Braga from concentrated juice is not only a fragrant drink, but also a suitable raw material for the preparation of stronger and purer alcohol. Wine or cider is often made from such mash, and you can also get moonshine.

concentrated juice

Benefits of using concentrate

Braga from concentrate has a number of advantages over other varieties and other types of raw materials:

• The drink is made from highly concentrated juice, which means that fruits are taken as the basis. It is this raw material that gives a delicious aroma in the finished moonshine.
• You do not need to prepare and lay the fruit yourself. Since the concentrate does not have pulp, it means that furfural and a large amount of fusel oils with aldehydes will not form in the mash. It also does not require filtering the finished mash through gauze to get rid of the pulp, and nothing will burn in the cube of the apparatus.
• The concentrate already has ready-made indicators of sugar content, the content of various substances in the composition. You can not determine the sugar content by eye, but calmly calculate the required amount of sugar and yeast. And you can also pre-calculate the yield of pure alcohol.

Juice concentrate is a relief for the distiller's work. Since he does not need to deal with fruits, crush and filter juice from them, pasteurize it. If we talk about proportions, then apple concentrates are diluted 1 to 6. If there are 5 liters of the substance, then it is diluted with water in an amount of 30 liters and juice is obtained, which is sold in stores.

After such dilution, you can save on raw materials for mash and get more drink, and, accordingly, more moonshine. In this case, they use recipes on how to cook mash with fruit juice. But you can not dilute the concentrate with water, but use it to make moonshine in its original form.

Braga preparation technology

The concentrate cannot be used without additional sugar or carbohydrate source. To do this, make invert sugar or purchase dextrose. You can also additionally purchase oak chips to infuse moonshine on concentrate.

By the number of ingredients, you can use the following proportions:

• 4 kilograms of dextrose or sugar syrup, that is, inverted sugar.
• 5 liters of concentrate (apple or grape).
• 20 liters of water. The requirements for water are the same as in other recipes.

All components are mixed with each other, the temperature of the contents in the fermentation tank should not exceed 20-25 degrees. With such indicators, the density of the wort is measured, and the information is also checked against the instructions for the yeast. Yeast should be taken alcohol or wine, they give more output from the mash. The concentrate will require about 100 grams of alcohol yeast or the amount is calculated according to a special table in accordance with the density and sugar content of the mixture.

Pre-dry alcoholic yeast can be activated. To do this, the culture is poured into a container with water and mixed for three minutes. Water to activate the yeast should be no more than half a liter. After mixing, foam will appear on the surface of the water, which will mean that the yeast is ready for further work.

Braga is placed for 5-7 days. But you need to monitor the fermentation process daily. Alcoholic yeast can behave unpredictably. Also, the acidity of the concentrate can affect the rate of fermentation and lead to rapid souring of the product. If the mash is sour, then only the additional addition of dextrose or sugar can save it. To prevent this from happening, a water seal is placed on the mash, foaming is controlled.

Since the fermentation time is reduced with the help of yeast, and there is no pulp in the drink, the process is fast and without much foam formation - you can not use defoamers. But in order for everything to go without a hitch, you need to monitor the temperature in the room where the fermentation tank is located, the indicator should be at a level of 20 to 30 degrees. Also, the container should not be exposed to sunlight.

The tendency to sour the mash is not the only drawback of using a concentrate. This substance not only reacts unpredictably, but also costs more than juice or other raw materials. The concentrate can be found online or ordered from a juice factory. The main thing is that there are no impurities of chemicals in the concentrate, otherwise the mash will turn out tasteless. It is also important that all the characteristics of the concentrate, such as acidity, are indicated on the label to it.

At the end of the fermentation process, the drink is removed from the sediment. The taste and smell of such mash is different from traditional types of alcohol. Braga resembles strong cider when made from apple concentrate. The approximate strength of the drink, subject to the operation of alcohol yeast, is 18-20%. Braga is removed from the sediment before distillation, but not clarified, as this will eliminate the pleasant aroma.

Distillation can take place at maximum speed. The selection of fractions is mandatory, but filtration before the second distillation can spoil the taste. Chemicals should not be applied to mash and drinks on fruit raw materials. The distillation itself is carried out according to the standard scheme. During the first distillation, “heads”, or pervak, are selected - this part is used as technical alcohol or poured out.

Before the second distillation, the drink should be diluted to a strength of 20%, and then the moonshine is distilled and the selection is not forgotten. The first 8-12% of the drink are “heads”, and after the strength drops in the stream to 40%, “tails” go. The result is a clear moonshine from concentrated juice, which can be infused in an oak barrel or on oak chips and get calvados.

