Sugar mash on saf levure. Recipe for making mash using Saf Levure and Saf Moment yeast. Mash making technology

Hello friends! Today's post is dedicated to moonshine brewing. Topic: Sugar mash with dry yeast. This recipe can be called a classic. It is very popular among moonshiners, as it is very easy to prepare and gives excellent results. And all the ingredients can be bought at a nearby store.

Ingredients

I will give the ingredients for 5 kg of sugar. Recalculate the proportions you need yourself, depending on the volume you need.

4 gr. fast-acting dry yeast (I recommend “Saf-moment”, 11 grams in 1 sachet)
100 gr. dry baker's yeast (I recommend “Saf-levure”, there are bags of 50 and 100 g each)
25 liters of water
5 kg sugar
150-200 gr. rye bread (optional, more details in the article about feeding mash)

Wort preparation

The fermentation container should be no more than ¾ full, otherwise, as a result of fermentation, our mash may come out of it. Of course, we took measures against foaming - for this we add 4 grams of Saf-moment, but it’s better to be on the safe side.
Do not close the container tightly. It’s better to just wrap the neck with gauze. We put the mash in a dark place. The temperature in the room should be stable, without sudden changes. It is very important.

Fermentation

Throughout the fermentation, the temperature of the mash should be between 23 and 30 degrees. If the room is cool, the container can be insulated with a blanket or something similar. During fermentation, heat is released, so the mash will be several degrees warmer than the surrounding air. Therefore, it is also necessary to ensure that it does not overheat, especially if the containers are large.
Typically fermentation lasts from 4 to 10 days. The speed depends on the temperature, the quality of the yeast and the correctness of the proportions.
It is advisable to stir the mash once every 12 hours. If the container is small, then it is better not to climb into it, but just shake it. This way we get rid of carbon dioxide, which interferes with the yeast. This is a recommendation procedure, you can do without it.
After a few days the mash is ready. The following signs will tell us about this: it smells like alcohol, there is no sweetness in the taste, it becomes lighter, and sediment appears at the bottom.

In principle, the mash is ready for distillation. But before that it is better to lighten it.

Clarifying mash

Lightening is not necessary, but highly recommended. It is done to remove dead and dormant yeast from the mash. If you leave them, the moonshine will smell worse and contain more harmful substances.

So, to lighten the mash, you need to put it in a cold place under a water seal. The yeast should precipitate within 1-2 days. All that remains is to carefully drain the liquid through the straw.

Video instruction

I found good cooking instructions on YouTube. It’s quite clear, I recommend checking it out.

P.S.

In conclusion, I would like to comment on some points.

Instant yeast Saf-moment is used as a defoamer to prevent the mash from escaping outside the container. They can be replaced with simple cookies from the store. Just crumble it in the mash. You can do without a defoamer altogether, but then you need to fill the fermentation tank to no more than 4/5 of its volume.
Rye bread is used as a yeast feed to speed up the process. But in principle, the yeast will ferment normally without it.
Sugar mash does not need a water seal, because... the process is very rapid and oxygen or bacteria will not get into it. But to be on the safe side, after a few days, when fermentation is no longer so violent, a water seal can be installed.
Before distillation, it is advisable to remove carbon dioxide from the mash. To do this, after removing the sediment, mix it thoroughly.
It is better not to store finished mash for a long time. Otherwise, harmful compounds will form in it. Remove from the sediment and immediately distill.

That's all. Agree that this is a very simple recipe. At the end you will get 12% mash from which you can make about 5.5 liters (after cutting off the heads and tails) of good quality moonshine.

Now let's start the distillation.

If you have your own recipes for making sugar mash, be sure to share them in the comments. I will continue to develop the topic of moonshine, so subscribe to updates.

Good luck with your experiments,

Best regards, Pavel Dorofeev.

Even novice moonshiners are aware that the technology for producing the drink is based on the distillation of mash, a product of the fermentation of sugar with yeast. It follows from this that without yeast there is no moonshine. These are microorganisms that convert sugars into alcohol during fermentation. They belong to mushrooms.

There is a widespread belief that you cannot make a good moonshine recipe from dry yeast. However, it is erroneous and has been refuted more than once by practice and facts. To get good moonshine from dry yeast, you need to be aware of some nuances, as well as strictly adhere to the technology and proportions.

The importance of yeast for making mash

Yeast is the most important component, without which the production of alcohol is simply impossible. These are living microorganisms, working with which requires great attention and care. This is especially true for temperature conditions. Low temperatures simply slow down or stop the fermentation process, but too high temperatures can kill the yeast (above 37-40 ° WITH). This is a very important nuance that you need to pay special attention to when making moonshine (when you implement a recipe).

It is believed that the best option for moonshine is the alcohol type of yeast. Their use rarely causes difficulties even for beginners in this matter. As a rule, manufacturers indicate the proportions of yeast and sugar on the packaging. And the recipe is simple. However, this type also has its drawbacks - a short shelf life and a low level of availability (difficult to buy).

