How to cut off heads and tails in moonshine. How to select heads using a moonshine still with a steamer

Methods for separating the heads and tails of moonshine March 11, 2016 Along with water and alcohol, the mash contains other substances, many of which are harmful to the body. Fortunately, their boiling point is higher or lower than that of ethyl alcohol, so using fractional distillation (separation into fractions) you can prevent most dangerous impurities from entering the finished product. We will look at methods that allow you to select the correct number of tails and heads of moonshine, which will have a positive effect on the quality of the distillate. Attention! The information is relevant only for a conventional moonshine still, consisting of a distillation cube and a coil-shaped refrigerator; it is also possible to have a steamer. For devices with reflux condensers and other devices that simulate the operation of a distillation column, the parameters for selecting tails and heads may differ from those set out here. I advise you to clarify this point with the circuit designers, manufacturers or equipment sellers. I do not advise on commercial models of devices. The amount of harmful impurities depends on the raw materials, water, yeast, temperature, duration of fermentation, design of the moonshine still and distillation technology. Even in mash according to the same recipe, the concentration of harmful substances can change every time, but at home, analyzing the composition of mash is impossible, so you have to take approximate values ​​as a basis. The “head” of moonshine (also called “pervach” or “pervak”) is the initial fraction with a sharp, unpleasant odor. Contains the most dangerous impurities: methyl alcohol (a lot in grain and fruit mashes), acetone, acetaldehyde and others. Due to the fact that the boiling point of harmful substances is lower than that of ethyl alcohol, during distillation they come out first, therefore, they can be prevented from getting into the main product. In everyday life, pervach is considered the highest quality moonshine, since it is strong and quickly intoxicates. In fact, it is poison in its pure form; its consumption causes toxic poisoning, which is often confused with intoxication. The heads are the strongest. The moonshine head should not be drunk or used for rubbing. This fraction can be used exclusively for technical needs, but due to the unpleasant odor, in most cases it is simply thrown away. “Body” is the drinking part, the main goal of the moonshiner (the second name is “heart”). In theory, it contains only ethyl alcohol and water, but in practice there are always other impurities in the “body”, since during distillation it is physically impossible to divide the yield into clear fractions; to one degree or another, different substances with similar boiling points are always mixed, the yield is “ lubricated." For complete decomposition into fractions, rectification is needed, thanks to which pure ethyl alcohol can be obtained. The disadvantage of this method is that, along with harmful impurities, substances responsible for the organoleptic properties of the drink are removed. This means that after rectification, the taste and smell of moonshine made from different raw materials (sugar, grain and fruit) will be the same, since only ethyl alcohol will remain in the drink. It should be remembered that the harm and benefits of many substances in the distillate are relative. For example, fusel oils cause the liver to become active before alcohol begins to act, this protects the body from the harmful effects of alcohol. A study by Vladimir Pavlovich, professor of the Research Institute of Narcology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, proved that rectified alcohol (vodka) causes alcohol addiction many times faster than distillates - whiskey, cognac, tequila, etc. About 70% of addicted people are vodka alcoholics. The purer the poison (in our case, ethyl alcohol), the faster the addiction develops. Correct division of moonshine into fractions during distillation on a classic moonshine still allows you to remove almost all harmful substances, but leave those that are responsible for the aroma and taste of the drink, which cannot be done with rectification. The “tail” of moonshine - the third fraction, in addition to ethyl alcohol, contains fusel oils, which give an unpleasant odor, taste and cloudy color. The boiling point of fusel milk is higher than that of ethyl alcohol, so in order to separate the tail of moonshine, it is enough to stop collecting the main product - the “body” - in time. Although after distillation a lot of ethyl alcohol remains in the “tails” (up to 40%), the ingress of other substances with it spoils the quality of the moonshine, which is why it is so important to complete the distillation on time. Tailings can be recycled, but it is usually not worth the energy. Unlike heads, tails can be recycled and can be added to a new batch of mash (just before distillation) or purified in a distillation column. It is useless to distill the “tails” a second