Why moonshine is white. How to clean cloudy moonshine at home

It has long been a stereotype that moonshine looks like a cloudy liquid. But in fact, this drink should be transparent, because only in this case its taste will improve, and it will be safer for health. There are several explanations why moonshine is cloudy, and it is in this form that they show it to us from TV screens. Therefore, experienced drink brewers are trying to break the stereotype and introduce delicious alcohol.

Purification of moonshine with coal

The thing is that before the manufacture of moonshine went with the help of primitive devices, as well as a large amount of mash. In the Middle Ages, the nobles were the first to purify moonshine and even competed with the peasants in the quality of the drink and its taste. Well, then in films about workers and peasants they began to show just such a cloudy moonshine, since the cloudiness looks more spectacular and conveys the fullness of the image to the picture. But in reality, moonshine today has nothing to do with this turbidity.

Causes of product cloudiness

There are several reasons why moonshine becomes cloudy. You can get rid of them already at the stage of preparation of the drink or after production. The most common of them:

1) Spray effect. The thing is that when heated, the mash becomes foamy and resembles the boiling of milk. This foam rises and enters the refrigerator through a pipe, where it condenses together with the already purified distillate.

Turbidity appears immediately, but it is not visible at first, since the alembic is opaque. It is also impossible to find out about the moment of hit, and if the moonshine turned cloudy and went out of the apparatus in this form, then the heating must be reduced. The distillation ends here, the structure is disassembled, and the apparatus itself must be cleaned. To eliminate this cause, the following methods are used:

Incomplete filling of the cube with mash. The optimal amount of liquid is 70% of the volume, and 30% remains on the foam.
Selection of the correct temperature, which can be achieved only after several distillations, having experience in the process of brewing moonshine.
Dryer installation.
Washing the apparatus after each distillation.
Purification of mash before distillation, for example, with bentonite.

2) A large amount of fusel oils in the product. Fusel oil, or fusel oils, are substances hazardous to health and can cause intoxication of the body and organ failure. These are fermentation products that are best disposed of during the distillation process. Substances can be removed after separation of the distillate into fractions.

3) Poor assembly of the device or malfunction of individual elements. Possible causes are a metal that is not intended for the distillation of alcohol and enters into an oxidative reaction with it. Moonshine may become cloudy due to low-quality silicone. At the same time, turbidity appears immediately or after a certain period, so it is difficult to guess what exactly is not suitable in the device. To get rid of this turbidity, you should look at possible oxidation processes or immediately buy a quality distillation apparatus.

4) Water hardness and saturated mineral composition. Turbidity occurs in the process of diluting the drink. Sometimes moonshine becomes cloudy a few hours after dilution. The effect appears due to salts, as well as other impurities in the water. This factor is often underestimated by beginners, but it does not exclude the complex action of several causes of clouding at once.

To prevent this from happening, moonshine brewers use purified bottled water, and also follow the sequence of actions. According to the rules, it is alcohol that is poured into water, and not vice versa. The water temperature should not exceed 20 degrees Celsius.

5) Storage in an unsuitable container. The drink is best preserved in glass bottles with metal lids. But alcohol corrodes plastic containers. Such turbidity is dangerous to health and is not eliminated by anything. Only the use of special plastic is allowed, but the material is not available at retail. If the product becomes cloudy in a glass container, it means that it was not washed well or wiped dry.

Beverage Cleaning Techniques

The question of how to clean cloudy moonshine has long been resolved. There are several recipes, they are different in degree of complexity and duration in time. But they are actively used, because the ingredients are inexpensive and affordable. Only distillate that has turned cloudy due to improper distillation or dilution with water can be clarified.

If moonshine has become cloudy due to improper storage in plastic or the use of initially low-quality materials, then nothing can be done. Such a product is not ready for use at all. It is best to get rid of moonshine or put it on technical alcohol.

Cleaning moonshine with milk

Some ways on how:

Use of the second or third distillation. To do this, the drink should be diluted with water up to 18-20% and distilled through the apparatus again with separation into fractions. Then, after distillation, you can dilute the drink to a strength of 40-45%, and also stand for several days before drinking. It is important to water correctly, otherwise all cleaning efforts will be in vain.
Cleaning with coal or other sorbents. You can pass the drink through a carbon filter, a carbon column, or simply pour a bag of sorbent into the liquid and wait until the sorbent settles to the bottom. And then pour pure moonshine into a container for storage. If the drink is cleared gradually, the action can be repeated several times.
The method with heating does not always work, the effectiveness depends on the amount and nature of additives in the drink. Sometimes moonshine is heated to 70 degrees Celsius, and then cooled sharply and waiting for sediment in two to three hours. Such actions can completely spoil the drink, so it is better for beginners not to use the method. And the heated moonshine quickly ignites.

