The quality of these drinks can be determined without even opening the bottle. To do this, you need to pick it up and examine it very carefully. First of all, you need to pay attention to the label itself. If it is solid, of high quality and well attached to the bottle, then this is a good sign. Well-known manufacturers always protect their products with various holographic signs, so you need to make sure they are available. At the same time, you should understand that the prices for vodka are almost always and everywhere the same. If you managed to find a place where vodka products are sold 30% cheaper than in other stores, then it is better not to buy vodka there.
You can determine the quality of vodka and moonshine by shaking the bottle. If large bubbles are observed, this indicates that the product has been diluted with water. In a quality drink, after shaking, a "snake" with small bubbles appears.
In addition, the finished product can be checked for some more parameters:
Using the presented methods, you can check the quality of moonshine or vodka right at home. Given the number of low-quality store alcoholic beverages, you have the opportunity to avoid its use, thereby preserving your health. However, it is better to still produce high-quality moonshine, cognac, vodka, liqueurs and other drinks yourself at home, but for this you should
Moonshine is an alcoholic beverage created by distilling a certain mass with a high starch content (wheat, sugar, beets). Moonshine is obtained mainly at home, however, the raw product is of little use for consumption, since it contains a lot of various impurities (fusel oils) that are very harmful to health. In this article, we will tell you about some of the ways to clean your homemade moonshine from harmful impurities.
In order to clean the moonshine with potassium permanganate or potassium permanganate, you must first dilute it to about 40 degrees. Then add a few grains of potassium permanganate on the tip of the knife and stir the moonshine until the crystals dissolve. After it turns pinkish, leave the bottle for 2-3 days. Taking out the moonshine after this time, you will find black sediment at the bottom - these are the very harmful impurities. Now carefully, trying to leave sediment at the bottom, we filter the moonshine through cotton wool. This is a great way to remove odors and fusel oils from moonshine.
An excellent way to purify moonshine, which can be used directly during distillation. Cover the drain hole of the funnel with a layer of gauze or bandage and place the activated carbon on the bottom of the funnel after crumbling it. Now we substitute the funnel under the dripping moonshine and, after the completion of the distillation, we again clean it using the same method. You can also put activated carbon after distillation in a bottle of moonshine (at the rate of 50 grams per liter). After that, you need to stir the moonshine every day for 2 weeks, and then filter it.
For this method, you need to take a liter of milk for 5 liters of moonshine. It is important here to take your time and distill the moonshine slowly. It may happen that the liquid at the outlet turns out to be cloudy. Then you need to distill the moonshine again. However, you can do it differently: add about 100 grams of milk to the bottle, wait until it curdles and then strain.
For this method, how to clean moonshine, we need:
All these components need to be poured into the moonshine. Usually this dose is enough for 4 liters. After that, we infuse an alcoholic drink for 12 hours and then pour 200 grams of raw milk into it. We insist for two more days, after which we filter - and the delicious drink is ready.
This is the old Russian way of cleaning moonshine, which is suitable not only for improving the quality of the drink and its taste, but also for increasing the degree. So, take some sturdy container, fill it with moonshine and place it on the balcony in winter or in the freezer at other times of the year. In order for the moonshine to start freezing, a temperature of minus 11-13 degrees Celsius is sufficient. Now wait until the water starts to freeze and drain the remaining liquid.
And finally, let's say how you can check the quality of moonshine. There is a very simple old method for this. You need to take some moonshine and set it on fire. If the liquid catches on fire immediately, then you have made a first-class alcoholic beverage. If a rapid ignition has not occurred, you will have to filter it again using any of the methods described above. Remember, there is no need to save on health, especially in cases of alcohol.
Experienced moonshiners agree that the most effective and quickest purification of moonshine from fusel oils is the method using activated or charcoal. This is not surprising, because coal particles have large pores that are capable of absorbing not only small elements of impurities, but also large ones.
So, how to clean the moonshine at home so that the filtration takes place with the maximum effect. Consider 2 effective ways:
This is one of the best ways to quickly clear the moonshine before the second distillation. Coal is preferable to use from birch. A component from a water filter will be no less effective. It often contains silver, which will only improve the quality of filtration.
Apply charcoal in the following proportions: 50 gr. for every liter of alcohol. This calculation is suitable for both the first and second cleaning method. Therefore, when filtering moonshine through a funnel, cotton wool with a filler will periodically need to be changed to a new one.
