Why is the braga running away. Methods for removing foam from mash. Adding vegetable oil

01.04.2022

In the process of making moonshine, many moonshiners do not know how to remove the foam from the mash, because it takes up too much space in the container, which makes it difficult to control it. If the foam still escapes, then the raw material is simply wasted. To avoid such troubles, they use developed and proven methods that work great in such situations.

Attention! Stirring, it will not be possible to bypass the problem, since this will only activate fermentation, and foaming will begin even more.

The best foam suppression methods include:

Adding cookies

This is the simplest and most affordable way, besides allowing you to do everything quickly. Cookies are taken only those that do not have any aromatic additives, dyes. It is crumbled and sprinkled over the surface in an even layer. Halves of cookies are enough for 10 liters of mash. The cookie crumbs apply pressure, causing the foam bubbles to burst and the foam not to rise. The taste of the cookies is not affected. Sometimes black bread is used instead of cookies.

Volume reduction

The container is filled from the very beginning by 75%, but if such a rule is ignored, the foam simply will not have enough space. In this case, part of the mash is poured into another dish.

Adding vegetable oil

Just 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil helps to quickly inhibit foaming. The principle of the effect of oil on the foam is the same as when using cookies.

A little worse, but still, sour cream or kefir extinguishes the foam, which take 2 tablespoons per 12 liters of mash.

Temperature drop

For active fermentation, a temperature of 18 to 24 degrees is required, when the temperature rises, the yeast freezes (dies), and when it is lowered, it “falls asleep” a little. Transferring the container to a cool room slows down the foaming process, but when you return to a warm room, the foam will begin to grow again.

The uncontrolled release of foam during the fermentation process worries all moonshiners. At the same time, part of the foamed mash leaves through the edges of the container and is lost, which significantly reduces the yield of the product. With an overly active process of foam formation, the mash can completely split the container in which it is located, or knock out the water seal. How to avoid such situations? If the mash foams a lot, what should I do?

Why is foam formed?

Foam can form in two stages: during fermentation and when it boils during the distillation process. The causes of foaming will be different.

fermentation

Foam may form at this stage for the following reasons:

To make moonshine, you have chosen those products that have a strong tendency to foam. These include legumes (particularly peas), sweet-fleshed fruits (peaches), and grains (rye).
The rules for spilling liquid for fermentation in containers are not followed. No more than 2/3 of the vessel should be filled - in this case, the free volume will be quite enough for the mash to “play” without going beyond the allocated limits.
The room where the mash is standing is too hot.
Incorrectly selected amount of yeast for moonshine. In this case, the production of carbon dioxide is too intense - that's why the mash foams a lot.
Poor-quality yeast can also cause the formation of foam on the mash, while the quality of the resulting product will be far from desired.

Distillation

During the distillation of the mash, foam can also actively form. At this stage, foaming of the liquid is undesirable, since this behavior of the mash causes a strong clouding of the resulting moonshine. The following factors influence the appearance of foam during distillation:

All the same low-quality yeast, not suitable for the production of moonshine, leads to the fact that the mash actively foams during distillation.
Insufficient cube volume for optimal distillation of the product.
Foaming at the stage of distillation may be the result of the choice of raw materials for moonshine, prone to the issuance of a foamy cap.

Eliminate unwanted factors

To avoid this unpleasant problem, you need to think about which of the following factors could cause active foaming, and avoid them next time.

Yeast

The choice of yeast for fermenting moonshine is determined by the type of raw material. So, to obtain alcohol from berries and fruits, it is better to take wine, and for grain moonshine - special cereals. The use of all-purpose or baker's yeast is perfectly acceptable for home beverage production, but they tend to lead to increased foaming.

Foam problems rarely occur with specialized or dried baker's yeast. Pressed ones, apparently due to the high content of foreign impurities, often form a rich cap on the mash.

Pre-digestion

The way yeast is added to the mash can also significantly affect the foaming process. Ideally, creating a sourdough should be like this:

Sugar dissolves in a small amount of warm water
Yeast is poured into the starter container
From above, the yeast is poured with sweet water at the optimum temperature (28-29 degrees)
You should wait until the yeast swells and starts to work actively - and only after that you can add the starter to the main container, where it will ferment.

If this process is disrupted, and yeast that is not yet active gets into the container with the future mash, they will subsequently cause active foaming and will ferment incorrectly.

