Sugar proportions. The optimal amount of yeast for mash

Braga from sugar and yeast is a classic recipe that includes only three components and is easy to make. The question of how to make such a wort and how to guide the distillation, as a rule, arises from those distillers who do not have much experience in the production of home distillate.

Sugar for mash

Sugar mash has a number of disadvantages and about the same number of advantages. You can prepare such a product using the classic recipe, without changing the proportions and without adding various components to the composition. But in this case, the moonshine that you can get will have the following disadvantages:

A sharp, sometimes unpleasant aroma, which can be called the hallmark of a home-made distillate.
Specific taste. You can call it not very pleasant, but it is worth considering that we are still talking about strong alcohol.

If we talk about moonshine, which is made on the basis of sugar, then it is rarely used as a basis for creating noble drinks. Preference is given to the product that was made from grain or fruit. It has a pleasant aroma and mild taste, for this reason it is used if you want to turn ordinary moonshine into a noble drink.

But do not forget that raw materials based on sugar and yeast have a number of advantages:

First of all, it is worth noting that the product has a low cost. To prepare the mash, you just need to purchase yeast and sugar. Such costs can be called minimal, they are unlikely to cause significant harm to the family budget.
Availability of wort: finding in the store products that are needed for making alcohol is not difficult.
The base on yeast and sugar ferments quickly, the product will be ready for processing in about 4-7 days, it all depends on the quality and type of yeast microorganisms.

It is worth noting the rather large yield of alcohol: about 1 liter of distillate will be obtained from 1 kilogram of sugar.

Even if we talk about sugar mash, it is worth noting that this product opens up scope for experimentation. You can supplement the drink with various substances, which will certainly improve its taste and aroma.

It is advisable to distill such alcohol twice - this will help remove the smell and significantly improve the taste of moonshine. It is worth noting that sugar-based mash can be prepared without the use of yeast.

Some moonshiners refuse to use sugar intentionally, they replace this component with glucose, wishing in this way to improve the quality of the distillate.

Varieties of yeast for mash

Yeast for mash is an important but optional component. The fact is that it is these microorganisms that convert sugar into alcohol. If the yeast is actively working, then the fermentation process is going well, the mash ripens quickly, it is possible to process almost all the sugar into alcohol.

There are several varieties of the product, all of which in one way or another affect the fermentation process and quality, as well as the taste of alcohol.

So, what kind of yeast exist:

Bakery. Perhaps this is the worst option that a moonshiner can only imagine. The fact is that this kind of product does not have high characteristics, but baker's yeast is still used in home brewing.
Spirit yeast is a yeast that is specifically designed for the production of alcohol. They help to increase the viability of the mash, and also increase its strength, which will undoubtedly affect the strength of the finished product.
Wine yeast - mainly used for brewing mash based on fruit distillates. The downside of such a product can be considered the duration of the fermentation process.
There is also wild yeast - these are natural microorganisms that are on the surface of berries and fruits. Braga, made with wild yeast, has a wonderful taste and aroma, but it will ferment for about 60 days.

Yeast is also dry and pressed. Dry yeast starts to work faster, but pressed yeast needs a little more time. But there is one “but” - the first few hours of dry yeast mash can behave unpredictably, this is largely due to the quality of the product.

You can use any yeast, but it is advisable to activate them before sending the microorganisms to the container. This process will not take much time - you just need to fill the product with water. It is necessary to act according to the instructions on the package.

Preparation and selection of raw materials

Braga with dry or pressed yeast will ferment better if you know about some of the nuances that only experienced distillers know.

So, what will help improve the quality of alcohol:

Good water. You can use spring or well water. If there is none, then it is worth preparing ordinary, tap water for the creation of moonshine. It is poured into a container (you can use a regular bucket) and let the water stand for several days. Some moonshiners recommend running water through a filter or purchasing a suitable liquid from a store. It is worth giving preference to the water in which the least minerals and salts.
Sugar. Often, not granulated sugar is used, but refined sugar or glucose is preferred. The sugar content of the mash affects the moonshine, helps to increase the yield. But do not flatter yourself, because too sweet mash will not ripen: the yeast simply cannot process all the sugar, and after distillation, the distillate yield can unpleasantly surprise the manufacturer. For this reason, it is important to keep the proportions, adding all the necessary ingredients to the wort without experimenting.
Oxygen. In order for the mash to ripen faster, it is recommended to stir it from time to time - this will help saturate the microorganisms with oxygen.
The quality of the mash is also influenced by the container, or rather, the material from which the container was made. It is better to give preference to stainless steel or glass, but in the latter case, the base will have to be protected from contact with the sun's rays, stored in a dark place.

