What yeast is better to choose for moonshine. What yeast is needed for mash and moonshine? DIY Recipes

It is no secret that the quality of moonshine largely depends on yeast. Previously, only dry or pressed baker's yeast was sold, which was used by everyone. In our time, the range has noticeably expanded, it became possible to choose yeast for moonshine, for example, take alcohol. Special strains have several advantages.

All yeast can be divided into the following types:

• bakery- are used by the food industry when baking bakery products; for home brewing, this is the worst option, which significantly reduces the quality of home brew;
• wine- a special type of yeast for winemakers, due to chemical properties and high cost in home brewing, they are practically not used, only for the preparation of fruit brews;
• beer- for the first time such a strain was isolated by Carlsberg specialists in 1881. Prior to this, brewing used random strains of yeast that got into the wort from the air, and the beer was more like a mash with hops, rather than a modern foamy drink, beer yeast is also sold as vitamin supplements, but they are not suitable for moonshine;
• alcohol- in industry they are used to produce alcohol, it is on the basis of alcohol yeast that it is best to make mash for moonshine from sugar and grain.

Benefits of alcohol yeast:

1. Shorter fermentation period. Braga is ready for distillation in 3-6 days (instead of 7-12).

2. Increased vitality. Alcoholic yeasts die at an alcohol concentration in Braga of 17-18%. This indicator is much higher than that of other types of yeast, therefore, the yield of moonshine, all other things being equal, will be greater.

3. Minimum concentration of harmful impurities. Due to the long fermentation of baker's yeast, harmful substances accumulate in the mash: acetone, fusel oils, aldehydes. Subsequently, additional purification of moonshine with coal or other methods is required. When using alcohol yeast, this problem is not so acute.

4. No foam. Special yeast for moonshine does not emit a lot of foam, so no defoamer is required to make home brew.

1. Maintain fermentation temperature at 22-28°C. To do this, the mash can be heated with a conventional aquarium heater. The container should be in a dark room, protected from sunlight.

2. Seal the bottle with a water trap or a glove with a hole in one of the fingers so that there is an outlet for carbon dioxide.

3. Do not use chlorinated, tap and boiled water. Moonshine requires spring or bottled water.

Alcoholic yeast needs quality water

4. Braga is desirable to mix every day.

5. First, the yeast dissolves, then they need to be poured into the fermentation tank and only then the main wort is added.

What is the place of yeast in the multi-stage process of home brewing, and why is it necessary to add it to mash? The fact is that mash, which is a complex solution of various organic substances (glucose, fructose, etc.), turns into alcohol, thanks to the vital activity of yeast bacteria. At the same time, the yeast itself can be anything: wine, wild, dry, pressed, as long as the process of sugar oxidation starts. The resulting product is distilled and then used for the production of spirits.

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What yeast to use for sugar mash

Table of the ratio of sugar, alcohol yeast and water for mash

If possible, alcohol yeast should be used to make moonshine. They are the most effective and faster, and they were developed specifically for the production of alcoholic beverages. But if there is no high-quality yeast at hand, any others will do, you just have to slightly adjust the course of the process. How much yeast to use per unit of mash or sugar is usually indicated in the moonshine recipe, there is no single right solution for all occasions.

Alcoholic yeast is sometimes not easy to buy, they are far from being available everywhere. In the event of a shortage of such a reliable tool, you will have to use bakery or dry pressed ones. With them, you can also get high-quality distillate without much difficulty.

Baker's yeast is available in all stores, so it is better to use moonshine recipes with their use.

In principle, if there are enough appropriate bacteria in the yeast, it is not very important what they are called. The bottom line is to strictly follow the moonshine recipes that have long been proven by practice, in the correct ratio of the amount of yeast to the amount of sugar, in creating the proper conditions for fermentation.

There are many brands of baker's yeast that are used in home brewing, there is no single opinion on their benefits, as is often the case, so you should take the advice of experts you can trust, and even better, gain your own relevant experience. Then there will certainly be no mistakes in the selection of ingredients for such an exciting activity as the production of moonshine.

Braga recipe with dry yeast

With regard to the practice-tested optimal ratio of sugar and yeast, it is customary to use 100 grams of yeast and 30 liters of water per 7 kg of sugar, however, the amount of yeast may vary, usually the ratio is indicated on the package

Must maturation, as already mentioned, requires certain conditions. Talking about temperature 25-30°С, at which fungal microorganisms feel most favorably. At the same time, temperature stability is important, its fluctuations both upward and downward are categorically undesirable.

It is not so difficult to provide the required temperature regime for wort in a private house and in a city apartment. To do this, you should find a room without drafts, and wrap the container with mash with an old blanket or something similar. It is important not to overdo it and not overheat the contents of the can, otherwise the bacteria have a chance to die or lose their activity.

