What Color Is Moonshine Supposed To Burn?

MOONSHINE FACTS | mysite Did you know when your brother-in-law makes his apple pie moonshine and it freezes that means it’s under 20 proof? An IPA beer these days is product rated at 8 proof and a regular domestic beer is 4% alcohol by volume. Did you know when you get clear corn, rye or wheat moonshine and it’s heavy with bubbles that it means it’s low in proof? Our moonshine is 150 proof before it is expertly blended to produce your favorite flavor.

1. So, if your brother-in-law makes his own or buys 100 proof vodka at the liquor store it is not possible for his moonshine to ever be more than 100 proof.
2. When he puts about a quarter of that in a bottle and adds flavoring it then becomes only 25 proof.
3. Did you know that the higher the proof of the moonshine, before adding flavoring, that less bubbles and a lighter weight is good? Water is heavier than alcohol, therefore moonshine with too much water produces a bubbly, heavy and lower grade product.

Did you know the higher the proof of the clear the less you will taste the corn, wheat or rye? So if it has heavy, sweet corn taste it’s probably 80 proof at best. ​ Did you know that our state taxes any product put into the state store at a mandatory 44% cost to the distillery? That doesn’t include the 6% sales tax, 1% county tax or the taxes on the grain which is 225%! Did you know if the proof of a clear moonshine is high it will burn blue with a tad of orange on the top? That’s because it’s extinguishing the oxygen in the air.

If it’s low in proof it wont burn blue or hardly at all. Country Hammer Moonshine offers a top quality product, with an unmatched variety of flavors. Best of all we make it convenient and it’s totally LEGAL ! Our clear has very few bubbles, is low on water content and won’t freeze, even after we blend in the flavors.

It will always burn blue, has a smooth taste with very little burn and minimal corn taste. ​ Any of the facts mentioned above can be verified with a Google search. : MOONSHINE FACTS | mysite

What color does good alcohol burn?

Opinion: The chemistry of Christmas | University College Cork 21 Dec 2017 (l-r): UCC’s Carol McCarthy and Dr Abina Crean, researchers in the Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre. Understanding the chemistry of our festive food and drink and how they affect our body, according to UCC’s Carol McCarthy and Dr Abina Crean, and UL’s Dr Sarah Hayes, researchers in the Christmas is the time of year when we all take a break to relax, unwind and spend time with friends and family.

1. We eat, we drink and some of us get a little too merry! What you might not realise is that understanding the chemistry of our festive tipples and how they affect our body can help us to combat the dreaded next day hangover.
2. Lighting the Christmas pudding is a famous Christmas tradition.
3. As you pour a generous splash of brandy over the pudding, you’ll notice the flame is an unusual blue colour, very different to the warm yellow flame of burning coal and candles.

This blue flame is a result of complete combustion which occurs when you burn alcohol (CH3CH2OH). Complete combustion happens when there’s enough oxygen to only produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water as products. Ethanol burns more completely than other hydrocarbon fuels like coal and candle wax, which tend to produce carbon atoms (also known as soot) and carbon monoxide as well.

Yellow flames are indicative of incomplete combustion products. Thankfully, the blue flames we see don’t burn our Christmas puddings. This is because it’s the vapour associated with the alcohol rather than the pudding or the liquor which is on fire and the flame never reaches the pudding itself. To set a Christmas pudding alight, the liquor must be warmed beforehand – otherwise there will be no vapour to ignite.

Once burning, the heat generated warms the liquid alcohol in the pudding, creating more vapour until eventually there is no more alcohol left to vapourise. At this point, the flame burns out, the pudding is left tasty and un-charred and you hopefully won’t have burnt the house down.

Another piece of Christmas chemistry is what happens when we pop open a bottle of something bubbly at New Year. Before you pop the cork, the liquid in the bottle looks almost complete bubble-less. Carbon dioxide is dissolved in both the liquid and the vapour in the bottle. An equilibrium or balance exists between the CO2 in both phases.

The pressure in a champagne bottle is between five and six atmospheres. In contrast, most car tyres have an approximate pressure of 1.5 to 2.5 atmospheres. When the cork is popped, a pretty cool piece of chemistry occurs. The CO2 in the vapour at the top of the bottle is released leading to an imbalance in the equilibrium between CO2 in the vapour and the liquid.

