How to properly separate heads and tails in moonshine. How to separate the "heads" and "tails" in moonshine during distillation? The fermentation period on what it depends, and how it affects the number of harmful microorganisms

It is easy to imagine distillation in an ordinary moonshine still. Braga heats up, its components become steam, then go along the coil, cooled and converted into condensate, which flows freely into the provided container to collect the distillation product. You should know that alcohol contains not only ethyl alcohol, but also aldehyde, formic acid, acetone. Some of the listed components can cause a serious blow to health, and sometimes pose a mortal danger. Therefore, in the process of home brewing, distillers separate ethyl alcohol from other components, conventionally called "heads" and "tails". Let's talk about how to do this, and what is needed for this.

How to cut off "heads" and "tails" in moonshine

Let's figure out what moonshine consists of, and it consists of factions, the evaporation of which occurs at different temperature conditions:

"Heads" (head fractions) - impurities of methyl alcohol, acetone aldehyde, have the lowest boiling point, boil already at 75 degrees. They form first during distillation and must be prevented from entering the drinkable product. It can be used for rubbing, ingestion is impossible, the consequences will be very dire, severe poisoning, alcohol intoxication, nausea, vomiting. Use only for technical purposes, but it is better to destroy the disgusting smell. The high content of grain, fruit alcohol, the strongest part, used to be considered that it is necessary to drink it.
"Body" ("heart") is the basic drinking part, theoretically only ethyl alcohol, however, substances with a boiling point close to ethyl alcohol (78.4 degrees) practically penetrate. For complete crushing into fractions, rectification is required.
"Tails" - the final fraction of the yield of moonshine, absorbs heavy ethers and compounds, boils at a temperature of more than 90 degrees, does not harm the human body, are used in the preparation of subsequent portions of alcohol, to increase the strength, and as an aromatic agent, they are mixed before distillation , or to clean in a rectification column, to re-run through a moonshine still is pointless, this will not affect the quality. They contain fusel oils - a mixture of which, in small doses, is useful, but when there are a lot of them, it is unpleasant to drink such a drink, in terms of taste, and in terms of smell, it is simply awful. However, they also have a positive effect, "start" in the body earlier than ethyl alcohol, forcing the liver to work, the produced liver enzymes, save the liver from harmful effects. There are beer delicacies, the taste of which simply disappears without the booze, for example, bourbon, cognac, liqueur.

Of course, the harmful components must be removed, drinking alcohol is a pleasant procedure, it must be done without complications, in the form of a severe hangover, and other "amenities". The tails and heads must be “chopped off”, and the pure “body” should be left, for this it is necessary to know the factors that influence the number of “harmful guests”.

Factors affecting the amount of harmful components:

Raw materials (fruit mash, grain, sugar).
Yeast quality.
Volume of liquid.
Fermentation period (depends on many reasons).
The design features of the moonshine still are analyzed individually.
Distillation technology (evaporation, freezing, using a moonshine still).

The quality of the future moonshine depends on the type and characteristics of the raw materials used.

The composition of alcohol and the number of impurities

Sugar mash - does not contain potent toxic components (methanol, furfural), but there are acetaldehydes and isoamilol.
Cereals, fruit and berry distillates - contain esters that affect the taste characteristics, very positively, at the same time there are bad impurities that should not be included in the product.

The fermentation period on what it depends, and how it affects the number of harmful microorganisms

The readiness of alcohol is influenced by several factors, consider using the example of sugar mash:

The quality of grain, fruits plays a role, they can contain insects, bacteria and other biological elements.
The place where the product stands - ideal conditions: dark, warm and kept at a temperature.
Container, glass is best for cooking, otherwise the taste, smell and raw materials will ripen more slowly, if the yeast is completely bad, then the drink will turn sour and there will be a lot of harmful mixtures.
The quality of the yeast, the better, the sooner it will ferment, the variety (wild, brewed, wine) also affects the wine and beer varieties slow down.

