Braga is the oldest of all the famous Slavic hop drinks. It was put on fermentation even before the appearance of moonshine and vodka. And if in the southern regions, where grapes, sweet varieties of fruits and various berries were widely grown, winemaking flourished, then the Slavs from the east were left with only mash.

Even in the Stone Age, our ancestors noticed that if you leave any sweet juice in the vessel for a long time, it will ferment and turn into a foamy, cloudy, and most importantly - low alcohol drink.

The recipe for brew for moonshine (like many recipes that gained worldwide fame) was obtained by chance, but through various experiments and many transformations and improvements it has reached our time and has become quite popular.

The main condition for the fermentation process is the complete absence of oxygen. Only then do sugar molecules break down into two components - carbon dioxide and, in fact, the final result, alcohol.

Antoine Lavoisier, a French chemical scientist, became interested in the first such process. Later, when studying yeast, it was proved that fermentation is nothing but the result of the vital activity of living yeast cells.

Preparatory process

One of the main components of the brew for moonshine is sugar. The final result of the drink directly depends on its quality.

If sugar is bad - unpleasant taste and smell of brahe are guaranteed. On the other hand, it is with him that one can experiment: different sugar gives a different taste to the final drink - moonshine.

No less important is water. It must be clean, drinkable, it must never be boiled - oxygen must be present in the water.

The next stage is the selection of yeast; without them, high-quality mash will not work. There are several options for this product, the main thing to remember is that each of them has its own characteristics:

• Bakery.  Well suited for classic sugar mash, but the output will be no more than 10% alcohol;
• Alcohol  The percentage of alcohol is 18, but a large amount of impurities occurs;
• For whiskey.  With them they make wort from grain;
• Wine. Of these, fruit wort is prepared. The result is a sufficiently large alcohol yield and a minimum amount of impurities.

In addition to yeast, it is possible to use other minerals, for example, grain, previously well-boiled or black (dried) bread. Important: for 10 l mash make 1 kg of other components.

Another point of preliminary preparation will be the selection of a suitable container. There are three basic rules: the container must be deep, clean and it must be sealed tightly.

The last rule is the main one - carbon dioxide should not come out under any circumstances.

Classic step by step recipe

There is a basic classic recipe for making mash for moonshine from sugar. It is on its basis that various options are possible.

Cooking:

1. Prepare the yeast. Add sugar (100 grams) to warm water (0.5 L), make sure it dissolves. Next, report the yeast. The composition is carried away in a warm place, stirring occasionally, for only a couple of hours. As soon as the active formation of foam begins, the mixture is added to the wort;
2. Wort preparation: carefully dissolve sugar with room temperature water. If the composition is smaller in volume, the mash will not “ripen”;
3. After checking the readiness of the yeast, combine them with the must. Then leave everything to ferment in the temperature range from 20 to 35 degrees. It is important to remember that with active fermentation, heat begins to be released, and with strong heating all the necessary substances will die, so the process must be controlled;
4. Some types of yeast emit a very strong foam, so you can’t fill the existing container to the end, you need to leave a place free for fermentation. But if this happens, you can pay off the foam with dry bread or crushed cookies. The whole process lasts 3-14 days. But a long-standing mash gets a lot of impurities. Optimum availability - 7 days;
5. In the final determination of readiness, the mash focus on the absence of carbon dioxide gas, clarification of the liquid and the formation of a yeast precipitate;
6. The question - to drain or not to drain the precipitate before distillation of moonshine - is solved quite simply: the precipitate contains a fair amount of alcohol and, when removed, the yield of alcohol in the final drink will be much less.

Possible non-compliance with the technology leads to certain difficulties. For example:

1. Very long fermentation time. This happens if the required temperature is not observed, when using low-quality ingredients or in insufficient quantities;
2. After the end of the fermentation period, the drink still retains its sweetness. This is the result of non-compliance with the proportions, in which case it is necessary to add yeast;
3. If, after terminating the fermentation process, it is not possible to immediately distill it into moonshine, it is possible to set it aside for storage in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks in a sealed container. But in fact, this is undesirable - there is a high probability that the mash will turn sour.