Braga based on dry yeast

When deciding which type of yeast is best to choose for the production of moonshine, you should not pay attention to idle gossip and rumors. The key to success is the correct technology and strict adherence to the recipe. Moonshine based on dry yeast is absolutely not inferior in quality to a similar product using pressed yeast.

Both imported and domestic analogues are suitable for making mash. Buying them is not difficult - they are available in any supermarket. It should be understood that the proportion will be different. You will need 5-6 times less dry yeast than raw yeast. Exactly how much depends on the specific manufacturer.

A feature of the production of moonshine based on them is the high foaming activity. Therefore, in some cases the foam has to be extinguished (it is highly not recommended to eliminate it by stirring - it goes even worse). Crushed bread crumbs or cookies are used for this purpose. Crumbs float on the surface of the mash and reduce foaming. These are natural foam suppressants. However, there are also chemical ones (medicines, household chemicals, etc.). Their use is highly discouraged. There are good ones
recipes and without them.

Another feature of using dry yeast is “fermentation”. This is a professional term. This is what moonshiners call the activation of yeast before adding it to the wort. They are activated in the following way. In 0.5 liters of heated water (not lower than 24 ° C, not higher than 30-34 ° C) add yeast and sugar (quantity according to technology). Mix well and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours. Proportions may vary slightly.

Braga is the basic raw material for the production of moonshine. Sugar is used to make it. It is allowed to introduce other sugar-containing and starch-containing ingredients (starch is saccharified using malt enzymes) into the composition: berries, fruits, cereals, potatoes, molasses, etc.

Classic mash technology with dry yeast

This recipe requires strict adherence to the following proportions. How much and what is required? For 1 kg of sugar you need:

20-30 g dry yeast;
5 liters of water.

Based on this, for a traditional 10 liter bottle you will need:

sugar – 2 kg;
yeast – 40-60 g (the product TM Pakmaya is taken as a basis).

The latter value may vary depending on the specific manufacturer. As a rule, the proportions are indicated on the packaging. This recipe is not complicated.

The recipe implies that you first need to fill a 10-liter bottle with warm water 80%, and then add sugar and mix well (until completely dissolved). Quantity and proportions according to

technologies. Then you need to add the already fermented yeast, pour in the remaining water and stir. It is advisable not to fill the bottle to the very top - you need to take foaming into account. Then put it in a warm place.

The lid does not need to be sealed to prevent an explosion. During the first few hours, you need to observe how actively foam is formed. If foaming is violent, you should add crushed cookies or crushed crackers. After the foam activity has decreased, you can close the bottle with a lid and install a water seal. You can use a rubber glove or a tube, the end of which is lowered into water to limit the access of oxygen.

The fermentation time directly depends on the temperature. The timing is also affected by the quality, quantity of yeast and compliance with the wort preparation technology. Optimal temperature range – 20-30 ° C. At low temperatures, fermentation slows down (if it drops too much, it may stop completely). It is advisable that the temperature does not fall below 20 ° C. At high (over 37-40 ° C) stops. High temperature is a yeast killer. When the mash is stirred regularly, the process speeds up, but this should be done carefully so as not to cause active foaming again.

The mash is ready for distillation

There are several methods that allow you to determine whether the mash is ready for distillation or not. In order for the result to be as accurate as possible, all evaluation criteria must be taken into account. Sugar mash based on dry yeast is fermented for 3-14 days. These are extreme values. The optimal period is 7 days. Exactly how long the mixture will ferment depends on the quality of the yeast and ingredients. Basically, it is ready for distillation when the fermentation process has completely stopped (CO2 has ceased to be released).

Also, the mash should have a bitter-sour taste with hints of alcohol. If the taste is sweet, then
The yeast has not produced all the sugar. This means that the mixture needs to be put into further fermentation with the addition of a certain amount of yeast. There may have been a temperature violation. Another sign of readiness is the lightening of the mixture. Purification of the fermented wort is not required, especially if distillation through a distillation column is planned.

Sugar mash with dry yeast makes simply wonderful moonshine. Following the technology will allow you to achieve excellent results. To improve the taste, it is recommended to add berries, fruits and other ingredients to the raw materials. However, each recipe is unique, and the field for experimentation is very extensive.

Choosing yeast for making mash is a serious matter. Why is homemade alcohol tasty and aromatic? Because he's alive. Its preparation involved yeast - microscopic single-celled fungi that can cause fermentation.

Braga is a product of yeast metabolism. Yeast is responsible for the taste and quality of the drink, which requires water and sugar. Other raw materials are added to their solution. After fermentation and the distillation process, the mash becomes the basis for the production of strong drinks.