Reverse actions

Sometimes people, on the contrary, want to try a colorful drink, which is why they want to learn how to make cloudy moonshine. At the same time, it is important to know that even cloudy moonshine, if it was made artificially, will not spoil the taste and will be a relatively safe product. The procedure should be performed no earlier than two days before use, since the substances will precipitate and the moonshine will not be evenly cloudy.

As opacifiers, products such as:

Milk serum. The proportion is from 5 to 30 milliliters per liter of drink. Milk should not be added, because upon contact with moonshine, it will begin to coagulate.
Powdered milk in the amount of 3-15 grams per liter of liquid. Stir the resulting mixture.
Vegetable oil from 2 to 6 drops will give a gray tint. After adding the drink must be shaken.

The transparency of moonshine is one of the criteria for the quality of the drink. Therefore, those who make moonshine are more worried about how to make the product clean and usable. It is not difficult even for beginners to carry out such procedures, and the taste of moonshine will only improve from this.

The taste and aroma of moonshine, as well as its safety for health, largely depends on third-party impurities that enter the distillate from raw materials, as a result of the vital activity of yeast or during its distillation. Modern equipment and compliance with the rules of fractional distillation solves almost 100% of the problems associated with these impurities, but often the conditions are far from ideal and the moonshine has to be cleaned of smell, unpleasant tastes and harmful compounds. In this article, we tried to systematize and analyze all the methods of cleaning moonshine at home and draw certain conclusions for each of them.

Almost all components of moonshine, except for water, are harmful to our body and are, in fact, poison. Not all of them are equally dangerous (ethanol, for obvious reasons, we immediately exclude), and some of them endow the drink with the very “bouquet” of tastes and aromas for which we are engaged in distillation (and then we will only talk about it). But these components are dangerous and their quantity must be minimized, which is what this material is dedicated to. So, from what we will clean:

methanol(methyl alcohol) - the simplest monohydric alcohol that has the smell of ethanol. Its boiling point is only 64.7 ° C, that is, logically, it should go headlong with fractional distillation, but in practice everything is much more complicated. Fortunately, the content of matanol in sugar and grain moonshine is insignificant (for example, for sugar - no more than 0.01 mg / l), so it can be immediately ignored. It is not recommended to clean fruit distillates according to the methods described below, since organoleptics (a combination of tastes and aromas) suffer greatly.
Acetaldehyde (acetic aldehyde) - an organic compound, aldehyde of ethanol and acetic acid. Formed during the oxidation of ethanol. Moonshine can contain quite large quantities (up to 400 mg / l and more), which can be very dangerous to health. In small concentrations, it is easily "digested" by the body to harmless acetic acid and gives the distillate a certain, familiar taste.
Fusel oil - a mixture of higher monohydric aliphatic alcohols, ethers and other compounds. When it comes to cleaning moonshine from the smell, in most cases they mean the nauseating smell of fusel oil. The most dangerous component of sivukha is isoamyl alcohol. However, it should be understood that the taste profile of moonshine, especially grain, depends very much on the presence of certain components of fusel oil in it.

Canadian Crystal Head vodka is filtered three times through quartz crystals known as Herkimer diamonds.

I would like to note right away that when discussing cleaning methods, we are primarily talking about partially grain (for example, you can clean it) - it is not recommended to clean fruit and most grain distillates, as this can greatly worsen their organoleptic. Moreover, we are talking exclusively about the distillation of drinks, and not their rectification (haters-rectifiers do not need to read the article). Well, before you start: the most effective and expedient way to obtain a pure distillate with a pleasant organoleptic effect is the second fractional distillation with an accurate cut-off of "heads" and "tails". If you use good equipment and follow all the rules of fractional distillation, then you do not need to clean the moonshine. Strive for this first! But if the equipment or knowledge does not yet allow you to get a good product after the second distillation, then purification will be appropriate. So, how can you clean moonshine from fusel oil and other impurities? Read on!

