Optimum temperature for mash. Braga temperature

Yeast needs air and sunlight, but under conditions of oxygen starvation, energy can be obtained from a carbohydrate substrate. In this case, ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide become the final product of metabolism. Their ability has long been used to produce alcoholic beverages. But yeast microorganisms turned out to be demanding on cultivation conditions. The result depends on compliance with a combination of factors, such as:

mash temperature;
the volume of the liquid mixture;
the ratio of sugar, yeast and water;
quality of initial products;
use of feed, etc.

If the optimum temperature for mash fermentation is provided, then at the output it is possible to obtain a product with completely spent sugar, maximum alcohol content and the least amount of intermediate and by-products: fusel oils (isoamyl, propionic and methylbutyl alcohols), butylene glycol, dimethylglyoxal, acetic and butyric acid aldehydes , acetylmethylcarbinol, dimethyl sulfide, glycerin, etc.

The temperature at which yeast shows signs of activity depends on the type of yeast. Bakeries start processing sugars at +4°C, bottom-fermented beer houses like heat from +6°C, and vineyards from +10°C. Alcoholic yeasts begin metabolic processes at a temperature of +5 ° C, they are considered more viable, because. at temperatures from +38 °С to +50 °С they only stop working, but do not die yet. In most cases, the warmer, the more active the yeast.

Creating the perfect conditions for the right mash

To obtain high-quality moonshine, it is necessary to choose the ideal ratio of the initial ingredients and the conditions under which the mash roams.

To begin with, prepare the components of the future drink. Water should be as free of harmful impurities as possible. You can use purchased filtered or tap water, but settled for 2 days. It is not recommended to boil water, because. this removes dissolved oxygen.

When choosing yeast, pay attention to their type and age: the older, the worse they process sugar. The cheapest and most commonly used at home are bakery products, but they emit a lot of carbon dioxide and are active only up to 12% vol. alcohol. For the production of moonshine, alcohol yeast is optimal:

less carbon dioxide;
activity - up to 18-23% vol. alcohol;
shorter fermentation time.

At the next stage, a hydromodule is selected, it is recommended to carry out fermentation at a ratio of sugar and water from 1:3 to 1:5. In this case, it will depend a lot on the volume of the container, the availability of free storage space and other factors.

The fermentation temperature should preferably be constant to produce the correct alcohol. Yeast does not tolerate thermal fluctuations, especially rapid heating. In winter, most home cooks use an aquarium heater. Its convenience is that the heating temperature is limited by a thermostat, which reduces the risk of overheating the mash.

For calculation, take from 1 to 4 watts of power per 1 liter of solution, depending on the room temperature. Mostly these are submersible type heaters, they place the device at the bottom of the container. When buying a device, you need to pay attention to reviews about its quality. Some models do not keep the desired temperature, leading to the cooking of the mash.

It is convenient when the thermostat is external. The socket for switching on is located above the tank and at a distance. If a water seal is installed (not always needed for sugar mash), then you will have to improve the device yourself - you need to pass the wire through the container lid. Switching on and off from the network is carried out with the heater immersed in the liquid. Observe safety precautions when working with electrical appliances.

Now they produce a special heater for mash, it also perfectly regulates the temperature and is equipped with reliable thermostats. With this method of heating, it is advisable to cook mash only on sugar, other products (fruits, raisins, etc.) quickly lead to their malfunction.

Some people use "warm floor" films, wrapping them around containers or walls and the floor. You can simply place a piece of such a film under the container. The method is convenient for heating from the outside, but it costs more than an aquarium heater. To maintain a constant temperature, heat-insulating materials are suitable, which are also wrapped around the container.

In summer, there is often no need for additional heating, while self-heating of the mixture due to the release of heat during the fermentation process must be taken into account. For yeast, temperature deviations up or down can be critical, leading to a stop in the growth of the colony. You can control the temperature with a water thermometer.

What temperature regime is needed for the manufacture of mash

To obtain a quality product, the temperature of the mash during fermentation must be maintained in the range from +20 °С to +30 °С. If the temperature is lower, then the microorganisms become less active. In most cases, at +18 °C, they go into suspended animation. Fermentation processes worsen when heated above +30 °C, and at +40 °C they die.

