Separation of moonshine into fractions by temperature. Technology for separating heads, bodies and tails in moonshine. How to deal with the selected head fraction

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 a quality drink without harmful by-products 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 great content those same fusel oils and isopropyl alcohol, therefore 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).

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

1. 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
2. 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 composed of acetone, methyl alcohol and other components that are equally unacceptable to the human body. 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. He has a 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 purification 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 are taken away in grain mash only on the second run, moreover, when the fortress in the jet falls below 30°C. In such moonshine, more fusel oils will remain, but its organoleptics, which form the taste of grain moonshine, will be more pleasant.

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 both the design of the moonshine still and the composition of the mash play a role. 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, a tall glass or jar is substituted in its place and the distillate is collected 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 selecting fractions during two distillations. 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°.

But it is better to distill moonshine from beets, potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke not two, but three times in order to get rid of a specific aftertaste. The first time - direct-flow method, without separation and almost dry. The second and third - with the selection of 50% of the heads, and tails - as in the distillation of sugar distillate.

So, we decided that it is possible to sacrifice some (not so much) part of the alcohol for the sake of its quality. You yourself will use it, put it on the table for dear guests. So why do we need a “shmurdyak”, which is unpleasant to drink, if not impossible for a person who knows a lot about homemade alcohol.

In addition, a huge amount of fusel oils hits the liver and brain cells. Drink high-quality moonshine and like the article, as well as recommend it on social networks.

The ultimate goal of the distillation (distillation) process is to obtain a strong homemade drink. But, unfortunately, after the first distillation, the drink contains a large amount of harmful substances, fusel oils and impurities.

Usually they are called fractions, these are "heads", "body" and "tails". Of these, only the body is suitable for consumption, the rest is used for non-food purposes or thrown away.

For the first run

The moonshiner's calculator consists of several formulas, using which you can not only get a strong drink, but also significantly improve its quality.

This article will focus on the calculator "heads" and "tails".

It should be said right away that such calculators are usually developed for calculating standard sugar mash and high-quality alcohol yeast.

Most experienced moonshiners, even during the first distillation, select “heads” and “tails” in order to eliminate the amount of harmful substances in the drink as much as possible.

You will need first and second distillation "heads" and "tails" calculators, as well as a first distillation raw alcohol volume calculator. Here you can calculate the amount of the finished product with a strength of 40%.

Next, you can use the table below to determine the approximate number of "heads" and "tails". To do this, you need to know not only the volume of the mash, but also the amount of sugar in it (as a percentage). Therefore, before putting the mash, be sure to fix the exact amount of sugar.

This data is based on a simple calculation:

• The number of heads in the drink after the first distillation is 50 ml per 1 kg of sugar in Braga, and the volume of tails is 100 ml for the same amount.
• Based on these data, the following tables were compiled.

How to calculate correctly?

Simple example:

• You have 20 liters of mash.
• The amount of sugar in it is 20%

According to the calculations of the calculator, the volume of 40% raw alcohol will be 4 liters. In this case, the volume of “heads” will be 200 ml, and the volume of tails will be 400 ml (the data are given in the table).

To calculate, you need 20 * 0.2 \u003d 4 kg of sugar contained in 20 liters of mash in this example.

• 4 * 50 = 200 ml - the volume of "heads";
• 4 * 100 = 400 ml - the volume of "tails".

4–0.2–0.4 = 3.4 liters.

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

For the second run

In order to use the calculator, you need to overtake the mash through a moonshine still and get raw alcohol. Then measure its strength with an alcohol meter and dilute to the desired state. To calculate the amount of water, use a separate calculator or table.

After the raw alcohol is diluted and the strength suits you, you can begin to calculate the number of "heads" and "tails".

To use the online calculator, you need to know only two parameters:

1. Quantity of crude in liters.
2. Fortress raw in percent.

As a result, you will learn:

• Volume of "heads".
• Tail volume.
• The volume of the finished product with a strength of 65-70%.