Temperature regime

The temperature at which the mash is kept is also a very significant factor. You need to carefully control the fermentation process and put the container in cool or warm places depending on the yeast used and the behavior of the raw materials during fermentation.

So, at low temperatures, yeast can fall asleep. In a room that is too warm, the yeast can behave too actively, and then a lot of foam will appear on the mash.

The optimum temperature for the smooth operation of yeast is 18-23 degrees. With such indicators, the yeast works and produces the alcohol we need, but at the same time does not emit an excessive amount of carbon dioxide, which leads to foaming.

You will follow these rules next time when producing mash and distilling it. But what to do with the product that began to foam? Defoamers will help to eliminate the problem that has appeared.

Household defoamers

Home-brewing is a very developed area in our country, so folk experimenters have tried many ways to extinguish the foaming process with “improvised” means. Many of them performed unexpectedly well and are still used to reduce foam in mash.

To quickly knock off the hat from the mash and significantly extinguish the formation of foam, ordinary cookies help. For 10 liters of product, a heavily crushed half of a biscuit without aromatic additives is sufficient. The crumbs collapse the bubbles of carbon dioxide, the cap quickly settles and is no longer formed. Cookies do not affect the taste of the future product.
Sometimes, if the foam tends to go beyond the container, the best way out is to reduce its volume, just pour some of the mash into another container.
Vegetable fats and sour-milk products will help to settle the cap and prevent its further excessive formation. Odorless sunflower oil, kefir or liquid sour cream are evenly sprayed on the surface of the raw material at the rate of 1 tbsp. for 10 liters.
Another measure to stop the foaming process is to throw a handful of washed and dried millet into the container. Its principle of operation is also based on the simple mechanical collapse of carbon dioxide bubbles.
Popular in Eastern Europe and inexplicably effective way to eliminate foam is an empty can. The sterilized glass container is closed with a plastic lid and placed inside the vessel with mash. It is clear that this method is not suitable if you use a bottle with a narrow neck for fermentation. When placed inside a small container of carbon dioxide, less carbon dioxide is produced, there is no cap.

These are the safest and best ways to extinguish the foam in the wash. Another effective measure is to move the container to a cooler place if the mash foams a lot.

Factory defoamers

Now it is not necessary to use folk recipes to extinguish the foam during fermentation and distillation. In the public domain today there are industrial food formulations that are inexpensive and effectively cope with the task. Of these, it is easy to make the optimal solution to eliminate the formation of caps.

A factory-made antifoam for mash can be added at any stage in the production of homemade drinks. The funds are added to the ripening mash or before the start of the distillation.

It is easy to use purchased defoamers - just dilute the concentrated agent according to the instructions on the package, pour in and mix thoroughly.

Using folk and industrial defoamers when standing and distilling mash, you will make your work easier and get high-quality homemade drinks as a result.

Making homemade alcohol is becoming a popular activity among Russian people. Often, distillers have similar problems during moonshine brewing. Abundant foaming is one of them. How to remove the foam from the mash in time excites many, especially novice lovers of homemade alcohol. After all, if this is not done on time, then part of the mash simply spills onto the floor and is lost forever. If the foaming process is too active, the container may break and the product will be completely lost.

Why the mash foams also worries inexperienced moonshiners. This process usually occurs with the distillate seven hours after it has been poured into the container. At this time, the active activity of yeast fungi begins. This process is accompanied by an increased release of carbon dioxide and the formation of many bubbles on the surface of the liquid. These bubbles form a foam "cap", which takes up a lot of space.

What determines the amount of foam?

The amount of foam generated depends on the following factors:

For the production of an alcoholic beverage, the distiller chooses products that are prone to vigorous foaming. These include juicy nectarines, legumes and grains.
When the rules for pouring wort into a container are not followed. The container should be filled approximately 2/3. The remaining free volume will be enough when the mash starts to foam.
The container has been placed in a room that is too warm.
The distiller took more yeast than the recipe calls for. In this case, there is an increased release of carbon dioxide.

In order not to be plentiful, you need to choose the right yeast for making distillate. To obtain an alcohol-containing drink from berry or fruit must, it is better to take wine, and from grain crops - special grain yeast. If it is not possible to buy such products, then it is worth buying ordinary dry baker's yeast. You can find them at any grocery store. And if you put the wort on pressed yeast, then they will just cause increased foaming.