During the cooking process, several temperature jumps are taken into account:

The preparation of sugar syrup is accompanied by heat loss during stirring.
During the preparation of the syrup and the awakening of the yeast, the solutions have time to cool.
In the first 2 days, microorganisms actively begin the processes of processing carbohydrates and the mixture quickly heats up. The foam cap prevents heat loss.

It is recommended to adhere to the fermentation temperature of mash for moonshine on the first day not higher than +24 .. + 25 ° С in order to reduce foaming. In the following days, you can increase the heating to +27..+30 °С. The lower the temperature, the longer the process takes, and the finished product may contain more fusel oils. At +31..+32 °С the process is temporarily accelerated. But at the same time, the yeast expires faster, forming less zymases. In such a mash, there will be more unprocessed sugars.

In the finished product, gas formation and sweetness disappear. It is placed in a cold place. The dormant yeast then precipitates out and the solution clears up.

Is it possible to influence the rate of fermentation

Fermentation of sugar mash lasts from 5 to 14 days. You can reduce the cooking time by using several tricks:

When breeding yeast, the water temperature for the mash should be about +30 ° C. This will provide a brisk start to the process.
Braga is good at room temperature (from +22 °C to +25 °C). But the process takes less time if the product is heated to +30 °C.
In addition to sugars, the nutrition of microorganisms should include vitamins and minerals, so the introduction of nitrogen supplements accelerates fermentation.
The addition of yeast improves the processing of sugars.

In some cases, the finished product is obtained on the second day, more often the ripening time is reduced to 3-4 days.

Yeast is quite a popular product, it is often used in various products that people consume every day. Many probably believe that they are only in bread, buns and other similar products. However, in fact, the range of their application is much wider than it seems to an ordinary person, they can be: in wine, beer, alcohol, moonshine. But if the product is used improperly, namely when overheated, the yeast dies. At what temperature this happens, not everyone knows.

Bread yeast

There is a fairly large number of yeasts that are used to bake bread, they all differ in their structure and living conditions. In most cases, housewives use fresh or dry yeast, but there are also granular and fast-acting ones. All of them affect baking in different ways and there is a certain temperature, after which they stop working. Therefore, it is extremely important to know at what temperature the yeast dies so that the flour products are not spoiled.

fresh yeast

This is the most popular type of this product for baking bread. In most cases, they are sold in small cubes of 50 or 100 g. Thanks to this yeast, baking is the perfect color and has a pleasant texture.

It is believed that such a product causes the strongest fermentation, due to which the pastries are lush and do not have a strong specific smell. The moisture content of this yeast is 70%.

This product is well preserved. It is worth noting that fresh yeast can be stored in the refrigerator for up to twelve days. should be no higher than 10 degrees, recommended 0...4 °C.

This yeast of good quality should be creamy in color, and when pressed with a finger, it should break and crumble. If they just smear, then this is not real yeast, but simply their fake.

Vital conditions of fresh yeast

This product is a living organism, and all living things must breathe. The same goes for yeast. The packaging is given special attention, it is strictly forbidden to close them in a sealed space. When air is not supplied to the product, it quickly begins to deteriorate, in just a few hours it becomes unusable.

As already mentioned, yeast should be stored in the refrigerator at a sufficiently low temperature. But if this is not possible, then you can use a fairly good folk method: sprinkle the product with flour or fine salt, thanks to which the yeast will not deteriorate in a couple of days, but will live another 3-4 days longer.

As for the direct use of yeast, here one must not overdo it and not overheat it, because yeast dies from high temperatures. At what temperature? The answer is quite simple - fresh yeast cannot be diluted in a liquid heated to above 42 ° C. Otherwise, the dough fermentation process will not be as effective, and if the temperature is greatly exceeded, then there will be no effect at all.

Granular yeast

This type of yeast is also intended for baking bread and other flour products, but their main difference is dehydration. In the manufacture of this product, it undergoes a special treatment, after which only 24% moisture remains. Due to this, it has the form of small granules. Many do not know at what temperature granular bread yeast dies. Everything is quite simple, in fact - it's all the same yeast, only dehydrated, so you should not expose them to a temperature of more than 42 ° C.

However, the shelf life of this product is much longer than the previous one. the same (not higher than 10 ° C), but the shelf life is increased to six weeks.

The advantage of such yeast is that it does not need to be dissolved in water or other liquid. This product can be immediately mixed with flour, which results in an even distribution of the product throughout the dough.

