Is it possible to drink homemade mash without distillation? Oak barrels Is it possible to drink unprepared mash.

A drink made on the basis of honey or fruits has become widespread many centuries ago. Its centuries-old history includes entire epochs, countries and nationalities. During its existence, it has been modified dozens of times and changed its name depending on the color of the area in which it was actively consumed as a thirst-quenching drink with a low alcohol content. Nowadays, it is known as a natural drinking brew. So can you drink it? We will answer you in the article.

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Just like mead, which looks like mead, like two drops of water, mash was originally valued not because of the presence of sweetly intoxicating alcohol in it. Do not think that people in ancient times were dumber than us. After all, if this were the case, then drinking mash would simply not have reached us in the form in which we know it now, because someone discovered its beneficial properties, pleasant fruity taste and the ability to perfectly quench thirst.

Some of you, at least remotely familiar with the technology of making moonshine, may come to the conclusion that mash can in no way be a healthy drink. And such a person can be understood, because it is one of the main ingredients in home brewing. And moonshine presupposes the presence of such a process as the fermentation of mash, as a result of which a mass of harmful substances is formed, like fusel oils. How to make it so that you can drink mash and not fall into the coffin? That's right - to cook mash according to recipes tested by more than one generation of wise people who know how to please themselves and their health. In this case, it will only benefit you:

• quench thirst;
• eliminate dysbacteriosis;
• relax after a hard day's work;
• will help in the treatment of arthritis, hypertension and various diseases of the circulatory system.

The use of mash, like any other alcohol-containing drink, in excessive quantities will lead to intoxication of the body, which can lead to very unpleasant consequences. And in case of exceeding the maximum allowable consumption without harm to health, even the absolute naturalness of drinking mash will not save you. Remember: not an ax kills a person, another person kills a person.

So, what harm can you do to your health by using drinking mash incorrectly?

• non-prescription mash will lead to poisoning of the body with volatile fusel substances in the same way as in case of excessive consumption;
• if you are intolerant to alcohol or have an allergic reaction to any of the components of the drink, you will receive an appropriate response from your body;
• mash, drunk after a noticeably long time after the expiration date, can lead to the most unexpected consequences.

The recipe for making drinking mash is as simple as possible, it does not require complex ingredients and special efforts to memorize. In addition, you can cook it, unlike the same moonshine, without distilling it. In order not to harm health, when preparing mash, you must strictly follow the letter of the recipe and select good quality ingredients.

The classic recipe assumes the presence of the following three:

• purified drinking water without any impurities;
• natural yeast;
• white sugar.

Already at the time when Kyiv was still the capital not of Ukraine, but of Ancient Russia, recipes for drinking mash based on honey, fruit juices, peas or traditional hops were known. But this does not affect the manufacturing process very noticeably. Having mixed these ingredients in the required proportions, it is necessary to send the mash to a warm place for up to several days. At this time, the resulting mixture will ferment. At the output, if everything is done correctly, you will get the best quality mash.

Regarding the proportions: we take water based on our own requirements for the volume and strength of the final result. Yeast and sugar are recommended to be mixed in proportions from 1:3 to 1:5, respectively. The first proportion will save time and space occupied by the fermenting mixture, the second, on the contrary, will increase them.

Jam Braga is a sweeter and tastier version of it. Jam you can choose to your taste, fear and risk. But cherry is usually recommended. It does not have a cloyingly sweet taste and does not require any special nuances to be taken into account, although the technique is somewhat complicated compared to the classic recipe. There are also specific proportions: for 1 liter of water - 1 cup of sugar and 3 tbsp. dry yeast.

1. Jam, water and sugar are mixed. Stir until complete dissolution of the latter. The temperature of the finished liquid is not more than 30C.
2. Dry yeast is added. The future braga is assigned a prison sentence in a dark and warm place. Up to 3 days.
3. Braga is filtered and returned to its place.
4. When the foam has ceased to appear, the mash is drained, clarified and bottled. Shelf life - no more than 5 days in the refrigerator. More - at your own peril and risk.

Centuries-old reputation, excellent taste and useful properties have deservedly awarded Braga with the status of not only a delicious alcoholic drink, but also a healthy and fruity tincture, which, if properly prepared, can bring not only pleasure, but also benefit. And you can do this without overtaking it and without performing any tricky manipulations. Drinking mash is what can rightly be called a worthy replacement for kvass in the diet of a person with a “Russian” soul.

Not every drink turns out to be good, the result depends, first of all, on the quality of the ingredients and the technology of making the brew. If you miss any moments, you can completely spoil the drink.

Quick mash for drinking in 12 hours

General rules for creating a delicious drinking brew:

1. Choose only high-quality raw materials: fruits, honey, cereals, etc. Spoiled products will give the drink an unpleasant aftertaste and aroma.
2. Choose yeast that is suitable for the components of the drink. For the preparation of honey or grain mash, it is better to choose alcohol yeast, and for fruit - wine. You can also use bread yeast, as any hostess always has them at hand. Just be sure to pay attention to the expiration date. And one more piece of advice: use dry ones, not pressed ones, as the latter will give the wasted liquid a specific taste and smell.
3. The most delicious mash is obtained from well or spring water of medium hardness. In too soft water, there are no minerals necessary for the vital activity of yeast, and in boiled water there is no oxygen. Tap water must be settled or filtered, it should not contain any impurities.
4. When preparing a drink, it is important to create a suitable temperature for fermentation. Since yeast is most active at t = 25–28 ⁰С. At a lower temperature, the fermentation process slows down, and already at 3–5 ⁰С, yeast fungi die.
5. Put on a lid with a water seal or a rubber glove with a pierced finger to limit the access of oxygen to the container with the washing liquid. Otherwise, the alcohol will turn into acetic acid. And sour mash is not suitable for drinking, it will have to be poured out.
6. There is no unequivocal answer to how long the drinking brew should be. It all depends on the raw materials used. The moment of completion of fermentation can be determined by the cessation of the release of gas bubbles from the water seal or by the deflated glove on the neck of the jar.