Not all moonshiners know that fusel impurities and other harmful components are perfectly neutralized in vegetable oils. Therefore, moonshine can be cleaned with olive or sunflower oil. The main thing here is to use an odorless product, that is, refined, otherwise the concentrated aroma will be transferred to the drink.
With this method of purifying moonshine at home, part of the vegetable oil remains in alcohol, even with high-quality filtration. Therefore, the second distillation in this case is a mandatory step.
How to clean moonshine after the first distillation with vegetable oil:
Filtration of moonshine with milk is very popular among experienced masters - this way the "soul" of the drink is preserved and its taste softens. The principle is based on the binding of harmful impurities with casein and albumin molecules that make up milk protein. As a result, a flocculent sediment appears, due to its gravity falling to the bottom. Filtration takes about a week, after which the distillate is removed from the sediment and re-run. After cleaning, the moonshine acquires a clean structure, and also becomes soft in taste.
Milk is a simple, effective and completely safe way to make quality alcohol
It should be borne in mind that milk contains fats, they make the drink cloudy. Therefore, in home brewing, there are 2 cleaning recipes. In the first, low-fat milk is used, and re-distillation is not provided, in the second, the percentage of fat content of the product is not fundamental, since secondary distillation will help to clean the structure.
The advantages of this filtration of moonshine are obvious, the method is absolutely safe, does not need secondary distillation and makes it possible to combine the purification of alcohol with other methods. But he also has disadvantages, in rare cases the structure of the liquid may become cloudy.
Cleaning steps:
Instead of pasteurized milk, in this case, it is allowed to use dry milk. But beforehand, 3 hours before you clean the moonshine from fusel oils, it will need to be diluted in warm water.
From the very first minutes, a precipitate in the form of large white flakes will begin to form in the liquid. This milk protein reacts chemically and precipitates harmful impurities.
If, after cleaning at home, the moonshine has acquired a cloudy structure, it should be filtered through a charcoal filter.
VIDEO: What is the best way to clean the distillate - coal, butter or milk?
In this case, the fat content of the dairy product does not matter, the main thing is that the milk is fresh. The process of removing harmful impurities is as follows:
These methods can be used to check the quality of store vodka. Sometimes the result is shocking with the amount of sediment.
Cleansing moonshine at home using protein from chicken eggs eliminates not only harmful components in the drink, but also an unpleasant odor. This method works best when filtering a distillate prepared with wheat or sugar mash. But if alcohol was prepared on berries or fruits, it is not recommended to use egg white for cleaning.
The composition of the cleansing product includes casein and albumin, in fact, due to which all impurities are deposited at the bottom. In terms of absorption, this method of purifying moonshine at home is not inferior to coal. In addition, it should be noted the minimum loss of distillate - only up to 5%.
Consider the steps on how to clean and filter moonshine from fusel oils and unpleasant odors using egg white:
After the holding time has elapsed, strain the liquid without sediment through a cotton-gauze plug in a funnel. Change the filter and do the same with the sediment. Dilute pure alcohol with drinking water to obtain a strength of 18-20 ° and distill it a second time.
This is the easiest way to filter home brew. When the temperature drops below 0 °, fusel oils and other impurities begin to freeze, while the freezing point of pure ethyl alcohol is -114 ° C. The method takes a lot of time compared to other cleaning options, but high quality is guaranteed in this case.
You need to put the jar in the freezer or outside if the weather conditions meet the requirements for freezing. When ice forms in an alcoholic drink, and these are fusel oils, the remaining liquid must be drained, the rest must be disposed of.
In the north, the scrap method is practiced, although it is more convenient to use a metal corner. It is left outside for some time to freeze the metal well, put it in a bowl and slowly drain the distillate through it. When moving, the fuselage freezes, and the raw material flows down. The result is quick and effective.
To eliminate extraneous aromas from the moonshine as much as possible, it is recommended to add 30 g to 1 liter of the drink. raisins and chopped violet root 5 pcs. The consistency should be infused for at least 10 days, after which it will be fully usable.
In ancient times, few people were interested in the best way to clean moonshine from harmful impurities, since they used the bread cleaning recipe, proven for centuries. This method has not lost its popularity in our time.
You need to use only fresh bakery products from rye flour without various impurities. Homemade rye bread is ideal.
This product contains many yeasts and gluten, which help to retain fusel oils. As a result of such cleaning, even the most low-quality alcohol will acquire a pleasant aroma and brighten.
