How to Tell the Proof of Your Moonshine in 5 Simple Steps: A Detailed Guide for Proofing Moonshine

Proofing moonshine is important when you are buying or making your own liquor. When it comes to buying moonshine, you’ll find that there is a lot of variation in quality, from the source of the ingredients, to the type of still used, and the proof of the final product.

Because of this, it is important that you know how to tell the proof of your moonshine, so you know what to expect and how to grade it accordingly. How does one tell the proof of moonshine? It is relatively easy.

You might be able to tell the proof of your homemade moonshine in just one single step. But the proof of your moonshine is in the final product. To get the best moonshine possible, you’ll need to know how to tell the proof of your moonshine.

After all, the proof controls the amount of alcohol that is produced. Even the smallest changes in the proof can have a big impact on the final product. In this article, you’ll learn how to tell the proof of moonshine in five simple steps, and you’ll be well on your way to making the best moonshine possible.

How to Tell the Proof of Moonshine

You can tell the moonshine proof by either shaking the jar or by using a hydrometer. By shaking the moonshine jar, you will check the bubbles in the moonshine to deduce the proof while a hydrometer is a gadget used to check the specific density of moonshine thus using it to calculate the proof.

1. Shake your moonshine in a glass jar.
2. Observe the bubbles: Large bubbles that disappear quickly indicate a higher proof
3. Fill a glass with water, and put it to the side of the container: This helps to remove any alcohol fumes that could be affecting the test results.
4. Place your finger over one side of the container for about 15 seconds, then remove it, and observe if there is any moisture on your finger If there is no moisture on your finger, you have a good batch of moonshine. If there is moisture present on your finger, you have an inferior batch of moonshine
5. If you need more proof to tell which batch is better, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the low-proof batch This will give it some sweetness and make it taste better (or worse)

Alternatively, you can use a hydrometer as described below.

Method 1: Determine the Proof by Shaking Test: Shake and check bubbles

To determine the proof of your moonshine by shaking test, first, shake the bottle. If bubbles form and then quickly disappear from the surface of the liquid, that means it’s higher in alcohol content.

This is because high-proof moonshine has low sugar content and a higher alcohol concentration than low-proof moonshine. In other words, a higher proof results in less sugar. The shaking of the glass jar containing moonshine can be used to check the size of the bubbles and the time it takes for the bubbles to dissipate.

A moonshine with high alcohol content, the bubbles are larger and dissipate faster. When the bubbles pop faster and create large bubbles the proof is higher.

The reason why large bubbles are developed when the proof is higher and the bubbles pop faster is because of the surface tension.

Water has a higher surface tension as compared to alcohol. The surface tension is directly proportional to the time it takes for the bubbles to dissipate.

However, this method will require experience and practice to master. Some brewers can use this method to calculate the proof of your alcohol as perfectly as a hydrometer.

Method 2: Determine the Proof by using a HYDROMETER

If you want to know the proof of your moonshine, a hydrometer is your best bet. A hydrometer is an instrument that measures how dense a liquid is by determining its specific gravity.

The more alcohol content in the liquid, the denser it becomes. So, if you want to know what the ABV of your moonshine is, you can use a hydrometer to measure how heavy it is.

When using this method, place your moonshine in a container and fill it with water until it reaches the shoulder. Now take out the container and place it on a flat surface.

Find where the fluid meets the line on the side of your vessel. Take note of where the reading lands on your hydrometer scale (most likely between 1-10).

You’re looking for specific gravity readings that are higher than 1.000 or 1.030. When reading proof with a hydrometer, you’re looking for specific gravity readings that are higher than 1.000 or 1.030; anything below those numbers indicates lower proof moonshine (anything above them indicates higher proof).

5 Tips for Telling the Proof of Moonshine

1. The ABV, or alcohol by volume, of moonshine, is the percentage of alcohol in a given batch. However, the proof of moonshine is twice the ABV.
2. When making moonshine, you want to make sure that you’re using quality ingredients. This includes a good mash and high-quality yeast.
3. Make sure your still efficiency is good as well. Low still efficiency means that there will be more impurities in your moonshine and it will taste bad.
4. Distilling at a higher temperature will also help create a better-tasting moonshine and will be done faster and there are less impurities created in the process.
5. The proof is double the percentage of alcohol by volume, meaning that 80-proof moonshine is made from 40% ABV alcohol.

Moonshine proofing calculator

First, you’ll need to know how much moonshine you made. To find the proof of your moonshine, use this calculator: (A) * (B) / (C) = D A. The number of ounces you made B. The ABV% or proof strength in decimal form C. The conversion factor between volume and weight.

The proof is a measure of the alcohol content in an alcoholic beverage. For example, if you have a bottle of 80-proof moonshine, it will contain 40% alcohol by volume.

