Production homemade alcohol, without compliance with technology, can lead to extremely Negative consequences. The fact is that the composition of the feedstock contains a large number of harmful compounds.
In the language of moonshiners, they are called " heads" (initial fraction) and " tails» (final fraction). The article will discuss how to separate heads and tails in moonshine, why it should be done and how to calculate right amount selection.
In order to understand why split into fractions, you need to understand the composition of these compounds.
moonshine heads
This part starts to stand out on initial stage distillation. Has a sharp bad smell. It is the most harmful, it contains ether and aldehyde compounds that are not intended for ingestion.
However, not so long ago, moonshine obtained on initial stage, much appreciated. This was due to its intoxicating properties. Of course, the consequences of using "" can be extremely negative. Ordinary alcohol poisoning in this case would be considered a good outcome.
Someone may object, saying that in the villages, men drink such moonshine all their lives and nothing. But just one look at such a person is enough to understand that his health is not all right.
body selection
main faction, the purpose of the whole process of moonshine(read:). Consists mainly of ethyl alcohol. Contains minimal amount harmful impurities. Virtually no odors. It is worth stopping the selection of the body when the degree drops in the jet below 40 rpm, or when a characteristic fusel odor appears. This will mean that tail fractions have begun to stand out.
Worth noticing! Distillation cannot remove all fusel compounds.
In any case, some of them will fall into the composition. You can exclude this with rectification. But here another problem arises - along with harmful compounds, the elements that give alcohol its taste and aromatic features are also removed.
What are tails in moonshine?
Ultimate faction, its stronghold can reach 40º. Contains a large amount fusel oils. Like the heads, this part extremely harmful to consume. But unlike the initial faction, which is better to just pour, tails are recyclable. They can be added at subsequent times, thereby increasing the yield of alcohol.
Important! Do not collect tail fractions and distill them separately. Nothing good will come of it. Better in small quantities add them at the next distillation directly to the mash.
How to calculate heads?
The number of head fractions to be sampled can be determined in several ways.
By amount of sugar
It is recommended to select 60-100 ml of heads from each kilogram of sugar used in the manufacture. This number was revealed as a result of numerous experiments.
It is advisable to take half (30-50 ml) during the first distillation and half during the second. This method is quite simple, but at the same time effective.
For absolute alcohol
If the amount of sugar in the composition of the mash is unknown, then this method is used. The head fraction is selected according to the amount of absolute (pure) alcohol after the first distillation. During the first haul, crushing into heads and tails is not performed. The selection is based on 10-15% heads per liter of pure alcohol.
For example: after the first distillation, 1 liter of moonshine with a strength of 50º was obtained. This means that the amount of absolute (pure) alcohol is 500 ml. 15% of 500 ml is 75 ml. It turns out that during distillation it is necessary to select 75 ml heads.
By smell
Experienced distillers may not resort to the above methods. Although this way rather inaccurate and it is better to combine it with others. When the first drops of distillate appear, one feels characteristic smell of fusel impurities.
It can be more clearly felt by rubbing a few drops of the released alcohol in the palms of your hands. Until the smell is completely gone, do not start the selection of the main part.
By the specific smell can also be determined appearance of tail fractions after the selection of the body.
How to select heads?
Alembic with ready-made mash is placed on the heating element and quickly brought to a temperature of 60-65º. The cooling system turns on (you need to open the water). You should first prepare a separate container for the selection of heads. When the first drops appear, reduce the heat to a minimum.
Coming slowly selected initial fraction, the approximate amount of which can be calculated using one of the methods described above.
After the unpleasant smell is completely gone, and the boiling point reaches 78º, you need to start the selection of the body.
On many forums and sites for moonshine, manufacturers advise using head fraction for technical or domestic purposes.
For example, for wiping windows or for lighting fires. There is also an opinion that it is better to get rid of this liquid immediately. Use it or not, everyone decides for himself. Main by mistake do not use it internally.
How to separate the tails?
It is quite easy to determine the beginning of the tail fraction selection. For this you need measure the strength of the distillate in a stream. This is done using an alcohol meter and a narrow deep container. As it is perfect glass test tube, which must be substituted under a stream of distillate.