How to put mash for drinking according to the recipe of V. Selivanov

An old recipe for this drinking mash is given in the book by V. Selivanov “The Year of the Russian Farmer”. We give it without changes: “That mash is good, which is thick and sticky, sweet and intoxicating. For the preparation of white mash, let's say at least 40 buckets, they put cast iron with water in the oven in the evening, tubs for 8, and meanwhile prepare the leaven. In an ordinary pot, half-filled with warm water, they pour in wheat flour and a quarter of a pound of hops, rub it, that is, carefully stir this mixture with a merry, or otherwise with a beater, and, having added boiling water to the pot, put it right there in the hut somewhere aside until the leaven turns sour. The next day, in the morning, the water warmed during the night in the oven is poured into a vat, poured into the same pood of 4 poods of rye flour and malt and, just like leaven, rubbed with an oar. When the firewood in the furnace flares up, then they again put the cast iron with water into the furnace, boil it and dissolve the prepared shutter with this boiling water. It has long been customary to dilute the wort no lower than necessary, so that it does not drip or merge freely from the oar. Here the wort is allowed to stand and after 3-4 hours another tub of 3 cold water is poured into it and, then filtered through a sieve, poured into barrels and taken out to a cold place. When the wort has cooled to the level of fresh milk, then 3 pounds of hops are poured into the barrels for every 4 tubs of mash, and at the same time a little of the leaven from the pot is poured into each barrel. The next day the mash is ready

When cooking mash, the most important difficulty is water and the inconvenience of boiling it, because at least 26-30 buckets of mash should be consumed for the number of forty buckets of mash I assumed.

In modern conditions, this shortcoming can be easily eliminated.

• Tub - 1.5-2 buckets;
• pound - 409 g;
• pood - 16 kg.

Delicious DIY recipes

The taste of drinking mash is much more interesting if it is made from juice, jam, honey, and even with the addition of spices.

How to make from jam?

Proportions: for 3 liters of water - a liter jar of jam and a small bag of dry yeast. If the jam is not sweet enough, add another glass of sugar.

In water heated to 30 ° C, mix everything thoroughly until completely dissolved. Leave for three days. Then strain and let ferment for another three days. During this time, foaming should stop. If not, use one of the options to stop fermentation.

Read: How much mash should roam and how to influence the process

You can use any jam: cherry, apple, raspberry, strawberry, currant, etc. Each of them will fill the drink with its own unique aroma.

In more detail: How to cook jam from jam at home?

How to make juice?

Proportions:

• for 10 liters of juice - 2 - 2.5 kg of sugar (depending on the sweetness of the juice);
• 20 g dry (or 50 g raw) yeast;
• zest of two lemons.

Before adding to the juice, the yeast is “thawed” in half a cup of warm water, adding a pinch of sugar.

When they rise with a hat, you can mix with other ingredients. The juice is preheated to 28-30°C. A juice drink ferments for 10 days. It must be filtered before use.

Use apple, grape, birch and other juices. Thick, with pulp (for example, plum, apricot) is half diluted with water.

How to bet on honey?

This mash is credited with special healing properties. They say she helps a man to be one at any age. Necessary:

• 2 liters of water;
• 300 g of honey;
• a teaspoon of dry yeast;
• 5 g hops;
• a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon.

Honey and hops are added to the water, boiled, removing the foam, for about 5 minutes. At the end, cinnamon and nutmeg are poured. When the mixture has cooled down to 30 degrees, add previously "distant" yeast. And they definitely put it under a water seal.

After three to four days, as soon as the fermentation stops, you can drink without letting the mash gain its degree.

Important. Any of the drinking brags after ripening is stored only in the refrigerator

At room temperature, it sours instantly.

How does mash treat dysbacteriosis?

Notes flash on the Internet that dysbacteriosis was invented by doctors and pharmacists in order to pump money from the people, and that such a disease, they say, exists only in the CIS countries.

This could be written only by those who themselves have not gone through the state of the body that occurs after taking antibiotics. Sometimes they try to restore the microflora for six months and to no avail. Meanwhile, in folk medicine there is a recipe with which we want to introduce you - it comes first!

Helps in a couple of days. Record! Take:

• 0.5 liters of warm water;
• 1 tbsp honey;
• 1 tablespoon of sugar;
• 0.5 tsp dry yeast.

Mix everything thoroughly. Leave for 1 hour (maximum - 1.5). Drink the entire serving at once. There is nothing for an hour after that. It is better to make yourself such a “mash” in the morning. They say that it helps for 3-4 times.

What's the secret? Apparently, yeast is an excellent environment for the rapid reproduction of beneficial bacteria in the intestines, because they are present there, albeit in insufficient quantities. Thus, dysbacteriosis is eliminated very quickly.

Drinking mash recipes

Popular cooking recipes:

1. From cherry jam. You need to take a liter of jam and three liters of water, as well as a glass of sugar and three tablespoons of dry yeast. Mix the jam with sugar and water until everything is dissolved. For the effectiveness of dissolving sugar, you can add boiling water. The temperature should be at 30 degrees. After that, add the yeast and put the container in a warm and dry place for about three days. Then the raw material must be filtered and left for another period. If the foaming process has passed and there is no more sediment, then you can use it.
2. From apple juice. 10 liters of juice, 50 grams of yeast, two lemons and two kg of sugar. It is important that the juice was without the addition of preservatives, but rather homemade or direct extraction. Yeast will need to be activated in a glass of warm water. When a head of foam appears on the water, they are ready to use. After that, the lemon is rubbed on a grater and added to the total mass. Only then sugar is poured into the mixture. Unlike a drink made from jam, it should stand from juice for 10 days.
3. From fresh fruits. It will take 20 kg of any fruit. They should be crushed and add 15 liters of water. Then you need to heat five liters of water, add three kg of sugar and 100 grams of yeast. Mix everything and put in a dark and warm place for a week. Then the sediment is removed, everything is filtered and you can drink.