A good start is half the battle. Properly prepared mash in compliance with the technology will provide a cleaner moonshine with a pleasant organoleptic. This has long been confirmed not only by practice, but also by scientific methods. So, laboratory analyzes show that when using a smaller amount of dry yeast in the wash, raw alcohol (hereinafter SS) is obtained with a significantly lower content of fusel oil, isoamylol, isobutanol and others like it. There is also evidence that when the mash is fermented at a higher temperature (30 ° C), a smaller amount of fusel oil is observed in the SS, but also less esters, from which we can conclude that a higher temperature is preferable for sugar mash, but for fruit mash - vice versa. As for the clarification of mash, a lot is written about this in the recipe for sugar moonshine, and the process itself, I think, is mandatory.

Local output: for the preparation of sugar mash, we use half the amount of yeast and observe a higher temperature regime. This is not a paradigm, but a certain turn in distillation, which should be taken into account and, at a minimum, be tested empirically on a small amount of distillate. Clarification of mash is a prerequisite for obtaining high-quality moonshine.

Methods for cleaning moonshine before the second distillation

After receiving the clarified mash, it should be distilled as quickly as possible, without separating the head and tail fractions, if it is a grain or fruit distillate, or with crushing, if it is sugar moonshine (not a paradigm - a recommendation). Before the obligatory second distillation, it is recommended that the obtained SS be cleaned of fusel oil and other impurities, which should have a positive effect on the finished product. For this, chemical cleaning, coagulant cleaning, physical oil cleaning and carbonization are used. Let's talk about each method in more detail and draw the appropriate conclusions.

Chemical purification of raw alcohol

Chemical purification refers to the treatment of SS with various chemical compounds in order to neutralize some of the impurities present in the distillate after the first distillation. This technology came to us directly from distilleries. The technique is based on the saponification of an alcohol solution with alkali (soda ash or caustic soda), which reacts with acids, neutralizing them, and the subsequent neutralization of the alkaline medium with potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). The result: an insoluble flake residue containing a certain proportion of the "stinky" and "harmful" impurities from the SS.

On practice! The technique was developed on the basis of the information presented in the book "Production of alcoholic beverages", Dorosh A.K., Lysenko V.S. For 1 liter of absolute alcohol in SS, you need to take 4 g of soda ash, 0.4 g of potassium permanganate and 2 g of caustic soda (from the forum: for 10 liters of 40% distillate, you need to take 2 tsp of soda ash, 1 / 3-1 / 2 tsp potassium permanganate, 1-1.5 tsp caustic soda). Cleaning method: soda ash (sodium carbonate, Na 2 CO 3) is dissolved in 200 ml of boiled water and poured with stirring into the SS, potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate, KMnO 4), also dissolved in water, is immediately poured, and after 15-20 minutes - caustic soda dissolved in a glass of water (sodium hydroxide, caustic soda, NaOH). After 15-20 hours of settling, the SS is drained from the formed precipitate and! Be sure to undergo a second fractional distillation).

Chemical cleaning from Western colleagues: for 1 liter of 50% SS, add 1 g of caustic soda dissolved in a glass of water. Wait 2 to 12 hours with occasional stirring. Do a pH test to make sure the medium is very alkaline (8-14pH). If everything is in order, add as much potassium permanganate by weight as sodium hydroxide was added (we will first dissolve potassium permanganate in water). After that, wait 15-20 hours until precipitation occurs. Then remove the SS from the sediment and distill. As an oxidizing agent, potassium permanganate can be replaced with 30% hydrogen peroxide (do not ask for proportions, I did not find an adequate manual).

Local output: chemical cleaning, of course, is an effective means of improving moonshine, and the Dorosh-Lysenko method described above has been tested by hundreds of experienced moonshiners. But recently, especially with the development of the distiller's technical equipment, more and more practitioners refuse it - it is difficult to calculate the required amount of chemicals for a particular SS without preliminary laboratory analysis. There is only one conclusion that can be drawn here: if you are looking for a ready-made recipe for the chemical purification of moonshine, then this cannot exist in nature, and blindly following the instructions is more likely to worsen the quality of the distillate than improve it and, in the end, can harm the health of drinkers.