After filling, the strength should be measured with an alcohol meter. As soon as the fortress falls below 40º, the selection of the useful part stops. The container is removed, a container for tails is placed. The final fraction can be taken before until there is no alcohol left in the distillation cube.
The range of application of tails is somewhat wider than that of heads. Many are made from this fraction various tinctures and balms for external use. In addition, tails are added during the next distillation in mash to increase the amount of alcohol produced.
Note! The repeated use of tailings during distillation increases the amount of harmful impurities in alcohol. It is not necessary to add the tails obtained during the last distillation to the mash each time.
There are some moonshiners who still neglect to break up distillate into fractions. But this, to put it mildly, is not quite the right decision.
Alcohol, on its own, is pretty bad. And if you add to it more than 70 harmful impurities that make up the initial and final fractions, then such a drink becomes extremely dangerous for health.
Therefore, in the production homemade moonshine need to be sure to separate the heads and tails, at least in the secondary distillation.
By following this rule, you will protect yourself and your loved ones from the terrible consequences of alcohol poisoning.
To separate alcohol in classic moonshine stills, various physical properties of water, alcohols and oils are used. The difference in boiling points allows you to "evaporate" first light methyl alcohols, then get ethanol and separate it from fusel oils and water.In Braga, all components are "linked" to each other. In a conventional moonshine still, they cannot be completely separated, so we can only talk about the distillation stages, when the fumes contain the largest amount of ethyl alcohol. Also, we cannot accurately navigate by the boiling points of alcohols and water, since in the initial liquids alcohol is often in a bound state with various minerals and other alcohols.
heads
Methyl alcohol (methanol) boils first at a temperature of 64.7 ° C. Methanol is poisonous and toxic, but ethyl alcohol neutralizes its effect on the body. The liquid obtained by distillation at temperatures from 65 ° to 80 ° C is popularly called “pervach” or “heads”. It differs from the main product "pervach" by its characteristic pungent odor. This product is not suitable for consumption.Body
At a temperature of 75-78 °C, after the release of methanol and other light impurities, ethyl alcohol prevails in the evaporation. The boiling point of ethyl alcohol is 78.4 °C. The liquid obtained by distillation at temperatures from 80 to 95 ° C is called the "body" by moonshiners. With increasing temperature in the distillation cube, the concentration of ethyl alcohol decreases. The resulting moonshine can be drunk, refined or distilled a second time.Tails
At temperatures above 95 °C, heavy impurities and fusel oils begin to evaporate. The strength of the condensate falls sharply and it stops burning. At this stage, the distillation should be stopped, and the rest of the mash should be poured out or left until the next stage. To determine when the "tails" went, use a hydrometer (alcohol meter) or try to set fire to a cotton swab dipped in distillate. Remember about fire safety.To control the alcohol content in the distillation cube using a thermometer, we advise you to navigate according to the table:
Table
| Bottom liquid temperature, ℃ | Alcohol content in cube, % vol. | Alcohol content in the selection, % vol. |
| 88 | 21,9 | 68,9 |
| 89 | 19,1 | 66,7 |
| 90 | 16,5 | 64,1 |
| 91 | 14,3 | 61,3 |
| 92 | 12,2 | 57,9 |
| 93 | 10,2 | 53,6 |
| 94 | 8,5 | 49,0 |
| 95 | 6,9 | 43,6 |
| 96 | 5,3 | 36,8 |
| 97 | 3,9 | 29,5 |
| 98 | 2,5 | 2,7 |
| 99 | 1,2 | 10,8 |
| 100 | 0,0 | 0,0 |
When making moonshine at home, you need to be very clear that we are talking about complex chemical processes, and such a concept as dividing the resulting product into fractions is very important. Braga, in addition to the ethyl alcohol we are interested in, contains great amount impurities, including strong poisons such as methyl alcohol, acetone, fusel oils. But there is one significant plus - almost all these elements boil and evaporate at different temperatures. Conventionally, the whole process is divided into three stages:
- "Heads" - at the initial stage, the so-called "light" fractions are expelled, that is, boiling and evaporating at lower temperatures. This is primarily acetone and other aldehydes. They are the least in the output - about 2% of the volume of mash on the first pasture. They should not be used at all, although, as many remember, “pervak” was very much appreciated before, because it hits the head very hard, but, however, the consequences of its use are very serious
- “Body” is just the ethyl alcohol we are interested in. It boils and begins to evaporate at a temperature of about +76 C o ... +78 C o , but it also contains a certain amount of by-products that evaporate at the same time as it
- "Tails" - they are called "heavy" fractions. These are esters, fusel oils - we don’t need them either, and you can collect them only during the first distillation, and on the second - cut off and collect only to add to the next mash when it is ready for pasture
Tailings in home brewing are a way to get the right strength so as not to drain the remains of valuable ethyl alcohol. But you can’t do this with heads - they don’t have ethyl alcohol at all, since it begins to evaporate only at +76 C o ... +78 C o, and everything that boils and evaporates earlier is poison.