The design of the moonshine still, for the number of bad mixtures in the drink

Naturally, the materials from which the device is made should not have a negative impact on the harmfulness and taste of alcohol, but this happens.

Coilless devices drive out the worst, germ-rich drink
Serpentine devices, without a greenhouse, leave less bioorganisms.
Devices with a difflegmator do their job perfectly, and the product comes out almost clean, and all the nasty stuff remains in the device, which after distillation is enough to rinse with water.
The material from which the structural elements are made is also important; plastic, pvc tubes, rubber bands should be avoided, as they can react with alcohol, and it is good that this will not affect health. It is great if the unit is made of: copper, silicone, fluoroplastic, husky, for connecting elements.

Influence of distillation technology on the content of harmful substances

Freezing is the easiest way, the water freezes, at zero temperature in the freezer, taking everything bad with us, and draining the alcohol. After such a method, a lot of harmful things remain inside.
Evaporation is done primitively, and boils on the stove, a basin of cold water is at the top, the dishes for collecting the product are installed inside the pan, which is heated to 70 degrees and drained. It's hard to say how much harm is in this miracle liquid, horror. Absolutely artisanal version, you can't drink without trembling.
Distillation using a moonshine still, now they are different, progress is moving forward, the best option, the final product is well purified, and contains almost no harmful components.

Features of the technology of distillation of moonshine affect its quality, taste, smell

Even if the recipe for the brew is the same, the amount of harmful elements may differ each time. However, at home, it is difficult to make an accurate analysis of the composition of the drink, therefore, approximate indicators are taken. We will be engaged in cutting off heads, tails, forcing the body.

How to cut off the "heads" in moonshine (step-by-step process)

Boil the mash.
When the first drop appears, reduce the power.
Slowly increase the heat to keep the appliance working.
The performance depends on the structure of the apparatus, the power of the tile, the average cannot be determined
Norm - when alcohol comes out cold, the ideal temperature is equal to the temperature of the cooling water.

The instruction is relevant for a simple device, with a distillation cube, a refrigerator, in the form of a coil, possibly with a steam boiler. For complex devices with reflux condensers, and other bells and whistles that simulate the operation of a distillation column, the actions may differ, you need to check in the store. Cutting off tails and heads, do it by diluting alcohol to 40 ° beforehand.

Head cut-off techniques

Sugar - Knowing the sugar content, or the amount of granulated sugar in alcohol, in fruit and grain variations, is determined by a wine tester, before adding yeast. 60-100 ml of heads are taken from a kilogram of sugar.

By alcohol - Make the first distillation, without cutting off, measure the amount of pure ethyl, cut off the first fraction, from 8 to 15 percent, by volume from pure alcohol. Calculations are approximate.

By smell - sensei of moonshine can tell how many heads, just by smelling the distillate, when the smell loses its sharpness, the process can be stopped.

By temperature - the evaporation temperature of the head fraction is 65, therefore, when the thermometer reaches 63 degrees, the power is reduced, and slowly they reach the indicated value, then the heads are taken away, then the degree is increased to 78. The method is imprecise, it is difficult to “catch” clear boundaries.

Distilling the body is the most "tasty" stage, as a result, ethyl alcohol is obtained, which can be drunk like this, or used as a basis for other alcohol. At the 1st distillation, collect the final result until the strength drops to 30, the drink is cloudy, but the 2nd distillation, when the start counts from 40, will solve the problem.

How to cut off the "tails"

The tails grow back when the fortress drops to 30 degrees, but how to "catch" this moment? Everything is elementary - at the end of the distillation, you need to collect the product in a container, and measure the degree with a spirometer (liquid 20 ), if it is still strong, pour it into a common container, and substitute the container. Don't have a spirometer? Then you can apply the folk method, continue collecting the tails while the alcohol is blazing in the spoon. The fortress of the distillate drops to the minimum mark - the moment of stopping the run, you can continue to collect "tails" (there are from 15 to 20%), but there is no benefit, why waste extra energy and time.

