What is alcohol yeast and why is it better for a moonshiner? Types, composition, cooking at home. Why alcohol yeast is better than baker's yeast

Making homemade alcoholic beverages is a fun activity. The danger of being poisoned by counterfeit products is real even when buying expensive drinks in reputable stores. Self-made alcohol guarantees the absence of substances hazardous to human health in the final product. But the quality, flavor variety, ensures the skill of the manufacturer, the choice of yeast for mash and other ingredients.

Why do we need yeast

In the process of making a strong drink, the quality of all components is important, but you should pay special attention to the choice of yeast. After all, ethyl alcohol, the main component of moonshine, is a waste product of yeast fungi that process the sugars contained in mash.

Yeast for moonshine differ among themselves in the degree of resistance to external influences, the habitat, the intensity of reproduction and the temperature at which particularly rapid growth occurs.

Types of yeast

Yeast is actively used in the food industry and home-made drinks or bread.

bakery

Baker's yeast is ideal for making bread, rolls, pies, but it is not recommended to use it for mash. Novice distillers choose baker's yeast for sugar mash and are disappointed in the quality of the final product. It’s impossible to say that it turns out just awful, but it’s better to use specialized strains.

Brewing

Special yeasts have been created for brewing, which are not quite suitable for making strong alcohol. The concentration of alcohol in beer is low, a maximum of 10-12 degrees, but too much foam is formed.

Wine

Wine yeast can be wild or cultivated specifically for winemaking. Wild ones are present on the surface of fruits, berries and grapes. A pure yeast culture is produced in special facilities and can be used to make moonshine with fruit or sugar, resulting in an excellent end product. The disadvantage is the high cost, but it is offset by low consumption, for example, for 10 liters of mash, you only need 2-4 g.

Alcoholic

Alcoholic yeast is the best choice in the production of moonshine. Specially grown strains are designed to quickly produce strong alcoholic beverages. There are both conventional and turbo, the latter differ in that they can withstand a high concentration of alcohol up to 20% and the content of special top dressing, which speeds up the fermentation process. But there is also a minus, during too active fermentation, a lot of side and unnecessary substances and alcohols are accumulated.

Special

There are also specialized yeasts for cereals, for malt brews and for specific drinks like whiskey, rum, etc. The disadvantage is again the price, but it's worth it, the output will be a quality product, if you are striving to get the best drink at the output, then do not regret .

Benefits of alcohol yeast

When selecting yeast for mash, a distiller must take into account several particularly important parameters.

The strength of the finished mash. If you use alcohol yeast for moonshine, this will provide a strength of mash up to 17 degrees.
Minimum level of foaming. Such yeasts are distinguished by a small amount of foam during the fermentation process.
Odor intensity. A low and not too unpleasant odor is guaranteed.
A high fermentation rate is guaranteed if you put the mash on Turbo yeast, the presence of top dressing in them guarantees a high speed of work.

Pressed and dry yeast

What yeast is better to use for mash, pressed or dry? Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Pressed yeast for the bakery industry is inexpensive and can be purchased anywhere. Pressed ones work a little faster and ferment up to 12% alcohol. However, their shelf life is limited. Without a refrigerator, they are stored for only one day, and when cooled, no more than 2 weeks. If stored incorrectly, they lose their working capacity, they may not rise. It is desirable to “feed” the wort for their more active work.

Dry yeast gives a stable result with a practically unlimited shelf life. They are easy to use, picking up by weight. The only thing is that it is recommended to “wake up” the yeast, that is, pour it with warm sweetened water, let it stand for fifteen minutes, then put it into the wort, but you can do without this procedure simply by scattering it over the surface. A raised head of foam indicates the activation of dry yeast. The quality of the mash turns out to be no worse than the one put on the pressed ones.

Even when working with special alcohol varieties of mash on sugar syrup, you should “feed” so that the yeast feels comfortable and actively multiplies. A good top dressing is baked rye bread, crushed fresh berries, dried fruits, potatoes. To get a quality result, you need natural products. It is better not to use canned compotes, jam, as they contain stabilizers, preservatives that inhibit the activity of yeast

The container with mash should be kept in a calm and moderately warm place, without sudden changes in temperature and drafts. There is no need to specially heat the mash. On the contrary, it is necessary to ensure that the temperature does not rise above 35-40 degrees, since the yeast dies from overheating.

So what to choose?

We recommend using wine yeast for fruit mash, but it can also be used for sugar mash. For grains and malts, respectively, specialized varieties. Spirits are suitable for both moonshine and vodka, we recommend using bakery only for vodka i.e. for the mash, which will then go for rectification.

Before everyone who decides to make moonshine at home, sooner or later the question arises: which yeast to choose? There are a wide variety of manufacturers and types of yeast, from bakery to beer, but to make the right choice, you need to understand the process of alcohol production.

Note! Yeast does not tolerate sunlight well, so the fermentation process is best done in dark dishes, observing the temperature regime.

Specialists of the Samogon-men Internet magazine have collected all the necessary information for you in order to understand the chemistry of the process and understand for yourself all the intricacies of the production of alcoholic beverages. By reading our articles, you will become an expert in home brewing.

Yeast for making moonshine is the most important component. And not all fit. If it is not possible to buy alcohol yeast, then you can cook at home.

Home winemaking is gaining momentum and becoming more and more popular. More and more people began to make their own moonshine. Once upon a time, mash could only be put on ordinary baker's yeast. Today, this situation has improved a lot and you can buy wine yeast for moonshine.

