The mash is foaming. Is the mash running away? We have simple ways to defoam mash! Why can a large amount of foam form on the surface of the mash?

When making sugar mash, sometimes you have to deal with heavy foaming. What does this “sometimes” depend on - most likely on the type of yeast used, its freshness and the concentration of sugar in the wort. Many novice moonshiners have a problem with foam in their mash, the release of which is difficult to control. In the worst case, part of the product “runs away” from the container onto the floor and is irretrievably lost. You can prevent this trouble with several simple methods that work in any situation. Attention! Do not try to remove foam by stirring the mash, as you will activate fermentation, which will further aggravate the situation. The best home methods for extinguishing foam:

Add cookies. The simplest and quick way combat active foaming. Only regular cookies without flavoring additives, fillers or dyes are suitable for quenching mash. First you need to crumble it (one half is enough for 10 liters), then scatter the crumbs in an even layer over the surface. After a few minutes, the foam will begin to subside and then disappear completely. Under the pressure of the crumbs, the foam bubbles burst more actively. As a result, the “cap” quickly disappears, and its reappearance is unlikely. Cookies do not affect the quality of the mash in any way. You can crumble black bread instead, but it doesn't help as well.

Reduce volume. This is usually done with highly foaming raw materials, for example, pea mash. When there is not enough free space in the container, the foam begins to come out. Initially, it is better to fill the container with mash no more than 2/3 of the volume.

If this recommendation is not followed, during the fermentation process you need to drain part of the mash into another container. Disadvantage: with strong foaming, it is very difficult to do this without spilling at least a little liquid on the floor, and the smell in the room will not be the most pleasant.

Add vegetable oil(sour cream, kefir). One teaspoon sunflower oil for 5 liters of mash, poured in an even layer over the surface, stops the release of foam well. The principle of operation is the same as in the case of cookies.

Thick sour cream or kefir helps a little worse (1-2 tablespoons per 10-12 liters of mash). Adding a small amount of vegetable oil or dairy products to the mash does not affect the quality of the finished moonshine.

Lower the temperature. The optimal fermentation temperature is 18-24°C. At higher values, the yeast may die; at low values, they “fall asleep” and fermentation stops. When conditions become suitable again, the yeast is activated and continues its work.

To knock down the foam, just place the container with mash in a cold place (6-16°C). Disadvantage: this method only allows you to gain time, since then you still need to resume fermentation, and as the temperature rises, the foam will begin to appear again.

Many novice moonshiners are faced with one problem: the mash foams too actively and forms a fluffy cap, pouring over the edge of the container in which it is infused. It is difficult to control this process, and the result can be the saddest. Among the unpleasant consequences: wet floors, a broken water seal, loss of part of the alcohol-containing mass, and therefore a reduction in the “yield” of the product by up to 40%!

It’s simply impossible to let things get to this point, so we’ll tell you what to do in case of excessive “playing” and how to remove foam from the mash (how to extinguish it). Remember a few simple techniques, use them, and you will prepare the maximum amount of raw materials for distillation.

During fermentation in liquid, the concentration of carbon dioxide gradually increases, which means bubbles appear that accompany the process of formation of alcohol from sugar. A fluffy hat is formed from them in 6-8 hours, this is a normal growth rate. Although in some cases this process occurs much faster.

So, why does mash foam so much? The reason for the overactive formation of a fluffy cap may be as follows:

• The raw material chosen was a product that is itself prone to producing carbon dioxide. Typical examples include: peas (although almost all legumes are susceptible to foaming), rye (and grains in general), peaches (and other fruits whose pulp is especially tender and sweet).
• The container is filled with alcohol-containing mass by more than 70%. Due to the action of carbon dioxide, the mash begins to increase in volume and quickly overflows during the “game” process simply because there is not enough free space.
• The yeast taken is of poor quality, and this is almost the most serious mistake that can be made, because a low-quality strain will not only lead to foaming, but will also hopelessly spoil the taste of the finished product.
• The raw materials are infused in too hot conditions. If the room temperature exceeds 30° C, prepare for rapid foaming.
• Too much yeast has been added, resulting in too much carbon dioxide being produced.