After cutting off the tails, the taste of moonshine becomes softer

Selection of "tails" for smell(used for fruit and cereal mash)

Do you want to refine the drink and get elite homemade alcohol in the future? Then this technique is for you, a more detailed distillation, with proportions in percent.

Drive, without cutting off heads / tails, so that in the end there is raw alcohol.
Continue to work until the total yield strength is 30 degrees.
For the subsequent distillation, rely on the following values \u200b\u200b(volumes from the outcome).
Head fraction - first 5 percent, remove.
1st body - 10 percent.
2nd body - 20 percent.
Fragrant body - 5 percent (starting point of collection, spirometer at 60%).
Heavy body -2.5%.
The remains are “tails”.

Division of the body, by strength (%).

When the proportions are correct, and the strength of the final product is 30%, the gradation of fractions is as follows:

1st body -78, 5.
2nd body -70.5.
Fragrant body - 53.5.
Heavy body - 43.

The processing of fractions can be done in different ways, it all depends on what you want to get at the end. When to use, after sifting, or express - refinement with oak chips, settling in an oak barrel for six months, then mix the fractions, 1st / 2nd / Aromatic / Heavy, in a ratio of 3/6/4/1, if you want to keep the drink in oak barrel more than 2 years old, then you need to take 0.8 / 0.5 / 0.7 / 1. The method only works for fruit, grain distillates.

If you do everything by following the sequence, now you know how to properly select the “heads”, cut off the “tails”, you will end up with a pleasant-tasting, aromatic drink without fusel oils. The process of dividing the moonshine into fractions is extremely important in the art of home brewing, because before preparing a drink you need to know what it consists of, and you don't want to risk your body.

The final stage of preventive cleaning is the separation of "heads" and "tails, or, if scientifically, fractional distillation. The fact is that in the process of fermentation of mash from sugar, yeast produces not only the ethyl alcohol we need, but also a small amount of acetone, acetaldehyde , furfural, isopropyl and isobutyl alcohol and other fusel oils.

The boiling point of these substances differs from the boiling point of ethyl alcohol, some substances boil at a temperature above the boiling point of alcohol, others below. At the very beginning of the boil, low-boiling components such as acetone, acetaldehyde and other "snacks" boil away. This is the head fraction, or "heads" and they need to be separated from the product that we are going to drink. Each 30-40 ml should be taken from each fermented kilogram of sugar.

For example, when distilling in a moonshine still from a milk tank, I pour 28 liters of mash. When making, I dilute 1 kg of sugar to a volume of 4.5-5 liters. Namely, I bring it to volume, and not just pour in 5 liters of water. It turns out about 6 kg of sugar, and, therefore, I need to select 180-240 ml of head parts.

In order not to confuse heads with other liquids, I painted an ugly face on the bottle.

For convenience, I marked marks on the bottles after about 200 ml.

When selecting "heads", it is advisable to reduce the heating force of the moonshine still, so that the separation is more clear.

As soon as we have selected the estimated amount of the head fraction, we increase the heating force to the maximum available for a particular moonshine still and change the capacity - it's time to collect the most "drinking" and cleanest part of the moonshine - the "body".

We collect the middle fraction, or "body" until the fortress of the flowing moonshine becomes about 35-40 degrees.

For those who have an alcohol meter, let me remind you that the strength should be measured at 20 C, at a different temperature the alcohol meter will show "weather on Mars". Or, you will have to use special recalculation schedules.

If there is no alcohol meter, you can approximately determine this moment by burning a sample of moonshine. If cold moonshine confidently ignites in a spoon, then the strength is still sufficient, as soon as the sample stops igniting (or will not ignite very confidently), then the strength of the moonshine is already low.

Separately, I note that preheated moonshine, or paper moistened with moonshine, will catch fire even at a lower strength, so they cannot serve as an indicator.