A positive result is considered if sugar of 1 kg yields 1 - 1.2 liters of mash, while its strength should be 50%.

Braga on spirit yeast

The recipe for good brew for moonshine on alcohol yeast includes the following ingredients:

• Sugar - 6 kg;
• Water - 23 l;
• Alcohol yeast - 100 g in dry form or 500 g in pressed.

Cooking:

1. Water is heated to 30 degrees;
2. Sugar and water are mixed, in precisely this order. Sugar must completely dissolve;
3. In a small amount of syrup (about 1 liter), dilute the yeast. Maintain an hour in a darkened room until foam appears;
4. Introduce the yeast with syrup into the main container. Put a water lock;
5. Install a container with a braga in a darkened warm room. There should not be any temperature drops.

The process will last about 10 days. Then remove from sediment, lighten, overtake. The whole process of preparing such a drink can be seen in the video plot:

Additional recipes mash for moonshine

From wheat

There are a very large number of ways to make mash for moonshine from sugar, recipes for every taste and financial possibilities.

One of these recipes is wheat mash, the final drink is tender, light with good taste.

A distinctive feature of the wheat drink is the lack of yeast in the recipe, they are replaced by wheat malt. The key to success will be the good quality of the main ingredient - wheat grains (they must be dry, intact, with a shelf life of less than a year).

Ingredients:

• Sugar - 4 kg;
• Cereal wheat - 4 kg;
• Pure drinking water - depends on the capacity of the dishes (the recommended amount is 30 l).

Cooking:

1. A quarter of the wheat (1 kg) is poured into the selected container, leveled, covered with water 6 cm above the grain level. Cover, set aside for two days for germination in a not very warm place;
2. When small sprouts appear, 0.5 kg of sugar is poured. Mix thoroughly with your hands, if the mass is very thick, you can add water, but not much. Then the neck of the container is wrapped with gauze and set aside for 10 days, but in a warm place;
3. The leaven obtained in the previous way is poured into a glass container and the remaining wheat - 3 kg, sugar - 3, 5 kg is added, everything is poured with water (it should be slightly higher than the temperature in the room);
4. A medical rubber glove with a small puncture is put on the neck or a water seal is installed. The temperature regime is from 18 to 24 degrees, the fermentation time is 10 days;
5. After the required period has passed, the glove should deflate and now the mash needs to be distilled. Wheat remaining in the sediment is suitable for use three more times.

  We offer you to cook your own refreshing kvass. Forget about thirst!

On how to make apple cider, read Fragrant wine is useful for the holidays!

Recipes for making honey from dandelions are described. At the end of April, they will begin to bloom actively. Do not miss the moment!

On starch

Many are looking for ways to speed up fermentation. And there are such ways - add enzymes or specialized activators to speed up. But lovers of naturalness offer the acceleration of the process with the help of starch, the ripening period is halved.

Ingredients:

• Potato starch - 10 kg;
• Pure drinking water - 20 l;
• Sugar - 1 kg;
• Pressed yeast - 500 g.

Pour the starch with the thinnest stream, as if on jelly, with water. The temperature of the mixture should be no more than 22 degrees.

Sugar is introduced gradually, followed by yeast. Fermentation time - 5 days, at least 3.

Then you can distill. The final mass of the drink is 11 liters.

On peas

Ingredients:

• Sour cream - 200 g;
• Pressed yeast - 300 g;
• Peeled peas - 2 kg;
• Good sugar - 7 kg.

A large can with a tight lid up to the shoulders (leaving room for fermentation) is poured with water just above the temperature in the room. Then you need to pour peas, followed by yeast, and, after about an hour, sugar.

Alternative cooking options

Consider the recipes of mash for moonshine of a more traditional preparation of typical and not quite components.

From jam

Ingredients:

• Jam (necessarily fermented) - 6 l;
• Warm water - 30 l;
• Pressed yeast - 200 g;
• Sugar - 3 kg.

Preparation: jam well bred with water. Yeast is added first, after sugar.

Set aside for 5 days. The total mass of the jam drink is 6 liters.

