There is a white residue at the bottom of a bottle of vodka. How to clean cloudy moonshine

Possible causes of turbidity and precipitation of cognac components

Sediment in cognac appeared due to the excessive content of certain minerals, can both cause a general turbidity of alcohol, and a non-dissolving sediment at the bottom. This thick at the bottom of containers with noble drink may appear as a result of deviations in production - a little later we will consider possible options the appearance of these mineral deposits.

Ingress of foreign substances into cognac during production

The mass launch of such technologically complex drinks as cognac or brandy into mass production can cause certain difficulties. Sometimes, when planning production systems ( stills, storage tanks) or developing common technology production (drink ingredients, temperature conditions), an error may occur. An error that is not critical in terms of exit finished products, but a little later, over time, clearly manifested.

In our case, it manifests itself in the form of sediment at the bottom of the bottle of our favorite drink. In most cases, this error does not globally affect the taste and aroma of brandy, however, it is an “alarm bell” informing us of a possible deterioration in the quality of production at the factory, and making us think about buying quality alcohol from other suppliers. The most common reason for the presence of thick (crystals lying at the bottom) that does not dissolve when the bottle is shaken is the presence of excess iron, copper or calcium in the drink.

Precipitation caused by the presence of iron in excess

Often the presence of iron in cognac can be determined by the changed color of the drink. With an excess of iron, and a slightly changed level of acidity of the drink, the color of the brandy changes towards a darker palette of colors, sometimes even with a slightly greenish tint.

The iron in brandy is most likely the result of a violation of the technological norms associated with the material from which the distillation equipment is made - pipes for transportation inside factories and tanks for storage. IN Lately this defect is becoming less and less common, both in foreign and domestic brandies.

In domestic cognacs, this happened thanks to Rosstandart, which introduced the standard in 2014 - "Cognac. Are common specifications» , which regulates the permitted steel grades from which tanks with oak staves for cognac products should be made. This standard came into force in 2015, from which it can be concluded that previously produced alcoholic beverages may contain iron in excess of the prescribed amount.

Precipitation caused by excessive presence of copper

In the production of noble alcohol with French roots, using copper stills and when it is stored in copper containers, in finished product there may be an excess of copper, which also, only over time, already in the warehouses of finished products or store shelves, falls to the bottom of the bottles. The copper precipitate is concentrated on the bottom in the form of thick, which has a reddish or brownish color.

In our conditions, an excess of copper is the rarest case, since equipment and tanks made of copper are expensive and do not have global advantages in comparison with the use of other materials, therefore, they are not used in the design of new production facilities. On the contrary, copper may be present in the equipment of old production facilities located in countries with old traditions of distillation, but not meticulously observing manufacturing technology. elite alcohol, for example in Moldova, or Bulgaria.

Precipitation caused by excess calcium

This type of precipitation, caused by excess calcium in the product, was present for some time even in eminent cognacs. French production until, after numerous studies in the laboratories of the city of Cognac in France, a result was not obtained that revealed the cause this phenomenon. It turned out that calcium got into cognac after filtration through paper filters, the so-called filter cardboard.

The presence of calcium in cognac is quite normal, since calcium is also contained in oak barrels, where grape spirit is infused, however, an excess of calcium leads to precipitation. Studies that found that paper filters made from natural fibers contained too much calcium led to strict standardization in the production of filters.

Production facilities producing filters for cognac came under severe pressure in France laboratory control, and under the threat of losing the license and, accordingly, a small but constant clientele, they reduced the calcium content in the manufactured products to the required level. Also, regulations have been introduced for regular filter replacement, depending on the service life, the amount of alcohol filtered, and the composition (related to aging).

Unfortunately, we do not have such institutions, as well as the requirements for filters, therefore, each manufacturer proceeds from its own considerations of economy or quality. The cause of an excess of calcium can also be the water used for washing dishes and containers - a similar case was identified in Germany. The thick layer caused by the presence of this mineral does not appear until a year after storage, and may look like small white crystals at the bottom of the bottle.