Dry yeast

This product is even more dehydrated, leaving only 8% moisture. It is recommended to put much less dry yeast on the same amount of flour than ordinary pressed yeast. It is worth noting that the packaging does not indicate at what temperature dry-type baker's yeast dies. According to official data, such a product ceases to function at a temperature of more than 55 ° C.

Dry yeast granules are very undemanding to storage, they are already in vacuum packs. The shelf life increases dramatically to two years. At the same time, they need to be taken much less than ordinary pressed ones. For 100 g of ordinary live yeast, only 30 g of dry yeast is required.

It is worth noting separately that a fairly large number of people confuse this product with fast-acting yeast and mix it immediately with flour, but this cannot be done. This product must be sprinkled on warm water (recommended temperature is 30...45 degrees), then wait until bubbles appear on the surface of the liquid, this procedure generally takes 10 - 15 minutes. After that, you can knead the necessary dough. The main thing - you need to remember at what temperature the yeast dies.

Fast acting yeast

This type of product is the latest development of the industry. Their shape is quite unusual (small vermicelli). Fast-acting yeast does not need to be diluted in water, it is better not to come into contact with liquid, sugar and other impurities at all. This product is added directly to the dough. Therefore, the question of the temperature regime disappears by itself.

At what temperature does wine yeast die?

It is worth noting that in this case this product is very different from ordinary bakery products. Wine yeast is the smallest microorganisms that feed on sugar, and the released alcohol is a by-product of their vital activity.

In this case, the optimal temperature for their action is 26 ... 30 degrees, in this state they can function normally. If the temperature is 30 ... 34 degrees, then they simply stop and do not ferment, but if the temperature returns to normal, they again lead a full life. When the temperature still rises, the yeast dies.

Yeast in Braga

A very large number of people prefer to use moonshine instead of store-bought alcohol. The process itself is quite interesting, but at the same time quite complicated, it is necessary to take into account many different factors, for example, at what temperature the yeast in the mash dies.

It is worth noting that during sourdough, the water temperature may be slightly higher than the fermentation process itself. The maximum allowable temperature is 40 degrees, if it is higher, the yeast will die. At what temperature the mash should be infused, almost every experienced brewer knows, it should be about 24 ... 30 degrees. Approximately the same as in wine, if the temperature is slightly higher, then the process simply stops, if it rises to 40 ° C and above, the product will be spoiled, and the fermentation process itself will not be fully completed, which will seriously affect the quality of the product.

Thermophilic yeast

The industry every year invents new products that have a lower cost and at the same time have nothing to do with the natural origin of the ingredients. Thermophilic yeast is a prime example of this. The technology of their manufacture has nothing natural - it is a purely chemical mixture. Therefore, answering the question about the temperature at which thermophilic yeast dies, we can say that they are the most stable and produce a fermentation process even at 95 ° C. However, they are very harmful to the human body.

At what temperature does yeast die in bread?

Conducting many experiments, scientists have proven that when bread or other flour products are baked, the yeast is not destroyed, they remain in the product, only they are overgrown with gluten capsules.

It is worth noting that even at high temperatures, fungi cannot be completely destroyed; they can withstand up to 500 degrees. However, this only applies to thermophilic yeasts. They also cause quite a lot of harm to the body. In the finished product, in 1 cubic centimeter of it, there are more than 120 million yeast cells that survived after baking.

All of them negatively affect health, when fungi get to a person, they begin to actively develop. Due to this, active destruction of cells occurs, which leads to a fairly frequent formation of benign, and sometimes malignant tumors.

As for ordinary live yeast, the situation is completely different here. When baking flour products inside the crumb, a temperature of approximately 95 ... 98 degrees is formed. Ordinary yeast cannot withstand such temperatures and simply die, leaving only a small percentage of the fungus, which practically does not cause any harm to human health.

Brewer's yeast

The optimum temperature for yeast activity in beer is approximately 32°C. But at what temperature does brewer's yeast die? In this case, they are very heat resistant, they are completely destroyed when the degree in their habitat rises above the 38 mark.