Upon reaching this point, it is time to stop the selection of the drinking part, but it is not at all necessary to stop further distillation of moonshine. Again we change the capacity and continue collecting the so-called "tails", because there is still enough ethyl alcohol in the moonshine still, but now the heavy-boiling components begin to noticeably evaporate along with it. In general, "tails" are something that you cannot drink, but there is still enough alcohol in them.

There is no clear opinion on the end of the tailings collection. I select this sivukha until the moment when it somehow catches fire. In the future, with the accumulation of a sufficient amount of this fraction, you can add 2 volumes of water to 1 volume of fusel and distill it. "Heads" in the process of this distillation can not be selected, but the distillation should be stopped until the same 40 degrees. 2-3 such cycles (each time diluted with water) will significantly clean the moonshine.

At this stage, the preventive cleaning of the moonshine ends and the final cleaning can begin. Although already at this stage the quality of the moonshine is quite decent.

But it should be remembered that this is just one of the steps on the way to the perfect moonshine.

Moonshiner calculator, for calculating heads and tails

Get l. and l. tails.

Approximately l. finished product with a strength of 65-70%.

The head is called the first fraction of alcoholwhich has a strong, specific and very unpleasant odor. It contains the maximum concentration of hazardous impurities such as methanol, acetaldehyde and others.
The tail is the final fraction when distilling moonshine. It contains the maximum concentration of fusel oils, which affect the clarity, taste and aroma of the finished drink.

Only the main fraction is suitable for use, which is expelled between the "head and the tail", which is called the body.

It is easy to determine how much by volume the heads and tails will occupy with the help of a special calculator; there are many online programs on the network that make the calculation as simple and fast as possible.

However, you can get accurate measurements with a simpler home calculator.

It is such a calculator that allows you to quickly and easily determine how much the volume of the body, head and tail will take separately during distillation. With the help of such a calculator, you can easily calculate, and later get high quality moonshine.

How to make calculations correctly before distilling moonshine is described in the video:

Separation of factions

Currently there several options for determining the volume of heads and tails when distilling mash for moonshine.

There are universal calculators that allow you to determine the volume of these both fractions, and there are specialized ones designed only for calculating the volume of one fraction.

The first

By percentage of sugar

This method of calculation is considered the simplest and most reliable.

Important! Its meaning lies in the fact that it is necessary to measure the total sugar content of the mash, which will be subject to distillation.

How to do it:

So, if the percentage of sugar is 20%, and the volume of the feedstock is 10 liters, then it is necessary to multiply the volume of the mash by the percentage of sugar.
Then the resulting number will be the mass of the sugar content. In our case, this is 2 kg.
From each kilogram of sugar, 100 ml of the primary fraction is taken. That is, the first 100 ml of distilled moonshine must be collected in a separate container.

By smell

This option should not be used on its own. Its essence is that a drop of moonshine is rubbed between the palms, when the liquid ceases to emit an unpleasant aroma, the second fraction begins to appear - the body.

By temperature

This calculation option is considered the least accurate today, since it is based on the process of heating the mash inside the apparatus. But each device has a different internal structure and operating principle.

Important!Professional moonshiners do not recommend using such a calculator today.

The principle of its operation is as follows:

The heads are taken drop by drop at a heating temperature of up to 68 degrees.
When the thermometer reaches 75%, the body is harvested, and then again increases the heat to 85 percent and the tails are taken.

This method also applies to most accurate:

The calculation principle lies in the fact that the first distillation is done without dividing into fractions.
Then measure the volume and strength of the resulting distillate and determine the volume of pure alcohol.
Then 10 percent of the obtained value is calculated - this will be the volume of the head.

How many heads to select when distilling moonshine is described in the video:

Second

You can determine the volume of the tails two ways:

For fruit and berry moonshine, the selection of the body is continued until the strength of the stream falls to 30 degrees. After reaching this mark, only tails come out of the apparatus.
For other types of this strong alcoholic drink, tails are considered to be a liquid with a turnover below 40 degrees.