Cooking recipes are basically similar, it is important that there is enough sugar and yeast, if the fruit is sour, then more sugar is needed. .

How else can you put mash on honey for drinking recipes

Ingredients:

• 18 liters of clean (spring) water,
• 4.5 kg of honey,
• 400g berry mushroom,
• infusions of roots.

Cooking:

Put 4 kg of honey into the cauldron, pour 5 liters of slightly warmed water there, add berry mushroom, add the remaining water, mix and pour into a glass bottle, corking it with a cork so that carbon dioxide can easily escape during fermentation. Set the bottle with the contents for 3 days in the sun to saturate the future drink with solar energy, and then transfer to a warm dark place

After the bubbles of carbon dioxide stop rising from the bottom, and this will happen after 21 days, carefully drain the surya from the sediment, trying not to disturb it at the bottom. Milk ferment and carefully strain through sheep's wool to get buttermilk, which should be poured into surya

There also add various healing roots and infusions. Then pour the surya into a wide tub and put it in a glacier for freezing for a day. Remove the formed crust of ice, add the remaining honey, pour the drink into bottles, seal them tightly and put them in a cold place for 3 months. After a dense white precipitate appears at the bottom, and the liquid itself becomes transparent, surya is ready for use.

Various berries (honeysuckle is especially valuable), birch sap, linden blossom, lemon can be added to honey mash prepared according to this recipe for drinking. Herbs such as white sweet clover, sowing oats, St. You can use pine buds, dried apples, etc. However, you cannot apply everything at once, you need to make a choice.

Berry mushroom on honey

Ingredients:

• 2 cups any berries
• 1 glass of water
• 0.5 cups of honey.

Cooking:

Collect slightly overripe berries. Raspberries, strawberries, wild strawberries, grapes are good for this purpose. Berries intended for the preparation of sourdough "berry mushroom" should never be washed, because the necessary bacteria are on the surface of the berries. If they are washed off, then no fermentation will occur. Crush the collected unwashed berries thoroughly with a wooden pusher, place in some glass vessel (for example, a jar), pour honey into it, mix well, close with a thick cloth or, if a glass bottle is used, with a loose cork made of cotton, tie this lid, leaving no cracks, and put in a dark place with normal room temperature. After about three days, it will be possible to determine what type of fermentation has begun in the vessel. To do this, drain a small amount of liquid and determine by taste and smell if there are any signs of acetic fermentation. If they are present, it means that this time it will not be possible to get a "berry mushroom". The sourdough will have to start over again. If everything is in order, leave the vessel with berries for another three days. After that, the starter can be used for home-made surya. The finished sourdough is stored for a short time - no more than a week, so you should not make it for the future. Instead of such a starter, you can use regular raisins if you do not wash them. But in this case, the likelihood that the fermentation will be acetic will be higher.

To prepare honey full, honey must be diluted in 0.5 cups of water, boil the mixture over low heat for 30 minutes, add the remaining water and pour this liquid into the berry puree.

Instant mash

On the Internet you can find a lot of recipes that allow you to cook mash in a few hours. In fact, this is impossible to achieve. After all, an activator for yeast that will make them work hundreds of times faster has not yet been invented. The maximum that can be done is to prepare a quick bread mash, or rather, kvass with a small degree of strength.

To prepare an extra light alcoholic drink, you will need:

• sugar - 1 kg;
• Borodino bread - 250 g;
• dry yeast - 8 g;
• water - 4 liters.

The preparation of alcoholic kvass is as follows:

1. The bread is toasted in a frying pan until golden brown.
2. Sugar is dissolved in warm water.
3. Add yeast and bread.

The container with the drink is covered with gauze and left for at least 12 hours. After that, kvass is bottled and 5 raisins are added to each of them. The longer the drink sits, the stronger it will be. But after 12 hours, the amount of alcohol in it is 2.5⁰, and this can be considered a wave sufficient to take such a mash for medicinal purposes.

Quick mash can be made from bread, sugar and yeast.

Varieties of mash

Braga contains a minimal amount of alcohol, it is tasty, and in moderate doses it is also a healthy drink. It will not be possible to completely get rid of the presence of alcohol in the mash, so you should not even try to make the mash for drinking non-alcoholic. In order for the mash to have a pleasant color, taste and smell, it is prepared from honey, jam, apples, pears, grapes and other fruits.

Braga from jam

Quick mash is prepared from jam that has begun to ferment, in the absence of such jam, sugar-coated jam can be used. If, when opening the jar, mold is found on its surface, then it is removed before use. In no case should mold get into the mash, this will spoil the taste and aroma of the drink.

To prepare a drink for drinking, at least four to five liters of jam, 10 liters of water and 20 grams of yeast are required. Sugar is present in the jam, so it is not added.

The cooking process takes a little time. How to prepare mash for drinking - sequence:

• jam and water are mixed in the indicated proportions (heat-resistant dishes are selected for this: a saucepan, a cauldron);
• the resulting mixture is heated to a temperature of 50 degrees, after which it cools (for this, a container with a drink is placed in a basin of ice water);
• the cooled liquid is poured into a container where fermentation will be carried out, and yeast is added to it (it is better to use a bottle with a water seal);
• a bottle with home-made mash is placed in a warm, dark place, where it is located until the fermentation processes are completed.

Depending on the quantity and quality of yeast, the mash is prepared from five to 40 days. To prevent the accumulation of gas in the drinking brew, the liquid is shaken. The absence of bubbles rising from the bottom of the bottle indicates the completion of the fermentation process and the readiness of the mash for consumption.