Without this component, moonshine will not work. This is the most important component due to which fermentation occurs. Alcoholic yeast for moonshine is the best option. But if there is no opportunity to purchase them, then you can use homemade or dry ones.

Varieties

They can be divided into several types:

bakery, which are used for the manufacture of bakery products both at home and in production. They are not the best suited for moonshine and reduce the quality of mash.
Vines are used in the production of wine. They are not used in moonshine because of their high cost and not the most suitable chemical properties.
Beer is produced artificially and used as food additives. They are categorically not suitable for the production of moonshine.
Alcoholic yeast for moonshine is the best option. Alcohol is obtained from them under industrial conditions.

Benefits of alcohol yeast

To the question of which yeast is best suited for moonshine, there is one answer - alcohol. They begin active life just at the temperature of the preparation of the mash. They also have better resistance to high concentrations of alcohol.

Benefits of alcohol yeast:

the shortest fermentation time. Braga can already be distilled in 5-6 days;
are highly durable. They are able to live in Braga at an alcohol concentration of up to 18%. It follows from this that using alcohol yeast for moonshine, its yield will be greater;
during fermentation there is no abundant foam. Therefore, no defoamer is needed.

Baker's yeast in the preparation of moonshine

If it is not possible to buy alcohol yeast for making moonshine, then you can use baking dry yeast. They show good results when used correctly.

The most suitable option is Saf Levure. But in order for them to work better, you need to change them a little, thereby eliminating some unnecessary strains.

You need to take the yeast and place it in water with a temperature of 30-35 degrees. After half an hour, you need to give them sugar to feed and add alcohol so that the total strength of the solution is 4-5%.

Let's look at a specific example to make it clearer. Dilute 2 tablespoons of yeast in a liter of warm water. Then add a couple of tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of flour and 100 ml of 40% vodka. Cover the container and leave, shaking it periodically, for a day.

Why is it necessary to do this?

Alcohol kills weak strains almost immediately. As a result, unwanted yeast aroma is excluded.
In this way, fermentation with a large foam can be avoided. Braga will ferment evenly.
The yield of moonshine is increased due to the fact that weak strains have been excluded. In the distillate, the amount of both tail and head impurities is significantly reduced.

How to cook yeast for moonshine

If there is no opportunity to buy alcohol yeast for moonshine, then you can cook them yourself at home.

To prepare rye yeast, you need 400 g of hops. It must be poured into a saucepan with the addition of 6 liters of water. Boil for three hours with the lid closed, stirring regularly. After let cool to a temperature of 35-40 degrees and strain. Add 4 cups of rye malt, 4 cups of wheat flour and 1 cup of baker's yeast to the solution. Mix everything thoroughly and leave in a warm place for 24 hours. After the lapse of time, pack in jars or bottles and cork tightly.

You can cook homemade yeast in other ways:

On beer. To do this, combine 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of warm water. Put the mixture in heat for 6 hours. Then add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 250 grams of beer (preferably dark) to the mixture.
From bread. First you need to prepare the sourdough. To do this, 500 grams of rye bread should be chopped with your hands. To it add 2 cups of warm water, a handful of raisins and sugar without a slide 3 tablespoons. Leave for a day in heat for fermentation. After you need to strain. Squeeze out the bread properly. Based on the prepared infusion, you need to make a dough. To do this, add flour in such an amount that the consistency of the mixture is like sour cream. Wait another 2-3 hours.
From hops. Pour a glass of fresh hops with a couple of glasses of water. Insist 4 hours in warmth and strain. In a still warm infusion, mix flour and a couple of tablespoons of sugar. Flour should be poured in small portions, stirring constantly. The consistency of the mixture should be like thick sour cream. Cover and keep warm overnight.

The most important component

Yeast is the most important ingredient in the fermentation process. These very inconspicuous fungi are able to convert sugar into alcohol using enzymes. There are many types of yeast and they all differ from each other in a number of parameters. The taste of the final product depends on the correct choice of this component in moonshine brewing. If you do it right, then homemade alcohol will completely replace store-bought.

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Brewer's yeast

This yeast culture has no practical value for the production of moonshine. In the manufacture of mash, they give a low percentage of alcohol and provoke the formation of a large amount of foam.

Varieties of wine yeast and their uses

The wild yeast population lives in the natural environment on bushes and grapes. It is used for the production of wine, the manufacture of mash. The raw material for the must can be not only grapes, but also various fruits, berries, fruits.

A feature of wild yeast is the spontaneity of alcoholic fermentation, which results in a variety of flavors. It is actively used in winemaking to produce various types of wines.
The disadvantage of fermentation on wild cultures is the risk of getting into the must of extraneous microflora that lives on grapes, which begins to multiply and compete with yeast.

The lucky ones who live in areas of abundant grape growth can indulge in moonshine made from grape pomace fermented with wild wine yeast. The result is a great chacha or grappa.

A pure culture of wine yeast is obtained in microbiological production by propagating offspring from a single cell. Unlike wild relatives from the surface of grapes, they have uniform properties and are free from impurities of foreign microorganisms.

Modern technologies make it possible to endow yeast races with the necessary characteristics:

alcohol resistance;
heat resistance;
cold resistance, etc.

Wine yeast is used in home brewing most often for the fermentation of raw materials based on grapes, in the manufacture of chacha, cognac. Good moonshine is obtained when they are used on grain mashes.

