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How much brew is infused. How much should mash for moonshine cost: on sugar, grain, fruits and various yeasts

The question of why the mash wanders for a long time is often of interest not only to beginner moonshiners, but also to distillers with some experience. At the same time, it can be considered rhetorical, since there is no exact answer to it.

Braga fermentation

There are several factors that can affect the fermentation process, it is worth taking a responsible approach to the choice of raw materials and observing the temperature regime. However, sometimes even strict observance of all the rules for the manufacture of distillate does not give the desired result. So what is the reason for this phenomenon and how to solve the problem?

Why does the mash not ferment or is the process too slow? There are several factors that affect fermentation and can slow down the process. In some cases, you can save the mash, in others it can be considered hopelessly spoiled.

Factors that can affect the process:

When the mash begins to ferment, it is worth observing temperature regime. If you lower the temperature or raise it, then there is a risk of running into the problem of long fermentation. If the room temperature is high, then the yeast can simply die, if the temperature is low, then they will simply hibernate, but they can be activated. To do this, you will need to raise the temperature in the room, saturate the liquid with oxygen, or add top dressing to the container.
Raw material quality. If low-quality raw materials were used when making the mash: yeast, grain, berries or fruits, then there is nothing surprising in the fact that the mash refuses to ferment. You can try to add top dressing to the distillate, but in most cases such a product is not recyclable, since bad ingredients can affect the taste of moonshine.
Type of yeast. The process of fermentation is directly dependent on the type of microorganisms. Experienced moonshiners recommend using alcohol-resistant yeast, which is well suited for creating high-strength alcohol. With low-alcohol drinks, everything is easier - ideal option consider wine yeast. The longest fermentation is fermented with wild yeast - up to 60 days. When using them, there is a risk of spoiling the product, since microorganisms are not always in the right amount on the surface of the product.
Braga ferments poorly even if the microorganisms do not have enough nutrition, that is, there is little or no sugar in the product. Sugar is food for yeast. Processing it, fungi produce alcohol. Often, to start the fermentation process, it is enough to add a small amount of sugar or glucose to the wort container.
Location. In some cases, the process is influenced by the sun, draft and other factors, they inhibit fermentation. For this reason, it is worth protecting the product from contact with the rays of the sun, temperature changes and other cataclysms. Even the metal from which the container is made has some effect on fermentation. For this reason, experts advise giving preference to containers made of dark glass or stainless food steel.

If the mash does not ferment, then it makes sense to analyze the situation and identify the problem, sometimes the reason lies on the surface - it lies in non-observance of proportions, a violation of the must preparation process.

There are several ways to help revive the product, restore the fermentation process. But all of them are powerless if low-quality ingredients were used in the production of the base for moonshine. However, do not despair, it is often enough to put the container with the wort in a warm place and the fermentation process will resume with accelerated force.

What to do if the mash has stopped fermenting?

There are several methods that will help save the product and eventually get good quality alcohol from it. Using these methods, it is sometimes possible to turn seemingly spoiled alcohol into a good average quality drink.

So, what will speed up the fermentation process:

Saturation with oxygen.
Adding top dressing or sourdough.
Adding to the wort new portion yeast.
Adding a small amount of water.

When the mash ferments for a long time, it is recommended to mix it periodically. To do this, you can use a large spatula or a wooden spoon. Moonshiners know several recipes that will help in the shortest possible time to make the basis for quality moonshine. In some cases, it is advised to resort to using a mixer, blender or even a washing machine.

If you load the wort into the washing machine, turn it on and wait a few hours, then there is a chance to get a ready-made mash. Extreme people in the manufacture of distillate also use automatic machines, but this method does not give any guarantees that the raw materials will be different good quality and it will make strong alcohol.

Top dressing can be prepared independently, or you can buy already ready mix in the shop; in fact, the purchased mixture will not differ much from the one that you can do yourself. But some distillers prefer top dressing homemade because they are sure that the mixture from the store is rich in harmful components. In fact, the composition of purchased top dressings includes various enzymes, vitamins and trace elements, nothing harmful can be found in them.

As for starters, they are prepared from natural products. The most common starter is hops. It is added to wild yeast mash to activate their work. They also use malt, it also stimulates the work of microorganisms quite well.

You can simply add a new batch of yeast to the mash. Portion should be small. Approximately 2 grams of the product will help "resurrect" the base and save it from death. It is recommended to pre-soak the yeast, and then slowly add it to the wort in small portions, mixing everything thoroughly.

You can add a little water to the container with the product, mix everything and let the mash stand in a dark place with a stable temperature. This will help to understand whether she is ready for processing or she still needs to stand a little.

You can also add a little sugar, glucose or dextrose to the container with the wort. Food activates the work of yeast microorganisms. If you prepare sugar syrup and slowly pour it into a container, thoroughly mixing the liquid, you can save the mash or significantly speed up the fermentation process.

Another option that can be used by moonshiners is to add a new batch of wort. The base (grain, berries or fruits) is simply added to the mash. This helps to save the product from death and resume the work of fungi.

These methods can be used singly or in combination. But if the yeast did not begin to ferment, and foam did not form on the surface of the container, despite all efforts, you can pour out the wort, there is no point in distilling it.

If the mash stands for a long time, then it is probably infected with pathogenic microflora, soon the product will turn sour and mold will appear on its surface.