Braga from honey

To make honey mash, you will need:

• 0.3 liters of honey (more is possible, but the amount of other ingredients increases proportionally);
• 2 liters of water;
• 25 grams of dry yeast;
• 5 grams of hops;
• cinnamon or nutmeg for flavor (optional)

The recipe for drinking mash is as follows:

• the above amount of honey is poured into a pot of boiling water, stirred until completely dissolved;
• honey and water are boiled for at least five minutes, the foam that appears on the surface of the water is removed with a wooden spoon (the foam contains harmful impurities and fine dust particles);
• after five minutes, the pan is removed from the heat and put in a cool place (the temperature of the liquid drops to 30 degrees and below);
• yeast is diluted in warm water and added to the cooled liquid;
• all the ingredients are mixed and even shaken, the resulting drink is poured into a fermentation container, closed with a water seal and placed in a dark place for fermentation.

Ready mash on honey is stored for no more than three days, so you need to cook it in minimal quantities, sufficient for consumption in one or two times. Placing the mash in the refrigerator will not save it from souring, the process will slow down by only a few hours. Therefore, you should not even think about how to put the mash for long-term storage.

In addition, a large amount of an undistilled drink can be harmful to health, so drink it chilled and in moderation. Sometimes pieces of ice are added to the mash, which makes the drink more refined. If the number of selected ingredients was calculated incorrectly, you should not be particularly upset, you can always make moonshine from mash.

Fruits have a significant impact on the taste of mash: drinking mash from fruits and juices is prepared in the same way as a drink from jam and honey. The only condition is the presence of some sugar and the possible rejection of dry yeast in favor of wild. The taste of mash depends on the place and period of its storage. As mentioned above, honey mash is not stored for long, but a drink prepared on the basis of fresh fruits and juice can be stored for one to two weeks or more, provided it is placed in a cool place. Many people know how to make mash, but the unique recipes for this drink are passed down from generation to generation.

The best drinking mash recipes

Honey

To prepare honey mash, we need the following components:

Honey moonshine is a rather expensive idea. The cost of the product is high.

• Honey - 5 liters.
• Water - 15 liters.
• Yeast - 60 grams.

There is an age-old debate over whether or not to add sugar to this recipe.

Since we will melt honey, there is no point in adding sugar. We get all the necessary compounds in the process of heating the honey, which we produce just before mixing with the wort in the fermentation tank.

On birch sap

The method is considered simple and quite effective. Sometimes it is called "Princely". To prepare the mash, we need the ingredients in the following proportions:

Birch sap contains about 1.5% sugar, which can be converted into alcohol through fermentation.

• Birch sap - 10 liters.
• Sugar - 3 kg.
• Yeast - 40 grams.

As an alternative to yeast, you can use 100 grams of unwashed raisins.

Wild yeast from the surface of dry grapes will start the fermentation process, however, it will take a little longer.

Fruity

The most popular approach among moonshiners is the use of yeast and sugar, which can increase alcohol yield and improve fermentation.

The taste in this case deteriorates a little, but for moonshine this is not at all critical.

Wine yeast Lalvin EC-1118 (good option for fruit mash)

• Fruit - 6 kg.
• Sugar - 2 kg.
• Dry (15 grams) or wine (5 grams) yeast.
• Water - 12 liters.

For fruit distillates, they try to use wine yeast, for example, Lalvin EC-1118.

But the usual ones are quite enough, they do not interrupt the aroma of the fruit so much, so you can safely use them.

Berry

For 20 liters of mash we need:

Rot and mold from strawberries will need to be removed, but it is highly not recommended to wash them.

• Strawberries - 5 kg.
• Sugar - 3 kg.
• Water - 15 liters.
• Yeast - 20 grams.

We add less yeast, since we will not wash it when preparing strawberries.

Wild yeast will remain on the surface of the berries, which will complement the alcohol and start a good fermentation.

Grain

The ingredients are quite obvious, but let's deal with the proportions:

Do not use wheat for sprouting

• Wheat - 1 kg.
• Sugar - 1 kg.
• Water - 7.5 liters.

Depending on the amount of moonshine you want, you can increase or decrease the proportions.

It is best to focus on the size of your distiller so that the whole process can be done in one go.

For 12 hours (bread)

The fastest way to cook bread mash, the taste is most reminiscent of kvass. It is done quickly, but it is still better to invert everything so that the yeast ferments everything even faster.

Do not use bread with additives

• Borodino bread - 0.5 kg.
• Water - 8 liters.
• Sugar - 2 kg.
• Yeast - 15 grams.

Most likely, yeast will not be able to ferment everything in 12 hours.

But in any case, it will be much faster than with a fruit or berry counterpart.

Is it possible to drink mash without distillation

The answer to the question of whether it is possible to drink mash without distillation can be ambiguous. This drink has been consumed for a long time and it has a lot of both disadvantages and advantages.

Do not forget that homemade mash contains a lot of carbohydrates, is a low-alcohol drink, and if consumed in excess, can be harmful to health, like any product containing ethanol. But the mash itself is practically harmless.

Harm to the body can be done only under the following conditions:

1. With the immoderate use of mash, which causes not only intoxication, but also alcohol intoxication.
2. With an improperly prepared product, which contains a large amount of fusel oils.
3. If you drink mash, the expiration date of which has long expired, it is also easy to get poisoned.

To prevent this from happening, you need to control the amount of alcohol you drink and precipitate the finished product using bentonite, gelatin or hibiscus tincture, which will help to remove it.

Among the positive qualities of a hoppy drink are the following:

1. Elimination of dysbacteriosis subject to insisting no more than 2 hours. After this time, alcohol begins to form in the product.
2. Quick thirst quencher.
3. Relaxation of the body after a hard day.
4. Elimination of problems with blood vessels, treatment of hypertension, arthritis.