It is worth noting separately the factor that brewers do not infuse their product at the optimum temperature for yeast of 32 degrees. The thing is that at 32 ° C this product actively ferments, due to which a very large number of complex substances appear, and they have a very unpleasant odor. At the optimum temperature, a large amount of acetaldehyde is produced, which makes the beer undrinkable (very pungent and unpleasant smell).

alcohol yeast

This type of yeast is quite tenacious and has a very wide temperature range suitable for their vital activity. At what temperature alcohol yeast dies, not everyone knows, it is about 50 degrees, only after overcoming this mark, the production of alcohol becomes impossible.

For this product to function properly, the temperature of its environment should be around 29...30 degrees. This is considered the ideal temperature. However, they can also develop at temperatures from +5 to +38 °C. In the range between 38 and 50 degrees, the yeast is still alive, but they simply stop their activity, if the degree drops, they become active again and will perform their function. Therefore, it is highly desirable to observe the temperature regime so that the quality of alcohol is not extremely low.

Conclusion

A large number of people are faced with products that would not be made if there were no such simple microorganisms as yeast. Therefore, it is extremely important to know when yeast dies, at what temperature they can exist, and when they simply stop their vital activity.

In most cases, baking yeast survives at a temperature of 42 ... 48 degrees, when this indicator is exceeded, they do not continue to exist. If a person makes wine, then he should know that for normal fermentation, the temperature should be 26 ... 30 degrees, and when it goes beyond 34 degrees, the yeast dies.

The same applies to brewer's yeast, only in this case they survive at temperatures up to 38 degrees and are more stable.

Separately, it is worth noting thermophilic yeast, they are very harmful to the human body, so it is highly advisable to simply exclude products made using such an ingredient from your diet. In most cases, this product can be found in bread and pastries, which are industrially produced and have a very low cost compared to other products in the same category.

Millions of people prefer to make alcohol at home. Of course, cooking mash is an incredibly exciting thing. But before starting the process, you need to find out all the nuances: what to make it from, what should be the temperature during fermentation, what recipe will be the best, how moonshine is distilled and much more. All this is important if you want to get an excellent result.

source products. What do we need

However, many lovers of homemade alcohol adhere to the classic recipe. To implement it, you need to follow all the steps and nuances:

First, let's prepare the yeast. To do this, take half a liter of warm water (about 30-40 degrees, no more). 100 grams of sugar is added to it. Yeast is already mixed into the resulting solution, based on the method of application. The resulting mixture is left for 2 hours in a warm place where the temperature is not less than 30 degrees. Periodically, the product should be stirred. As soon as the foam began to actively form, it's time to continue cooking the mash.
The wort needs to be prepared. To do this, you need to dissolve a kilogram of sugar in 4 liters of water. The temperature should be room temperature or slightly higher.
The yeast is poured into the wort. The ideal situation is for both the yeast solution and the prepared wort to be at the same temperature. In extreme cases, it can differ only by 1-2 degrees. Everything is thoroughly mixed and left for fermentation. The optimum temperature for this is 20-35 degrees.

The temperature regime must be followed strictly. On average, it is about 24-30 degrees. However, each yeast has its own needs. Therefore, it is worth specifying at what temperature they begin to actively “work”. Only in this case, the yeast will release heat, which is important for mash. After all, in this case, she will be able to warm herself up.

It is important to prevent overheating. Therefore, during fermentation, the temperature should not exceed 40 degrees. Then the yeast will simply die, and no moonshine will result. The process will simply stop. When is everything ready?

The readiness of the mash is evidenced by such signs as:

No release of carbon dioxide, fermentation stops;
From above, the product becomes light, transparent, because. "spent" yeast begin to go to the bottom;
If you try Braga, it will be sour-bitter. There is no sweetness in it, but alcohol is present;
When measuring the level of sugar with a special device, the indicator will be at level 0.

Even distillers with sufficient experience in making strong alcohol cannot always tell how much ferments and what influences it. It is still impossible to determine this with an accuracy of a day, since fermentation process depends on many factors:

raw materials that are used for the wort;
compliance with the proportions when laying the ingredients;
room temperature and humidity;
compliance with the technology of setting the mash;
Not the last place among the reasons is played by water. Eg, boiled, deprived of oxygen, slows down this process.

In order to most likely determine the fermentation time (with the correct observance of all the above influence factors), first of all need to rely on the raw materials used.

