Braga is a liquid obtained by fermentation of sugar syrup and yeast. In the future, moonshine is made from it. There are several types of mash that are made from various products. For example, it may include fruits, grains, legumes, and so on. Sometimes it happens that mash poorly roams. What to do in such cases? This can tell experts.
Water selection
In order to make moonshine as best as possible, you should pay close attention to all products that will participate in the process of its preparation. For example, water should only be purified, preferably taken from a spring. Typically, tap water is completely unsuitable. It contains too much chlorine, 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 throughout the day.
How to choose a yeast
For the preparation of moonshine, it is advisable to take special alcoholic yeast, which can be purchased at a specialized store. Thanks to them, sugar syrup quickly enough begins the fermentation process. It usually does not last long and does not form a plentiful foam, as with ordinary baker's yeast. They are of two types: dry and wet. Well proven "Voronezh yeast."
An excellent result can be obtained if you prepare mash from products that contain a sufficiently large amount of starch. These include grain or flour. Typically, the composition begins to ferment four days after laying. Each type of yeast has its own advantages. Consider them:
- Pressed or wet "Voronezh yeast" is available. They are sold in any store. Even in the most remote settlements, where it is almost impossible to get alcoholic yeast. Due to its wet composition, this product may not be diluted before being added to the wort. The taste of the finished moonshine is obtained quite specifically. Experienced moonshiners call it "village". The finished liquor will smell like yeast. And sometimes it’s difficult to interrupt him.
- Dry yeast is also characterized by affordability and low price. They are perfectly stored, so they can be purchased in advance. Due to the fact that there are various packages, you can choose the weight necessary for a particular case.
- Alcoholic yeast allows you to make high-quality moonshine with a good yield. They guarantee a fairly quick and sharp fermentation process, so they are often used in the preparation of moonshine. This product practically does not create foam, so the wort can be poured into the container to the very top. They, like the dry product, have a sufficiently long shelf life and convenient packaging. And also they have very few impurities and have a fairly high quality.
Thus, choosing good yeast, you can ensure the perfect cooking of mash. Nevertheless, many winemakers complain that it does not roam well even if high-quality raw materials are used.
Proportion calculation
Typically, for the mash, the proportion of sugar is selected as follows. Twenty liters of well-purified and settled water will require at least six kilograms of granulated sugar. If you use dry yeast, then they will need only a hundred grams. Wet product requires more - at least five hundred grams. It should be borne in mind that if you put less sugar, then the strength of moonshine will eventually decrease. Wine or brewer's yeast will need only five grams.
Regular Sugar Recipe
Before starting the process, prepare a large bulk pan in which sugar syrup will be cooked. It is dissolved in warm water and warmed over low heat. It should be ensured that the sugar is completely dissolved, otherwise its residues simply fall out of the fermentation process. If dry yeast is used, then they are preliminarily diluted in a small amount of warm water and only after that they are poured into syrup cooked and cooled to thirty degrees.
The pan with the composition put 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 forms at the bottom of the mixture. The liquid should be poured into another container, taking into account the precautions. If you shake the pan, the sediment will rise, and the mash will become cloudy.
With fruit
So many people prefer to use fruits. To do this, juice is pre-squeezed out of them. The proportion of water in relation to the juice should be 1:10. That is, one liter of clean water will need ten liters of any fruit juice. If the berries are not too sweet, granulated sugar will also be required. How much sugar and fruit mash should roam? The fermentation process is practically no different from the usual classic recipe without yeast and also takes twenty days on the strength.
However, even if the fruits are sweet, it is still advisable 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 mash on wheat is as follows. For every ten liters of purified water you will need one 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. Thus, the leaven will be prepared. It is combined with the rest of the sugar and grain. The fermentation process when choosing a recipe for mash on wheat usually takes from one week to three, since starch from germinated cereals acts as a yeast. However, some people prefer, in addition to this raw material, to also add pressed fungi.