The process will require 100 grams. bread pulp for 1 liter of moonshine. Before cleaning, the alcoholic beverage should be filtered using one of the previous methods. After that, the bread is cut into slices, they are peeled from the crust and crumbled into small particles.
Crumbs are poured into a container, mixed with distillate, closed with a lid and left for 3 days in a dark place. After the end of the infusion, the consistency will acquire a yellow color, which is eliminated by subsequent filtration.
Place a funnel with a cotton pad in a clean jar and strain the alcoholic drink through it. The remaining pulp is disposed of without spinning. Further, the moonshine must be diluted with water and put on distillation with separation of fractions.
Bonding of fusel oils and other impurities is carried out using Karluk glue. The component is preliminarily diluted in water before use until a jelly-like consistency is obtained, after which it is mixed into the moonshine. Adhesive elements bind unwanted constituents of the beverage and deposit on the bottom of the container.
This method is of the highest quality, it purifies the distillate as much as possible. Its only drawback is its inaccessibility. The fact is that glue was used, as a rule, in large-scale production activities. Also, the deficit is influenced by a sharp decline in the number of sturgeons, from the swimming bladders of which the component is produced.
Quick cleansing of the drink from toxins and fusel oils is carried out through the use of baking soda with salt. The advantages of the technologist are in the short-term, the process requires no more than 1 day. The downside is inefficiency. The fact is that soda is not able to precipitate all harmful components, therefore it requires repeated distillation.
Cleaning steps:
After the formation of a precipitate, the clean liquid is carefully drained and filtered. A cotton pad is placed in the funnel, granules of crushed charcoal are poured on top, after which everything is covered with one cotton layer. A fortified drink is passed through such a "sandwich" into a container.
With the help of salt and soda, you can partially cleanse the product from harmful impurities, the smell and taste remain unchanged.
There is also the usual method for cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate, but it is less effective than the combined one, so we will consider the second option. Baking soda helps neutralize acetic acid when potassium permanganate partially removes fusel oils.
The main advantage of this kind of cleaning is the minimum time required. Minus - the likelihood of the remainder of manganese crystals, which negatively affects human health. To exclude this factor, it is imperative to overtake the composition a second time.
Prepare the components based on the following proportions - 1.5 g is needed for 1 liter of alcohol. manganese and 10 gr. baking soda. Pre-mix potassium permanganate with water in a volume of 200 ml, pour the alkaline solution into the moonshine and shake thoroughly. Add the manganese, cover the jar and stir well.
Place the container in a dark, cold place for 14 hours. During this time, a thick sediment forms at the bottom of the jar, the clear liquid is drained from it and put for re-distillation.
A less effective cleaning method that partially removes harmful components from the alcoholic beverage, but at the same time gives it a pleasant aroma and aftertaste. Secondary distillation is a must here.
For 3 liters of alcoholic product with a concentration of 20o, you need to prepare 1 carrot and 1 apple. The fruits are peeled, coarsely chopped and added to a container with moonshine. After that, the jar is left to infuse for 2-3 days until the fibers begin to separate from the carrot with apple.
Some tasters like moonshine of a dull milky color, as it is made in real Russian settlements. To achieve this effect, you can use several recipes that give the product the desired shade, while not impairing its taste and aroma.
Some people like the authentic color of moonshine - it can be deliberately made cloudy
VIDEO: Little tricks of the moonshiner
Purification of moonshine from fusel oils is an important task that everyone who distills this strong drink at home is trying to solve.
The specific smell and taste of the final product will be present in any case, no matter what recipe you use to make it. Therefore, craftsmen have come up with many effective ways to clean the moonshine from various harmful impurities and give it a pleasant aroma.
In this article, we will look at the most effective of these methods, thanks to which you can quickly cleanse and refine this strong drink.
The sharp and unpleasant smell of moonshine is caused by the following main reasons:
Any of these reasons will ultimately affect the quality of the final product, which can turn from a noble drink into the notorious "booze". And to prevent this from happening, the drink during the preparation process must be subjected to repeated cleaning in various ways.
The future strong drink goes through the first stage of purification from fusel oils and harmful impurities even before distillation. The most popular methods for clarifying the wash are the following:
Charcoal cleaning is considered one of the best methods. Charcoal works well for this procedure, although activated charcoal can also be used. Two methods of such cleaning are usually used:
Purification with potassium permanganate
Cleaning with rye bread
Milk cleaning
To do this, you need skim milk and moonshine with a strength of 45-50 degrees. For 5 liters of alcohol, you need 50-70 g of milk.
