Is it necessary to interfere with the mash on koji. Homemade bourbon from Chinese koji

The easiest way to make moonshine from grain raw materials is to use Chinese Koji.

Koji is a mixture of special molds, biological enzymes (probably A and G or something similar) and god knows what else. For us, the main thing is that Koji already contains everything you need (such a terraflu for mash) and we do not need to make any extra movements (sprout malt, saccharify grain with temperature control, etc.).

But there is important detail working with Koji - maintaining cleanliness, which is caused by a long period of fermentation and, as a result, increased chances of developing various microorganisms "harmful" to the distiller, as a result of which the mash can simply turn sour. Many people recommend using antibiotics when working with Koji (for example, Doxycycline), but personally I prefer to follow certain cleanliness rules:

1. the mash container must first be disinfected using the methods available to you (I use a weak solution of potassium permanganate);
2. the presence of a water seal is mandatory, without it you will not succeed;
3. hands should be cleanly washed and, if possible, it is unnecessary to touch anything with them;
4. work only with clean-washed tools.

It is recommended to use a hydraulic module of 2.5-3.5 liters for setting up the jam, that is, for each kg. raw materials need 2.5-3.5 liters of water, depending on the type of cereal and personal experience. I recommend starting with simple raw materials (rice, barley or Wheat groats) and hydronic module 3 liters.

Now let's look at the process of setting the congestion.

We take any starch-containing raw materials (flour, cereals, etc.) and pour it into the mash container, add the required amount warm water and mix, the temperature of the mash before adding Koji should be 28-30 degrees. We add pre-fermented (soaked) Koji and mix again. We put the container under the water seal in a warm place. And it's all!

The optimal fermentation temperature is considered to be 30-34 degrees, but even at 20 degrees, fermentation does not stop, it just slows down.

How to correctly calculate the required amount of Koji. According to the instructions for each kg. raw materials are taken from 2 to 6 g of Koji. To dilute, fill them a small amount warm (30 degrees) water and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Why such a fork in the amount of Koji - this is due to the freshness of the Koji, the older, the more they need and the hydromodule, the larger the hydromodule, the more Koji). Based on the experience of use, it can be assumed that the Chinese slightly underestimated the required amount of yeast, or the calculation was made for ideal conditions. Here are the proven norms for different hydraulic modules when using fresh Koji.

With aging, Koji norm increases by 1-2 grams

Additional nuances:

• if there are doubts about the purity of the raw material (for example, you use grain waste), then you can pre-treat it thermally by dipping it in boiling water for 1-3 minutes, but I warn you that in the case of working with flour or fine crushed grain, this can cause clumping,

theoretically, the finer the raw materials are crushed, the faster the process of saccharification and fermentation of the mash will take place, if using whole grain without processing, it may not work at all (for example, whole corn), since enzymes and microorganisms will not be able to get to the starch, but in practice I have not tested this. Rice groats (not done, but regular rice) I process Koji without any problems.

Everyone have a good day and great mood! Today we will cook rice vodka on the Koji Angel. We need 10kg of rice, 40 liters of water and 80g (8g per 1kg of rice) yeast Koji Angel(if there are no scales, then you can take 8 tablespoons, without a slide). We boil 20 liters of water, and pour 10 kg of rice, mix thoroughly and leave to swell for several hours, then cool to 30-35 degrees with the remaining 20 liters cold water. After cooling, scoop up half a liter from the fermentation tank, pour 80g. koji, mix thoroughly and leave for 15-30 minutes to ferment.

Mix the rice porridge again with your hand and crush all the lumps: in general, bring the rice to the state of a paste. Bringing in the revived Koji, put under a water seal (or under a rubber glove) The first 3-4 days we mix the mash. Braga, with this setting, ferments in 12 days. The finished mash smells pleasant - the smell from distant childhood, notes of sweet rice porridge in milk predominate ... even more like porridge (friendship) - rice, millet, barley, well, this wonderful blend interrupts the message - alcohol smell. Braga tastes like light, exhausted beer: freshly bitter, but pleasant and tingles the tongue, Raw alcohol (drink of one distillation) practically does not smell of anything: a barely perceptible smell of a freshly baked pie, and the end of the smell clearly gives rice porridge. After the second fractional fraction (divided into head and tail fractions), we get 3.2 liters of 93% distillate, with a pleasantly sweet taste.

Attention: the first 1-2 days of fermentation, an unpleasant smell may appear (the most active fermentation time and depends on the quality of the cereal itself), the next days the smell disappears.