I would like to dwell on sugar in more detail, since this component is one of the main components in the classic wort recipe.

You can add beet or cane sugar to the distillate. But most often they use refined sugar. If desired, you can invert sugar - this process is not particularly difficult, but it helps speed up fermentation.

Syrup is prepared from sugar by mixing it with water and boiling for several minutes over low heat. Sugar during the heat treatment will break down into glucose and sucrose and it will be easier to process.

Inverting in home brewing is not considered an obligatory stage of production. It is enough just to dissolve sugar in warm water, if there is neither time nor desire to invert it.

It is worth noting that sugar is often replaced not only with glucose, but also with other components.

So, how moonshiners usually replace sugar:

freshly squeezed sweet juice - it helps the yeast to give proper nutrition;
jam - this is another product that can replace sugar, because jam contains this ingredient;
Halva and honey are used less often, but nevertheless these sweets perfectly replace sugar and help to give alcohol a peculiar flavor.

If we talk about the classic recipe, then it must certainly include sugar, but you can refuse to use yeast - in this case, the mash will have to be appeased with malt so that it ferments more actively.

Classic recipe for sugar-based home brew

There is another recipe that will help you make good quality moonshine from mash, which contains only three components: sugar, water and yeast. If desired, you can supplement the recipe with other ingredients, which will help change the quality of the product for the better.

So what ingredients do you need:

6 kilograms of sugar.
24 liters of pretreated water.
Dry yeast: 100-120 grams.

If you plan to invert sugar, then you should take citric acid, it will help make a good sugar syrup.

Such a recipe can be considered a classic of the genre, but it has several nuances, however, the recipe does not differ in particular complexity. Even a beginner can master this type of distillate, while the probability of spoiling the mash due to inexperience is almost zero.

So, how to make mash based on sugar and yeast, step by step recipe:

Let's start by preparing the container. It should be washed well using soda or biological dishwashing liquid. Dry the container with a towel and pour water into it.
If you plan to invert sugar, then pour only part of the water into the container, use the rest to create syrup.
We heat the water to 50-60 degrees and pour sugar into it. Constantly stir the wort using a wooden spoon or spatula. You will have to stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
When the sugar is completely dissolved, it is worth starting to activate the yeast. Pour dry yeast with a little water and let it stand for a while.
Pressed yeast in a briquette is broken into small pieces, crushed with fingers and also poured with a small amount of water. Let the microorganisms come to life and begin to show "signs of life" (foam formation).
We cool the water to 30 degrees and add the yeast, constantly stirring the mash with a spoon or spatula. Pressed yeast will require much more. How much yeast is needed exactly will help determine the proportion: usually take 5 times more pressed yeast compared to dry. That is, if the recipe indicates 100–120 grams of dry yeast, about 500–600 grams of pressed yeast will be required.

The mash will be ready for distillation in about 5-7 days. Before pouring it into the distiller, it is worth clarifying the wort in order to improve its quality.

Clarification is not a mandatory procedure, but it is carried out for several reasons, mainly to make the drink transparent and softer, cleaner. Also, clarification helps to eliminate a certain amount of fusel oils.

The procedure is carried out using white clay or bentonite - this substance is contained in cat litter. It is ground in a coffee grinder and sent to mash. For 20 liters of mash, you will need about 2-3 tablespoons of crushed cat litter.

You can use the clay that is sold in the pharmacy. Just make sure that the product does not contain flavors - they can spoil the alcohol, give it an unpleasant aroma or change the taste.

So, the technology of clarification and degassing of mash:

We remove the product from the sediment, carefully draining it through the tube.
We heat the liquid to 50 degrees - this will help kill the remnants of microorganisms and rid the product of excess carbon dioxide.
Then pour the mash into a container and add the crushed filler to it (in advance, the clay is poured with warm water, stirred until the product acquires the consistency of thick sour cream).
After adding the filler to the mash, shake it thoroughly for several minutes. Then leave in a room with a stable temperature for 30 hours.
Then the mash is sent to a distiller and distilled. Cutting off the "tails" and "heads" will help improve the quality of the product.

If you plan to drive alcohol out of sugar and yeast for the first time, then you can resort to another recipe, it will help to produce a trial portion of the mash.

