Sugar moonshine is a classic of Russian distillery. She won love among many lovers of homemade alcohol. There are a huge number of recipes for making mash from sugar at home in which the proportions sometimes vary, but always the yield of moonshine is almost the same. Making homemade alcohol is warranted for several reasons. The first is the environmental friendliness of raw materials, sugar is a pure product and properly prepared moonshine does not cause poisoning and a strong hangover. The second is the cost of the product, making moonshine at home is much cheaper than buying store alcohol. About 1 liter comes from 1 kg of granulated sugar. finished drink with a strength of 40 degrees.

As a result, you will get decent alcohol and if it is ennobled by various methods, then it will not be inferior to expensive elite drinks. The easiest way for a beginner to “ferment” is to make a mash of sugar, and then get the distillate. How to prepare hoppy drinks correctly, what proportions to use, what utensils and how many ingredients to take, the entire cycle of obtaining moonshine is described in detail in this article.

To make the mash you will need: fermentation utensils, water, sugar, yeast, water trap, sugar meter, aquarium heater.   The last three devices are optional, it is quite possible to do without them.

Capacity for mash.   The main indicators when choosing dishes for fermentation are: volume, material of manufacture, tightness.  For some types of mash, you still need a water trap that performs two functions: it provides carbon dioxide output and prevents oxygen from entering the brew.

Capacity volume   for fermentation depends entirely on your needs. It must be borne in mind that the mash should fill no more than ¾ of the volume of the fermentation tank. Otherwise, there is a risk of throwing foam during fermentation to the outside.

Material. The most preferred fermentation material is glass. Various bottles, glass jars. Food grade stainless steel can also be used. Plastic containers of various volumes are currently sold, the main thing is to make sure that it is suitable for food products. Often at home, aluminum utensils, milk jars, pans are used. It is very convenient if the tank has a drain valve, which will greatly facilitate the work.

Attention!

1. Be sure to thoroughly rinse all dishes with hot water with detergent before use, and then wipe well with a clean towel. The cleaner the dishes, the lower the risk of souring the mash, which can lead to an unpleasant taste of moonshine.

2. Before pouring water, place the fermentation tank on a stand with a height of 0.5 meters. Firstly, it will improve heat exchange and secondly, it will be easier later to drain the fermented mash.

Which yeast to choose. For the preparation of moonshine, it is advisable to take special alcoholic yeast. The use of alcoholic yeast gives a higher yield of alcohol during fermentation, better organoleptic. The instructions always say how much sugar a pack is designed for. The only minus of alcoholic yeast is difficult to find and a rather high price. But instead of alcohol, suitable dry or pressed, Belarusian ones will do. Dry yeast is taken from the calculation 20 grams per kilogram of sugar. Proportions for pressed: 100 grams per 1 kg of sugar.

The addition of dry yeast makes the brew not worse in quality, and sometimes even better. Raw pressed give the drink a too fusky flavor, and the use of dry gives a rapid fermentation and abundant foaming. Another plus of dry and alcoholic yeast is its long shelf life.

What kind of water to use. Good, correct water is the basis of the taste of the final product. To prepare sugar mash, water should be used that is well purified, odorless, tasteless, and without additives. The most suitable water is spring water or bottled water. If tap water is used, then before use it is recommended to stand for 1-2 days, and then gently drain with a hose. Hydro module: per 1 kg. sugar - 4 liters of water.

The classic recipe for moonshine from sugar

According to this recipe, sugar and yeast mash is prepared. The yield of purified moonshine is approximately 5.5 liters after the second fractional distillation, the spirituality of the drink is 45 percent.

Ingredients:

• Sugar - 5kg;
• Dry yeast - 100 gr;
• Spring water - 20 liters.

Wort preparation:

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

Fermentation.   In order for the wort to roam well, it is necessary to ensure a favorable temperature regime. The ideal temperature for fermentation is considered to be 28-31 ° C. It can be slightly lower, but in no case higher than 35 °, at this temperature the yeast will die and the mash will not ferment.

To provide this mode allows a warm room or the use of an aquarium heater. Heaters come in various capacities from 50 watts or more, which one you need to choose depends on the capacity of the container. For 40 liters of mash, 100 watts is enough, provided that it is indoors. The convenience of the heater is that it maintains a stable temperature with the built-in thermostat. Set 28 ° on the controller and lower it into the fermentation tank, connect it to the power supply, the temperature will stand and be maintained automatically.