Not the best solution is to choose wine yeast cultures for making sugar moonshine. If on grapes and grain as a result of fermentation by this culture it is possible to achieve 17º alcohol strength of the finished must, then they “eat” sugar very reluctantly.

Why do you need top dressing mash

Like any living organism, the yeast population requires comfortable conditions for development. Efficiency, high fermentation rate are provided by the factors necessary for the growth of the colony:

salts of ammonia and phosphorus;
trace elements;
vitamins (mainly group B).

To add ammonia salts and phosphorus to the mash, mineral fertilizers are used, which gardeners usually use: urea (urea), ammonium sulfate, ammophoska, ammonium nitrate, superphosphate. Nitrogen application rate - 2 gr. for 5 liters of mash, phosphates - 4 gr. for the same volume.

Trace elements: zinc, iron, molybdenum, manganese, boron, magnesium, as a rule, are contained in tap water in sufficient quantities.

Feeds are produced industrially, which include the necessary amino acids and vitamins. One of the popular options is a preparation made from dried shells of used brewer's yeast.

What recipes for feeding mash are made from improvised means:

boiled rye flour;
boiled peas;
ground green malt;
dried grapes (raisins);
baked rye bread (such as Borodinsky);
nettle leaves.

A few secrets of using yeast:

Rapid foaming can be "extinguished" by crumbling 1-2 store-bought cookies on the surface of the mash;
When using Saf-Levure yeast, add 1 small bag of Saf-Moment to reduce the amount of foam;
Opened packs of dry yeast should be refrigerated;
It is better to prepare dried grapes (raisins) for feeding yeast yourself in order to be sure that there are no chemical treatments. Do not wash grapes before drying.

DIY yeast for moonshine

From potatoes: Grated potatoes (2 pieces of medium size) are combined with 1 tbsp. l. sugar, withstand 12 hours, use immediately, do not store.
From hops: Pour a glass of dry hop cones with two glasses of water. Boil until reduced by half. Add 1 tbsp. l. sugar, 3 tbsp. wheat flour. Stir close with a cloth, keep warm for 2-3 days. Pour into a glass dish, keep in the refrigerator.
From malt: Boil for 1 hour in 5 cups of water 3 tbsp. ground malt, 1 tbsp. flour, ½ tbsp. Sahara. Keep in covered bottles in a warm place for 2 days. Put away in the cold.
From berries: 1 tbsp. unwashed raspberries, 0.5 tbsp. unwashed wild rose, 1 tbsp. water, 0.5 tbsp. Sahara. Combine the ingredients, let ferment in the heat. After three days, it is ready to be added to the must.
From grapes: knead 1 liter of unwashed berries with your hands, add 3 tbsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. water. Allow to ferment for several days at tº20-22С, constantly stirring and protecting from mold. Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. For permanent cooking, you can freeze a supply of unwashed grapes or dry them directly in the brushes.

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homemade bread yeast

Ingredients: rye, barley, wheat, peas, corn, millet, water.

Cooking

All ingredients are germinated. To do this, soak them in warm water and spread out a two-centimeter layer. In this case, you need to ensure that the grain does not sour. When it sprouts, it is dried and ground into flour. Then the water is boiled and flour is added, stirring constantly. The mixture should be the consistency of liquid jelly. She is covered and insisted for twelve hours. Then the mass is poured into bowls and cooled, peas are added at the rate of a kilogram per twelve buckets of sourdough. Leave to ferment for ten days, after which you can cook moonshine.

Yeast from raisins

Ingredients: one spoonful of sugar, four hundred grams of water, one spoonful of raisins.

Cooking

Sugar is placed in a half-liter bottle, poured with boiling water, closed with a cotton plug and cooled to room temperature. Then raisins are placed in the container and again closed with a cork, left to ferment for seven days. It must be said that such yeast must be used immediately, since they are not stored for a long time.

"Wild" yeast for making moonshine

Ingredients: two glasses of pureed cherries or grapes, half a glass of sugar, one glass of water.

Cooking

To prepare yeast for moonshine, all the ingredients are mixed, placed in a glass container, corked and placed in a warm, dark place for four days. After a while, the mixture is filtered through cheesecloth and used instead of yeast. For ten liters of home brew, three hundred grams of such a starter is taken. This product is stored for no more than ten days.

Brewer's yeast

Such a product can be purchased as vitamin supplements, but it is not suitable for making moonshine, because it is able to withstand a small concentration of alcohol in mash. However, sometimes they are used in moonshine brewing. How to make them yourself, we will now consider.

Brewer's yeast at home

Ingredients: one glass of flour, one glass of water, one glass of sugar, one glass of beer.

Cooking

Considering which yeast is better for moonshine, we note that if alcohol is not available, then beer yeast is used. Of course, the alcoholic drink will turn out to be less strong.

So, warm water is poured into a bowl, flour is added and stirred so that there are no lumps, for this you can use a mixer. The bowl is put in a warm place, covered with a lid, for six hours. Then unsterilized beer and sugar are added to the dough, stirred well and put back into heat. After a while, homemade yeast is poured into a glass container and placed in a cold place for storage. Try

Homemade yeast from fresh hops

To make yeast for moonshine at home, you need to fill the pot with hops, pour hot water over it, cover with a lid and boil for one hour.
Then the broth is filtered, one glass of flour and sugar is added to two liters of it, stirred and put in a warm place for thirty-six hours.
After a while, two grated potatoes are put into the mixture, mixed and again put in heat for one day. The finished product is poured into glass bottles and used for its intended purpose.