Coagulant purification of raw alcohol

Speaking in human terms, there is a certain group of substances, coagulants, which, when they enter the solution, “stick together” various compounds, forming larger fractions that can be filtered. In this case, various compounds mean fusel oil, esters, as well as a suspension that could somehow get into the distillate. The principle of cleaning moonshine with coagulants is based on the content of proteins (casein and albumin) in some products, which coagulate in an alcohol solution of a certain strength, along the way “capturing” “stinky” impurities into the sediment, as they have adsorbing properties. Egg white and milk are usually used as such products.

Cleaning moonshine with egg white: for 1 liter of SS, take 1-2 fresh chicken eggs, carefully separate the proteins, beat, add a glass of water, beat again and add to the SS. Wait until the protein coagulates and precipitates, filter, send for distillation. The difficulty of this method lies in the fact that the protein is reluctant to fold in a weak solution of alcohol - for fast folding, the distillate strength should be more than 40%, better than 50%. After the first distillation on a simple apparatus, it usually has a much lower strength. In addition, after the second distillation of protein-purified SS, a hydrogen sulfide smell or a boiled egg smell can be traced in the final product.

For 10 liters of SS, add 1 liter of skimmed (or up to 1.5% fat) milk, wait for the formation of a precipitate (can be accelerated with citric acid or lemon juice), filter, dilute and for the second distillation. The problems are the same as with egg white: the distillate often smells of hydrogen sulfide and can remain cloudy (here you need to practice long and hard in slow distillation in order to prevent burning, etc.).

Local output: cleaning moonshine with egg white and milk before the second distillation is a rather controversial technique that is more likely to worsen the organoleptics than to improve it. Similar purification methods are also used after the second distillation, when you need to soften the distillate, and this is perhaps a more sensible approach, but with its own troubles.

Cleaning raw alcohol with oil

The method is based on the ability of some components of fusel oil to dissolve in other oils, while alcohol diluted to a certain strength does not dissolve in oil. At home, it is recommended to use refined vegetable oil without odors. The method of cleaning with oil is as follows: SS at room temperature is diluted to 15-30% (this is necessary not only to prevent the dissolution of alcohol in the oil, but also for more effective cleaning), poured into a container with filling it by no more than 2/3 of the total volume , add 20 ml of oil per 1 liter of solution and mix vigorously. You need to mix three times for a minute with breaks of one to two minutes. After 12 hours, the main amount of oil should collect on the surface of the vessel (it is better to defend in a cool place) and the SS can be drained, leaving the bulk of the oil film in the container. After that, the SS must be thoroughly filtered through a cotton filter and / or a carbon column, and then distilled a second time with the separation of heads and tails.

Local output: cleaning moonshine with oil is an effective and, perhaps, the most harmless way to improve the quality of SS before the second distillation. The technique itself is mentioned in the work of Dorosh-Lysenko, has some scientific justification, shows a good, stable result and is always recommended as the main method of intermediate cleaning of moonshine.

Purification of raw alcohol with activated carbon

Primitive carbon filter column of flow type

A lot has been said about cleaning moonshine with activated carbon on our website, which describes in detail the “infusion” method of carbonization. To clean the SS, it is better to use carbonization in the "column" way. There are laboratory studies confirming that after cleaning the SS in this way, the concentration of fusel oil in it is significantly reduced. This technique does not need a local conclusion, since it is considered generally recognized and effective at all stages of the preparation of high-quality distillate, including after the second distillation to give the drink a vodka taste. In the near future, material will be prepared on "column" carbonization and the manufacture of an efficient coal column.

Purification of moonshine by the second fractional distillation

It does not need to be introduced, there is, where the process of fractional distillation is described in more than detail, including with “catching easy” - a method for cleaning moonshine from isoamyl alcohol. There is only one local conclusion here: repeated fractional distillation of distillate is the most effective way to clean moonshine at home. But the degree of purification is highly dependent on the equipment available and skills in distillation. In the process of mastering this skill, without having more modern moonshine stills, before the second fractional distillation of sugar moonshine and some grain distillates, an intermediate purification is desirable.

Purification of moonshine after the second distillation

In theory, after fractional distillation, the distillate does not need to be cleaned, but in practice, especially for beginners, moonshine still may not have the most pleasant smell and taste. In such cases, I personally recommend doing another distillation with a more careful separation of moonshine into fractions, but if greed jumped in you, then you can try some ways to further clean the finished product (and still lose in quantity).