With proper temperature maintenance, the presence of top dressing, fermentation lasts 7-14 days. Once a day, it is necessary to mix the sugar mash well to remove carbon dioxide.

How to determine the readiness of the mash:

1. Carbon dioxide ceased to stand out, the water trap calmed down, stopped gurgling. On the surface, ascending bubbles are not visible. Light a match over a mash, if it burns, then gas does not stand out.
2. Stratification is present in the braga, the top layer has become light, the yeast partially precipitated.
3. The taste of mash has become bitter, no sweets are felt.
4. In the smell and taste of mash there is a clear aroma of alcohol.
5. The most accurate method is to use a sugar meter. If the wort is fermented, then the sugar meter will show “0”.

Lightening and cleaning mash

Lightening and degassing must be done in order to improve the final taste of moonshine. Degassing is the process of removing carbon dioxide residues. For this, the wort needs to be heated to 55 ° C, live yeast dies at this temperature. One of the easiest ways to lighten the mash with cold, if the temperature allows. Take the mash for a day or two to the cold -5 ° or + 5 ° and it will naturally lighten. The yeast will fall to the bottom, after which the mash should be decanted, that is, carefully drained from the sediment using a thin silicone or PVC hose.

You can speed up the process and lighten the mash in other faster ways using bentonite, gelatin or protein. For sugar mash, bentonite is most often used for clarification. Bentonite is a natural product, natural white clay. For cleaning, the Pi-Pi-Bent brand is suitable, the main thing is that there would be no flavors in it. For 20 liters of mash, 2-3 tablespoons of clay are enough. Before use, it must be dissolved in a glass of warm water and mix thoroughly. Then pour the mixture into the mash and mix. After 12-24 hours, the mash becomes transparent, it remains only to drain it from the sediment.

Getting moonshine from mash

The first distillation. Pour clarified, cleaned mash into a cube of moonshine. And overtake at high power. The heads and tails at the first distillation need not be selected. The first time raw is taken almost to the water, so that there would be 5-7 degrees in the stream.

Intermediate cleaning. The obtained moonshine before the second fractional distillation must be cleaned of harmful impurities. There are many proven methods for this. The most popular method for winemakers is coal cleaning. There is a way to clean oil and others.

1. . You can clean the raw material using a charcoal filter or pour raw coal on it. For the first method, you need to make a filter from a plastic bottle. Cut the bottom of the bottle a, drill several holes in the cork. Insert a layer of cotton wool tightly into the cork, screw it onto the bottle. Pour coal BAU or KAU per 1 liter of moonshine 10-12 grams of coal. Pass moonshine through the filter. In the second method, pour coal directly into the alcohol raw. Grind the coal beforehand, add 50 g per liter. Stir thoroughly, insist a day. Then filter the moonshine. Coal absorbs up to 80% of sivuhi and various esters.
2. Cleaning moonshine with sunflower oil. For cleaning, you need to take refined sunflower oil. Dilute the moonshine to 15-20 degrees of strength, add 20 grams of oil per liter of raw alcohol. Stir well three times at intervals of 1-3 minutes. Leave for a day to settle, drain with a tube without touching the upper oily layer. Strain through a cotton filter. For cleaning efficiency, these two methods can be combined. First oil, then charcoal.

Fractional distillation. Pour purified, diluted moonshine from sugar up to 20 degrees into the distillation cube of the moonshine. Proceed to the distillation with the selection of fractions. At low power, select the head fraction. The heads are selected dropwise, the selection speed is 1-2 drops per second, such a slow intake of liquid allows you to get rid of the toxic first fractions qualitatively. The number of goals is selected 50 ml from each kilogram of sugar.

Then change the receiving capacity and select the drinking fraction "body". The body is selected up to 45-50 degrees in the stream. Then the tails will go, to select them or not is your business. Typically, the tail fraction is added to the mash before the distillation, in order to increase the yield of moonshine.

Finishing and enrichment of moonshine

As a result, you will get moonshine from sugar with a strength of about 65 degrees. Such a fortress is too high for drinking, so it must be diluted with clean bottled water to 40-45 degrees. To do this correctly, a special calculator will help. To soften the taste, you can heat the moonshine on the stove to 70 degrees, while unnecessary substances evaporate from it. Pour the diluted distillate into bottles, give it a “rest in the glass” for 2-3 days, or rather let it stand for a week and you can start tasting.