Yeast liquid thick

Ingredients: two hundred and fifty grams of hops, two liters of warm water, five hundred grams of malt, one hundred and twenty grams of honey, fifty grams of old yeast (dry).

Cooking

Hops and malt are poured with boiling water and boiled for half an hour, covered with a lid and stirring occasionally. The mixture is then filtered through gauze or a sieve, honey is added and heated to a boil, after which it is cooled, covered with a towel. When the mass has cooled, old dry yeast for moonshine is added to it, after diluting it with warm water. The mixture is left for two and a half hours. During this time, the mass should rise. But when it begins to fall off, this will be a signal that the yeast is ready and can be used for its intended purpose, putting the leftovers in a cold place for storage.

Preparation of yeast based on "Saf Levure"

Ingredients: four hundred and fifty grams of water, fifty grams of vodka with a strength of forty degrees, one spoonful of flour, one spoonful of sugar and one spoonful of Saf Levure.

Cooking

To get high-quality yeast for home brewing, it is recommended to put Saf Levure in warm water for twenty-five minutes. Then add sugar and alcohol (so much so that the total strength of the mixture is five percent). This mixture is left for one day, covered with a lid and shaking occasionally.

What are the benefits of alcohol yeast?

Alcoholic yeast for moonshine is an indispensable component in the creation of high-quality alcohol. The alcohol immediately kills the weaker strains, leaving the stronger strains with high alcohol tolerance, so the yeast flavors will be eliminated. In addition, the mash will ferment evenly, the yield of alcohol will increase slightly. Fractional introduction of sugar contributes to the achievement of sixteen degrees in the wort. Braga itself will be ready for distillation in six days. Moonshine is obtained without harmful impurities, so its additional purification with potassium permanganate or other methods is not required.

It often happens that there is no yeast at hand, but the plans still remain to brew high-quality moonshine. In this case, mash for moonshine without yeast can be prepared.

Moonshine wheat

Ingredients: five kilograms of grains of wheat, fifteen liters of water, six and a half kilograms of sugar.

Cooking

Wheat grains are washed and poured with a small amount of water. After a while, add one and a half kilograms of sugar and wait for the wheat to germinate. When this happens, add fifteen liters of water and the rest of the sugar, put the mass in a warm place for ten days, fixing a water seal on the container. As time passes, the mash is passed through a moonshine still.

Braga on rice

Ingredients: two glasses of peeled rice, three glasses of sugar, half a liter of beer.

Cooking

We already know how to make yeast for moonshine. But when there is no way to cook them, you can make mash based on rice.
To do this, all components are placed in a three-liter jar, closed with a lid with a water seal and left in a warm place for twelve days, periodically shaking the container.
If desired, dried apricots, raisins or prunes are added to the mash.

To obtain high-quality alcohol, the latter is purified during distillation, after the first pass through the apparatus. Many people use activated charcoal for this. So, charcoal tablets are ground into powder (fifty grams of powder are taken per liter of moonshine), combined with alcohol and put in a warm place for seven days. Then the liquid is filtered and again passed through the apparatus. .

Finally…

It should be noted that yeast is the most important component of the fermentation process. They are fungi that, under the influence of enzymes, convert sugar into carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol. There are a lot of varieties of them that differ in breeding temperature, resistance to environmental influences, and so on. Speaking about which yeast is better for moonshine, it must be said that it is alcohol, since their vital activity takes place in the same temperature range in which the mash is prepared, therefore they are more resistant to the high content of alcohol in it. If alcohol yeast is not available, beer or bread yeast can be used, rarely wine yeast.

The ability to cook moonshine has come to us since ancient times. Then people used the gifts of nature to make mash. Some recipes have survived to this day and are widely used among lovers of home-made high-quality alcohol. Whatever it was, and every moonshiner has in his arsenal his own recipe for making a drink, which has already been tested. And what kind of yeast he uses for this depends on his personal preference.

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Conditions for the life of yeast

If you throw sugar and yeast into water, mix, close the container with a lid and forget about the brew for a week or two, then the fermentation process may not even begin. The life and reproduction of yeast begins at a temperature of 22 C and slows down when it reaches 28 0 C, and above it stops. In this temperature range, the sourdough should be kept throughout the entire fermentation period. Its termination is evidenced by the clarification of the liquid and a sharp alcohol smell after opening the lid.

It should be noted that for fermentation it is necessary to choose the right container. It must be made from:

glass;
stainless steel;
enameled steel;
copper.

Glass jar - perhaps the most popular vessel

Do not use galvanization and polyethylene - containers made of these materials, even with a small amount of alcohol in the wash, form not very appetizing compounds with it, which can lead to poisoning even after distillation. Aluminum flasks and milk cans can be used with caution. There are still disputes about their harm (regarding contact with alcohol). If there is another option, then it is advisable to refuse aluminum, no matter how much you are convinced of its harmlessness.

Water quality

In addition to dishes, the quality of water greatly affects the life of yeast. Moonshine yeast does not like chlorinated water, distilled, carbonated, too hard (carbonate) and salty. Even if the water seems very tasty to you, the yeast may not like it. The best choice is spring or well water. But here it is better to experiment, if possible, with water from different sources.