Coagulant purification of distillate

The same cleaning methods are used: egg white and milk. Cleaning with egg white is carried out according to the same scheme and gives an acceptable result. Before cleaning, moonshine must be diluted to a drinking fortress, given that during the cleaning process the degree will drop by 2-3%. There are significant disadvantages: moonshine often acquires not the most pleasant egg flavor, and it is very, very difficult to filter the sediment. When cleaning the finished product with milk, which is preferable, you should reduce its amount per liter of moonshine or use powdered milk.

On practice: for 1 liter of moonshine drinking strength (42-45%, you need to take a little stronger, since cleaning with milk steals a couple of degrees) take 10 ml of fresh skimmed or low-fat milk or 0.62 g of milk powder. Powdered milk should be diluted in 10 ml (for every 0.62 g) of warm boiled water and let the flakes swell for 2-3 hours, fresh - diluted with water 1: 1. Pour the solution into the distillate, mix well and leave to stand in a cool place until a precipitate forms and the distillate is completely clarified (from 1 hour to several days, depending on the quality of the milk). If the curdling of milk has not started after 6-7 hours, you can add a little citric acid or lemon juice (lemons on the tip of a knife, repeating until the milk curdles). After complete clarification, drain from the sediment and, if necessary, filter (it is possible through a carbon column).

Local output: as a way of softening and slight cleaning of the finished product takes place, but the result is highly dependent on the quality of the milk. It is not uncommon for moonshine to remain cloudy and no filtering will help here. Also, a distinct milky flavor can be traced in the final product.

Purification of distillate with activated carbon

I will not repeat myself, the principle has not changed. After carbonation, the finished product acquires a vodka taste due to the oxidation of alcohol: ethanol -> acetaldehyde -> acetic acid -> etc. If you don’t like this taste, then carbonization is not appropriate and it is not necessary to carry out it at this stage, especially if the technology is violated, the distillate concentrates acetaldehyde, and this is an unpleasant smell and a terrible hangover in the morning. In subsequent materials, we will study in more detail the methods of cleaning moonshine with coal, but for now, be content with the previously mentioned article with "infusion" charcoal.

Charcoal filter from a Chinese pump and a container for coal, as an effective system for continuous carbonation of moonshine.

Moonshine smell masking

An ineffective technique that many mistakenly confuse with cleaning moonshine. The bottom line is to mask the unpleasant odor in the drink with various products, such as the pulp of rye bread, rice, buckwheat, pearl barley, etc. I personally don't see the point in this. If you are sure that your distillate is safe for health, but the smell did not work out, then make based on it, the recipes of which on our resource are just a huge amount. Why soak the bread crumb when you can make an amazing ""? If the smell of moonshine is simply unbearable, then the technology of its production is clearly violated - such a product is not subject to consumption, only intermediate cleaning and re-distillation.

In the order of delirium - distillate freezing

Many “respectable” resources recommend freezing it out as a way to clean moonshine, saying that water, with the transition to a crystalline form, takes with it fuselage and other abominations, which is why the distillate becomes, well, just virgin purity. Wake up! Alcohol is a solvent and the greater its concentration, the better it dissolves various impurities. During freezing, the concentration of alcohol increases, along with the ability to dissolve. Freezing will help in only one thing - increasing the strength of the distillate, while increasing the concentration of all impurities present in it. By the way, for the curious, in the USA they practice the so-called sublimation distillation, when raw materials, for example, are frozen all winter, thus obtaining a stronger drink (specifically, applejack is obtained from apple raw materials). There is no mention of any cleaning here.

Everyone goes crazy in their own way. Icelandic Reyka vodka is filtered through lava rocks from Icelandic volcanoes.

Global cleanup output

There are many ways to clean moonshine from smell and harmful impurities, but not all of them are equally effective or have a lot of nuances, while others are completely crazy or dangerous to health. Some of them I decided, out of harm's way, not to mention at all. After analyzing all the data, I have long ago deduced for myself the following algorithm for obtaining high-quality moonshine (mainly sugar and in the absence of the ability to conduct a decent level of distillation): proper preparation of mash and its thorough clarification, intermediate cleaning with oil with charcoal, fractional distillation without subsequent manipulations with the finished product (I don't like the taste of vodka). I have no complaints about intermediate chemical cleaning, but without proper knowledge and skills, I do not recommend putting it into practice. The softening of distillate with milk as a technique deserves the right to life, but before its application, a series of experiments will have to be carried out in order to find a suitable raw material for this. I cannot recommend other methods of cleaning the SS and the finished product, since I see them as untenable.