Because of the short shelf life, mash is not sold in stores, but it is a complete drink that benefits the body when consumed in reasonable doses and following the basic recipes for its preparation.

The best recipes for making drinking mash

It's nice to drink delicious mash, so we bring to your attention popular and proven recipes.

From jam

A great way to eliminate the "deposits" of old jam. It is better to choose fragrant: from raspberries, strawberries, cherries, quince, etc.

Ingredients:

• liter jar of jam;
• a glass of sugar;
• 3 liters of warm water;
• 1-2 tablespoons of dry yeast.

Attention. If the jam is very sweet, then sugar can not be added at all.

Mix everything and put in heat under a water seal for three days

Then strain and ferment for another three days. Strain the finished product and drink it within 5 days, otherwise it will turn sour even in the refrigerator.

Mix everything and put in heat under a water seal for three days. Then strain and ferment for another three days. Strain the finished product and drink it within 5 days, otherwise it will turn sour even in the refrigerator.

From juice

It is better to take the juice of your own preparation, but store-bought is also suitable (first check for 100 ml if yeast roams in it).

Braga is an alcoholic drink that serves as the basis for the preparation of more complex and strong alcohol. What exactly will come out of the mash is determined by the manufacturing process, accompanying ingredients and the concentration of ethyl alcohol.

From the base you can make beer. To do this, the liquid is kept for 3 to 5 days. During fermentation, the beer acquires a characteristic taste, smell and alcohol level in the range from 3 to 8%. Braga is also used as an alcohol-containing mass for the distillation of moonshine.

How is mash prepared, what is its historical fate and is there a place for liquids in the modern alcoholic picture of the world?

What you need to know about alcohol base

According to the Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts, mash has several meanings. One of them is a Scandinavian homemade beer based on rye flour, rye or barley malt and hops. The northern drink has been known since the 9th-10th centuries.

Over time, the word began to be associated with Russia and its alcohol industry. But the term "braga" appeared in Russia quite late - in the 17th century. This fact was recorded by historians during the Swedish intervention in Novgorod (1610-1612). Braga received mass distribution much later.

For the population, the term "braga" has replaced the common name for home-brewed beer. Until the 17th century, a beer drink was prepared on Russian lands. Its distinguishing feature is semi-preparedness. Oats, rye, millet or barley - the main components of beer, were not specially brewed. With each new preparation, the drink received a different taste, quality, aroma and alcohol concentration. In each region, a specific name for the drink has taken root, so many synonyms for the word “braga” have been preserved in the language to this day. Among them: beer, buza, brew, drink, perevara, klyga, half-beer, crappy beer, ale, halakha and other specific territorial names.

It is important to understand that wheat, oatmeal, raspberry, thick, honey, sweet, hoppy mash are different drinks that are united only by the technology of preparation. Taste, food raw materials, the degree of impact on the human body will be different. There is still no exact description of mash that would point to one particular alcoholic drink. This is a huge group of liquids, some of which have remained in history, and some are used to this day.

Varieties of alcohol product

There are 3 main varieties of mash: brawanda, keel and pruno. They differ in component composition, specific aspects of preparation, alcohol content and impact on human health.

Bravanda

Vladimir Ivanovich Dal in the "Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language" gives only one kind of mash - bravanda. The drink is described as a homemade peasant tavern beer. Bread liquid is prepared according to a new recipe each time or special spices are added. Sometimes the drink becomes like alcoholic kvass.

• simple;
• barley;
• yeast;
• without hops/with hops;
• drunk / intoxicated;
• beer / half beer;
• thick;
• sour or sweet;
• oatmeal;
• raspberry.

Dahl describes how to prepare some varieties of home brew. For example, oatmeal is brewed from steamed, dried and ground oats and oat malt. Boiled or fermented millet is added to millet. To enhance the taste, honey and hops are added to the liquid. Especially tasty is the mash, which was insisted on raspberries and rye flour - it combines the bitterness of rye and bright sweetish berry accents.

keel

An alternative name is Finnish Braga. Component components of the drink: water, sugar and yeast. Keel is considered the cheapest and easiest in terms of cooking. An intoxicating liquid can be prepared by each of the materials at hand, so the keel was called the ubiquitous drink among alcoholics and youths.

To dilute the strong taste of mash, fruit or berry juices were mixed with it. Orange was especially popular. He made the structure of the liquid more saturated, and the taste and aroma were holistic with additional bright notes.

Keel can be distilled into moonshine. This is a strong alcoholic drink that is prepared at home. The preparation method consists in the distillation of liquids through a home-made or industrially produced apparatus. The basis for the preparation of moonshine is alcohol-containing mash. The essence of the method is the fermentation of an alcohol base and sugar syrup or other sugar-containing components (starch, cereals, beets, fruits, potatoes). In fact, moonshine is a product of the distillation of mash. The liquid is called bread / plain / three-trial / hot wine, polugar, tavern or pennik.

Pruno

This is an English liquor. Pruno hides a combination of apples and / or oranges, compote based on berries and some fruits, specific tomato sauce, sugar and any additional ingredients to the taste of the consumer.

The drink originated in prison and military barracks. Until today, it does not leave its primary habitat and does not enter the global alcohol market due to the specifics of taste and historical overtones. The military and prisoners could easily, quickly and discreetly prepare pruno. It was speed and quick intoxication that were in priority, and not taste and aromatic shades.

Initially, the mixture was prepared using the following kit:

• plastic bag;
• purified hot water;
• a towel to cover the homemade apparatus during fermentation.

The taste of such a drink is succinctly described as "wine with the taste of vomiting." Considering that the main purpose of the drink is to cause intoxication, and not aesthetic pleasure, then pruno had a right to exist.

The concentration of alcohol in pruno depended on the period of fermentation, the amount of sugar, the quality of the ingredients and the peculiarities of their preparation. The level of alcohol can be both extremely low and quite high. Pruno with 2% alcohol concentration was equated to a weak beer, but it was possible to create stronger versions - 14% liquid, which is equivalent to wine.

