Experienced moonshiners agree that the most effective and fastest 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 able to absorb not only small elements of impurities, but also large ones.

So, how to clean moonshine at home so that the filtration takes place with maximum effect. Consider 2 effective ways:

1. Express method. During distillation, a funnel is placed in the container into which the distillate will be collected. One layer of cotton wool is placed in it, small fractions of coal are poured on top, then larger ones and at the end they are covered with 2 cotton pads. Everything needs to be pressed tight. As a result, it will not be necessary to spend additional time on cleaning moonshine from fuselage, since the product is filtered right at the outlet of the moonshine still.
2. Infusion. After distillation, alcohol is poured into a glass jar, crushed coal is placed there. Everything is thoroughly mixed and left in a cool place for 5-14 days. At the end of exposure, the consistency must be filtered through a multilayer gauze.

This is one of the best options on how to quickly clean moonshine before the second distillation. It is preferable to use coal from birch. No less effective will be the component from the water filter. Silver is often present in its composition, which will only improve the quality of filtration.

Use coal in the following proportions: 50 gr. for every liter of alcohol. This calculation is suitable for both the first and second cleaning methods. Therefore, when filtering moonshine through a funnel, cotton wool with filler will periodically need to be changed to a new one.

Vegetable oil

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 flavor will be transferred to the drink.

With this method of cleaning 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:

1. Dilute the moonshine with water to a fortress of 20o. For every liter of alcohol, 20 ml of oil will be required. For example, in 5 liters you need to mix 100 ml of cleaner.
2. Stir the ingredients for 1-2 minutes, then leave for 5 minutes, and shake everything thoroughly again.
3. Put the jar in a dark place with a constant temperature of 6-15 ° C, the lower the indicator, the better.
4. After the infusion is completed, the liquid will become slightly cloudy, and an oily film will form on its surface. It is necessary to drain pure alcohol through a tube. Try to do it in such a way as not to hurt the film.

Milk

Filtration of moonshine with milk is very popular among experienced craftsmen - this is how the “soul” of the drink is preserved and its taste softens. The principle is based on the binding of harmful impurities by the molecules of casein and albumin, which are part of the milk protein. As a result, a flaky sediment appears, due to gravity falling to the bottom. It takes about a week to filter, after which the distillate is removed from the sediment and run again. 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 high-quality alcohol.

It should be borne in mind that milk contains fats, they make the drink cloudy. Therefore, in moonshine there are 2 cleaning recipes. In the first one, non-fat milk is used, and re-distillation is not provided, in the second - the percentage of fat content of the product is not important, since secondary distillation will help to clean the structure.

Method for cleaning moonshine with milk without distillation

The advantages of this moonshine filtration are obvious, the method is absolutely safe, does not need secondary distillation and makes it possible to combine alcohol purification with other methods. But it also has disadvantages, in rare cases, the structure of the liquid may become cloudy.

Cleaning steps:

• prepare a skimmed pasteurized dairy product with the calculation of 150 ml per 10 liters of fortified drink with a strength of 50%;

Instead of pasteurized milk, in this case it is allowed to use dry milk. But first, 3 hours before cleaning the moonshine from fusel oils, it will need to be diluted in warm water.

• mix the dairy product with a fortified drink, tightly close the jar and leave for 5-6 days in a dark place with a temperature regime of 20-25 ° C;
• every day during infusion, the container must be shaken well;

From the very first minutes, a precipitate will begin to form in the liquid in the form of large white flakes. This milk protein enters into a chemical reaction and precipitates harmful impurities.

• at the end of exposure, alcohol is drained from the sediment and filtered several times through a multilayer gauze with a cotton pad.

If, after cleaning at home, moonshine has acquired a cloudy structure, it should be filtered through a charcoal filter.

VIDEO: What is the best way to clean distillate - coal, butter or milk?

How to properly clean the moonshine with subsequent distillation

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:

• 100 ml of a homemade dairy product is mixed into 1 liter of alcohol, but the alcohol is first diluted to obtain a strength of 45-55 °;
• all components are well mixed, tightly closed with a lid;
• the container is placed for 4-6 days in a dark place, while the first 3 days the contents must be shaken for better cleaning;
• Moonshine is drained from the sediment and diluted with water by 20%, after which it is sent for secondary distillation with separation into fractions - heads, body, tails.

These methods can be used to check the quality of store-bought vodka. Sometimes the result is shocking by the amount of sediment.