Fertilizer for mash

To activate the fermentation processes and make the yeast work, a number of components can be used. We are mainly talking about food, dried fruits, etc. In order not to make a mistake with the choice of top dressing, you need to familiarize yourself with several options:

Beans and corn can be used as top dressing. For 10–15 liters of mash, we fill up several glasses of beans. You can use chopped product, but not canned. In just a few minutes, the mash will begin to hiss, foam will appear. If there is a lot of foam, it should be extinguished; for this purpose, vegetable oil, biscuits or ground crackers are used. A small piece of biscuit will help normalize the process of foam formation, it is crushed and simply sprinkled with mash.
Dried fruits are used if berries or fruits were the basis for creating alcohol. If grapes were used, we prepare top dressing from raisins, and you can also stimulate the yeast with dried apricots and prunes. If the mash was made with wild yeast, then this option is ideal. Dried fruits do not need to be washed, just drop them into a container. There is wild yeast on the surface of raisins, dried apricots or prunes, they will help the mash to reach readiness faster.
Bread crusts - this product will help fungi start working with new force. Just cut off the peels and send them to the wort. The disadvantage of such top dressing can be considered a specific aroma and smell. The taste of baking can spoil the mash based on fruits or vegetables. And the bread will make the moonshine cloudy, you will have to filter it and distill it 2 times.
Ketchup or tomato paste - this product has specific properties, for this reason it is not suitable for every mash. You can try adding pasta to the wort and the amount of alcohol will increase.

The answer to the question why the mash does not ferment can be banal: a bad recipe, the wrong proportions. To avoid this, it is worth analyzing several recipes, trying to calculate the proportions on your own or during the manufacturing process on initial stage use sourdough.

Little tricks

Almost every moonshiner has his secrets. Some keep them secret, while others are willing to become tricks.

So, what will help to make a good foundation:

Warmly. A proven recipe, quality wort - that's not all. It is important to keep the temperature. If there is no room in which you can leave the container, then you can insulate the container, sew a cover for it, or simply wrap the container with a towel or blanket. But it is worth considering that yeast also generates heat during fermentation. For this reason, it is better to equip the container with a thermometer.
Quality raw materials. If the mash is based on grain or berries, then you should pay special attention to the quality of the products. Before you send the wort to the container, it makes sense to sort out the products, remove spoiled and rotten fruits.
If grain is used as the basis, then it is desirable to germinate it, so the sugar yield will be greater. It is not recommended to use grain older than two years, problems with germination may occur. The ideal age for raw materials is 5–6 months.
Periodically check the product for readiness: equip the container with a water seal, try the mash before distillation, evaluating its organoleptic properties - taste, color, etc.
Braga with dry yeast can behave unpredictably for several hours. For this reason, do not panic - fermentation can begin at any moment.

Braga is the basis of future alcohol, so its preparation should be taken with all responsibility.

There are special tools that measure the density of the solution, the sugar content in it, which will help determine that the mash is ready. But, of course, any professional moonshiner should be able to determine the readiness by organoleptic qualities, that is, judge with a sufficient degree of accuracy by its smell and taste whether the mash is ready for distillation or still not fermented.

Unfermented raw materials are the reason for the low alcohol content in it, but side reactions begin to take place in overexposed mash, accompanied by the release of acids and a decrease in the amount of alcohol. Therefore, if the mash has fermented, then this entails not only the loss of the amount of the finished distillate, but also its quality, the moonshine will turn out to be unnecessarily hard.

Signs indicating the readiness of the mash

Consider how to determine the readiness of mash by several characteristic features:

End of the foaming process. Whether the mash is ready can be judged by the absence of carbon dioxide bubbles, that is, the cessation of foaming. If it is difficult to visually determine this moment, you can use an ordinary match, which you need to light and bring to the neck of the fermentation tank. If the fire goes out, then the release of carbon dioxide is still ongoing. In this case, you should wait until the end of fermentation.
Be sure to taste it to determine the readiness of the mash for distillation. The fact is that the mash fermentation process can stop due to excessively low or high ambient temperatures (wanders in the temperature range of 15-30 degrees). Therefore, visually, it will look ready for distillation for moonshine, but it will turn out to be sweet or sweetish for testing. This can only say that the required period has not yet been met, since not all the sugar has had time to ferment. With organoleptic control, sugar mash or any other should have a bitter taste.
Another and most accurate way is to use a device for measuring the density of the wort - a hydrometer. With it, you can determine the residual sugar content, for which the density is measured by placing a hydrometer in the wash. If the result is more than 1.002 mg / l, then the sugar content is more than 1% and it is too early to drive moonshine.
You can check the readiness of raw materials before distillation by appearance if it is prepared in a transparent bottle. The played mash, as already mentioned above, stops foaming, and if you put your ear to the neck, then you will not hear the hiss characteristic of the release of gas bubbles either. The top layer in the jar is clarified, and a yeast sediment falls out at the bottom of the container.

How much mash roams from various raw materials

Brazhka from different raw materials has a different fermentation cessation period:

on sugar 5-14 days depending on conditions (but usually just over a week)
starch-containing, i.e., it is prepared faster on grain raw materials - 3-7 days
grape mash on wild yeast ripens within 20-60 days

It is clear that how much mash is being prepared and how much mash for moonshine should cost cannot be precisely determined - a large spread is determined both by external conditions (temperature) and by the method of preparing mash. Therefore, it is very important to know how to determine the readiness of the mash for distillation in order to obtain a normal distillate yield.

