Once you’ve brewed a batch of moonshine, you might be curious to know how much alcohol it contains. Unlike store-bought liquor, there’s no ABV label on homemade moonshine. And even small variables in the distillation process will affect the percentage of alcohol it contains. Thankfully, there are a few different ways to measure the alcohol volume in moonshine. Whether this is your first time brewing moonshine, or if you’ve been doing it for years, you should perform a quick test to determine how much alcohol it contains. To learn more about testing the alcohol content of moonshine, keep reading.
Shake Test
Arguably the easiest way to gauge the alcohol content of moonshine is to perform a shake test. Although it’s not an entirely accurate form of measurement, it will give you a rough idea as to how much alcohol the moonshine contains. To perform a shake test, fill a glass jar about 1/2 the way full of your moonshine. Now, here comes the important part: you need to closely examine the bubbles of your moonshine after shaking it. Moonshine with a high alcohol content will have large bubbles that dissipate within seconds, while moonshine with a low alcohol content will have small bubbles that last for several minutes.
The shake test is a quick and easy way to determine whether or not your moonshine is potent. Watered down moonshine will possess small bubbles that linger rather than dissipating. Pay close attention to the bubbles of your moonshine when performing a shake test. The shake test has been used for over a century to gauge the potency of moonshine, and even today it’s one of the most popular methods.
Alcoholometer
Of course, you’ll need a more technical method to accurately identify the alcohol content in moonshine. The shake test is great for a quick test, but it’s rudimentary at best. If you want a more accurate reading of the alcohol content in your moonshine, it’s recommended that you invest in a small device called an alcoholometer.
An alcoholometer works by measuring the density of your moonshine and comparing it to pure alcohol. You simply place the alcoholometer in a jar or batch of moonshine and turn the device on. Once it’s identified the density of your moonshine, it will display the ABV. An alcoholometer a simple yet highly effective device for identifying the alcohol content in moonshine.