Sugar moonshine has a more neutral taste compared to grain and fruit distillates. Therefore, at home, it is more used for the preparation of various liquors to insist on it berries and fruits. Make another delicious homemade alcohol.

The process of home brewing has a number of features, without the knowledge of which a good distillate cannot be obtained. Compliance with the temperature regime is one of the nuances that should not be neglected. This article will talk about this in more detail.

Fermentation temperature

The principle of home-brew production at home is based on the natural properties of yeast. Yeast is a fungus that, in the process of life, is capable of generating heat, carbon dioxide and alcohol. Compliance with certain temperatures in the preparation of mash is aimed specifically at activating the vital activity of yeast.

If not enough heat, the yeast stops working and fermentation stops. Wort is also overheated, at a temperature of 40 ° C the yeast simply dies. Most commonly used for brewing conventional baker's yeast. The yield of alcohol when using them is 10%. Special alcoholic yeast can give moonshine yield of 23%. Wine and yeast are suitable for fruit and berry mash. Moonshine from grapes can be made without using yeast, fermentation will occur due to the natural wild yeast contained on the skin of grapes.

Initially, the water temperature for mash should be 25-30 C °. Yeast is introduced into the warm must and their work begins immediately. This level of heat should support about two hours. This time will be enough to start the fermentation process in full force.

Then the wort is cleaned in a warm place, you can put it near the battery. The temperature of the mash should be at least 18 ° C, but preferably 25 ° C. This will be enough for full fermentation. After all, the yeast will already begin to emit carbon dioxide and the wort will warm itself.

Important!  The mash is warming from above, to ensure a uniform temperature, it needs to be mixed daily.

Thermometers and temperature regulators

Temperature measurement will need to be carried out at all stages of preparing home-made moonshine, so measuring devices can not be dispensed with.

You can use a mercury thermometer, the scale of which reaches 120 °. Such a measuring device is glass, therefore, using it, extreme care must be taken.

In the presence of material resources, it is more expedient to use a bimetallic thermometer or multimeter.

Today, many moonshines with a built-in thermometer. However, the accuracy of such built-in devices is not accurate enough, so you still need to use a conventional thermometer.

Thermostats allow you to maintain the required temperature in the fermentation tank. Thermostats come in various capacities, which one to choose depends on the volume of the tank. So, for a barrel of 50 liters, a device with a power from 50W to 100W is suitable. The device operates cyclically, so the energy costs will be negligible.

Aquarium thermostat is perfect for constantly maintaining the required temperature, it is not expensive and you can buy in almost any pet store. It is worth buying at the rate of 1W of power per 1 liter of liquid. It is not worth taking a very powerful one, since the heating will not occur evenly and the yeast in the area of \u200b\u200bthe thermostat can burn and die.

If there is no possibility to use a temperature regulator, and the mash temperature is insufficient, it can be heated in warm water. To do this, water is drawn into the bathtub and a container with the braga is placed there. Keep it in water until the required temperature is established.

Distillation temperature of mash

To produce distillate from mash, it is necessary to create conditions for the evaporation of alcohol. Even when the mash is heated to 65 ° C, the evaporation of the first fractions begins. In the people this alcohol is called "pervak". Experts say that the first and last fractions contain many harmful substances and such moonshine can only be used for technical purposes.

Mash is heated over high heat until the temperature reaches 63 ° C. Further, heating the mash to 78 ° C is done on low heat. If you don’t fasten the fire in time, the toba will flow into the cold part of the unit, and distillation will need to be done again. At 78 ° C, the selection of the product we need begins.

Gradually, the temperature of the mash will increase and reach 85 ° C. When this happens, the distillation process is terminated. At such a high temperature fusel oils begin to evaporate, which affect the quality of the finished moonshine, it will be cloudy and with an unpleasant odor. We collect the "tails" too. Such moonshine can be used to increase strength for the next portion of mash.

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For many novice moonshiners, the main problem is haste and impatience, so they try to speed up all the stages from preparing the raw materials to obtaining the final product by any means, and as a result they lose quality. In this article I will consider the question - how much mash wanders in time, but not from the point of view of theory - on the Internet you will find a bunch of harmonious tables and mathematical calculations, but based on my own practical experience. I drive moonshine year-round, so my mash is ripening in the most diverse and sometimes even fantastic conditions for it, and I cook it on various types of raw materials.