You can calculate the proof of your moonshine with this formula: (ABV x 2) So, what is ABV? Well, ABV stands for Alcohol by Volume and it refers to the percentage of alcohol in a particular liquid.

A high ABV would be between 40 and 50 percent while a low ABV would be under 20%. There are two ways to test your moonshine’s proof: the shake test or the hydrometer.

The shake test: Shake 100 ml of your moonshine vigorously in a container for five seconds. If large bubbles emerge and quickly disappear, this indicates that your batch has more than 60% ABV.

If small bubbles emerge and linger for some time, this indicates that your batch has less than 60% ABV.

The hydrometer: This tool requires you to place it into the mouth of your container filled with moonshine, let it sit for about three minutes without touching or moving it, remove it from the container and read off where the meniscus hits on the scale (this is found on the inside curve).

If your reading is more than 0%, then you know that your batch contains more than 60% ABV. If it’s less than 0%, then your batch contains less than 60% ABV.

What is the best proof for moonshine?

The proof is not a measure of alcohol content. It’s a measure of the ratio of alcohol to water. The higher the proof, the higher the concentration of alcohol.

We do not recommend taking moonshine with proof of 150 and above. This is because the alcohol is too concentrated and may hurt your body systems. 

Alcohol proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume so an 80-proof moonshine would be 40% ABV.

There are many different kinds of high-proof moonshines, but some people swear by 100 to 120 proof (50 to 60% ABV) as being the best proof for moonshine.

o achieve this level, you can either distill your moonshine twice or boil it three times at once and then let it cool off.

What is Proof?

The proof is the measure of how much alcohol is in your moonshine. In the United States, alcohol proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume.

The proof is the measure of how much alcohol is in an alcoholic drink. It’s used as a measurement of the potency or strength of an alcohol-based beverage.

This means your average bottle of 40% ABV moonshine will be 80 proof. Your moonshine’s proof can be either high or low depending on how strong it is.

Moonshine can be anywhere from 75 to 160 proof, which is really easy to see with a hydrometer or shake test.

Difference between Proof and ABV?

In the United States, alcohol proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV). This means your average bottle of 40% ABV moonshine will be 80 proof.

The difference between proof and ABV is that the proof of a spirit refers to the percentage of alcohol in it. So for example, a spirit that is 40% ABV would be 80 proof (or 40% alcohol).

Alcohol by volume is a measurement that tells you how much alcohol is in a given liquid. A higher alcohol content means a higher ABV.

To find out the strength of your moonshine, you can either use a hydrometer or a shake test. If the spirit has large bubbles that disappear quickly, it would indicate that the batch is higher proof.

Therefore, in the United States, alcohol proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume. Therefore, it means that your average bottle of 40% ABV moonshine will be 80 proof.

How to Calculate the ABV of Your Moonshine

Here’s the easy way to figure out the ABV of your moonshine. First, divide the number by two. Then, multiply that number by 100%.

You can use an alcoholometer to check the ABV of moonshine. The device works by comparing the density of your moonshine and comparing it to pure alcohol.

The result is how much total percent alcohol your moonshine contains.

1. Divide the proof by two: For example, 40/2 = 20.
2. Multiply that number by 100%: 20×100% = 200%.
3. Take away the first number you multiplied: 20-20 = 0%.
4. That means your moonshine is 200% ABV! Easy peasy!

How do you make moonshine high-proof?

Making your moonshine high-proof is easier than you may think. The first thing you need to do is start with a high-proof moonshine recipe. This means using a higher amount of ethanol and water in the distillation process.

To make your moonshine even stronger, you can use pure ethanol rather than drinking alcohol or vodka. Pure ethanol boils at 172 degrees Fahrenheit while drinking alcohol boils at 78 degrees Fahrenheit and water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which will result in a much higher ABV.

To make moonshine with high proof, you need to distill Ethanol at a lower temperature than water. Pure ethanol has a boiling point of 172 degrees Fahrenheit and water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Boiling the mash at a temperature that is optimal will result in a liquid with higher alcohol content.

You need to make sure that the pot used for distillation is made of copper or stainless steel because these materials don’t react with ethanol, so they’ll give you a more accurate reading of your moonshine’s proof.

And lastly, choose the right brand of yeast for fermentation because some yeasts are more sensitive to temperature changes than others.

How do you make 200-proof alcohol?

200-proof alcohol is a high-proof distilled spirit. For example, Everclear comes in 190 and 200-proof versions. This means the spirit has been distilled to have at least 190 proof, but it’s possible for this to be 200 proof or higher. The higher the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV), the stronger the liquid.

200 proof is alcohol without any water. to make 200-proof alcohol, you can use a molecular sieve. Using a molecular sieve extracts the remaining 5% of the water giving you 200 proof alcohol.