Recipe mash written for a fermentation tank of 65 liters. I will give examples of how make mash in smaller containers:

• a capacity of 19 liters (a bottle from a cooler) you need 3-3.5 kg of rice;
• a capacity of 30 liters (beer plastic keg) you need 5 kg of rice;
• capacity of 40 liters (plastic barrel) you need 6.5-7 kg of rice.

Asian countries have long discovered the benefits of Koji yeast and are actively using it to make alcohol based on cereals. This valuable product came to us quite recently, but experienced moonshiners immediately appreciated it.

Koji is a specially designed yeast based on molds and fungi that converts the starch found in grains into sugar without traditional malt and enzymes. The technology for making koji mash is very simple and economical.

I think it's time to sort out the pros and cons of koji, positioned as a more profitable and simple alternative to traditional methods of making mash.

How long does mash roam on koji? Three weeks on average. The main advantages of koji mash are that the liquid clears up very quickly, and the sediment lies at the bottom of the fermentation vessel in a dense layer, which makes it very easy to drain it with a hose or tube. In addition, the product ready for distillation will not show any signs of fermentation, and distillation can also be done without a bubbler, since there is no turbidity in the mash and it does not burn.

Moonshine, made on the basis of rice mash on koji, is alcoholic drink high standard. Admirers of strong homemade alcohol appreciate it for the complete absence of an unpleasant fusel smell and a heavy morning hangover, of course, with moderate use.

It delights with its delicate sweet aftertaste and long-playing charming aftertaste.

Step by step cooking

Step-by-step preparation of moonshine

koji corn mash recipe

Following the recommendations of this recipe, you will prepare a solid brew that can be distilled into top quality moonshine. In addition, if the resulting moonshine is additionally kept in oak barrels for 2-3 years, then you can enjoy the taste of the classic, which is very popular among Americans.

List of required components

Step by step cooking

The proposed method for the production of alcohol based on three types of cereals is notable for the fact that it does not require the germination of grains and eliminates the need to grout from porridge. Thanks to Koji yeast, an active fermentation process begins in just an hour. Moonshine from such a mash has an unusually interesting aroma and combines the tastes of all three cereals.

List of required components

Step by step cooking

Did you know? If desired, cereal moonshine can be cleaned with charcoal, and then ennobled by adding oak chips. After you need to let the drink brew for a month, and as a result you will get homemade moonshine, with a mild aftertaste with subtle notes of wood.

Video of koji mash recipes

I have selected informative videos for you, in which experienced craftsmen demonstrate simple and interesting methods for making good-quality brew with Chinese Koji yeast and cover in detail the process of distillation into high-quality homemade alcohol.

Video #1.

This short video highlights the key moments in the process of making koji wheat mash and then distilling it into a high-quality whisky.

Video #2.

This video presents step by step process making bourbon based on corn mash. Ready homemade alcohol strikes with a beautiful golden hue and a long-lasting delicate aftertaste.

Video #3.

After watching this video, you will quickly learn how to cook mash on rye flour and Koji yeast. An experienced moonshiner will talk about all sorts of difficulties and methods to overcome them.

Useful information

• I advise you to familiarize yourself with a very economical and labor-intensive manufacturing option.
• I also dare to suggest that many will be interested in several proven recipes - mash with dry yeast -.
• I propose classic recipe- sugar mash - for the manufacture of high-quality moonshine.
• —Braga on tomato paste- will appeal to those who need to dispose of substandard tomatoes or expired tomato paste.

Now you know about all the advantages of mash cooked on koji. I highly recommend using the above recipes for making a good mash. Believe me, you will be more than pleased with the result. Thank you for your time and good luck in the interesting and constantly evolving field of home brewing!

Continuing the topic of home distillation, I can't help mentioning my experiments with "koji". Koji is a Chinese hellish mixture of enzymes, mushrooms and yeast. Inventive people, these Chinese! In our stores for moonshiners, they are often sold as “Chinese yeast”, not understanding what they are dealing with, and then they listen to unpleasant things from those who bought them and tried to use them just like yeast. Because it is NOT yeast, it is for something completely different.

They are a gift for a beginner producer of grain distillates, because they simplify the process at times. If it seems to you that boiling, hot saccharification and steam distillation are somehow too complicated and confusing, then start with koji. (As a result, you will still end up with hot saccharification and steam distillation, but with an understanding of how beautiful the result can be).

So what do koji do? They combine in one process the extraction of starch, its transformation into sugars and the fermentation of these sugars. The dream of a lazy person - he fell asleep cereal, poured water, sprinkled koji - and under the shutter. Everything. That is really everything- you don't have to do anything else! Compare with this process and be imbued. The Chinese, stsk, are cunning!

