Drain fusel oils. Homemade ways to clean moonshine from fusel oils

Before cleaning moonshine from oils, it must be filtered and allowed to settle. Then you need to choose the appropriate way to process the drink. The choice depends on what improvised means the manufacturer of home drinks has. We recommend that you carefully read this material and study all the proposed tools and methods. With such an arsenal, there will be no difficulty how to clean homemade moonshine from fusel oils, and as a result of the procedures, excellent quality drinks will be obtained at the end. There are time-tested simple remedies: charcoal, potassium permanganate, activated charcoal, milk, gelatin, egg white and much more. You can also use special preparations and household devices in the form of filters.

How to quickly clean moonshine from fusel oils

Harmful impurities contained in moonshine, except for ethyl alcohol and water, must be removed. Exist various ways cleaning, which is used for a certain type of impurities. The most commonly used charcoal and potassium permanganate. How to quickly clean moonshine from fusel oils is described below: several interesting ways are suggested.

Moonshine from good raw materials achieves "crystal" purity if the cleaning is carried out correctly.

We offer several old recipes moonshine cleaning.

How to clean moonshine from essential oils

Depending on the size of the container, put from 3 to 6 handfuls of sifted birch wood ash and a few handfuls of salt (this is the first distillation). The second distillation will be carried out without ash and salt.

Chemical purification, special distillation, filtration and infusion- this is the process of cleaning moonshine. Before cleaning moonshine from essential oils, you need to know that it is better to take the drink that is obtained after the first distillation. He must be room temperature, since at elevated temperatures many harmful substances are not captured. It is also better not to use high-grade alcohol, because it is very reluctant to part with its impurities.

The required amount of potassium permanganate is preliminarily diluted in a small amount water. Water must be boiled. About 1-2 g of potassium permanganate is taken per liter of moonshine. This solution is used to process moonshine.

A solution of potassium permanganate is poured into the moonshine and mixed thoroughly. Then leave for 10-12 hours for clarification and precipitation. Next, moonshine is filtered through a cloth and a special distillation is carried out.

You can use activated charcoal purchased at a pharmacy. Although you can use fine river sand, sifted and calcined on fire.

First, a handicraft, but correctly working filter is made. Take a glass funnel of the right size. A thin layer of cotton wool is placed in it, covered with a piece of gauze. A layer of activated carbon is poured over the gauze. So that the coal does not float, the third layer in the filter is gauze again. The amount of coal is determined by the size of the funnel and the volume of filtered moonshine. It is believed that for 1 liter of moonshine you need 50 g of coal.

There is another way to filter: just throw activated charcoal into a container of moonshine and leave for 2 weeks. The ratio is the same - 50 g per liter. You just need to remember to shake the container several times a day or shake it.

The settled moonshine is filtered through cotton wool or cloth. In principle, the product is already ready for use, but to improve the taste, you can insist it on raisins and St. John's wort (50 g of raisins and a pinch of St. John's wort should be taken per liter) for 3-4 days. Such additional processing will almost completely eliminate the odor.

How to properly clean moonshine from fusel oils (with video)

Components:

12 liters of moonshine
800 g raisins
400 g pure birch charcoal

There is a simple way to properly clean moonshine from fusel oils, for this we pour clean birch coals into a container. We insist until the coals settle and the moonshine becomes clean. As soon as this happened, you need to carefully get rid of the coals, that is, pour the moonshine. We dilute with water in a ratio of 2: 1, where two parts are moonshine, and one is water. We add raisins here and insist for two days, after which we distill again.

Cleaning with tannins consists in keeping moonshine in oak barrels. Tannin and oak chips - excellent tool purification of moonshine (contained in the core of oak wood). Tannin and other tannins remove unwanted inclusions from the liquid. In addition to cleaning from harmful impurities, this method leads to the taste of moonshine, reminiscent of cognac. If the goal is only to purify moonshine and a strong change in taste is undesirable, tannin powder or oak chips (50-100 g / l) are added to the distillate, the mixture is kept for 10 days.

