The reasons for the long fermentation and why the mash does not ferment? What to do if the mash is sweet.

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Sometimes it may happen that the mash does not ferment. At the same time, they use good yeast, clean water and quality raw materials. But the fact remains. What to do in such a situation? It is a pity if the product has to be poured. Can it be saved in some way? In order to find a solution to this issue, you must first understand the causes of fermentation..

Why is there no fermentation

Braga is literally alive. Yeast works tirelessly in it. These are special mushrooms, for which the environment in which they live is extremely important. This directly affects their viability.

Alcohol is a by-product of yeast. It is also carbonic eye, which is produced from sugar. In order for the yeast to be constantly at maximum activity, and the mash is fertile, you need:

Indispensable nutrition. Braga should contain a sufficient amount of vitamins, sugar and important trace elements. The priority raw materials are cereals and fruits. Sugar or inverted syrup is added to them, which increases the sugar content.
Optimal temperature. A wide temperature range is suitable for yeast. How many degrees are optimal? They become more active at temperatures from +22 to +28.

It is important to take into account not only the activity of yeast, but also other subtleties. Among them:

The container must be completely sealed. A special water seal is used. It freely releases carbon dioxide to the outside, but oxygen cannot penetrate inside. Accordingly, the mash will not oxidize and will not turn into vinegar.
It is important to observe the optimal proportions of the liquid base, sugar and yeast.
The use of excellent quality water also plays an important role.
It is also worth considering the type of yeast and its quality.

The quality of fermentation is affected great amount all sorts of factors. But it is extremely difficult to kill the braga completely. Such situations happen extremely rarely, so you don’t have to worry about this.

If it seems to you that the mash is completely spoiled, most likely it is not. Most likely, there was a decline or an insufficient increase in yeast activity. Why is the fermentation process disturbed? And what can be done about it?

Braga does not wander. What's happened

It is worth mentioning right away that you can objectively assess the intensity of the fermentation process only if you use a transparent fermentation container (usually made of glass). You will see boiling activity and color. With this, you will immediately understand what to do.

If the container is opaque, you should focus only on the water seal. But it often happens that with a non-intensive fermentation process, gurgling is absent. What to do? No need to hurry. It is best to use a fermentation tank, which has a faucet at the bottom. This will allow you to drain the mash and evaluate how good it is. Why does fermentation take a long time or stop altogether:

It's just been too long. Braga does not always play right away. It all depends on the temperature, type of yeast, raw materials and the method of introducing yeast directly into the wort (in a diluted form or not). Signs of fermentation: hissing, foaming, bubbles, and a characteristic smell appear quite often only after a few hours. If the mash did not start, and more than 8 hours have passed, then something has gone wrong and it is important to do something about it.
The temperature of the air and the wort dropped. You just need to move the mash to another place where it is much warmer. In this case, the room should be well ventilated. During fermentation, a large amount of carbon dioxide is released. This should not be forgotten. If the volume of mash is large, and fermentation takes place at night, when you sleep, in best case you'll get away with the usual headache.
The proportions were not met. If you do not know how much sugar to take, know that 3 liters of purified water and 70 grams of yeast are taken per 1 kilogram of it. If you are using natural products: pears, plums or apricots, for example, it is important to consider their sugar content. At the same time, tables that can be found in large numbers on the Internet will not help much here. This indicator is constantly changing even for one tree.
You just need to add 50 grams of yeast per 10 kg of raw materials. Also, 50 grams of yeast is taken for each kilogram of sugar, if you want to fix the mash that you have already spoiled, it is important to know which ingredient you did not report.

Accordingly, the missing water, yeast or sugar should be added.
Wrong sugar content. Before fermentation begins, the must must contain at least 20% sugar. If the sugar content is high, it will prevent fermentation.
Also, too much sugar can increase the strength of the mash. Most yeast will stop working if the ABV is over 14%.. If there is a lot of sugar, the mash gains strength quickly, but at the same time, the yeast simply does not have time to process the existing sugar into alcohol.