Sample portion, ingredients:

3-4 liters of water.
1 kilogram of sugar.
50 grams of dry yeast or 150 grams of pressed.

The recipe is identical to the previous one, you can proceed according to the scheme that was given above.

When planning to master the art of moonshine, it’s worth starting with the classics. There is nothing easier and cheaper to make mash from sugar, which is why distillers love this product so much. And also for the reason that 1 kilogram of sugar can be turned into 1 liter of moonshine without much effort.

Experienced moonshiners by eye determine the amount of ingredients for high-quality strong and clean home brew, resulting in excellent quality moonshine. Our article is for those who are just mastering the skill of cooking a green snake. So, let's figure out what the sugar and yeast mash should be, the proportions, quantity and quality of the ingredients.

The process itself, even with a big stretch, cannot be called difficult. All products are at hand, it is prepared simply and not for long, if the moonshine does not fail, at the output we get a clean, odorless and bad taste drink. In light of the huge amount of falsification, our article will be most welcome.

We follow the rules and sequence

The most important thing in the cooking process is to strictly follow the rules of application and proportions. If you make a mistake in the calculations, the wort will turn sour and you will have to pour it out. If you make a mistake in the amount of yeast relative to sugar, nothing good will happen either. Not enough sugar - mushrooms will not grow, develop and release waste products (ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide and thermal energy), which affects the final taste and organoleptic. A lot of glucose is even worse. Part of the mushrooms will remain after processing and subsequently, when distilled, they will give the final product a terrible smell and a disgusting stench even after the tails and heads are separated.

The second condition is clean dry dishes. After each distillation, everything must be thoroughly washed, starting from the container where the base is infused, and ending with the tubes in the apparatus. If you wash it “slippy”, mold will appear and the output will be a product of little use for consumption. Moreover, even in the process of "mixing" sugar mash, it can turn sour, respectively, it will have to be redone.

The fermentation temperature is also important - from 27°C to 31°C. At different times of the year, the temperature in the room changes, so it is convenient to use a regular aquarium heater, selected according to the volume of liquid. It is set to the desired mark and immersed in a can. We draw your attention to the fact that if the temperature is lower, the fungi will not develop, if the temperature is higher, the life process will proceed too quickly without the release of the required amount of carbon dioxide.

The type and quality of yeast matters. Bakery products are of little use due to low resistance to ethanol and low strength. On average, it is no more than 11 °, which affects the volume of sugar moonshine. During fermentation, bakers emit a large amount of carbon dioxide, which creates a lot of foam. When preparing in a container, a third of the volume is left free. What is important - this type of mushroom has a characteristic smell that is transmitted to the drink. Some people like the authentic spirit, but most prefer a clean and strong drink. We recommend choosing special - alcohol yeast with minimal foaming and a maximum volume of waste products. Wine or beer can be used with the same success.

And last but not least, the quality of the water. Ideally, it should be artesian, rich in sodium-potassium acids. Worse bottled. It is strictly forbidden to use boiled - this is "dead" water, in which there is no environment necessary for the development of fungi.

What is a hydro module

Making mash from sugar and yeast is best to start with theory. To begin with, let's figure out what hydromodules are. This is the ratio of sugar to water in the wort. If you meet the phrase "sugar mash with a 1:5 hydromodule" this means that it is made from 1 part of sugar and 5 parts of water (large hydromodule). There is also a small hydromodule, where the proportions of sugar mash are 1:3.5. The latter option is inconvenient, since mushrooms do not have time to process the entire amount of glucose if bakery ones are taken.

At an alcohol concentration above 12%, bread yeast "falls asleep" and precipitates. This is an unusable product that must be disposed of.

Another thing is if alcohol varieties are selected that work at the maximum concentration of ethanol. On the contrary, they benefit from a small amount of water in the wort.

When preparing moonshine, it is better to focus on a large hydromodule (1: 5), when glucose is completely fermented, and the process itself is faster.

Often novice masters are guided by the average hydromodulus - 1: 4, but in this case there is a risk that the yeast will not fully win back, sediment will appear and glucose will not be completely processed.