A good way to maintain temperature stability is an aquarium heater.. It can be adjusted to temperatures up to 30°C and attached to the appropriate location. But only those who intend to engage in moonshine on an ongoing basis should buy such a device.

It should be remembered that the fermentation process occurs with a significant release of heat, so the temperature of the wort must be constantly monitored and regulated. Otherwise, if the solution is heated to 35°C, the effectiveness of yeast bacteria can be forgotten.

The fermentation process is controlled using a traditional medical glove or a lid with a water seal. But when pure sugar is used, this is not necessary, it is enough to leave the lid slightly ajar.

How to understand that the mash is ready for driving

In order for the mash to ripen, it is necessary at least five to seven days, and better - more. This is the case when there is no point in hurrying, it is better to wait until the wort reaches the condition required for further processing.

There are several points, signs by which you can determine the degree of readiness of the mash for the distillation process:

• Gas emission (we are talking about carbon dioxide) stops completely. This is clearly seen in the state of the medical glove, water seal. If the lid was opened ajar, it is worth using a lit match at the intended place of the gas outlet. When the match goes out, carbon dioxide is released and the fermentation process continues.
• The color of the surface of the mash changes when compared with the initial state. The raster becomes lighter and cleaner as the yeast settles little by little.
• Braga becomes bitter-sour in taste, sweetness is not felt in it at all.
• The alcohol smell and taste in the mash ready for distillation is very well felt.

It is believed that if two of the four signs described meet the requirements, then it is time to distill the mash. However, if you still feel the sweet taste of sugar, fruits or berries, you must allow the fermentation process to complete by allocating a few more days for this. Braga will ripen and the yield of alcohol from it will be significantly higher.

In the process of preparing the mash, several important points should be taken into account. Yeast must be dissolved in warm water before being added to the solution. The solution should stand for several minutes, after which it can be used for its intended purpose.

It often happens that when yeast is added to the wort, foam begins to stand out profusely. In this case, it is enough to add a little ground crackers or half a store-bought cookie to the liquid, the foam will stop standing out. Vegetable oil is also used as an effective defoamer. It is taken about 50 ml per thirty liters of water. There are also a number of pharmaceutical preparations that are convenient to use to get rid of foam. The choice always remains with those who will prepare the mash for distillation.

It is usually sufficient to add the defoamer once. But often, especially in the case of using vegetable oil, the procedure should be repeated several times.

Many experienced moonshiners practice identifying, feeding yeast fungi, stimulating their activity in this way. For this, some bread or dried fruits, steamed grains, malt, fruit juices or other sugar-containing products are added to the wort. It is believed that for 50 liters of mash, one loaf of rye bread is enough for such top dressing.

Before distillation, it is recommended to heat the mash to 50 ° C. This is necessary to remove gases from the solution that will interfere with the moonshine brewing process. To speed up the degassing process, it is recommended to stir the mash vigorously until the desired state is reached.

2.

Alcoholic yeast for moonshine.

Alcohol - used in industry to produce alcohol, it is on the basis of alcohol yeast that it is best to make mash for moonshine.

Benefits of alcohol yeast:

• The shortest fermentation time. Braga is ready for distillation in 4-6 days.
• Long viability. Alcoholic yeasts die at an alcohol concentration of 18% in Braga. This figure is much higher than that of other types of yeast, respectively, the yield of moonshine will be greater.
• Low concentration of harmful impurities. When using alcohol yeast, this problem is not so acute.
• Does not form foam. Yeast for moonshine does not emit a lot of foam, so no defoamer is required to make mash.

note

Yeast does not tolerate sunlight well, so the fermentation process is best done in dark dishes, observing the temperature regime.

Instructions for use:

1. Maintain fermentation temperature at 22-28°C. To do this, the mash can be heated with a conventional aquarium heater. The container should be in a dark room, protected from sunlight.

2. Seal the bottle with a water trap or a glove with a hole in one of the fingers so that there is an outlet for carbon dioxide.

3. Do not use chlorinated, tap and boiled water. Moonshine requires spring or bottled water.

Water for mash

The quality of moonshine is more than half dependent on water. It seems to many beginners that there is nothing difficult in choosing water, it is enough to pour in any available one. But experienced moonshiners approach this process with all responsibility, paying attention not only to temperature, but also to the quality of the water itself. Otherwise, the mash may not ferment, or the taste of the finished moonshine will unpleasantly surprise you.

4. Braga is desirable to mix every day.
5. First, the yeast dissolves, then they need to be poured into the fermentation tank and only then the main wort is added.

bakery

Baker's yeast is not the best option for home brewing. They are used in the food industry for baking bakery products. If you use this yeast for moonshine, they will significantly reduce the quality of the mash;

Benefits of baker's yeast:

• availability, can be purchased at almost any store;
• low price;
• ease of use;
• long shelf life.