If there is little sugar, the yeast will work faster. But at the same time, distillation will require more time and energy. More liquid will have to be heated.

How much sugar to take? It is best to find a middle ground. If the sugar content is high, just add water. It should be cold or warmed up to 30 degrees.
Poor quality yeast. Active pressed yeast is always a uniform grayish or yellowish color. At the same time, their consistency is firm in moderation. They keep in the refrigerator for a maximum of 12 days. If a putrid, musty smell appears, this indicates that the product is spoiled.
Dry yeast should be free-flowing.

If the sugar content and temperature of the mash are normal, you should simply add other yeast.
The water is of poor quality. It cannot be boiled, distilled or passed through reverse osmosis systems. Fermentation can stop if there is a lot of chlorine and other substances harmful to bacteria in the water. If this happens, you need to add high-quality water to the mash (from 50 to 100%);
There was a depressurization of the water seal. If this problem is not noticed in time, the mash will simply turn into vinegar. After that, it will be useless to add sugar or yeast. You are just wasting your money. You just have to pour the vinegar, leaving it a small amount of for cooking meat with marinade. You just need to put the braga again.

Don't overthink your choice of yeast. If you decide to make mash, it is not necessary to purchase special spirits. They, however, have one significant advantage: increased resistance to alcohol.

They allow you to quickly process sugar into alcohol. if “exit” is essential for you, it is worth taking alcohol yeast. If you have high-quality bakery at hand, you can safely use them.

Do not be afraid of sulfur oxide or excessive foaming. Sulfur oxide appears when alcohol yeast is used. Foam is completely normal. This phenomenon is completely harmless. It will allow you to see that fermentation is taking place.

Many people are engaged in moonshine in our time. Beginning moonshiners often ask themselves the question: what to do if the mash is sweet? If you calculate the proportions correctly and use selected ingredients, you should end up with an excellent product.

Alcohol is always present in human life. Whether it's a holiday, just a meeting of old friends or the preparation of a medicinal tincture, moonshine was and is best product for use. The cheapness of the drink, high quality - these are only two reasons that contribute to the popularity of home brewing. The process is very simple: mix sugar, water and yeast. But in any technology there is always something difficult. Making mash is only the first step to end result. Driving moonshine with a modern apparatus is not so difficult. The main thing is to create all the conditions for the brew to turn out.

Fermentation conditions

To understand why Braga stopped playing, you need to know the intricacies of the technology. The fermentation process is quite simple: yeast bacteria actively process sugar into liquid, while the product of their vital activity, alcohol, is released. When its concentration begins to exceed 12%, yeast bacteria die and fermentation stops. In the active phase of the process, foam forms on the surface of the mash, so experts often advise not to fill the vessel to the top, but only by a third. Then the foam leaves, and carbon dioxide begins to be released from the liquid, which extinguishes the flame brought to the surface of the solution.

At the final stage, after increasing the concentration of alcohol, the bacteria die, the mash becomes transparent, and a sediment can be observed at the bottom.

Temperature plays an important role in the fermentation process. Everyone knows that yeast loves heat, “fall asleep” when low temperatures and die at high enough. Therefore, anyone who wants to bring the fermentation process to its logical conclusion needs to know which temperature conditions required to create for the active life of yeast. All about the process of mash fermentation, see this video:

It is possible to almost completely stop the work of yeast bacteria if the temperature of the mash drops below 18ºС. And when heated above 32ºС, bacteria die. So the conclusion is: optimum temperature for active processing of sugar by yeast is from 20 to 25ºС. When kneading the mash, warm water is used, which immediately starts the fermentation process. But if you do not wrap the container, or do not put it in a warm place, over time it will cool down and the yeast will “hibernate”.