Determining the strength is very simple - you need to drain a small part of the liquid into a separate container and take appropriate measurements.

Important! Such calculation methods are suitable only for the simplest distillation apparatus without or with dry tanks. If modern distillates are used for home production of this strong alcoholic beverage, then calculations must be made in accordance with the recommendations of the device manufacturer.

Watch a video in which an experienced moonshiner talks about how to properly separate fractions:

In primary distillation

The determination of the volume of heads and tails is in principle identical, both in the primary and in the secondary distillation of the liquid through the apparatus. The only difference is in the calculation methods used.

So, for primary distillation, both methods of calculating the determination of tails are suitable, but for determining the heads, the first calculation method and the last are considered the best option. It is important to divide the head volume into two parts.

Secondary distillation

During secondary distillation it is necessary to remove the last 100 ml of moonshine at the outlet, when the jet reaches a fortress of 30 degrees. It is this volume of moonshine that is considered the most harmful.

The heads during the secondary distillation are cut off in the same way as during the primary distillation.

But there is one nuance here - the total volume of the first fraction is divided into two parts:

The first 50% is removed during primary distillation.
The remaining heads are removed during the re-distillation.

Reference! Experienced moonshiners say that tails, unlike heads, do not have to be disposed of. They can be used to prepare a variety of medicinal infusions that will be used for external use.

At first glance, it may seem that such a calculation is rather complicated. But it is worth doing the calculations yourself once to make sure that this is not the case.

Correct calculation of heads and tail and their timely removal from the general stream is the main guarantee of making high-quality, safe and natural home-made moonshine. Therefore, it is best to use several calculation methods at once to ensure the accuracy of the measurements.

Homemade alcohol production is a creative process. You can get a quality drink if you know how to separate the heads and tails in moonshine. This procedure will help get rid of harmful fractions in which hazardous compounds are concentrated.

Methods for separating the heads and tails of moonshine

Water and alcohol aren't the only ingredients found in homemade liquor. Some pose a certain danger to the human body. Due to the fact that their boiling point differs from the boiling point of ethyl alcohol, by separating fractions, it is possible to select heads and tails, thereby achieving effective distillation.

The better the heads and tails are selected, the better the distillation

The amount of harmful components in the final product directly depends on the initially selected raw material, the duration of fermentation, the distillation technology, and even on the design of the apparatus through which the mash is distilled. It should be noted that the amount of fusel oils in the mash can vary even if it is prepared according to the same recipe. It is almost impossible to carry out the analysis at home, so the calculation can only be made roughly.

The "head" of moonshine, another name for pervach, or pervak, is the first part of the distillation, it has a pungent and unpleasant smell.

The most dangerous impurity is methyl alcohol, it is present in large quantities in fruit or grain fermentation products. In addition, mash contains acetone, acetaldehyde, etc. The boiling point of these components is lower than that of ethyl alcohol, using this property, you can exclude the ingress of these harmful substances into the strong drink.

For a very long time, the people believed that pervach is the strong and best part of the distilled drink. She is instantly intoxicated and very strong. Experts assure that "heads" are poison. The first faction causes severe poisoning, it is this condition that is often confused with intoxication.

Do not confuse pervach poisoning with drunkenness

What is "body"? This is the first and real part that can be called drinking. Moonshiners call it “heart”. In theory, it consists of alcohol and water, but almost always some impurities are present there. It is possible to cut off the mash into separate fractions only during rectification. After this procedure, the drink will taste like ethyl alcohol only.

"Tail" is the third part of the expelled liquid. This fraction contains not only ethyl alcohol, but also fusel oils.

It is they who give a cloudy appearance, an unpleasant aroma and a peculiar taste to moonshine. The boiling point of this component is higher than ethyl alcohol, which means that if you timely stop draining the main product - the "body", then the "tail" will not get into the strong home drink.