On apples

Ingredients:

• If the whole apples - 30 kg, if already chopped - 10 kg;
• Warm water - 20 l;
• Dry yeast - 100 g;
• Sugar - 4 kg.

Preparation of apple mash for moonshine: cut washed and peeled apples into small pieces, the rotten parts must be cut off.

As a tool, a crusher, grater, blender are suitable. As a result, 10 l of apple composition should come out.

The sugar / water ratio should initially be 1: 5, no matter how many ingredients are taken.

Dry yeast is best to avoid souring. But if you don’t like the specific smell, you can take wine yeast.

Boil the syrup from sugar and water, cool and add to the apple wort, mix.

Before adding yeast to the mixture, they must be poured into a small amount of warm water and set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes.

We offer you to study in detail the video on cooking apple mash for moonshine:

On the grapes

Ingredients:

• Grape squeezes - about a 10-liter bucket;
• Sugar - 5 kg;
• Pressed yeast - 100 g;
• Warm drinking water - 30 l.

Preparation: squeeze the grapes with water, add the remaining ingredients, mix well. Set aside for 7 days. The final mass of the drink is 7 liters.

Beetroot

Ingredients:

Preparation: the peeled beets are rubbed with a grater and boiled. While the beets are hot, add water, the temperature as a result should be 25 degrees.

Yeast dissolved in warm water is added to the beets, sugar is added. Set aside for 4 days.

Beetroot sediment should completely sink to the bottom. Distilled twice, before this mix to mix.

Emerging issues

There are situations when newcomers are faced with the fact that Braga does not want to roam in any way or this process is too weak. There may be several reasons:

• The fermentation process is already over. Need to check the timing;
• Braga on starch will wander badly due to lack of sugar. Grind and add malt;
• Insufficiently high or too high temperature of the place where the mash is ripening;
• Not enough yeast. Dilute dry yeast in water and add to the mash.

Sometimes the mash to be distilled is clarified so that the sediment particles do not burn. There are several ways to remove the mash from the sediment and stabilize.

In the old days, this was done with the help of light freezing and mechanical removal of sediment. For this, gelatin, hard tea leaves, and lime were used. Current moonshine producers are turning to more modern methods:

• With the use of concrete - clay absorbent.  It is diluted in proportion to water 1: 5, set aside for swelling for 4 hours. Next, you need to drain the water, dilute with a small amount of the drink, then pour into the whole mash. After cleaning, drain the drink, remove the precipitate. It is important to remember - the sediment is not drained into the sewer, concrete has the property of cementing and forming plugs;
• Using a filter press. This unit operates under pressure and uses cardboard as a filter.

One of the most common questions is how long the mash lasts after fermentation. At room, normal temperature, the safety of the mash is up to 3 days.

If you put it in a cold cellar or just a refrigerator, the period increases to several weeks. If these terms are not respected, the mug will sour elementarily.

Finally, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with another video recipe for mash for moonshine. This time it will be from a mix of fruits and berries with invert syrup:

Long before people learned, and even more so - to make vodka in the form in which we know it, the Slavs did intoxicated mash.  In ancient times, in the latitudes where the Slavs lived, neither grapes nor sweet berries and fruits were grown, so winemaking was not known.

Replaced wine mash, which was consumed in unprocessed form. But today we’ll talk about what recipes there are for making moonshine — followed by distillation and obtaining, to one degree or another, a pure alcoholic beverage.

With the beginning of the era of moonshining, the recipes of mash for moonshine were modified, improved and this process did not stop - more and more varieties are invented. A couple of decades ago, banana or orange mash was not an exotic species, they did not exist due to the high cost, and sometimes - a shortage of these fruits. But since bananas become cheaper than apples, such species have appeared and won their supporters.

Before you start creating a brew for moonshine at home, worry about as ingredientsthat will be included in it, as well as on the preparation of dishes:

Exotic

Earlier exotic fruits were not deficit for us, therefore unusual recipes are found. We will tell you how to do it. banana mashgiving moonshine a subtle, incomparable aroma. A popular recipe is for 1 kg of bananas (necessarily - overripe) - 10 liters. water, 1 kg of sugar and 100 g of pressed yeast.