One of the reasons for stopping fermentation is the failure to comply with the necessary proportions. Too much sugar in the water can act as a preservative. Another problem in this case can be a high concentration of alcohol, which will lead to the death of yeast bacteria, and they will not have time to process all the sugar.

What to do with unfermented mash

Before sounding the alarm, you need to think about whether it’s too early to want a result. Do not wait for the appearance of foam on the surface of the liquid immediately. Depending on the kneading process and the quality of the products used, fermentation can start even after 8 hours.

If the diagnosis of “freezing” is made, then in order to begin the process of resuscitation of fermentation, you need to understand the reasons for what happened.

If there were violations of the temperature regime, you should simply put the container in a warm place. In case of overheating, only a new portion of fresh yeast can save the situation.

Perhaps the problem lies in an overdose of sugar. On initial stage its concentration should not exceed 15-20%. After analyzing the amount of added sugar, we draw conclusions. If it is too large and led to the death of bacteria, you need to add water and, of course, live yeast. Otherwise, you need to give them more raw materials for processing, that is, add sugar.

Also, the use of low-quality yeast can be a problem. Partially or completely dead bacteria in this product may either not start the fermentation process at all, or not bring it to the end. In this case, you need to buy a new, better product, and add it to the sweet liquid. Live alcohol yeast is best, not dry.

The quality of the water is of great importance. Chlorinated water can stop the fermentation process and even kill yeast bacteria. It is better to use oxygen-rich filtered, spring, well or bottled drinking water.

A few last words

It happens that all measures for the resuscitation of the mash did not lead to a positive result. What to do in this case? You can simply pour out the liquid and forever give up trying to become a successful moonshiner. However, let's not forget that in the case of busting with the amount of sugar, the alcohol in the mash has already reached the required level. In this case, the product should be distilled, although the yield of vodka will be much less than originally planned. But this does not matter either: unprocessed sugar remains in the stillage. To this residue, you just need to add water, yeast and half of the amount of sugar that was originally introduced. See the recipe for a proper marriage in this video:

Experienced moonshiners even believe that such a mash can produce more of the final product, and the fermentation time in this case will be several days less.

It is impossible to ignore such a question as unusual raw materials for home brewing. After all, you can use not only sugar, but also products containing it. The well-known Buryachanka is made from sugar beet cake, available to almost everyone who lives in the provinces. Due to the rawness of the beets, vodka can turn out with an unpleasant smell and taste, but this is unlikely to stop anyone. When mixing mash, sour jam, honey, ripe or rotten fruits are often used. In such cases, you must comply correct proportions, however, for experienced moonshiners this is not a particular problem, and vodka will turn out with the taste of the raw materials used.

The quality of the resulting moonshine and the speed of its preparation from the initial ingredients worries many moonshiners. Every question that even remotely concerns the possibility of improving these parameters is discussed on the forums with a large number of arguments for and against, and disputes sometimes reach conflicts. The same applies to stirring the mash, namely, is it necessary to stir the mash during fermentation?

Mixing mash

Since this issue is being discussed quite vigorously, on the forums of moonshiners you can find a lot of examples given when mixing the mash is still necessary. If you do not consider the process of elementary acceleration of fermentation, then you can hear the following arguments:

In the manufacture of mash from fruit raw materials, mixing leads to greater fermentation, especially the dense part. When using flour (not cereals) for the manufacture of mash, it can also settle to the bottom, and then the yeast does not reach the lower layers. Sometimes you can solve this problem by simply shaking the container, but you will have to do this several times a day, which is quite difficult.
Some moonshiners note the souring of yeast in the foam.
In some cases agitation is required if, for example, pulp is floating on top of the foam.
Another opinion regarding this is due to the fact that a certain amount of solid surfaces is necessary for the formation of gas bubbles, and if they are not enough, then the liquid can be oversaturated with CO2, which will inhibit the fermentation process.

The main problem in mixing the mash is the fact that it must be done without air access. Therefore, such a method as simply using a wooden spoon or stick for this when removing the water seal is not suitable.