Humanity has been using yeast for a long time to make beer and wine, and to bake bread. In the process of selection and research of yeast cultures, new strains are obtained for applied tasks. Main types of yeast:

beer - require a little sugar, but only 5-7% alcohol after fermentation;
baking - develop on a sugar medium with the formation of alcohol 7-9%;
alcohol - they work on starch-containing raw materials, the alcohol concentration is 17-18%;
wine - when using fruit raw materials, the amount of alcohol is up to 16% with a long fermentation period;
wild, live on the skin of fruits, in particular on grapes - fruits and berries become raw materials, alcohol is formed at 7-9%.

All yeast that can be found in stores belongs to the same microbiological species. The difference between them is availability, price, specialization features, and the presence or absence of catalyst additives.

The variety of types of packaging and packaging is a guarantee that the buyer will choose the yeast that suits him. To get a quality product, it is better to take into account all the features when choosing.

When making mash, the following types of yeast are usually used:

alcohol;
wine;
pressed;
dry bakery products;
homemade.

Each type of yeast has its own characteristics.

When making mash at home, it is better to use this yeast. They are inactive and are sold in powder or granule form..

Advantages:

short fermentation period, no more than 6 days;
viability: they die when the alcohol concentration reaches 18%, providing a greater yield of the product;
they contain almost no harmful impurities that require additional purification;
reduced foaming.

What are the disadvantages of alcohol yeast? Only higher cost than bakery ones.

Wine yeast

There are many strains developed by laboratories and winemakers. Used to create fruit mash. Disadvantages: chemical properties that limit the scope of application, and high cost.

This variety of yeast is a traditional end product in Russia. Yeast cells are cleared of the environment in which they multiplied. Briquettes of different sizes are then formed. Two-thirds of the weight of compressed yeast is water. This yeast is active.

Advantages:

economic benefit due to low price;
universal availability;
efficient and short fermentation;
absence of foreign impurities.

However, compressed yeast has disadvantages:

excessive foaming, especially if the proportions are not observed;
a small volume of moonshine when distilling mash obtained using pressed yeast;
the need to maintain low temperatures for storage;
a specific smell that many consider unpleasant.

Dry yeast

Dry granulated yeast is produced by extreme dehydration and drying, so only resistant strains are used. As an attribute of home baking, dry yeast is sold in every grocery department. They gained popularity due to their small (one-time) packaging and flowability.

Advantages:

low consumption;
ease of use: easy to measure the required dose;
no effort required to dissolve;
no unpleasant odor is formed, which can harm the quality of alcohol;
a good yield of alcohol is obtained.

The disadvantages include the duration of fermentation. The process is completed in about a week.

It should be noted that dry yeast of different brands may act differently. For example, SAF-Levure for mash is better than SAF-Moment, which makes fermentation slow and incomplete.

Homemade yeast

When making homemade alcohol, homemade yeast is sometimes used. For this, various natural ingredients are used: hops, potatoes, flour. The classic way to prepare homemade yeast is to leaven rye flour. It is also the most effective.

To do this, mix flour and water at room temperature, equally and in small quantities. The mixture is placed in a warm place for about a day. Then add flour and water of the same volume and leave again for another day. The process is repeated within a week. The starter is ready.

What's good about homemade sourdough? Advantages:

completely natural composition;
availability;
efficiency;
no harmful additives.

Results

The ideal option for mash is alcoholic yeast. Gone are the days when they were in short supply. Specialized stores sell yeast of Russian, Belarusian, French, German, Polish, Swedish, and English origin.

There are also activators on sale that will help yeast develop better. Additions of amino acids, microelements and vitamins speed up the fermentation process. There is additional feeding of the yeast.

Alcoholic yeast will help you prepare a strong, tasty, aromatic drink.

Making your own mash, the raw material for moonshine, is quite easy. The production recipe requires knowledge of the required proportions of ingredients and technology. At its core, this drink is the result of yeast fermentation in a water-sugar solution. Two components are released from fermented raw materials - ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. Next, the product is distilled in a special apparatus and moonshine is obtained.

Attention - yeast

Yeast is a component that produces alcohol. These are living microorganisms, when working with which it is necessary to observe the temperature regime. Low temperature, for example, stops the speed of the process, but has virtually no effect on the quality of the drink. High levels may disrupt the production cycle. Experts recommend using alcohol ingredients: the proportions of sugar and water are usually indicated on the packaging. The use of alcoholic yeast has its drawbacks - short storage time and rare supplies to retail outlets. Instead, you can use dry baker's yeast granules, which have a number of features:

are granules of different sizes;
have a “dormant layer” - yeast cells that become active upon contact with water;
vacuum packaging that preserves the properties of cells;
Active yeast cells have a special inactivated shell that accelerates fermentation and ensures the appearance of foam.

To make mash correctly, you need to combine active and dry yeast granules. Then less foam is released, and the amount of mash is maintained.

Why is it necessary to use active yeast to produce a drink? Firstly, they significantly speed up the fermentation process. Secondly, the final product is of good quality. Thirdly, “mushrooms” are quite economical: one bag is enough to make approximately 10 liters of raw materials for distillation.