Why fermentation takes longer than expected

Sometimes the mash ferments too long or stops “playing” altogether, while remaining sweet in taste. This may be due to several factors at once:

incorrect temperature conditions in the room where raw materials are fermented
poor quality yeast
poor quality water
incorrectly calculated amount of starting components
excess sunlight

If it’s just unkind, the check of the mash described earlier will help you determine this, then the recommendations usually come down to adding fresh yeast and ensuring the optimal (15-28 degrees) temperature regime. You also need to shake the fermentation container more often or mix its contents more actively. This will improve the yield of carbon dioxide, make it easier for the yeast to work, and hasten the end of fermentation.

Conditions for ensuring the most complete and high-quality fermentation of raw materials

It is possible to get a good home brew, the distillation of which will ensure the maximum yield of high-quality moonshine from sugar and yeast or other raw materials, only if you use the right source material and use clean, proper containers. The following must be taken into account:

For fermentation, it is worth using glass bottles, plastic dishes for food products or milk cans. The use of galvanized containers is not allowed
It is better to use well water or clean spring water. Suitable filtered or settled for a couple of days tap water. It is impossible to use boiled or distilled water due to the too low oxygen content in it, which is necessary for the yeast to work.
The hardness of water for moonshine also matters. The use of harder water slows down fermentation and degrades the quality of the final product.

The speed and quality of the process is also determined by the choice of the yeast itself. Pressed or dry yeast, the former will require 100 grams per kilogram of sugar, the latter - 25 grams. In this case, water for the preparation of mash should be used about 3-4 liters per 1 kg of sugar.

The main rule for obtaining a quality alcoholic drink at home is the correct preparation of mash. The condition of the wort is determined using various instruments. It is worth noting that an experienced distiller can determine the quality and readiness of the product by taste and external signs without much difficulty. But it is difficult for beginners to understand this issue. So how to determine whether the mash is ready for further distillation, or not yet?

The duration of the must work depends on many things - some factors can be adjusted and reduce the fermentation time, some can not.

Yeast for moonshine

The type of yeast determines not only the degree of alcohol, after which microorganisms die, but also the fermentation time of the mash.

On the this moment the following types of raw materials are used in moonshine production:

alcohol yeast– the product is designed for production alcoholic beverages, therefore, it continues fermentation until the level of ethanol in the mash reaches 18%, while the duration of the work of the raw material is 5-7 days.
bakery are used much more frequently. This type of yeast works up to a concentration of 14%, and the product is ready for distillation in 7-10, and sometimes 14 days.
wild- the most tender and sensitive, stop vital activity at 11%. . But when using this product, you need to be prepared for the fact that the mash will work for a month and a half, or even more.
Yeast "Koji"- special yeast based on mold fungi - "Koji", which saccharify starch (processed into sugar) without malt and enzymes.
Wheat without yeast- most often used for making homemade moonshine.

The fermentation time directly depends on the quality of the yeast, often, if the product is old, then the mash process may not start. To prevent this trouble, you need to take only fresh and high-quality products for the wort and constantly monitor the mash, if the activity of the liquid has decreased ahead of time, then you should add a little yeast.

On which yeast the sugar mash will ripen faster, which one will have a better fortress, etc. You will learn from this video, in which an experiment is carried out with different yeasts:

Additional Ingredients

The fermentation time can be determined not only due to the yeast and its quality, but also based on the raw materials that are used in mixing the mash.

Consider some recipes:

Sugar mash is one of the most popular. If the preparation technology is fully observed, then it will be ready for distillation in 5-10 days. As soon as 5 days have passed after mixing, you need to check it for readiness. But, as a rule, the most optimal turnaround time is from 7 to 10 days.
Braga, to which starch is added, the source of which is potatoes, grains, peas will work much faster and will be ready in 3-5 days.

Advice. When peas are added to the mash, it begins to foam strongly, which increases the risk of losing part of the product. To reduce foaming, add 2 tbsp fermented milk product to the container. l per 10 liters of wort.

Braga on fruits and berries, to which yeast is added, will go for 2-3 weeks, and only then can it be overtaken.
When using only berries and fruits that are fermented without yeast, you will have to wait about a month before distillation. But if you add rice or peas to the mash, then this process can be halved. It is worth remembering that during this process it is necessary to equip a water seal, otherwise at the end of fermentation you will get not mash, but vinegar.

Important! It is not necessary to take the indicated time as a rule, since the maturation time of the mash, among other things, depends on the temperature regime.

Temperature

Alcohol is produced at a temperature of 18-38 degrees, microorganisms are especially active at temperatures of 30-34 degrees.

But it is worth knowing that temperatures above thirty degrees contribute to the appearance of a large number of harmful essential oils, so it is worth maintaining the fermentation temperature up to 28 degrees. If the fermentation temperature drops to 18 degrees, the yeast will start to work less actively.

Important! Yeast microorganisms die at temperatures below +4 degrees and above +40.

Storage

If the mash is ready, and the distillation is scheduled for a later time, then you can’t leave it warm - it will go sour and you won’t be able to save the product. Keep finished product can be within 2-3 weeks, but only in the refrigerator in tightly sealed glass containers.