time in a moonshine still; it will not improve the quality! The question of how many “heads” and “tails” to select is a compromise between the quantity and quality of moonshine. Further we will use the “golden mean” - parameters tested by more than one generation of moonshiners. You can change them at your discretion either in one direction or the other. Further I will pay attention not to specific numbers, but to methods of calculation. How to take the head of moonshine First, the mash is brought to a boil. When the first drops appear, the power is reduced to a minimum, then the heating is gradually increased again so that the device reaches operating mode. Performance depends on the design and power of the stove; there are no average parameters here. It is considered normal when the moonshine comes out cold (the temperature is approximately equal to the temperature of the cooling water). This is what we need to strive for. Methods for separating heads: 1. By sugar. The simplest, but at the same time effective method. Suitable if the sugar content of the mash or the amount of added sugar is known. In fruit or grain mash, sugar content is determined by a special device - a vinometer (hydrometer-saccharometer) before adding yeast. For example, there are 5 liters of mash with a sugar content of 20%, this means that the total sugar content is 1 kg (5 * 0.2 = 1). The calculation assumes that 1 liter of solution is equal in weight to 1 kilogram, in practice this is not the case, but the error itself has little effect on the result, and it simplifies the calculation significantly, so I advise you not to “bother.” From 1 kg of sugar, 60-100 ml of heads are taken. It is advisable to divide this amount into two distillations, taking 30-50 ml of the yield during the first distillation and the same amount during the second. 2. For pure alcohol. It is not always possible to determine the sugar content before fermentation begins. In this case, the first distillation is done without cutting off the “heads”, then the amount of absolute alcohol is measured. For example, if you get 6 liters of distillate with a total strength of 63%, then it contains 3.78 liters of pure alcohol (6*0.63=3.78). To simplify the calculations, we take the strength of ethyl as 100%, although absolute alcohol can only be obtained in laboratory conditions. During the second distillation, the head fraction is cut off at the rate of 8-15% of the amount of pure alcohol. In our example, this is 0.567 liters (3.78*0.15=0.567). One of the variations of this method is the selection of 1% of heads from the volume of mash, but for various reasons related to fermentation and sugar concentration, this method cannot be considered accurate; it is better to focus on absolute ethyl. 3. By smell. Suitable for experienced distillers who can identify moonshine heads by their unpleasant smell. The distillate coming out of the apparatus is periodically sniffed, rubbing a couple of drops in the palms, when the pungent smell disappears, they begin to select the “body”. This is a good way to check the accuracy of calculations based on sugar or alcohol. 4. By temperature. Due to the design features of moonshine stills and the different composition of impurities, this method does not always work well in practice. I recommend using it only as a last resort. I bring it here for your reference. The evaporation temperature of the “heads” is 65-68°C. During distillation, when the temperature reaches 63°C (the thermometer should be at the entrance to the refrigerator), the heating power is sharply reduced in order to smoothly reach the above temperature range. Next, the “heads” are selected while drops flow from the apparatus. When the output stops, raise the temperature to 78°C and take the “body” to a temperature of 85°C. The values ​​are approximate and may differ depending on the device! How to separate tails in moonshine Evidence of the appearance of tails is a drop in strength in the stream to 30-45 degrees. In order not to miss this moment, it is advisable to collect the moonshine coming out of the still into a flask or small jar near the end of the distillation, in which you can simply take a measurement with an alcohol meter (the liquid temperature must be 20°C). If the strength is high enough, pour the distillate into a common container and place the jar again. During the first distillation (especially fruit and grain mashes), you can collect the “body” until the distillate degree drops below 30%. At the same time, the moonshine sometimes becomes cloudy, but it’s okay; a second distillation, in which the beginning of the tails is considered to be 40% strength, will correct the problem. Most moonshiners prefer to consider anything that has a strength below 40 degrees to be moonshine tails. If there is no alcohol meter, the moonshine is taken until it burns in the spoon. When the yield strength drops below the minimum, distillation is stopped by stopping the heating, or tailings are continued to be collected up to 15-20%, but this wastes energy and time, which in most cases is not worth it.