Ways to extinguish foam in Braga

If an unpleasant situation happens, then you can bring down the foam in several ways that work in any case. The only thing that a lover of homemade alcohol should know is that it is impossible to remove the foam by mixing the mash. With this action, fermentation will simply be activated. This will only make the situation worse.

Add cookies

Adding biscuits is the fastest and easiest method to remove active foaming. You need to take cheap cookies without the addition of flavors or colors and crumble them evenly on top of the mash. Just ½ of half a cookie is enough for 10 liters. After a while, the foam will subside and then disappear. This method is good because the cookies will not affect the taste of the alcoholic drink at the exit.

Reduce volume

You can reduce the amount of mash in the container by pouring it into another container. This method is simply indispensable when the mash, for example, pea, foams a lot, or the distiller poured a lot of wort into a container. In such a situation, it is worth remembering that it will be difficult not to spill the liquid. And from the “break through” to the will of the mash, not the most pleasant aroma spreads, you will have to apply additional efforts for cleaning.

Lower the temperature

If the container is in a room where the temperature is maintained above 29 degrees, then this factor can also cause increased foaming. To stop the process, you need to rearrange the container to where it is colder.

Add defoamer for mash

To reduce foam activity, some moonshiners use a mash defoamer. He effectively copes with the task. The purchased product is added to the wort in accordance with the instructions for use. Then, over time, foam is not abundantly formed. Some experienced moonshiners advise adding a defoamer to the wort, which is prepared from peaches, rye, beer mash.

One jar of purchased foam extinguishing agent is enough for a long time. This allows you to save money in the process of preparing a homemade alcoholic drink. Purified water can be added to the defoamer, this simplifies the process of distributing it in the mash.

Purchased foam suppressants

Experienced distillers use other improvised means to reduce foaming. This tip comes in handy when you don't have biscuits or antifoam on hand. And it will also be required if it is not possible to transfer the container to a cold place or pour part of the mash.

The use of vegetable oil. To prevent the foam from actively appearing, one teaspoon of unrefined vegetable oil is poured into the wort for every five liters of liquid and mixed well.
Adding kefir or sour cream. Take two tablespoons of fermented milk product per 10 liters of mash. But we must not forget that this method does not lead to the rapid removal of the foam "cap". It works for a long time.

The use of these products does not affect the taste of alcoholic products, which will be obtained upon exit.

There is another commercial product that can be used to remove foam - this is baby shampoo. Take one tablespoon of cosmetics and carefully dilute it in 200 ml of cold purified water. Then the resulting solution is poured onto a foam cap. After a few minutes, a reaction will occur that reduces the release of bubbles, and the foam will subside. The disadvantage of this method is that chemical non-food substances get into the mash. And this can lead to a deterioration in the taste of the alcohol-containing drink at the exit.

Vinokur, as a result of trial and error, decides which remedy is best for him. But the main thing that is recommended not to forget is not to miss the moment when everything is just beginning. After all, it is then that the indicated measures are taken. If the process continues, then there will be no options other than moving the liquid to another container.

Many novice moonshiners want to know how to remove foam from mash. Such secretions are quite difficult to control. Often a person does not have time to do this in time, which causes a part of the product to come out of the fermentation vessel and fall on the floor. This leads to irretrievable losses.

If the mash foams a lot, what should I do? Beginning moonshiners ask this question quite often. There are various ways to prevent such troubles.

The main thing is that the moonshiner must remember such a recommendation. Do not try to stir the fermenting solution.

This will not remove the foam, but only activates the process itself, which will lead to an increase in its amount.

Ways to fix the problem at home

When mash is foaming, the following methods are usually used to eliminate an unnecessary volume of this particulate matter:

the cheapest way to get rid of the problem is to crumble cookies into the solution;
you can try to reduce the volume of liquid in the vessel;
some moonshiners recommend using kefir, vegetable oil or sour cream to suppress foam splashes;
in some cases, lowering the fermentation temperature allows you to cope with the foam;
sometimes it is recommended to use shampoo for children to eliminate the problem.

These are not all methods of dealing with foam layers in the fermentation vessel, but these methods are most often used at home.

The effectiveness of each of them is different.