To drink or not to drink cognac with sediment at the bottom

If the turbidity of cognac and the crystallization of minerals at the bottom of the bottle occurred as a result of the above production errors, then, undoubtedly, the use alcoholic drink will not cause serious harm to your health. Therefore, if you are sure that the cognac you purchased was produced at the factory, you can safely use it.

However, do not forget about counterfeit cognacs, in which turbidity and sediment can be caused by completely different substances and production technologies, and which can lead to serious health problems, and even death. Whether it is worth buying cognac with sediment at the bottom, or deciding for yourself that a company that is unable to withstand the production technology is not worthy of your consumer attention, it is up to you to decide how and whether it is worth risking your life by consuming counterfeit products.

Attention, only TODAY!

In order to avoid buying counterfeit vodka and financing the underground alcoholic beverage industry, you need to know the main signs of quality vodka.

It's no secret that on store shelves, especially next to bottles real vodka, manufactured in an industrial way and in compliance with all necessary technological processes and sanitary standards, there are batteries of a “palenki” that are practically no different from the original.

Quick external inspection

Try twisting the cap at its base. If it does not sit tightly on the neck and turns from a slight application of force, the cork was put on the bottle somewhere in the basement or in the garage.

Switch your attention to the label. A crookedly pasted, dull, without holographic security signs, with a dim or erased pattern, the label will directly indicate that it is better to return such vodka from harm's way back to the seller.

Agitation

Turn the bottle upside down and shake well with a spiral motion of the hand. For quality alcoholic product inside the bottle, a small “mini-tornado” is formed, consisting of very small air bubbles.

In a bottle of vodka prepared big amount water, the bubbles will be large and placed in a chaotic manner, without the formation of any geometric shapes.

If, however, it happened that after shaking, a sediment rose from the bottom of the bottle and the liquid in the bottle became cloudy, you can be sure that this is a fake.

Search for fusel oils

A purchased bottle of vodka at home can be subjected to more serious authenticity tests.

Mix in equal proportions Not a large number of vodka and sulfuric acid. A darkened or even blackened liquid will indicate an increased content of fusel oils in the tested vodka, which will be evidence of a gross violation technological process during its production or a direct indication that vodka is “scorched”.

From such vodka in the morning your head will hurt incredibly, and it will “thank you” with a lack of appetite, nausea or even vomiting.

Rub the vodka between your palms. If vodka contains significant amounts of fusel oils, you will definitely catch the characteristic nauseating smell of fuselage.

Burn test

Pouring the vodka to be tested in a thin layer into a metal cork or lid, set it on fire.

Normal quality product will burn with an even, stable blue flame, and not blaze with crackling, spreading a fusel stench around.

Methanol or ethanol?

Vodka prepared by diluting technical methyl alcohol, extremely poisonous and life threatening. Methanol intoxicates in the same way as regular ethanol, but after tasting technical alcohol, you can lose your health, vision, and even life.

Smell the freshly opened bottle of vodka, lean over the neck and take a sharp breath. If a sharp blow hit the nose bad smell, reminiscent of the "flavor" of a solvent or acetone - vodka is made from methyl alcohol.

To finally make sure of this, lower a piece of red-hot wire into vodka. The sharp and unpleasant smell of formalin that has appeared will dispel all doubts, vodka in a bottle is fake and life-threatening.

Acid testing

Determining the presence of acids that are added to vodka to give it a pseudo-strength is quite simple. The litmus strip in such a poisonous drink will turn red.

Since litmus is not always at hand, it can be successfully replaced onion peel- when acids are detected, it will turn red no worse than litmus paper. The petals of the cornflower plant have exactly the same ability to recognize acids.

Freezing

Cool the vodka to a temperature of approximately -20 0 C. Good quality drink it will remain in the liquid state.

In a garage fake, ice crystals are sure to form, and a low-strength fake will freeze completely.

Avoid drinking fake low-quality vodka - take care of your health!

Honey-amber cognac, clear as a mountain stream, is found mainly in films, and only because tea is actually poured into glasses in the frame. IN real life the drink may become cloudy or change color, let's say even a slight sediment in cognac. Let's figure out what this means and how safe this brandy is.

