers are convinced that homemade brews don't deserve to be taken seriously. This is due to the terribly low quality of homemade mash. But in this book you will find recipes for making at home first-class drinks that are not inferior in taste to the factory "liquid gold". Such were the predecessors of the current moonshine - home-made homemade tinctures, which differed in food (they washed down food), sweet (they were treated to friends) and medicinal (with the addition of healthy components). The quality of these drinks was undoubtedly very high. This is evidenced by the ancient recipes that have come down to our time, and the predilection of the ancients for a healthy lifestyle also speaks of this.
Substances.
The main stages of the technological process
moonshine and vodka
From the point of view of the technological process, moonshine is a product of artisanal distillation of mash. Modern vodka is not a distillate, as it is made from alcohol obtained by rectification in a column, in contrast to the drink, which was made from the 16th to the end of the 19th - early 20th centuries in distillation cubes and was called in those days bread wine, plain wine, triple wine, hot wine, foam, polugar.
The word moonshine
Before the 1917 revolution, illegally produced drinks were called "tavern". For the first time, the word "moonshine" in the sense of a home-made distillate in written sources appeared in 1917. Back in the middle of the 19th century, the word "moonshine" meant the pursuit of an animal by chasing, chasing the hunter himself, the forester, on his feet or on skis (not with dogs, not on horseback). After the revolution, there was a substitution of concepts and the "tavern" began to be called "moonshine". Therefore, the word "moonshine" in the modern sense of the word is quite young.
Varieties of moonshine stills
Their principle of operation is distillation, in which the mash is heated in one container (alembic), and the mixture of steam that is released at the same time condenses by cooling and settles in another container in the form of a finished product. In order to get pure alcohol at home, a classic moonshine is not enough, since this requires a rectification process using distillation columns.
The danger of handicraft
It is not always possible to obtain high-quality and conditionally safe distilled alcoholic beverages for health at home due to the following reasons:
- When the mash is heated during the distillation process, thermal cracking of heavy organic matter- sugars, proteins, etc., resulting in the formation of many light volatile organic compounds, including poisonous ones, such as methyl alcohol. To completely remove heavy substances from the mash, strict adherence to distillation technology is necessary, which cannot be replaced, for example, by repeated freezing and chemical precipitation in artisanal conditions. It is recommended to get rid of the first phase of distillation (2-8% of the total volume) (popularly "pervak" or "pervach") due to the high content of methanol in it.
- Although the boiling point of a substance at a given pressure is strictly defined, its active evaporation occurs at lower temperatures. So even if the temperature of the mash is maintained equal to the boiling point of alcohol, many components such as fusel and essential oils. Purification is achieved by re-distillation or rectification. The multi-stage distillation method partially eliminates the problems described above.
Legal aspects of home brewing
In many countries of the world, the manufacture and sale of moonshine is prohibited and also prosecuted by law. So, in the USSR, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 7, 1948, for the manufacture and storage of moonshine for the purpose of marketing, as well as the manufacture and sale for the purpose of fishing of devices used for the manufacture of moonshine, criminal liability was introduced - imprisonment in a forced labor camp for a term of 6 to 7 years with confiscation of property; for the manufacture of moonshine without the purpose of sale - imprisonment for a term of one to two years with confiscation of moonshine and objects of its manufacture.
The current legislation of the Russian Federation does not prohibit the manufacture of moonshine, as well as other alcoholic beverages, for personal consumption. Moonshine was excluded from the number of administrative offenses in 2002. Moreover, moonshine stills are produced for the needs of the population on an industrial scale and are on legal sale.
The manufacture of alcoholic beverages for sale, including moonshine, is subject to licensing in accordance with the Law “On State Regulation of the Production and Turnover of Ethyl Alcohol, Alcoholic and Alcohol-Containing Products”. Therefore, the sale of moonshine without a license is a violation of the second part of Article 14.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation of December 30, 2001 “Implementation entrepreneurial activity without special permission (license), if such permission (such license) is obligatory”.
Moonshine in different countries and in different languages
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Notes
Literature
- Strong alcohol. Ed.-stat. E. G. Malenkina, 2003. ISBN 5-17-020789-1
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An excerpt characterizing Moonshine
General Kompan will move through the forest to take the first fortification.Upon entering the battle in this way, orders will be given according to the actions of the enemy.
The cannonade on the left flank will begin as soon as the cannonade of the right wing is heard. The riflemen of Moran's and Viceroy's divisions will open heavy fire upon seeing the right wing attack begin.
The viceroy will take possession of the village [Borodin] and cross his three bridges, following at the same height with the divisions of Moran and Gerard, who, under his leadership, will move towards the redoubt and enter the line with the rest of the army.
All this must be carried out in order (le tout se fera avec ordre et methode), keeping the troops as far as possible in reserve.
In the imperial camp, near Mozhaisk, September 6, 1812.
This disposition, very vaguely and confusedly written - if you allow yourself to treat his orders without religious horror at the genius of Napoleon - contained four points - four orders. None of these orders could be and was not executed.