Instructions for use:

It is necessary to take the yeast and place it in water with a temperature of 30-35 degrees. After half an hour, you need to give them sugar to feed and add alcohol so that the total strength of the solution is 4-5%.

wine yeast
Wine - a type of yeast special for winemaking, used only for the preparation of fruit mash. Due to its chemical properties, this yeast is practically not used to make moonshine.

Benefits of wine yeast:

• Do not contain foreign microorganisms that can affect the fermentation;
• Emphasize the taste qualities of drinks based on grape raw materials;
• They have a long shelf life and are unpretentious to temperature conditions.
  

Brewer's yeast
Brewer's yeast - this yeast is used exclusively for brewing. Brewer's yeast is also sold as vitamin supplements.

This yeast culture has no practical value for the production of moonshine. In the manufacture of mash, they give a low percentage of alcohol, as well as the formation of a large amount of foam.

What yeast is needed for home brewing?
One of the main points in the production of alcohol is the choice of yeast. These very inconspicuous fungi are able to convert sugar into alcohol using enzymes. The final result of the product depends on the correct choice of the component. Different yeasts have their own characteristics, each species has certain characteristics, and it is quite difficult to single out the best yeast for mash.

As a rule, moonshiners stop at alcohol yeast, but the choice of each is based on practical experience, evaluating the advantages and disadvantages subjectively.
The higher the critical strength of the mash, the greater the yield of moonshine will be obtained after distillation.

The taste of homemade moonshine is largely determined by the quality of the ingredients from which it was made. Yes, a lot depends on water and raw materials. However, do not forget about yeast, this engine of the fermentation process. The right yeast for moonshine is the key to making a delicious and high-quality alcoholic drink.

In the not so distant Soviet past, people knew well what a shortage was. The word choice in those days was largely theoretical. So, in order to make moonshine, they used what could be bought in a store - pressed or dry baker's yeast. Looking ahead, I note that this is not the best choice for home brewing.

Today there is a different problem. Now in specialized stores or sites on the Internet you can buy several strains of yeast, which are called to be used for making moonshine. However, not every variety of them will allow you to get the desired result.

Many practicing distillers are wondering: "How to choose the best yeast for making moonshine at home?". Let's figure it out.

Existing varieties

The modern range of yeast is truly amazing. Even if you do not go into details of specific brands. So, yeast is:

• bakery;
• beer;
• wine;
• alcohol.

Even from the name it is clear that the best results can be achieved with the last of the named products. Nevertheless, we give a brief description of all these types.

Baker's yeast

Traditionally in our country it is customary to use them in home brewing. Their clear advantages are:

• availability, can be bought at every grocery store;
• low cost;
• ease of use;
• long shelf life.

Baker's yeast can be pressed (raw) or dry. Each type has its own specific use.

If you are going to use pressed yeast for moonshine, then for every kilogram of sugar you need to add 100 grams of the product. Don't worry if you can't use up everything you bought at the store at once. Pressed yeast is perfectly preserved in a conventional freezer. However, their properties are not lost.

If you are going to make brew for moonshine based on dry active baker's yeast, then 16-20 grams of the product should be added to 1 kilogram of granulated sugar. Today, the most famous brands are Saf-Levur and Bekmaya. In addition to them, there are many domestic, Belarusian and other brands.

However, in reality, any baker's yeast is the worst option that you can choose for making moonshine. They significantly reduce the quality of the mash and do not allow the complete processing of sugar (starch) into alcohol. I recommend taking them only when you simply cannot buy a yeast culture more suitable for moonshine.

Brewer's yeast

They were first obtained at the end of the 19th century by Danish brewers. They are indispensable in the brewing of beer. They can also be used as good biologically active food supplements. However, it is not possible to make good moonshine with their help.

If you still try to make mash with them, you will encounter two problems. Firstly, brewer's yeast provokes the formation of a huge amount of foam. Secondly, cooked mash will not be strong enough.

wine yeast

It is definitely impossible to say whether it is worth using wine yeast to get mash. In this case, an individual approach works well. Wine yeast is good for fermenting grape pomace, a by-product of wine production. From the mash resulting from this process, you can make excellent grape moonshine. In the Caucasus, it is known as chacha, and in Italy it is known as grappa.

You can also experiment with using them to make mash from other berries and fruits. At the same time, I do not recommend using wine yeast for any other raw material.

alcohol yeast

Finally, we got to the best of the existing products for making homemade moonshine. In the case when you put mash from sugar or any cereals, it is definitely worth buying alcohol yeast for this purpose. This yeast culture has a number of undeniable advantages.

1. Short fermentation time. As a rule, the whole process takes 4-6 days.

2. Powerful vitality. Alcohol yeast begins to die when the content of ethyl alcohol in the mash reaches 16-18 degrees. Therefore, it is this yeast culture that allows the most complete processing of sugar (starch) into alcohol.