Lighting should also be attributed to the conditions favorable for the reproduction of alcoholic yeast - the process goes better in the dark, at least so that direct sunlight does not fall on the mash. If glassware is used, then you need to close it in a dark closet, or cover it with an opaque cloth.

Braga must be stirred daily. Not too energetic, but to the bottom. Pressed yeast before being placed in the mash must be diluted in a small amount of warm water with sugar.

Choosing yeast for moonshine

The food industry produces various types of yeast that are suitable, conditionally suitable and completely unsuitable for home brewing.
They are sold in pressed or dried form (powder). At home, it is best to store them in the refrigerator for as long as you need to prepare the next serving of mash.
In fact, the yeast, before the fermentation process begins, are fungal spores that are in standby mode.
When they get into a favorable environment, they quickly begin to multiply. Disputes do not care what state they are in and the popular misconception that dry yeast is unsuitable for moonshine remains a 100% delusion.

Only the type of yeast is important, and of course the expiration date, it is written on the package. It is advisable to use pressed yeast long before its expiration, up to about ¾ of the indicated term. They could be stored in completely unsuitable conditions, and their margin of safety, like that of any living organism, is rather limited. Yeast can be bought:

bakery;
wine;
beer;
alcohol.

The first type works very well in the test, but it is only conditionally suitable for home brewing, if there are no alcohol and it will not be possible to get them in the near future. Why is that? Previously, mash was prepared exclusively on baker's yeast. The explanation is simple - a small yield of alcohol (about 10%) and a long fermentation period - 12-14 days. During this time, a lot of related substances are formed in the mash - fusel spirits, acetones, aldehydes.

Bread pressed and dry yeast

Bread pressed and dry yeast can be easily purchased at any grocery store.
With the accumulation of some experience, you can do without alcohol yeast, especially if you use the bakery in the turbo modification.
They are produced in a mixture with special dressings, which activate the enzymes of yeast fungi, and reduce the fermentation period to 5-6 days. Yeast can be stored in the refrigerator.

Wine yeast is a good material for a moonshiner, but it is very difficult to buy, and when ordered online, they are quite expensive. You should buy them only for the preparation of fruit and berry mash. But for this purpose, you can use homemade yeast. It is difficult to prepare alcohol yeast with your own hands, but you can make wine yeast. Of course, they will differ somewhat from the factory ones for the worse, but they will be able to work well.

Brewer's yeast is not suitable for moonshine. They can be used as a medicine or for making beer at home, but they are not suitable for hard liquor.

Alcohol dry yeast

Alcohol dry yeast is a special strain that is used only for the production of alcohol. You can buy them in specialized stores or on the Internet. They provide fermentation for 3-7 days and a large yield of alcohol (actually - 13-14%). Instructions for use are usually on the packaging.

When using alcoholic yeast, the vessel with the mash cannot be hermetically sealed, you can use a water seal or one of the popular methods - a rubber medical glove on the neck, simply effective. The glove swells during the fermentation process, so one of the fingers needs to be pierced with a needle. After the fermentation stops, the glove falls off and this signals the readiness of the mash.

Alcohol yeast is included in the delivery of almost all industrial moonshine stills, but you should not buy an installation for the sake of yeast.
They can be ordered on any of the sites that sell goods for home brewing. In addition to the formation of a high alcohol content, they are practically devoid of a characteristic odor and do not affect the taste of moonshine.
Even if distillation at home is done without a steamer or bubbler, the primary moonshine from alcohol yeast is very different from a drink made from baker's yeast.

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YEAST FOR MOONSHINE. MAGIC OF FERMENTATION.

When it comes to home brewing, we talk a lot about moonshine stills but pay criminally little attention to yeast. But yeast, for making moonshine, is much more important than a distiller. Why, you ask? You see, when we distill mash, we don't make alcohol.
We simply increase its concentration in our product, simultaneously purifying it from unwanted impurities. Alcohol and other magical substances responsible for the wonderful taste and smell of our potion are produced.
And these substances can be very much. Yeast makes up to five hundred organic compounds responsible for various tastes and smells. You can imagine how your drink changes depending on their work!

To give moonshine a special taste and aroma, the importance of yeast is enormous. But for those alcohol makers who are not gourmets, but simply want to make a solid, strong product, it is also useful to maintain an optimal environment for yeast to work. Indeed, according to microbiological laboratories, if you create good conditions for the yeast, then the yield of ethyl alcohol at the end of fermentation can rise by 12-14%, and the concentration of harmful fusel oils will fall.

WHICH YEAST IS BETTER TO CHOOSE FOR MOONSHINE

Strictly speaking, this is a topic for a separate discussion, and it will not even pull on a blog article, but on a full-fledged book. Professionals no joke select yeast, and good brewer's yeast can cost quite illusory money. Yes, and an experienced moonshiner will admit to you that he often saves the yeast culture after fermentation in order to use it next time.

Well, if we are going to drive for the first time, which culture should we prefer? Many distillers, seduced by the good yield of alcohol in mash, buy so-called "turbo" yeast. Do not do that!
As a result of “turbo fermentation”, you will most likely end up with a strong, tasteless bourda. The trick is here. Turbo yeast actually exists, costs about 5000 rubles per kilo and is used in the industrial production of strong alcohols.
In order to get high-quality mash from them, you need to supplement them with special additives, the cost of which is comparable to the cost of the yeast itself.
Buying all this in a retail store is almost impossible. The "Turbo yeast" that we are offered at retail is most likely of poor quality, and even if they are good, all the same, without special dressings, they will starve and produce a tasteless brew.

