Why is the first bit of moonshine toxic?
Methanol Toxicity
Methyl alcohol (methanol) is the bad stuff that could be found in moonshine (or any distilled spirit for that matter). Pure methanol is very dangerous and it is definitely able to cause blindness and even kill people.
Always discard the "foreshots."
For this reason, commercial distillers will do one of two things: They will discard the first bit of alcohol produced by the still. This part of the run, known as the foreshots, smells like high powered solvent, tastes even worse, and is potentially poisonous.
Heads. Next, comes the heads. The heads won't make you blind, but the volatile alcohols they contain will give you a whopping hangover. The product also smells and tastes terrible, this is because of the acetone that is present.
Once the distiller makes the first cut, the heads are generally either disposed of or redistilled in able to collect more alcohol from them. After the distiller has decided that the quality of the incoming distillate is good enough to keep for drinking purposes, they will cut to “hearts”.
As little as 4 milliliters of methanol has been known to cause blindness, and as little as 30 to 60 milliliters has been reported to kill drinkers. A more common lethal dose would be 70 to 100 milliliters.
How to Test for Purity. Folklore tells us one way to test the purity of moonshine is to pour some in a metal spoon and set it on fire. 6 If it burns with a blue flame it is safe, but if it burns with a yellow or red flame, it contains lead, prompting the old saying, "Lead burns red and makes you dead."
The foreshots are the first vapors to boil off during distillation. These contain the most volatile alcohols and should not be ingested, as they contain methanol and other undesirables. Commercial distillers always discard the foreshots and never consume them.
How to Test Moonshine for Methanol (Smell it, Burn it) - YouTube
Separate and discard the first 50ml If distilling a 25 L wash or mash in a reflux still or 100ml per 20L wash from the rest of the distillate if using a traditional alembic, these fractions are known as foreshots or heads and are distilled first.
| Body System | Time in System |
|---|---|
| Breath | 12-24 Hours |
| Urine | 12-24 Hours; 72 Hours or more for newer test methods |
| Saliva | 12-24 Hours |
| Hair | Up to 90 Days |
Do you drink moonshine straight?
Definitely! Moonshine is traditionally sipped straight, right out of the jar. You can also drink it in shots.
Fortunately, you can reduce the amount of methanol produced by avoiding fermenting fruits that are high in pectin and doing so with healthy yeast at controlled temperatures. Then, when distilling, make careful cuts to remove the 'fores' and 'heads' which contain the methanol at the start of distillation.
While it may not happen all the time, moonshiners with copper stills may experience a blue batch every once in a while. Basically, this is caused by the alcohol vapor corroding the copper metal. As the copper is literally eaten away, fragments transfer into the moonshine batch, which ultimately gives it a bluish tint.
During fermentation yeasts produce alcohol, CO2, and hundreds of other byproducts which have different smells. Some pleasant, others not so pleasant - like rotten egg or sulphur smell. This will not taint your distilled spirit and will disappear after distillation.
Consuming Methanol In Moonshine
It will simply get people drunker. However, after it is metabolized, the methanol can have an extremely harmful effect in someone's body. 10 milliliters (ml) of methanol is all it takes to permanently damage the optic nerve and cause partial, if not complete, blindness.
Methanol is extremely poisonous. As little as 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) can be deadly to a child. About 2 to 8 ounces (60 to 240 milliliters) can be deadly for an adult. Blindness is common and often permanent despite medical care.
Swirl this container gently a few times, then waft the air from the mouth of the container towards your nose by fanning the air toward you with a hand, with the container placed roughly 8-12 inches from your face. Take note of the scent: If it is pungent and irritating, methanol is present in the alcohol.
INGESTION EXPOSURE:
Ingestion of methanol may cause a wide range of adverse health effects: Neurological: headache, dizziness, agitation, acute mania, amnesia, decreased level of consciousness including coma, and seizure.
Another method to determine when to cut the heads is by determining the alcohol percentage. This percentage is very high at the start of the distillation process, 80% and higher.
- 4 Responsible Ways Distillers Use Spent Grains. Waste is not the first thing that comes to mind when daydreaming about being a distiller, but it's a reality you do need to consider before launching a distillery. ...
- Livestock Feed. One of the most popular uses for spent grains is livestock feed. ...
- Composting. ...
- Baking. ...
- Fuel.
Why do they shake moonshine?
Discovery broke down the science of what, exactly, the moonshiners are looking for when shaking their jars of whiskey. "When shiners shake a jar of moonshine to check the proof, they're observing the size of the resulting bubbles and how long they take to dissipate," a video on the topic explains.
Changing temperatures can cause foreign bacteria to grow, which becomes another source of methanol. These dangerous bacteria may also produce the toxin that causes botulism, a type of food poisoning. When the process isn't monitored correctly, a potentially good batch of moonshine can turn deadly.
Moonshine doesn't require refrigeration for storage but storing your moonshine in a fridge won't damage your spirits. The only elements that can change your moonshine are light, heat, and oxygen if your bottle is opened. If your moonshine is exposed to any of these elements, the flavor can be affected.
According to our extensive research, moonshine does go bad, at least not in the traditional sense. However, no bottles of moonshine expire in the same way that milk does. Moonshine has an indefinite shelf life and is one of the strongest alcoholic beverages, like whiskey.
How much alcohol is in a shot of moonshine? Usually, 1.5 ounces or a “shot” of distilled spirits or liquor contains 80-proof or 40% alcohol by volume. However, it depends on the variety.
This beverage originates from Siberia. It has proof of 196 or 96% alcohol. It is the strongest liquor for sale in the United States and while this seems like an extreme drink in the US, it is relatively common in Russia since this country has the highest alcohol consumption in the world.