Ways to speed up the wort

It should be understood that the longer the fermentation process lasts, the more harmful impurities are formed in the mash, so this process is accelerated not only for quick receipt distillate, but also to improve its quality.

Also, with a long process of working the wort, there is a high probability that the product will peroxide and turn into vinegar. Therefore, as soon as you notice that the yeast is not working at full strength, take urgent measures.

Sugar inversion

The name is complex, but simply put, it is the conversion of sucrose into glucose monosaccharide, which is faster processed by yeast microorganisms. Making syrup is troublesome, but thanks to the invert product, you can not only speed up the production of mash, but also improve the taste of the final product.

How to cook:

pour 6 kg of sugar into 3 liters of warm water and mix until completely dissolved;
put a container with syrup on medium heat and boil with constant stirring, not forgetting to remove the foam;
add 25 g citric acid. This should be done carefully and gradually, since when a lemon gets into the syrup, it will begin to foam strongly;
after that, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and leave the syrup for an hour to languish, with occasional stirring.

Advice. These ingredients are designed for 25 liters of water, with other volumes you need to change the proportions.

top dressing

You don’t need to put in much effort to apply top dressing, but if you add a few special ingredients, you can significantly speed up the fermentation of sugar mash.

You need to feed the mash with minerals - most often experienced distillers use:

ammonia or nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers. 5 g of ammonia or 2 tsp of fertilizer for every 10 liters of product. The origin of this top dressing is inorganic, so it is used if moonshine is prepared for commercial purposes;
black bread is an excellent top dressing for wort, 1 loaf of bread is colored for 30 liters of mash;
an excellent tool that speeds up the fermentation process is tomato paste, 100 grams of which is pre-diluted in a glass of warm water and only then poured into a container with mash. This volume of tomato paste is designed for 10 liters of mash;
for the same amount of wort, add ½ cup of natural juice or 10 any crushed berries;
boil 250 g of malt in sugar syrup (a few minutes) and add to the container with mash, this will not only speed up the fermentation, but also give the final product softness.

The correct temperature

One of the main tasks of the distillery is to ensure the correct temperature regime. Of course, you can heat the room to maintain the air temperature within 28 degrees, but this is not only impractical, but also uncomfortable. If the room is +24, then additional insulation containers with mash are not needed.

If it's a little cooler, then you can do the following:

wrap the bottle with an old coat, blanket or sleeping bag;
you can apply heat-insulating materials that are used in construction;
install a thermostat for aquariums in the bottle;
put the mash near the radiator.

These simple methods will help maintain the optimal temperature of the mash.

Overheat monitoring

It should be borne in mind that during fermentation, the temperature of the mash increases, so if the wort is delivered in the summer, and even in large capacity, then the product can overheat greatly - which is absolutely impossible to allow.

If the temperature rises to +30, you need to urgently take measures for cooling: you can put ice over the container, or pour cold water over it.

Yeast activation

If there are few yeast fungi in the solution, then the mash will work for a very long time.

It should be taken into account that the same problem can occur due to the wrong recipe, or low-quality raw materials, but this can be fixed:

the easiest way is to add yeast, but many try to grow microorganisms in mash on their own, because they don’t want to spend extra money;
the introduction of additional trace elements has a good effect on the speed of the mash, as it begins to accelerate the reproduction of yeast microorganisms;
aeration. All living microorganisms multiply in the presence of oxygen, so many experienced distillers use an aquarium aerator, placing it in a container with mash for the first 2-3 days;
pre-activation of yeast. Pour all the yeast into a liter of warm water, add 5 tbsp. l sugar and mix well. Then put the jar in a warm place, for 40 minutes. As soon as the mixture starts to work, it can be poured into the mash;
mixing - during fermentation, a lot of carbon dioxide is formed in the liquid, which prevents microorganisms from multiplying. During mixing, the gas is removed from the mash and it is saturated with oxygen, which significantly reduces the fermentation time. It is enough to shake the bottle several times without removing the cap.

Gradual addition of sugar

The cell membrane of yeast microorganisms works in 2 directions. Mineral components and carbohydrates get inside, and carbon dioxide and ethanol come out. This process occurs very quickly if the density of the liquid outside the cells and inside is the same.

The density of the liquid increases sugar, so you need to make it in portions:

when mixing the composition, only half of the sugar is added, the second half is poured in a day;
you can do it differently - when kneading, 50% of sugar is added, after 12 hours ¼ part, and after another day the rest of the sugar.

There are forgetful moonshiners, and for them there is some trick. As soon as the first portion of sugar is added, the mash is stirred until completely dissolved. The second portion is poured immediately, but not stirred, allowing the sugar to settle at the bottom. So it will dissolve gradually.

Using the above tips, every novice moonshiner will be able to prepare high-quality mash in a short time. It should be taken into account that everything is important in this matter: the quality of raw materials, temperature conditions, the correct recipe. The process of making homemade alcohol is not very complicated, but to get a quality product, you need to take into account all the nuances and be attentive and patient.

Craftsmen who brew moonshine for themselves save family budget, and do not risk being poisoned by a dangerous surrogate. The moonshine process itself is also interesting.

There are many recipes for preparing raw materials for making homemade drinks, there are hundreds of them, here we will consider only the most common and original ones.

From what they just do not make mash for moonshine. Moonshine is made from the raw materials that are at hand and in abundance, according to time-tested recipes, the main unchanged ingredients are water, sugar and yeast in their various forms.