Alcohol strains and turbo are preferred for the small module as they don't require a lot of water

In order to reduce this risk, here is a classic recipe for making wort:

filtered or settled water during the day - 23.5-24 l;
sugar - 6 kg;
alcoholic pressed yeast - 0.5 kg

This is a basic recipe, from which an average of 4-5 liters of moonshine after double distillation or 2-2.5 liters of rectified (alcohol) will be obtained. Focusing on the average indicators and the volume of the can / keg, you can determine your volume. At the same time, please note that alcohol yeast is based on Russian, Ukrainian or Belarusian production. European counterparts differ from the domestic product, so when preparing, be guided by the manufacturer's instructions (it is usually indicated directly on the package).

VIDEO: Sugar moonshine - what should be the right mash?

Wort on baker's yeast

For most experienced moonshiners, baking is the priority due to the characteristic aroma and aftertaste. We will not dispute such preferences, but we will give the classic recipe for such a product.

general availability - they are sold in any grocery store, they are inexpensive, they are stored for a long time;
readiness No. 1 - they do not need to be activated (started), it is enough to immediately dilute in warm water so that the fermentation process begins in a few minutes;
instant reaction - even in the pressed product, the fungi are in the active phase, due to which they begin to react immediately if the water is warm;
authentic taste and aroma - the output is natural moonshine with very distinct organoleptics, which distinguishes it from vodka.

low strength - no more than 11 °, while when using alcohol (wine or beer), the concentration of ethanol exceeds 18 °;
during fermentation, the wort must be “fed” - add a little, so that they have time to process glucose;
a characteristic fragrance of both the wort itself and the finished drink - but this is subjective, many, we repeat, like it;
the foam volume reaches a third of the liquid volume - this is due to the abundant release of carbon dioxide, which is characteristic of a baking product.

We evaluated the pros and cons, and if the latter, in your opinion, turned out to be less, we proceed to determine the proportions.

For one part of sand, you need 100 grams (dry granular) or 0.4 wet (pressed) yeast and four parts of water.

artesian - 20 l;
sand - 4 kg;
pressed - 0.5 kg or 0.1 kg granulated.

If you choose bakery, do not put a water seal on the can for the first 3-4 days until the main wave of foam subsides. Then install it and use it as usual.

Please note that granular is always added 5 times less than wet (pressed). This is a prerequisite, excluding the formation of a precipitate or an insufficient amount of ethyl alcohol.

Wine and beer - how to deal with them

Today, a wide variety of yeast is sold - bakery, spirit wine, beer and even wild - those that are collected from the surface of berries and cereals. Each of them is a whole colony of living mushrooms, which grows in a favorable environment and releases waste products. This is in different proportions of ethyl alcohol, carbon dioxide and heat. Depending on the variety, the proportion varies, but the composition remains unchanged.

Some moonshiners at home prefer to use wine colonies. This is a softer version of alcohol, in which the fermentation process increases to several weeks, but all the glucose is processed, there is almost no residue, the organoleptic is very pronounced, which affects the final taste.

The downside of wine strains is that they consume sugar slowly, so they are not suitable for making sugar mash in their pure form - be sure to feed the must with fruits or cereals

artesian or filtered water - 20 l;
sugar - 4 kg;
wine or brewer's yeast - 10 kg.

Please note that in its pure form, such a base is too poor for a wine product; fungi develop in the presence of fructose. Periodically, in the process of aging, the wort will have to be “finished” with pomace or fresh fruits, fruit juices, jam, jam. It is not worth adding a lot of enzymes, the main thing is that development continues.

From the very first day of preparation of the wort, you can put a water seal on a keg or a can - foaming in this type of colony is minimal.

Taking into account the fact that fruits and / or cereals will be used in the manufacture of mash, it must be filtered and cleaned with bentonite before driving it away.

The finished drink will turn out strong, clean and pleasant in taste, but without an authentic bready smell. And it will be the right moonshine!

VIDEO: The secrets of the master - the correct preparation of the correct mash

Homemade alcoholic spirits are considered safer and more natural because you control the whole process and decide which ingredients to use and in what proportions.

Today I want to talk about one of the most important components, without which not a single recipe can do - I'm talking about yeast.

There are several varieties of them, ranging from alcohol to "wild", from which you can make a good-quality brew, and then distill it into a high-quality alcoholic drink, be it moonshine, whiskey, cognac, vodka or wine. It is thanks to this component that we cause the fermentation process.

Let's learn together how to calculate the correct proportions of yeast for sugar mash and consider the classic dry yeast moonshine recipe, which has proven itself very well among experienced moonshiners.

An ideal option for home brewing are alcohol types of yeast, designed specifically for this purpose.