The most popular - subject to the technology of making the wort, it becomes ready for distillation in time from 5 to 14 days. It is after five days that you need to look at it and check for readiness. Although, as a rule, the most optimal period is 7 - 10 days.
Brazhka, the basis for which is starch (its sources are grain, potatoes, ready-made starch), ferments much less - already from 3 – 5 days she's ready to run.
For fruit and grape brews using yeast, it is required about two or three weeks for maturation.
If the yeast is not introduced on purpose, but only wild yeast present on the fruits (berries) is used, then fermentation can take a long time up to 45 days. It's very it is important to use a water seal otherwise, the products may turn sour and you will get vinegar, which is also not bad, but our goal is completely different!

Peculiarities. The indicated time is relative, since much also depends on the temperature regime.

The process works best if the temperature in the room is between 20 and 22°C. It is permissible from 18 to 28 ° C, but it is undesirable to go beyond these limits.

How much can you insist on mash?

It is possible that the fermentation is already over, and you do not have the opportunity in the coming days.

First of all, make sure you have a really finished product.

Fully ripe mash has strong alcohol odor, there is no release of carbon dioxide (no bubbles and hiss).

This can be checked with a lighted match: if you bring it to the surface of the brew and it continues to burn, it means that carbon dioxide is not released, there is no fermentation.

And most importantly - mash is bitter in taste, without the slightest sweetness.

In order not to lose a valuable product, and fermented and sour mash will give moonshine with an unpleasant smell and taste, you need to take the container to the basement or just a cold room with a temperature of 10 to 0 ° C. This prevent souring of the mash and besides it for 5 - 7 days. It remains to drain from the sediment and overtake. Most types of ready-made mash can be infused in "cellar" conditions for up to a month or even more without loss of quality.

Attention! You can not insist grain mash for a long time, even in the cold.

Acid inevitably accumulates in it (acetic acid fermentation begins) and as a result you will get sour liquor instead of moonshine with a pleasant grain flavor.

How to stop the fermentation of mash?

It is possible that someday you will need to stop fermentation, because moonshine is urgently needed, and you see that the process is still ongoing. Can to artificially stimulate its cessation.

Please note that if the fermentation is not completed, during distillation you will get less strong moonshine than expected, because the yeast did not have time to convert sugar into alcohol.

The most suitable additive to stop fermentation is leftover from past distillations "tails" with a strength of about 25 °. They will add alcohol content to the wort and the yeast will die. In addition, this is how you use the “junk” product to good use and will not lose the amount of alcohol received.

How to speed up fermentation?

But knowing in advance that you need fast-ripening sugar mash, resort to one of the suggested tricks (or even several at once).

To possibly accelerate maturation, use the following methods:

using only the freshest yeast. They, under suitable conditions, will act more actively and more quickly complete their task of converting sugar into alcohol;
adding bread crusts to the wort speeds up maturation. You have probably observed this yourself while cooking;
pre-diluted and added tomato paste: up to 100 g per 10 liters of must;
peas or corn in the amount of 300 - 400 g per 10 l;

Please note. Peas added after the fermentation process has begun can produce a lot of foam, which is quite easily extinguished by crushed biscuits.

an increase in the amount of water or a decrease in the amount of sugar compared to that indicated in the recipe (by no more than 20%) also accelerates ripening. But be prepared for the fact that you will get less strong alcohol during distillation;
adding unwashed raisins will speed up the process due to wild yeast on its surface;
daily mixing of the wort (you can - several times). When stirring, gas bubbles are intensively released, which also accelerates maturation.

A few questions about mash fermentation

Many (especially beginners) moonshiners have questions that we will try to answer below.

Braga is not fermented, is it possible to drive her?

Of course, it is undesirable to do this, but in case of emergency it is possible. Take advantage tips to stop fermentation. But almost certainly a shortage of alcohol is guaranteed. The incompleteness of fermentation provides for the moment that the sugar did not have time to be converted into alcohol.

Carefully. During distillation, foam may be released, which will affect the quality of the product. In this case, secondary distillation helps.

Why does mash wander for a long time?

As already noted, there are many factors that affect the duration of maturation. In addition to the quality of the ingredients, be sure pay attention to the room temperature. If it is below 18 ° C, then the vital activity of the yeast is very weak, so the process is sluggish. Above 30°C - their vital energy also drops, and in the region of 40°C they die altogether.