Fusel oils can be cleaned by freezing. The essence of the method lies in the fact that when the temperature drops, unwanted fusel oils freeze out. Moonshine is poured into bottles. Then the bottles are securely corked and placed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for several days. Water, along with unwanted impurities, turns into ice. It remains to pour a quality product and filter again. This method takes time, but is guaranteed to remove the odor-causing fusel oils.

Regardless of the cleaning methods used (although each of them deserves attention), at home it is not always possible to obtain a product that corresponds in terms of the content of harmful impurities to a factory product (this does not apply to palatability). This is primarily due to the fact that the protein substances contained in the mash are split into many “fragments” as a result of distillation, the composition of which cannot be accurately predicted. Among these protein breakdown products there may be toxic substances, such as methyl alcohol, which can be traced only in the factory using modern devices.

In order to completely exclude the ingress of heavy substances from the mash into the distillate, it is necessary to strictly observe the technology of rectification and purification - both preliminary and final. Such factory technologies cannot be replaced, for example, by repeated freezing and chemical cleaning at home.

In order to minimize the risk of poisoning with home distillates, it is strongly recommended to completely eliminate the first distillation phase (2-8% of the total distilled volume) due to high content aldehydes and methanol. Deep purification of moonshine is carried out by re-distillation or rectification.

Watch how to clean moonshine from fusel oils in the video, which shows the technology of this procedure at home:

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 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 insignificantly (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 receive 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 mash, 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) in the SS, a smaller amount of fusel oil is observed, but also less esters, from which we can conclude that for sugar mash a higher temperature is preferable, but for fruit - on the contrary. 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. Lightening the mash is a prerequisite for obtaining 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) dissolves in 200 ml boiled water and poured with stirring into the SS, potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate, KMnO 4), also dissolved in water, is immediately poured in, and after 15-20 minutes, caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, caustic soda, NaOH) dissolved in a glass of water. 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 is definitely effective tool Improvements in moonshine and the Dorosh-Lysenko method described above have been tested by hundreds of experienced moonshiners. But recently, especially with the development of the technical equipment of the distillery, more and more practitioners refuse it - it is difficult to make a calculation required amount chemicals for a specific SS without prior laboratory analysis. There is only one conclusion to be drawn here: if you are looking for ready recipe 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. Under various connections in this case fusel oil, esters, as well as a suspension that could somehow get into the distillate are meant. 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 CC. 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), filtered, diluted 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. The SS must then be thoroughly filtered through a cotton filter and/or coal column, and then overtake 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 flow type

About cleaning moonshine activated carbon a lot has been said on our website, where the “infusion” method of carbonization is described in detail. 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 doesn’t need to be introduced, there is where the process of fractional distillation is described in more detail, including with “catching easy” - a method for cleaning moonshine from isoamyl alcohol. There is only one local conclusion here: repeated fractional distillation distillate is the most effective way cleaning 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 intermediate cleaning is desired.

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 has jumped in you, then you can try some ways of additional purification of 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 you need to dilute in 10 ml (for every 0.62 g) of warm boiled water and let the flakes swell for 2-3 hours, fresh - dilute 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 milk curdling has not started after 6-7 hours, you can add a little citric acid or lemon juice (lemon 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 finished product acquires 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 charcoal container, like efficient system 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. various products, such as pulp rye bread, rice, buckwheat, 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 great 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 a 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 more Reviver(specifically from apple raw materials, this is how applejack is obtained). 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 for myself derived the following algorithm for obtaining high-quality moonshine (mainly sugar and in the absence of the opportunity to conduct a decent level of distillation): proper preparation 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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Any alcoholic drink, including wine and, contains fusel oil. Experts who are well versed in alcohol call it the "soul" of the drink, since its unique organoleptic properties depend on this component.