The reasons are of different nature, but in any case, the mash foams a lot, and what to do, how to remove it? It needs to be suppressed, and this can be achieved mechanically. Another option is to use extinguishers, either homemade folk ones (essentially ordinary products or household products), or store-bought ones (industrial food grade). Let's look at each group of methods in turn.

What to do to prevent mash from foaming

Let's start with mechanical methods, since they are the easiest to understand and implement, and also help not only to normalize, but also to simultaneously optimize the infusion process. So, if the fluffy cap quickly rises and goes beyond the container, you can...

Reduce volume

Often it is enough to simply remove part of the alcohol-containing mass so that it takes up less than 2/3 of the barrel, bottle or other fermentation tank. True, the method is only effective when you initially overfill the container. But it is especially good if you use peas or other raw materials prone to foaming.

Important! The disadvantage of this method is that when separating, the infused liquid must be poured, and at the same time a characteristic smell will spread throughout the room, which will not disappear immediately.

Reduce ambient temperature

Proven fact: yeast is most active at 18-24 degrees C. At 35 degrees the strain already dies, and at 10-16 degrees it falls asleep. Accordingly, it is enough to simply remove the container with the mash to a cooler place, for example, in a cellar, to stop the fermentation process, and therefore the formation of foam.

This method is very simple, but essentially represents a half-measure, because when you return the raw materials to suitable conditions, the yeast will resume its activity. But the main disadvantage of the method is that you can keep the mass in the cold and generally kill the strain, and then you will have to think about how to revive the wort.

Add a glass jar to the container

The method is not the most well-known, but it is very effective (it is widely used in Eastern European countries) and easy to implement:

• sterilize the glass jar;
• close it with a regular plastic lid;
• lower it into a tank with infused raw materials.

The jar will reduce carbon dioxide production. The only problem is that it is quite difficult to push it into a container with a narrow neck; it is unlikely to fit into the same bottle, but into a barrel - without difficulty.

How to extinguish foam in mash

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

Use sour cream (kefir) or vegetable oil

A liquid with a tightening effect, evenly poured over the surface of the wort, is suitable. Added in small quantities, it will stop the growth of foam and will not in any way 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 one will transfer all its fruity notes into moonshine. And they are quite effective - they are able to remove foam even from a very active 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 and kefir regularly.

Crush the cookies

The method is outrageously simple - judge for yourself:

• grind the cookies at the rate of “1 piece per 10-15 liters”;
• Scatter the resulting crumbs evenly over the surface of the infused liquid (but do not mix!).

And that’s it, all that remains is to observe how quickly the foam disappears. The method works very simply: the crumbs create pressure and cause the bubbles to burst. You just need to take the most ordinary cookies, not sweetened or colored, without any filler. It’s clear why: any additives can affect the quality of the final product, but a neutral suppressant will not affect the organoleptic properties of alcohol.

Did you know? As an alternative, you can use brown bread, although it is slightly less effective, but still good.

Pour in a little baby shampoo

A gentle hair product will also help remove foam. Take just one tablespoon of baby shampoo and dilute it in a glass (200 ml) of cool water. After this, you just need to carefully and slowly pour the resulting mixture onto the surface of the alcohol-containing mass, without stirring under any circumstances. Within literally 5 minutes the bubbles will disappear.

The disadvantage of this method is that you have to use a hair care product, which is likely to worsen the organoleptic properties of the finished product. If you are planning to make moonshine with an original taste and aroma and, say, you have, you should refuse to infuse even delicate baby shampoo, not to mention adult shampoo, which usually contains relatively more chemical components.

We've sorted out the folk "helpers", now let's see how to extinguish the foam in the mash using factory suppressors. At the same time, we’ll 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 disappearance of bubbles - when they are added, the cap simply does not have time to form. At the same time, high-quality factory suppressants are environmentally friendly and do not change the organoleptic properties of moonshine. Plus, they captivate with the following advantages:

• high efficiency - usually sold in liquid form, and only 2-3 ml 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 - you can add suppressants both at the initial stage of yeast activation and immediately before distillation.

Now that you know why 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 convenient for you, and you can make really cool alcohol, clean and tasty, without any foreign aroma.