At the beginning of using the moonshine still, the mash must boil, and only then its power is reduced. A sign of this is the appearance of drops. Then you can slowly heat it up again. The finished moonshine at the outlet must correspond to the temperature of the water used for cooling.

How to remove heads from moonshine

There are several indicators that allow you to do this:

1. Amount of sugar. Quite a simple method. It is good when you know how much sugar was added, or its amount in the mash. Moreover, there are instruments that help determine the indicator. If 1 kg of sugar was added, then you should get about 60-10 ml of heads. This amount can be halved and selected during primary and then secondary distillation.
2. Amount of alcohol. If you don't know how much sugar is in the mash, distill without cutting off. Then measure the strength. The amount of alcohol is multiplied with the volume of the resulting distillate (for example, 59% or 0.59 * 7 l = 4.13 pure alcohol). Then re-distillation occurs, and the heads are removed in the amount of 8 to 15% of the volume of the resulting alcohol.
3. Smell. This method is only suitable for experienced moonshiners. You can take a couple of drops and rub them in your palms and smell them thoroughly. When it changes, selection can begin.
4. Temperature. The method is not very good because it is not accurate. Theoretically, when you reach the level of 65-68C, you can get heads. They will drip when you lower the temperature below 63C. Then it can be increased, the mash reaches 78C, the body is collected up to 85C. True, all numbers may differ depending on the moonshine still used.

This is how you can pick out heads in moonshine.

How to select tails in moonshine

You will immediately understand that it is time to collect the tails when the strength reaches about 30-40%. Have a small glass or flask on hand to take a little bit of the drink and take measurements with an alcohol meter. The first distillation allows you to start collecting at 30%, and a slight cloudiness of the drink is allowed. It will later leave during the second distillation, when the selection begins at 40%.

As soon as the alcohol level reaches a minimum, you can turn off the heat and collect up to 15-20%. Now you know exactly how to select the tails in moonshine correctly.

Let strong alcohol become a special drink on the holiday table, a treat for guests along with a delicious homemade snack.

It is quite simple to imagine the process of distilling moonshine in a conventional distiller - when the mash is heated, its components turn into steam, then pass through a coil, cool and turn into condensate. The latter flows freely into a substituted container, into which the distillation product is collected. But it should be taken into account that the mash contains not only ethyl alcohol, but also impurities such as acetone, formic acid, aldehyde and wood alcohol. Some of these substances simply spoil the moonshine, while other impurities, for example, methyl alcohol, can literally kill a person. Therefore, when making homemade alcohol, each moonshiner begins to separate ethyl alcohol from other impurities, which are conventionally called “heads” and “tails.” How to separate the “heads” and “tails” in moonshine and what is needed for this?

Dividing moonshine into fractions

In fact, this task requires a responsible approach, since its safety for health depends on its quality.

What are factions?

Moonshine is a product that consists of components that evaporate at different temperatures. The so-called “heads” have the lowest temperature - impurities represented by methyl alcohol, acetone, acetaldehyde, etc. “Heads” (their part is 5% of 100% of the original raw material) during primary distillation due to the fact that they boil at a temperature of 75 degrees, it is possible to separate them first, but the main thing is that they do not get into the product. “Heads” are also called pervach, and there was a time when pervach was considered a high-quality alcohol with a strong taste. However, eating “heads” actually leads to severe poisoning, which is accompanied not only by severe nausea, vomiting and dizziness, but also by damage to the nervous system, which can lead to death. Many distillers pour out the “heads” because they have an unbearably pungent odor.

The separation of the “body”, that is, ethyl alcohol, occurs when the heating temperature of the mash rises to 80-85 degrees. The “body” is 80% mash, and this fraction of moonshine is suitable for consumption. Correct separation of the “heads” from the raw materials allows you to obtain at a temperature of 80-85 degrees not a pure “body”, but a “body” containing fusel oils.

Fusel oils are impurities, the presence of which in small quantities in moonshine gives the drink a special taste and smell. If there is too much fusel oil, drinking such alcohol is not only harmful to health, but also unpleasant. But there is also another opinion regarding fusel oils. It turns out that when a person drinks alcohol, such impurities activate the production of liver enzymes, even before ethyl alcohol begins to act on this organ.

As for fusel oils, or “tails,” in moonshine they should be cut off at a temperature exceeding 85 degrees. Since fusel oils have the highest boiling point, they must be cut off at temperatures above 85 degrees.

Selection of “heads” and “tails”: how to cut off?