How much mash roams and what does it depend on?

In my practice, the mash matured over time periods from 4-5 to 60-70 days. Yes, don’t be surprised - this is a unique case when in autumn I picked up plum carrion - about 40 kg, cleaned, kneaded, added a little water and forgot about it for 2 months. Moreover, she stood in the basement at a temperature of about +7 ... +12 C o. Many will now say - yes, nonsense, perished! And I will say - pipes, not only survived, but also elegantly fermented to alcohol due to natural yeast - I did not add them to this mash.

So why does the fermentation rate depend? Let's take a look at all of these factors by points:

• External conditions - temperature and peace. I do not get tired of repeating that the mash is alive, and therefore it requires treatment accordingly. Not only the temperature, the optimal range of which is + 22 ... +28 C o, affects the intensity and speed of fermentation, but also peace. Remember, when mom or grandmother sets the dough to come up, then she puts it in a warm room and asks not to run there? Vibrations can “frighten off” the yeast, and the dough may fall. So is the mash - ideally, it should be in a quiet and dark place. That's why in my basement, even at a minimum temperature, it completely fermented without the addition of yeast and sugar, however, for a long period of time, like wine
• Chemical composition - here we are talking about the quality of water and the type of raw material. So, for example, fruit mash roams faster than cereals, since the sugars in them are more readily available for yeast. And to stimulate the good fermentation of pure sugar mash, I use a little secret, which in the summer allows me to achieve optimal aeration of homemade kvass, which I also desire. I add some raisins to it. 50 grams of raisins are enough for 20 liters of beer. Trace elements contained in it are a natural top dressing for yeast, therefore fermentation proceeds more actively
• Type of containers - remember - never, under any circumstances, use containers made of non-food metals to make mash! In such a container, it does not sour, but it is filled with metal oxide, acquiring a disgusting taste - this is my personal experience, and I did not even distill such a mash. The optimal types of containers - glass, food stainless steel, aluminum, copper. These types of metals interact very weakly, and glass does not interact with liquids at all. Food grade plastic is good too, but is preferable to glass

How to achieve optimal results and what to focus on?

Optimal dates of mash fermentation

If you do not take into account exceptional cases, my mug, regardless of its composition, wanders on average 8-10 days. Pure sugar mash roams about the same in proportions of 1 kg of sugar per 3 liters of water and 50 grams of baking live yeast. In principle, it is possible to overtake it (especially summer) already on the 7th, 8th day, but I try to achieve the maximum output. Most often I drive out of what grows on the garden plot, and in my case it is plum, apple, quince, pear, apricot and grapes. Yes, quince is added solely for the sake of aroma, since it has a small yield. Most of all I have plums, therefore, the mash is often from it. I prepare Braga as follows:

• Gathering the carrion - the fallen fruits
• I clean from the stones (if not laziness)
• I load into a forty-liter aluminum flask (it’s also my distillation cube), I press in mashed potatoes
• For 15-20 kg of pulp add about 15 liters of water
• Add to this volume 2 kg of sugar and 100 grams of baker's yeast
• Mix well and put under the water seal
• I give it a ferment for 8-10 days - during this time the fermentation process at a temperature of +25 C o completely stops

And then, attention! I take out the silicone tube from the water bottle, which acts as a water seal, and put the flask on the gas burner. Yes, yes, without separating the pulp, without lightening - just a gas! And I connect the pipe to the refrigerator through my homemade sukhoparnik. Nothing burns with me, everything is perfectly distilled, and I talked about how I distill mash to moonshine in more detail in another article.

When I cook mash for whiskey, and its main component is corn grits, I let it roam for at least 14 days! I will say more, you can safely leave it for 17-20 days - the main thing is that the water seal and container should be airtight. Even after digestion to the wort, corn starch is rather difficult to process with yeast (both baking and wine - alcohol). Therefore, 15 days is the optimal time for which sugars are fully processed, and the aroma will open properly.

How much mash roams and what does it depend on?