1. To recover a new stable equilibrium, almost all of the CO2 dissolved in the liquid must escape, creating lots of bubbles.
2. Almost five litres of carbon dioxide gas is released from a typical 0.75 litre bottle of champagne.
3. Incredibly, a glass of champagne releases approximately 20 million bubbles of carbon dioxide! So what kind of chemistry occurs when we over-indulge a little too much on our prosecco and festive spirits? It’s worth pointing out at the beginning that a number of factors can affect the severity of a hangover including genetic factors, health, age, sleep and (of course) the amount of alcohol consumed.

Alcohol is a diuretic (which is why the queues are always so long in the toilets in pubs) and inhibits the pituitary secretion of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH; vasopressin). The reduced levels of ADH prevent the kidneys from reabsorbing water and results in dehydration (symptoms of dry mouth, thirst and headache).

• Drinking 50 g of alcohol in a 250 mL beverage causes the body to eliminate 600-1,000 mL of urine (up to four times as much water is lost as gained).
• It’s a good idea to drink water while you’re out or before going to bed as it will help reduce dehydration symptoms.
• Another hangover suspect is a compound produced by the metabolism of alcohol.

Alcohol, or more specifically ethanol, is broken down by enzymes in the liver into acetaldehyde, which is subsequently broken down by another enzyme into acetate. Acetate can be broken down into carbon dioxide and water. Your body is capable of breaking down alcohol at a rate of around one unit (8 grams or 10 millilitres of pure alcohol) per hour, though this rate will vary marginally from person to person, depending on a number of factors such as their weight, height, metabolic rate etc.

Alcohol also disrupts our bodies natural circadian rhythms, we fall asleep quickly after a few drinks, but frequently wake up feeling jetlagged. Acetaldehyde is the particular compound that’s been implicated in hangovers. It’s a toxic compound, which is usually broken down very quickly into acetate. However, the enzyme that converts ethanol to acetaldehyde works faster than that which converts acetaldehyde to acetate, leading to a build-up of acetaldehyde if you have several drinks in a row.

It’s been suggested that acetaldehyde’s toxic effects on cells may play a part in the development of hangover symptoms, particularly nausea, sweating, increased heart rate and headache. There’s still no definite answer one way of the other as to the extent of acetaldehyde’s involvement, though studies have found that the concentration of acetaldehyde in the blood of test subjects didn’t show significant correlation with hangover severity.

1. It may well play a part, but it seems likely that it isn’t the major player.
2. Some of the old wives’ tales about alcohol consumption and hangovers have also been investigated so which works best? Old Wives’ Tale No 1 – does the type of alcohol matter? Most alcoholic drinks will contain a whole range of other chemical compounds as well as ethanol, and these compounds are generally referred to as congeners.

Different drinks have different levels of congeners; for example, brandy, red wine and whiskey have much higher congener levels that drinks such as beer, vodka and gin. It’s suggested that higher congener levels could increase the severity of hangover symptoms the next day.

1. Old Wives’ Tale No 2 – can men drink more than woman? When you compare men and women of the same height, weight and build, men tend to have more muscle and less fat than women.
2. Muscle tissue has more water than fat tissue, a given dose or amount of alcohol will be diluted more in a man than in a woman.

Males also have higher stomach metabolism of ethanol (ADH) than females. There’s a lot more work to be done to enhance our knowledge of the science of hangovers so it’s difficult to prescribe an effective cure. To alleviate the symptoms of a hangover (especially headache), rehydration with water and electrolytes is recommended.

• This can be in the form of water, isotonic sports drinks or rehydration salts that can be purchased in a pharmacy.
• Interspersing non-alcoholic drinks with alcoholic ones on a night out can also help to reverse the effects of low blood sugar and dehydration.
• Taking antacids can help with stomach pain or irritation, as ethanol irritates the lining of the stomach and increases the production of gastric acid.

Painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen can be taken to ease headache symtoms. However, these anti-inflammatories can upset the stomach which can already be in a delicate state. Paracetamol is an alternative that is gentle on the stomach. Soluble preparations will enter the bloodstream and produce a therapeutic effect more quickly than conventional tablets and capsules.

However, this also comes with a warning, as paracetamol is metabolised by the liver which has already been working overtime to metabolise ethanol, particularly if you have been drinking excessively. Even if you have not been drinking excessively it is vital to ensure that you take the correct dosage of paracetamol as the liver can only metabolise a certain amount of paracetamol at a time and if too much is taken it can lead to acute liver failure.