The alcohol is released by the yeast when they have a sweet "food". This process is the basis of yeast brewing and all recipes.

Classic brew for sugar moonshine

Beginning moonshiners learn the basics of making the right home brew by mixing just three ingredients. What is the ideal yeast right mash on sugar. From:

water - 3 parts;
sugar - 1 part;
yeast - 1/10 part.

The process is easy. Dissolve sugar in water. Separately, in a small amount of warm 25-30℃ sweetened liquid, brew the yeast. When they are completely dispersed, pour the contents into the main container.

Close tightly with a water seal and place in a warm place.

How much should mash for moonshine cost?

On average, at room temperature, simple sugar mash "ripens" in 7-10 days. The yield of proper pure moonshine is approximately equal to the amount of sugar.

Important: You can fill the tank no more than 3⁄4 of the volume.

How to cook moonshine from jam

Sometimes sour, fermented or candied jam is allowed into processing. In this case, the calculation of the number of components changes slightly. Estimate approximately how much sugar is already in the “fermented” jar and take it into account when calculating the recipe for the moonshine product.

Here it is worth remembering that the fermentation process has already begun, so the brew from jam for moonshine can be ready a little earlier. Using this recipe, you can use products that were considered unsuitable.

Braga on honey for moonshine

Before using candied honey, it must be melted in a water bath. To prepare 5 liters of honey moonshine, knead yeast mash:

honey - 3 kg;
sugar - 2 kg;
water - 20 l;
dry yeast - 60 g.

Braga from honey is prepared in the same way and in the same time as usual.

Grain mash

All grains are starchy. So, they are a potential raw material for home distillation in a moonshine still. High-grade drinks are made from barley grain, rye flour, oats, etc. They also include bread mash. A lot of starch is also found in pearl barley.

Grain mash from bread

Bread moonshine is sometimes made without using yeast and sugar. Raw materials can be collected from the remains of white and black bread, bread crumbs. Rye flour, moldy crackers from wheat and rye bread. For the wort you need:

water 3-5 l;
bread raw materials 2 kg.

Bread leftovers sprinkled with water should be placed in a plastic bag and left in the light until mold appears. Rub in water and leave to ferment. With weak fermentation, you can add 1 kg of sugar and 20 g of dry yeast. From 3 liters of grain wort, 0.7 ml of good moonshine 40-degree liquid is obtained.

Braga from wheat for moonshine on "wild" yeast

Rural craftsmen have long learned to use grain raw materials in the process of winemaking on natural yeast products. At the same time, corn, barley, pearl barley, millet, rice, rye, oats and even peas are poured into the tank.

Grain wheat mash is considered the cheapest, and the wheat-based drink is the most delicious. It uses natural yeast, which is composed of wheat. The process begins with washing the grain, cleaning the pleura and litter with a sieve.

Prepare a "zabrod" from 1 kg of wheat, 200 g of sugar and 1 liter of water and put in a warm place for 3 days;
Mix the fermented composition of grains with syrup (1.3 kg of sugar + 6 liters of water);
Drain the mash for distillation with a moonshine still, and pour the remaining wheat sourdough back into syrup. It can be used 4 times. Sprouted wheat is also used as malt for moonshine.

Important: grain mash is considered ready when it has become relatively transparent and unsweetened.

Rice without sugar

Rice vodka is popular in the East. They drive it from rice mash.

rice - 1.5 kg;
water 6 l;
green wheat germinated malt 250 g;
dry quick yeast - 10 g.

Simmer rice porridge over low heat, stirring constantly. Let cool down to 60℃. You can use crushed or even flour.

Pass the malt through a meat grinder and mix the ingredients. Cover carefully with a blanket and leave in a warm place overnight. In the morning, add diluted dry yeast to the infused mixture. Rice mash will win back in 4-5 days. The yield after the first distillation is 1.5 liters of 45-degree pervak.

Braga from barley (barley)

To prepare barley moonshine, you can use a regular cell, barley grains or pearl barley flour.

Saccharification of grain barley mash occurs something like this: 20 liters of water are brought to a boil. 3.6 kg of cells are poured into it and boiled for 5 minutes. Then the barley mash is left to cool down to 60-65℃.

Sprouted malt (about 2 kg), passed through a meat grinder, is added to the cooled porridge. If the mash is very thick, you can add up to 2 liters hot water. After cooling, add dry yeast 10 g. After about 2-3 hours, barley mash can be mixed and put under the lid.

Millet mash is made according to the same recipe.

Important: Sprouted malt can be stored in freezer. Its properties are not lost from this.

Quick pea mash

Braga on peas is very active, and completes all processes in 3-4 days. Exactly this fast cooking wort. For pea mash you will need:

15 liters of water;
0.5 l of milk;
0.6 kg of shelled peas;
30 g dry yeast.

Mix all ingredients as usual. This pea recipe has one small nuance: the process is so fast that it requires constant defoaming. In this case, it is unrealistic to use a water seal. The taste of pea moonshine is mild, and it smells like peas.

Corn Moonshine

Braga from corn is kneaded from 6 kg of corn flour or grits and 2 kg of wheat flour. Pour the cornmeal flour into boiled water (40 l), constantly stirring the mash. After a few hours, the corn wort will cool down to 65℃. Add 2 kg of crushed malt to it.