First of all, let's figure out what it is and where it comes from? This term is called oily compounds that occur during fermentation and partially pass into the finished distillate.

Extracted from alcohol (which is only possible in laboratory conditions), have a color from light yellow to brown-red and an oily texture. In moonshine, they are simply dissolved. The concept of "fusel oils" includes more than 40 chemical compounds, divided into two groups:

The boiling point of which is lower than that of ethyl alcohol (it has 78.4 ° C). The most famous of these are acetone and esters with acetaldehyde.
The boiling point of these substances is more than 78.4°C. Among them, alcohols predominate, as well as furfural, acetyl and other toxic compounds.

The benefits of fuselage

Many consider fusel oils to be the culprit of a severe hangover. And they are very wrong! Our bodies perceive any alcohol as a poison. The liver tries to break it down and quickly remove it from the body.

But there is a "hiccup" here. It is pure poison that acts sharper and stronger! And impurities, which are fusel oils, soften the process and prevent hangover.

And the main culprits of headaches and debilitating nausea are acetic acid and acetaldehyde. It is “thanks” to them that a large amount of magnesium is washed out in the liver during decomposition. What causes such a deplorable state of the body.

Therefore, supposedly pure vodka () has a much worse hangover, and the occurrence of alcoholism is 8 times more likely than from other drinks. Although when using, for example, whiskey, neither such a hangover nor such a frequent addiction is observed, although it contains 200-400 times more fusel oils. In cognac - 50 times.

And the whole thing - in proper cleaning. There is no need to remove all impurities, but it is important - the most harmful.

Is there any harm?

Naturally, we will not sing the praises of the sivuha, all the same, there is also a lot of harm from it. Let's start with what she gives moonshine disgusting smell, because of which it is sometimes impossible to drink it. And the taste of unrefined moonshine leaves much to be desired.

Some fusel oils, for example, the same one, which is also called technical or wood alcohol, destroys internal organs, may cause blindness, etc. And this is in small quantities!

Another type of alcohol - isoamyl, literally "burns" digestive system, forming foci of irritation and vesicles that can turn into ulcers. Furfural affects the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, skin, causes eczema.

Concentration

We can more or less accurately indicate the amount of fusel oils in purchased types of alcohol. So, in their vodka, according to GOST, no more than 15 mg per liter. According to specifications - in wine up to 600, in cognac - up to 12000, whiskey can have up to 6000 mg per liter, that is - more than 6 grams!

It is very difficult to determine the concentration of fusel oils in moonshine, and no one seriously did this, although today in Russia there is a GOST for moonshine, according to which only distillate from grain can be considered moonshine. It prescribes the content of fusel oils within 500 to 6000 mg in terms of anhydrous alcohol.

In some types homemade alcohol up to 60% of fusel oil is accounted for by isoamyl alcohol. The easiest way to determine the concentration is by smell and taste: the more the liquid stinks and the worse the aftertaste, the more fuselage.

How to clean moonshine from smell and fusel oils?

One of the ways to get rid of moonshine from more fusel oils is secondary fractional distillation with separation into fractions.

But even after that, it is desirable to bring its organoleptic to perfection.

Ideally, when a light note of the product from which the mash is made is felt in home-made alcohol and there is absolutely no sivukh. To do this, many methods have been invented, with which we will introduce you.

In order to not be ashamed to put moonshine even in front of dear guests and so that it not only catches up with vodka in taste, but also surpasses it, folk methods cleaning. You can use one of them or try several.

Advice. Test different cleaning agents on small batches of homemade alcohol and compare the results.

Having chosen the best way, “use” all the moonshine.

pasteurized milk

In urban conditions, pasteurized milk of low fat content is used. At home - fat-free, after cream was extracted from it with the help of a separator.

The proportions are contradictory: from 200 ml to 2 liters per 10 liters of moonshine with a strength of 45 °. Pour milk into alcohol, stir well and put in a room in a dark place for a week. Shake daily. Do not touch the last day of insistence. At the bottom of the container, a layer of curdled milk with impurities forms.