Many novice moonshiners have a problem with foam in their mash, the release of which is difficult to control. In the worst case, part of the product “runs away” from the container onto the floor and is irretrievably lost. You can prevent this trouble with several simple methods that work in any situation.

Attention! Do not try to remove foam by stirring the mash, as you will activate fermentation, which will further aggravate the situation.
The best home methods for extinguishing foam:

1. Add cookies. The easiest and fastest way to combat active foaming. Only regular cookies without flavoring additives, fillers or dyes are suitable for quenching mash. First you need to crumble it (one half is enough for 10 liters), then scatter the crumbs in an even layer over the surface. After a few minutes, the foam will begin to subside and then disappear completely.

Under the pressure of the crumbs, the foam bubbles burst more actively. As a result, the “cap” quickly disappears, and its reappearance is unlikely. Cookies do not affect the quality of the mash in any way. You can crumble black bread instead, but it doesn't help as well.

2. Reduce volume. This is usually done with highly foaming raw materials, for example, pea mash. When there is not enough free space in the container, the foam begins to come out. Initially, it is better to fill the container with mash no more than 2/3 of the volume.

If this recommendation is not followed, during the fermentation process you need to drain part of the mash into another container. Disadvantage: with strong foaming, it is very difficult to separate the mash without spilling at least a little liquid on the floor, and the smell in the room will not be the most pleasant.

3. Add vegetable oil (sour cream, kefir). One teaspoon of sunflower oil per 5 liters of mash, poured in an even layer over the surface, stops foam well. The principle of operation is the same as in the case of cookies.

Thick sour cream or kefir helps a little worse (1-2 tablespoons per 10-12 liters of mash). Adding a small amount of vegetable oil or dairy products to the mash does not affect the quality of the moonshine.

4. Lower the temperature. The optimal fermentation temperature is 18-24°C. At higher values, the yeast may die; at low values, they “fall asleep” and fermentation stops. When conditions become suitable again, the yeast is activated and continues to work.

To knock down the foam, just place the container with mash in a cold place (6-16°C). Disadvantage: this method only allows you to gain time, since then you still need to resume fermentation, and as the temperature rises, the foam will appear again.

5. Use baby shampoo. Dilute a tablespoon of baby shampoo in a glass of cold water. Slowly pour the resulting mixture onto the surface of the mash. After a few minutes the foam will fall off.

Disadvantage: getting third-party chemicals into the mash, even if there are only a few of them in baby shampoo, is extremely undesirable.

Excessive gas formation and foaming during moonshine brewing can cause a lot of trouble. And if excessive gas formation simply boils down to an unpleasant odor, then excessive foaming can lead to the release of part of the mash outside, and the mash can stain walls, floors and, in some cases, even ceilings (when the lid is blown off, if you seal the fermentation container tightly enough) .

Don't mix!

It’s worth saying right away that you can’t get rid of active foaming by simply stirring the mash. The fact is that stirring only further activates the fermentation process, accelerates fermentation, and, therefore, enhances foaming. Therefore, the more thoroughly you mix the mash, the more you will aggravate the situation, even if the foam settles on the mash in the first seconds.

Method 1. Cookies.

The simplest and most effective way to extinguish foam in mash is cookies. It is enough just to take ordinary crumbly cookies that do not have aromatic additives and add them to the mash. Just one half of one cookie is enough to successfully extinguish the foam in 10 liters of mash. The cookies must be thoroughly crumbled and sprinkled over the entire surface of the foam. In just 2-3 minutes the foam will subside. The effect will last for several hours.

Cookies do not have any effect on the taste and aroma properties of the future distillate.

The mechanism is simple: cookie crumbs mechanically press on gas bubbles, preventing them from forming. As a result, the bubbles burst and the crumbs fall to the next layer of bubbles. As a result, in a minute there will be no trace of foam left.

Often crackers or simple black bread are used instead of cookies. However, the effectiveness of this method is much more modest than when using cookies.

Method 2. Vegetable oil.

A thin layer of vegetable oil also significantly reduces the intensity of foaming. It is enough to pour only 5-10 milliliters of vegetable oil onto the surface of the mash, and the foam will completely subside. The effect will last longer, however, the method involves initial mixing. That is, you must first stir the mash, and then immediately pour in a few tablespoons of oil.