Saccharification lasts 1.5-2 hours. Add 50 g of dry yeast to the wort cooled to 25℃. Corn mash runs for about a week. The output is 10-12 liters of delicious moonshine.

If you pour it into oak barrel and keep in it for 2-3 years, get a classic bourbon from the US state of Kentucky.

Braga from vegetables

It is known that many vegetables have their own sugar reserves. Why not use this natural pantry in home brewing.

On tomato paste and beer, no yeast

Every experienced distiller has his own original recipes. Here is one of them. Prepare:

1 liter of tomato paste;
1 bottle of beer 4-6º;
30 liters of water;
11 kg of sugar.

All products in the beer mash should be at room temperature. Combine them in sugar beer mash, stirring well. Fermentation will last approximately two weeks. Beer is better to use barley with natural malt.

From tomatoes (fast food)

Quick mash can be made with 2 parts sugar, 6 parts water and 10 parts well-ripened and chopped vegetables. After mixing all the ingredients, pour 50 g of dry yeast into the container. Ripening lasts only 3-4 days.

And if you use your unwashed tomatoes, the ripening process of quick mash will be completed in 2 days. Live fruits can replace unsalted tomato juice or diluted tomato paste.

Important: Only in the temperature range of 60-70℃ starch mash processes glucose into sugar for further fermentation.

From potatoes

If you take 20 kg of potatoes, 1 kg of any malt, one and a half buckets of water and a pound of pressed yeast, you can end up with 8-10 liters of good moonshine.

Frozen potato braga contains more sugar, so it ferments better and there is a lot of starch in potatoes.

Wash and grate potatoes.
Put the mass into hot (70℃) water, let it cool down to 65℃.
Add malt.
Maintain temperature for 20 minutes while stirring.
Cool down to 30℃.
Set aside and drain the top to sediment into the fermentation tank.
Pour the sediment again with warm water 50℃, mix, stand, drain. Do this with mash 4 times.
Pour yeast into the tank, cover and leave for 5-12 days.

Potato in Russia is the most common product and one of the cheapest. It is profitable to drive out of it, but the moonshine turns out to be somewhat harsh.

Braga from fruits, juice and berries

Recipes for such a brew are distinguished by delicate fermentation, and the resulting drink has a delicate taste. Natural sugar and internal "wild" yeast bacteria work in an ideal fruit mash.

Braga from grapes

Grape chacha - Caucasian moonshine, is made from grape cake or pulp, squeezed from juice, mashed skin.

It itself contains live yeast and can ferment, but the process will be long. To adjust it a little, wine yeast is used. Grape moonshine is fragrant and soft, so baker's yeast is rough for it.

For 30 liters of water, 10 kg of cake and the same amount of granulated sugar are taken. 10 g of yeast are added gradually, and only if the process is sluggish. From their quantity depends on 10 or 30 days the raw materials for moonshine from grapes will ripen.

To prevent mold from forming on top of the “cap” from the mezra, it is necessary to open the tank with the future moonshine every day and mix the mash.

Braga from birch sap without yeast and water

Birch sap contains a large amount of glucose, which is broken down during fermentation, and saccharification occurs.

To preserve the properties of natural yeast, it is necessary to pour 3 liters of juice from 30. Boil all the liquid left over high heat to 10-11 liters.

Mix 3 liters and 10 liters of boiled chilled liquid, add 1 tbsp. kefir or milk. Place the fermenting birch sap tank in a warm place for 9-16 days.

Yield 3-3.5 liters of forty-degree moonshine on birch sap.

Braga from pumpkin

Pumpkin pulp contains a large amount of sugar and starch, so pumpkin has become an object of use in moonshine. Different varieties have different amounts of sugar, which is why recipes differ in the amount of sugar. Mix 15 liters of water, 15 kg pumpkin puree and 100 g of quick yeast. It will be pumpkin mash from malt.

Pumpkin without peel is twisted in a meat grinder and stewed for 1 hour. Malt is added to pumpkin gruel cooled to 65℃ and kept at this temperature for 2 hours. Then cool, add yeast and leave to ferment for a week.

Braga from apples for moonshine (homemade Calvados)

Apples have been used in home brewing in Russia for a long time. A strong, tasty apple drink made from anise, antonovka, shtreifling and Moscow pear does not cause a hangover.

For 5 liters of freshly squeezed apple juice, 1 kg of granulated sugar and a 10-gram bag of quick yeast are taken. Apple mash goes for a long time: from 20 to 30 days. Strained, it is twice driven through the apparatus. A pleasant drink is obtained from apple sugar mash in a ratio of 4: 1.

After distillation, moonshine can be flavored with dried apple picking.

Interestingly, even apple slices simply thrown into the classic sourdough delay the process for several days.

Braga from dried fruits

To release sugar, dried fruits must be boiled and crushed. 2 kg of dried fruits are poured into 6 liters of water, 3 kg of sugar and 5 g of citric acid are added, and compote is boiled for half an hour.

After cooling, the remaining water is added to it 7 l and poured 60 g of dry yeast. It should stand for about a week in a warm place.

Yield - 2.5-3 liters of aperitif.

Braga on raisins

Raisin moonshine (paisahovka) is a Jewish national drink that is prepared for the Passover holiday. A mixture of 200 g raisins, 2 tbsp. water and 1 tsp. heat sugar to 40℃ and grind with a blender. Leave to ferment.