Generally speaking, the Chinese invented these very koji to make rice wine - what the Japanese call "sake". Rice is not a grape, it will not ferment itself, you have to spit. However, now there are both wine koji and strong distillates on sale, do not confuse, because sellers themselves often have no idea what they are selling. (You can refer to the photo above, this is exactly what you need for distillates, not for wine).

Accordingly, the whole culture of mushrooms, enzymes and the devil knows what else is imprisoned in koji specifically for rice and on it gives the greatest yield.

From five kilograms of rice (any, you can take the cheapest Krasnodar) comes out five liters of the final product - rice vodka double cleaning strength of 40 degrees.

At the same time, rice vodka is the most authentic, as the best varieties Chinese because that's how they do it. Only it is better cleaned - here the Chinese often hack, they do not have a culture of producing strong distillates. Not everyone likes this vodka - it has a specific taste, which is a bit like the taste of sake, only thinner. As for me, it is great for eating home-ordered rolls from Japanese restaurant as well as spicy Chinese dishes. ( No one knows a Chinese/Japanese restaurateur? I could be the supplier! 🙂)

However, the second bonus of koji is that they work not only with rice, but also with grains that are more familiar to our taste. I have experimented with:

1. Wheat.

At the same time, wheat groats for cereals are the best raw material. It is crushed, starch comes out faster, it is clean and good taste. With fodder wheat, which we sell here in bags, the result is not so good and it needs to be crushed with something.

Yield - about three liters from five kg, the taste is great. When charred (purely for taste) it gives you the very wheat vodka that you could only dream of. The perfect vodka, which our ancestors were proud of before the invention industrial production alcohol. Vodka, which in the 19th century received gold medals at international exhibitions, eclipsing expensive cognacs. Nothing from the current assortment of stores was close by, regardless of the price. Having tried it once, you will never again be able to drink official.

(Of course, our ancestors did not use koji, saccharifying wheat with grain malt, but the result is almost the same).

2. Corn.

The same - cereal for corn porridge. Exit - as with wheat. This is a simple corn whiskey (something close to bourbon, but not quite bourbon). A sweetish, pleasant drink, if aged in a barrel, it is quite a channel for an average bourbon. Real bourbon, made from a mixture of cereals and grain malt in a hot way, is inferior in aromatics, but incomparably wins in terms of ease of production.

3. Buckwheat.

I tried out of curiosity, running into a sale of cheap cereals. The result is interesting - the yield is the weakest, about two liters from five kg, but the distillate has a pleasant taste and aromatics, sweetish, soft, not smelling of buckwheat at all. Closest, perhaps, to corn.

You can do it, although it is not very clear why - usually buckwheat is too expensive to produce.

Now a few secrets and tricks for working with koji.

The mash is the simplest - five kilograms of raw materials, 20 liters of water, 50 grams of koji, previously loosened in warm (not hotter than 35 degrees) water. But there are a couple of tricks. The first is to leave a quarter of the tank volume for foam. That is, for 5 kg of cereals and 20 liters of water, you need a tank with a capacity of 30 liters - otherwise the foam will trample through the shutter. The first couple of days, the mash foams a lot. The second is that the ideal fermentation temperature for koji is 25 degrees, so the mash tank must be heat-stabilized.

Minus koji - they work for a long time. The average time is three weeks. This is understandable - you need to pull the starch out of the grain, saccharify it and ferment it. At the same time, it is better not to open the tank so as not to bring any left bacteria there, otherwise the congestion will turn sour. However, it must be periodically mixed so that the entire volume of cereals is fermented. I solve this simply - I shake the tank without opening it. But I have small tanks, 30 liters each, this will not work with a large barrel.

The advantage of koji is that at the output you do not have a thick grain porridge, as in thermal saccharification with boiling, but a cloudy liquid with a dense sediment. That is, the fermented congestion can simply be drained into the cube of the apparatus through a sieve.

And drive after that by direct heating, not on a bubbler, without fear of burning. This greatly simplifies the distillation process, making grain distillate production accessible to even the most basic set of equipment.

Of course, after doing a few pastures of cereals on koji, you will realize that this is close to perfect, but not yet - and think about the hot process and the bubbler ...

But this is the next step.

The original of this post on

Such exotics as koji yeast came to the CIS countries relatively recently, despite the fact that this product has been used in Central Asia for quite a long time. Molds help to process corn and rice starch without enzymes and malt, that is, to saccharify it. The technology for making mash is simple and economical.