P.S. I do not claim authority. What is described in the material is only my thoughts and conclusions. To trust them or not to trust is a purely personal matter. Comments are welcome, but without swearing and any vulgarity (such as "but my grandfather ...", "and my dad, doctor of science ...", etc., etc.).

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In the head of an uninitiated person, at the word “moonshine”, a bright picture of a cloudy whitish liquid in a huge bottle is immediately drawn. This colorful image was brought to the masses by domestic cinema, and indeed, many decades ago moonshine looked like this. However, that cloudy country drink could not boast of a mild taste, pleasant aroma and the absence of the effect of a severe hangover in the morning. In villages and villages, the methods of distilling mash into alcohol were very primitive and it was carried out using improvised means.

For many years, moonshine in our country was outlawed, and therefore it was not necessary to speak publicly about high-quality, clean, like a tear, distillate. And it existed even in those ancient times, only the noble stratum of society, possessing knowledge and technology, could only afford its production. So in our days, if (we recommend choosing an apparatus with a distillation column of the brand or with a dry steamer of the brand) that meets the latest quality requirements and follows the distillation technology, then the moonshine will not turn out to be cloudy at all, but clean and transparent.

However, in the modern world, it happens that for some reason the moonshine turns out to be cloudy. This may be due to various reasons. Let's consider them all.

1. The first reason, the most common: impurities of fusel oils

“Sivuha” is a whole set of polyhydric alcohols and some other substances (about forty in total), which has a characteristic oily appearance. That is why this “bouquet” is called “fusel oils” in everyday life. This is exactly the reason for that whitish muddy hue that was captured by the cinema. Sivukha boils at a temperature higher than ethyl alcohol, this is the “tails” fraction. Turbidity can also be caused by ethers from the “head” fraction. Most of these substances are poisons for the body, which is why the hangover syndrome is so terrible in the morning. Subject to the distillation technology and accurate separation of fractions, all excess harmful substances are separated from ethyl alcohol, so the distillate is transparent. In case of violation of the technology (incomplete selection of “heads”, too late completion of the selection of the “body” - below 40 degrees of strength in the jet), clouding cannot be avoided. If trouble does occur, purifying the distillate with charcoal, milk, butter, or other similar methods may help.

2. The second reason, and also typical: spray

Splash entrainment is the throwing of drops of boiling mash into the steam pipeline. If the boiling is too intense, the mash begins to foam and “run away” from the distillation cube. The mash particles enter the steam pipeline, and then into the refrigerator, condensing together with the distillate. That is why moonshine turns cloudy during distillation.

However, the problem of spray entrainment is also solved with the help of technology: it is not recommended to fill the distillation cube with mash more than two-thirds of the volume, and the mash itself is drained from the sediment or clarified before distillation. This is mandatory for all types of devices. There is also a protective structure. On classic models, an element called a dry steamer protects against splashing, and in columns, mash particles settle on the walls or nozzle. Therefore, it is important to know that this problem of turbidity of the final drink does not bother you.

3. Reason three: improper storage

The container for storing moonshine must match. First, it must be clean (but this is already a general requirement for food and liquids). And secondly, alcohol tends to react over time with non-specialized plastic for this. Therefore, avoid long-term storage of moonshine in plastic bottles; glass is better for this purpose. But for transportation or temporary packaging, food grade plastic is quite suitable.

4. Reason four: water hardness

When moonshine is diluted with water to the desired strength, it can become cloudy immediately (or after a couple of hours). The reason for this is too hard water. Therefore, it is best to use water with a minimum salt content to bring the drink to the desired strength. There is also a rule for diluting acids and alcohols: pour the substance into water, and not vice versa. Well, the third point - the optimum temperature of water and moonshine at the time of dilution is 7-10 ° C.

5. The fifth and last reason: the quality of the materials of the moonshine

Suppose you have taken into account all the above reasons and you have quite a modern distiller. But anyway: why does moonshine turn cloudy during distillation? Metals and materials that do not meet food industry standards may oxidize and react chemically with alcohol. Particularly low-quality silicone used for gasket rings fails. Rough welds, connecting tubes made of materials of unknown origin - all this affects the quality of the resulting distillate. If you are planning, be sure to consider the purpose of the materials you are going to use. And when using distillers of industrial production, it is necessary to periodically check the materials and design for integrity and safety.