When the first signs of ripening appear, repeat the operation with the rest of the raisins (1800 g) and 9.5 liters of water. Connect both batches. Fermentation lasts 3-4 weeks. Cake can be used for moonshine again. To give a pleasant taste, you can add a pinch of vanilla sugar to the finished moonshine.

Important: The softer the water used, the more active fermentation occurs.

Sugar moonshine is a classic Russian distillery. She has won love among many lovers of homemade alcohol. There are a huge number of recipes for making sugar mash at home, in which the proportions sometimes differ, but the moonshine yield is always almost the same. Making homemade alcohol is justified for several reasons. The first is the environmental friendliness of raw materials, sugar is a pure product and properly prepared moonshine does not cause poisoning and a strong hangover. The second is the cost of the product, making moonshine at home is much cheaper than buying store-bought alcohol.

Approximately 1.1 liters come out of 1 kg of granulated sugar. ready drink with a strength of 40 degrees.
As a result, you will get decent alcohol, and if you refine it various methods, then it will not be inferior to expensive elite drinks. The easiest way for a beginner is to “ferment” to make mash from sugar, and then get a distillate. How to prepare intoxicating drinks correctly, what proportions to use, what dishes and how many ingredients to take, the entire cycle of obtaining moonshine is described in detail in this article.
To make mash you will need: fermentation utensils, water, sugar, yeast, water seal, saccharometer, aquarium heater. The last three devices are optional, it is quite possible to do without them.
Container for mash. The main indicators when choosing dishes for fermentation are: volume, material of manufacture, tightness. For some types of mash, a water seal is also needed, which performs two functions: it ensures the release of carbon dioxide and prevents oxygen from entering the mash.
Tank volume for fermentation depends entirely on your needs. Be sure to take into account that the mash should fill no more than ¾ of the volume of the fermentation tank. Otherwise, there is a risk of foam being thrown out during fermentation.
Material. The most preferred material for fermentation is glass. Various bottles, glass jars. You can also use food grade stainless steel. Currently, plastic containers of various sizes are sold, the main thing is to make sure that it is suitable for food products. Often at home, aluminum dishes, milk flasks, and pots are used. It is very convenient if the container has a drain valve, which will greatly facilitate the work.
1. Be sure to thoroughly rinse all dishes before use hot water using detergent and then dry well with a clean towel. How cleaner dishes, the less the risk of souring the mash, which can lead to an unpleasant taste of moonshine.
2. Before pouring water, place the fermentation tank on a stand 0.5 meters high. Firstly, this will improve heat exchange, and secondly, it will be easier to drain the fermented mash in the future.
Which yeast to choose. For the preparation of moonshine, it is advisable to take special alcohol yeast. The use of alcohol yeast gives a higher yield of alcohol during fermentation, better organoleptic. The instructions always say how much sugar a pack is designed for. The only disadvantage of alcoholic yeast is that it is difficult to find them and the price is quite high. But instead of alcohol, affordable dry or pressed, Belarusian ones are suitable. Dry yeast is taken from the calculation 20 grams per kilogram of sugar. Proportions for pressed: 100 grams per 1 kg of sugar.
The addition of dry yeast makes the mash in quality no worse, and sometimes even better. Raw pressed ones give the drink too fusel flavor, and the use of dry ones gives rapid fermentation and abundant foaming. Another plus of dry and alcoholic yeast - long term storage.
What kind of water to use. Good correct water- the basis of the taste of the final product. For the preparation of sugar mash, well-purified water, odorless, tasteless and without additives, should be used. The most suitable water is spring or bottled. If used tap water, then before use it is recommended to defend it for 1-2 days, and then carefully drain it with a hose. Hydromodule: per 1 kg. sugar - 4 liters of water.
Classic sugar moonshine recipe
According to this recipe, mash is prepared from sugar and yeast. The yield of purified moonshine is approximately 5.5 liters after the second fractional distillation, the alcohol content of the drink is 45 percent.
Ingredients:
Sugar - 5 kg;
Dry yeast - 100 gr;
Spring water - 20 liters.

Wort preparation:
Pour warm water at 25-30 ° into the container where fermentation will take place, add sugar. Stir the mixture thoroughly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Recently, complaints about sugar have often been received - it does not ferment well, it is not sweet, etc. To avoid embarrassment, you can use the device - saccharometer. The saccharometer shows the density of sugar in the wort. For normal mash, the saccharometer should show a density of 18-22%.
In a separate bowl, dilute, ferment the yeast. Pour 300 ml of water at 28°C, add a tablespoon of sugar, stir, add dry yeast, dilute, after about 10-15 minutes, when the yeast rises, add it to the fermentation tank. To reduce foaming during fermentation, it is recommended to add Saf-moment yeast - 11 gr. If you use pressed yeast in the recipe, then you need to take them 500 gr.
For normal operation of yeast, in addition to sugar and water top dressing is required . This is not a mandatory moment, but it is desirable, it allows you to speed up the process. There are chemical special dressings with phosphorus and nitrogen, there are ordinary household ways to “cheer up” the mash. First of all, this is black bread, for 20 liters of mash, half a loaf will be enough. Also, as a top dressing, it is recommended to use grapes, raspberries, strawberries at the rate of 15-20 pieces per 20 liters.
It is not necessary to install a water seal for sugar mash, it is enough to loosely close the lid, and if the neck is small, then cover it with several layers of gauze.