It is much better to wait a bit and get a really good result. Moreover, this result is quite achievable as with beer or wine yeast, and with ordinary, bakery. Domestic moonshiners fell in love with Saf-levure yeast, and with them I was able to achieve quite good results. I think that if you decide to use bread yeast, then chasing expensive strains does not make sense. Take a Saf-Levure, get used to it, and after a few ferments, you will make a truly unique drink.

Brewer's or wine yeast

The good thing about brewer's or wine's yeast is that if you take it to the lab, you will be given instructions on how to use it, and you can immediately provide it with the most favorable environment. In addition, they give less foam than bread and are accustomed to alcohol, which means they will not die without eating the sugar in the mash.

And finally, let me tell you about "alcohol" yeast. Of course, you can buy them, you just need to keep in mind that in fact these are the same wine or beer strains, just more tolerant of the alcohol content in the solution where they live.
Simply put, they are able to work longer than regular yeast and make stronger mash. At first they were used to produce strong ales and wines, and then they began to be taken to make raw materials for distillation.
Microbiologists believe that the upper limit of alcohol concentration for any yeast is about fifteen revolutions, so I think that the inscriptions "18%", "21%" and so on, on the packages with them, are a publicity stunt. Be aware that this yeast needs more food.
If you underfeed them, the mash will come out tasteless and you will have to tinker a lot with distillate purification.

FEATURES OF ALCOHOLIC YEAST FOR MOONCHINING

Alcohol connoisseurs know that high-quality alcohol allows not only to enjoy the taste sensations, but also not to worry about its excessively harmful effects on health.
And the quality drinks that can be found on the shelves are sometimes expensive. And such a process as getting moonshine is becoming popular due to the ability to combine a fairly affordable cost and excellent taste.
However, here it is important to consider the question of which yeast is best for moonshine and what is the subtlety of their use to obtain tasty, transparent moonshine, which can pleasantly surprise lovers of this popular drink.

The choice of yeast for making mash is important. If you use the wrong low quality product, the moonshine will be spoiled. Novice distillers need to know which moonshine yeast is best to choose in order to get an elite homemade drink.

What is yeast and its purpose

In biology, yeasts are unicellular fungi. But yeast fungi are different from their “relatives” because they need a liquid or semi-liquid habitat to develop. Mushrooms feel comfortable in a solution of sugar and water. If you leave the sugar solution with fungi in a warm, dry room for 2-3 days, a characteristic alcoholic aroma will appear during fermentation. Foam will begin to appear on the surface of the sugar solution.

For a long time, people have been using yeast to make alcohol. Braga is made from various products to which fungi are added. Sugar, potatoes, berries, fruits, grains, jam and other ingredients are used. Yeast is also needed for baking bakery products.

To prepare home-made mash, you need to choose the right fungi, otherwise it may turn out to be cloudy moonshine, or the drink will be completely spoiled.

Variety of species

The yeast used to make mash is of different types. Depending on the type, they affect the strength of the product, taste characteristics, and resistance to temperature changes.

Important! Yeast fungi are capricious, and under the influence of numerous factors, they can stop functioning or "hibernate". In this case, fermentation will be stopped.

There are main types:

bakery. The preparation of moonshine does not involve the use of a baking type;
wine. Used to prepare fruit and berry mash;
alcohol. Suitable for home brewing, but you can buy them only in specialized stores;
beer. Used for the preparation of low-alcohol drinks;
wild. They are used to create chacha and similar drinks.

Many stores sell briquettes of the bakery product. Many distillers remain faithful to him for many years, despite the appearance of more advanced analogues. What are the advantages:

Baker's pressed yeast is sold in every supermarket at an affordable price.
Pressed and dry yeast is easy to use and does not require additional manipulations.
After adding the briquettes, the reaction occurs instantly, no need to wait for a long time.
Fans of natural rustic moonshine believe that the unique taste and aroma is obtained thanks to this particular species.

Moonshine professionals are inclined to believe that this product is highly undesirable to use. Braga is of poor quality, and not everyone is impressed by the characteristic smell and color of authentic moonshine.

Wine

Wine yeast is classified as an elite variety. Thanks to them, moonshine is of the highest quality, provided that all the rules and recipes are followed. They are used to make grappa, chacha and other types of strong alcohol. Wine product features:

They do not contain foreign microorganisms that can adversely affect fermentation;
When using wine yeast and its analogues, the final product has a fairly high strength.
Moonshine is obtained without a characteristic fusel smell.
If grape raw materials are used, the wine product favorably emphasizes the taste characteristics. That is why they like to use it in the manufacture of cognac and chacha.
They are stored for a long time, regardless of temperature conditions.

On a note! This species is not used to make sugar mash.

The biggest downside to this product is that it's overpriced.

beer

They are used to make drinks with a low alcohol content. The history of origin begins in the 19th century, when people learned how to obtain a product by an artificial method. Sometimes wild yeast for mash is replaced with beer yeast. The Carlsberg company is considered the ancestor of their mass production. Now pharmacies sell biological food additives of the same name, but they are not used to make mash. Some make a beer analogue on their own at home, using beer, flour, sugar, water.