It is best to think ahead of time about how to be firmly confident in its quality.

If clouding has already happened

If moonshine has become cloudy due to poor-quality elements of the apparatus or when stored in the wrong or dirty container, then there is only one way for it - to the sewer. What chemistry it contains is unknown, and it’s better not to check on yourself.

You can only clean moonshine that has become cloudy due to non-compliance with the distillation process. There are two main purification methods: re-distillation and purification with charcoal or a filter. Re-distillation is considered the most effective way, only for this moonshine must be diluted with water to a strength of 18-20 degrees. Cleaning with special coal (brands BAU-A, BAU-LV) or through a factory-made multilayer filter for drinking water can also solve the problem of sorption of excess impurities.

Before taking specific steps, you need to understand why moonshine is cloudy. The main reason for this is suspension - small particles, which, due to their small mass, slowly settle. Such moonshine can be clarified by settling, although it is not known how long it will take - just a couple of days or 2-3 weeks.

It is worse if some extended or reversible chemical and biochemical reaction takes place in the finished moonshine. Then it is useless to defend the finished product - it will remain in such an opaque state for a long time. Most often, a similar result is obtained if the fermentation was sour-milk. You can get rid of turbidity in moonshine by chemical cleaning and subsequent distillation.

Affects dregs in moonshine

the presence of essential and fusel oils;
spray blower;
untreated hard water;
low-quality moonshine;
insufficient cleanliness of containers.

splash

This term describes the situation with a special heating of the mash. The thing is that the boiling point of alcohol is about 78 degrees Celsius and, therefore, in the process of distilling the mash, you must adhere to the normal temperature regime of heating in the region of 79-84 degrees Celsius. However, when this rule is violated, the mash boils. At such a moment, it foams and instantly condenses when it gets into the refrigerator. The result of this process is turbidity.

The situation is especially complicated by the closed design of old moonshine stills, which does not allow visual control of the entire distillation process. As a result, you can only react to the fact of the final stagnation and the appearance of cloudy moonshine. In such a situation, you need to lower the temperature, complete the distillation and thoroughly clean the moonshine still.

How to avoid it?

There are a few tricks to help prevent splashing. Preparing for the transfer, you should not completely fill the cube with mash. Leave free space in the container in case such foam appears.

It is recommended to fill with mash up to 70-75% of the moonshine still.
Control the temperature. The implementation of this item depends entirely on the design features of your moonshine still.
Use a dryer. By doing this, you can solve several problems at once: prevent clouding of moonshine and even better clean it of impurities, as well as carry out aromatization. In this situation, even if splashes occur, they will fall into the container and will not reach the refrigerator.
After distillation is complete, wash the moonshine still.
Before distillation, clarify and clean the cooked mash with bentonite.

Essential/fusel oils

Under this, various harmful substances and their impurities are hidden, which are formed during the fermentation reaction.

Poor quality moonshine

It is rather not about the design of the device, but about the materials from which it is assembled or produced. There are cases when turbidity appears as a result of an oxidation reaction. Moreover, this process takes place both in the distillation cube itself, and in pipes or in a coil.

The unfortunate thing is that cloudiness of the distillate does not necessarily appear immediately after distillation. Sometimes this takes up to several days.

Cleaning cloudy moonshine

There are many ways to purify cloudy distillate. Let's consider three of them:

Re-distillation. Produced as the first distillation of moonshine. But there are a few subtleties that should be remembered: first dilute the moonshine with water. A suitable fortress is 18-22 degrees and be sure to separate the outgoing product into separate fractions. After that, let the finished distillate stand in the room before use, for two days.
Charcoal cleaning. This technique is considered to be extremely effective.
Heating. The method is extremely simple, but a positive result is not always achieved. Pour the cloudy moonshine into a clean saucepan and place it on the stove. Next, heat up to a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius. After - chill. When the desired effect is achieved, a precipitate will form within two hours, which is quickly filtered out.

Muddy moonshine is a relic of the past, the color of the countryside and the working class. But cloudiness is not at all a sign of the quality of the drink, rather the opposite. High quality moonshine is transparent, has no foreign smell and does not burn the oral mucosa. So why does an alcoholic product become cloudy, and how to fix it?