In a banana peel - up to 10% alcohol! It is cut and necessarily added to the container with the brega.

Famous fragrant orange mash. But oranges must be peeled, rid of the white part, then boiled with sugar and only then cook the mash using the usual proportions.

There is a mash of tangerines, as well - of any fruit that you have in abundance. Tangerines for mash are peeled and boiled. Citrus peels are used to infuse ready-made moonshine.

Mash is used not only for moonshining or raw consumption, but also to increase the level of CO2 in the water. There is mash for the aquarium, fermentation produces carbon (CO2), necessary for aquarium fish.

Remember! These recipes are not "frozen" in their development. Imagine, add your ingredients, share on social networks and do not forget to treat your friends with unusual and delicious home-made alcoholic drinks!

The first attempts to make good moonshine at home are not always successful. It would seem that this is complicated: I mixed sugar, water and yeast, waited until the mash stopped fermenting and passed through the apparatus. But the result for some reason is not happy ...

Let's check if we are doing everything right.

What determines the quality of the drink?

Regardless of the original product, you can always get a good result if:

• Use quality raw materials.

There are a lot of recipes for mash, ranging from sugar to exotic fruits. From rotten, moldy products we get the same mash and moonshine with an extraneous taste. Why do we need additional cleaning costs?

• Observe certain proportions when cooking mash.

Fermentation ends when the yeast processes all the sugar. And if there are a lot of them or sugar is not enough? So much for the “wrong” mash, which doesn’t even reach the condition.

• Follow the rules for distilling mash into moonshine.

The taste and quality of the drink depend on this. If everything is done correctly, to separate the "heads" and tails, then the next paragraph will not be required.

• Be able to clean and refine the final product.

This stage is for advanced winemakers. Tinctures, liquors, “cognac” and “whiskey” - something that you can’t try with some craftsmen. And it turns out pretty well!

How to put mash?

From this begins the process of obtaining moonshine. The most popular recipe for mash is water, sugar, yeast in certain proportions.

Let's see how this is done in practice.

There will be an opportunity and desire, put the mash in several containers with different yeast and compare the result.

Classic proportions

The specific amount of ingredients is calculated for each case separately, depending on the volume of the fermentation tank. For 1 kg of sugar, 100 g of ordinary yeast or 20 g of dry yeast are taken. As for water, the recommendations are different: from 3 to 5 liters. On the quality of the mash, this is reflected imperceptibly, but it matters if the capacity is small. The tank cannot be filled more than ¾, the mash is playing and an “escape” is possible. Therefore, they calculate the volume of water and the amount of sugar, respectively, capacity.

In order not to start packing started, it is convenient to make a calculation for a 5-pound bag of sugar. You will need a pack (100 g) Saf-Levyur or 500 g of ordinary pressed yeast. The required volume of water is about 20 liters.

Cooking mash

We prepare the container in which the mash will stand. A 25 liter wide-necked plastic canister will satisfy us completely. It must be washed, check the tightness of the lid and prepare a water lock.

We measure water into a large pot, pour sugar and heat, stirring, until completely dissolved. Pour the syrup into the canister and let cool to 30 degrees. At this time, pour warm water into a separate pan and put the yeast there. After about 10 minutes, you will see how active they are, they can be added to the syrup that has cooled down to the desired temperature.

Close the lid, put the shutter (or glove).

The first time of the mash requires attention. A lot of foam can stand out, a water seal will clog, the glove will burst. Keep plain cookies ready, crush one between your fingers and sprinkle crumbs on the foam - it will subside and will no longer form.

The readiness of the mash is simple to determine. The water lock stopped gurgling, the glove fell, a lit match burns at the open neck of the canister - these are signs of the completion of the fermentation process. Braga is ready for distillation.

How to make mash from jam?

No, no, and your hostess will fail in making jam. Fermented, sugared, simply stale from past years. Do not throw away?

Making mash from jam is no more difficult than from sugar. It is harder to find a large amount of "inedible" jam. For the sake of this, it is worth contacting relatives and friends, acquaintances and neighbors: each will have one or two banks.