Separation of heads and tails during moonshine
With tails, I'll tell you by personal experience, things are easier. As soon as the moonshine coming out of the coil stops burning, you can cut them off. And even if a little gets into the “body” of moonshine, it’s not scary, since we will carry out additional cleaning. But with the "heads" it is more difficult. Perhaps you will find information somewhere that they can be easily identified by smell ... This, I tell you, is complete nonsense.
Firstly, during the haul in the kitchen, there is already a peculiar smell, and your scent is gradually lost. And it’s worth at least once to smell the condensate directly, as you will finally understand nothing. Yes, with experience you will learn to sort out some differences, but you cannot call it an objective method. I always follow the following rule. It is known that fully fermented mash contains 2% of the "heads" of its original volume. That is, if I have 20 liters of home brew, then I cut off and mercilessly drain about 400 milligrams of “heads” into the sewer. At first it will be a little pitiful - I remember it myself, but later you will understand that this is necessary when you wake up a couple of times in the morning after an evening feast with a square head.
During the second haul, the volume of heads is calculated according to the planned yield of the final product. It will be about 5% of it. That is, no more than 80-100 milligrams, if the initial volume of the mash was 20 liters. At the third stage, this percentage is reduced to 2% of the yield, which is no more than 30 milligrams.
The separation of tails during moonshine begins only by the second stage. The easiest way to navigate here is by the ability of the condensate to ignite or by the thermometer built into the distillation cube. We do not throw out the tails - they can be used. We add them to the new fermented mash in order to completely extract the remaining ethyl alcohol from them.
Important! Even after two or three hauls, moonshine must be further cleaned. Ethyl alcohol is not so special that it evaporates exclusively on its own - it still contains some impurities, so for the maximum degree of purification, use the methods recommended by me in the relevant publications.
Yes, no matter how natural and high-quality the mash preparation is, if you do not divide the product into fractions, then its use will be associated with unpleasant consequences in the form of a headache, morning hangover and other side effects.
Homemade alcohol in moderation is cleaner and healthier than store-bought, and every adult knows this. But in order for the drink to turn out the way it should, you need to know the technology of fractional distillation. In this article, we will consider in detail how to properly perform the separation of "heads" and "tails" during moonshine brewing and get the desired quality at the output.
The correct separation of moonshine into fractions allows you to get quality drink without harmful side impurities resulting from the fermentation process.
There are three main fractions of moonshine:
- "heads"
- "body"
- "tails"
Head faction
"Heads" ("Pervach" or "Pervak") - a low-boiling fraction with a boiling point lower than that of ethyl alcohol, have a sharp and unpleasant odor, evaporate first during distillation, this allows them to be selected and prevent them from entering the main product.
The “heads” contain a dangerous concentration of methanol in moonshine, acetone in moonshine, vinegar derivatives, and much more, which is dangerous for humans, this is the answer to the question why moonshine smells like acetone. Therefore, the separation of "heads" is one of the main tasks.
Some naively believe that you can drink “heads” and even get drunk faster than from the main product. However, this is pure harm and delusion, it is best to send them to the sewers.
So what to do with the selected heads of moonshine? It can be used as a kindling for a fire, furnaces, etc., but do not drink.
moonshine body
"Body" (or "heart") - the drinking part, it is for the sake of it that a rather long and capacious process is performed from the preparation of the mash to the main distillation.
Contains water, alcohol and other impurities that give the drink its distinctive taste qualities. During distillation, it is impossible to clearly and completely separate into fractions; anyway, some substances with a similar boiling point will fall into the selection. Rectification is suitable for accurate separation into fractions, this is the only way to get pure ethyl alcohol, but along with impurities, the organoleptic properties of the drink are also removed.