In addition, the fermentation tank should not stand on a cold floor (tile, porcelain stoneware, stone). Under it should be a warm substrate. Otherwise, even if the room is 22 ° C, then in the braga it can be 16 degrees, which is unacceptable.

What to do if the braga runs away?

The most common causes of increased foaming:

using baker's yeast instead of spirit yeast or accidentally exceeding its amount;
adding honey to the wort instead of sugar;
malt and grain raw materials in the first stage of fermentation can also produce too much foam;
exceeding the allowable volume for wort.

note: should be filled with mash to a maximum of 2/3 of the volume. And when using products that can potentially produce a lot of foam - only half.

Excess is fraught with the fact that you have to collect the wort on the floor, wash the containers, while also losing some of the alcohol.

But it happens to many that the wort foams, and something urgently needs to be done about it. Therefore, we offer several options:

The best way, if the foam suddenly "climbed" - move the container to a colder room for a couple of days, and then return to comfortable conditions for mash. But do not overdo it, it is desirable that the temperature is not lower than 15 ° C.
There is no such possibility then divide the wort into two containers. After a couple of days, when the rapid foaming stops, pour it back together.
Crumble on top of the wort 1-2 cookies.
Pour into container vegetable oil, which also extinguishes foam well. A couple of tablespoons is enough.
Add some ice. This will help reduce the amount of foam, but will slow down the fermentation.

Braga stopped fermenting, but still sweet

Here are the main reasons:

Not enough yeast. This is easy to fix: add and the process will resume.
Too much sugar (the proportion is broken: 1 kg - 4 liters of water). Solved by adding water and yeast.
The room is cold (hot). Bring the temperature to the optimal indicators for the life of the yeast (22 - 28 ° C).

Also consider the possible causes already listed above in this article.

Is it possible to put mash in an aluminum flask?

Many generations of moonshiners used aluminum milk flasks for mash. However, studies in this area do not confirm the safety of the material. According to the recommendations of scientists and doctors, even aluminum pans are not recommended for storing acidic products in them: cabbage soup, borscht, saltwort.

Brazhka, on the other hand, matures from several days to several weeks and also contains a certain amount of acid. This means that the products of aluminum oxidation easily pass into mash.

Conclusion. The best dishes for mash - glass, which does not interact with an acidic environment, and also - stainless steel. The main thing is that it should be food grade stainless steel.

Useful videos

The process of fermentation of sugar mash for homemade alcoholic beverages:

What can be done to speed up the fermentation of the mash, look:

See what to do in a situation where the mash does not roam - the main reasons and solutions:

The main mistakes and answers to frequently asked questions about the formulation and fermentation of mash, see the video below:

Have you received exhaustive answers to your questions regarding the maturation of mash? Note it in the comments. Share the article with your friends on social networks.

In order to prepare the mash correctly and get a high-quality product at the output, a number of conditions must be met. The key issue in the cooking process is the required temperature. How to choose it correctly, and what determines this choice?

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fermentation mechanism

To begin with, it is worth remembering what mash is, and what role the fermentation process plays in its manufacture. Braga is a whole ecosystem of a closed sample. These are not just yeast, sugar and other components mixed together at random, which create the necessary conditions for the development of organisms that provoke fermentation. Braga is a complete environment for the appearance of microorganisms such as fungi. Due to their reproduction in the structure of the mash, complex carbohydrates are converted into alcohol.

Such fermentation products get their energy in a simple "human" way - by processing oxygen obtained from the environment into carbon. But this process will take place correctly, provided that they have access to fresh air and sunlight. Then, by attaching more complex carbon compounds such as glucose or sucrose to them, the yeast structure changes its nutrition, generating energy from sugar. This provokes the release of carbon dioxide into the drink and, most importantly for us, ethyl alcohol.

The so-called "wild" yeast that can cause this process to occur is also available in its natural, original form. These include most of the fruits and leaves. Winemaking and the production of strong alcoholic beverages over the entire period of its existence has managed to transform into something unlike the works of its ancestors, but the basic principles are still the same.

Creating the perfect conditions for the right mash?

The process of preparing a really high-quality base for any strong drink made from mash requires observing a lot of nuances:

The required amount of mash resulting from the output. From this volume depends used utensils.
Its material (most importantly - not aluminum).
The percentage of sugar contained in the original volume of the mixture.
Yeast used and quantity.
The presence of a water seal.
Room temperature of the room where the mash will be stored.
Compliance with the correct sequence of actions in the manufacture.