Before starting the procedure for selecting “heads,” it doesn’t hurt to study at what temperatures the components of moonshine boil. Thus, acetaldehyde, which is a component of toxic impurities, will begin to boil at a temperature of 20.8 degrees Celsius. For formic ethyl alcohol, the boiling point is 54 degrees, for methyl acetate - 57.1 degrees, for wood alcohol - 64 degrees, etc. At a temperature of 78.3, ethyl, also known as the “body,” evaporates. When the temperature rises above 85 degrees, fusel oils begin to turn into steam.

“Heads” and “tails” can only be selected from raw alcohol diluted to 40 degrees.

How to select the “heads” and “tails” correctly?

1. The fire when heating the mash must be maintained at the same intensity level as soon as the raw material is heated to 60 degrees Celsius. After this, the fire should be reduced and the mash should be brought to 75 degrees. At this temperature, the output will be represented by “heads”. How many should we select? For example, if there is 1 liter of raw alcohol, then the number of “heads” in it will be only 20 milliliters. Nevertheless, it is necessary to get rid of this faction, otherwise moonshine will be a real poison.
2. Selection of the “body”: the body must be removed from raw alcohol over high heat, but the temperature should not approach 90 degrees. If you break this rule, the ethyl alcohol will boil away along with the fusel oils. When distilling the “body,” you should control the moonshine’s speed. For example, if the strength drops to 40 degrees, ethyl distillation should be stopped.
3. Removing moonshine from the “tails” will make the taste of moonshine softer and the smell less intense. If the drink does not contain an excess of fusel oils, then after drinking it a person will not feel the symptoms of a severe hangover. Also, an excess of fusel milk in the distillate gives the drink an unwanted turbidity, which worsens its appearance. Where to put the cut off “tails”? It's simple: this fraction can be used to increase the strength of a new batch of mash. How much to select “tails” in moonshine? Typically, the content of this fraction in raw alcohol is no more than 3-5%.

The output, cleared of unwanted impurities, requires additional purification using activated carbon or potassium permanganate. This will allow for additional purification of the product and improve its characteristics, which could not be achieved during the first distillation.

Moonshining is a very exciting process. Moreover, this applies not only to the practical part, but even to the theoretical one. It is interesting to read articles on the topic of distillate production. But despite all the fun, you need to follow certain rules so that the first and subsequent tastings do not lead to disastrous results. We are talking about the concentration of harmful impurities that need to be properly separated. Moonshiners call this process the selection (cutting off) of heads and tails during the second distillation. How to select heads and tails in moonshine - in our article.

Moonshine fractions

Regardless of the type of wort used (sugar, fruit or grain mash), when heated, fungal cells will decompose and a whole complex of esters and toxic alcohols will be released. All this is called one phrase “fusel oils” and includes more than 10 items that are to one degree or another harmful to health. It is impossible to completely purify moonshine; this applies more to distillation on a distillation column (tsarg), but we are talking about a regular moonshine still. But during the heating process, you can purify the drink as completely as possible and get quite passable moonshine at the end.

In total there are 3 main factions:

• "Head"

The first fraction that appears already when heated to 60°C. This is a first step, and its harm is simply colossal. It is advisable to cut it off with a small margin - on average 50 ml for every kilogram of sugar in the mash. That is, if you used 5 kg of sugar, then the first 250 ml is a head with a very pungent smell of acetone.

Concentrated here: methyl alcohol, acetone, acetic acid. Due to the fact that their boiling point is lower than that of ethyl alcohol, they appear first in the form of drops. The volume of the heads depends, among other things, on the type of mash. There are most of them in cereals.

Some people mistake Pervach for the strongest moonshine and, on the contrary, try not to take away the heads. In fact, its use does not lead to intoxication, but to poisoning.

• "Body" or "heart"

This is the central part for which the entire process of moonshine brewing is started. If the heads are selected correctly at the very beginning, a relatively pure product can be obtained.

• "Tails"

This is the final stage, which is carried out when the strength of the moonshine drops below 35°. It is recommended to reuse the tail fraction of moonshine when preparing the next batch of mash in order to maximally enrich the taste of the finished product.

It is pointless to drive the tails into the next portion for the second distillation; it will not give any result.

The tail part contains fusel oils, which lead to cloudiness of the moonshine and the appearance of an unpleasant fusel odor. Objectively, their presence has little effect on health, but if you need an aromatic and clean drink, it is better to cut them off in time.