Mushroom: advantages and disadvantages

Dry yeast is used if it is not possible to use alcoholic yeast. The recipe may require varying amounts of this component. In this case, it is necessary to take into account all the advantages and disadvantages of the dry ingredient.

For example, they are responsible for the characteristic alcoholic aroma of the drink, make fermentation more intense, and also do not require special attention to the temperature regime.

Among the disadvantages are the poor quality of the mash (depending only on the manufacturer of the yeast ingredients),

approximate proportions of “mushrooms” and sugar, possible formation of a large amount of foam and rupture of the container. These points can be easily eliminated:

The lid of the container in which the mash is prepared should not be closed too tightly.
Instead of plastic containers, it is better to place the product in an aluminum can.
You can get rid of foam by adding crackers or pieces of stale bread to the product. Also add 30-50 ml of sunflower oil into the composition.
Yeast granules are mixed in warm (no more than 30 degrees) water until completely dissolved.

Dry active microorganisms are quite convenient to use. However, you need to not only take into account all the shortcomings and know how to eliminate them, but also correctly observe the ratio of all ingredients.

Calculation of proportions

The recipe for making mash requires the correct ratio of sugar, yeast and water. From one kg of granulated sugar you can produce approximately 1.1 liters of mash. But this is just a theory. In practice, everything is different: the amount of mash may be more or less than expected. Therefore, the amount of each ingredient should be increased by 10%.

So, for every additional kilogram of granulated sugar, the following is additionally added:

4 liters of water;
additional 50 ml water if granulated sugar is caramelizing;
20 g of dry “mushrooms”;

12 kg of sugar;
48 – 54.3 liters of water;
240 g dry yeast.

The mash recipe involves not only combining

granulated sugar with “mushroom”. There are other components; their quantities can be determined from specialized literature.

Production technology

The entire process of producing raw materials for moonshine requires careful adherence to technology. It consists of several stages, each of which has its own specifics. In essence, the production technique is a recipe that provides:

Recipe, production

In the classic version, the recipe for raw materials for the production of moonshine requires precise adherence to the proportions of a small amount of ingredients. How much product you get - 10 liters or 5 liters - depends only on the amount of water, sugar and dry yeast.

The following recipe is for a ten-liter container:

2 kg sugar;
40 g dry yeast granules;
10 liters of water;
additional products - raisins or prunes.

Braga is prepared strictly according to technology. Water in which yeast is dissolved is poured into the container. Then the required amount of sugar is added and stirred until completely dissolved. The lid of the container is not closed, and the dish itself is wrapped in a warm cloth and placed in a warm place. Next, the recipe talks about foam formation. You can remove it using the methods indicated above. Cover the mixture again with a lid and place in a warm place. It is recommended to mix the raw materials with a clean spoon. At the end of fermentation, the mash must be distilled; it should not be consumed in its pure form.

Most beginner distillers use yeast that can be freely purchased in the store, usually baker's yeast. I decided to test and compare three popular brands of yeast, namely: Voronizh, Saf-Levure, Bekmaya.

Yeast comparison test

For the dough I prepared 3 classic sugar mashes with white grape dressing

Ingredients:

sugar – 3 kg
water - 12 l
dry yeast – 36 g
white grapes – 300 g

The purpose of this comparison and test was to find out:

1. The speed of yeast fermentation, both at the start and during the fermentation itself
2. Aroma and taste of mash
3. Foaming during fermentation
4. The ability of yeast to work at a hydromodulus of 1:4
5. Fermentability, volume of distillate (moonshine) at the outlet

Speed, start of fermentation, aroma during fermentation, foaming

I did not ferment the yeast before adding it, but immediately poured it evenly into the mash in order to find out how it would behave in this case. Fermentation began very quickly, all three brands of yeast started immediately, vigorous fermentation began within 45 minutes. The most aromatic yeast is Voronezh; during fermentation there was a clear bready aroma. All three mashes fermented under the same conditions, the temperature was from 22C to 25C. For the first 4 days the fermentation was active, then visually it became less and less, and on the 10th day I decided to distill it. In terms of speed, we can say that I did not see any particular differences; all three types of yeast showed the same fermentation times. Foaming, foam was only at the start of fermentation, then all three mashes fermented without foam.

Aroma, taste of mash, density (amount of sugar) after fermentation, hydromodulus 1:4

At the end of fermentation, the most aromatic mash was made with Voronezh yeast, it is the strong aroma of mash, visually we can say that this mash was also not very well clarified compared to the others. The mash made with saf-levure is less aromatic and better clarified than the one made from Voronezh; the mash made with bekmaya yeast had a clear alcoholic tint in the aroma and was clarified better than others.

In terms of density, the Voronezh mash showed about 0.5 units, the rest fermented to zero. Regarding the hydromodule, we can conclude that in such conditions, fermentation lasted longer, and additional feeding was definitely needed, but nevertheless the yeast managed.