1) Many use a magnetic stirrer for this purpose. Then, at the cooking stage, a magnetic stirrer anchor is placed in the wash, which looks like a small capsule. After the container is closed, it is placed on the stirrer platform and the mixing process is started. The advantage of such a stirrer is that you can adjust how long the process takes; as a rule, it is not too noisy and compact.

There are heated magnetic stirrers, this will be a very useful attribute when preparing mash, since at a temperature of 28-30 degrees the fermentation process is more efficient. But it will need to be regulated, and this requires additional installation of a thermometer. When using a magnetic stirrer, you should be very careful, as many of them are compact in size. This imposes certain restrictions on the weight that can be placed on them, because their main purpose is to mix reagents in small containers in a chemical laboratory.

IN last resort you can make your own magnetic stirrer. But for this you need to have some knowledge in electronics.

2) Another quite affordable option is to buy a special water seal, which is designed in such a way that it allows you to mix the mash. The main disadvantage is that you have to do it manually.

3) The other is an aquarium pump. You need to use a more powerful one. She dives into herself. But there is an opinion that the aquarium pump cannot cope with mixing the mash, since it is designed for clean water.

As the experience of many moonshiners shows, this is not so. True, in this case, it is hardly suitable for pumping mash from container to container, but for this, many adapt the pump from the washing machine. The main problem with the aquarium pump is that if the solution is heated in parallel, and the pump suddenly turns on, then the mash can boil. To do this, you need to have a very powerful water seal.

4) Vibration unit for mixing mash. The principle of such an installation is similar to special machines that are used to shrink tiles or concrete. The principle of their work is that they make the bubbles move up. One of the options for such a stirrer is a design that mixes the mash in a small container, while rotating the entire container. But it is suitable only if the mash is in bottles or jars of no more than two liters, which is not always convenient.

Ultrasonic washing machines are also adapted for this purpose, special mixers are made with blades at the bottom of the fermentation vessel, and so on. Everyone chooses for himself the most successful design.

The main disadvantages of mixing mash

The question of whether it is necessary to interfere with the mash during fermentation is often asked by novice moonshiners. There are several arguments that are given as an argument "for", in particular, that the mixing process significantly speeds up the fermentation. Without additional devices, the mash is unlikely to stand for more than two weeks.

Most often, even with them, the gain will be insignificant - a day or two. Another thing is that some moonshiners on the Internet promise to speed up this process to a day or so. But think about it, will such a mash be done correctly? Wouldn't the output from it be too small? Many moonshiners come to the conclusion that moonshine is a process that does not tolerate haste.

Yeast, which are living microorganisms, takes part in the fermentation process. So they still need some time to do their job. Many moonshiners prove from their own experience that the process of mixing the mash in total does not affect the time of its readiness.

Why is it not necessary to interfere with the mash?

What happens in mash during fermentation:

1) The most favorable conditions are created, first of all, this means the absence of oxygen. Also very important temperature regime and the presence of sucrose. After all conditions are met, the process of processing sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide begins.

2) Next, the yeast is distributed evenly throughout the container through a process similar to boiling. Small bubbles of carbon dioxide rise from the bottom and walls, similar to a bottle of champagne or other carbonated drink. The same process includes mixing: together with gas bubbles, yeast particles move from the lower level to the upper one.

3) Gradually the yeast descends, and top part precipitated. This is because alcohol accumulates on top, and a sufficient amount of it leads to the fact that the yeast falls into suspended animation.

Why does alcohol get to the top of the vessel? From the school physics course, we know that its density is less than the density of water, the more sugary liquid that settles to the bottom of the tank. Next, the yeast is precipitated naturally. Therefore, a natural thing happens, which is necessary, otherwise the yeast will then burn in the distillation vessel, thereby worsening the taste and smell of the product. It turns out the following: by lifting a sugary liquid from the bottom of the mash and mixing it with alcohol, we, on the contrary, slow down the fermentation process.