Making moonshine from concentrate is not too difficult a task for a distiller. The main thing is to correctly calculate the proportions of the ingredients, focusing on your own concentrate. And the taste of the drink practically does not differ from moonshine, cooked on fruit mash.

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Cider is a low-alcohol drink that is obtained by fermenting juice from apples, pears and various berries such as raspberries, currants and cherries. It is a delicious, well-refreshing aperitif that is equally enjoyable chilled in summer or warmed up with spices in winter. But the time when lovers of homemade drinks can take up winemaking is very limited. Apples and pears can only be processed into cider from September to December. Berries are available to the winemaker and even less. In the West, concentrated juices have long come into use, from which you can prepare delicious fermented drinks all year round, bypassing the painful stage. In Russia, few people still know about the existence of such concentrates, but today you can already at any time, regardless of the season, make cider and fruit brandy based on it. We'll show you how!

Concentrated cider recipe

Ingredients (for about 25 liters of finished cider):

• 5 kg concentrated juice
• 20-25 liters of clean water
• 1 sachet of yeast

Optional:

• (for carbonation)
• (according to instructions)
• (for wort sterilization)
• malic acid (to lower pH)

Equipment:

• (Brix 0-25%)
• filling and capping equipment for beer or…

Notes on Ingredients

Concentrated juices

Concentrated juice is obtained by evaporating or freezing water from natural direct-pressed juice. Due to the high sugar content (up to 70%) and short-term pasteurization, concentrated juice can be stored in aseptic packaging for up to 24 months at room temperature. Such a product does not need additional sterilizing agents, which means that it is fermented by yeast without problems. In the assortment of our online store there are concentrated juices from apples (with an acidity of 1.5% and 2.5%), pears, raspberries and cherries. All of them are equally suitable for making high-quality cider. To obtain reconstituted juice for its further fermentation, the concentrate must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 5 by weight. No other procedures are required.

Cider made from pear juice is called perry. This drink is very popular in England, where it is made completely dry and often without carbonation. In France, fermented pear juice is called poire ("poiré") - it is much sweeter than its English counterpart and is usually carbonated using champagne technology directly in bottles.

Yeast for cider

Various strains of pure yeast cultures (PKD) can be used to make cider. A better solution would be specially cultured cider yeasts such as New Zealand's Mangrove Jack's and French manufacturer Fermentis. These strains provide a stable, clean fermentation under difficult conditions, have good flocculation (quickly settle to the bottom of the fermenter), and during the fermentation process, they contribute to the release of esters, which reveal the full potential of fruit juices. Cider yeast can ferment at low temperatures (up to 12°C), which is preferable for this type of raw material. Also, various strains of yeast for champagne, white wines and mead have shown themselves well for fermenting cider. Interesting results are shown by various ale yeasts, which are best used to make semi-sweet cider without additional sweeteners. All strains of CKD can be used without rehydration.

Instructions for making cider from concentrated juice

1. Disinfect all equipment you plan to use with chlorine (Star San, Sani Clean, Melkko, etc.).
2. Pour the contents of the concentrated juice canister into the primary fermenter. You can rinse the canister with a small amount of warm water to wash away the remnants of a fairly viscous juice.
3. Add 2-3 liters of warm water to the fermenter and mix thoroughly. Bring the total volume of wort to 25-30 liters by adding clean, settled water. If you have a hydrometer, measure its density - for cider, the specific gravity (SG) should be at least 1.045-1.050, which corresponds to 11.18-12.37% Brix (for a hydrometer). This density is sufficient to obtain a completely dry drink with a strength of 5.8-6.5%. To increase the density in the reconstituted juice, you can dissolve the required amount of dextrose. You also need to measure the pH level of the wort, which, after diluting the concentrate with water, may be higher than the required level (3.9-4 pH or 0.6% acidity). To lower the pH, you can use malic acid or a special acid blend for winemaking. Sour wort ferments better and is less prone to bacterial contamination.
4. Add 1 crushed Campden tablet (optional, can be substituted by maintaining complete sterility) to the fermenter for every 4-5 liters of wort, mix. Cover the fermenter with a lid and let it rest for 24 hours.
5. After 24 hours, add yeast to the wort, close the fermenter tightly and install a water seal. For a more stable and predictable fermentation, yeast nutrition can be added before adding yeast to the wort. Move the fermenter to a dark place with an ambient temperature of 18-24 ° C until the end of vigorous fermentation. Active vigorous fermentation will last 6-9 days, depending on the density of the must, ambient temperature and other factors. When fermenting fruit and berry juices, in world practice it is often customary to maintain a lower temperature (12-15 ° C) - this increases the fermentation time, but has a positive effect on the taste and aromatic qualities of the drink.
6. An indicator of the end of fermentation will be the absence of carbon dioxide bubbles in the water seal, while the specific gravity of the wort will decrease to about 1.005 SG (1.5-2% hydrometer). At the end of vigorous fermentation, drain the young cider using a siphon into a secondary fermenter (preferably made of glass), install a water seal and place it for secondary fermentation in a dark place with a temperature of 12-15 ° C.
7. Secondary fermentation should last at least 30 days, even if there are no signs of it. But in order for the cider to achieve ideal transparency and a harmonious taste, the terms should be increased to 2-3 months, while once a month the cider should be drained from the resulting sediment.
8. When the secondary fermentation is complete (specific gravity drops to 1.000-0.995 SG or 0% hydrometer), the cider, which tastes like a young, dry, weak wine, can be bottled. At this stage, it can be sweetened to taste, as well as carbonated.