Distillate output volume

I separately distilled all three mashes into raw alcohol, converted them to absolute alcohol and got the following numbers:

Voronezh - 1735 ml AC
Saffle-levure – 1802 ml AC
Bekmaya – 1920 ml AC

Based on the results of this test, we can firmly say that Bekmaya’s yeast has the best results in all respects, namely: better fermentability, well clarified after fermentation and the best distillate yield as a result of distillation. Below you will find a video report comparing these yeasts with all the details.

Dry yeast mash, the recipe for which I want to present to you, is prepared with the addition of jam, this will improve its quality and strength. I described how to prepare it below!

Before writing this recipe, I experimented a lot. Between experiments, I read additional information on various forums. I found out that mash containing dry yeast is of higher quality than using raw yeast. To give a proper analogy, I’ll give an example:

My experiment:

I took two 10 liter jars with the same amount of water and sugar. In one jar I added 32 grams of dry yeast saffle-levure, and in another jar I added 128 grams of pressed baker's yeast. After finishing the fermentation process, I measured the alcohol content in the mash. Braga made with raw yeast yielded 12% alcohol content in its composition, this is a good result, I was pleased. Next, I measured the alcohol content of the mash made with dry yeast, the result shocked me, I got 15%, just great.

On many forums they write that the alcohol content in mash can reach up to 18%, although this has never worked for me until now. What has changed, you ask, it’s simple, in order to get a high percentage of alcohol content in the mash, you should use additional bait. I had almost 7 liters of jam lying around in the basement, so I decided to use it. And what do you think, I added 1 kg of mash to the finished mash. brew, played one day earlier, and the alcohol content was 18%, this made me very happy. How I achieved this, you will learn from my cooking recipe, where I worked on the proportions for a very long time.

Ingredients:

Water – 7.8 l.
Sugar – 1.2 kg.
Dry yeast (Saf-levure) – 30g.
Any brew – 1 kg.

I take a 10 liter container. All of these ingredients fit perfectly into this vessel.

Cooking method:

Take a 10 liter container and fill it with 7.8 liters of water.

Then pour 1.2 kg into it. sugar and mix.

Add kg. any brew and mix again until the ingredients are completely dissolved.

Before you add the yeast to the jar, you need to start it. To do this, pour 30g. dry yeast with warm water and wait until a foamy cap forms. I waited 20 minutes, after the head had formed, I poured the dissolved yeast into a jar and stirred.

We place the container under the water seal and send it to a warm, dark place for fermentation. If you don't have this type of water seal, you can use a different version.

After the mash had finished working, I removed it from the sediment using a regular silicone tube, as you will find out how I did it.

To improve the quality of the mash, I propose to rid it of the remaining yeast in it. For this we will use bentonite, you will learn how best to do this here.

I hope you liked my recipe for making mash with dry yeast, please write all your comments and suggestions in the comments, I will be very happy to chat. Thank you all for your presence, bye!

It's no secret that yeast of maximum quality is the key to successful fermentation and the result of high-quality moonshine. That is why, when faced with the choice of such an extremely important ingredient, buyers prefer to choose dry yeast (for example, such well-known brands as “Saf Moment”, “Saf Levure”). And in this article we will look at the main reasons for this consumer choice in making moonshine.

Mushrooms, consisting of one cell, are the most important ingredient, the basis of everything in the manufacture of mash. It is single-celled fungi that turn simple sugar wort into a ready-to-drink drink with a low alcohol content. And then this mass becomes suitable for subsequent “transformation” into a moonshine drink.

Today, the food market is so wide that it is easy to notice the presence of not one, or even several types of yeast. They are different: alcoholic, for making wine drinks, brewer's yeast. But still, yeast, which is actively used for the preparation of flour products, remains at the top of its popularity. It is easy to highlight the positive and negative aspects of this product. The first include low cost, ease of use; accessibility and excellent moonshine as a result.

Navigation

Living water

When it comes to directly preparing mash for moonshine, you must adhere to very simple but important rules regarding the water base. In order for the yeast “Saf Moment” and “Saf Levure” to please you with excellent results as much as possible, you need drinking water of medium softness and always without foreign impurities. This is important to observe due to poor fermentation in water with high hardness.

Another important point: To preserve oxygen in water, do not boil it before mixing the ingredients. It is also not recommended to breed yeast in distillate due to the lack of necessary microelements for the required growth. It is permissible to prepare mash using ordinary running water, but filter it before pouring. If there is no filter, let the water stand for several days in an open container.

Temperature limits are very important for the successful result of fermentation to obtain moonshine. Single-celled fungi reproduce well at temperatures from 18 to 30C. If the temperature drops, the proliferation of fungi is suppressed.