The moonshiner, when choosing one or another method of eliminating the foam "cap", must proceed from the resources available on hand and the rate of formation of a dispersed layer in the fermentation tank.

At home, they usually use products that are easy to find in the store.

To urgently pay off the foam, it is best to apply the first 2 methods. In the case where the formation of foam is relatively weak, it is recommended to use other methods.

Cookie Use and Volume Reduction Technique

If the foam is very active, then one of the most common ways to extinguish it is to use ordinary (best home-made) cookies, which should not contain any flavoring, coloring or fillers.

This is the fastest way to fix the problem at home.

For every 9 - 10 liters of wort, ½ of the cookie will be needed. It is crushed, and then the resulting particles are evenly scattered over the surface of the liquid in the fermentation tank.

Pour the cookie crumbs on top and the foam will gradually settle

After 10 - 15 minutes, under the influence of cookies, the foam begins to subside - this is noticeable to the eye. After about 25 - 30 minutes, it will not remain on the surface of the mash at all.

Cookie crumbs act on the foam as follows: they cause the bubbles that make up the dispersed layer to actively disintegrate in a very short time.

The result is a rapid lowering of the "cap". She will not appear again. This technique allows rather in a short time to reduce the amount of foam with its active formation.

The use of biscuit particles has practically no effect on the quality of the mash coming out of the wort. Some moonshiners advise using black (rye) bread crumbs instead of cookies, but the result will be much worse.

The foam head may reappear 2 to 3 days after using this product. For more information on foaming, see this video:

If the wort is very foamy, for example, when making pea mash, then you can try to get rid of the problem by reducing the volume occupied by the liquid. It is usually recommended to fill the fermentation vessel with mash no more than ⅔ of the volume.

But many moonshiners forget about this advice, which leads to undesirable consequences. The rest of the container is not enough to keep the dispersed "cap" within the dishes.

To eliminate excess foam, you can pour part of the mash into another vessel. This method has its drawback. It is impossible to transfer the foam solution from one container to another without losing at least a small part of the mash. At the same time, an unpleasant smell will remain in the room where such an operation takes place for a long time.

Other Foam Elimination Methods

In addition to the above methods for eliminating the foam "cap", you can use the addition of vegetable oil to the mash. Products such as sour cream or kefir are also suitable. To eliminate the problem, it is recommended to pour 1 tsp into the wort in an even layer. any vegetable oil for every 5 liters of mash.

The mechanism of action of the product on the solution is the same as in the case of the use of cookies.

If kefir or sour cream is used, then take 2 tbsp. l. product for every 11 liters of fermenting solution. But you need to know that in this case the rate of removal of the foam "cap" will be somewhat lower. The use of these products practically does not affect the quality of the resulting mash.

Settling of foam after adding kefir is slower

Some craftsmen fight foam by lowering the fermentation temperature. If you increase this figure, for example, to + 28 ... + 29 ° C, then the yeast will simply die. When the temperature drops below 16 ° C, yeast fungi sharply inhibit fermentation processes. They will wait for the right conditions to activate.

Therefore, to eliminate the foam, it is necessary to transfer the container with the mash to a cold room, where the temperature regime is maintained within + 6 ... + 15 ° С.

Under such conditions, the foam layer subsides in 2-3 hours. The disadvantage of this method is that then it will again be necessary to transfer the vessel to a warm room with a normal temperature for yeast, otherwise it will be impossible to make moonshine. Therefore, there is a danger of a new round of formation of the dispersed layer.

In some cases, it is recommended to use baby shampoo to eliminate the foam. For this, 1 tbsp. l. 200 ml of cold water is carefully diluted with this product. To eliminate the foam "cap" you need to slowly pour the resulting solution onto the surface of the wort. You will have to wait 8 - 10 minutes until the chemicals are absorbed into the foam layer and the reaction causes it to fall off. You will find various ways to extinguish the foam in this video:

The disadvantage of this method is the possibility of getting various chemical ingredients into the mash.

Although there are no substances harmful to the human body in children's shampoo, the presence of such components in Braga is still undesirable.

With a large amount of foam and the active formation of a dispersed layer, this method does not help well, since the chemical components do not have time to fully react.

Quick navigation through the article

The mechanical methods are over, now you can proceed to the review of home suppressors. Each of them is an affordable product (remedy), which is either already at home or waiting for you in the nearest store.