200-proof alcohol is a type of moonshine that has been manufactured with a molecular sieve to extract the last 5% of the water from the finished product.

A molecular sieve is used because it can remove all of the water from alcohol without adding an undesirable taste or smell. This type of moonshine has a very high alcohol content and is often considered to be poisonous or toxic due to its high alcohol content.

Can you drink 180-proof moonshine?

The answer to whether or not you can drink 180-proof moonshine is no. Most people can comfortably drink 100-120 proof and anything higher is too high. Moonshine that is 180 proof will feel like drinking rubbing alcohol and there is a big chance it will cause you to vomit.

A lot of people think that if their moonshine has 180 proof, or 90% ABV, then they can drink it. However, there’s a problem with this logic. Most people can’t comfortably drink anything over 100 to 120 proof; therefore, 180-proof moonshine would be too high for them.

Now that you know the answer to this question, you can use it as a barometer when meeting other moonshiners.

You can tell if they are inexperienced by the fact that they have jars of moonshine with a proof higher than 120. After all, the average person needs to be 21 years old in order to buy alcohol with a proof of 80 or higher at a store in most states.

Is 40-proof moonshine strong?

If your moonshine is 40 proof, that means it has an ABV of 20%. Alcohol by volume is the percentage of alcohol in the liquid. Moonshine can come in different strengths (30% – 50% or 60%), but it’s always a little stronger than beer or wine (5% – 15%).

As you may have guessed, if your moonshine says it’s 80-proof, then this means it has an ABV of 40%. While many people might think that 40-proof moonshine is strong, this actually has a lower ABV than most alcoholic beverages.

For example, since average alcohol by volume for beer and wine are 5% and 15%, respectively. However, for whiskeys and gins, the ABV may be even over 40% which means they have a proof of 80.

How to proof moonshine with a hydrometer

To measure the proof of your moonshine, you need to float the hydrometer in your moonshine. Thereafter, check the ABV/proof reading on the side of the hydrometer. A hydrometer is a device used to measure the specific gravity of liquids and typically is made of glass or plastic.

To use a hydrometer, you’ll need to put it in the liquid and read the specific gravity reading on the side. The higher number will indicate stronger alcohol content, which translates to more proof.

of the unit. If you want to know how to tell the proof of your moonshine, you’ll need a hydrometer and an ABV/proof reading. First, float the hydrometer in your moonshine. Then look at the ABV/proof reading on the side of the unit.

Next, subtract your original gravity from your final gravity numbers to get your alcohol percentage. The higher the percentage, the more potent it is and will taste like more of a “kick.”

If you want to know how high it might be before you try it, subtract .1 (or 10%) for every 50 proof. For example: if your moonshine is 65% ABV or 120 proof, then 67% ABV or 126 proof would have been very strong–so take caution when drinking this moonshine!

Can you use a hydrometer for moonshine?

You can use either a specific gravity or alcohol hydrometer to measure the proof of moonshine. When using a hydrometer, it is important to remember that the test won’t work if the moonshine is mixed with other alcohol types. In this case, you’ll need to use either a shake test or a specific gravity test.

There are 2 different types of hydrometers that you can use to estimate the proof of your moonshine during brewing. You can either use a specific gravity or an alcohol hydrometer. You can thus use the specific gravity/triple scale hydrometer to get 3 choices of readings from one hydrometer.

The alcoholmeter, which is one of the best ways to proof the moonshine is used to measure the final alcohol content of the distilled moonshine. Both hydrometers are extremely easy and precise to use.

How can you tell moonshine proof from bubbles?

When you shake the moonshine, large bubbles that dissipate quickly would indicate high-proof moonshine. This is because there’s more alcohol in the batch which causes a faster dissipation rate for the bubble.

However, if the bubbles are smaller and last longer, that means there’s lower proof. These small bubbles may be caused by substances like sugar or corn syrup that inhibit you from getting high-proof moonshine.

Do you want to know the proof of your moonshine? Moonshine is typically 40% ABV or 80 proof. This means that large bubbles that disappear quickly would indicate high-proof moonshine.

When you shake a bottle of moonshine and see smaller bubbles, this indicates a lower proof. In the United States, alcohol proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume.

Conclusion

So, now that you know how to tell the proof of your moonshine, go out there and share your newfound knowledge with the world.

You can get the proof of moonshine by the shake test (using bubbles) or by using a hygrometer. The shake test requires some expertise to use. However, a hygrometer may not work if the moonshine is mixed with other drinks.

After making your homemade moonshine for the first time, you might be wondering how you can tell the proof of your moonshine. This is a fair question and it depends on the specific circumstances of your batch. However, there are some general rules that can help you in this regard.

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