How to cook classic mash

There are 2 classic ways to make mash. The first recipe is suitable for further distillation into moonshine, the second can be used as an independent strong alcoholic drink.

Recipe #1

Bring 12 liters of running water to a temperature of 37-38°C. This amount of liquid will require 3 kilograms of sugar and 100 grams of pressed yeast. Mix all the ingredients in a convenient container, mix thoroughly and cover with an airtight lid.

If there is no airtight lid in the kitchen arsenal, then use a water seal.

Put the finished mass in a warm place for 5-7 days. After a week, the alcohol-containing liquid will be ready for distillation.

Recipe #2

This recipe provides for the preparation of 5 liters of mash, which is immediately ready for use. This will require 1 kilogram of sugar and 100 grams of yeast. Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of warm water at 30°C.

Do not put the yeast in boiling water, otherwise it will just boil and not give the desired effect.

In a separate container, prepare sugar syrup: dissolve 1 kilogram of sugar in boiled warm liquid. Then mix both solutions (sugar and yeast) in a deep container and pour 5 liters of filtered water. Put the finished mixture in a warm place, having previously built a water seal.

The absence of a water seal can be fraught with an explosion of the container due to excess pressure or oxygen ingress into the mash. If the solution reacts with oxygen, then acetic acid and a number of toxic substances will begin to be released.

The fermentation period is from 5 to 10 days. At the end of the term, carefully pour the finished product into a clean container. In the process of transfusion, it is important not to touch the sediment. Pour the finished mash into bottles and cork them tightly to increase the shelf life of the drink.

How to determine the degree of readiness of the drink

The only sure way to check the readiness of the mash is to taste it. If the liquid is too sweet, then the sugar breakdown process has not yet been completed. The finished mash should be a little bitter, have a bright sweet-sour aromatic palette.

Another sign of readiness is the absence of foam. This means that there is no more carbon dioxide left in the liquid and the main fermentation process has come to an end. To finally make sure that there is no carbon dioxide - conduct an experiment. Bring a burning match to the neck of the vessel with mash. If the light goes out, there is still gas in the container and the mass continues to ferment. If the mash did not affect the fire in any way, fermentation is complete.

To finally make sure that the drink is ready, you need to check the malnutrition. Filter 1 cup of mash with a thick piece of cloth. Dip the hydrometer into the resulting liquid. If the device shows a density level of up to 1.002, then the concentration of sugar in the brew is minimal and fermentation is complete. If the device indicates a large number - give the drink a little more time.

If all the methods described do not inspire confidence, then try to overtake the mash. The concentration of ethyl alcohol in the finished drink should not be less than 10%. Take an equal amount of filtered mash and regular liquid. Distill them using a moonshine, and bring the finished solution to a temperature of 20 ° C and lower the alcoholometer into it.

Additional filtration and distillation will help not only determine the readiness of the mash, but also remove harmful impurities from the drink.

Fluid testing equipment

To facilitate and secure the distillation process, you will need a single device - an alcohol meter.

Alcoholmeter - a device for determining the concentration of aqueous solutions of ethyl alcohol, based on its density. One of the types of hydrometer.

Hydrometer - a device for measuring the degree of density of liquids and solids. The principle of operation of the device is based on the Law of Archimedes. The device is a glass tube. The lower part of the tube is studded with calibration, and the upper part is studded with a scale on which the gradation of density and concentration is applied. There are 2 types of hydrometer: for measuring constant volume and constant mass.

Is it safe to drink mash and its products

Drinking mash is a mixture of fermented food, which contains an abundance of glucose. The drink is prepared both for pure consumption and further processing into moonshine, liquor, cider and other alcohol-containing liquids. If you strictly follow the recipe and take care of the health of the moonshine still, then the dangers are minimized. The exception is people with individual intolerance to alcoholic beverages - they are forbidden to use mash and any other liquids with ethyl alcohol.

But home-brewing alcoholic beverages can indeed be dangerous. When the mash is heated during distillation, thermal splitting (cracking) of heavy organic substances - sugar, protein and other things - occurs. The result of splitting is light volatile organic compounds, which also include methyl alcohol and other toxic substances. To completely remove toxic elements, distillation technology must be strictly followed. At home, this requires double care and responsibility.

The liquid obtained after the first phase of distillation must be disposed of. The so-called "pervak" is up to 8% of the total volume of alcohol. It is in the first portion that the maximum content of methanol is concentrated. For safety reasons, it is disposed of.

Another danger is evaporation. The boiling point of substances is set by moonshine, but active evaporation can occur at much lower temperatures. Even constant maintenance of the temperature of the mash will not save essential oils and, for example, fusel substances from evaporating. To completely purify the liquid, repeated distillation / rectification is necessary. Multi-stage distillation partially eliminates these problems, but the best option is to buy quality alcohol that has passed the full production cycle and safety checks.

Braga is an alcoholic drink that serves as the basis for the preparation of more complex and strong alcohol. What exactly will come out of the mash is determined by the manufacturing process, accompanying ingredients and the concentration of ethyl alcohol.

You can cook from the base. To do this, the liquid is kept for 3 to 5 days. During fermentation, the beer acquires a characteristic taste, smell and alcohol level in the range from 3 to 8%. Braga is also used as an alcohol-containing mass for distillation.

How is mash prepared, what is its historical fate and is there a place for liquids in the modern alcoholic picture of the world?

What you need to know about alcohol base

According to the Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts, mash has several meanings. One of them is a Scandinavian homemade beer based on rye or barley malt and hops. The northern drink has been known since the 9th-10th centuries.

Over time, the word began to be associated with Russia and its alcohol industry. But the term "braga" appeared in Russia quite late - in the 17th century. This fact was recorded by historians during the Swedish intervention in Novgorod (1610-1612). Braga received mass distribution much later.