Egg protein

Purification of moonshine at home using protein from chicken eggs allows you to eliminate 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 cleaning product includes casein and albumin, in fact, due to which all impurities are deposited on the bottom. In terms of absorption, this method of cleaning 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:

• dilute the distillate to a strength of 45-55 °, but at the same time leave 20% free space in the container;
• separate the protein from the yolk, add water to it in a volume of 10% of the amount of alcohol and beat with a mixer until a homogeneous mass is obtained, but until foam forms;
• mix the protein solution with moonshine, cover the container and leave to infuse for 1 week;
• shake the mixture every day, but do not perform these manipulations 1 day before removal from the sediment.

At the end of the exposure time, strain the liquid without sediment through a cotton-gauze stopper 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.

frostbite

This is the easiest way to filter moonshine at home. 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 in this case is guaranteed.

You need to put the jar in the freezer or outside if the weather conditions meet the requirements of 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 “on scrap” method is practiced, although it is more convenient to use a metal corner. It is left for some time on the street so that the metal freezes well, put it in a bowl and slowly drain the distillate over it. When moving, the fuselage freezes, and the raw flows down. The result is fast and efficient.

In order to eliminate extraneous aromas from moonshine as much as possible, it is recommended to add 30 gr. 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 completely usable.

Rye bread

In ancient times, few people were interested in the better to clean moonshine from harmful impurities, since they used a bread cleaning recipe that has been proven for centuries. This method has not lost popularity in our time.

You need to use only fresh bakery products made from rye flour without various impurities. Homemade rye bread is ideal.

There are many yeasts and gluten in this product, 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 gr. bread pulp per 1 liter of moonshine. Prior to purification, the alcoholic beverage should be filtered using one of the previous methods. After that, the bread is cut into slices, they are cleaned of the crust and crumble into small particles.

The crumbs are poured into a container, mixed with distillate, closed with a lid and left for 3 days in a dark place. After completion of the infusion, the consistency will acquire a yellow color, which is eliminated by subsequent filtration.

Place a funnel with a stopper made of cotton pads into a clean jar and strain the alcoholic drink through it. The remaining pulp is disposed of without pressing. Next, the moonshine must be diluted with water and put on distillation with the separation of fractions.

Gluing

Bonding of fusel oils and other impurities is carried out using Karluk glue. Before use, the component is diluted in water until a jelly-like consistency is obtained, after which it is mixed into the moonshine. Adhesive elements bind undesirable components of the drink and are deposited on the bottom of the container.

This method is the most qualitative, it cleans the distillate as much as possible. Its disadvantage is only inaccessibility. The fact is that glue was used, as a rule, in large-scale production activities. Also, the deficit is affected by a sharp decrease in the number of sturgeons, from the swim bladders of which the component is produced.

Salt and soda

A 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 technology are short-term, the process requires no more than 1 day. Minus - inefficiency. The fact is that soda is not able to precipitate all harmful components, therefore, it requires a second distillation.

Cleaning steps:

• dilute the moonshine to get a fortress of 40-50 °;
• Separately dilute 10 gr. drinking soda in 100 ml of pure water;
• mix the ingredients with 1 liter of alcoholic drink, close the lid;
• shake well and leave for half an hour, then stir again;
• put in a dark cool place for 15 hours.

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. Through such a "sandwich" a fortified drink is passed into a container.

With the help of salt and soda, you can partially cleanse the product of harmful impurities, the smell and taste remain unchanged.

Potassium permanganate with soda

There is also the usual way to clean moonshine with potassium permanganate, but it is less effective than the combined one, so consider the second option. Baking soda helps to neutralize acetic acid, while potassium permanganate partially eliminates fusel oils.

The main advantage of such cleaning is the minimum time spent. Minus - the likelihood of a residue of manganese crystals, which adversely affects human health. To eliminate this factor, it is necessary to overtake the composition a second time.

Prepare the components based on the following proportions - for 1 liter of alcohol you need 1.5 g. 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 manganese, cover the jar with a lid and mix well.

Place the container in a dark, cold place for 14 hours. During this time, a thick precipitate forms at the bottom of the jar, a clean liquid is drained from it and placed for re-distillation.

Fruit

A less effective cleaning method that partially removes harmful components from an alcoholic beverage, but at the same time gives it a pleasant aroma and aftertaste. This is where a secondary forcing is required.

For 3 liters of an 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 this, the jar is left to infuse for 2-3 days until the fibers begin to separate from the carrot and apple.

Making alcohol cloudy

Some tasters like moonshine of a cloudy milky color, as they are 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 aromatic qualities.