What to do with the "tails" of moonshine? It is worth saying that "tails" can be distilled twice, that is, they are allowed to be poured into the next portion of the mash. You can use the "heads" only for technical needs. For more information about the heads and tails of moonshine, see this video:

For each distiller, the question arises, how to select the first, second and third fractions? What is the trade-off between quality and quantity? It is best to choose the middle ground, use the parameters of experienced moonshiners.

Heating the prepared distillation composition to a boil and starting to receive the first drops of a strong liquid, you should reduce the power. Further, it is necessary to gradually increase the heating. The method used will allow you to set the device to operating mode, with such manipulations, the moonshine will begin to come out chilled.

Fraction selection methods

There are several options for selecting the first. The simplest is sugar. If there is a calculation of sugar content (the amount of added sugar), then this method is effective. Grain or fruit mash is checked by a wine tester. For 1 kg of sugar, 60 to 100 ml of "heads" are selected. The selected product can be divided by 2 times, that is, during the first distillation take only 30-50 ml of liquid, during the second distillation the same amount.

The amount of "head" can be determined by pure alcohol

If it is not possible to find out the sugar content, then there is another way to determine the amount of "head" - by pure alcohol. For this, the first distillation is carried out without removing the first fraction. On this day, the obtained moonshine is determined by the amount of pure alcohol in the strong drink. For example, in 6 liters of distillate with a strength of 63% vol. will contain 3.78 liters of alcohol. During the second distillation, it is necessary to remove from 18 to 15% of the head fraction. For calculations in home brewing, see this useful and relevant video:

Experienced guilty persons separate the "heads" by smell. The distillate is periodically sniffed, a small amount of liquid is rubbed on the palms. As soon as the specific smell disappears, they begin to take the "body".

The last part of the distillation is the tailings. They are determined by the fall of the fortress in the outgoing stream. Tails appear at 30 - 45% vol. In order not to miss this moment, you should use a separate container, in which it is easier to measure. If there is no alcohol meter at home, then a strong drink is taken as long as it burns.

What to do with the "heads" and "tails" has already been suggested above.

In connection with the rise in prices for alcohol and a drop in its quality, as well as an increase in cases of poisoning with store products, people have become more interested in home brewing and its features. This article will discuss how to separate the "heads" and "tails" in moonshine.

Apparatus design

It should be noted that the methods described below are not suitable for all moonshine stills. Therefore, you should describe the device that will be discussed in the article.

The design of the apparatus is a tank for home brew on fire or with a built-in heating element, connected to the cooling cube with a transition tube.

Aluminum tank

If you decide to make a moonshine still yourself, it is recommended to use a tank made of food grade (table aluminum). Soviet milk tanks with a volume of 15, 20 and 40 liters will do just like a blank. It remains to drill a hole from above, attach a cooling cube to it, and you're done. A cheap, easy-to-manufacture "pot" for brewing moonshine and for distilling tails and heads will last a long time.

Stainless steel tank

Food grade stainless steel is also good for this purpose. But stainless steel tanks are mainly for industrial purposes, and therefore are expensive in themselves.

Tanks made of other metals can, when heated, poison both the mash and the drink, releasing heavy metals such as lead, tin, zinc in them. These metals tend to accumulate in the body and harm organs and their systems, and therefore they are very dangerous for their use in the delicate process of cooking and cutting off "heads" and "tails" in moonshine.

What does separation mean?

So, to begin with, let's define what it means to separate "heads" and "tails". In fact, this is the division of the drink into fractions that are different in composition and their properties. In general, the "head" and "tail" in the moonshine are separated by temperature.

What is a "head"?

This fraction contains a large amount of harmful impurities, is not recommended for use and has an evaporation temperature of up to 70 degrees. While the apparatus enters the operating mode, the whole "head" usually comes out, which cannot be filtered or distilled, since the fusel oils and other by-products contained in it have a boiling point lower than that of ethyl alcohol.

