Clarification of the brew: 9 ways at home
To obtain high-quality moonshine without unnecessary impurities and fusel oils, it is very important to properly process the brew. Regardless of the method of production and raw materials used, the alcohol-containing liquid must be clarified before distillation. Otherwise, the moonshine will turn out to be cloudy, with an unpleasant odor and will be harmful to health.
Tips before you start
In some cases, the brew clarifies itself during settling - then you need to carefully drain it from the sediment, strain it through a cheesecloth filter and use it for its intended purpose.
If the liquid is cloudy and in doubt, you should resort to one of the popular methods of pasting (clarification) and only then start distilling.
Clarification of the brew with bentonite
A substance similar to white clay was first evaluated in the United States, where they noticed its ability to increase in volume when wet and bind harmful impurities. Today, bentonite is actively used in moonshine making and winemaking, as well as in other sectors of the economy.
Advantages of this cleaning option: naturalness, high efficiency, cheapness and ease of use.
For 10 liters of mash, you will need 1 tablespoon of the product and about half a liter of boiling water. It is better to buy special bentonite for winemaking, but other types are also suitable, including ordinary white pharmacy clay without additives.
By analogy, the brew is clarified with cat litter. It must consist entirely of bentonite and not contain flavoring agents, otherwise it will be an extremely dangerous undertaking.
Method of application
Grind or grind bentonite in a coffee grinder to a powder.
Pour boiling water over the substance, mix well and let it swell for 2-3 hours.
Remove excess water, pour the solution into a container with cloudy brew in a thin stream, stirring continuously.
Leave the liquid to clarify for a day, carefully drain off the sediment.
Clarifying the brew with cold
One of the easiest ways that does not require additional ingredients. Use cooling (not suitable for grain drinks) or freezing. In the first case, it will take about a week, in the second - no more than half a day.
As you know, alcohol does not freeze, while water and fusel oils turn to ice at low temperatures. For its part, cooling effectively stops the yeast from working and promotes its precipitation.
It is not recommended to lower the temperature much: when freezing, the optimal temperature is from 0 to -15 °C, when cooling - +5-7 °C.
Method of application
Pour the brew into a container with a lid, send it in the cold.
Wait for the prescribed time, drain the purified drink.
Pass the alcohol through a sieve and a paper funnel.
Clarifying the brew with citric acid
For 10 liters of alcohol, you will need 1 tablespoon of "lemon". To neutralize the sour taste, add soda, honey or chalk to the drink before distillation. This method is optimal for grain moonshine; fruit mash is better to be purified in a gentle way.
Method of application
Dissolve citric acid in a small amount of water, pour the solution into the mash.
Wait about a day, remove the product from the sediment.
Add soda or other neutralizer to the drink (1 tbsp). л.). л.), strain.
Clarifying the carcass brew
Hibiscus petals contain a higher amount of acid and act in a similar way to lemonade: they stop the activity of yeast and bind impurities.
For 10 liters of alcohol-containing product, you need 70-80 g of cardamom and about 1 liter of water.
Like the previous method, this option is better suited for a grain drink. The pink color of the brew will not affect the color of the moonshine.
Method of application
Soak the flowers in water and put them on fire.
Bring the liquid to a boil, remembering to stir.
Cover the container with a lid, let it brew and cool.
Decant the infusion, squeeze the liquid from the flower mass into it, discard the cake.
Pour hibiscus tea into the brew, leave for 1 day.
Remove the beverage from the sediment, pass through cotton wool.
Clarification of the brew with gelatin
This method is better suited for fruit drinks. It allows you to get rid of yeast bacteria, but does not eliminate fusel oils, so after the pasting, double distillation is recommended. For 10 liters of brew, you need 2 g of gelatin.
Method of application
Pour gelatin with cold water (0.4 liters), leave for 24 hours, replacing water with fresh water every 8.
After a day, drain the last batch of cold water, add warm water (0.4 liters), mix well and add the gelatin solution to the brew.
Wait three days, carefully decant the alcohol.
Clarification of the mash with alcohol
This method is used to stop fermentation in a liquid that is too sweet. Alcohol stops the work of yeast and causes it to precipitate.
The amount of ingredient is determined arbitrarily. Instead of alcohol racking, you can clarify the mash with the tails left over from the previous distillation (minimum strength - 25%). The latter option allows you to increase the yield of a strong product and utilize waste.
Method of application
Pour alcohol into the brew.
Wait a day, drain from the sediment.
Clarification of the mash with milk
One of the fastest and most efficient methods of purification. For 10 liters of brew, take a 1 liter package of store milk. Choose a product with minimal fat content, otherwise the condition of the drink will only worsen - it will acquire an unpleasant odor.
The method of preparation
Pour milk into alcohol, stir, leave for several hours.
Wait for white flakes to fall out, strain the liquid through two types of filters: gauze and paper.
Clarification of the mash with charcoal
Charcoal is able to absorb harmful compounds, so it is ideal for purifying alcohol.
The substance obtained during the combustion of birch logs and the charcoal preparation sold in specialized stores work best.
The worst option would be charcoal or pharmacy pills. For 10 liters of mash you need 2-3 tablespoons of crushed coal.
Method of application
Crush the coal, pour it into the wort.
Wait 1 day, decant from the sediment.
Pass the liquid through a carbon filter.
Clarification of the mash with soda
For 10 liters of brew, take 10 g of soda (baking or soda ash) and 10 ml of water. To enhance the effect, you can add potassium permanganate diluted with water to the soda solution (2 g per 1 liter).
Method of application
Dilute the soda with water, pour into the brew.
Stir well, wait a quarter of an hour.
Shake the liquid, leave it in the cool for half a day.
Decant the brew, pass through a filter.
Update: 02.12.2018
Category: Vodka an Moonshine