Moonshine usually has an ABV of 40% but can sometimes be as high as 60%-80% ABV. Alcohol content can be converted to proof by multiplying it by two. So, 40% ABV is 80-proof. The distilling process is the key to a spirit's alcohol content.
The BEST way to avoid methanol in a distillate is to simply "don't make it". That is, pay attention to the fermentation processes and avoid ingredients which will contain higher amounts of methanol, such as fruit stems and sticks, etc. Grains and sugar ferments won't have methanol (not measureable amounts anyway).
One possible reason why your moonshine has a yellow tint is because of a large concentration of minerals in the water. Assuming you are producing it with tap water, you'll naturally carry some of these minerals over to your shine.
No, sugar washes do not produce methanol. Yes, one should discard the first drops of distillate.
Why does my moonshine smell like ammonia?
After distillation the shine had a light blue tint and smelled like ammonia. After researching on the internet I have discovered that the cause was from accidentally adding too much nutrients to the wash.
Moonshine is our catch-all word for a distilled spirit made illegally. Presumably, the scofflaw distillers produced it by night, under light of the moon, so as to evade detection. It has different names all over the world, but here in the United States we landed on moonshine, which we think is pretty solid.
In general, you can expect it to take between 1-3 weeks to make moonshine, as the mash must ferment and the distillation process must be continued until the final shine is safe for consumption.
Smoother Tasting Moonshine - YouTube
What Does Moonshine Smell Like? A good moonshine should smell of very little, although you may be able to detect slight odors of corn. If you have a sensitive nose then you'll probably be able to smell the alcohol – to some people, this can be quite overpowering!
Solution #1 – Still puking – turn down the heat
If you notice your moonshine coming out cloudy, just turn down the heat. Temperature control is very important in order for you still to function properly. The best way to determine the necessary heat is simply to monitor the shine output.
Moonshine is often sold in adult stores but never openly as a drug. It is usually marketed as a plant food or, in some cases, a bath salt. Within 15 minutes of being taken, Moonshine users can experience breathlessness and dizziness.
“Only ten milliliters of methanol consumption can cause permanent blindness,” asserts Dr. Bruce Goldberger, chief of forensic medicine and director of toxicology at the University of Florida's College of Medicine. In color and odor, methanol closely resembles ethanol, the kind of alcohol that's human-safe.
"There are no known pathogens that can survive in beer because of the alcohol and low pH," Glass said. "So you can't really get photogenically sick from drinking bad homebrew. It could taste bad, but it's not going to hurt you."
The more volatile components such as acetone, methanol and the various esters are undesirable; methanol for instance has been known to cause blindness. It is common practice to throw away the first portion of the distillate, this way you will get rid of the methanol.
What is the first cut of moonshine called?
The foreshots are the first vapors to boil off during distillation. These contain the most volatile alcohols and should not be ingested, as they contain methanol and other undesirables. Commercial distillers always discard the foreshots and never consume them.
How to Test Moonshine for Methanol (Smell it, Burn it) - YouTube
a) Red: there is lead in it, so do not drink it. b) Yellow: you risk getting blind, so not drink it. c) Blue: best color to get, as it means you achieved your purpose of making good, safe, moonshine alcohol.
Fortunately, you can reduce the amount of methanol produced by avoiding fermenting fruits that are high in pectin and doing so with healthy yeast at controlled temperatures. Then, when distilling, make careful cuts to remove the 'fores' and 'heads' which contain the methanol at the start of distillation.
Re: how much distillate to throw away
or about 10oz of 100% or 20 oz at 50% (100pr)this is a rough estimate.
Discovery broke down the science of what, exactly, the moonshiners are looking for when shaking their jars of whiskey. "When shiners shake a jar of moonshine to check the proof, they're observing the size of the resulting bubbles and how long they take to dissipate," a video on the topic explains.
Bootleggers put significant effort into overcoming these measures, hiring chemists to distill the toxic chemicals out of their alcohol. But the government only doubled down their efforts, adding up to 10% methanol and a whole slew of other poisons including chloroform, gasoline, and mercury salts.
Because it's flammable and poses health risks, it's important not to rinse methanol down the drain or combine it with other materials that may cause it to combust. To dispose of methanol appropriately, either discard it in appropriate hazardous waste containers or allow it to evaporate.
Alcoholic drinks containing methanol will sometimes have a pungent odor and will produce a yellow flame when lit on fire. For a safer test, you can apply sodium dichromate to a sample of the beverage.
If some mashes have a roasted smokey flavor, it may be carrying over as a roasted flavor we associate as a tequila flavor. This could happen by accident in a grain mash. Either some accidental burning during the cooking/mashing or some grain getting burnt in the boiler.
Why is my moonshine blue?
While it may not happen all the time, moonshiners with copper stills may experience a blue batch every once in a while. Basically, this is caused by the alcohol vapor corroding the copper metal. As the copper is literally eaten away, fragments transfer into the moonshine batch, which ultimately gives it a bluish tint.
What Does Moonshine Smell Like? A good moonshine should smell of very little, although you may be able to detect slight odors of corn. If you have a sensitive nose then you'll probably be able to smell the alcohol – to some people, this can be quite overpowering!
The story of North Carolina moonshine is mostly centered around Wilkes County, which was called the moonshine capital of the world by federal revenue officers. What is this? Some might debate that title, but you can't deny that the mountains of North Carolina are steeped in illegal liquor history.
One possible reason why your moonshine has a yellow tint is because of a large concentration of minerals in the water. Assuming you are producing it with tap water, you'll naturally carry some of these minerals over to your shine.
Evidence of our high quality, high proof moonshine is all in the color of the flame – if it burns blue, it's true. PROOF. 128. ABV.