Attention! The data of such calculations and tables are always approximate and require additional control. The quality of moonshine can always be checked with an alcohol meter, by the temperature in the tank, by smell and taste.

tables

First distillation

Before proceeding to the calculations of heads and tails, it should be mentioned what is the meaning of the first distillation.

And the point is to get raw alcohol (SS), that is, the product from which high-quality moonshine suitable for consumption is obtained:

• Expel such a product on high heat ( fast way) almost dry.
• The main rule is to expel about 70% of the product, and then continue to drive with an alcohol meter.
• As soon as the fortress falls below 20 degrees, the distillation should be stopped.

Beginning moonshiners often wonder - should the "heads" and "tails" be separated during the first distillation? Yes, it should, since the purity and quality of the final drink depends on it.

Attention! The faster the distillation, the lower the strength of the raw alcohol.

What is the head fraction in moonshine?

It is a low-boiling liquid that contains methanol and acetone. These components are quite harmful and dangerous to human health. The fraction has an unpleasant odor, and its boiling point is much lower than that of ethyl alcohol. Therefore, the "heads" always come out first, it will not be difficult to collect them.

"Tail" moonshine is the third and final faction:

• Its sign is a cloudy color and a pungent odor.
• "Tails" contain fusel oils and isopropylene sleep, which means that they are also not suitable for consumption.
• The boiling point of the "tails" is much higher than that of ethyl alcohol. And this makes it possible to stop the selection in time. The main thing here is not to miss the moment.

But in order to properly cut off the “tails” of moonshine, it is necessary to determine how much of the average fraction of the “body” will turn out from one or another amount of mash.

"Body" moonshine is the middle fraction of the drink, which comes out immediately after the selection of heads. A distinctive feature of this fraction is a fortress of at least 40%, transparency, the absence of a sharp and unpleasant odor.

The selection of tails occurs according to the residual principle - if the “body” has finished going, then the tails have gone.

The exit of the body, "heads" and "tails" from the mash

Calculation of "heads" and "tails" during the first distillation (by the amount of sugar)
Quantity	Amount of sugar in mash (%)	Quantity "heads" in ml	Quantity "tails" in ml
10	15	75	150
20	15	150	300
30	15	225	550
40	15	300	600
50	15	375	750
60	15	450	900
70	15	525	1050
80	15	600	1200
90	15	675	1350
100	15	750	1500

In order to make it easier to navigate and not to miss the exit of the "tails", a table is given of the yield of raw alcohol during the first distillation. To calculate, you need to know the exact volume of mash.

How to correctly calculate the output of distillate during the distillation of mash is described in the video:

Raw alcohol output

For additional control of the output of "tails", use an alcohol meter. The amount of alcohol in the tail fraction will always be less than 40 degrees. As soon as the "tails" went, change the receiving container and start the selection.

Redistillation

The second distillation, like the first, allows you to separate the heads and tails from the body of moonshine. The only difference is that raw alcohol serves as a raw material for it.

Table for calculating "heads" and "tails" during re-distillation

Volume of raw alcohol (l) 35% alcohol	Heads (L)	Tails (l)	The yield of the final product with a strength of 65% (l)
10	0,38	0,54	4,47
15	0,57	0,81	6,7
20	0,75	1,08	8,94
25	0,94	1,35	11,17
30	1,13	1,62	13,41
35	1,32	1.88	15,64
40	1,51	2,15	17,88
45	1,7	2,42	20,11
50	1,88	2,69	22,35
55	2,07	2,96	24,58
60	2,26	3,23	26,82
65	2,45	3,5	29,05
70	2,64	3,77	31,28
75	2,83	4,04	33,52
80	3,02	4,31	35,75
85	3,2	4,58	37,99
90	3,39	4,85	40,22
95	3,58	5,12	42,46
100	3,77	5,38	44,69

You should know that in the "unselected" moonshine, the concentration of harmful substances can exceed the permissible norms by several tens of times. And this is a serious health risk.