In my practice, the mash matured over time periods from 4-5 to 60-70 days. Yes, don’t be surprised - this is a unique case when in autumn I picked up plum carrion - about 40 kg, cleaned, kneaded, added a little water and forgot about it for 2 months. Moreover, she stood in the basement at a temperature of about +7 ... +12 C o. Many will now say - yes, nonsense, perished! And I will say - pipes, not only survived, but also elegantly fermented to alcohol due to natural yeast - I did not add them to this mash.

So why does the fermentation rate depend? Let's take a look at all of these factors by points:

• External conditions - temperature and peace. I do not get tired of repeating that the mash is alive, and therefore it requires treatment accordingly. Not only the temperature, the optimal range of which is + 22 ... +28 C o, affects the intensity and speed of fermentation, but also peace. Remember, when mom or grandmother sets the dough to come up, then she puts it in a warm room and asks not to run there? Vibrations can “frighten off” the yeast, and the dough may fall. So is the mash - ideally, it should be in a quiet and dark place. That's why in my basement, even at a minimum temperature, it completely fermented without the addition of yeast and sugar, however, for a long period of time, like wine
• Chemical composition - here we are talking about the quality of water and the type of raw material. So, for example, fruit mash roams faster than cereals, since the sugars in them are more readily available for yeast. And to stimulate the good fermentation of pure sugar mash, I use a little secret, which in the summer allows me to achieve optimal aeration of homemade kvass, which I also desire. I add some raisins to it. 50 grams of raisins are enough for 20 liters of beer. Trace elements contained in it are a natural top dressing for yeast, therefore fermentation proceeds more actively
• Type of containers - remember - never, under any circumstances, use containers made of non-food metals to make mash! In such a container, it does not sour, but it is filled with metal oxide, acquiring a disgusting taste - this is my personal experience, and I did not even distill such a mash. The optimal types of containers - glass, food stainless steel, aluminum, copper. These types of metals interact very weakly, and glass does not interact with liquids at all. Food grade plastic is good too, but is preferable to glass

How to achieve optimal results and what to focus on?

Optimal dates of mash fermentation

If you do not take into account exceptional cases, my mug, regardless of its composition, wanders on average 8-10 days. Pure sugar mash roams about the same in proportions of 1 kg of sugar per 3 liters of water and 50 grams of baking live yeast. In principle, it is possible to overtake it (especially summer) already on the 7th, 8th day, but I try to achieve the maximum output. Most often I drive out of what grows on the garden plot, and in my case it is plum, apple, quince, pear, apricot and grapes. Yes, quince is added solely for the sake of aroma, since it has a small yield. Most of all I have plums, therefore, the mash is often from it. I prepare Braga as follows:

• Gathering the carrion - the fallen fruits
• I clean from the stones (if not laziness)
• I load into a forty-liter aluminum flask (it’s also my distillation cube), I press in mashed potatoes
• For 15-20 kg of pulp add about 15 liters of water
• Add to this volume 2 kg of sugar and 100 grams of baker's yeast
• Mix well and put under the water seal
• I give it a ferment for 8-10 days - during this time the fermentation process at a temperature of +25 C o completely stops

And then, attention! I take out the silicone tube from the water bottle, which acts as a water seal, and put the flask on the gas burner. Yes, yes, without separating the pulp, without lightening - just a gas! And I connect the pipe to the refrigerator through my homemade sukhoparnik. Nothing burns with me, everything is perfectly distilled, and I talked about how I distill mash to moonshine in more detail in another article.

When I cook mash for whiskey, and its main component is corn grits, I let it roam for at least 14 days! I will say more, you can safely leave it for 17-20 days - the main thing is that the water seal and container should be airtight. Even after digestion to the wort, corn starch is rather difficult to process with yeast (both baking and wine - alcohol). Therefore, 15 days is the optimal time for which sugars are fully processed, and the aroma will open properly.

Many people make liquor at home. Cooking Mash? an important matter requiring vigilance, attentiveness and scrupulousness. You will spend labor and time, but gain experience, a fascinating lesson and a finished high-quality home product. It is important to observe the subtleties: fermentation temperature and recipe. The result is not long in coming.

Yeast? these are microorganisms, more precisely, fungi. They live in water and eat sugar. Moreover, they in the process of reproduction emit heat, carbon dioxide and alcohol. With their help, home craftsmen prepare moonshine.