For the population, the term "braga" has replaced the common name for home-brewed beer. Until the 17th century, a beer drink was prepared on Russian lands. Its distinguishing feature is semi-preparedness. , rye, or - the main components of beer, were not specially brewed. With each new preparation, the drink received a different taste, quality, aroma and alcohol concentration. A specific name for the drink has taken root in each region, so many synonyms for the word “braga” have survived to this day in the language. Among them: beer, buza, brew, drink, perevara, klyga, half-beer, crappy beer, ale, halakha and other specific territorial names.

It is important to understand that wheat, oatmeal, raspberry, thick, honey, sweet, hoppy mash are different drinks that are united only by the technology of preparation. Taste, food raw materials, the degree of impact on the human body will be different. There is still no exact description of mash that would point to one particular alcoholic drink. This is a huge group of liquids, some of which have remained in history, and some are used to this day.

Varieties of alcohol product

There are 3 main varieties of mash: brawanda, keel and pruno. They differ in component composition, specific aspects of preparation, content and impact on human health.

Vladimir Ivanovich Dal in the "Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language" gives only one kind of mash - bravanda. The drink is described as a homemade peasant tavern beer. Bread liquid is prepared according to a new recipe each time or special spices are added. Sometimes the drink becomes like alcohol.

• simple;
• barley;
• yeast;
• without hops/with hops;
• drunk / intoxicated;
• beer / half beer;
• thick;
• sour or sweet;
• oatmeal;
• raspberry.

Dahl describes how to prepare some varieties of home brew. For example, oatmeal is brewed from steamed, dried and ground oats and oat malt. Boiled or fermented millet is added to millet. To enhance the taste, hops are also added to the liquid. The mash, which was insisted on rye flour, is especially tasty - it combines the bitterness of rye and bright sweetish berry accents.

How to cook classic mash

There are 2 classic ways to make mash. The first recipe is suitable for further distillation into moonshine, the second can be used as an independent strong alcoholic drink.

Recipe #1

Bring 12 liters of running water to a temperature of 37-38°C. This amount of liquid will require 3 kilograms of sugar and 100 grams of pressed yeast. Mix all the ingredients in a convenient container, mix thoroughly and cover with an airtight lid.

If there is no airtight lid in the kitchen arsenal, then use a water seal.

Put the finished mass in a warm place for 5-7 days. After a week, the alcohol-containing liquid will be ready for distillation.

Recipe #2

This recipe provides for the preparation of 5 liters of mash, which is immediately ready for use. This will require 1 kilogram of sugar and 100 grams of yeast. Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of warm water at 30°C.

Do not put the yeast in boiling water, otherwise it will just boil and not give the desired effect.

In a separate container, prepare sugar syrup: dissolve 1 kilogram of sugar in boiled warm liquid. Then mix both solutions (sugar and yeast) in a deep container and pour 5 liters of filtered water. Put the finished mixture in a warm place, having previously built a water seal.

The absence of a water seal can be fraught with an explosion of the container due to excess pressure or oxygen ingress into the mash. If the solution reacts with oxygen, then acetic acid and a number of toxic substances will begin to be released.

The fermentation period is from 5 to 10 days. At the end of the term, carefully pour the finished product into a clean container. In the process of transfusion, it is important not to touch the sediment. Pour the finished mash into bottles and cork them tightly to increase the shelf life of the drink.

How to determine the degree of readiness of the drink

The only sure way to check the readiness of the mash is to taste it. If the liquid is too sweet, then the sugar breakdown process has not yet been completed. The finished mash should be a little bitter, have a bright sweet-sour aromatic palette.

Another sign of readiness is the absence of foam. This means that there is no more carbon dioxide left in the liquid and the main fermentation process has come to an end. To finally make sure that there is no carbon dioxide, conduct an experiment. Bring a burning match to the neck of the vessel with mash. If the light goes out, there is still gas in the container and the mass continues to ferment. If the mash did not affect the fire in any way, fermentation is complete.

To finally make sure that the drink is ready, you need to check the malnutrition. Filter 1 cup of mash with a thick piece of cloth. Dip the hydrometer into the resulting liquid. If the device shows a density level of up to 1.002, then the concentration of sugar in the brew is minimal and fermentation is complete. If the device indicates a large number, give the drink a little more time.

If all the methods described do not inspire confidence, then try to overtake the mash. The concentration of ethyl alcohol in the finished drink should not be less than 10%. Take an equal amount of filtered mash and regular liquid. Distill them using a moonshine, and bring the finished solution to a temperature of 20 ° C and lower the alcoholometer into it.

Additional filtration and distillation will help not only determine the readiness of the mash, but also remove harmful impurities from the drink.

Fluid testing equipment

To facilitate and secure the distillation process, you will need a single device - an alcohol meter.

Alcoholmeter - a device for determining the concentration of aqueous solutions of ethyl alcohol, based on its density. One of the types of hydrometer.

Hydrometer - a device for measuring the degree of density of liquids and solids. The principle of operation of the device is based on the Law of Archimedes. The device is a glass tube. The lower part of the tube is studded with calibration, and the upper part is dotted with a scale on which the gradation of density and concentration is applied. There are 2 types of hydrometer: for measuring constant volume and constant mass.

Is it safe to drink mash and its products

Drinking mash is a mixture of fermented food that contains abundance. The drink is prepared both for pure consumption and further processing into moonshine, cider and other alcohol-containing liquids. If you strictly follow the recipe and take care of the health of the moonshine still, then the dangers are minimized. The exception is people with individual intolerance to alcoholic beverages - they are forbidden to use mash and any other liquids with ethyl alcohol.

But home-brewing alcoholic beverages can indeed be dangerous. When the mash is heated during distillation, thermal splitting (cracking) of heavy organic substances - sugar, and other things - occurs. The result of splitting is light volatile organic compounds, which also include methyl alcohol and other toxic substances. To completely remove toxic elements, distillation technology must be strictly followed. At home, this requires double care and responsibility.