At the same time, it is not difficult to divide the resulting drink into fractions. This does not require any sophisticated equipment or serious efforts.

Moonshine is a traditional activity for a domestic strong alcohol lover. For all the entertainment of the process, it is necessary to follow some rules so that, as a result, the harmful substances present in the drink are correctly separated and eliminated. Moonshine makers refer to this process as "cutting off heads and tails" in the second distillation. How to select them in moonshine?

Regardless of the type of wort, when the liquid is heated, fungal cells begin to decompose and esters with toxic alcohols are released. All of them are included in one common concept of "fusel oils". There are more than a dozen positions of harmful substances in the set. It is impossible to ideally clean moonshine from them using a conventional moonshine still, but when heated, the problem is solved well, which makes it possible to obtain alcohol of normal quality at the output.

Three fractions are noted in this process:

1. "Head" is pervach formed when heated to 60 degrees Celsius. The harm to health from this swill is enormous. It is recommended to get rid of it with a margin.

The composition of the "head" includes:

• methyl alcohol;
• acetone;
• acetic acid.

Since the boiling point of these components is lower than that of ethyl alcohol, they stand out with the first drops. The volume of "heads" also depends on the type of mash. Most of them are in the grain variety of pervacha.

Many of us consider pervach to be the coolest and most addictive drink, trying not to cut off our “heads”. In fact, the use of such a potion is fraught with poisoning.

1. "Body" - the central part, for the sake of which the whole process of moonshine is started. If you skillfully select "heads" at the very beginning, you can get a fairly clean and relatively harmless product in the end.
2. "Tails" - the completion of the process, in which the fortress of moonshine falls below 35 degrees. It makes no sense to pour them into the next portion for re-distillation, it does not give anything. They contain fusel oils that affect the turbidity of moonshine and the appearance of an unpleasant odor. This does not particularly affect health, but if there is a task to achieve a fragrant drink, then it is better to cut off the “tails” in time.

To completely separate moonshine into fractions, rectification will be required, as a result of which pure ethyl alcohol without a characteristic odor is obtained. Doctors urge not to abuse such drinks, because alcohol addiction from them more than 10 times higher than from the use of distillates in the form of whiskey or cognac.

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question, “how many heads and tails to select?”, everything is approximate.

How are heads selected?

The prepared mash is poured into, put on fire and brought to a boil for 15 minutes with a gradual increase in temperature by 5 degrees per minute.

Then, in the same way, the temperature values ​​\u200b\u200bof the products are gradually reduced to a minimum and then again increased strictly to 68 degrees. At the exit, either cold moonshine or slightly warmed up should appear.

Cut-off for sugar

Method for beginners in moonshine brewing. The volume is calculated and the volume of "heads" is determined.

On average, about 50 milliliters are cut off from one kilogram of sugar, but it is desirable to divide the process into two parts: the first distillation is about 30 milliliters, the second is approximately the same.

By the amount of ethyl alcohol

It is not always possible to find out the sugar content of the drink before fermentation begins. Therefore, the first distillation is performed without cutting off the “heads”, but the amount of pure ethyl alcohol is measured.

Let's say that we got five liters of distillate with a strength of 60%. By simple calculations: 5 x 0.60 - we get the value 3, which means the volume of pure alcohol in liters. During the second distillation, we cut off the “head” at the rate of 15% of the amount of pure alcohol: 3 x 0.15 = 0.45.

By smell

This is a method that is used by experienced moonshiners. It is difficult for a beginner to catch the moment when pervach passes into the body.

It is necessary from time to time to sniff the distillate coming out of the moonshine, rubbing a few drops in the palms. When the pungent odor disappears, they begin to select the “body”. Thus, you can check the correctness of the calculations when cutting off the "heads" for sugar or alcohol.

By temperature

Not the most The best way, because some impurities have the same boiling point as ethyl alcohol, which means that it will not be easy to cut them off.