The composition of the jam does not matter: berries, fruits, jam, jam - everything will work.

Some useful tips

• Get some good equipment.
• A factory-made moonshine made from stainless steel with a sufficient volume of distillation cube (respectively a fermentation tank) will save you from a lot of trouble and ensure the proper quality of the drink. Well, if it is with a thermometer and a steam tank.
• A water lock is not a luxury, but a convenience in work.
• When putting the mash, observe the temperature regime. 25-35 degrees - the optimum temperature for yeast. At high temperature, the yeast dies, at low - fall asleep.
• Observe the proportions of sugar. Excess sugar increases the alcohol content and leads to death of the yeast.
• Do the distillation of mash fractionally: slowly drop by drop “heads” –50 ml from each kg of sugar (used for technical needs). Then the rate of selection of alcohol can be increased. Below 40 ° - these are the “tails” (added to the next wash).
• Observe distillation safety precautions.

Found a mistake? Select it and press Shift + Enter  or

A product that is obtained by fermenting yeast in water with sugar is called braga. Stronger alcohol lovers send this "elixir" to make moonshine. But if you make it, for example, from apples, then the result is a wonderful alcoholic drink, comparable in strength to natural wine.

There are several secrets to making mash at home, which we will tell you about in this article.

The main components for cooking

We list the main components, from the correct selection of which, the manufacturing process and the quality of the mash will depend.

Yeast

They are the main component in the preparation of mash. Under the influence of enzymes - they are able to process sugar into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. The choice of yeast should be treated as responsibly as possible. Keep in mind that each of them has its own characteristics:

• Bakery

Approximately 10% ethyl alcohol and a lot of by-products are obtained. They are often used to make classic home-brew with sugar.

• Alcohol

Their use gives about 18% alcohol and also a lot of impurities

• Yeast "Whiskey"

Used to make a drink from cereal products.

• Wine

Used to make fruit wort. The result is a product containing good% alcohol and a small amount of impurities

Important ingredient - sugar

We know that alcohol is obtained as a result of the activity of alcoholic yeast, which absorb sugar and produce alcohol and by-products. But sugar is not the only way to achieve a good result.

This drink is prepared from any products that contain fructose or starch.
  For example, fruits, potatoes, berries, crops are suitable.

The third component is water

This is a very significant component for the production of mash. The taste of the future fermentation product depends on its quality. It should be tasteless and odorless, transparent, free from impurities, meeting hygiene requirements related to drinking water.

If you will use tap water, then filter it or set it to stand for a while.

Important! To put a brew for moonshine, the water should never be boiled! Because after the heat treatment, the dissolved air necessary for the yeast is lost.

What container is better to cook?

They make mash in aluminum, glass, stainless and enameled dishes. It is allowed to use plastic containers intended for food. The fermentation tank must be hermetically sealed and have a water lock that will release carbon dioxide and close the access to oxygen.

Alternatively, you can use a folk remedy and pull on a rubber medical glove with small holes on the container to release carbon dioxide. Make a puncture with an ordinary needle 3-4 times. It is convenient to control fermentation with a glove, if swollen - the process goes on, deflated - the drink is ready for the production of moonshine.

How to make mash?

How this drink is prepared is described in many recipes, but we will focus on the classic recipe.

What do you need?

We will need:

• 1 kg of sugar
• warm water 5 liters
• pressed yeast 100 g, if you take dry yeast, then you need 5 times less, namely 20 g

Cooking process:

1. First you need to dissolve sugar in water, because if it settles to the bottom and does not dissolve, it will not participate in the fermentation process
2. Then, dissolve the yeast in water, the required water temperature is 25-30 ° C, you need to add a couple of tablespoons of sugar. Remove from heat for 2 hours, stirring the leaven periodically
3. When the mixture comes to life, you should mix all the ingredients in a container in which the entire fermentation process will take place.

Important! Do not fill the wort to the top of the container, otherwise all foam will leak out. Leave about 25% to the brim.

What to do next?