Some people like the authentic color of moonshine - it can be made cloudy on purpose

1. Whey from milk. For 1 liter of moonshine, from 10 to 25 ml of serum will be required, depending on the required color saturation.
2. Powdered milk. Use the ingredient in proportions of 5-15 gr. for every liter of fortified drink.
3. Vegetable oil. To obtain a white consistency, 3-5 drops of refined sunflower or olive oil are enough. After adding the component, the liquid must be thoroughly mixed.

VIDEO: Moonshiner's little tricks

In our society, there are many stereotypes regarding home-made moonshine that have nothing to do with real life. And often the origins of this phenomenon can be found even in culture and art. A vivid example is the cloudy moonshine of a milky whitish hue. Until now, many people believe that real homemade moonshine should look like this.

Remember, high-quality moonshine, made according to all the rules of distillation, is always transparent. Even a slight turbidity indicates a violation of the correct distillation technology.

Causes of cloudiness

There are several factors that can make moonshine cloudy. Each specific case is individual. Cloudiness of the distillate can be caused by one or a combination of the following reasons:

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

Let's look at each of these factors in more detail.

splash

This term describes the situation with excessive heating of the mash. The fact is that the boiling point of ethyl alcohol is 78.39 degrees Celsius. Based on this, in the process of distilling mash into moonshine, we need to adhere to the correct temperature regime for heating 79-84 degrees Celsius.

However, if this rule is violated, the mash will boil. At this point, it foams and enters the refrigerator, where it instantly condenses. The result of this process is the appearance of turbidity.

The situation is complicated by the closed design of distillation stills (moonshine stills), which does not allow us to visually control the distillation process. As a result, we can only react to the fact of the appearance of cloudy moonshine. In such a situation, we first need to lower the temperature, complete the distillation, disassemble and thoroughly clean the moonshine still.

In addition, there are several tricks that help prevent splashing.

1. When preparing for distillation, you should not completely fill the cube with mash. It is necessary to leave free space in case of formation of such foam. I recommend filling 70-75% of the moonshine with mash.

2. Control the temperature. The implementation of this item depends entirely on the design features of a particular moonshine still.

3. Use a steamer. Thus, you can solve several problems at once. To prevent clouding of moonshine, it is better to clean it of harmful impurities, to carry out aromatization. In such a situation, even if splashes occur, they will fall into the container of the steamer and will not reach the refrigerator.

4. After completing each distillation, wash the moonshine still.

5. Before the first distillation, clarify and clean the prepared mash with white clay (bentonite).

Essential and fusel oils

This designation hides a variety of harmful substances and impurities that are formed during the fermentation reaction. It makes no sense to talk about each such substance separately. First, because there are almost five dozen of them. Secondly, if you distill the moonshine correctly with the division of the output into fractions, then it will never become cloudy.

There is nothing secret in this process and it is well known to most distillers. For beginners, I explain that we need to divide the entire output into 3 fractions "head", "body" and "tail".

"Heads" are the first 10-12 percent of the output. It will be a liquid with a sharp characteristic unpleasant odor. After selection, it is simply poured. "Tails" begins to flow after the fortress in the jet has fallen below 40 degrees.

Poor quality moonshine

Here we are not even talking about the design, but about the materials from which it is assembled or made. There are cases when turbidity in moonshine appears as a result of an oxidation reaction. Moreover, this process can take place both in the distillation cube itself, and in tubes or a coil.

Unpleasant is the fact that the cloudiness of the distillate caused by this cause does not necessarily manifest itself immediately after distillation. Sometimes this takes up to several days.

The fight against this phenomenon is primarily carried out at the stage of choosing and buying a moonshine still. Remember that over-saving can eventually backfire on you.

hard water

Before putting the mash, you should properly prepare the water. This common truth is known to every practicing moonshiner. If we do not follow this, then we can get muddy moonshine at the exit.

The insufficient quality of the used water is expressed not only in hardness, but also in the presence of foreign impurities.

If you do not want to face a similar problem, then take care to collect clean spring water. For more guarantee, you can let it settle for 1-2 days.

In addition, moonshine may become cloudy at the stage of its breeding. To prevent this from happening, remember 2 simple rules. Firstly, when diluting, it is necessary to pour moonshine into water. Secondly, it is important that the temperature of both liquids is 7-11 degrees Celsius.

Insufficient cleanliness of used containers

In this case, I mean absolutely all the containers that were involved in the process of preparing and storing moonshine. Their purity is the key to obtaining high-quality distillate. These include a fermentation tank, a distillation cube, dishes for collecting moonshine and storage containers.

