Fermentation:
Now that our mash is made and we have degraded the carbohydrate solution into simple sugars for the fermentation process. Fermentation requires the use of yeast which are microbial organisms, they convert sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. In order for this reaction to happen, it has to be under an oxygen-deprived environment. We can implement an airlock on the vessel used from fermentation to not allow any oxygen from the environment to get into the vessel. A proper airlock will help this reaction to proceed and not convert the sugars into other unwanted chemicals like fatty acids or unsaturated fatty acids. Without that much oxygen in the vessel will make the yeast convert the sugar into alcohol instead of unsaturated fatty acids.
Some types of yeast also have a pH range that they work well in. In order to achieve this brewer usually, add some citric acid to the mash to reduce the pH when too high, the best range of pH values is to keep the mash at about 5.2-5.6. A slightly higher pH in the range mentioned will yield a faster fermentation rate. Fermentation isn’t specific to the type of alcohol that is trying to be made so this all applied to any mash that made for any type of liquor being produced. The differences will exist when we talk about aging the liquor. Once fermentation is complete then to continue we have to purify our alcohol and remove it from the fermented mash through distillation.
After a fermentation vessel is chosen and our mash is added to the vessel we need to prepare the yeast. The yeast has to be prepared before being added to the vessel. Directions on how to prepare the yeast are placed on the back of the brewing yeast packaging and if not using brewing yeast then use the directions given on the back on what packaging it’s in. almost all yeast will give a specific temperature where the yeast can achieve a maximum effect on the alcohol yield. For example, in order to activate champagne yeast from “Red Star,” the directions stated that the yeast had to be placed in water at about 35 C and to wait about 20 minutes to make sure all the yeast is activated. Once the yeast is activated then it can be added into the mash mixture and an airlock is attached to the top so that the carbon dioxide can escape and not build up pressure in the vessel.