Alcoholic

Spirit and turbo yeasts are considered suitable for making homemade alcohol. The benefits are obvious:

fungi are resistant to ethanol alcohol, so the final product is of high quality;
fermentation takes a short time. Grain mash will be ready in a couple of days, sugar mash in 4 days, fruit mash in a week;
during fermentation, a lot of foam is not formed;
have a long shelf life, do not require special storage conditions;
absence of foreign impurities.

Flaws:

on sale are only in specialized points. It is extremely difficult to find in small towns;
overcharge;
if you purchase a low-quality product, the final taste of moonshine will suffer.

A kind of alcohol product, improved and supplemented with the necessary characteristics to obtain high-quality home brew. Why this species is considered the best for making moonshine:

due to the increased resistance to ethanol, it is possible to obtain a mash with a strength of at least 20%;
increased fermentation rate. Manufacturers claim that after 2 days the fermentation process will be completed;
no need to add top dressing, since all the necessary trace elements and vitamins are already included;
ease of use. The product is simply added to the must;
no harmful ingredients.

On a note! Turbo yeast does not affect the final taste of the product, so they are used in the manufacture of mash from fruits or grains.

What yeast is better to use for making moonshine

Many novice distillers are wondering what kind of yeast is needed for moonshine. Moonshine requires the right yeast, otherwise you can spoil the mash and not get the desired drink. What yeast for moonshine is good, and which is better not to use?

Experts do not advise using a bakery product for mash, as it affects the final taste, color and smell of the distillate.
The wine product is suitable for fruit and berry mash, and the main disadvantage is the overpriced price.
The alcohol product helps to get excellent mash, but it is sold only in specialized stores.
Brewer's yeast is used to create low-alcohol drinks.
Turbo is the most suitable option, but the high cost does not always allow you to use this product all the time.

How to cook mash

In order for home-made alcohol to turn out to be of high quality, you need to observe the correct proportions in the manufacture of mash. For 1 kg of sugar used, you will need:

400 grams of baker's raw yeast;
from two to four grams of wine;
from 15 to 20 grams of dry alcohol.

On a note! For every kilogram of sugar, 4 liters of pure water are taken.

For the preparation of mash, you should use only high-quality products

Rules for making mash

First of all, you need to prepare a suitable container with a tight-fitting lid. It is better to use plastic containers, avoiding the use of galvanized containers.
Water is better to use well, key, melted water. In extreme cases, you should pass it through the filter several times and let it settle for several days.
Almost all types of fungi need to be fermented.
Almost all species are first diluted with water, and after they begin to foam, they can be added to the mash.

Is there a way out if there is very little yeast available

Do not panic if you find that the amount of the product is not enough. Fungi can be grown from the remains that are available. Important conditions should be the presence of fresh air and the most sterile conditions. Prepare 2 liters of wort, as for mash, boil, remove from the stove and immediately pour into a three-liter glass jar. The neck of the jar should be closed with sterile gauze folded in several layers. When the contents of the jar have cooled, add the remaining yeast to it, tie it tightly and send it to a dark, warm room. Shake the jar constantly. After a few days, the contents of the jar can be used to prepare 30-40 liters of mash.

Alcohol yeast. Are they needed!?

The process of home brewing without the use of alcohol yeast is not recommended. Why are they so important and how are they different from yeast for baking bread?

For a number of reasons, for a long time only baker's yeast. Now our clients have the opportunity buy alcohol yeast. The need for alcoholic yeast is explained by the fact that moonshine is distilled from mash, and for the preparation of mash, yeast is needed, thanks to which dissolved sugars are processed into alcohol. In order to obtain an alcohol-containing drink (braga, beer or wine), yeast is used that is resistant to toxic ethanol.
But these yeasts cannot yet be called alcoholic, they will become so after feeding with nutrient salts, which “feed” the yeast cells, due to which they begin to multiply and grow rapidly. Yeast saturated with salt begins to work actively and quickly convert sugar into alcohol. The use of alcoholic yeast makes it possible to prepare home brew with a high alcohol content in just a few days, while baker's yeast will give the result of preparing home brew only after 1-2 weeks.
Alcoholic dried yeast, unlike conventional yeast, allows you to get a higher quality alcohol. The content of harmful substances (acetone, fusel oils) in the finished mash will be significantly lower than when using ordinary baker's yeast.
Alcoholic yeasts usually differ from each other in composition and the amount of additional nutrition added for yeast growth, affecting alcohol content and fermentation time.
Turbo Yeast, as a rule, consist of a mixture of yeast and nutrients for faster and more stable fermentation. If a clean flavor profile is important to you, you should choose regular spirit yeast rather than turbo yeast. Their fermentation is longer, but clean.

Unlike conventional yeast, alcohol yeast has a number of advantages:
1. Braga is ready for distillation in just 5-6 days. Turbo yeast - 2-4 days
2. No foam will form and therefore no defoamer will be required.
3. Increased viability (alcohol yeast die at an alcohol concentration in the mash of 16-18%). This figure is much higher than that of other types of yeast (the yield of moonshine will be greater).
4. The minimum content of harmful impurities.
5. Since alcohol yeast does not require mineral supplementation, the fermentation period is significantly saved.

Recommendations for alcohol yeast:
1. The container must be kept in a dark room protected from sunlight.
2. Maintain the fermentation temperature indicated in the yeast instructions.
3. When fermenting, use a water seal to release carbon dioxide.
4. Alcohol yeast needs quality water. Do not use chlorinated, tap or boiled water. Moonshine requires spring or bottled water.
5. It is advisable to mix the mash every day.
6. Activate the yeast exactly following the instructions.