Products of this type do not cause any difficulties with determining the proportions, since the manufacturer indicates on the packaging what is the optimal amount of granulated sugar for this volume.

However, the disadvantage of this product is that it is quite difficult to purchase this type of product and the shelf life is limited, and the cost is also not encouraging.

Did you know? Dry yeast has become a worthy alternative to alcohol types of yeast, but they must be activated.

Why is proportion important?

In order to make a really high-quality alcoholic drink that will fully satisfy your taste and aroma preferences, you must very clearly observe the proportions of the two main components of the mash: sugar and yeast. Let's take a quick look at the chain of events.

Yeast needs a certain amount of sugar to feed and start fermentation.
If there is not enough granulated sugar, then the yeast will die and the mash will turn sour.
If there is an overabundance, the powder will remain after processing and, during the distillation process, will give the drink an unpleasant “sour” smell and a terrible unbearable aftertaste.

Proportions

A frequently and universally asked question: how much dry yeast is needed for 10, 20, 30, 40 liters of mash. I will give you the optimal ratio for 1 liter of good moonshine, the strength of which is 40 revolutions with a small error in both directions.

1 kg of granulated sugar;
4 liters of spring or well water (when inventing sugar syrup plus 0.53 liters);
20 g of dry yeast (Saf-Levure, Bekmaya, Saf Instant proved to be excellent).

Activation

Important! Before directly adding the yeast to the fermentation vessel, it is bred - this process is called "fermentation". And water plays an important role in this matter. Spring, well, or bottled liquid would be ideal, as it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. In extreme cases, you can use tap water, but first it must be insisted for 2 days so that the bleach settles at the bottom of the vessel. In no case do not take distilled or boiled water - it is absolutely not suitable for mash.

Pour water into a small container and heat it over low heat to a temperature of 22-24 degrees.
Pour the powder there and, without stirring, let the mass brew for about 5 minutes.
Stir the ingredients until the grains are completely dissolved.
We cover the container with gauze and leave it in this form for 13-20 minutes. During the specified time, the powder will swell, and a foam cap will form on the surface of the liquid.
Before directly adding the dough to the fermentation vessel, mix it thoroughly.

Dried yeast moonshine recipe

List of required components

Step by step cooking

Pour about 2.5-3 liters of well water into a saucepan or pan with a thick bottom, after which we bring the liquid almost to a boil.
Pour sugar into the same place, reduce the heat to low and, with constant stirring, wait for the syrup to boil.
When the water boils, boil the syrup for about half an hour, constantly removing the resulting foam. If desired, you can add 5-8 g of citric acid - it will significantly speed up the fermentation. However, pour it in slowly as it creates a lot of foam.
As soon as the sugar is completely dissolved and the foam stops appearing, cover the saucepan with a lid and boil the syrup for about an hour and a half, stirring occasionally.

In a separate container, dilute the dry powder in warm water according to the instructions described earlier.
Pour the syrup into a fermentation vessel.
Pour the remaining well water over the syrup. The container should be filled no more than 70-75%, the rest of the free space will be needed for the normal release of carbon dioxide.
Add the brew to the same place and stir everything as thoroughly as possible.
We install a water seal on the neck of the fermentation vessel and transfer the container to a place hidden from sunlight, where a stable temperature is maintained from 24 to 29 degrees.
Without removing the water seal, shake the contents of the vessel for 30-40 seconds. Usually fermentation takes about 5-8 days.

Step-by-step preparation of moonshine

Dry yeast mash recipe video

On the proposed videos, professional moonshiners will reveal the secrets of branded recipes for making sugar mash with dry yeast. After reviewing them, you will be able to trace the sequence of making homemade alcohol, as well as learn about new variations of the components and their proportions.

Video #1.

In this video, the master of his craft will tell you how to put sugar mash on dry yeast at home.

Video #2.

This video demonstrates the testing of four types of dry yeast for home-made quality mash. Since this raw material plays one of the main roles in our process, I suppose this information will not be superfluous.

Video #3.

For those who better perceive information visually, I offer a step-by-step author's recipe from the eminent moonshiner San Sanych, who will tell and teach in great detail how to prepare sugar brew, and then distill it into high-quality home-made moonshine.
Part 1 "Cooking sugar mash":

Part 2 "Distillation into moonshine":

Helpful information

A very important phase is to maintain the correct temperature of the fermentation of the mash, when all the sugar is used up, and the activity of the yeast drops and the bubbling stops. I think this information will be of interest to beginners in moonshine brewing.
Today we have only partially touched. I recommend learning more about this stage.