Homemade cider carbonation

For natural carbonation of cider, dextrose is most often used:

1. Before bottling cider clarified after secondary fermentation, ½ tsp must be added to each bottle of 0.5-0.7 liters. dextrose for moderate carbonation and 1 tsp. dextrose - for strong.
2. Close the bottles tightly and leave for 3-4 days at room temperature. During this time, the yeast, which has received a new portion of food, is activated and begins to process dextrose with the production of carbon dioxide.
3. After that, bottles with already carbonated cider should be moved to the refrigerator for 10 days, where re-fermentation will be stopped. Sparkling cider is ready!

You can also use a “primer” for carbonation: store 1-2 liters of reconstituted juice in the freezer, and then add it, after defrosting, to the secondary fermenter immediately before bottling the finished cider into bottles. But the dextrose method is more reliable and predictable. Bottled cider before tasting is recommended to keep in a dark cool place for another 2-3 weeks. Before serving, the drink is recommended to be cooled to 12-14 ° C.

Distillation of cider into calvados and other brandies

In world history, fruit brandies have always occupied an important place in the culture of different countries. Surely, many people know Normandy only for the landing of allied troops on its shores during the Second World War and for the local cider brandy, Calvados. Calvados is made from apple cider, sometimes with pear juice added to the must. Some manufacturers use only pear cider to produce Calvados. Another famous French distillate is the fruit brandy framboise (“Eau-de-vie de framboises”), made from fermented raspberry juice. You can also make kirschwasser, German cherry brandy, from the concentrated juices in our range. Using the technology below, by preparing cider according to the instructions in the first part of this material, you can get high-quality fruit brandy from any fruit juice!

Due to the higher price of raspberry and cherry juice concentrates, in order to increase the yield of distillate, a little dextrose can be added to the must at the fermentation stage (after about 5-7 days, when the violent fermentation subsides), no more than 1-2 kg per 10 liters. Ordinary sugar is highly discouraged - the organoleptics are greatly deteriorating. For apple and pear cider, this is best avoided.

Important points for distilling cider:

• To obtain the most aromatic distillate, cider is recommended to be fermented at the lowest possible temperature for as long as possible. Here, special cider yeasts, which work without problems in such conditions, are the best fit. In the homeland of Calvados, in Normandy, it is customary to ferment cider for 6 months to produce it.
• Any sulfur compounds present in your cider will concentrate during distillation and impart not-so-pleasant aromas bordering on rotten eggs to the drink. Therefore, potassium metabisulphite and other forms of sulfur that are used to sterilize wort will have to be abandoned. It is better to focus on sanitation. The small amount of sulfur compounds that are part of the fermentation by-products are easily removed by the copper parts of your moonshine.
• The distillation of cider is recommended to be carried out in apparatuses where alcohol vapors will come into contact with copper. First, copper "binds" sulfur compounds, leaving them on its surface in the form of dark oxides. Secondly, studies of domestic and foreign scientists have shown that during the first distillation of fruit brews, copper contributes to the production of more enanth esters and other compounds that have a positive effect on the organoleptic distillates.
• Cider distillation can be carried out on moonshine stills of any type, but it is important to understand that our goal is to obtain a flavored drink. That is why you should abandon the modules that are involved in the strengthening of alcohol (reflux condensers, drawers with on-load tap-changers, etc.). You should also abandon the dryer. Traditionally, Calvados and many other fruit distillates are distilled in copper alambicas.
• During the aging of fruit distillates in a barrel (including due to the membrane properties of the barrel - oak stave allows a small amount of oxygen to pass through, but retains liquids), complex biochemical processes occur, as a result of which many components of the head and tail fractions are transformed into complex aromatic esters. Therefore, for drinks that you plan to age in a barrel, it makes sense to cut off the “heads” and “tails” in a more gentle mode during the second fractional distillation. For drinking distillates in their pure form and aging them on oak chips, the crushing of the product must be carried out as fully as possible.