The process of degassing mash

Degassing is the process of mixing the mash at the end of the fermentation process. More precisely, this is a whole range of measures aimed at removing carbon dioxide from the mash before distillation.

Why is this needed? In the process of fermentation, yeast, as already mentioned, process sugar. Moreover, one molecule of glucose is converted into two molecules of ethanol and two molecules of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide creates excess pressure in the tank, and it must be removed. For this purpose, there is a water seal. It is a special water lock that releases carbon dioxide and prevents oxygen from getting inside.

As the process progresses, fermentation weakens, and the gas does not come out so much. At the very end, some of it remains in the inner layers of the liquid. Depending on the type of raw material, temperature and duration, some amount of carbon dioxide remains.

When making a carbonated alcoholic beverage, some carbon dioxide is a must. Sometimes, in order for gas to be present there, the fermentation process is restarted for a while. But usually in mash, gas is specially artificially removed.

They do this so that during distillation there is no increased foaming, which in turn leads to flooding. moonshine still and spray. In the first case, the distillate goes into the receiving container with spitting, in the second it becomes cloudy due to the fact that part of the mash enters the coil.

Theoretically, if you leave the fermentation tank open for a few days, the gas will come out on its own. But with the access of air, the conversion of mash and alcohol into vinegar is activated, and the quality of the moonshine will deteriorate at the output and its quantity will decrease.

How is mash degassed?

After the end of fermentation, the mash must be drained from the sediment - its liquid part is poured through a tube into another container.

Next, the actual bubbles are removed. This can be done in two main ways: heating and stirring. In the first case, the mash is poured into a saucepan or into a bucket with a wide neck diameter. It is desirable that the container be made of stainless steel, but enameled is also suitable. Next, the mash is heated to 50 degrees at maximum heating power and periodically mixed. They wait until bubbles begin to rise from the bottom of the mash, and immediately remove it.

Since the process is fast, and the temperature to which the mash is heated is low, this prevents it from rotting. The disadvantage of this method is that it is rather cumbersome, since quite large batches of liquid have to be poured from vessel to vessel several times.

Mixing is usually done using a hammer drill, drill or aquarium pump. The first method is more reliable, as it is done faster. In order to mix the mash with a drill, you must have a construction nozzle, which is mainly intended for diluting plaster mixtures. It, of course, must be new, since it is problematic to completely clean it.

We lower the drill into a container with mash and turn it on for five to seven minutes until the smell of carbon dioxide released from the vessel disappears. Important: to mix the mash with a drill, you must use only plastic barrels.

After degassing, you can use bentonite, gelatin or tea to clarify the mash. The distillation technique does not change when the mash is degassed, but in this case, 10% more raw materials can be poured into the distillation cube.

How else to speed up the fermentation process?

As you can see, there are arguments both for and against mixing mash. In any case, if you do not know how best to proceed, then you should not touch it. More experienced moonshiners can be advised: carefully monitor the technology of the mixing process and in no case allow the mash to be saturated with oxygen.

Some are trying to experiment: will the mash be ready earlier. To do this, it is worth recalling that the fermentation process depends on a large number factors, only with the simultaneous observance of which it can be said that the mixing itself somehow influenced.

If you still decide to resort to methods that speed up the fermentation process, then follow these basic recommendations that will help make the alcohol yield optimal:

It is necessary to ensure the complete tightness of the container under the water seal.
Keep the mash indoors, the temperature in which is about 25 degrees. In this case, it is necessary that the number of vibrations be minimal.
Use only high-quality yeast, best tested in practice or recommended by friends. Try not to experiment with proportions.
Do not drain the mash ahead of time, let it stand longer. It is optimal that this period exceeds a week.