There are several reasons why the distillate loses clarity. They are not always associated with the quality indicators of the drink, but in any case, they may indicate that not everything is in order with home-made alcohol.

The main causes of clouding:

Too violent boiling.
Use of low quality equipment.
Use of hard water.
Non-compliance with production technology.
Non-compliance with hygiene rules.

When the mash is poured into the still and brought to a boil, this process requires control. Splashes from intense boiling can get into the coil, and then spoil the color of the drink. In this case, all the resulting moonshine will have a characteristic milky tint. Re-distillation and purification of the produced alcohol will help to correct the situation.

If this situation repeats several times, then as part of prevention it is recommended to fill the cube by no more than 70%, control the boiling process, and also equip the apparatus with a steamer. If the boil starts too vigorously, the spray will go into the steamer and not into the coil.

If the device is made of low-quality materials, then its use over time will lead to undesirable consequences. The materials will begin to oxidize, and their microscopic particles will get into the distillate and spoil its color and taste. Such moonshine cannot be drunk because it is toxic. Most often, problems arise when using low-quality silicone gaskets.

Needless to say, the quality of water in the production of alcohol plays an important role. Hard water taken to make mash can eventually give an unexpected result. On the pasture, the drink will have a cloudy color, sediment. Correcting the situation is simple: you need to defend the water or use bottled, spring water.

If mistakes were made at various stages during the production of distillate, the liquid loses its transparency. Turbidity testifies to many things, often it appears during the distillation of mash, which has already turned sour. For this reason, you should be more attentive to the quality of raw materials, follow the recipe and not deviate from the specified scheme.

When the distillation is completed, the apparatus must be thoroughly washed using products capable of reducing foaming. Hygienic procedures are necessary, since microscopic particles of mash remain in various parts of the device, and this can significantly worsen the quality of alcoholic beverages during further operation.

Under certain circumstances, turbidity can be eliminated, but much depends on the cause of its appearance. Filtration or purification of distillate will help in solving the problem.

Cleaning methods

There are several techniques that are successfully used by distillers, they improve the color of the drink and remove turbidity and sediment. But their effectiveness is called into question, because it is not always possible to achieve the desired result.

So, how to clean cloudy moonshine from impurities and improve its color?

Use coal. This cleaning helps eliminate all impurities and fusel oils. Preference is given to activated charcoal in tablets or made from coconut shells, it is the most effective.
Apply repeated distillation with separation into fractions. It is believed that if, according to all the rules, the distillation is translated, separating the “heads from the tails”, then the drink will be transparent, like a tear. If, having overtaken the mash for the first time, this effect could not be achieved, it is worth repeating the procedure.
Heating. This is the most inefficient way, because by heating the moonshine to 70 degrees, you can correct its color, but as the temperature drops, the shade will begin to recover. And this means that the use of heating does not differ in high efficiency.

You can quickly clear cloudy moonshine by using a water filter. A jug, a Barrier filter are used, alcohol is poured into it, the procedure is repeated several times. In fact, this is also charcoal cleansing.

How to make moonshine cloudy?

Popular are methods that do not affect the quality of the drink, simply changing its shade, allowing you to achieve the desired color, visual impression of a retro drink.

Proven ways to create haze:

Add a small amount of whey to alcohol. We are talking about whey, not milk. Since the milk will immediately curdle, and the whey will dissolve, giving the drink a specific shade.
Add 2-6 drops of vegetable oil to the drink. The oil is added drop by drop, then shaken until the desired color is obtained. In such quantity, the product will not affect the quality of the drink, will not spoil its taste and aroma.
Dry cream or milk is diluted with water and the resulting mixture is added to moonshine. Add 5-15 gr. cream or milk into a 1 liter distillate. As a result of such manipulations, the drink will become cloudy.
There is another way, it will change the color and aroma of the drink. When re-distilling, it is recommended to add dry mandarin peels to the cube. This method is considered experimental and does not always work.

Dregs in moonshine is not a sign of quality, but a stereotype created in Soviet times. It was believed that a clear distillate is a drink of the bourgeoisie, but a cloudy one is alcohol for the people. But you should not trust stereotypes, you need to pay attention to the quality of the drink, its taste and smell, evaluate the transparency and the presence of sediment. If the moonshine was not tinted, then these characteristics are considered decisive.