3. The result of the use of alcoholic yeast is mash with a minimum content of harmful substances and impurities. In this they favorably differ from baking strains, which, during fermentation, provoke the formation of a large amount of fusel oils and aldehydes.

4. Practically do not emit foam.

Also, a new product is being actively promoted on the market - specialized turbo yeast for moonshine. Their feature is an even faster fermentation reaction. Otherwise, Turbo Yeast meets all of the above properties.

There is a short set of important rules, the observance of which will make the work of yeast in Braga as efficient as possible.

1. Regardless of the chosen type and brand of product, before using, you must carefully read the instructions that are always on the package.

2. Poor quality water can ruin any recipe and even the best yeast. Ideally, you should collect spring water for moonshine. If this is not possible, then buy bottled in the store.

3. After fermentation has started, it is forbidden to move the fermentation tank between rooms with different temperatures.

4. The fermentation container must be hermetically sealed with a lid. Also, it is necessary to install a water seal on it. This simple device allows you to most effectively remove carbon dioxide from the mash.

5. Mix the mash once a day.

6. Fermentation proceeds best in a dark room.

7. With the help of any heater (aquarium is suitable), the temperature of the mash should be maintained from 23 to 28 degrees Celsius.

8. First of all, dissolve the yeast in a separate bowl and only then pour it into a fermentation tank.

Share your own experiences and ask questions in the comments.

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For the manufacture of high-quality moonshine, the right choice of such an important ingredient as yeast is necessary. It is known that in the old days, only dry or pressed baker's yeast was available for sale, which was used by absolutely everyone. In the modern world, yeast is presented in a much more expanded range.

Having come to the store in order to purchase yeast for moonshine, the buyer can buy, for example, alcohol. Special strains have a list of several important benefits. In this material, we will try to figure out which yeast (alcohol, baking, wine, beer) is best suited for making moonshine at home.

What are the types of yeast

Yeast is divided into four main types:

1. Baker's yeast - used in the food industry, mainly for baking bakery products. The least suitable for the manufacture of moonshine, one can even say that this is the worst option for such a purpose, because when they are used in moonshine brewing, the state of the home brew worsens significantly.
2. Wine yeast is a special type of yeast used in winemaking. Due to the presence of various chemical components in them and the very high price of the product, they are almost never used to make moonshine. Sometimes this type of yeast is used in the manufacture of fruit mash.
3. Brewer's yeast - this product was first obtained using an artificial method by representatives of the famous Carlsberg company back in 1881. During the brewing process, brewer's yeast strains are replaced by wild yeasts, which penetrate into the wort in a completely random way. Yeast of this variety is usually sold as vitamin supplements, but it is better not to use them for making moonshine.
4. Alcohol yeast - this type is used in the industrial field to produce alcohol. To the question "what kind of yeast is better to use for making moonshine?" you can safely answer - alcohol. It is only on their basis that it is better to extract sugar and grain mash, which will be used in a future drink.

Alcohol yeast and its main benefits

Since you already know which yeast is best for making moonshine, we will go directly to the characteristics of alcohol yeast.

1. They have a fairly short fermentation period. After three or six days, the mash becomes suitable for distillation (usually the fermentation period is from seven to twelve days).
2. Increased level of resilience. Alcoholic yeast can die if the alcohol concentration is from seventeen to eighteen percent in mash. This figure is much higher than that of other types of yeast. Thus, the output of moonshine itself, if other conditions are identical, will be more effective.
3. The concentration of unnecessary impurities is a meager percentage. Due to the long fermentation process of baking yeast, the mash begins to fill with acetone, fusel oils, aldehydes, that is, a large amount of harmful substances. Later it will be necessary to carry out additional cleaning with coal of an alcoholic beverage. If the manufacturer uses alcohol yeast in moonshine brewing, then this problem will not be at the forefront.
4. No foam. Special moonshine yeast prevents the release of a large amount of foam. For this reason, in the process of making home brew for moonshine, the presence of a defoamer is not required.

1. The fermentation temperature should be maintained at twenty-two or twenty-eight degrees Celsius. To realize this, it is necessary to heat the mash using a conventional aquarium heater. The container itself (or other container) should be located in a room where there is no lighting, and where the sun's rays will not penetrate.
2. Using a water seal, it is necessary to seal the bottle. You can also use a glove that has a hole in one of the fingers to let the carbon dioxide out.
3. The use of chlorinated, tap and boiled water is not recommended. Moonshine must contain either spring or bottled water.
4. It is recommended to mix the mash daily.
5. At the very beginning, the yeast undergoes dissolution, after which it is necessary to add them to the fermentation tank, and at the end, add the main wort to the composition.