Peculiarities. Milk contains casein and albumin. They then bind the sivuha and precipitate the oils into sediment, forming flakes.

Strain the alcohol through several layers of cheesecloth, then filter using cotton wool or cotton pads.

Egg white

For 1 liter of moonshine you need 2 egg whites. Beat them without fanaticism (foam is not needed) and mix with alcohol. White flakes will begin to fall out quickly. Filter.

activated or charcoal

You can cook charcoal yourself, or use a purchased one, such as BAU-A, specially designed for cleaning alcohol. 50 g of crushed coal are taken per liter. Shake, defend, filter.

Potassium permanganate

Perfectly cleans moonshine from fusel oils and smell, while forming other chemical compounds, the benefits of which are doubtful. Nevertheless, the method is popular.

You need to take 3-5 g of manganese per three-liter jar moonshine. It's better to dilute it first. warm water, but this is not necessary, it will dissolve in moonshine. Filter thoroughly through cotton wool.

How to get rid of fuselage by freezing?

The method was adopted from Siberians, who in this way even freeze alcohol from mash. It is enough to place a container of moonshine in the freezer overnight, and in the morning drain the alcohol that has not frozen. Then dilute it to the desired degree. Almost all the sivukh will remain in the frozen part.

Baking soda

This substance is able to neutralize acetic acid located in unrefined moonshine. Pour soda at the rate of 1 g per 1 liter. Stir. After 10 minutes, strain through several layers of gauze or filter.

Vegetable oil

Although not everyone likes the method, refined oil cleans moonshine well. Pour in 100 g of oil per 3-liter jar. Shake and stand for a day.

The oil film along with impurities will rise up. Drain with a silicone tube. If necessary, filter further. This way good before the second run.

Water filter

It is popular today to use a water filter as a cleaning agent. Moonshine is poured into a filter jug and passed through a cassette. Store it then in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. But there are doubtful points here. Not everything that is intended for water is suitable for alcohol.

Although the main component of such a filter is coal, there are also impurities that with alcohol may give unknown connections. In addition, it is not recommended to use plastic with alcohol.

Rye bread

Use fresh bread, crumbling it into a jar of moonshine (a 10-liter loaf). The method is considered good, especially in addition to cleaning with milk. Soak overnight, then filter.

Fusel oil is called mixture of essential compounds, which are formed during the distillation or rectification of mash. These ethers give moonshine a certain taste and smell, which is peculiar only to this drink. It is believed that their increased concentration leads to a deterioration in the quality of alcohol and the appearance of a hangover in the morning. That is why most moonshiners are trying to get a more delicious distillate.

But what exactly is the benefit of this fusel oil for moonshine, and also what harm does it do to the body? We list well-known facts that may well surprise even experienced moonshiners.

I suggest starting with a good one. Oddly enough, the compounds formed during the distillation process bring tangible benefits to some alcoholic beverages, and without them the effect will be completely different.

Adds a distinctive flavor to whiskey, cognac and moonshine. The content of fusel oil in elite alcoholic beverages very high. Without this “fusiness”, the taste and smell of the liquid will be completely different, so the technology does not provide for cleaning alcohol completely from these impurities.
Reduces the strength of alcohol. Too pure alcohol "covers" the body faster and stronger. Impurities prepare the liver for a high concentration of alcohol and partially curb its effect on the body. That is why in this matter he can be thanked.

When it comes to rustic moonshine, implying a pronounced taste and smell, then again we are talking about “sivuha”.

On rural moonshine stills can't stand this good technology, on the production of whiskey or cognac, so this glut of harmful impurities does not lead to anything good.

To obtain an adequate amount of fusel oil in moonshine, it is necessary to double distillate with either a good or after the first distillation. Only in this case can we talk about some benefit, which will be expressed in good taste and the smell of the drink.