What is the place of yeast in the multi-stage process of home brewing, and why is it necessary to add it to mash? The fact is that mash, which is a complex solution of various organic substances (glucose, fructose, etc.), turns into alcohol, thanks to the vital activity of yeast bacteria. At the same time, the yeast itself can be anything: wine, wild, dry, pressed, as long as the process of sugar oxidation starts. The resulting product is distilled and then used for the production of spirits.

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What yeast to use for sugar mash

Table of the ratio of sugar, alcohol yeast and water for mash

If possible, alcohol yeast should be used to make moonshine. They are the most effective and faster, and they were developed specifically for the production of alcoholic beverages. But if there is no high-quality yeast at hand, any others will do, you just have to slightly adjust the course of the process. How much yeast to use per unit of mash or sugar is usually indicated in the moonshine recipe, there is no single right solution for all occasions.

Alcoholic yeast is sometimes not easy to buy, they are far from being available everywhere. In the event of a shortage of such a reliable tool, you will have to use bakery or dry pressed ones. With them, you can also get high-quality distillate without much difficulty.

Baker's yeast is available in all stores, so it is better to use moonshine recipes with their use.

In principle, if there are enough appropriate bacteria in the yeast, it is not very important what they are called. The bottom line is to strictly follow the moonshine recipes that have long been proven by practice, in the correct ratio of the amount of yeast to the amount of sugar, in creating the proper conditions for fermentation.

There are many brands of baker's yeast that are used in home brewing, there is no single opinion on their benefits, as is often the case, so you should take the advice of experts you can trust, and even better, gain your own relevant experience. Then there will certainly be no mistakes in the selection of ingredients for such an exciting activity as the production of moonshine.

Braga recipe with dry yeast

With regard to the practice-tested optimal ratio of sugar and yeast, it is customary to use 100 grams of yeast and 30 liters of water per 7 kg of sugar, however, the amount of yeast may vary, usually the ratio is indicated on the package

Must maturation, as already mentioned, requires certain conditions. Talking about temperature 25-30°C, at which fungal microorganisms feel most favorable. At the same time, temperature stability is important, its fluctuations both upward and downward are categorically undesirable.

It is not so difficult to provide the required temperature regime for wort in a private house and in a city apartment. To do this, you should find a room without drafts, and wrap the container with mash with an old blanket or something similar. It is important not to overdo it and not overheat the contents of the can, otherwise the bacteria have a chance to die or lose their activity.

A good way to maintain temperature stability is an aquarium heater.. It can be adjusted to temperatures up to 30°C and attached to the appropriate location. But only those who intend to engage in moonshine on an ongoing basis should buy such a device.

It should be remembered that the fermentation process occurs with a significant release of heat, so the temperature of the wort must be constantly monitored and regulated. Otherwise, if the solution is heated to 35°C, the effectiveness of yeast bacteria can be forgotten.

The fermentation process is controlled using a traditional medical glove or a lid with a water seal. But when pure sugar is used, this is not necessary, it is enough to leave the lid slightly ajar.

How to understand that the mash is ready for driving

In order for the mash to ripen, it is necessary at least five to seven days, and better - more. This is the case when there is no point in hurrying, it is better to wait until the wort reaches the condition required for further processing.

There are several points, signs by which you can determine the degree of readiness of the mash for the distillation process:

Gas emission (we are talking about carbon dioxide) stops completely. This is clearly seen in the state of the medical glove, water seal. If the lid was opened ajar, it is worth using a lit match at the intended place of the gas outlet. When the match goes out, carbon dioxide is released and the fermentation process continues.
The color of the surface of the mash changes when compared with the initial state. The raster becomes lighter and cleaner as the yeast settles little by little.
Braga becomes bitter-sour in taste, sweetness is not felt in it at all.
The alcohol smell and taste in the mash ready for distillation is very well felt.

It is believed that if two of the four signs described meet the requirements, then it is time to distill the mash. However, if you still feel the sweet taste of sugar, fruits or berries, you must allow the fermentation process to complete by allocating a few more days for this. Braga will ripen and the yield of alcohol from it will be significantly higher.

In the process of preparing the mash, several important points should be taken into account. Yeast must be dissolved in warm water before being added to the solution. The solution should stand for several minutes, after which it can be used for its intended purpose.

It often happens that when yeast is added to the wort, foam begins to stand out profusely. In this case, it is enough to add a little ground crackers or half a store-bought cookie to the liquid, the foam will stop standing out. Vegetable oil is also used as an effective defoamer. It is taken about 50 ml per thirty liters of water. There are also a number of pharmaceutical preparations that are convenient to use to get rid of foam. The choice always remains with those who will prepare the mash for distillation.

It is usually sufficient to add the defoamer once. But often, especially in the case of using vegetable oil, the procedure should be repeated several times.

Many experienced moonshiners practice identifying, feeding yeast fungi, stimulating their activity in this way. For this, some bread or dried fruits, steamed grains, malt, fruit juices or other sugar-containing products are added to the wort. It is believed that for 50 liters of mash, one loaf of rye bread is enough for such top dressing.

Before distillation, it is recommended to heat the mash to 50 ° C. This is necessary to remove gases from the solution that will interfere with the moonshine brewing process. To speed up the degassing process, it is recommended to stir the mash vigorously until the desired state is reached.