If, on the contrary, the degrees on the thermometer rise, they face not only overheating, but also death. If you have done everything correctly up to this stage, then the wonderful mash can ferment for up to two weeks, during which the sugar in the wort is completely processed. To determine the “condition”, the taste can help, which after this period should become slightly bitter with a slight sourness.

Yeast brands “Saf Moment” and “Saf Levure” are extremely famous among self-taught distillers. It is common to think that they are necessary only for making buns or bread, but no! As we indicated above, this yeast is also widely popular for making moonshine. They also have very advantageous packaging (100 grams), which will simplify the process of preparing mash according to the recipe. Winemakers have noticed that it is with Saf Levure that fermentation occurs without a pronounced odor and has no off-flavors at all.

The result is alcohol of excellent quality. But another memorable moment for moonshiners was that the above-mentioned yeast opens best when paired with Saf-Moment. It is the majority of recipes that use this product to extinguish the resulting foam.

For the “game” of mash

When making, to achieve the optimally beneficial result of obtaining mash followed by preparing moonshine, take yeast and granulated sugar in a ratio of one to five to six parts.

Using simple calculations, we get, for example, 5-6 kilograms of granulated sugar for a package of yeast (100 grams). To achieve full propagation of mushrooms, dry yeast is fermented before combining with sugar syrup. To do this, take one full packet of Saf-Levure and pour it into half a liter of warm prepared water, leaving for 5-7 minutes.

If excessive fermentation is detected in the first hours, the aforementioned “Saf-Moment” will help, which extinguishes the foam. You must remember that there are a lot of cooking methods, but the most popular remains the following: 3 hundred-gram packs of Saf Levure yeast, a bag (11 grams) of Saf-Moment yeast, 15 kilograms of granulated sugar and 60 liters of warm prepared water.

To avoid the appearance of a large number of negative impurities during fermentation (and moonshine in general), sweeten it with fruit juice or berry cake. What to do if the mash practically does not ferment? You probably didn't follow the recipe and didn't add enough yeast. Try adding black bread to your moonshine recipe, which is beneficial in terms of micronutrients. For bait, simple tomato paste (100 grams per 10 liters) may also be suitable. We recommend that you treat yeast with a open mind and as a result you will get excellent moonshine!

Alcoholic products prepared at home in accordance with instructions and recommendations are safer than some factory-made drinks. Mash made with sugar and yeast - this recipe is often called a classic. This type of moonshine is easier to prepare than many other options, and all the ingredients can be bought at any store.

Dry yeast for mash

Moonshine without yeast will not work, because... they contain all the microorganisms that cause the fermentation process. The latter is necessary for the conversion of glucose into alcohol. It should be borne in mind that yeast fungi require careful treatment, especially in terms of maintaining temperature conditions. Low temperatures do not have much effect on mushrooms, but high temperatures (35 degrees and above) can completely destroy them.

It is generally accepted that it is better to use special alcoholic yeast for moonshine brewing. The use of products of this type does not cause any difficulties, because The manufacturer indicates the optimal amount of sugar on each pack. The downside is that this type of yeast is difficult to find and has a limited shelf life. An alternative for moonshine brewing is dry yeast, but it needs to be activated.

Which ones to choose

The French “Saf-Levure”, which is sold in 100-gram packages, is excellent for preparing mash with dry yeast. They are widely used for baking, so they are sold in almost every grocery store. Saf-Moment products, which contain only 11 grams per bag, are also a good defoamer. Some moonshine gurus recommend choosing Pakmaya Crystal yeast for mash. There is also an option in the form of products from the Bekmaya and Saf Instant trademarks.

Features of the technological process

A distinctive feature of moonshine using dry yeast culture is abundant foaming, so in this case it is necessary to use defoamers. As the latter, some distillers use pharmaceutical or chemical preparations, household chemicals - but you should not resort to their use. In addition, there is no need to try to eliminate the foam with regular stirring. Use crackers or cookies.

Take care in advance of the cleanliness of your moonshine brewing equipment, especially the fermentation container - rinse it thoroughly and dry it. It is very important to do this, because any slightest impurity can spoil the final product. As a fermentation container, you can use whatever you like, for example, a three-liter jar, a tank. The main thing is not to put the mash in a galvanized container, because... prolonged contact of the contents with the material will result in the oxidation of zinc, the oxides of which are harmful.

It is also not recommended to use plastic containers without a mark confirming that they are intended for food products. It is easier to use plastic milk cans of 25-38 liters. Utensils made of stainless steel, aluminum, porcelain, glass, and enameled metal are also suitable. As for the process of preparing mash, technologically it can be divided into two main stages:

yeast activation;
preparing and inverting sugar syrup.