I hope that now you will not have any difficulties with determining the proportions. You also know how to make good-quality moonshine from mash with dry yeast. Share your experience and tell us what kind of unpleasant cases you have had so that readers can avoid fatal mistakes. Good luck and success to you in the field of home brewing!

Yeast is an important ingredient for making moonshine. They convert sugars into ethyl alcohol. In order to successfully put the mash and get a high-quality and tasty product, it is important to use fresh "working" bacteria and correctly calculate their number. How much yeast is needed for dry or pressed mash, this article will help you figure it out.

Why is it important to measure yeast correctly?

You can use any kind of yeast: wine, dry, pressed bakery. It is important that they are fresh, made in the right proportion. You also need to create the best conditions for yeast reproduction: put moonshine in a clean container and a warm room, feed microorganisms with nitrogen and suppress hostile microflora with an antibiotic.

If there is not enough yeast

A sign that there is not enough yeast is considered weak fermentation on the first day after you put the mash. A cap of foam should form intensively. It can take a third of the dishes and more. Therefore, it is so important to take a container for making mash with a large supply of volume. If cap formation is not observed, then the shutter needs to be warmed up and / or fresh yeast must be added.

If there is too much yeast

What happens if you put in a margin? Putting an extra amount of yeast for mash is also wrong. Bacteria eat sugar from the wort until the concentration of alcohol in the mash is 12 - 15%. In such an environment, they die. At this point, the mash is ready, and you need to start distilling it. If the microorganisms do not have enough food, then a lot of yeast will remain in the mash, which will have a bad effect on the smell, taste and quality of moonshine.

Basic mash recipe with pressed yeast

They often argue about how much yeast should be added per 20 liters of mash.

The answer is simple: For a 20-liter mash, you need 4 kg. sugar in a ratio of 1 to 4 i.e. 1 kilogram of sugar and 4 liters of water, per 1 kg. sugar you need 70-100 grams of pressed yeast, it turns out that for 20 liters of mash, according to the standard proportion, you need 4 kg. sugar multiplied by 100 grams of yeast is 400 grams.

Consider the recipe for 5 liters of mash:

1 kg sugar
4 liters of water
100 grams of alcohol or baker's pressed yeast

Take unboiled clean drinking water
Dissolve sugar in it and stir vigorously
Grind the yeast with your hands and dilute in a small amount of warm water
Introduce into the wort, while the temperature of the medium for dissolution and subsequent fermentation should be 25-30 ° C
Leave to ferment in a dark warm place for 7-10 days

Use of dry yeast

The standard proportion for sugar mash is 15-20 grams of dry yeast per 1 kg. sugar is the perfect amount. The best brands are SafMoment, SafLevur, Pakmaya work well and are inexpensive. For specialized yeast, the proportions are indicated by the manufacturer, for example, for some wine yeasts, 4 grams per 10 liters of must or 2 grams per 1 kg. Sahara.

Before the introduction of dry yeast, a so-called "fermentation" or activation must be carried out. In half a liter of warm water up to 30 ° C, add all the measured dry yeast and let it stand for ten minutes. Then you need to stir the yeast until dissolved and add to the shutter.

Braga on dry yeast (usually baker's) often behaves capriciously on the first day of fermentation: it either does not rise or forms a “cap” too intensively. In this case, it may be necessary to add 50 gr. vegetable oil. Or you can use a defoamer, which is sold in specialized stores (sofexil, bobotik). You can also crumble one simple cookie without additives onto the surface.

The maturation time of the mash is approximately 7 days. It should become bitter in taste and light. Foam ceases to stand out on the surface. If sweetness is still felt in the mash, then it is worth leaving it to stand for another one or two days.

Conclusion

Summarize:

Pressed yeast per 1 kg. sugar 70-100 grams
Dry yeast per 1 kg. sugar 15-20 grams

So, mash is a product that is obtained as a result of fermentation of sugar in water with the addition of yeast. Before proceeding directly to the process of making mash, you need to decide how much product you want to get at the output. As practice shows, at home, from 1 kg of sugar, with the correct organization of the technological process, you can get 1.1-1.2 liters of moonshine with a strength of 40 degrees. At the same time, 1 kg of sugar requires 5 liters of water and 100 grams of pressed or 10 grams of dry yeast. Thus, to put mash on 20 liters of moonshine, you will need about 16 kg of sugar, 80 liters of water, 1.6 kg of pressed or 160 g of dry yeast. This calculation is purely theoretical, but any practitioner will say that, given external factors (difficulty maintaining a constant distillation temperature, heterogeneity of raw materials, etc.), the amount of ingredients must be increased by 10-15%. We say it too.