Even the highest quality French cognac can contain a little sediment, and this will not affect the price. However we are talking only about a licensed drink in a factory container, with all seals and excises.

Causes of sediment in a bottle of cognac

1. Microparticles of a barrel or cork. They are formed from improper (sometimes just long, over 10-15 years) storage, do not significantly affect the taste and organoleptic properties of the drink. They appear in the form of small, almost transparent particles that are clearly visible if you bring the bottle to a light source.

2. Increased content in a drink of some minerals. Substances can be found in water or appear in cognac directly during the production process after contact with distillation equipment and filters.

Iron

Brandy with this admixture has a darker color and hyperacidity. Iron enters the product through contact with pipes or metal staves of storage barrels.

Copper

It precipitates as a reddish-brown precipitate, gets into cognac on contact with copper alambiks. We can say that this is even a sign of real French cognac, made according to traditional technology.

Calcium

Drops out as white crystals, appears after prolonged contact with oak barrels and paper filters.

It is important to understand that all three elements are in any case contained in cognac, sediment appears only when they are overabundant.

3. Fake. Chemical additives, which imitate the taste, aroma or color of cognac, after a while, curl up and turn into abundant flakes that settle at the bottom. main feature fakes - a very large amount of sediment, often black or brown.

A clear fake

Precipitation in home-made cognac can appear from anything - from the use of low-quality raw materials to gross violations of technology.

Is it possible to drink cognac with sediment

Factory - yes. Just do not shake the liquid so that the flakes do not mix with the noble brandy, and pour the cognac carefully.

Most modern cognacs go through a filtration stage during production. If this stage could be excluded from the technology, impurities would be contained in 100% grape brandy. Before bottling, alcohol is treated with cold, as a result, a finely dispersed suspension precipitates, which is then removed, so that a “clean” drink arrives on the counter.

However, as we can see, sediment is a completely natural element of any cognac, indicating rather its naturalness than low quality. Many manufacturers get rid of sediment solely for aesthetic reasons, so as not to embarrass buyers.

Keep in mind! If stored real cognac in the refrigerator, the risk of sediment formation increases!

Thanks to domestic films, a stereotype has developed that real moonshine must be necessarily cloudy, and even better - milky white color. This is exactly what the rural vodka had about two hundred years ago, it was a terrible swill with a nasty smell.

The peasants made moonshine on primitive handicraft devices, taking the maximum product from the mash, hence the low quality. The nobles, on the contrary, constantly improved the technology and equipment of their distilleries, trying to get a crystal clear distillate of the highest possible strength. There were even competitions between estates and distillers.

After the revolution directors Soviet films they considered it right to show on the screen worker-peasant white moonshine of proletarian origin, and not crystal clear "bourgeois" distillate. This tradition has been preserved by Russian filmmakers. Perhaps the reason is that cloudy moonshine looks more spectacular, and the viewer is immediately clear what is in the bottle on the table. In any case, it's time to break this stereotype.

The film "Moonshiners" (1961). Promotion of "white" moonshine in full swing
In the "Village of Fools" moonshine is also always cloudy.

In fact good moonshine must be transparent. The appearance of turbidity indicates wrong technology distillation or other problems.

Why is moonshine cloudy

1. Spray blower. The most common reason. When heated too much, boiling mash foams almost like milk. Hot foam through the tube enters the refrigerator (coil) and condenses along with the distillate. Mud appears immediately.

The alembic is closed and opaque, so it is impossible to know if the mash is foaming at a particular point in time. If cloudy moonshine comes out of the apparatus, you need to reduce the heat, finish the distillation (clean the distillate later), disassemble and clean the entire structure.

Prevention measures:

• fill the cube with mash to a maximum of 70% of the volume, leaving room for foam (mandatory);
• monitor the intensity of heating (depending on the device), the correct temperature regime selected experimentally after several distillations;
• install a steamer (when foaming, the splashes will fall into the jar, and not into the coil);
• thoroughly wash the entire apparatus after each distillation;
• before distillation, drain the mash from the sediment and clean, for example, with bentonite, so that there are fewer impurities that can cause foam.

