Braga doesn't ferment well: what to do? The optimum temperature for the fermentation of mash. Home brew recipe for moonshine

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Braga is a liquid obtained from the fermentation of sugar syrup and yeast. In the future, moonshine is made from it. There are several types of mash, which are made from various products. For example, it may include fruits, grains, legumes, and so on. Sometimes it happens that the mash does not ferment well. What to do in such cases? Experts can tell about it.

Water selection

In order for the moonshine to turn out as best as possible, you should pay close attention to all the products that will be involved in the process of its preparation. For example, water should only be purified, preferably taken from a spring. As a rule, tap water is completely unsuitable. There is too much chlorine in it, which simply kills the fungi that are responsible for the fermentation process. In addition, water that has been boiled is also not suitable for moonshine. According to experts, it contains very little oxygen. Usually proceed as follows. Tap water is passed through a filter and allowed to infuse for a day.

How to chooseyeast

To make moonshine, it is advisable to take special alcohol yeast, which can be purchased at a specialized store. Thanks to them, the sugar syrup quickly begins the fermentation process. It lasts, as a rule, not for long and does not form abundant foam, as with ordinary baker's yeast. They are of two types: dry and wet. "Voronezh Yeast" proved to be excellent.

An excellent result can be obtained if you cook mash from foods that contain a sufficiently large amount of starch. These include grain or flour. Usually the composition begins to ferment four days after laying. Each type of yeast has its own benefits. Consider them:

1. Pressed or wet "Voronezh Yeast" available. They are sold in any store. Even in the most remote settlements, where it is almost impossible to get alcohol yeast. Due to the wet composition, this product can be left undiluted before being added to the wort. The taste of the finished moonshine is quite specific. Experienced moonshiners call it "village". The finished liquor will smell like yeast. And sometimes it is difficult to interrupt him with anything.
2. Dry yeast is also characterized by availability and low price. They keep well, so you can buy them in advance. Due to the fact that there are various packaging, you can choose the weight you need for a particular case.
3. Alcohol yeast allows you to make high-quality moonshine with a good yield. They areguarantee a fairly fast and sharp fermentation process, so they are often used in the preparation of moonshine. This product creates almost no foam, so the wort can be poured into the container to the very top. They, like the dry product, have a fairly long shelf life and convenient packaging. And they also have very few impurities and are of fairly high quality.

Thus, choosing good yeast, you can ensure the perfect preparation of mash. Nevertheless, many winemakers complain that it ferments poorly even when using high-quality raw materials.

Calculate proportions

Usually, for mash, the proportion of sugar is selected as follows. For twenty liters of well-purified and settled water, at least six kilograms of granulated sugar will be needed. If dry yeast is used, then only one hundred grams will be needed. More wet product is required - at least five hundred grams. It should be borne in mind that if you put less sugar, then the strength of the moonshine will eventually decrease. Wine or brewer's yeast will need only five grams.

Regular recipe with sugar

Before starting the process, prepare a large voluminous pan in which sugar syrup will be boiled. It is dissolved in warm water and heated over low heat. It should be ensured that the sugar is completely dissolved, otherwise its remains will simply fall out of the fermentation process. If dry yeast is used, then they are pre-bred in a small amount.warm water and only after that it is poured into the syrup boiled and cooled to thirty degrees.

The pot with the composition is placed closer to the battery or heater. In a word, any warm place will do. The optimum temperature for mash is thirty degrees. Then wait for the end of the cooking process. It usually takes no more than five or six days. During this period, the formation of bubbles ends and a precipitate falls to the bottom of the mixture. The liquid should be poured into another container, remembering the precautions. If the pan is shaken, the sediment will rise and the mash will become cloudy.

With added fruit

So many people prefer to use fruits. To do this, juice is first squeezed out of them. The proportion of water to juice should be 1:10. That is, for one liter of pure water, ten liters of any fruit juice will be needed. If the berries are not too sweet, then granulated sugar will also be required. How much sugar and fruit mash should ferment? The fermentation process is practically no different from the usual classic recipe without yeast and also takes twenty days at most.

However, even if the fruits are sweet, it is still desirable to add a small amount of sugar, otherwise moonshine will have a very small yield.

How to use wheat

Wheat contains a lot of starch. Therefore, it is ideal for making alcohol. The recipe for wheat mash is as follows. For every ten liters of purified water you will needone and a half kilograms of sugar and one and a half grains. It is pre-sorted and washed. One part of the raw material is poured with water and sent to infuse in a dark and warm place. After about two days, the wheat germinates and becomes suitable for further use.

Sprouted wheat is mixed with sugar. In this way the sourdough will be prepared. It is combined with the rest of the sugar and grains. The fermentation process when choosing a wheat mash recipe usually takes from one to three weeks, since starch from sprouted cereals acts as yeast. However, some people prefer to add pressed mushrooms in addition to this raw material.

With wheat and yeast

Mash recipes for moonshine on pressed mushrooms are different. An alcoholic drink obtained from the use of grain has proven itself well. Very often, when preparing moonshine from germinated wheat, the following proportions and products are used: for thirty-five liters of water, ten kilograms of granulated sugar, two hundred grams of pressed fungi and about two kilograms of pre-sprouted wheat will be needed. It should be free of foreign matter and should be clean and washed. Raw materials germinate quickly enough. If put in a warm place, it usually takes forty-eight hours for white sprouts to appear. Next, purified water is heated and sugar syrup is prepared.