Temperature: The importance of process compliance

Fermentation temperature? this is the indicator that must be followed with all severity. By average standards, the norm is 24-30 ° C. But in this case, you can not discount the needs of yeast in the future moonshine. It should be noted at what temperature they begin to ferment. Exclusively in this case, they will release heat. What about this? determining factor in the preparation of mash.

As soon as the yeast begins to work, the mash will warm itself. Overheat? unacceptable oversight that would jeopardize the entire operation. It is important that during fermentation, the thermometer does not have an indicator above 40 ° C. Once the temperature reaches a dangerous point, the yeast will die. Moonshine will not be distilled from anything and everything will have to be started anew.

How to hurry up to mash? Speed \u200b\u200bup fermentation

Thermometer and temperature controller. Distillation Features

In the fermentation process, you need to prepare the necessary technological attributes that will help distill mash in moonshine. At this stage, the temperature regime? The most important indicator that cannot be ignored. To support it, you need a thermometer.

A thermometer measures the temperature inside a cube of moonshine. We need a mercury unit with a scale of up to 120 0 C. As a rule, we are talking about a glass device with which extreme caution must be exercised.

If there is a material and technical possibility, you can mount a bimetallic thermometer. Also for our purposes, a multimeter is suitable. These devices can be used to determine the exact temperature at the stage of distillation of moonshine. They provide an opportunity to identify the exact time of collection of a high-quality product.

Under the thermostat, you need to understand the unit, which allows you to maintain a stable temperature in the tank with the brew. The power of this device directly depends on the volume of the vessel with the brega. If the barrel is up to 50 liters, buy a unit with a capacity of at least 100 watts. The operation of this unit is cyclical, so it does not require a lot of electricity.

Please note that the feedstock is mostly heated precisely from above. So that the temperature regime is uniform throughout the volume, mash stir from time to time.

Mounting the thermostat is easy. To fix it, you do not need to make holes. Bend the wire over the edge so that the body of the device plunges into the mash. Only a sensor should be on the surface so that you can monitor the temperature. Press the unit wire with the cover, but do it very carefully so as not to damage the wire. It is important not to twist the wire, in order to avoid its breaks.

The importance of temperature

Each moonshine has a completely unique taste. The secret of this originality lies in the original recipe of each individual mash.

In the classical sense, mash is prepared according to the following canons.

Distillation or cooking temperature

When the mash reaches a temperature of 65 ° C, the evaporation of light harmful fractions occurs. The resulting moonshine is called? Pervak \u200b\u200b?. Experts say that the first? it is a dangerous poison. It must be collected in a separate vessel and disposed of or used for technical needs.

Until the temperature reaches 63 ° C, the future moonshine is heated and boiled over the biggest fire. Then sharply remove the heating rate in order to slowly reach 65-68 ° C. If this is not done, hot mash flows into the refrigeration part of the unit. The color drink will be fusel. Quality will decline. The situation can be improved only by repeated distillation.

Gradually, the temperature of the mash distillation will increase, and the intensity with which they drive moonshine? fall. Collection of moonshine is stopped when the mixture is heated to 85 ° C. From this moment, fusel oils begin to evaporate, making the moonshine muddy and worsening its quality.

When? First time? comes out, you should substitute the container for collecting moonshine. Gradually increase the power of the heater. This is necessary so that the mash reaches a new temperature regime - 78 ° C. After a while, the output of the main product will begin.

Once the temperature has reached 85 ° C, the distillate is collected in a new vessel. The so-called? Tails? add mash to a new portion to increase the strength.

The quality of moonshine is more than half dependent on water. It seems to many newcomers that there is nothing complicated in choosing water, it is enough to pour in any available. 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.

Water requirements for mash:

1. Hygiene standards.  Water for moonshine should be transparent without any odor (taste) and comply with the standards for drinking water. This is a standard, but also the most important requirement.

2. Rigidity.  The hardness of water is called the combination of its physical and chemical properties associated with the content of alkaline earth metal salts (mainly potassium and magnesium). Too high rigidity inhibits fermentation, low rigidity prevents yeast from developing normally, since there are not enough trace elements in soft water.

Unfortunately, it is not easy to find out the degree of water hardness, since this indicator is measured in a laboratory. Mash needs water of medium hardness - 2-10 ° W according to the national standard of the Russian Federation (GOST R 52029-2003).