And most importantly, do not interfere with Braga calmly “play”: it has been proven by many that she herself will ripen without your participation. Sometimes, if necessary, you can shake it up. As a last resort, if you need to get moonshine as soon as possible and at the same time you are ready to sacrifice its quantity, remove the mash earlier. But it is recommended to do this only as a last resort.

As you can see, the question of the need to mix the mash is quite difficult. Before making a decision, it is worth weighing all the pros and cons, it would also be useful to try this method on a small amount of raw materials. In most cases, mixing the mash is not required and can affect it for the worse. But in principle, mixing is not always superfluous, at least in situations in which it becomes necessary. But you need to do this wisely and prevent oxygen from entering the container with mash, violating its tightness.

The most important detail in home brewing is a properly prepared mash. You can determine its status with special tools. But any moonshiner with experience can determine its readiness by external and taste characteristics. For people who first decide to start moonshine, it can be difficult to determine whether the mash is ready for distillation or not.

Folk ways to determine readiness

The quality of moonshine depends on the readiness of the mash for distillation. It is very important not to miss this moment and learn how to determine it correctly. If the mash is overexposed, it will become sour and the taste of moonshine will deteriorate. And with early distillation, there is a smaller yield, which is why some of the sugar disappears. To find out that the mash is ready for distillation, there are several proven folk methods. To make the result more accurate, use all methods at once:

By time. You can determine how much mash for moonshine should cost by time, but you should not completely rely on this method, since it is not too accurate. For fermentation simple sugar mash, which includes water, sugar and yeast, takes from 4 to 14 days. It depends on the temperature and humidity of the room, as well as on the quality of the raw materials used. (with starch content) about 3-7 days is sufficient. The longest period of 20 to 60 days is required for grape mash without yeast.
By type. If the foam ceases to stand out, the hissing stops and no bubbles appear on the surface, the mash is ready. In this case, the remains of the yeast will settle to the bottom, and the top layer of the mash will become light.
Taste. The most accurate way to determine the quality and readiness of mash is the taste. The sweet taste suggests that little time has passed and the yeast did not have time to process all the sugar into alcohol. Taste with bitterness - mash is ready for distillation.
With a match. Carbon dioxide released during fermentation large quantities displaces oxygen from the bottle. This allows you to determine the readiness of the mash. A lit match is brought to the surface. If it is damp, then the fermentation process is still going on. If the match continues to burn, then, therefore, the fermentation is over and you can start distillation.

Professional verification method

Two devices will help to accurately verify the quality of the final product: a hydrometer and an alcoholometer. Even experienced moonshiners instead folk methods prefer to use these instruments, which are the most accurate. But since during such a check the mash will have to be drained, they are used for fermentation tanks with faucets. Ways to determine the readiness of mash for distillation using instruments:

Need to know! The resulting mash is needed immediately, as it is not stored for a long time.

Inventory for must be clean, otherwise any contamination can spoil the taste of the product. Therefore, the container is thoroughly washed in hot water and dry. As an inventory you can use:

It is important to know! Do not use galvanized dishes for fermentation. With prolonged contact of the liquid with zinc, the metal is oxidized, and for a person this threatens with serious diseases. Experts recommend using 25-38-liter plastic milk cans. Stainless, enameled, porcelain and aluminum containers are suitable.

Raw material preparation

For the preparation of raw materials, it is recommended to take 3-4 liters of water and 100 g of live yeast per 1 kg of sugar. You can spoil the mash imperceptibly if you shift the extra yeast. To ferment the wort faster, add mineral supplement. Top dressing is not needed if berries or juice are added to the composition. From 1 kg of sugar, 1 liter of moonshine is obtained. Cooking takes place in stages:

To obtain 5 liters of forty-degree moonshine, 6 kg of sugar, 120 g of dry yeast and about 27 liters of water are required.
First of all, prepare the water. distilled and boiled water does not fit. It is better to use spring water or draw from a tap and let it stand for several days. Then yeast is added to the water and put in a warm place for half an hour. If foam appears, then a small amount is poured into the composition ground crackers or dry biscuits. This will help stop the fermentation.
Then we prepare sugar syrup . Stir 6 kg of sugar with 3.12 liters of water, bring to a boil and add 4.8 citric acid. The syrup is boiled at 100-degree temperature from 1.5 to 2 hours.
Ready syrup is poured with water. Rye bread crushed and added to the wort. For every 50 liters of wort, there is half a loaf. Thiamine can be added if desired.
To keep the yeast from dying, you need to monitor the temperature of the finished wort. It should be at the level of 30 degrees, but not exceed 35 degrees. Warming the container with a blanket or fur coat will help to avoid temperature fluctuations.
In a lid that is put on a jar, make holes. A water dispenser with a tube brought out to the outside will help get rid of bad smell released during fermentation.
The wort is stirred every 12 hours for a minute.

If the raw materials were prepared correctly, then the mash will be ready in 2-4 days.

There are a few little tricks that will help speed up the maturation of the mash. This is the conversion of sugar into syrup, compliance with the thermal regime and top dressing. Professional moonshiners have been using them for a long time and apply them with great success. It takes little time to prepare, and the result is of high quality and on time.

sugar processing. In order for yeast microorganisms to multiply several times faster and better process sugar into alcohol, they produce. Sugar inversion is the preparation of a simple syrup where sucrose is converted to glucose. In this form, the sugar becomes more accessible to the yeast. Sugar 3 kg diluted in 1.5 liters warm water. Then bring to a boil and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, removing the foam that appears from the surface. Then slowly add to the mixture citric acid- 12 g. At this point, large amounts of foam will begin to form from the acid. The fire is set to a minimum, and the container is covered with a lid. Continue to cook for 1 hour. Before use, the finished syrup is cooled.
Compliance with the thermal regime. Subject to the correct thermal regime, the mash will be ready at the appointed time. It is very difficult to constantly maintain a room temperature of 28 degrees. Therefore, it is possible to keep the heat released inside the bottle during hydrolysis by covering it with a warm blanket or an old coat (fur coat). You can also maintain the temperature in the room with the help of an aquarium heater, while not being afraid of excessive overheating. A stove or heating equipment helps a lot. It is enough to put a bottle next to them.
Top dressing. yeast mushrooms are simple unicellular microorganisms. Their nutrition requires not only sugar, but also minerals that experienced moonshiners add to the water. Half a loaf of crumbled brown bread is added to a 15-liter bottle. Instead of bread, you can use about 10 crushed berries or replace them with 100 g of freshly squeezed juice. Can be mixed with water 150 g tomato paste and add it to the mash. Fermentation will pass quickly, and moonshine will be soft when sprouted and dried grains are added. Very rarely, nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers or rotted chicken manure are used as top dressing. Moonshiners who prepare moonshine for themselves do not use this top dressing.

Do not forget about mixing the mash. If you shake the bottle with a closed water seal twice a day, the carbon dioxide released by the yeast will evaporate, and the fermentation process will be more active.

Fermentation problems and their elimination

If you find that the mash is not good, you need to establish the cause and try to eliminate it. The reason may be hidden in slow fermentation, excess sugar or poor raw materials:

extra sugar. When, according to all indications, it is clear that the fermentation has stopped, but the taste of the mash remains sweet, it means that the components were added in the wrong ratio. Fermentation stopped when the alcohol content reached a critical state. Therefore, yeast microorganisms did not have time to process excess sugar. To fix the problem, you need to reduce the strength of the mash by adding water to it.
Fermentation has become slow. If all signs show that fermentation continues, but the set period has expired, then unfavorable temperature conditions have been created in the room. At a temperature of +26 to +28 degrees, the vital activity of yeast microorganisms passes quickly, and at a temperature of +18-30 degrees - medium, which is also acceptable. At lower temperatures, fermentation does not stop, but becomes much slower. To fix the problem, the container is transferred to a warm place or carefully insulated.
Poor quality raw materials. Sometimes fermentation does not start, although all the temperature and prescription conditions were met. This is due to not very good raw materials. You can check how good quality purchased yeast, dropping them for 30 minutes in a glass with warm water to which 2 tablespoons of sugar are added. The formation of foam on the surface indicates that the yeast is suitable for use.

