Braga is one of the oldest drinks, which is quite popular in our time. Braga contains alcohol. About the same amount as in strong beer.
The process of making mash is not particularly complicated, because mash is an intermediate product in the preparation of alcohol or moonshine, which can be used independently. The quality of the mash, if it goes as an independent drink, is more dependent on the quality and quantity of yeast added. If you overdo it with yeast, the drink will acquire a very cloudy tint and will have an unpleasant aftertaste. But if you put a little yeast, then in this case the strength of the drink will suffer. Therefore, one of the main conditions in the manufacture of mash is to find a middle ground.
Braga has the ability to sour quickly, so it is not recommended to store it for a long time. It is best to use it immediately after ripening (fermentation), having thoroughly filtered it beforehand.
There are a lot of recipes for mash. Mash is made from wheat, potatoes, peas, etc. Here are some of those recipes that are more popular and are easy to prepare.
Braga made of wheat.
Mash of wheat is made from grains that must first be soaked in water until they sprout. Wheat should be germinated for about three days and always in a warm place. After the seeds germinate, they need to be dried well within 12-14 hours. Using a wooden crush, the grain should be crushed and water added, observing a proportion of one to three. Next, we fill in granulated sugar - 200 grams per kilogram of grain, add 50 grams of yeast and, of course, malt, based on the calculation: 0.16 kilograms of malt milk is taken for 2 kilograms of wheat. The resulting mixture should be put in a warm, dry place and insisted for 10-15 days. During infusion, it is necessary to shake the mixture from time to time and remove the scale that will form on the surface. Wheat mash should be covered with gauze or other material on top to prevent insects. The completely fermented mash has a light bitter taste and a specific smell. The process of gas evolution and foam formation stops, although if you shake the container well, a small amount of bubbles will still rise from the bottom. It is very important to be able to correctly determine the stage of maturation of mash, which is necessary to obtain good and high-quality moonshine. A hydrometer can also help in determining the readiness of mash: at the end of fermentation, the reading on the scale will be zero or very close to it.
In the same way, mash is made from grain of any other kind. High-quality raw materials are selected and all the same recommendations are followed as with wheat.
Braga from rice.
To make rice mash you will need: two glasses of peeled rice and three glasses of granulated sugar. All these ingredients should be poured into a three-liter jar, pour a half-liter bottle of any beer into the same and pour all this to the top with clean water. Cover the jar with a cotton or linen cloth, which should be folded several times. Leave to roam in a warm place. When the gases cease to be released, you need to carefully drain the liquid and the mash is ready.
Another fairly simple rice mash recipe.
Boil peeled and washed rice in ten liters of water, wait until it cools to room temperature, add three cups of ground malt and mix everything thoroughly. We stand the drink for 10-12 hours. After he has insisted, mix everything again, add 200 grams of yeast and let stand for another week. Next, rice mash should be well filtered and overtaken. The output should be 4 liters of finished mash.