2. The presence of fusel (essential) oils. Fusel and essential oils are toxic substances (more than 40 types), which are a by-product of fermentation. These substances have a higher or low temperature boiling point than ethyl alcohol, so most (but not all) can be removed from the distillate by fractional distillation(with division into fractions).

Prevention: so that the moonshine does not become cloudy, you need to cut off the head upper fraction and finish the distillation on time. Cleaning between distillations, for example with charcoal, also reduces the risk of haze.

Usually the turbidity begins after the drop of the fortress in the jet below 40 degrees.

3. Poor moonshine materials. Sometimes the cloudiness of moonshine is caused by the oxidation of the material from which the body of the apparatus, the coil, connecting tubes or other structural elements are made. It has been noticed that many problems arise due to low-quality silicone. Turbidity may appear immediately or after some time.

Prevention: make (buy) devices only from high-quality materials. Periodically check the elements for oxidation and other defects.

4. Hard water. In this case, moonshine becomes cloudy immediately or a couple of hours after dilution with water. The white color appears due to salts and other impurities contained in the water. The influence of water on the quality of moonshine is very significant and often underestimated by beginners.

Also, do not discount the high concentration of fusel and essential oils in poorly cleaned moonshine (second point).

Prevention: to dilute moonshine without clouding, you need to use only well-purified or bottled water with minimum content salts. In this case, it is desirable to pour distillate into water, and not vice versa. The recommended temperature of both liquids before mixing is 7-10°C.

5. Unsuitable or poorly washed containers. If stored strong alcohol V plastic bottles, after some time, the alcohol will react with the plastic, then the drink will become cloudy. This will release other toxic substances. There is a special plastic for alcohol, but this material is rare in the home. If moonshine becomes cloudy when stored in glass jars, the bottles or jars may not have been washed well.

Prevention: store moonshine only in glass, well-washed and wiped dry containers.

How to clean cloudy moonshine

Only distillate that has become cloudy due to improper distillation technology or dilution with hard water can be purified. If the cause of the turbidity lies in the poor-quality materials of the apparatus or storage in plastic containers, such moonshine is dangerous to health and cannot be filtered, it is better to immediately pour out the drink or use it for technical needs.

Cleaning methods:

1. The second distillation is the most effective method. It is necessary to dilute the cloudy moonshine with water up to 18-20%, then overtake again with separation into fractions. Then dilute with high-quality water to the desired strength (40-45%) and keep for 2-3 days in a dark, cool room before use until the reaction is completed and the taste stabilizes.

2. Coal cleaning. Helps in most cases. It is enough to pass cloudy moonshine through a coal column (purchased or home-made) with special coal - BAU-A or BAU-LV brands.

Another method is a filter for water purification of the "Barrier" type, after two or three times the moonshine will become transparent.

3. Heating. It does not always work, the effectiveness depends on the nature of the impurities. The method is used only in extreme cases. Moonshine is heated to 70 ° C, then cooled sharply. After a couple of hours, a precipitate should fall out.

Attention! Heated moonshine ignites quickly.

How to make moonshine cloudy

Lovers of rural color love to drink milk-colored moonshine. I present to your attention the methods that make the drink white, but do not degrade the quality. It is better to paint over the distillate 1-2 days before use, because over time the moonshine exfoliates, and sediment appears at the bottom.

1. Whey. Depending on the desired whiteness, it is enough to pour 5-30 ml of whey into 1 liter of moonshine.

Attention! Serum can be added regular milk, which often coagulates after reaction with alcohol.

Serum makes moonshine cloudy without loss of quality

2. Powdered milk. To obtain a white color, it is enough to add 3-15 grams of powdered milk per 1 liter of distillate and mix.

3. Vegetable oil. 2-6 drops vegetable oil they won’t spoil the taste of moonshine, but they will make it gray. After adding the oil, the moonshine must be shaken well.