Use sour cream (kefir) or vegetable oil

A liquid with astringent effect, evenly poured over the surface of the wort, is suitable. Added in a small amount, it will stop the growth of foam and at the same time will not affect the characteristics of the mash, and therefore will not worsen the taste or aroma of moonshine.

The proportions are shown in the table below:

Such suppressors are good for their versatility. Thanks to them, even a very original compote mash will transfer all its fruity notes to moonshine. And they are quite effective - they are able to remove foam even from a very actively playing alcohol-containing mass. Another plus is that the same sunflower or olive oil is a product that is literally always in the house, such an extinguisher will be at hand even in the most urgent case. Well, most of us buy sour cream with kefir regularly.

Crumble a cookie

The method is simple to disgrace - judge for yourself:

grind cookies at the rate of "1 piece per 10-15 l";
evenly scatter the resulting crumbs over the surface of the infused liquid (but do not mix!).

And that's all, it remains only to observe how quickly the foam disappears. The method works very simply: the crumbs create pressure and cause the bubbles to burst. Only cookies need to be taken the most common, not sweetened and not tinted, without any filler. It is clear why: any additives can affect the quality of the final product, but a neutral suppressor will not affect the organoleptic properties of alcohol in any way.

Did you know? As an alternative, you can use black bread, although it has a little less efficiency, but it's still good.

Pour in some baby shampoo

A gentle hair product will also help remove the foam. Take just one tablespoon of baby shampoo and dilute it in a glass (200 ml) of cool water. After that, you only need to carefully and slowly pour the resulting mixture onto the surface of the alcohol-containing mass, in no case stirring. In just 5 minutes, the bubbles will fall off.

The disadvantage of the method is that it is necessary to use a hair care product, which, with a high degree of probability, will worsen the organoleptic of the finished product. If you are planning to make moonshine with an original taste and aroma, and, for example, you have mash on tomato paste, you should refuse to infuse even delicate baby shampoo, not to mention an adult one, which usually contains relatively more chemical components.

We figured out the folk "helpers", now let's see how to extinguish the foam in the mash using factory suppressors. At the same time, we will find out why they are convenient, because their advantages are widely advertised by manufacturers.

Features of the use of industrial defoamers

The principle of their action is to accelerate the process of the disappearance of bubbles - when they are added, the cap simply does not have time to form. At the same time, high-quality factory suppressors are environmentally friendly and do not change the organoleptic properties of moonshine. Plus, they captivate with the following advantages:

high profitability - they are usually sold in the form of a liquid, and only 2-3 ml of them is enough for 10-15 liters of wort;
efficiency - they quickly and completely extinguish even raw materials prone to foaming, for example, from the already mentioned peaches or cereals, and will not even run away;
ease of use - they are easy to dilute with water and spread evenly over the surface of the alcohol-containing mass without any problems;
versatility - suppressors can be added both at the initial stage of yeast activation, and immediately before distillation.

Now that you know why the mash foams during fermentation, you just need to choose a method that will help you quickly remove it. Effectively control the “game” of the future drink in a format that is convenient for you, and you can make really cool alcohol, clean and tasty, without extraneous flavor.

Why does foam form?

The foam on the mash is so plentiful that it can squeeze out the cork with a water seal. It is formed due to the increased activity of yeast fungi. These microorganisms feed on sugars, and in their absence they break down starches. In the course of their vital activity, they emit carbon dioxide, which appears on the surface of the wort as a foamy cap.

Foam on mash

Pressed yeast is in a "sleeping" form. After entering a favorable environment, they are activated and begin to absorb sugar. If the conditions are not suitable, activation will not occur, or the process will be weakly expressed.

At the stage of fermentation, the appearance of foam is facilitated by:

The presence in the wort of products that are prone to foaming. These include any legumes (especially peas), grains, and sweet fruits.
Violation of the correct recipe. If you put more yeast in the drink than you need, abundant foam cannot be avoided.
The quality of the ingredients. First of all, this concerns the yeast itself - if they are stale, the wort may not ferment at all, or, conversely, give too much foam.

During the distillation process, foam may appear due to insufficient volume of the cube or the specific composition of the raw material. At this stage, foaming is undesirable - it causes a strong turbidity of the drink.