Therefore, the taste and smell of the product from different raw materials will be exactly the same, because the drink will contain only ethyl alcohol.
It is also important to note the content of fusel oils in moonshine. It is completely impossible to get rid of them, their benefits are rather contradictory. But there is a difference in dosage between poison and medicine, the same with alcohol. Taking it on holidays in small quantities, fusel oils can act on the liver, protecting it from the harsh effects of alcohol.
tail fraction
"Tail" is the third faction of moonshine that comes out last. Its usual sign is a cloudy color, a pungent smell. This part has a high content of those same fusel oils and isopropyl alcohol, therefore it is also not suitable for consumption.
The boiling point of fusel oils is much higher than that of ethyl alcohol, it is necessary to stop the selection in time and the tails will not get into the product.
What to do with moonshine tails? You can simply pour or overtake in distillation column and get pure alcohol (since after distillation, up to 40% ethyl alcohol remains), then dilute to a strength of 40% with water and purify activated carbon, so you can get not bad vodka.
Calculation of the number of goals
In order to understand how many goals to select, you must first calculate their number, let's look at the main methods for calculating the number of goals.
By amount of sugar
Suitable if the initial sugar content of the mash is known, which can be measured with a vinometer (sugar meter) or the amount of sugar added to the mash is known. If 2 kg of sugar was used to prepare the mash, then there will be 120-200 ml of “heads” (60-100 ml for each kilogram of sugar).
Or if you have 10 liters of mash and you know that the initial sugar content of the mash was 20%, it turns out 10 * 0.2 = 2 kg of total sugar content, and we know that for each kilogram of sugar we select 60-100 ml of heads, it turns out what you need select 120-200 ml.
It is best to cut off the "heads" twice, half the calculated volume (based on the calculations above) in the first distillation and the second half in the second distillation.
For absolute alcohol
This is the easiest and most reliable way to determine the number of heads to be culled. Let's consider an example: you got 10 liters of raw alcohol after the first distillation with a total strength of 40%, then it contains 4 liters of pure alcohol (we calculate by the formula 10 * 0.4 \u003d 4 liters.). To simplify the calculations, we take the strength of alcohol as 100%, although such a strength can only be obtained in the laboratory. The heads should be taken 8-15% of the absolute alcohol that we calculated above, we recommend taking 10%, it turns out that the heads need to be taken 400 ml. (4 * 0.1 \u003d 0.4 l.).
By smell
A method only for moonshine professionals. If the distillate, when rubbing a few drops in the palm of your hand, stinks, then heads are coming. An unpleasant smell is the first signal that these are heads, as soon as it disappears, you can change the dishes and collect the body of moonshine. This method should be used only to check the correctness of the calculations of the number of selected heads.
How to select heads of moonshine
The designs of moonshine stills are different and the methods for separating the heads and tails of moonshine may differ slightly, in this example we will consider a classic column-type distiller with a reflux condenser (additional refrigerator).
- Pour raw alcohol into a cube and heat at maximum power until boiling begins, as soon as the temperature at the very top of the column begins to rise and approaches 78 degrees, you need to remove the heat so that the temperature in the column is 60-64 degrees, let it work in this mode for minutes 10-15.
- Start adding heating power so that the temperature at the top of the column is in the range of 64-77 degrees (methyl alcohol boils at a temperature of 64.7 degrees) and at the same time drops go to the selection at a speed of 1 drop per second (neither faster nor slower) and take that the number of goals that you calculated using one of the methods above.
- When you have finished the selection of heads and the drinking distillate has gone, change the receiving tank, increase the heating power so that the distillate goes in a thin stream and collect the body until the tails go, how to determine when to pump in the collection of the body and start collecting the tails, see below.
How to separate the tails
Tails in moonshine go immediately after the body, and in order to understand when they go, we need to know when the body ends. Consider the main and most reliable methods.
- For absolute alcohol. The same as in the calculation of goals in the example above. We determine the amount of absolute alcohol, for example, we have 10 liters of raw alcohol with a strength of 40%. We calculate by the formula 10 * 0.4 \u003d 4 liters. it turns out 4 liters of absolute alcohol, and we take 70% of this volume (4 * 0.7 \u003d 2.8 liters.) As a result, we should get 2.8 liters of pure alcohol in the body. But since it is impossible to obtain pure alcohol during distillation, the output is usually 90-92% or, depending on the equipment used, it may be less.