Fermentation. In order for the wort to ferment well, it needs to provide a favorable temperature regime. The ideal temperature for fermentation is 28-31 °C. It can be slightly lower, but in no case higher than 35 °, at this temperature the yeast will die and the mash will not ferment.
This mode allows warm room or using an aquarium heater. Heaters come in various capacities from 50 watts and more, which one to choose depends on the capacity of the container. For 40 liters of mash, 100 watts of power is enough, provided that it is indoors. The convenience of the heater is that it maintains a stable temperature with the built-in thermostat. Set on the regulator 28 ° and lower into the fermentation tank, connect to the power supply, the temperature will stand and be maintained automatically.
With proper temperature maintenance, the presence of top dressing, fermentation lasts 7-14 days. Once or twice a day, the sugar mash must be stirred well to remove carbon dioxide.
How to determine the readiness of mash
Carbon dioxide stopped emitting, the water seal calmed down, stopped gurgling. There are no rising bubbles on the surface. Light a match over the mash, if it burns, then no gas is released.
Stratification is present in the mash, the top layer has become light, the yeast has partially precipitated.
The taste of mash has become bitter, no sweetness is felt.
In the smell and taste of mash there is a clear aroma of alcohol.
The most accurate method is to use a sugar meter. If the wort has fermented, then the saccharometer will show “0”.

Clarification and cleaning of mash
Clarification and degassing should be done in order to improve the final taste of moonshine. Degassing is the process of removing residual carbon dioxide. To do this, the wort must be heated to 55 ° C, live yeast dies at this temperature. One of the most simple ways clear the mash with cold, if the temperature allows. Take Braga for a day or two in the cold -5 ° or + 5 ° and it will naturally lighten. The yeast will fall to the bottom, after which the mash must be decanted, that is, carefully drained from the sediment using a thin silicone or PVC hose.
You can speed up the process and lighten the mash with other more fast ways using bentonite, gelatin or protein. For sugar mash, it is most often preferred to use bentonite for clarification. Bentonite is a natural product, natural white clay. The Pi-Pi-Bent brand is suitable for cleaning, the main thing is that there are no flavors in it. For 20 liters of mash, 2-3 tablespoons of clay are enough. Before use, it must be dissolved in a glass of warm water and stirred thoroughly. Then pour the mixture into the mash and mix. After 12-24 hours, the mash becomes transparent, it remains only to drain it from the sediment.
Getting moonshine from mash
First race. Pour clarified, purified mash into a cube moonshine still. And overtake at high power. Heads and tails do not need to be removed during the first distillation. The first time the raw material is taken almost to the water, so that there would be 5-7 degrees in the stream.
Intermediate cleaning. The resulting moonshine before the second fractional distillation must be cleaned of harmful impurities. There are many proven ways to do this. The most popular method among distillers is charcoal cleaning. There is a way to clean with oil and others.
Purification of moonshine with coal. You can clean the raw using a carbon filter or fill the coal with raw. For the first method, you need to make a filter from plastic bottle. Cut off the bottom of the bottle a, drill a few holes in the cork. Put a layer of cotton wool tightly into the cork, screw it onto the bottle. Pour BAU or KAU coal at the rate of 10-12 grams of coal per 1 liter of moonshine. Pass moonshine through the filter. In the second method, pour coal directly into raw alcohol. Grind coal beforehand, add 50 g per liter. Stir thoroughly, insist overnight. Then filter the moonshine. Coal absorbs up to 80% of fusel oil and various esters.
Purification of moonshine with sunflower oil. For cleaning, you need to take refined sunflower oil. Dilute moonshine to 15-20 degrees of strength, add 20 grams of oil per liter of raw alcohol. Stir well three times at intervals of 1-3 minutes. Leave for a day to settle, drain with a tube without touching the upper oily layer. Strain through a cotton filter. For cleaning efficiency, these two methods can be combined. First oil, then charcoal.

Fractional distillation. Pour purified, diluted moonshine from sugar up to 20 degrees into the distillation cube of the moonshine still. Proceed to the stage with the selection of fractions. Select the head fraction at low power. The heads are taken drop by drop, the selection rate is 1-2 drops per second, such a slow intake of liquid allows you to qualitatively get rid of the poisonous first fractions. The number of heads is taken 50 ml from each kilogram of sugar.
Then change the receiving container and select the drinking fraction "body". The body is taken up to 45-50 degrees in the jet. Then the tails will go, it's up to you to select them or not. Usually, the tail fraction is added to the mash before distillation in order to increase the yield of moonshine.
Refinement and refinement of moonshine
As a result, you will get moonshine from sugar with a strength of about 65 degrees. For drinking, such a fortress is too high, so it must be diluted with clean bottled water to 40-45 degrees. A special calculator will help to do this correctly. To soften the taste, moonshine can be heated on the stove to 70 degrees, while unnecessary substances will evaporate from it. Pour the diluted distillate into bottles, let it “rest in the glass” for 2-3 days, or better, let it stand for a week and you can start tasting.
Sugar moonshine has a more neutral taste compared to grain and fruit distillates. Therefore, at home, it is more used for the preparation of various liqueurs to insist berries and fruits on it. Making other delicious homemade alcohol.