As soon as the sweet mixture cools down to thirty degrees, you can add other products to it. Fermentationwort sometimes lasts for two weeks. How much mash wanders? You can find out about readiness by the shutter, which first acquires an impressive volume, and then subsides. As a shutter, an ordinary rubber medical glove is most often used.

How to cook with flour

In order to make mash from wheat flour, you will need the following products: purified water, two hundred grams of yeast, two kilograms of sugar and about ten kilograms of sorted and washed wheat (corn is sometimes used). The grain is twisted into flour and mixed with sugar. Next, the composition is poured with warm water with diluted yeast. How long does mash roam on sugar and pressed fungi with the addition of flour? The composition should be infused in a dark and warm place for seven days. Then it is filtered and only then sent for distillation.

If she didn't wander

Sometimes it happens that the mash just can't get ready. The must completely lacks the fermentation process or is too inexpressive. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:

1. Most often, beginners do not pay due attention to water, so their mash does not ferment well. What to do in this case? Inexperienced moonshiners believe that it is enough to draw water from the tap, stand a little and use it. In fact, there is a lot of chlorine and other aggressive impurities in tap water. They, in turn, have a detrimental effect on fungi.
2. Another problem is often temperature. The thing isthe fact that warm water is needed for the reproduction and normal development of the fungus. As the wort cools, the cooking process slows down.
3. Lack of sugar. Starch and glucose are food for the fungus, so in the absence of them, the yeast stops multiplying. Often, sugar is added to speed up the fermentation process, even if moonshine is made from fairly sweet fruits or germinated cereals.
4. Often the quality of yeast is such that no matter how much sugar is put in, the mash still ferments badly. What to do? The yeast may simply be out of date and no longer capable of any action.
5. Violation of the necessary proportions also leads to the fact that moonshine cannot be prepared.

In addition, it is recommended to take a close look at the shutter. The container that contains the wort must be completely sealed, and the shutter tightly and securely close it. By following these simple recommendations, you can avoid unpleasant surprises while preparing an alcoholic drink.

What to do

Braga doesn't ferment well due to low temperatures. If the reason is a cold snap, then the wort is simply moved to a warmer place. For example, the container can be covered with a blanket and leaned against the battery. Sometimes the heater needs to be turned on. In summer, this problem can be easily solved with the help of the sun.

In the event that little sugar was initially added and therefore the fermentation process cannot begin in any way, you can stir the granulated sugar with a little warm water and pour it into the mash.

Sometimes damage occurs and, as a result,shutter depressurization. What to do if the mash does not roam for this reason? Unfortunately, in such a case, the composition deteriorates and can no longer be restored. The fact is that instead of alcohol, acetic acid is formed in it, which, of course, is no longer suitable for making moonshine.

Often, in addition to sugar, the addition of another serving of yeast is also required. It is also quite possible to solve problems with water if you pour about half the volume of good and high-quality syrup boiled in clean water into the mash.

How to lighten

There are several ways to clarify the mash before distillation. For example, one of the most popular and easiest methods is to cool the composition at a very low temperature. To do this, you need to put the container with the drink in the cold, and after a while pour the uncured liquid. Anything that freezes under the influence of low temperatures will be considered excess impurities.

In addition, you can make the mash transparent with hibiscus tea. For this, a decoction of Sudanese rose petals is prepared in advance. Moreover, the amount is calculated as follows: for ten liters of mash, about one kilogram of petals will be needed. The boiled broth is slightly cooled and injected into the drink. Braga will immediately acquire a rich red hue, which, however, will not affect the color and quality of the final product. After about two days, a noticeable precipitate will fall, which should be drained.

Using gelatin and citric acid

How to clarify mash before distillation? Experts highly recommendavailable products. With the help of gelatin, you can also clarify an alcoholic drink well. Before use, gelatin is infused in water until it swells. The proportions should be as follows: for every liter of liquid you will need five grams of gelatin. After it swells well enough, it is mixed with a small amount of mash and added back to the container.

And you can also take ordinary citric acid instead of gelatin. Due to the acidic environment, the yeast perishes and forms a fairly abundant sediment. Acid is not recommended to be added immediately to the mash. First, it is diluted in a small amount of liquid and only then poured into a container.

Milk Lightening

This is another fairly popular way to make moonshine. It is desirable to take milk with a small percentage of fat content. Its quantity is calculated as follows. For thirty liters of water you need three liters of milk. After treatment with milk, the mash is usually filtered through double gauze. Experienced moonshiners advise using this method no earlier than fifty or sixty minutes before distillation.

Oil, soda and clay

Often ordinary sunflower oil is used for cleaning. It is excellent at getting rid of fusel oils. Usually, about one glass of high-quality oil is added to the mash, after which the container is slightly shaken. A day later, a rather impressive greasy film forms on the surface. As a rule, the mash is poured into another container using a hose so as not to violate the integrity of the fattyfilm.

And you can also use clay or soda. To do this, white clay powder is stirred in a small amount of water, after which it is added to the mash. After about twenty hours, the composition is poured into another container, and the precipitate is drained.

A similar method works when using soda. Unlike clay, baking soda can be added directly to the liquid. It quickly forms a precipitate, which is subsequently disposed of.