Do you need a "head"?

This term, as already mentioned, is what comes out at the beginning - a large amount of fusel oils, methyl alcohol with an evaporation temperature of up to 70-72 degrees. This feature helps to understand how to cut off the "heads" and "tails" in moonshine. At one time the "head" (otherwise it is also called pervak) was considered high-quality alcohol, as it was more intoxicated. But one should not be encouraged by this, thinking that the stronger the "high", the better the alcohol.

In the case of "heads", intoxication is not caused by alcohol, but by intoxication caused by fusel oils and methyl alcohol. These impurities have a detrimental effect on all systems of the body, and they cause special harm to the liver and brain. At the same time, methyl alcohol in the "head" with long-term use can lead to visual impairment or complete blindness. Experienced distillers usually just pour out the "heads", if only because of the unbearable smell, and determine that the "head" came out by smell and tasting the drink. It is by the smell that you can identify the "heads" and "tails" in the moonshine. Realizing that the "pervak" is out, we will change the container to a larger one for the "body".

What is "body"?

This is 75-80% of the drink. It contains a maximum of ethyl (food) alcohol and a minimum of harmful additives. It is usable as it is considered the cleanest part of the pasture. The calculation of the "heads" and "tails" in the moonshine will begin with respect to the "body".

The "body" is that which has a minimum of harmful impurities, and, accordingly, a pungent odor and disgusting taste. This fraction is discharged at a temperature of 75 degrees, and it constitutes the largest volume of the entire pasture.

What comes from the "body"?

By the way, about the "body" that needs to be filtered. Yes, yes, for those who want to get first grade moonshine, there are 2 news: good and bad. Good: the drink can be filtered by distillation, thus obtaining almost pure alcohol. The bad news is that some of the drink will be lost (5-10% from each haul). Also, each subsequent distillation is more energy intensive, which increases the cost of the resulting alcohol. But if moonshine is chasing for a loved one, then what is the point of energy costs, the main thing is to get relatively cheap and high-quality alcohol? After all, the invariable advantage of home brewing is that you are 100% sure of drinking and that you will not get poisoned.

What does "tail" mean?

This term is usually called what comes after the "head" with a strength below 40 degrees, its composition is unpleasant: fusel oils. And also it has an unpleasant taste and smell, which is why it is also undesirable for consumption. But the "tail", in contrast to the "head", is suitable for ferrying, which we will discuss further. Now it is clear how to separate the "heads" and "tails" in moonshine.

Can "tails" be used?

This fraction begins to emerge at a temperature of 85 ° C. How to select "heads" and "tails" in moonshine? It is possible to determine that the "tails" have gone in this way: the cloudy color of the drink, low strength (less than 40%), smells similar to the smell of "heads" appear. If you don't have an alcohol meter, you can put some liquid in a tablespoon and set it on fire. If it burns with an invisible or barely visible blue flame, then the alcohol content is still about 40%. Thus, it becomes clear how to calculate the "heads" and "tails" in moonshine. Any other combustion or its absence indicates that "tails" have gone and it is necessary to change the container again, setting aside our cream.

By the way, "tails", unlike "heads", lend themselves to filtration according to the same principle as the "body". In general, "tails" can be added to the "body" and overtaken with it, but you should be able to cut off the unnecessary. "Tails" must be driven out to a strength of 20%. Everything else is unsuitable for pasture, since essential and fusel oils remain in the container, which evaporate at temperatures above 90 ° C. Then we add them to the "body" (or it can be separately) and distilled in the aforementioned way.

Feasibility of driving "tails"

It is worth noting that when adding the "tail" to the "body", we will have to dilute 1 part of moonshine in 2 parts of water. And with separate filtration, the "tail" is diluted 1 to 3, also remembering the strength. And we make calculations according to the same principles. For example, we have 500 ml of "tails" with a total strength of 30%. Let's calculate the amount of alcohol. Divide the volume of 500 ml by 100%, and multiply the resulting 5 by 30 and get 150 ml of pure alcohol.