As far as theory goes, koji yeast is rice or soya beans that were treated with a special fungus. For the reproduction of mold fungus, a row is created important conditions, namely:

1. Washing and soaking rice.
2. Steam processing of grain, cooling, introduction of yeast purchased from certified suppliers. Only 10 Japanese companies are authorized to trade Aspergillus oryzae.
3. In a room where the temperature is controlled, cooked rice is moved in a wooden bowl.
4. When the grain is saccharified, it must be stirred periodically, the temperature monitored, and heated or cooled if necessary.
5. The finished rice should have a sweet aftertaste, white flakes form on top of it. The product expires quickly, so it is processed as quickly as possible (fermentation, marinade for fish, soy sauce etc.).

Thus, at best, it is possible to buy only a “starter” (disputes). The fungus is subject to activation, then cultivation and reproduction on rice, steamed using a special technology, subject to temperature conditions. Phytosanitary services must issue a permit for the transport of mold spores across the border, so yeast cannot be legally purchased.

Chinese koji yeast

The basis of Chinese koji yeast is a mold substitute (enzymes), the complex of which breaks down starch into simple sugars. In addition, they contain rice mash vinasse, nutritional supplements that promote fermentation, and ordinary yeast. This product came out quite well, and there is a demand for it.

Braga is prepared using koji from malt and starch-containing products: buckwheat, corn, peas, rice and wheat. No special enzymes are required, the koji yeast will do it all by itself. Rice mash gives the largest distillate yield, since yeast was originally created for this culture. From five kilograms of rice, five liters of vodka with a strength of no more than 40% will come out.

Before packaging, all spores are destroyed, as mold is a health hazard. Therefore, with such a composition, it is impossible to grow koji on your own.

Working with yeast requires a respiratory mask and gloves to exclude the occurrence of candidiasis, bronchial asthma or allergies. Braga is not drunk, as there is a danger of poisoning.

Advantages and disadvantages of koji

Advantages:

1. Obtaining the largest amount of moonshine, because sugar is formed from almost all starch.
2. Cooking flour and subsequent saccharification of the mash with enzymes and malt is not required. Everything you need is in the package you bought. Only water is added.
3. As with the use of malt, with the correct observance of technology, the organoleptic properties of the raw material are preserved in the distillate.
4. When alembic heats up, cooked mash does not burn, so any kind of moonshine is suitable for the production of alcohol.

Flaws:

1. Ready-made fermented koji yeast is much more expensive (including shipping) than bakery or bakery yeast.
2. During fermentation, an unpleasant rotten smell appears, which disappears at the end, after distillation.
3. The fermentation period (25 days) is several times longer than the time of traditional malt saccharification.
4. There is a risk of an allergic reaction, respiratory disease, candidiasis.

Braga on koji

Braga on koji

To make koji mash, you need the following ingredients:

• 5 kilograms of finely ground cereals (you can take flour);
• water - 20 liters;
• 45 grams of koji enzymes.

Sometimes starch is used immediately instead of flour. For koji, they usually take a hydromodule of 4 to 1. That is, if you take one kilogram of flour, then according to the recipe, the amount of yeast will be about nine grams. And the yield of alcohol directly depends on the percentage of starch in the raw material. According to the manufacturers, the mash is obtained with a strength of 15%, but in fact it does not exceed 10%.

Table with possible values:

Koji mash recipe

1. The container in which the raw materials will ferment is disinfected with iodine or its solution with water for an hour. You can expose the vessel to other methods of sterilization, since the fermentation process takes a whole month. During such a period, there is a possibility of infection of the broth and the reproduction of bacteria in it. This stage is very important, if you skip it, then the mash will deteriorate and harm your health.
2. Cereals or flour are also subject to disinfection. To do this, it is poured with boiling water and the mixture is allowed to cool to 30 degrees.
3. Cereals or flour are mixed with water and yeast. A container with a water seal is filled with a freshly prepared solution. To prevent the mash from sour, it is necessary to use a water seal and control the tightness of the conditions.
4. According to the recipe, the mash during fermentation is mixed every five days and stored in a dark and warm place.
5. Braga is considered ready if sediment falls to the bottom, the color of the liquid brightens, and the release of gas decreases.

To get moonshine for koji, the mash is filtered and squeezed through a filter or gauze. It happens at maximum speed, after which the smell does not disappear. The product is diluted with water when the amount of alcohol in it has already been determined. After that do redistillation. Moonshine loses its specific smell, so it can be further diluted with water. When the desired strength is reached, alcohol is poured into glass containers and put in a dark place for two days to stabilize the taste.

The koji drink has a specific taste that not many will like. In Asian countries, you can try real koji mash. And for those who drive moonshine, there is an opportunity to experiment with taste with the help of enzymes.