The disposition says, firstly: that the batteries arranged at the place chosen by Napoleon with the guns of Pernetti and Fouche, having aligned with them, a total of one hundred and two guns, open fire and bombard the Russian flashes and redoubt with shells. This could not be done, since the shells did not reach the Russian works from the places appointed by Napoleon, and these one hundred and two guns fired at empty until the nearest commander, contrary to Napoleon's order, pushed them forward.
The second order was that Poniatowski, heading for the village into the forest, bypassed the left wing of the Russians. This could not be and was not done because Poniatowski, heading for the village into the forest, met Tuchkov blocking his way there and could not and did not bypass the Russian position.
Third order: General Kompan will move into the forest to take the first fortification. Compana's division did not capture the first fortification, but was repulsed, because, leaving the forest, it had to be built under grapeshot fire, which Napoleon did not know.
Fourth: The Viceroy will take possession of the village (Borodin) and cross his three bridges, following at the same height with the divisions of Maran and Friant (of which it is not said where and when they will move), which, under his leadership, will go to the redoubt and enter the line with other troops.
As far as one can understand - if not from the stupid period of this, then from those attempts that were made by the Viceroy to fulfill the orders given to him - he was to move through Borodino on the left to the redoubt, while the divisions of Moran and Friant were to move simultaneously from the front.
All this, as well as other points of the disposition, was not and could not be executed. Having passed Borodino, the viceroy was repulsed on Kolocha and could not go further; the divisions of Moran and Friant did not take the redoubt, but were repulsed, and the redoubt was captured by cavalry at the end of the battle (probably an unforeseen and unheard of thing for Napoleon). So, none of the orders of the disposition was and could not be executed. But the disposition says that after entering the battle in this way, orders will be given corresponding to the actions of the enemy, and therefore it might seem that during the battle all the necessary orders will be made by Napoleon; but this was not and could not be because during the whole time of the battle Napoleon was so far away from him that (as it turned out later) he could not know the course of the battle and not a single order of his during the battle could be executed.
Many historians say that the battle of Borodino was not won by the French because Napoleon had a cold, that if he had not had a cold, then his orders before and during the battle would have been even more brilliant, and Russia would have perished, et la face du monde eut ete changee. [and the face of the world would have changed.] For historians who admit that Russia was formed at the behest of one man - Peter the Great, and France from a republic developed into an empire, and French troops went to Russia at the behest of one man - Napoleon, such an argument that Russia remained powerful because Napoleon had a bad cold on the 26th, such reasoning for such historians is inevitably consistent.
If it depended on the will of Napoleon to give or not to give the Battle of Borodino, and it depended on his will to make such or another order, then it is obvious that a runny nose, which had an influence on the manifestation of his will, could be the reason for the salvation of Russia and that therefore the valet who forgot to give Napoleon On the 24th, waterproof boots, was the savior of Russia. On this path of thought, this conclusion is undoubted, just as undoubted as the conclusion that Voltaire, jokingly (without knowing why himself), said that the St. Bartholomew night came from an upset stomach of Charles IX. But for people who do not allow Russia to be formed at the behest of one person - Peter I, and for the French empire to take shape and the war with Russia to begin at the behest of one person - Napoleon, this reasoning not only seems to be wrong, unreasonable, but also contrary to the whole being. human. When asked what is the cause historical events, another answer appears, which consists in the fact that the course of world events is predetermined from above, depends on the coincidence of all the arbitrariness of the people participating in these events, and that the influence of Napoleons on the course of these events is only external and fictitious.
Strange as it may seem at first glance, the assumption that the Bartholomew night, the order for which was given by Charles IX, did not happen by his will, but that it only seemed to him that he ordered it to be done, and that the Borodino massacre of eighty thousand people did not happen by the will of Napoleon (despite the fact that he gave orders about the beginning and course of the battle), and that it seemed to him only that he ordered it - strange as this assumption seems, but human dignity, telling me that each of us, if not more, then no less a man than the great Napoleon orders to allow this solution of the problem, and historical research abundantly confirms this assumption.
In the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon neither shot nor killed anyone. All this was done by the soldiers. So he didn't kill people.
The soldiers of the French army went to kill Russian soldiers in the battle of Borodino, not as a result of Napoleon's orders, but own will. The whole army: the French, Italians, Germans, Poles - hungry, ragged and exhausted by the campaign - in view of the army blocking Moscow from them, felt that le vin est tire et qu "il faut le boire. [the wine is uncorked and you need to drink it .] If Napoleon now forbade them to fight the Russians, they would have killed him and would have gone to fight the Russians, because it was necessary for them.
When they listened to the order of Napoleon, who presented them with consolation for their injuries and death, the words of posterity that they were in the battle near Moscow, they shouted "Vive l" Empereur! just as they shouted "Vive l" Empereur! at the sight of a picture of a boy piercing the globe with a bilbock stick; just as they would shout "Vive l" Empereur! with any nonsense that they would have been told. There was nothing left for them to do but shout "Vive l" Empereur! and go fight to find food and rest for the winners in Moscow. Therefore, it was not because of Napoleon's orders that they killed their own kind.
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