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose is reportedly the main cause of acute liver failure in the US and UK, so it’s definitely best to follow the instructions before popping the pills. Fruit juice can help soothe the effects of a hangover by replacing lost glucose supplies.

1. Coffee and caffeinated energy drinks are both diuretics and should be avoided as they compound the diuretic effect of alcohol and will dehydrate you further.
2. Compassion and words of comfort from loved ones always help during a hangover and when you’re able for it – a long stroll in the fresh air! It goes without saying that the best way to cure a hangover is to try not to get one in the first place.

Merry Christmas! Carol McCarthy is a PhD student at the School of Pharmacy and Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC) at UCC. Dr Abina Crean is a lecturer in Pharmaceutics and a researcher at the SSPC at UCC. Dr Sarah Hayes is the Education and Outreach Officer at the SSPC at UL.

Why does moonshine burn so bad?

The Explosive Power Of Moonshine – Methanol and ethanol, the safe-to-consume alcohol, come out during the fermenting process of any alcoholic drink. Both are highly flammable with the potential to explode during distillation if they are not properly sealed and vented.

If there is a leak releasing ethanol gas in the still, the equipment used to process moonshine, a single spark could cause an explosion. Without proper ventilation, a tank boiling out the toxic alcohol can easily buckle. “In an aluminum shed among postcard orchards in Columbia County in New York, Derek Grout inspected a collecting tank of his state-of-the-art copper-pot still.

A blocked vent had caused the tank to buckle. “I’m just kind of glad we didn’t kill ourselves,” he said with a laugh.” – Toby Cecchini, Just Don’t Call it Moonshine

What color is alcohol when it burns?

Burning ethanol has a flame that is mostly blue with yellow accents. It can be quite hard to see. The flame temperature itself is relatively low, but not as low as with methanol.

Is blue moonshine safe to drink?

Why Did My Moonshine Come Out Blue? on MoonshineDVD.com Brown-colored apple pie moonshine. When it’s made correctly, moonshine should possess a crystal clear appearance — similar to good old fashioned H2O. Whether it’s brown (shown to the right), orange, or blue, colored moonshine is usually an indication of something wrong.

1. Blue in particular can be alarming, as most people associate blue with heavy chemicals.
2. Does this mean you should toss out your batch of blue shine and reattempt another batch in your still? The short answer is NO, you shouldn’t drink blue-colored moonshine.
3. There’s always a chance that the color was caused by some natural organic reaction, but there’s also a chance that it was caused by some buildup of toxic chemicals and/or heavy minerals.

Regardless of how badly you want to test it out, it’s not worth jeopardizing your health. Pour the blue moonshine down the drain and try again with a fresh batch. It’s also recommended that you dispose of any mash or other ingredients used in connection with your blue moonshine.

Even if they aren’t tainted, it’s simply not worth taking the risk. Mash is cheap and easy to make, so there’s no reason why you should keep it. What causes some moonshine to come out with a blue color? Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer to this question, as it could be one of dozens of different possibilities.

Coppers stills, for instance, are known to react with salts and other impurities. If these impurities are left inside your still when you use it to create moonshine, your batch of shine could turn out blue. Copper is the metal of choice for moonshine stills, but you must still clean them thoroughly before each use to ensure there’s no impurities or contaminants lingering behind.

1. So if you’re planning to create another batch of moonshine, make sure you clean your still thoroughly beforehand.
2. Don’t just wipe it down with an old towel and call it a day, but instead use white apple cider vinegar to clean each and every component of your still.
3. Apple cider vinegar is a safe all-natural compound with anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.

Unlike bleach or other harsh chemicals, you don’t have to worry about tainting your still when using it. When you are finished cleaning your still, you can make a second attempt to create a batch of moonshine. Hopefully, a clean still will do the trick by preserving its clear appearance.

Should alcohol burn yellow?

Burning ethanol has a flame that is mostly blue with yellow accents. It can be quite hard to see. The flame temperature itself is relatively low, but not as low as with methanol.

Why did my alcohol turn yellow?

It is most likely that something from the rubber stopper got dissolved in the ethanol. This solution turned out to be yellowish so we can assume the compound itself to be yellow to brown-ish. Dissolution either came by the ethanol soaking the stopper while the flask was lying down or by evaporation/condensation.

What is the yellow flame from alcohol?

When I burn isopropyl alcohol (IPA), it burns orange. But when I burn ethyl alcohol, it burns totally blue. Why is this? Interesting observation. The blue flame color of all hydrocarbon fuels is due to the emission small diatomic carbon species such $C_2$ or CH.