The liquid obtained after the first phase of distillation must be disposed of. The so-called "pervak" is up to 8% of the total volume of alcohol. It is in the first portion that the maximum content of methanol is concentrated. For safety reasons, it is disposed of.

Another danger is evaporation. The boiling point of substances is set by moonshine, but active evaporation can occur at much lower temperatures. Even constant maintenance of the temperature of the mash will not save essential oils and, for example, fusel substances from evaporating. To completely purify the liquid, repeated distillation / rectification is necessary. Multi-stage distillation partially eliminates these problems, but the best option is to buy quality alcohol that has passed the full production cycle and safety checks.

To prepare such a mash, it is better to choose juice, for example, apple juice, prepared at home. Due to the fact that purchased juice may contain substances that prevent the formation of yeast, you can first check it. This is done very simply - add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, half a teaspoon of yeast to half a glass of juice and remove the resulting mixture in a warm place. If after half an hour you see foam on the surface, then such juice is suitable for making mash.

Ingredients:

1. Any kind of juice - at least 10 liters.
2. Sugar - 1 kg.
3. Dry wine yeast - 15 gr.

Heat the juice, add yeast and granulated sugar to it and place the resulting mixture in a fermentation tank, which must be closed with a lid or glove. Place in a warm place and shake the liquid daily using circular motions. The entire cooking process will take you at least 14 days. Upon completion, you need to remove all the sediment from the drink and you can serve it to the table!

From jam

You should not even ask the question whether it is possible to drink mash made from jam. This is one of the most delicious recipes, so the answer will be obvious. Of course you can. To do this, you need to take jam, water and yeast. If you notice mold on a jar of jam, then it is better not to let it go.

So, add 5 liters of jam to 10 liters of water and mix. Braga will turn out to be especially fragrant if you put a little of the same fresh berries or fruits here as in jam. Heat the resulting liquid to 50 degrees, then let it cool to 25 degrees. Then pour everything into the fermentation tank and add 20 grams of yeast there, stir and close. Send the container to a warm room and shake every day without opening. After about 14 days, the fermentation process will come to an end, while the liquid will become lighter. You just have to get rid of the sediment and you can safely drink the mash.

fruit drink

Braga for drinking from fresh berries or fruits is very easy to prepare. The sequence of actions will be as follows:

compote recipe

If you got it and decided to get compote, but at the same time it turned out to be spoiled, you should not be upset. From it you get an amazingly tasty mash.

You will need:

• 10 liters of compote;
• 2500 gr. granulated sugar;
• 20 gr. dry yeast.

The amount of granulated sugar may need a little more, or a little less. It all depends on how sweet compote you use. Therefore, in order not to spoil the brew, it is better to first taste the wort, which should not be sugary-sweet, and after that make the necessary adjustments.

The cooking process is no different from the standard options. The compote must be heated and sugar added to it. Stir until completely dissolved, then pour everything into a fermentation tank and pour in the yeast. Cover with a glove or water seal and put in a warm place. Stir the liquid thoroughly daily.

From honey

No one should have a question about how to drink honey mash, because mead is a drink that is rooted in the distant past and was so loved and revered by our ancestors. The secret of its preparation has come down to you and me. Take 600 grams of honey, 4 liters of water, 10 grams of dry yeast, 5 hops and spices of your choice, such as nutmeg or cinnamon.

Important! Do not use aluminum utensils to prepare mead, as this can ruin its appearance due to the appearance of dark spots.

1. Boil water and add honey to it. Keep the liquid on medium heat for 5-6 minutes. In the process, carefully make sure that it boils, and remove the foam.
2. When foam no longer forms, add hop cones and spices. Cover with a lid and let cool to a temperature of at least 27 degrees.
3. At this time, use the yeast. To do this, dip them in sweet warm water.
4. Combine everything in a fermentation tank, close and leave in a dark place.

It will take no more than 6 days to prepare. The taste of such a mash will be sweet with slight notes of bitterness of alcohol.

Quick recipe in 12 hours

How to clean the mash for drinking in just 12 hours? In practice, this can be done, only this drink will be called kvass. During this time, no more than 3 degrees of alcohol is formed in it. The composition and proportions in the manufacture of kvass will be slightly different.

Ingredients:

• Borodino bread - 500 gr;
• water - 8 l;
• granulated sugar - 2 kg;
• dry yeast - 15 gr.

First, toast the bread until golden brown. Heat water and add sugar and yeast to it. Connect everything and cover with gauze. After 12 hours, kvass will be ready and you can drink it, just remove the sediment.

Cereal Recipe

This method of making mash is not the easiest, for it it is better to choose grains in the form of malt. You can use varieties of wheat, barley.

1. 500 grams of barley malt and 500 grams of rye malt must be ground and mixed with 5 liters of water. Set the resulting mixture for 8 hours.
2. After the formation of the wort, lay in it 7 grams of dry yeast, 250 grams of hops and ferment.
3. After 10 days, put 5 sheets of mint and about 150 grams of honey into the resulting mash, leave for another 24 hours. So that the mash does not deteriorate, it must be stored in the refrigerator.

from apples

To make delicious, fragrant apple mash for drinking at home, use different varieties.

1. Rinse, dry, clean 30 kg of apples from rot, core and seeds. After that, cut the prepared fruits into small pieces or scroll in a meat grinder. A blender or a simple grater will also work.
2. Put the resulting puree into the fermentation tank and add 18 liters of water.
3. Heat 2 liters of water and add 4 kg of granulated sugar and 300 grams of pressed yeast to it. Pour into reservoir.
4. Put on a water seal or glove and leave in a warm place for a week.
5. Do not forget to stir the mash daily, and after it clears up, you need to get rid of the sediment.