Activation of dry yeast

First, prepare the water, which should be clear, odorless, and tasteless. You can even use non-chlorinated tap water that meets food grade standards. If this is not the case, then be sure to let it sit for about 48 hours - the chlorine will evaporate during this time. A good choice would be spring water followed by filtration and settling. Alternatively, you can choose bottled liquid. You cannot distill or boil water for mash. Instructions for activating dry products:

Pour the contents of the package into a small container and fill with boiled water, the temperature of which is 34-38 °C. Select the container so that you can freely stir the resulting mass.
Stir everything and leave the composition for about 10-20 minutes. During this time, the yeast should swell - a cap will form on the surface. During the first minutes, it is very important to maintain the initial temperature. To do this, place the container in a warm place or wrap it in a blanket.
As soon as the contents of the container have swelled, mix everything thoroughly again.

Preparing and inverting sugar syrup

To prepare regular sugar syrup, you will need to take water and raw sugar in a 1:1 ratio. Mix both components and bring to a temperature of 90°C on the stove. It is necessary to cook the syrup at this indicator for about half an hour, remembering to constantly stir the mass and skim off the foam. Ready-made sugar-based syrup can be added to the mash, but the fermentation process will be lengthy.

As for inverting the syrup, the easiest way is to add citric acid to it 0.08% of the amount of sugar in the mixture. Other proportions are also used, for example, for 1 kg of raw sugar, take 520 ml of water. This process will help break down sugar into fructose and glucose, because. mushrooms break down sucrose into monosaccharides and only then process them into ethyl alcohol. So, by supplementing the composition with acid or the enzyme invertase, you will significantly speed up fermentation. Inversion process:

Add 6 kg of sugar to 3.12 liters of water and bring to a boil.
Add 4.8 g of citric acid to the mixture.
Boil the syrup for 1.5-2 hours at a temperature of 95-100 °C under the lid.

Sugar and yeast mash recipe

Having prepared the water and containers, first activate the yeast as described above. Then you will need to prepare the sugar syrup and invert it. Braga with dry yeast - instructions:

Preparing the base for mash. Fill the inverted syrup with water. The initial mixture should have a temperature of 27-30 °C. Fill the fermentation container no more than 3/4 full. Before adding prepared dry mushrooms, provide them with fertilizing. Sometimes special enzymes are used for saccharification, for example, glucavamorin. After fermentation of the wort is completed, it is necessary to prevent the possible growth of bacteria in the warm wort, which will lead to the death of yeast cultures.
Fermentation. Once the wort is ready, keep the mixture at a constant temperature between 28-31°C. For this purpose, wrap the fermentation container with a blanket, fur coat, coat, etc., or wrap it with special heat-insulating materials. If you did everything correctly, the mixture will ferment for 48-80 hours, depending on the temperature and type of fertilizing. Every half day the wort needs to be stirred intensively for 1 minute. to remove excess carbon dioxide.
Lightening. This process is not mandatory, but highly desirable, because with its help you can remove dormant and dead yeast cultures from the mash mixture. If you leave them, the moonshine product will smell worse and will contain much more harmful components than its clarified counterpart. Alternatively, you can put the mash in a cold place under a water seal and wait until the yeast precipitates in 1-2 days. After this, it remains to carefully drain the liquid using a straw.
Distillation (fractional distillation). If the previous stages are completed completely, then you can immediately begin selecting the “heads” and “tails”. Place the mash mixture on low heat and wait until the first drops appear - these are the “heads” (“pervak”), of which you need to collect about 50 ml for each kg of processed sugar. Immediately pour the collected liquid somewhere, because... it is dangerous to health. Then assemble the “body”, i.e. the middle fraction, which is the main one. The liquid must be withdrawn until the strength of the product drops below 40%. Then start collecting the “tails”. This fraction contains a lot of fusel oils, so it is not suitable for consumption.

Ingredient proportions

It is important to maintain the proportions of sugar and yeast for the mash, otherwise the original product may not satisfy your taste needs. From 1 kg of sugar you can get about 1.1 liters of moonshine with a strength of 40% with some error in both directions. The optimal ratio is as follows: for every 1 kg of raw sugar you will need 4 liters of water (plus another 0.52 liters if the syrup is inverted), 20 g of dry yeast like Saf-Levur.

Yeast feed

To provide dry yeast with optimal working conditions, they will need feeding. Among the options are malt, juices, steamed grains, bread and dried fruits (removed from tar, preservatives, and dirt). For 50 liters of wort you will need only 0.5-1 liter of juice with/without pulp or either 1/2 loaf of rye bread. You can use vitamin B1 - for every kg of sugar you will need 1-2 mg. Nitrogenous agricultural fertilizers are used as mineral fertilizers:

Diammonium phosphate, diluted with warm water at the rate of 3.3 g per 1 kg of sugar.
Ammonium sulfate at the rate of 1.2-2 g per 1 kg.
Ca superphosphate at the rate of 3-4 g per 1 kg.
Urea (urea) at the rate of 0.8 g per 1 kg.