With wheat and yeast
The recipes for brew for moonshine on pressed fungi are different. The alcoholic drink obtained as a result of the use of grain proved to be quite good. The following proportions and products are often used in the preparation of moonshine from sprouted wheat: for thirty-five liters of water you will need ten kilograms of granulated sugar, two hundred grams of pressed mushrooms and about two kilograms of previously sprouted wheat. It should not have any impurities, and also it should be clean and washed. Raw materials sprout quickly enough. If you put it in a warm place, then usually forty-eight hours is enough for white shoots 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. Wort fermentation sometimes lasts for two weeks. How long does mash roam? You can learn about readiness by the shutter, which first acquires an impressive volume, and then subsides. An ordinary rubber medical glove is most often used as a shutter.
How to cook from 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 processed and washed wheat (sometimes corn is used). The grain is twisted into flour and mixed with sugar. Next, the composition is poured with warm water with diluted yeast. How much mash does ferment on sugar and pressed mushrooms with 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 did not ferment
Sometimes it happens that the mash can not get ready. The wort is completely absent fermentation process or it is too inexpressive. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:
- Most often, beginners do not pay enough attention to water, so their mash does not roam well. What to do in this case? Inexperienced moonshiners believe that it is enough to collect water from the tap, stand a little and use. In fact, there is a lot of chlorine and other aggressive impurities in tap water. They, in turn, are detrimental to fungi.
- Another problem often becomes temperature. The fact is that for the reproduction and normal development of the fungus, warm water is needed. As the wort cools down, the cooking process slows down.
- Lack of sugar. Starch and glucose are the food for the fungus, so if they are absent, the yeast ceases to multiply. Often, sugar is added to speed up the fermentation process, even if the moonshine is made from sufficiently sweet fruits or sprouted cereals.
- Often the quality of the yeast is such that no matter how much sugar is put, the mash is still not fermenting well. What to do? Yeast can simply be expired and is no longer capable of any action.
- Violation of the necessary proportions also leads to the fact that moonshine cannot be prepared.
In addition, it is recommended that you take a close look at the shutter. The container in which the wort is contained must be completely sealed, and the shutter should close and tightly close it. Adhering to such simple recommendations, you can avoid unpleasant surprises during the preparation of an alcoholic drink.
What to do
Braga does not roam well due to the low temperature. If the cause is cooling, then the wort is simply moved to a warmer place. For example, you can cover the container with a blanket and lean it against the battery. Sometimes you need to turn on the heater. In summer, this problem can easily be solved with the help of the sun.
In the event that little sugar was originally added and therefore the fermentation process cannot begin at all, you can mix granulated sugar with a little warm water and pour it into the mash.
Sometimes spoilage and, as a consequence, depressurization of the shutter occurs. What if the mash does not roam for this reason? Unfortunately, in this 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 water problems by pouring 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 lighten 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, set the container with the drink in the cold, and after a while, pour the non-frozen liquid. Everything that freezes under the influence of low temperature, and will be considered unnecessary impurities.
In addition, make 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, you will need about one kilogram of petals. The cooked broth is cooled a little and introduced into the drink. Braga immediately acquires a rich red hue, which, however, does not affect the color and quality of the final product. After about two days, a noticeable precipitate will precipitate, which should be drained.
The use of gelatin and citric acid
How to lighten mash before distillation? Experts recommend affordable products. Using gelatin, you can also lighten a good alcoholic beverage. Before use, gelatin is infused with water until it swells. The proportions should be as follows: for every liter of liquid you 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 rather abundant precipitate. 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 clarification
This is another fairly popular way of making moonshine. It is advisable to take milk with a small percentage of fat content. Its amount is calculated as follows. Thirty liters of water will need three liters of milk. After milk treatment, the mash is usually filtered through double gauze. Experienced moonshiners advise using this method no earlier than fifty or sixty minutes before the distillation.
Oil, soda and clay
Often used to clean ordinary sunflower oil. It perfectly eliminates fusel oils. Typically, about one glass of high-quality oil is added to the mash, after which the container is shaken slightly. After a day, a rather impressive oily 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 greasy film.
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, soda can be added immediately to the liquid. It quickly forms a precipitate, which is subsequently disposed of.