Contents
Novice moonshiners often encounter a situation where, a couple of days after laying the ingredients, the mash stops playing, remaining sweetish (not fertilized). In severe cases, there is no fermentation at all from the moment the yeast is added. We will consider the causes of this phenomenon and methods to revive the mash.
1. Little time has passed
Braga does not always start playing right away. Depending on the raw materials, temperature, type of yeast and the method of adding to the wort (previously diluted or not), visible signs of fermentation (foam, hiss, sour smell, bubbles from the water seal) may appear after a couple of hours.
Something goes wrong if the mash does not start 6-8 hours after adding the yeast.
2. Leaky water seal
A common problem for beginners who determine fermentation only by the bubbles released from the water lock. If the structure is installed incorrectly, carbon dioxide escapes through other holes, bypassing the tube. As a result, fermentation goes on, but this is not visible on the water seal.
Solution: check the tightness of the water seal by blowing strongly through the outlet tube into the container. The appearance of a whistle will indicate problem areas that need to be addressed.
If the water seal allows air to pass through, the fermented mash can turn sour, which will lead to a decrease in output and the appearance of a sour taste in moonshine. I advise you to use a water seal!
3. Inappropriate temperature conditions
The optimum temperature for mash fermentation on artificial (store) yeast is 20-26°C, the allowable range is 18-32°C. At a lower temperature, fermentation stops, the yeast “falls asleep”, but does not die. Exceeding the temperature can kill the yeast, which will simply “cook”.
Fermentation itself causes the temperature inside the container to rise by several degrees (the larger the container, the more intense the self-heating).
Solution: if the mash has stopped playing due to the cold, move the container to a warm place. If the temperature was too high, create suitable conditions and add a new batch of yeast. It is desirable that the mash wander in a dark or at least protected from direct sunlight room (the container can be covered).
4. Wrong proportions
It is typical if, under normal temperature conditions, the mash stopped fermenting, but remained sweet. The optimal sugar content in the must before fermentation is 15-20% by volume. High sugar content is a preservative that slows down or even stops fermentation.
Another problem associated with too much sugar is too high a strength of mash. Most yeast strains die at an alcohol concentration above 12-14% alcohol (some types of alcohol yeast can withstand 16-18%). Closer to the tolerance limit, fermentation slows down. If there is too much sugar, the mash will reach its maximum strength and stop fermenting before the yeast has processed all the sugar into alcohol. In the language of moonshiners, residual sugar is called “bad”.
In turn, the low sugar content speeds up the work of the yeast, but significantly increases the energy and time required for distillation, since more liquid has to be heated. Let’s calculate the “golden mean”.
After dilution in water, 1 kg of sugar occupies 0,6 liters of solution volume. To achieve the sugar content of mash 15-20%, for 1 kg of sugar, add 3-4 liters of water (0,6: 3 * 100 u20d 0,6% or 4: 100 * 15 u100d 20%) and XNUMX grams of pressed or XNUMX grams dry yeast, alcohol are added in the proportions indicated in the instructions on the label.
At the same time, 1% sugar in the wort is processed by yeast into 0,6% alcohol. Braga ready for distillation with an initial sugar content of 20% will contain 12% alcohol (20 * 0,6 = 12). Any yeast will withstand a similar concentration.
In fairness, I note that some moonshiners recommend adding 5-6 parts of water to 1 part of sugar, arguing that, all other things being equal, the mash will win back a couple of days earlier (this is true), and a short fermentation period reduces the amount of harmful impurities that are products vital activity of yeast. Personally, I did not notice a difference in the quality of moonshine with a different “hydraulic module” (sugar to water ratio).
Solution: bring the proportions of the mash to the recommended values. If the sugar content is too high, it is enough to add fresh cold or heated to 30 ° C, but not boiled (so that oxygen remains) water.
5. Bad yeast
Active pressed yeast has a uniform (very important) pinkish-cream, yellowish or grayish color and a uniform, moderately firm consistency. Shelf life in the refrigerator is up to 12 days. The appearance of a putrid, musty odor indicates that the product has deteriorated.
Dry yeast must be free-flowing. This can be checked by feeling the packaging. If stored incorrectly, lumps or a sticky consistency are formed.
Solution: if the temperature and sugar content of the mash are normal, new yeast should be added, preferably purchased from another store.
6. Poor quality water
For normal development, yeast fungi need oxygen and trace elements contained in water. Therefore, mash water cannot be boiled, distilled or passed through reverse osmosis systems. It is better to use oxygen-rich filtered, spring, well or bottled drinking water.
Stopping fermentation is possible if the water contains a high concentration of chlorine or other substances that kill microorganisms. In other cases, bad water only slows down fermentation.
Solution: add 50-100% of the initial volume of quality water to the wash.