What temperature regime is needed to make mash?

We won't bore you with long introductions. The temperature required in order to obtain the highest possible quality mash at the output, subject to all other parameters ranging from 20C to 28C. A decrease or increase in one direction or another is permissible by no more than 2C.

When crossing the lower temperature limit (18C - limit), the yeast "dies". This entails a total decrease in the quality level of the final product. If the operating temperature is above the maximum allowable 30 degrees, then this causes an excessively rapid fermentation, and as a result, the mash will not work either. Very high temperatures cause protein folding and the inevitable death of the "yeast". This is also due to the fact that in the process of fermentation, the mash, due to the constant release of heat, sometimes heats up on its own. In the case of finding the temperature in the upper permissible limits, this is sometimes decisive.

What to do in case of violation of the operating temperature ranges and influence?

When fermenting mash, the most important thing is to remember one simple thing. Finding the temperature within the recommended temperature limits does not affect the quality of the product. Those. there is a minimum limit - 18-20C and a maximum - 28-30C. Temperature fluctuations within these limits do not directly affect the quality of the mash. More than this range - it is impossible, less - too. But there is no difference between 22C and 26C. The main thing is not to cross the boundaries of permissible temperature indicators.

If they decrease, an excellent way to eliminate this will be an aquarium-type water heater purchased in advance. A special thermometer, which aquarists use in their work to most accurately determine the temperature of the water, will also become an invaluable assistant. If the search for this unit causes you inconvenience, you can also use the usual room "thermometer".

If the temperature of the mash has exceeded the upper range of permissible temperature values, it needs to be forced down. In particular, this most strongly applies to those cases when large-volume dishes are used as a container for mash. This is directly related to the spontaneous increase in the temperature of the mixture, due to the activity of the yeast. The easiest way to "bring down the temperature" will be the most ordinary ice cubes.

Is it possible to influence the speed of fermentation in some other way?

Fermentation can always be accelerated by improvised means, with a minimum of effort. Here again, it is necessary to remember that all yeasts are quite living microorganisms. Like everything else on our planet, they want to reproduce. But they do it only in conditions that are comfortable for themselves. And, in addition to the correct temperature regime, for their creation it is required to be guided the following rules:

The fresher, the better. Old yeast greatly slows down the fermentation process. Therefore, do not skimp on the time it takes to find a high-quality specialized product. Good yeast can then be used instead of sourdough.
Add, add. By adding a little more yeast than required, you can also speed up the process. And you can apply the following method - pour in a little "ammonia", based on the calculation of 10 drops per 1 liter. In case you are disgusted by such “chemistry” as an additive, then pour in and mix some grains into the mash.

Conditions and terms of storage of the finished product and what to do if you do not have a specially designated room for this?

If you are preparing mash without setting a goal for large-scale production, then it is likely that you will have a question, where to put it when it is ready? After all, most of us are unlikely to have a specially designated cellar for this or a separate room equipped with first-class refrigerators, thermometers, electronic devices and so on. In such a situation, the first thing to do is to decide how much time do you need?

The main thing to remember is that the lower the ambient temperature, in relation to the wash, the environment, the better. At average room temperatures - from 24 to 30 C - the shelf life of the drink is extremely short. Just a few hours. During this time, the drink loses its taste and acquires an unpleasant odor. Accordingly, it is impossible to leave a container with ready-made mash near the pipe and windows, through which the sun's rays will additionally heat the mash.

If you need to keep the drink for a longer period, the best option in the house would be a refrigerator or a cold cellar (unless, of course, you live in a private house and you have one). In this case, if the temperature is maintained from 2 C to 5 C, the “life” of the mash increases to several weeks. As a rule, the maximum period at which the drink will not significantly change its taste characteristics is 21 days. But still it is recommended to use it within the first 7 days in order to enjoy its excellent taste to the maximum.

In conclusion, I would like to say that the preparation of mash in compliance with all the recommendations and with the creation of all the required conditions guarantees you a quality drink. You will always know how and what it is made of. And the awareness of your work will also help to enjoy its amazing taste. Having taken the first sip of freshly brewed mash, you will feel an incomparable taste, flavored with a pinch of pride in yourself.