Attention, only TODAY!

In the process of making the mash, shortcomings may appear that will directly affect the quality and yield of moonshine - sweet mash, strong foaming, mold.

You can determine how ready the mash is for distillation by several indicators:

The liquid has become transparent.
No more carbon dioxide is released. It can be determined by a lit match brought to the throat of the container, the flame should not go out.
The taste of mash became bitter with sourness.

The drink acquires such qualities after the yeast has finished its work and dies. Ordinary baker's yeast perishes when it reaches a strength of 11 degrees, and special wine ones can withstand 14-17 degrees.

For start-up manufacturers homemade alcohol, there may be problems with the quality of the beer drink, which should be corrected.

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Bad, this is when the fermentation process is completed, and the mash has a sweet taste, that is, it is not ready. Such a situation can occur if the yeast has died or their quantity has decreased and, of course, the sugar has not been completely processed and, most likely, it will be necessary to allow the wort to finish playing. If you start distilling such a mash, you can lose in the amount of homemade moonshine.

There are a number of errors that lead to the fact that the mash remains sweet, that is, not finished:

The recipe incorrectly calculated the amount of water and sugar. The larger the volume of water, the longer the yeast retains its performance at a higher percentage of alcohol.
Expired or poor quality yeast.
Low wort temperature. At temperatures below 18 degrees, the fermentation process stops.
Heat. If the temperature of the drink exceeds 32 degrees, the yeast dies. The optimum temperature for fermentation is 23-25 degrees.

If the mash does not play and it tastes sweet, you can try to make corrections using the following methods:

Raise the temperature to 25-28 degrees.
Shake the must.
If there is a lot of sugar in the mash, you need to add water.
Remove sediment and add fresh yeast to finish the drink.
Additional feeding with boiled peas or carbamide can help.

If it is not possible to finish the mash, then there is nothing else left but to start distilling the product. Sugar that has not been processed will remain in the vinasse. The following should be done with it: water, fresh yeast culture and sugar are added, while water and yeast are taken according to the recipe, and the amount of sugar is reduced by half and the fermentation process is restarted.

Increased foaming and ejection of mash over the edge of the container

At the very beginning, the mash begins to ferment actively, and a lot of foam is formed, which, if something is not done in time, can overflow over the edges of the container, and part of the mash wort may be lost. Active foaming occurs mainly if conventional baker's yeast. When using alcohol or wine yeast, foam is formed much less.

In order to prevent splashing of the mash, the container should not be filled to the brim, be sure to leave room for foam. You can also use different kinds of defoamers:

Leading into the wort vegetable oil or melted fat.
Applying ordinary cookie crumbs to the surface.
Adding dry yeast in a bag, for example, "Saf-Moment".
Use an aquarium pump to create a constant circulation.

Such a nuisance as mold on mash can appear as a result of a lack of sugar, the use of raw materials infected with a mold fungus, and prolonged fermentation at low temperatures. When preparing mash must on grape pomace, mold can get along with the fruits. Usage plastic containers also contributes to the formation of mold.

At the initial stage of infection, the mash wort can still be saved. The following steps will help correct the situation. A small hole is made in the mold film and a hose is inserted through it into the container, through which the mash is pumped into another container. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that mold does not get there.

High-quality cooked mash is especially valuable for making homemade alcoholic beverages(vodka, homemade cognac, chacha). If you drive alcohol using distillation column, then improve taste qualities mash is not required, since in this case the same alcohol is obtained, regardless of the raw materials used.