"Heads" evaporate at a temperature of 65-68 degrees. In the process of distillation, when reaching 63 degrees, the heating is sharply reduced. Next, the selection of "heads" is carried out, while drops ooze from the unit. When the "drop" is completed, add the intensity of the fire and bring the temperature of the liquid to 78 degrees. The selection of the "body" continues up to 85 °C. Note that all values ​​here are approximate.

How to cut off the "tails"?

"Tails" appear when the fortress falls to 30-45 degrees. In order not to miss the moment, it is recommended to collect the outgoing moonshine in a small container by the end of the distillation. It is easy to produce in it (at a liquid temperature of 20 °C). If the fortress is still high, then it is necessary to pour the distillate back into the common boiler and again substitute the jar at the outlet.

During the first distillation, it is allowed to collect the “body” until the degree of distillate falls below 30%. Even if the moonshine becomes cloudy, it's okay, the second distillation will solve the problem.

Many manufacturers of moonshine consider "tails" everything that has a fortress below 40 degrees. If there is no alcohol meter at hand, then the strength is checked by burning in a spoon. The selection is stopped when the liquid ceases to burn.

As soon as the strength of alcohol drops to a minimum, the distillation is stopped. That, in fact, is all.

The main fractions of the distillation of mash

Braga contains many substances in addition to alcohol and water. The use of these substances for food purposes is highly undesirable. It is important for the moonshiner to separate foreign matter and prepare the purest possible ready-to-use product. The concentration of harmful substances depends on the amount of yeast used, the presence of additional plant components in the composition of the mash. The information below is relevant for those who use moonshine stills to get drinks.

The entire composition of the distilled liquid is conditionally divided into three parts - "head", "body" and "tail". The "body" is the fraction that makes up the final product. The moonshiner's task is to remove the fusel oils and toxins that make up the "head" and "tail" as much as possible, to get a clean "body". The separation of fractions occurs by the method of repeated or fractional distillation.

Fraction specification

Each faction in the composition of the mash has its own chemical composition, physical and chemical properties:

• Head: a more common name among the people is “pervak”. Initial distillation fraction: it contains methyl alcohol, acetaldehyde and acetone (a particularly high concentration of these substances is typical for mash based on fruits or cereals). The components of the "head" have a boiling point lower than that of ethyl alcohol and are easily separated due to this. "Heads" can not be used for medical and food needs, it is permissible to use it exclusively for technical purposes;
• Body: the main fraction, for the sake of obtaining it, the process of home brewing is started. The fraction consists of ethyl alcohol, water, residual particles of the "head" and "tail" (100% filtration is not possible with all desire). To obtain a pure product, rectification must be additionally used. But this technology levels out all the taste properties of the finished product; shades, notes of fruits, herbs, berries and cereals will be lost. When obtaining distillates such as vodka, or gin, the presence of fusel oils in small concentrations is a sign of a properly prepared drink.
• Tail: Final faction, most difficult to separate. To cut off the tail, you need multiple distillation of the mash at high temperatures. "Tail" is mostly fusel oils. If the remains of this fraction are not needed, then to cut it off, it is enough to finish collecting the “body”. Another thing is that the "tail" has a significant concentration of ethanol (40% and above). "Tails" are cleaned as much as possible in the distillation column. Products of this fraction can be used when rubbing the body and added in small quantities to home-made preparations during canning.

Separation of fractions of moonshine

The most important thing is to recognize the exit of the "head" from the moonshine still. Experienced moonshiners will be able to recognize the separation of the fraction by the sharp, unpleasant odor of the escaping liquid. It is most reliable to separate the “head” using high temperature, bringing the mash to almost 90 boiling points (97 degrees Celsius or more).

It is also easy to cut off the “tail”: it is enough to fix the moment of stopping the collection of the “body”. "Body" is not collected at a fortress below 35%. Experienced distillers impregnate a piece of paper in the distillate emanating from the apparatus and set it on fire. If the paper does not light up - the fortress is below 35% and the part of the mash remaining in the apparatus is the “tail”. When the "body" exits, a piece of paper burns with a blue flame.