Some moonshiners replace vegetable oil with thick sour cream or kefir. However, as practice shows, sour cream and kefir have little effect on the taste of the moonshine itself.

Method 3. Reducing the temperature.

If you see that foaming is happening much more actively than planned, you can sharply lower the temperature, if possible (for example, in winter, take the mash to the balcony). At a temperature of 8-15 degrees, the work of yeast stops, as a result of which it is possible to temporarily slow down the fermentation processes and solve the problem with foam. That is, the algorithm of this method is simple: we move the container to a cold place, remove the mash in any way, again seal the fermentation container and again transfer the container to a place comfortable for fermentation and at a suitable temperature. Let us remind you that fermentation occurs most efficiently at a temperature of 22-24 degrees; at temperatures above 20 degrees the yeast begins to die.

How to avoid excessive foaming of mash?

In fact, excessive foaming is a sign that you have poured too much mash for this container. Accordingly, you need to either pour less mash next time, or select a larger container for fermentation. Try not to fill the container more than 65-75% of the total container capacity. It is best to use 21-liter containers for drinking water - you can fill them with about 14-15 liters (three five-liter cylinders) of mash, and the foaming will not be so large as to create problems for you.

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

Use sour cream (kefir) or vegetable oil

A liquid with a tightening effect, evenly poured over the surface of the wort, is suitable. Added in small quantities, it will stop the growth of foam and will not in any way 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 into moonshine. And they are quite effective - they are able to remove foam even from a very active 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 and kefir regularly.

Crush the cookies

The method is outrageously simple - judge for yourself:

• grind the cookies at the rate of “1 piece per 10-15 liters”;
• Scatter the resulting crumbs evenly over the surface of the infused liquid (but do not mix!).

And that’s it, all that remains is to observe how quickly the foam disappears. The method works very simply: the crumbs create pressure and cause the bubbles to burst. You just need to take the most ordinary cookies, not sweetened or colored, without any filler. It’s clear why: any additives can affect the quality of the final product, but a neutral suppressant will not affect the organoleptic properties of alcohol.

Did you know? As an alternative, you can use brown bread, although it is slightly less effective, but still good.

Pour in a little baby shampoo

A gentle hair product will also help remove foam. Take just one tablespoon of baby shampoo and dilute it in a glass (200 ml) of cool water. After this, you just need to carefully and slowly pour the resulting mixture onto the surface of the alcohol-containing mass, without stirring under any circumstances. Within literally 5 minutes the bubbles will disappear.

The disadvantage of this method is that you have to use a hair care product, which is likely to worsen the organoleptic properties of the finished product. If you are planning to make moonshine with an original taste and aroma and, let’s say, you have mash on tomato paste, you should refuse to infuse even delicate baby shampoo, not to mention adult shampoo, which usually contains relatively more chemical components.

We've sorted out the folk "helpers", now let's see how to extinguish the foam in the mash using factory suppressors. At the same time, we’ll 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 disappearance of bubbles - when they are added, the cap simply does not have time to form. At the same time, high-quality factory suppressants are environmentally friendly and do not change the organoleptic properties of moonshine. Plus, they captivate with the following advantages:

• high efficiency - usually sold in liquid form, and only 2-3 ml 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 - you can add suppressants both at the initial stage of yeast activation and immediately before distillation.

Now that you know why 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 convenient for you, and you can make really cool alcohol, clean and tasty, without any foreign aroma.

Why does foam form?

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

Foam on the mash

Pressed yeast is in a “dormant” state. After entering a favorable environment, they become active and begin to absorb sugar. If the conditions are unsuitable, activation will not occur, or the process will be weakly expressed.

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

1. The presence of products in the wort that are prone to foaming. These include any legumes (especially peas), grains and sweet fruits.
2. Violation of the correct recipe. If you add more yeast to the drink than necessary, you will not be able to avoid excessive foam.
3. Quality of ingredients. First of all, this concerns the yeast itself - if it is stale, the wort may not ferment at all, or, conversely, produce too much foam.

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