There is nothing magical about IPA having a yellow flame. The yellow flame originates from incomplete combustion. There is more carbon per mole of IPA as compared to ethanol. Yellow flames are called reducing flames and blue flames are called oxidizing flames. In older times when Bunsen burner was taught in detail, it was shown a blue flame of methane can be readily converted in to a yellow flame by altering the air supply valve.

The yellow color, if you view through a spectroscope is a continuous spectrum (rainbow like), which shows that it is like a black body radiator. The black body radiator is nothing but glowing soot (carbon) particle, glowing chrcoal but a very small one.

• On the other hand, the blue flame shows band like structure.
• I once had a chance to view the blue acetylene flame with air with a diffraction grating.
• It was an amazing sight.
• The structure of colored bands was never seen before.
• They are called Swan bands.
• Unfortunately, I cannot find any color images in Google Images of Swan bands.

Here is one example from a 1857 paper by Plucker and Hittrof, “I. On the spectra of ignited gases and vapours, with especial regard to the different spectra of the same elementary gaseous substance”. This more than 150 year old picture is not doing justice to what you see in reality of an extremely beautiful spectrum.

Does alcohol burn with yellow flame?

Opinion: The chemistry of Christmas | University College Cork 21 Dec 2017 (l-r): UCC’s Carol McCarthy and Dr Abina Crean, researchers in the Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre. Understanding the chemistry of our festive food and drink and how they affect our body, according to UCC’s Carol McCarthy and Dr Abina Crean, and UL’s Dr Sarah Hayes, researchers in the Christmas is the time of year when we all take a break to relax, unwind and spend time with friends and family.

We eat, we drink and some of us get a little too merry! What you might not realise is that understanding the chemistry of our festive tipples and how they affect our body can help us to combat the dreaded next day hangover. Lighting the Christmas pudding is a famous Christmas tradition. As you pour a generous splash of brandy over the pudding, you’ll notice the flame is an unusual blue colour, very different to the warm yellow flame of burning coal and candles.

This blue flame is a result of complete combustion which occurs when you burn alcohol (CH3CH2OH). Complete combustion happens when there’s enough oxygen to only produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and water as products. Ethanol burns more completely than other hydrocarbon fuels like coal and candle wax, which tend to produce carbon atoms (also known as soot) and carbon monoxide as well.

1. Yellow flames are indicative of incomplete combustion products.
2. Thankfully, the blue flames we see don’t burn our Christmas puddings.
3. This is because it’s the vapour associated with the alcohol rather than the pudding or the liquor which is on fire and the flame never reaches the pudding itself.
4. To set a Christmas pudding alight, the liquor must be warmed beforehand – otherwise there will be no vapour to ignite.

Once burning, the heat generated warms the liquid alcohol in the pudding, creating more vapour until eventually there is no more alcohol left to vapourise. At this point, the flame burns out, the pudding is left tasty and un-charred and you hopefully won’t have burnt the house down.

• Another piece of Christmas chemistry is what happens when we pop open a bottle of something bubbly at New Year.
• Before you pop the cork, the liquid in the bottle looks almost complete bubble-less.
• Carbon dioxide is dissolved in both the liquid and the vapour in the bottle.
• An equilibrium or balance exists between the CO2 in both phases.

The pressure in a champagne bottle is between five and six atmospheres. In contrast, most car tyres have an approximate pressure of 1.5 to 2.5 atmospheres. When the cork is popped, a pretty cool piece of chemistry occurs. The CO2 in the vapour at the top of the bottle is released leading to an imbalance in the equilibrium between CO2 in the vapour and the liquid.

• To recover a new stable equilibrium, almost all of the CO2 dissolved in the liquid must escape, creating lots of bubbles.
• Almost five litres of carbon dioxide gas is released from a typical 0.75 litre bottle of champagne.
• Incredibly, a glass of champagne releases approximately 20 million bubbles of carbon dioxide! So what kind of chemistry occurs when we over-indulge a little too much on our prosecco and festive spirits? It’s worth pointing out at the beginning that a number of factors can affect the severity of a hangover including genetic factors, health, age, sleep and (of course) the amount of alcohol consumed.

Alcohol is a diuretic (which is why the queues are always so long in the toilets in pubs) and inhibits the pituitary secretion of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH; vasopressin). The reduced levels of ADH prevent the kidneys from reabsorbing water and results in dehydration (symptoms of dry mouth, thirst and headache).