The harm of "sivukha" for the body

The composition of fusel oil includes many compounds, some of which are poison to the body. For example, methyl and amyl alcohol, acetaldehyde, acetone, furfural, and so on. You can see a table of these impurities in the table below. As you understand, these compounds do not bring anything good for the body.

Some harmful impurities in moonshine and their boiling point

Some of these compounds have a bad effect on vision, others irritate the mucous membranes, and others have a detrimental effect on the digestive system. Yes, even myself ethanol , for which distillation is performed, negatively affects the liver and other organs of our body.

A fair question arises, in what doses can you drink moonshine if it contains such harmful impurities? As you understand, the question is rhetorical, since everyone chooses the norm for himself. It should be remembered that harm is caused by the systematic use a large number alcohol Well, if you keep a certain line, then everything will be fine.

We recommend that you watch the cartoon video from Good Lord. The verses describe our moonshine, the attitude of the people to this matter and some laws that have tried to ban moonshine several times already.

How to reduce the concentration of fusel oil in moonshine

At home, you can clean moonshine quite well and get a very decent drink. In short, you just need to follow the technology of setting the mash and distilling it, then the results of your work will turn out to be tasty and of high quality.

What can be done to reduce the concentration of "sivukha":

Use a dryer and dephlegmator. A fairly large amount of harmful substances settle in these devices, so we strongly do not recommend ignoring it.
Do a double run. We consider it inappropriate to drive moonshine 3 or 4 times, but once is usually not enough.
Cut off heads and tails (bad factions). About 50 ml of heads from each kilogram of sugar and everything below 40 degrees as tails. In this case, the "body" of your product will be exceptional.
Keep the fermentation temperature up. The picture on the right shows that at 30 degrees less fusel oil is released than at 20. There is a risk of boiling our yeast, but if we maintain a moderate temperature all the time, then everything will be fine.
Clean the moonshine with a water filter, charcoal or vegetable oil . This procedure is best done if the quality of your product is satisfactory. At normal conditions it is not necessary to carry it out.

As you can see, there are no secrets here. Maintain a good temperature regime and do not violate the golden rules of home brewing, which have been recognized by more than one generation of distillers.

Moonshine in our country can be classified as a cult drink. He is especially loved in the village. But city dwellers also like to treat themselves and their friends with a glass of this glorious intoxicant. We will not be mistaken if we say that every Russian village has its own way of preparing it, its own kind of zest for the recipe. One of the most important indicators of the quality of this home-made "liquor" can be considered the degree of purification from fusel oils.

It is not difficult to prepare moonshine today. I got the device and for the job. But what to do with bad smell, which cause fusel oils? How to remove it? Somewhere they do it with milk, in another place they use soda or manganese. We have collected in this article the most common methods by which this alcohol-containing liquid is effectively cleaned of unpleasant impurities.

Fusel oils - are they harmful?

The unequivocal harm of fuselage is a question that does not require additional arguments. Some try to defend the myth about the benefits of unrefined moonshine, citing as an example the presence of a specific "darling" in whiskey and tequila. The example is obviously wrong.

Firstly, for these drinks, the purification process is interrupted on purpose.
Secondly, harmful oils in imported alcohol are nothing more than an indicator of the brand.
Thirdly, let's create a reliable barrier to impurities and feel sorry for our liver. Then it is very difficult for her to get rid of this blow of the fistula

At the same time, homemade moonshine can be cleaned and consumed in moderation, as they say, for health.

Cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate

So, your device gave you a batch of strong drink. You want to reduce its harm. Consider a very simple way to clean it. To do this, you can use the usual potassium permanganate, which is sold in every pharmacy.

It is better to pour 3 grams of potassium permanganate on a 3 liter jar
Stir by shaking
Moonshine will be ready in the morning
It will definitely need to be filtered. A good filter is gauze folded in several layers.

We clean with soda

The second most popular and simple method is cleaning with soda, which is available in every home.