After adding the required amount of a dairy product to the alcoholic beverage, you need to thoroughly stir the contents of the container, close the lid tightly and stand for a week in a dark place, shaking the liquid daily.
After the expiry of the above period, drain the alcohol from the sediment and strain through a cotton filter
Egg white cleaning
One protein can clean 0.5 liters of moonshine.
Freezing
The advantage of this method is its availability and extreme simplicity. Moonshine is poured into an aluminum pan, covered with a lid and placed in the freezer for 13-15 hours.
During the freezing process, fusel oils and other harmful impurities will remain on the walls of the pan, frozen to them. And ethyl alcohol will remain liquid, as it freezes at a lower temperature.
After freezing, the volume of the product will decrease, which will entail an increase in its strength.
Oil cleansing
For this method, you need to use refined oil of good purification, odorless, otherwise it will be transferred to the moonshine.
Add refined vegetable oil to a container with alcohol (for 1 liter of moonshine - 20 ml of oil).
Then the container is closed with a lid and actively shaken for several minutes. This procedure (shaking) must be repeated several times, then leave the moonshine to settle for 12 hours.
Pour the purified alcohol into a clean jar using a tube.
Soda peeling
It doesn't matter what recipe you used to make the moonshine, thanks to this method it is easy to clean (1 g of soda per 100 ml of strong drink).
Kefir cleaning
Add a glass of fat-free kefir to 2.5 liters of a strong drink, mix well and let it brew for several weeks, during which the moonshine is completely cleansed of fusel oils and harmful impurities.
After the sediment has formed, carefully drain the clean moonshine with a hose.
In the course of this procedure, you will lose from 300 to 350 g of moonshine, which will go away with the sediment, but from the resulting pure drink you will no longer be afraid of morning headaches.
Violet root cleaning
To clean the drink from the "booze" for 1 liter of alcohol, you need 35 g of violet root.
Peeling with pine nuts
Unpeeled nuts work well for cleaning (1 handful of nuts in 1 liter of 50-degree drink). Their peel will give the moonshine a cognac color.
Chopped nuts are poured into the moonshine, the container is tightly closed and infused for several months in a dark, warm place. The tincture needs to be shaken periodically.
If desired, dried apricots or raisins can be added to the drink along with nuts to add aroma and sweetness to the tincture.
As a result, you will get a refined product with a very pleasant taste.
Purification before re-distillation
To improve the quality of the drink, you can use plain paper or special cardboard, which act as a filter. Filtration is performed as follows:
Re-distillation improves the quality of alcohol and helps to get rid of harmful impurities.
Before a strong drink, dilute with water by 10-25%, bringing it to 30-35 degrees. The lower the strength of the moonshine, the easier it is to separate impurities. Water should be added in small portions and gradually.
How to properly dilute moonshine:
By combining the above cleaning methods, you can achieve the best result. Experiment and try different options, inspired by your own ideas and beginnings, but remember that it is absolutely not recommended to carry out the production of alcoholic beverages at home without certain knowledge and skills. The distilleries have everything you need: measuring instruments, equipment and, of course, qualified specialists who control the process and the release of a high quality product.
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Only an inexperienced person, or one who does not want to study this subject deeply enough, can argue that moonshine is worse than a factory-made alcohol-containing product. Let's try to dispel rumors, make precise definitions of the actual quality, based on specific facts.
Harmful ingredients: how to get rid of them
Unpleasant smell, color, taste are all signs of excess ingredients in the product that must be separated during the creation of the finished product. However, such actions will be quite reasonable not only in relation to moonshine. Today, even obtaining ordinary drinking water without impurities is a rather complex problem, which is solved using the most complex multistage filtration systems.
When a home moonshine still is used for distillation, problems of the presence of unnecessary components will not arise if certain technological methods are correctly followed. As a result, it is necessary to obtain ethyl alcohol, purified from the following substances and compounds:
Succinic, lactic and other acids. Fusel oils. Glycerol. These and other components are formed during the creation of the mash, during its heating. Some of the compounds created are used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. However, eating them is not recommended.
Methyl alcohol. It can be formed from pectin as a result of fermentation of fruits, berries, jams created on their basis, and preserves. This compound is poisonous. It must be removed from the finished product without fail.
The main factor that has been successfully used for many centuries is the excellent boiling point of various substances and chemical compounds. If we brew a cup of tea, we can enjoy the aroma of a wonderful drink. Vapors will be visible above its surface. However, boiling of water no longer occurs.