It is impossible to completely cut off the heads and tails during conventional distillation. Rectification will help completely separate the moonshine into fractions. But as a result, you will get pure ethyl alcohol without a characteristic aroma and pleasant taste sensations.

By the way, doctors have an extremely negative attitude towards such drinks, since their use very quickly turns into abuse. Alcohol dependence on distillates (whiskey, rum, cognac) occurs 14 times less often than on pure ethyl.

The main question is how many heads to select and how many tails? There is no clear recipe; there are only experimental marks developed over the years that can be slightly changed. In other words, we will not give ideal numbers, only the method of selection during re-distillation.

VIDEO: How to separate heads and is it possible to do this on the first run

How to select heads

We mean that the mash is already ready, it was poured without sediment into a distillation cube and put on fire (for heating elements models the principle is the same). First, bring to a boil (check with a thermometer on the cube) for 15-20 minutes, gradually increasing the temperature by 5°C per minute. Then we also gradually reduce it to a minimum and increase it again to 68°C. Ideally, the output should be cold moonshine, at least not higher than 30°C.

Cutting methods:

1. For sugar

This method is the simplest and is usually used by beginners. It consists of calculating the volume of sugar for the mash and thus determining the volume of the heads. The method is quite viable, but only if you know exactly how much sugar was used.

On average, 50 ml of heads are taken from 1 kilogram of sugar, but it is best to divide this process into two parts. During the first distillation, cut off about 30 ml and during the second distillation another 30 ml from each kilogram.

1. By the amount of ethyl alcohol

This method is more realistic for those who sprinkled sugar “by eye” or added it during the fermentation process, although this is incorrect. During the first distillation, you don’t touch the heads at all, but you can cut off the tails (more on this below). Next, we measure how much pure ethyl alcohol is theoretically produced.

Let's give an example - we got 5 liters of almost moonshine, measured its strength with a hydrometer, and got 65°. Thus we will have 3.25 liters (5x0.65=3.25). It is clear that the alcohol strength is far from 100°, but such fundamental degree accuracy is not needed).

Now, when we re-distill, we need to remove 15% of the heads, and this will be 0.496 (3.25 x 0.15 = 0.489). Accordingly, on the second stage, you cut off the first half liter and pour it out of harm’s way.

1. By smell

This method is used only by experienced moonshiners who have mastered the zen of distilling. A beginner will not be able to “catch” the moment when the initial movement stopped and the body began to move.

1. By temperature

Not the most reliable method, since some impurities have a boiling point close to ethyl alcohol, and therefore it is extremely difficult to cut them off. But in any case, we will explain how this happens.

As we see from the table, the first to go when heated is acetaldehyde, and ethyl acetate, whose boiling point is only 79°, will close the chain. The temperature is gradually reduced in order to “drive out” the maximum impurities on this scale. When the output of heads has stopped, the cube is heated to 78°C, after which the moonshine itself begins to flow, and this process continues until 88°C. Let us repeat once again that everything is relative and how many degrees to bring it to depends on the mash and the modification of the unit.

When the temperature has been raised to 85°C, collect a few drops in a separate container and check the strength with a hydrometer (temperature below 40°C) or an alcohol meter (not higher than 20°C - otherwise it will “lie”). If these devices are not available, you can collect the drops in a spoon and set them on fire. As long as it burns or the strength is above 35°, it is still a body. As soon as the moonshine stops burning or the strength drops below 35°, tails begin to flow.

Sometimes, due to the tails, moonshine can become cloudy, but you can get rid of this with repeated distillation

If the mash was made with wheat, fruit or cake, you can collect the body to a strength of 30°, but it will no longer burn, so you can “miss”. This is not scary, since some of the tails will go to the head during re-distillation.

Experienced distillers do not collect the body if the strength has dropped to 39°. In general, this is correct, but not critical.

You can reuse the tails to prepare the next batch of mash, although this does not justify itself either in terms of organoleptics or the strength of the finished product. The tails can be discarded or used externally.

Cleaning before the second distillation will improve the result

Intermediate cleaning makes it possible to improve the taste of the finished product, although only a few do it. Experienced distillers never skip this stage, since not only the quantity of moonshine is important, but also its quality. In principle, intermediate cleaning is no different from final cleaning. The easiest way to do this is with vegetable oil and a carbon filter.