Wort fermentation

The container with the mash should not be tightly closed. It’s better to take gauze and wrap the neck with it, then put the mash in a dark place. The temperature should be stable without sudden changes. If you are going to produce a lot of moonshine, then it is better to purchase an aquarium heater - you can set the thermostat to 30 ° C. The yeast culture also produces heat, so the temperature of the mash mixture must be constantly monitored - if it exceeds 35 ° C, it will need to be cooled.

It is not necessary to place a water seal on the sugar-based mash (the process occurs very rapidly and bacteria or oxygen will not get into the mash), just leave the lids on the fermentation container slightly open. A water seal can only save you when fermentation is carried out in an apartment, because... Dry yeast mash doesn't smell very good. The speed of fermentation depends not only on temperature, but also on the correct proportions and the quality of the yeast.

Do not forget to stir the composition every half day. If the container is small, then it is better to simply shake it - this way you will get rid of carbon dioxide, which interferes with the action of yeast cultures. The procedure is a recommendation, so you can do without it. Fermentation can take up to 10 days. Keep an eye on it to promptly determine readiness based on several signs at once.

How to tell if sugar mash with dry yeast is ready

When preparing mash using dry yeast, it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the moonshine base. Otherwise, the mixture may ferment. You can check the readiness of the mash using a lit match. During active fermentation, the composition begins to release large amounts of carbon dioxide, which displaces oxygen. If you bring a lit match to the surface and it burns, this indicates that the fermentation process has stopped. Attenuation indicates the continuation of the procedure. You can tell if mash with dry yeast is ready by other signs:

time;
taste;
mind;
using a hydrometer.

By time

Depending on the quality of the raw materials and external conditions, a typical sugar-based mash ferments within 5-14 days. On average, this process takes 7-10 days, but for starchy mash (from grain) it takes only 3-7 days. Braga without yeast based on berries, grapes need 20-60 days to ripen. Due to the large variation in time, this method is considered the most inaccurate.

Taste

This method of determining the end of fermentation is considered the most effective, especially since it can be used to evaluate the quality of the product. The mash, ready for further distillation, has a bitter taste. If you taste sweetness, it means the yeast has not yet finished converting all the sugar into raw alcohol. If the temperature regime is not observed (the minimum temperature should be about 18 °C and the maximum should be 28 °C), then the yeast culture will die prematurely. You can resume fermentation if you add a new portion of yeast and remove the container to a suitable place.

By appearance

In finished mash with dry yeast, foaming does not occur. In addition, the characteristic hissing and release of carbon dioxide ceases. Pay attention to the top layer of mash. If you notice that it has gradually begun to lighten, this indicates that the remains of yeast fungi and waste products have settled at the bottom, which also indicates the end of fermentation.

Using a hydrometer

A professional and accurate way to check the end of fermentation is to use a special device called a hydrometer. If you have taken up moonshine brewing thoroughly and often prepare homemade alcohol, then it is better to purchase it. To determine the remaining sugar (i.e., poor quality), filter 200 ml of mash through a thick cloth, pour into a measuring glass and lower the hydrometer into it. If the value is below the 1.002 level, then you can start distilling.

Degassing and clarification of mash

Braga made with dry yeast needs delegitization and clarification to improve the taste of moonshine. To do this, remove the insulation and let the mash sit for a day in the cold. The yeast should precipitate, then drain the clarified mixture from the sediment (decant) through a rubber tube. You can remove all carbon dioxide from it like this: heat the decanted wort to 50 degrees - this will kill the remnants of mushrooms that have not fallen into suspended animation at a wort strength of 12%.

To clarify, you can wait until all the yeast has precipitated, but this will take a long time. Another way (faster) is to use gelatin, bentonite and other coagulants. It is better to choose bentonite (natural white clay), which should be clean and free of foreign odors. The essence of the method:

Grind the bentonite (2-3 tablespoons per 20 liters of mash).
Dissolve in 250 ml warm water.
Stir until the clay becomes a homogeneous mass.
Pour the resulting suspension into the mash and mix everything vigorously for several minutes.
The mash is clarified with bentonite for about 15-30 hours, after which it becomes almost transparent, after which drain it from the sediment through a straw.

Video

Dry active baker's yeast Saf-Levur for baking and drinks.

Usually I always take small 11g packets of Saf-Moment fast-acting yeast, but I decided to try Saf-Levur yeast, because... A 100g pack is more economical.

Yeast looks like small balls:

They have a specific smell, unlike Saf-Moment (they don’t smell of anything at all).

There are recipes on the package:

Saf-Levur is suitable for a bread machine; you don’t need to soak them, as it says on the package.

If you bake bread on a bread machine at full program (without accelerating), the bread rises normally, but still gives off a little yeast.

But the dough for pies and buns turns out tasty, airy, without any foreign odors.

Saf-Levur yeast is suitable for kneading dough in a bread machine, for bread - for everyone. I recommend!

Don't forget to store the opened package of yeast in the refrigerator and closed.

Enjoy your meal!

Have a good mood to transform and love yourself more and more...