Braga was put in Russia from time immemorial. Not so long ago, she was almost the most popular alcoholic drink consumed in the absence of moonshine. For the production of the latter, it was possible to get a real criminal term, but what about the production, even for the discovery of an unused moonshine in the house, the initiation of proceedings was practically guaranteed. Matter is another matter. She, of course, was not welcomed, but nevertheless she was treated more tolerantly. Grain could serve as a raw material for mash, especially its surplus that lay in the winter. They put the mash and a simpler one using sugar and yeast. In some cases, jam was used.
Pick your recipe
You will need
- - Jam;
- - pressed baker's yeast;
- - spring, well or bottled water;
- - sugar;
- - container for mash;
- - container for wort;
- - spoons.
Instruction manual
1
Prepare the necessary ingredients. There can be many variations, for a traditional drink there are three of them: water, yeast and jam. Contrary to popular belief, neither its quality, nor the fruits or berries from which it is cooked, nor the period that stood in the pantry or cellar affects the taste of the mash. For taste, only one thing is important: the amount of sugar that was used when cooking it. You can not say about technology. Mash from different types of fruits and berries requires a different approach, otherwise the fermentation process (it was from it that got its name mash) can go wrong.
2
When picking up water, also approach the matter responsibly. If there are impurities in it, you cannot get a high-quality drink from such water. But boiled or distilled water does not always have the desired effect on fermentation. The best option is a spring, well or, in extreme cases, bottled. Usually bottled water is extracted from deep wells, it undergoes natural multi-stage purification and is considered even better than spring water. Another thing is that often such water is mineralized, the content of any chemicals in it can be increased, which, in turn, can affect Braga.
3
Give preference to pressed baker's yeast. Dry, well-proven in baking, for your purposes, most likely, will not work. On average, the strength of a drink made with baker's yeast ranges from 10-12 percent. If you want it stronger, use alcohol yeast. They are not sold in ordinary retail stores, but in the conditions of the developed Internet and the undoubted interest of a more or less wide audience in the topic of home production of alcoholic beverages, finding alcoholic yeast should not be difficult. If you want to get mash from fermented jam, cooked in accordance with all the rules, try to get wine yeast. It is they that are best combined with the foundation of your future drink - berries and fruits, from which this jam was cooked. Still, baking yeast is easier to buy. They should be taken in the amount of one hundred grams for each liter of sweet jam and four liters of water.
4
Find containers and utensils for mash. Rinse everything thoroughly with hot water, if possible even rinse it with boiling water (of course, if the material provides for exposure to such high temperatures). Then dry thoroughly. Ideally, start the process itself only the next day, giving the opportunity to the so-called "natural drying" to bring the dishes in accordance with the necessary condition. Containers for mash should be made of non-corrosive materials. As for the volume - choose one that is 30-40 percent more than the volume of the drink. Firstly, fruits and berries from jam during fermentation will inevitably rise with a “cap”, and secondly, the yeast, growing, emit carbon dioxide, which also helps to raise the upper border of the drink. An important point: when using plastic containers (this is especially true for barrels), make sure that they are labeled "intended for food". Otherwise, for the sake of business, pick up another capacity.
5
Cook a quick mash. For these purposes, jam made from sweet fruits, such as apples, pears, black currants, etc., is suitable. Heat the water to 35 degrees, pour a little and dissolve the yeast. Mix with the rest of the water, put the jam. The exact proportions do not exist, but it is desirable that the concentration of sugar in water be as high as possible. If the jam is slightly sweet, for a more pickled mash sugar is better to add additionally. Put the container with the drink near the battery, this is the easiest option, it is only important to turn it over every 4-5 hours so that the yeast grows more evenly. The temperature inside the container should be at the level of 25-30 degrees. Both rise and fall will not have the best effect on the finished braga. A more complex, but sure option to ensure uniform heating is to tape an aquarium heater. It is especially good if he will be able to adjust the temperature (sometimes they can only heat up to certain degrees, not the fact that this will suit you). Pull a rubber glove on the container with the drink - this is a kind of indicator, so you will control the completion of gas formation. Or use a water shutter. After 3-4 days, the mash can already be carefully filtered and distilled (as an option - use it as it is if you like this specific taste).
6
Try making a drink by pre-brewing the yeast. This is a slow mash, it requires a little more patience, because for 2-3 days you will only have to ripen the yeast harvest. For her, remove all the jam from the cans. Add an equal weight amount of water and a portion of yeast, provided for the total volume of mash. If fermentation processes have already begun in the jam, nature has done part of the work for you. If not, the task of starting these processes is just what you are facing at this stage. Transfer the mixture to a container (it can be an enameled pan, a plastic container, a glass jar, at least twice the volume of the workpiece). It is very important to maintain the same temperature at a level of 30-32 degrees for a couple of days. Very soon, the mash must begin to bubble, hiss and emit a characteristic fermenting odor. However, this process is not endless. Just in time for the second day, it will decline. It's time to pour this mixture into the container for mash (bottle, bottle, barrel) and add all the water intended for the future drink. He should wander about 5-6 days, after which he is technically ready. But lovers of clean, high-quality home-made drinks are also advised to overtake the slow mash.
note
Do not keep the mash without draining from the wort for too long, it risks fermenting.
Useful advice
It is better to use wine yeast for mash from jam, but you can get a good drink using pressed bakeries.