How to clean with vegetable oil

We collect the finished product in one container and dilute it with water to 15°. Pour refined vegetable oil (odorless) at the rate of 15-20 ml for each liter of diluted moonshine. Shake vigorously for one and a half minutes, stop for a couple of minutes, repeat. And so 3-4 times. We leave it for a day, after which we remove the oil from the surface with a spoon or a cotton pad - it will pull the impurity molecules with it. We pass it through cheesecloth 3-4 times, and then charcoalize it. For this, it is best to use charcoal, although activated carbon tablets also cope well with the task.

Intermediate purification is only needed for grain and sugar distillate. If the mash was made with berries or fruits, this stage will simply “kill” the entire aromatic component.

VIDEO: Is it necessary to have a second stage with a dry steamer?

Moonshining is a traditional activity for the domestic lover of strong alcohol. As interesting as the process is, it is necessary to follow some rules so that in the end the harmful substances present in the drink are correctly separated and eliminated. Moonshine makers call this process “cutting off the heads and tails” during the second distillation. How to select them correctly 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 “fusel oils”. The set contains over a dozen positions of harmful substances. It is impossible to perfectly clean moonshine from them using a conventional moonshine still, but when heated, the problem is solved quite well, which allows you to obtain alcohol of normal quality.

There are three factions in this process:

1. The “head” is the primary material 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 reserve.

The “head” includes:

• methyl alcohol;
• acetone;
• acetic acid.

Since the boiling point of these components is lower than that of ethyl alcohol, they are released with the first drops. The volume of the “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 challenging drink, trying not to cut off the “heads”. In fact, consuming such a potion is fraught with poisoning.

1. “Body” is the central part, for the sake of which the entire process of moonshine brewing is started. If you skillfully select the “heads” at the very beginning, you can get a fairly clean and relatively harmless product in the end.
2. “Tails” is the completion of the process during which the strength of moonshine drops below 35 degrees. There is no point in pouring them into the next portion for re-distillation, it does not give anything. They contain fusel oils, which affect the cloudiness of moonshine and the appearance of an unpleasant odor. This does not particularly affect health, but if the goal is to achieve a flavorful drink, then it is better to cut off the “tails” in time.

To completely separate moonshine into fractions, rectification will be required, which results in pure ethyl alcohol without a characteristic odor. Doctors urge people not to abuse such drinks, because alcohol dependence on them is more than 10 times higher than from drinking 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 the “heads” selected?

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

Then, in the same way, the temperature values ​​of the product are gradually reduced to a minimum and after that again increased strictly to 68 degrees. The output should be either cold moonshine or slightly warmed one.

Sugar cut-off

A method for beginners in moonshine brewing. The volume is calculated and the volume of the “heads” is determined.

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

By the amount of ethyl alcohol

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

Let's say that we get 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 used by experienced moonshiners. It is difficult for a beginner to catch the moment when the primary moves into the body.

From time to time you need to sniff the distillate coming out of the moonshine still, rubbing a few drops in your palms. When the pungent odor disappears, the selection of the “body” begins. In this way, you can check the accuracy of the calculations when cutting off the “heads” of sugar or alcohol.

By temperature

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

“Heads” evaporate at a temperature of 65–68 degrees. During the distillation process, when 63 degrees is reached, the heating is sharply reduced. Next, the “heads” are selected while drops ooze from the unit. When the “drops” are completed, the intensity of the fire is increased and the temperature of the liquid is brought to 78 degrees. Selection of the “body” continues up to 85 °C. Please note that all values ​​given here are approximate.

How to cut off the “tails”?

“Tails” appear when the strength drops to 30–45 degrees. In order not to miss the moment, it is recommended to collect the emerging moonshine in a small container at the end of the distillation. It is easy to produce (at a liquid temperature of 20 °C). If the strength is still high, then you need to pour the distillate back into the common boiler and again place the jar at the outlet.

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

Many moonshine producers consider everything that has a strength below 40 degrees to be “tails”. If you don’t have an alcohol meter at hand, check the strength by burning it in a spoon. Selection is stopped when the liquid stops burning.

As soon as the alcohol strength drops to a minimum, distillation is stopped. That's all, actually.