On the basis of the above principles, the classic moonshine still functions. An experienced user with its help removes fractions that boil at temperatures other than ethyl alcohol. With the help of this procedure, the most harmful and dangerous impurities will be eliminated. For a more thorough purification, repeated distillation of the product is used, as well as additional filtration using activated carbon.
Homemade product is better than factory alcohol
Do not think that such a statement is too bold. These are the conclusions that were made by experienced experts from the well-known international center ICAR, who made the relevant research. This organization is not commercial, therefore the conclusions of its specialists deserve attention.
So, different drinks were chosen for work, which were produced using artisanal techniques in Zambia, India, Tanzania, Mexico, Brazil, Russia and some other countries.
Pulque. Potin. Gongo. If these names don't tell you anything, then you may not search. They all denote essentially the same product, moonshine. Of course, different starting materials will be used in Mexico or Ireland. The features of technologies, technical devices and devices differ. Nevertheless, it was thorough studies of such a seemingly imperfect method that made it possible to draw the conclusions discussed above. A side result is the official recognition by the president of the ICAR center of the fact that moonshine, which is created using artisanal methods, accounts for about half of all alcoholic products that are consumed on the planet.
Interestingly, very rarely in the course of research, experts have found cases of making a low-quality drink. As a rule, this applied to underdeveloped countries. In Tanzania, for example, a local joking toast, loosely translated, sounds like an invitation to tomorrow's funeral.
On the other hand, as confirmed by the results of laboratory tests, some varieties of moonshine made in Russia surpassed the famous whiskey from Scotland in many respects. As a matter of fact, most rumors about some dangers of the product were spread deliberately back in the days of the Soviet Union. We must not forget that at that time there was a state monopoly on the production of alcoholic beverages, which ensured regular replenishment of the budget. By the way, according to some statistics, at the end of the last century, the consumption of vodka and moonshine in Russian villages was determined by a ratio of 1 to 4.
Moonshine is created on the basis of various quality products, from berries and fruits. Lemon peel and other natural ingredients are added to it. Factory vodka is a mixture in appropriate proportions of a chemical reagent, rectified alcohol and water purified in a certain way from impurities.
Moonshine: profession, creativity, combination of skills and talent
All of the above definitions are quite suitable for describing the corresponding technology. The most high-quality and perfect moonshine still of the new generation is not capable of creating an ideal finished product by itself.
Training will come in handy in any case. Let's say you moved to the countryside, decided to rid yourself of all the "benefits" of civilization that are associated with environmental pollution. Winter came. To purchase a factory-made alcoholic beverage, you will have to use a powerful SUV or reliable skis. A long walk on a frosty day will, of course, improve your health. However, the same cannot be said about the product that will be offered in the store. It is no secret that at present about half of all alcoholic beverages in the domestic chain are counterfeit. Some of them are not only harmful, but also really dangerous for the human body. Is it worth putting yourself at unnecessary risk? Let us refer this question to a rhetorical one, let us return to the technology of home brewing.
Alas, it is impossible to officially receive an appropriate education. That is why you have to gain knowledge yourself, and some answers will be found only after a series of personal experiments. A lot of useful information today can be found in the vast expanses of the Internet. The relevant data is offered free of charge on specialized websites of sellers and manufacturers of specialized equipment. In the same place, as well as on thematic forums, it will not be so difficult to find various recipes and descriptions of the practical application of certain structures.
However, one should start by studying the general theory. After mastering the basics and understanding which processes are involved in the creation of moonshine, proceed to the choice of equipment. It is best to take your time and find a good moonshine store with a fairly large assortment. Currently, the market offers alambics, rectification columns, and other types of equipment. They will differ in size, performance, and other parameters. Take your time to make a decision. Specify not only general, but also additional characteristics, reviews of real users, efficiency and durability of different types of devices, features of their maintenance.
It is imperative to take into account the rules that apply to certain technological processes. So, for example, using quality starting ingredients and applying the established methods precisely, it will be possible, at relatively low cost, to create a great cognac. It will be no worse than similar products manufactured under a well-known brand. However, in this case, you will need to buy oak barrels, which are used for subsequent aging.
That is why you need to carefully check not only the basic, but also the additional equipment of your home production. Thermometers, storage tanks, heating devices. If you choose all the components correctly, then you can brew at home a really excellent drink containing only useful ingredients. Be sure to use good raw materials. It may well be affordable, but there shouldn't be any complaints about its quality.