Then how to understand how much you need to take away with the fortress that is coming? Everything is simple according to the formula T \u003d A / (K / 100), food T is the amount of body that must be collected at a given strength, A is the amount of body calculated from absolute alcohol, K is the total strength of the product obtained by distillation. As a result, we get 2.8 / (92/100) \u003d 3.043 liters, in order to completely assemble the body, 3.043 liters of distillate with a strength of 92% must be selected - By temperature in a cube. Tailings start to go when the temperature in the cube reaches 92-95 degrees, when this temperature is reached, stop picking the case and start picking tails
For a more accurate and correct selection, combine these two methods and get the perfect drink.
Collect the tail fractions at maximum power in a separate container for further distillation of the tails on a distillation column, this is the only way to collect the remaining good alcohol, there is no point in re-distilling on a distiller, only rectification.
Remember excessive alcohol consumption in any form is harmful, and in moderation it is good!
Today's approach to home brewing is strikingly different from that of thirty years ago. Although many even now do not understand why moonshine should be distilled twice, and even part of the strong distillate should be removed from it. Therefore, we will consider why a separate selection of heads and tails is needed and why waste time on a fractional haul.
Moonshine is divided into three fractions, each of which is collected in a separate bowl. How do they differ from each other?
heads
These are the very first drops of moonshine, which are also called. They should be selected drop by drop, at the lowest temperature, avoiding jets. The heads begin to come out of the cube when the temperature of the mash is about 68°C. That's when the heat should be reduced.
Even without conducting special research, one can understand that this is poison. The first fractions have a sharp smell of acetone. And it is no coincidence, because "heads" are made of acetone, methyl alcohol and others equally unacceptable to human body components. This is all that boils with more low temperatures than ethyl () alcohol. And to be destroyed.
Carefully. Pervach is sometimes associated with strong and high-quality alcohol.
But it's not. It causes toxic poisoning, which is mistaken for intoxication. From him severe hangover. It is especially dangerous because it quickly makes an alcoholic out of a person.
Body
Ethyl alcohol begins to evaporate when the temperature in the cube reaches 78 ° C. Everything that managed to leak out before that is not ethanol and you can’t drink it.
Reference. The boiling point of alcohol is 78.39 ° C, but this applies specifically to pure ethanol, with almost no water content.
In the distillation cube, the vapors break away from the mash and begin to go into the cooler coil at about a temperature close to 78 ° C.
The body is the fluid that we will ingest. It cannot be said that it does not contain fusel oils at all, but their percentage ratio is several times less than in other fractions. However, it can be almost completely freed from fusel oils only after industrial cleaning in coal columns. But it has no taste either, the organoleptics for which elite types of alcohol are valued.
However, it is very important to stop the selection of the body in time, due to the fact that the lower the alcohol strength falls, the more, together with alcohol vapors, foreign impurities, called fusel oils, penetrate into it.
In addition to spoiling the taste and aroma, they can also make moonshine cloudy, as we see in films when they want to emphasize that moonshine is on the table. Moreover, such a “phenomenon” may not appear immediately, but after a few days.
Tails
The last low-alcohol and unpleasantly smelling alcohol-containing residues in the mash. Very rich in fusel oils. They are taken away after the body (some distillers even “disdain” them, pouring them along with the stillage). But this liquid is not useless.
As a rule, it has a total strength of 20-30 °, depending on how completely the moonshiner wants to “squeeze out” alcohol from the mash or the first stage. After cleaning with oil, then with charcoal or potassium permanganate (to remove the smell, and with it - parts of the fusel oil), it can be added to the cube with mash during subsequent distillation. Tailings will increase the yield of strong distillate. The addition of the last fractions to the subsequent haul is called "tail ringing".
Note. Usually the "heads" are taken from the re-distillation.
But you can do this during the first distillation, if you want to preserve the taste and aroma of the original raw materials (fruits, berries, grains, etc.) as much as possible. tails in grain mash take away only on the second run, moreover, when the fortress in the jet falls below 30°C. In such moonshine, there will be more fusel oils, but also its organoleptics, which form the taste grain moonshine, will be nicer.