First, yeast bacteria multiply actively, and after oxygen is pumped, they begin to process sugar into alcohol. In turn, distillation removes from the water almost all the necessary trace elements, which, in addition to sugar, feed the microorganisms that are useful to us.

Water for mash should be spring water (from a well) or tap water from a tap. Before making moonshine, I recommend to defend the selected water for 12-24 hours so that all harmful impurities (primarily chlorine and heavy metals) sink to the bottom. Also, water can be cleaned by passing it through special filters.

  Tap water is also suitable

Water temperature for mash

Yeast is added to water heated to 20-30 ° C. Optimal for mash is considered temperature 23-28 ° Cwhich should be constantly maintained. At lower values, fermentation slows down, and when dropped to 18 ° C or lower, it can completely stop. Therefore, in the cold season, it is often necessary to heat the mash with aquarium heaters or other devices.

In too hot water (above 30 ° C), most yeast bacteria die, not having time to benefit. During active fermentation, the mash temperature independently rises by several degrees (it is relevant for containers with a volume of 20 liters or more), so sometimes moonshiners have to cool the mash.

All the above tips are relevant for any mash recipes, regardless of the raw materials and cooking technology. Poor water degrades the taste and reduces the yield of moonshine.

Yeast is a fairly popular product; it is often used in various foods that people consume every day. Many probably believe that they are found only in bread, rolls and other similar products. However, in fact, the spectrum of their application is much wider than it seems to an ordinary person, they can be: in wine, beer, alcohol, moonshine. But with improper use of the product, namely when overheating, the yeast dies. At what temperature this happens, not everyone knows.

Bread yeast

There is a fairly large amount of yeast that is used for baking bread, all of them differ in their structure and living conditions. In most cases, housewives use fresh or dry yeast, but there are still granular and quick-acting ones. All of them have a different effect on baking and there is a certain temperature, after exceeding 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 product for baking bread. In most cases, they are sold in small cubes of 50 or 100 g. Thanks to such yeast, the pastries are in perfect color and have a nice texture.

It is believed that such a product causes the strongest fermentation, so that the baking is magnificent and does 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. Storage temperature should not be higher than 10 degrees, recommended 0 ... 4 ° C.

These yeast must be of good quality cream color, and when you press the product with your finger, it should break and crumble. If they are simply smeared, 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. Special attention is paid to packaging; it is strictly forbidden to close them in an airtight space. When air does not enter the product, it begins to deteriorate quickly enough, in just a few hours, it becomes unusable.

As already reported, the 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 small salt, thanks to this, 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 you need not to overdo it and not to overheat them, because yeast die from high temperatures. At what temperature? The answer is quite simple - fresh yeast cannot be diluted in a liquid heated to a mark above 42 ° C. Otherwise, the dough fermentation process will not be so effective, and if the temperature is much higher, 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 undergoes special processing, after which only 24% of moisture remains. Due to this, it has the form of small granules. Many do not know at what temperature granular type 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 another liquid. This product can be mixed immediately with flour, which results in a uniform distribution of the product throughout the dough.

Dry yeast

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

Granules of dry yeast are very unpretentious for storage, they are already in vacuum packaging. Shelf life increases dramatically to two years. At the same time, they need to be taken much less than conventional pressed ones. For 100 g of ordinary live yeast, only 30 g of dry yeast will be required.

It should be noted separately that a fairly large number of people confuse this product with high-speed yeast and mix them immediately with flour, but you can’t do this. This product must be scattered on warm water (the recommended temperature is 30 ... 45 degrees), then wait until bubbles appear on the surface of the liquid, basically this procedure takes 10 - 15 minutes. After that, you can knead the necessary dough. The main thing is to remember at what temperature the yeast dies.

Fast yeast

This type of product is the latest development of the industry. Their shape is quite unusual (small vermicelli). High-speed yeast does not need to be bred in water, it is better not to contact with liquid, sugar or 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 do 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 microorganism that feeds on sugar, and the excreted alcohol is a by-product of their vital functions.

In this case, the optimum temperature of 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 produce fermentation, but if the temperature returns to normal, they again lead a full life activity. When the temperature still rises, the yeast dies.

Yeast in Braga

A very large number of people prefer to use moonshine instead of store 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 brew dies.