It can be seen with the naked eye that it is economically more expedient to either pour out the "tails" and not suffer, wondering how to separate the "heads" and "tails" in moonshine, or overtake them together with the "body", observing the aforementioned conditions.

How to distill moonshine?

After the end of the pasture, the apparatus must be washed and charged again, but with the "body" (in the proportion of 1 part of the "body" to 2 parts of water). By the way, it is better to use water not from the tap, but to take it from the well. There is also an opinion that it is possible to take distilled water obtained on the same apparatus, since there are no impurities in such water, and it will more actively absorb compounds unnecessary in the drink. Its boiling point is slightly higher than normal.

We charge the device for the second round. For example, let's take that we allegedly have 2 liters of "body" with a strength of 70%. Let's calculate how much alcohol you should get at the exit. Divide 2 l (2000 ml) by 100% and get 20, then multiply by the strength of the drink. In our case, this is 70%. We get 1400 ml or 1.4 liters of the purest 100% alcohol. Since there is no 100% ethyl alcohol, but there is 96%, we will leave an error of 4% in the tank along with impurities that we do not need, which give an unpleasant smell.

Observing the recipe, add another 4 liters of water to two liters of the "body" and set it to be expelled, gaining the temperature up to 70-75 degrees. We drive out the drink until we get the volume of alcohol that was in the "body", and in our case it is 1.4 liters. It is no longer necessary to drive out, since there is left in the tank what we wanted to get rid of plus water.

So, we got 1400 ml of 90-96% alcohol, which needs to be diluted to obtain 40% usable drink. It is strongly discouraged to dilute the alcohol that is planned to be consumed with distilled water, since it is "dead" and flushes minerals from the body, and this is very detrimental to health.

As a result, we get a very, very well-refined moonshine, one might say, of the first grade. The procedure can be repeated, but experienced distillers believe that one or two runs are usually enough.

Alcohol meter

An alcohol meter, or a hydrometer, is used to change the percentage of alcohol in a liquid. This device can help in the question of how to cut off the "heads" and "tails" in moonshine. Oddly enough, but if it is immersed in a liquid in which there is obviously no alcohol, it will still show a certain percentage of alcohol content. The fact is that this device is based on this principle: it determines the amount of alcohol by the density of the liquid. Therefore, you need to be able to work with it correctly.

There are several types of hydrometers. To work at home, you will need a household one. It measures the percentage of alcohol in home vodka or moonshine on a scale from 0 to 96. The disadvantage of this device is in a small error - 0.5%. But this usually does not really matter, since people make moonshine for themselves, and not for sale on an industrial scale.

It should be remembered that this measuring instrument should be treated with care, because any scratch or crack will render the alcohol meter unusable. You also need to know that they can measure the strength of a drink only at a temperature of 20 degrees. If the drink is hotter or colder, the device will show an incorrect result. A household hydrometer should not measure beverages containing impurities such as wine, tinctures, etc., since it is designed to measure only the density of alcohol and water.

A few more recommendations. After diluting the alcohol with water, it is necessary to wait 10 minutes and only then start measuring, because immediately after dilution, the liquid will generate a lot of heat. In addition, the instrument must be clean and dry, otherwise, again, measurements will be incorrect.

When the temperature of the moonshine reaches 20 degrees, it must be poured into a glass or flask and gently lower the alcoholometer there with the wide part down. If you work with it sharply, then you can damage it, and then you will have to acquire a new one.

Finally

The article described how to separate the "heads" and "tails" in moonshine. It should be added that selling moonshine in many countries is simply prohibited, but no one talked about moonshine brewing for themselves. As far as is known, winemakers are not imprisoned or handed huge fines. So it is with home brewing. While you are doing this for yourself, law enforcement agencies are not interested. The invariable advantage of home brewing is the cheapness of the drink and absolute confidence in its composition.