Distillation of cider into fruit brandy

Be sure to use double fractional distillation. The first distillation should be carried out as quickly as possible up to 10% alcohol by volume in the jet (98-99 ° C in the steam zone) - it makes no sense to drive further, since very little alcohol remains in the stillage, and a lot of resources are spent on its extraction. During the first distillation, in order to reduce the amount of isoamyl alcohol in the distillate (it does not have the most pleasant smell and is very toxic), it is recommended to select a small amount of head fractions, literally up to the stage of a stable stream of distillate at the outlet. The resulting raw alcohol (CC) should have a total strength of about 30%.

During the second distillation, the “heads” should first be selected: 5% of absolute alcohol in the SS or 1-1.5% of the SS volume in the cube. Head fractions should be selected very carefully, as they make a significant contribution to the organoleptics of the drink (floral and other undertones). Drinking distillate should be taken up to 55-60% alcohol in the jet (90-91 o C in the steam zone). Tailings, sometimes referred to as "second alcohol", should be sampled up to 10% alcohol in the stream and added to the next second run. The remaining “tails” can be pressed to zero if desired and added to the next first distillation or ringed. The result of your labors will be a distillate with a strength of around 70% with a very expressive, pleasant aroma of the feedstock. It can be diluted to a drinking strength, stand for a couple of weeks and start tasting. But it is better to ennoble it with oak.

Refinement of cider distillate with oak chips

Traditionally Calvados and many other fruit brandies are aged for a minimum of 2-3 years in oak barrels. It is not recommended to age Kirschwasser and Framboise in a barrel or on oak chips, as they have a rather delicate taste and aroma. If you are a happy owner of oak cooperage, the resulting distillate should be poured into a barrel without dilution - a strength of 65-70% is optimal. For a faster and more convenient refining of the drink to the level of apple brandy VS and VSOP, we recommend using a medium or strong roast. For 1 liter of the resulting distillate, which should be pre-diluted to 45-55%, it is enough to add 4 g of wood chips in any form and keep the drink on it for at least 2 weeks. You can learn more about the principles of refining drinks with oak chips in this material.

The concentrate is made from natural apples, which allows you to save useful substances and vitamins. The composition of the concentrate is natural and does not contain impurities and sugar.

• Appearance: Thick, almost transparent liquid.
• Consistency: Clean, rich, viscous.
• Colour: Typical orange to light brown.
• Taste: natural, sweet and sour, well expressed, characteristic of this type of product.

Juice concentrate production technology

Apple concentrate is produced by freezing technology, that is, apple juice is obtained by a strong decrease in temperature (direct extraction). In contrast to the production of juice using the evaporation technology, in our case, there is no breakdown of useful substances that make up apples, so the juice retains vitamins.

Sweeteners are not added to the juice. It is excellent for making reconstituted juice, as well as for the production of homemade alcohol, such as cider, wine, calvados.

• Volume: 5 liters
• Packing: canister
• Production: Russia

Recipes

To make reconstituted juice:

• Dilute concentrated juice with water in a ratio of 1:4
• Optionally add dextrose or sugar to taste
• Reconstituted juice is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 1 day

Cider from concentrated apple juice:

• 4 l. concentrated juice
• 20 l. water
• 1 kg. dextrose (sugar)
• Wine yeast - 10 gr.

In a sterile fermentation container mix water, juice, dextrose or sugar (pre-make syrup), check the temperature before introducing the yeast.
Introduce wine yeast, hermetically close the container, install a water seal. Leave to ferment. At the end - pour into sterile bottles with the addition of sugar or dextrose to each bottle at the rate of 1 tsp. (4-5 gr) per 1 liter of cider. Close tightly, leave at room temperature for 2-3 weeks. Before use, cool in the refrigerator at a temperature of 2-4 degrees for 2-5 days. You can store cider bottled in sterile bottles at room temperature for up to 4 months (if bottled in plastic), up to 1 year (if bottled in glass).

Calvados from concentrated apple juice:

• 4 l. concentrated juice
• 20 l. water
• 5 kg. Sahara
• Wine yeast - 60 gr.

In a fermentation container, mix water, juice, sugar. Introduce wine yeast, hermetically close the container, install a water seal. Leave to ferment. At the end, let stand for 2-3 days for the yeast to settle. Distill with the selection of heads and tails, insist on oak chips for 3-4 weeks or in an oak barrel (aging time depending on the age of the barrel), pour into a glass bottle (preferably cork stopper), leave in a dark place for at least 1-2 weeks .