It is worth noting that when leavening, 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 dies. At what temperature the mash should be infused, almost every experienced cooker knows, it should be about 24 ... 30 degrees. In approximately the same way as in wine, if the temperature is slightly higher, the process simply stops, if it rises to 40 ° C or higher, the product will be spoiled and the fermentation process will not be completely completed, which will seriously affect the quality of the product.

Thermophilic yeast

Every year the industry 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. The technology of their manufacture has nothing natural - it is a purely chemical mixture. Therefore, answering the question of at what temperature 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 do yeast die in bread

Through many experiments, scientists have proved 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 can not be completely destroyed, they can withstand up to 500 degrees. However, this applies only to thermophilic yeast. They also cause quite a lot of damage 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 reach a person - they begin to actively develop. Due to which there is an active destruction of cells, which leads to a fairly frequent formation of benign, and sometimes malignant, tumors.

As for ordinary live yeast, the situation here is completely different. When baking flour products inside the crumb, a temperature of about 95 ... 98 degrees is formed. Ordinary yeast can not withstand this temperature and simply die, there remains only a small percentage of the fungus, which practically does no harm to human health.

Brewer's yeast

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

It should be noted separately that the brewers do not insist on their product at an optimum temperature for yeast at 32 degrees. The thing is that at 32 ° C this product actively produces fermentation, 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, due to which the beer becomes unsuitable for drinking (a very pungent and unpleasant odor).

Alcohol yeast

This type of yeast is quite tenacious and has a very wide temperature range, suitable for their vital functions. 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.

In order for this product to function normally, the temperature of its environment should be about 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 just stop their activity, if the degree drops, they will activate again and will fulfill their function. Therefore, it is highly desirable to observe the temperature regime so that the quality of the alcohol is not extremely low.

Conclusion

A large number of people come across products that would not have been made if simple microorganisms such as yeast did not exist. Therefore, it is extremely important to know when the yeast dies, at what temperature they can exist, and when they simply suspend their 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 must know that for normal fermentation the temperature should be 26 ... 30 degrees, and when it goes beyond the mark of 34 degrees, then 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 desirable to simply exclude products made using this ingredient from your diet. In most cases, this product can be found in bread and pastries, which are manufactured industrially and have a very low cost compared to other products in the same category.

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

• mash temperature;
• volume of liquid mixture;
• ratio of sugar, yeast and water;
• quality of the original products;
• use of top dressing, etc.

If the optimum temperature for the fermentation of mash is ensured, then at the output you can get a product with completely used sugar, the maximum alcohol content and the least amount of intermediate and by-products: fusel oils (isoamyl, propionic and methylbutyl alcohols), butylene glycol, dimethylglyoxal, acetic aldehydes and butyric acid , acetylmethylcarbinol, dimethyl sulfide, glycerol, etc.

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

Creating ideal conditions for the right mash

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

To begin with, prepare the components of the future drink. Water should be maximally purified from harmful impurities. You can use a purchased filtered or tap, but settled for 2 days. Boil water is not recommended, because this removes dissolved oxygen.

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

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

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

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

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

It is convenient when the thermostat is external. The socket for inclusion is placed above the tank and at a distance. If a water lock is installed (not always needed for sugar mash), you will have to improve the device yourself - you need to draw a wire through the lid of the container. 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 the mash only on sugar, other products (fruits, raisins, etc.) quickly lead to their malfunction.

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

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

What temperature regime is needed for making mash

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

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

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

It is recommended to adhere to the fermentation temperature of mash for moonshine on the first day no higher than +24 .. + 25 ° C, in order to reduce foaming. In the following days, you can increase the heating to +27 .. + 30 ° C. 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 zymase. There will be more unprocessed sugars left in such a brew.

Gassing and sweetness disappear in the finished product. It is placed in a cold place. Sleeping yeast then precipitates and the solution brightens.

Is it possible to affect the fermentation rate

Sugar mash fermentation lasts from 5 to 14 days. You can reduce cooking time using several methods:

1. When breeding yeast, the water temperature for the mash should be around +30 ° C. This will ensure a rapid start to the process.
2. Braga reaches well at room temperature (from +22 ° C to +25 ° C). But the process takes less time if you warm the product to +30 ° C.
3. In addition to sugars, the nutrition of microorganisms should include vitamins and minerals, so the introduction of nitrogen fertilizing accelerates fermentation.
4. 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 period is reduced to 3-4 days.