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Homemade rye bread mash is a simple but tasty drink. If you make it not too strong, it will be an excellent analogue of a light beer in the summer heat. I’ll tell you about my experience in making such a mash.
This is how my subscriber Anatoly began his letter to me. That year I tried to make a summer light rye drink, but I didn’t succeed. So this summer I will try this recipe myself. For now, I’ll just share it with you.
Why I Decided to Make Braga
I love both kvass and beer. But store-bought drinks are pretty boring. I wanted something of my own. Of course, I have heard about making beer from concentrates. But this option did not attract me: such a drink will not differ much from the store, and it is expensive.
And then, in one of the old magazines of the Soviet period, I came across a recipe for rye mash. “Why not try?” I thought. And I tried. I was completely satisfied with the result.
Now I will tell you how I prepared the drink.
Ingredients
For 5 liters of mash you will need:
- a loaf of rye bread;
- a few mint leaves;
- a glass of sugar;
- ½ teaspoon of yeast;
- 5 liters of water.
Important! Instead of mint, you can take lemon balm, then the finished mash will smell like lemon. Personally, I did just that, since the grass grows wild in my garden.
The bread will need to be dried in the oven.
Preparation
In order to prepare the mash, I did the following:
- boiled water in a large saucepan, adding mint;
- bread cut into thin slices and dried in the oven until a golden crust formed;
- in a small amount of warm water (from the pan) diluted the yeast;
- put the bread in the bottom of another pan;
- diluted sugar in the cooled mint broth and poured it into a bowl with bread;
- added yeast (did not mix them);
- covered the pan with the mash with a thick cloth and put it in a dark place.
That, in fact, is all. Agree, it’s pretty simple.
Cover the container with a drink with a towel and put it in a dark place.
What happened
The drink fermented for 3 days. After this time, I decided to check the result. It turned out a strong mash with a pronounced aroma of rye bread. I didn’t check the fortress with a vinometer, but I think it was in the region of 12-15 degrees – even from a couple of glasses of such a drink you can get drunk.
Important! Be careful if you decide to cook mash according to this recipe. The fortress in it is not felt at all, so it is very easy to exceed the measure.
To be honest, I didn’t really want to get it. I needed a softer drink, something between beer and kvass. So I repeated the experiment, but this time I added less sugar and allowed the mash to ferment for only a day. And then I got what I needed: a drink that has the strength of beer and a pronounced bready taste.
Is it possible to distill
The first version of the mash that I received could well have been distilled. But then I didn’t have a moonshine still and I couldn’t verify this statement.
I think it’s better to insist the mash for 4-5 days for distillation. Then moonshine will be stronger. You may not even need a second distillation.
With the result that
I used to make rye brew for 2 or 3 years, but then I just got fed up with it and switched to homemade cider. Bread drink is inexpensive and easy to prepare. At the same time, despite the fortress, it perfectly removes thirst in the summer heat. Therefore, if you are tired of store-bought kvass and beer, this is the best option.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Take care of yourself!
Do you have a signature recipe for “summer” drinks? Share with me.