Fertilizing brag for moonshine: 9 ways at home
Both beginner moonshiners and experienced distillers periodically face sluggish or prolonged fermentation. The process seems to be going on, but it is not in a hurry to reach a natural ending. In this case, to activate the fermentation, it is recommended to use one of the popular methods of wort feeding.
It is best to use these methods to accelerate maturation at the initial stage, when the yeast is most active. In this case, the fertilizer is thrown in with the rest of the ingredients. This is especially true for sugar wort, which can work poorly without additional "feed".
It is hardly possible to spoil the brew with such additives, but it is quite possible to improve it. Fruit and grain types of wort usually do not need to be fed, as the yeast works well in them.
Terms of fermentation
To find out when it's time to throw the "food" into the "sleeping" wort, it is better to familiarize yourself with the maturation time of different types of brag. If you keep the temperature optimal for yeast fungi (in the range of 22 to 28 °C), the approximate timeframe looks like this:
Grape/fruit with natural yeast - up to 2 months
On malt - 3-5 days
Potato/starch - about 4 days
Sugar - 1-2 weeks
Fertilization of the wort with raisins
The simplest and highest quality option that can be used for any type of wort.
About 200 grams of raisins are needed for 40 liters of mash. In order not to destroy the wild yeast contained on the surface of the berries, it is not recommended to wash them.
To activate the process, just throw raisins into the wort. Optionally, you can grind the dried fruits in a blender.
Similarly, the brew is fed with prunes or dried apricots.
As an alternative, use crushed raspberries, strawberries, cherries, freshly squeezed fruit juices (1 glass per 10 liters), old jam without mold (0.5-1 liter per 50 liters).
Fertilizing the mash with malt
You will need sprouted rye, barley, corn or millet grains, which need to be thoroughly crushed before use. You can buy ready-made malt in the store.
1 kg of nutrient powder is enough for 40 liters of wort. This method is not used for other types of wort. Usually, malt is immediately included in the recipe and dissolved in hot water before adding sugar.
Feeding the mash with bread
To activate fermentation, use only rye baking and always fresh.
Crumble or cut bread into small pieces before adding to the mash. It will take 0.2-0.5 kg per 50 liters of wort.
Feeding the brew with black bread is one of the oldest ways to accelerate maturation. In modern conditions, it does not always work, since the recipe of the cereal product has not changed for the better. It should be borne in mind that such feeding can make the moonshine cloudy. Remove the "curtain" by double distillation.
Fertilizing the wort with peas
For 40 liters of sugar wort, you will need about 1 kg of legumes. Ground (optimally), steamed or boiled peas are thrown in at the initial stage of fermentation to stimulate the process. The result will be noticeable almost immediately in the form of active bubbling and the formation of abundant foam.
The "disadvantage" of this method is the specific smell and taste of moonshine, which can only be eliminated by repeated distillation.
Feeding the brew with corn grits
You need about 1 kg of fertilizer for 50 liters. Cereals, such as peas, are pre-crushed/boiled/poured with boiling water, and then poured into the sugar wort along with other ingredients at the beginning of fermentation.
Alternatively, you can use corn flour or ground grains.
Be sure to check the freshness of the cereal: no more than six months should pass from the date of production, otherwise the mash will be bitter. This type of fertilization works best in combination with malt or sugar syrup.
Feeding the mash with urea
This method is only used for sugar mash. The calculation is based on the amount of the main ingredient. Approximately 1 g of urea is required per 1 kg of sugar. One teaspoon contains about 2.5 g of the nutrient.
It is advisable to combine this type of feeding with superphosphate (3-4 g per 1 kg of sugar), but it can also be used separately.
Fertilizing the mash with flour
Use for sugar or malt wort. Most often, rye or wheat flour is added, although other options (corn, rice, oats) are also suitable. Grind and category do not really matter, although higher-grade products contain more starch and therefore work a little better.
The amount of flour corresponds to the amount of sugar/malt: 1 kg of the main ingredient will require the same amount of feeding. It should be borne in mind that rye wort is actively fermenting, so the container should be with a margin. You can make brag exclusively with flour (3 kg per 12 liters), water and yeast, but in this case you will have to add special enzymes.
Fertilizing sugar mash with apples
If there is a surplus of fruit, you can crush it and use it to stimulate fermentation. Apple cake or soaked dried fruits also work great. The latter must be ground and steamed before use. 5 kg of sugar requires about 3-4 kg of cake or fruit pulp.
Warning
According to the words Makarova S.Ю., fermentation of apples with pulp results in accumulation of methanol, which passes and accumulates in the body.
Fertilizing sugar mash with hercules
The high starch content of oatmeal allows to use it to activate fermentation. For 30 liters of water, you will need about 2 kg of hercules and 1 kg of sugar.
Oatmeal moonshine is mild, with a pleasant aroma, but the yield is low. By increasing the proportion of sugar (or including malt), you can get more alcoholic product. For each additional kilogram of sweet component, add 4 liters of water.
Update: 25.03.2019
Category: Vodka an Moonshine