How to select heads?
Disputes over how many heads to take away do not subside. The most commonly used number is - from 8 to 12% from the expected output of moonshine.
So, for example, from 5 kg of sugar in Braga, it is expected to get 6 liters of moonshine with a strength of 45 °. Therefore, 480 - 720 ml heads should be selected?
Yes, not a single moonshiner will agree to such a “translation” of the product. Then how do you count?
By sugar
However, in no classification is there a figure less than 50 ml per kilogram of sugar. That is, from the mentioned 5 kg of sugar during distillation, it will not be possible to select less than 250 ml of the first fractions. But preferably more - 350-400 ml., That is, 60-80 ml per 1 kg of sugar.
Advice. It is believed that it is better not to select all the heads at once, but to divide them into two hauls: for the first time, select 30-40 ml per kilogram of sugar and the same amount in the second.
For absolute alcohol
But after all, mash is not only sugar, and sometimes it is difficult to accurately determine the indications of sugar content. It is easier to do this by the content of pure alcohol in the distillate. Alcohol with a conditional strength of 100 °, the so-called anhydrous, is taken for calculation.
And the number of heads is calculated from it, based on the amount and strength of moonshine obtained after the first stage, without division into fractions. The generally accepted number of heads according to this technique is 8-15% . We will take, for example, 10% and 3 liters of moonshine with a strength of 50 °. We calculate the amount of pure alcohol: 3x0.50 \u003d 1.5. The number of heads, respectively, is 150 ml.
One of the varieties of the same method is 1% of the heads of the total amount of mash. But since in various types wort unequal concentration of sugar, then we are not talking about exact indicators.
By temperature
The temperature method is not always effective in practice, since the design also plays a role. moonshine still, and the composition of the mash. You can not discount the possible errors of the thermometer. In general, thermometers show the temperature in the distillation cube, but the readings before the vapor enters the cooler coil are more accurate.
We will give average indicators, and you can already check in your own practice whether they require adjustment.
Upon reaching 63 ° C, it is necessary to sharply reduce the heating to a minimum. Soon heads will start to drip (just drip, and slowly). When the temperature gradually rises to 68°C, it happens that the output stops altogether, the dishes with the head fractions are removed, a clean one is put in its place, the heating temperature is increased to 78°C and the body is taken away.
By smell
Experienced moonshiners, when dividing moonshine into fractions, are guided by their own scent. When the first drops of distillate first appear, they always have an unpleasant odor, in which acetone and other chemical impurities are clearly felt.
By the disappearance of the stench of the “heads”, they determine that it is time to take away the body. And by the reappeared smell of fuselage - that it's time to drive the tails. But for these experiments practice required.
To what extent to separate the tails in moonshine?
When collecting the body, periodically, especially if the temperature in the cube is already 85 degrees, check. If it falls to 40 ° and below, then the tails have begun to go, which are collected separately. In order to prevent the final fractions from getting into the part that you will use inside, at 85 ° C, the main jar with the body is removed, replaced by tumbler or a jar and collect the distillate there. Then the fortress is checked.
Important. To correctly determine the degree, alcohol must have a temperature of 20 ° C, which almost never happens during the distillation.
Outgoing distillate has a temperature of 25-35°C. This factor overestimates the strength indicator on the alcoholometer. Therefore, for a quick conversion to the correct degree, use the moonshiner calculator, which can be downloaded on the Internet or viewed online.
If the strength is still around 40 °, this distillate is added to the main container with the body and the selection is continued. But keep in mind that the body does not need moonshine, the strength of which is below this limit. These are already tails that will spoil the main product.
Reference. In the absence of a thermometer in the cube and / or an alcohol meter, the average drinking fraction is taken while the liquid leaving the outlet tube burns.
Tailings are harvested until the strength of the distillate drops to 30° (maximum 20°). Further selection is inexpedient, it is only an extra waste of time and energy.
Selection of fractions for subsequent hauls
When distilling sugar, grain, fruit moonshine knowledgeable distillers recommend the selection of fractions during two hauls. Goals - 50% for the first and the same for the second. Tailings at the first distillation can be taken "dry", then cleaned and added to the second stage. The second time the tail fractions are taken when the fortress in the jet falls below 40-45°.