AT last resort You can buy it at any grocery store.

For 1 liter of liquid we take 10 g of soda
Stir with a spoon to achieve a solution similar in color to milk. Set aside for half an hour
Then mix well again. Everybody. Now moonshine should be left alone for a day

Baking soda will help you get rid of most of the bad oils. The top layer is drained and the sediment is also removed. Elixir is ready to use.

Freezing cleansing

This method was used in some villages, especially in the north of Russia. all year round. For this, tons of ice were loaded into the cellars. Today you can use the usual freezer refrigerator. No apparatus is required. We will remove the harm of impurities with the help of frost. Pour the pervach into a metal pan and place in the freezer.

The secret to this effect is simple if done right. We need to separate water with harmful impurities from the mixture. She should freeze to the edges. We catch this moment and pour the moonshine, leaving ice with impurities in the pan.

Carbon filter cleaning

This is a bit of a hassle, but very effective. With its help, the harm of the drink is reduced to a minimum. Of course, in moderation. Charcoal is best crushed and wrapped in 4-5 layers of gauze.

By the way, the coal that is sold in pharmacies is not suitable for us. Few people know that it is made from animal bones. This is not a very reliable barrier for fuselage. It will be right if you have prepared birch charcoal for cleaning.

Purification by double distillation

This method can be figuratively compared with aerobatics. We take the apparatus and again distill our primary. You will receive a drink, the harm of which will be minimal. This solution is popularly called "morning dew".

You'll have to fiddle around a bit:

First you need to get rid of fuselage impurities by any of the methods that we described above.
Next, using an alcohol meter, dilute the drink to 35 degrees. It is dangerous to distill a stronger solution. Your device may just catch fire

Little advice. When diluting moonshine, pour water into it, and not vice versa. Then the liquid will not become cloudy, it will not become, in color, similar to milk.

Now we fill the liquid into the apparatus. Everything, as in the first distillation. But, be careful. Mixing fractions of the "elixir" must not be allowed double distillation. Otherwise, the harm will not go anywhere.
The first fraction (this is 10 percent) is mercilessly poured into the sewer. You can't drink it! And the smell at the "head", as the people call this faction, is rather fetid. Then the device will give you a "body". It can be collected until the fortress drops to 45 degrees
Now stop! It will be better if you stop the machine. Otherwise, these "tails", due to the large amount of fusel oils, will spoil your entire batch of the drink. Now harmful impurities are minimized. This double distillation liquid no longer needs to be purified.

Ready "double" moonshine is better to dilute before use. Its strength is close to 70 degrees.

Milk cleaning

Cleaning with milk is the way that allows you to get a sufficiently high-quality product at the output. There are two options for this cleaning.

In the first case, we act with milk already on the mash. For 10 liters of mash, 2 liters of milk are taken. Such a pervach can be overtaken twice. Get great quality
The second method involves the impact of milk on the finished product. A glass of milk is taken for 1 liter of liquid. Curdling, milk absorbs fusel oils

Naturally, the harm of such a composition of the mixture is significantly reduced. We create another reliable barrier for the sivuha. To do this, filter the "milk" moonshine through a charcoal filter.

Particularly patient lovers quality moonshine clean it up in a longer way. They take 50 gr. charcoal and poured into a liter of liquid. The mixture is defended for a week, shaking every day. On the 8th day, the liquid will brighten. The carbon deposit is removed from her with a tube by suction.

Egg white cleansing

For this method, you will need 2 beaten egg whites per liter of moonshine. Add them to the solution and put them in a dark place.

After the egg white curdles completely and falls to the bottom, the product should be filtered through cheesecloth.

Violet Root Cleansing

A method with a fairly good result. The root of the plant is easy to buy in pharmacies in the herbal medicine department. The process is easy. For 1 liter of solution we take about 30 grams of crushed root. Insist for at least 2 weeks in a dark and warm place. Next, the resulting liquid is filtered.