Choose a warm place without drafts. The air temperature in the room must be maintained constant - not lower than 20 ° C, but also not exceed the scale of 35 ° C. It is important to understand that heat is generated during the fermentation period, so keep a regular check on the drink, and overheating there is a possibility of the death of beneficial substances.

Important! If the mash is foaming heavily, then to extinguish it, throw in it chopped cookies or dry Saf-Moment, 1 sachet will be enough.

After about 3-10 days, the mash will be ready for its further distillation into the moonshine fraction. By external signs, its readiness to determine is very simple: if carbon dioxide ceases to be released on the surface, the mash is ready. The drink should taste sour with a bitter aftertaste, without a sweet aftertaste.

As a result of fermentation, the mash becomes cloudy, and if it is used to distill moonshine, it will have a strong characteristic odor. Therefore, it must be filtered. Use gauze, waste will remain on it: drain the mash into another container, and discard the sediment. Let her stand a little and lighten.

Cooking Apple Mash

There are two options for making a drink from apples, in the first case from juice, in the second from finely chopped apples.

Apple juice mash

• Apples 15 kg
• Sugar 1 kg
• Pressed yeast 65 g, if used dry, then - 10 g

Cooking:

1. Rinse the apples and peel the kernels and seeds. Squeeze the juice. The output should be 5 liters of juice
2. Sugar with yeast must be added to the juice
3. Then put the wort in a container in which the mash of apples will be prepared. It would be nice to take a bottle and put on a medical rubber glove with holes made on top. Alternatively, you can put a water seal
4. Store in a warm, dark fermentation area for one month.
5. When the glove is deflated, drain the liquid and strain through cheesecloth
6. Next, the mixture of apples is ready for distillation in moonshine

Second option: apple mash

• Apples - 30 kg
• Water - 20 liters
• Sugar - 4 kg
• Dry yeast - 100 g

Cooking:

1. Rinse apples, remove from rot and remove cores. Cut into quarters
2. The next step is chopping apples, you can grate, chop with a blender
3. Pure applesauce with the resulting juice in a container and pour 18 liters of water
4. Dilute sugar in the remaining two liters of water until completely dissolved and pour in applesauce
5. Dilute the yeast in warm water and add to the fermentation tank, mix the contents thoroughly
6. Close the container and put in heat for 10 days. After 24 hours, a pulp cork should form on the surface, which prevents fermentation. Destroy it by stirring until a foam and a pleasant apple aroma appear

After about 10 days, the apple mash will be ready, the pulp will precipitate, the fermentation will stop. It’s time to enjoy a fine low-alcohol drink or start distilling moonshine.

Interesting! If the apples are very sweet varieties, then you can use the recipe without adding yeast and sugar.

If you decide to make a mash of apples alone, then conduct a small test to start: take 1 kg of unwashed fruits, chop them and leave them to ferment in a warm, dark place for several days, waiting for the fermentation to begin. The test will save you 30 kilograms of apples in case of failure. Please note that the fruits should be just unwashed, because yeast bacteria are present on their surface.

Grind fresh grains to a state of small grains.  To keep the taste strong, do it immediately before brewing a drink. The finer the grinding, the faster the drink will acquire a coffee taste, since the water in this case comes in contact with a large amount of coffee. If the drink, in your opinion, is too light, next time grind it thoroughly.

Increase the proportions of coffee and water.  For a regular cup of strong drink, you need to take 1 unit of coffee and 16 units of water, calculated by weight. One serving is 11 grams of coffee per 180 milliliters of water (3/4 cup). If the drink is still too weak, sprinkle more ground beans next time.

Raise the temperature of the water.  Very hot water instantly improves the taste of the drink. Most brewing methods suggest that water must be brought to a temperature of 91–96 ° C. Using an infrared thermometer, you can control the temperature of the water as accurately as possible, but you can also do this by trial and error. In most teapots, the water cools quickly, reaching the ideal temperature 10-30 seconds after boiling.

• Do not raise the temperature above 96 ° C, otherwise coffee will lose its taste.
• If you are above 1200 meters above sea level, pour water as soon as it boils.