• Drinking 50 g of alcohol in a 250 mL beverage causes the body to eliminate 600-1,000 mL of urine (up to four times as much water is lost as gained).
• It’s a good idea to drink water while you’re out or before going to bed as it will help reduce dehydration symptoms.
• Another hangover suspect is a compound produced by the metabolism of alcohol.

Alcohol, or more specifically ethanol, is broken down by enzymes in the liver into acetaldehyde, which is subsequently broken down by another enzyme into acetate. Acetate can be broken down into carbon dioxide and water. Your body is capable of breaking down alcohol at a rate of around one unit (8 grams or 10 millilitres of pure alcohol) per hour, though this rate will vary marginally from person to person, depending on a number of factors such as their weight, height, metabolic rate etc.

Alcohol also disrupts our bodies natural circadian rhythms, we fall asleep quickly after a few drinks, but frequently wake up feeling jetlagged. Acetaldehyde is the particular compound that’s been implicated in hangovers. It’s a toxic compound, which is usually broken down very quickly into acetate. However, the enzyme that converts ethanol to acetaldehyde works faster than that which converts acetaldehyde to acetate, leading to a build-up of acetaldehyde if you have several drinks in a row.

It’s been suggested that acetaldehyde’s toxic effects on cells may play a part in the development of hangover symptoms, particularly nausea, sweating, increased heart rate and headache. There’s still no definite answer one way of the other as to the extent of acetaldehyde’s involvement, though studies have found that the concentration of acetaldehyde in the blood of test subjects didn’t show significant correlation with hangover severity.

• It may well play a part, but it seems likely that it isn’t the major player.
• Some of the old wives’ tales about alcohol consumption and hangovers have also been investigated so which works best? Old Wives’ Tale No 1 – does the type of alcohol matter? Most alcoholic drinks will contain a whole range of other chemical compounds as well as ethanol, and these compounds are generally referred to as congeners.

Different drinks have different levels of congeners; for example, brandy, red wine and whiskey have much higher congener levels that drinks such as beer, vodka and gin. It’s suggested that higher congener levels could increase the severity of hangover symptoms the next day.

Old Wives’ Tale No 2 – can men drink more than woman? When you compare men and women of the same height, weight and build, men tend to have more muscle and less fat than women. Muscle tissue has more water than fat tissue, a given dose or amount of alcohol will be diluted more in a man than in a woman.

Males also have higher stomach metabolism of ethanol (ADH) than females. There’s a lot more work to be done to enhance our knowledge of the science of hangovers so it’s difficult to prescribe an effective cure. To alleviate the symptoms of a hangover (especially headache), rehydration with water and electrolytes is recommended.

This can be in the form of water, isotonic sports drinks or rehydration salts that can be purchased in a pharmacy. Interspersing non-alcoholic drinks with alcoholic ones on a night out can also help to reverse the effects of low blood sugar and dehydration. Taking antacids can help with stomach pain or irritation, as ethanol irritates the lining of the stomach and increases the production of gastric acid.

Painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen can be taken to ease headache symtoms. However, these anti-inflammatories can upset the stomach which can already be in a delicate state. Paracetamol is an alternative that is gentle on the stomach. Soluble preparations will enter the bloodstream and produce a therapeutic effect more quickly than conventional tablets and capsules.

• However, this also comes with a warning, as paracetamol is metabolised by the liver which has already been working overtime to metabolise ethanol, particularly if you have been drinking excessively.
• Even if you have not been drinking excessively it is vital to ensure that you take the correct dosage of paracetamol as the liver can only metabolise a certain amount of paracetamol at a time and if too much is taken it can lead to acute liver failure.

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose is reportedly the main cause of acute liver failure in the US and UK, so it’s definitely best to follow the instructions before popping the pills. Fruit juice can help soothe the effects of a hangover by replacing lost glucose supplies.

Coffee and caffeinated energy drinks are both diuretics and should be avoided as they compound the diuretic effect of alcohol and will dehydrate you further. Compassion and words of comfort from loved ones always help during a hangover and when you’re able for it – a long stroll in the fresh air! It goes without saying that the best way to cure a hangover is to try not to get one in the first place.

Merry Christmas! Carol McCarthy is a PhD student at the School of Pharmacy and Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC) at UCC. Dr Abina Crean is a lecturer in Pharmaceutics and a researcher at the SSPC at UCC. Dr Sarah Hayes is the Education and Outreach Officer at the SSPC at UL.