With these calculations in front of your eyes and knowing how much drink you want to get in the end, even without a calculator it is easy to calculate the amount of ingredients needed.

Invert mash

Next, we will pay attention to the description of the inversion process. Such a tricky word is called the preparation of ordinary sugar syrup. The purpose of this process is to break down sugar into simple sugars. In this case, the yeast will not produce enzymes to decompose this sucrose into simple sugars. As a result, the product will be less smelly, as there will be no extra enzymes in it. In principle, you can do without inverting, and those who are in a hurry to reach the final goal can simply skip the next paragraph of the article, but, we repeat, the more carefully you follow the technological process, the tastier the drink will be. So let's continue.

The inverting process is simple and does not require special costs. The required amount of water is brought to a temperature of 70-80 degrees, after which sugar is added there. We prepare the syrup as follows: 2 kg of sugar is taken per 1 liter of water. The resulting mass is mixed and brought to a boil, after which citric acid is added to it. Proportions - 5 g of citric acid per 1 kg of sugar. After adding citric acid, the mixture is boiled for another 15-20 minutes, after which it is removed from heat. The syrup is ready.

As you know, without water - not there and not here.

Water plays an important role in the cooking process. Direct dependence - The better the water quality, the better the final product looks and tastes.. We understand that spring water is not available to everyone, but we urge you not to use at least tap water, but to take that purified bottled or spring water for making moonshine.

And remember that water for moonshine should not be distilled or boiled - this will lead to the loss of oxygen, and yeast needs it for fermentation.

The fermentation process itself

After you have prepared the syrup, it is poured into a fermentation tank. The right amount of cold water is also poured there. In this case, the container should be filled no more than three-quarters, because with active fermentation, the foam will overflow, and your high spirits from a successful process will be somewhat overshadowed by crawling on the floor with a rag.

Next, add yeast to the container. You can simply knead them with your hands, or, as in the case of inversion, you can strictly follow the technical process: dissolve in a small amount of must (a mixture of sugar and water). This is done in a small saucepan, after 10-15 minutes foam forms on the surface, and all this is poured into a fermentation container.

After all the necessary ingredients are in one container, a water seal is put on it, and it is installed in a room where the temperature is maintained at 26-31 degrees.

Keep in mind that a stable temperature is very important for the normal development of yeast, so use anything from old blankets to aquarium heaters to maintain it.

Fermentation lasts an average of 7-10 days.

Twice a day, the container with mash must be shaken for a minute, so excess carbon dioxide is removed from there, which interferes with the work of yeast.

Signs of readiness of mash

the presence of an alcohol smell;
the bitter taste of the drink, which indicates the complete processing of sugar;
stop the release of carbon dioxide;
sediment appeared at the bottom of the container, and the top became lighter;
you brought a lit match to the mash, but the burning process continued.

If your product has at least 2-3 of these features, then the mash is ready.

Degassing and clarification of mash

At the final stage, it is necessary to carry out degassing and clarification of the mash. In principle, you can also do without this process, as well as without inverting, but in the end you will get a cloudy-colored drink, which marginal-looking elements in domestic television films like to drink. Is this what you tried for? Therefore, be a little more patient and pour the mash through a straw into a large saucepan, ridding it of sediment. Next, heat the pan to 50 degrees, so the remains of carbon dioxide will be released from the mash, which are completely unnecessary in the further process.

Next, lighten the mash with bentonite - natural white clay. To clarify 10 liters of mash, you will need 1-2 tablespoons of crushed bentonite, which must be dissolved in 125 ml of warm water. After 10-15 minutes of infusion, the consistency of the mixture will be akin to thick sour cream. It is added to a container with mash, which is tightly closed, and then vigorously shaken. After that, the mash settles for 20-30 hours and is ready for distillation.

In this article, we briefly covered all the main steps in the preparation of mash. In principle, the drink that is now in your container can be consumed - once in Rus' there was even an expression “eat mash” - but we are sure that you are interested in a full-fledged final product, and in further materials we will continue the story about making high quality moonshine.