Often, moonshine is stored in the usual plastic bottles. You absolutely should not do this. In such a situation, cloudy distillate is the lesser of the possible evils. Such containers may release harmful substances that can cause serious poisoning.

Store moonshine in glass jars or bottles. Just do not forget to monitor their sterility.

Cleaning cloudy moonshine

There are several ways to purify cloudy distillate. I have listed them in descending order of effectiveness.

1. Re-distillation. Produced in exactly the same way as the first distillation of moonshine. However, there are a few subtleties to keep in mind.

Pre-dilute the cloudy moonshine with water. A suitable fortress is 18-22 degrees.

Be sure to separate the outgoing product into fractions.

Allow the resulting distillate to settle before use in the pantry for 2 days.

3. Heating. The method is extremely simple, but a positive result is not always achieved. Pour cloudy moonshine into a saucepan, put it on the stove and heat to a temperature of 70-71 degrees Celsius. Cool down afterwards. When the desired effect is achieved, a precipitate forms within 1-2 hours, which is easily filtered out.

How to make moonshine cloudy

There is such a category of lovers of homemade strong alcohol who prefer to drink cloudy moonshine. If you are one of them, then you can use one of the methods that will ensure the cloudiness of the drink, but at the same time will not harm its quality.

1. You can use whey. In this matter, moderation and correct proportions are important. So, for half a liter of cloudy moonshine, you need to add 5-15 ml of serum.

2. Powdered milk can be used. For half a liter of cloudy distillate, it is enough to add 2-7 grams of the product. Do not forget how to stir and let it brew.

3. You can use vegetable oil. On the same standard government-owned bottle, add 1-3 drops. Shaking will complete the clouding process.

It is difficult to understand why cloudy. Most often, the cause is too intense heating, due to which foam and condensate instantly appear in a closed cube. If the problem lies in low-quality raw materials or in the wrong production technology, you can try to clean the drink.

Why moonshine becomes cloudy when diluted with water

Most often, the answer to the question of why moonshine becomes cloudy when diluted with water implies the poor quality of the liquid. Less often, the cause is an error during distillation or the use of budget equipment, however, in such cases, the product does not initially have transparency.

For dilution, spring or distilled water should be used. Such products have a rather mild taste and do not contain impurities that can enter into undesirable chemical reactions with fusel oils and other compounds. Filtered water is allowed. It is allowed to purify the liquid with the help of freezing, shungite and other methods.

It is not recommended to use tap or boiled water. After processing, a precipitate forms in the liquid, impurities appear that enter the product from the surface of the dishes. Tap water is too hard and contains salts. It is advisable to abandon the use of purified store liquid. Most often, old filters are used for processing, from which impurities enter the water.

Do not use water that has been in a plastic container for a long time. The containers have their own expiration date, after which decomposition products begin to enter the liquid. The process is accelerated if the surface is in contact with the sun's rays. The best option for storing water is glass containers.

In order not to get cloudy moonshine, you should pour distillate into water, and not vice versa. The liquid must be actively stirred. Then it will be homogeneous. Thorough mixing prevents unwanted chemical reactions from occurring. It is desirable to cool the components (+7…+10°С) in order to slow down the adhesion of molecules.

How to clean cloudy moonshine at home

Whether transparent depends on the cause of the change in hue. If the drink has become cloudy due to long-term storage in plastic containers or due to poor-quality equipment materials, it will not be possible to clean the product. You can make moonshine transparent only if a mistake was made during distillation. Sometimes it turns out to clean the product from low-quality raw materials.

Traditionally, the following methods are used for cleaning:

1. Re-distillation. You can repeat the procedure 1-2 times. First, the drink is diluted with water to 18-20% concentration of moonshine. Subsequently, the product is re-distilled. It is important to divide moonshine into fractions. It is necessary to cut off the first and last portions, because liquids with the lowest and highest boiling points contain harmful impurities. They make the drink opaque. After distillation, the product is again diluted with water and infused for 2-3 days in a cool place to complete chemical reactions and soften the taste.
2. Filter. This is the most effective method that helps to get rid of impurities if low-quality water was used for dilution. The device should only be used to purify moonshine. This will prevent other impurities from entering the liquid. The product is processed 2-3 times to obtain transparency.
3. Coal. There are 2 cleaning methods - filtration and immersion. The first method involves assembling a structure made of cotton wool or dense natural fabric, coal and a container for liquid. Muddy moonshine is filtered 5-7 times or until transparent. It is advisable to change the coal every time. Immersion helps with severe pollution, but with prolonged infusion, aldehydes enter the liquid. Coal is crushed and placed in the product, after which it is left for up to 2 weeks and filtered. In some cases, dust from moonshine must be removed using a filter.

When filtering by the latest methods, 50 g of coal are taken per 1 liter of liquid. It is important to choose the right materials for cleaning. It is not recommended to use a pharmacy activated product, because it gives the drink a bitter aftertaste. The best option is a special coal used by winemakers. Sometimes a product of filters, gas masks, protective tubes, etc. is used, but it is important to ensure that there is no contamination or foreign impurities.

In extreme cases, moonshine can be cleaned with heat. The method is not recommended for beginners, because there is a risk of ignition. In addition, after heat treatment, the product may deteriorate. Moonshine is heated to + 70 ° C, then quickly cooled. This allows you to get rid of harmful impurities and convert salts. After a few hours, a precipitate forms, which can be removed with filters. It is allowed to drain the liquid.

How to make cloudy moonshine

How to make cloudy moonshine - add to the additive. The product is opaque if the first and last servings are left out, however, in such cases, the drink loses its mild taste and causes side effects. To prevent deterioration in quality, you can add the following ingredients:

1. Powdered milk or cream. Take 10-15 g per 1 liter of the final product. It is advisable to preheat the drink slightly to facilitate mixing of the components. Cream and milk powder, if the proportions are observed, do not change the taste, but give a classic shade.
2. Milk serum. Gives a slight opacity. 30 ml of whey is added to 1 liter of drink. It is not recommended to replace the product with kefir or milk. This can lead to intoxication after drinking the drink. Additionally, when milk is added, there is a risk of a chemical reaction and flaking.
3. Vegetable oil. Add 5-6 drops per 1 liter of drink. To obtain opacity, the liquid must be mixed thoroughly and quickly. It is recommended to seal the container tightly and shake it for 3-5 minutes. At the end, it is desirable to stir the product with a wooden spoon.

To give a characteristic shade, the drink is infused with nuts and herbs. This affects the taste. When insisting, it is recommended to change the raw materials every 2-3 days. When using additives, it is advisable to dilute the moonshine 1-2 days before use in order to avoid premature precipitation.

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 the 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.

11 comments

Why is moonshine cloudy? The main causes and methods of dealing with them

Hi all!

Today I received a letter from a reader with a question - “why is moonshine cloudy after diluting with water”? And similar questions arise very often. I decided to write a separate post on this topic, so as not to explain the same thing over and over again in correspondence, but simply to give a link.

And so, today's article is devoted to the main causes of clouding of moonshine and methods of dealing with them.

Why moonshine becomes cloudy during distillation

It often happens that at first there is a clear distillate, and then suddenly white moonshine begins to drive. The reason for this is spray. This is when the mash begins to foam and its splashes fall into the refrigerator, and then into the receiving container.

Causes and methods for their elimination

1. The alembic is filled to the top. The container must be filled no more than ¾ of the volume.
2. Heating temperature too high. Braga boils and splashes. At the first sign of splashing, the heat input must be reduced. It is also necessary to ensure that there are no narrowings in the steam line or its kinks.
3. Braga foams a lot. Perhaps she did not do good, or there is a lot of carbon dioxide in her. To avoid this, it is necessary to subject the mash to degassing, clarify it and drain it from the sediment. For degassing, the mash must be thoroughly mixed, and it is better to heat it to 50 degrees. You can lighten it up with .

A good protection against splashing is to install

Why moonshine becomes cloudy when diluted with water

It often happens that when moonshine is diluted with water, it becomes cloudy and even a precipitate appears. There are two reasons for this:

Why is moonshine cloudy in films

Moonshine is a folk drink. And before, ordinary people knew nothing about “heads” and “tails”, about fusel oils and fractional distillation. And the equipment was primitive. So they drove everything from beginning to end, without any divisions.

Consequently, the final product contained a lot of all sorts of rubbish, which made it cloudy and smelled awful. Such a drink was shown in the cinema, and in modern films they simply support the prevailing stereotype.

How to clean cloudy moonshine

The surest way is to overtake him again. With cutting off heads and tails, if this was not done during the previous distillation. You can also pass through a charcoal filter, sometimes this helps.

Well, to prevent this from happening again, follow the recommendations from this article. I also advise you to study the “Theory and Practice” section of my blog. You will surely find something useful for yourself.

I wish you success in our hobby. Do not forget to share them in the comments, and also subscribe to updates.

Until then, Pavel Dorofeev.