Can Moonshine Go Bad?
It is said that moonshine doesn’t go bad, like ever as it has an indefinite shelf life. However, it was shown by research that moonshine does expire – just not in a conventional way like other liquids, but in its own way moonshine starts to go bad after some time regardless of it being a strong alcohol beverage.
Although various sources will say different things, the answer to whether moonshine goes bad or not is pretty obvious: A bottle of unflavored moonshine, just like other plain spirits, has a finite shelf life. Most moonshine has an unlimited shelf life, meaning if you do come across an unopened bottle of moonshine sitting in your cupboard for an extended period, you do not need to worry about the quality of the moonshine, nor about any potential health dangers associated with it.
Keep in mind, this is only true of opened bottles of flavored moonshine, since an unopened bottle of flavored moonshine can be stored for years, whether or not it is kept refrigerated. This only applies to unflavored moonshine, as an opened bottle of flavored moonshine will have to be refrigerated in order to prolong its shelf life. If you left the bottle open, the unopened moonshine might not completely spoil, but probably would not last for long.
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The alcohol in your flavor-infused moonshine will be vaporized, and any fruit in the can may begin to spoil if it is left open for a long enough period of time. If stored incorrectly, the fruit-infused moonshine will not be drinkable, it will taste bad, and it will not be nearly as strong as alcohol.
Fruit in unopened moonshine, however, may be far more concentrated with the alcohol, and fruit is usually best left out. When the fruited moonshine is stored in a sealed container or can, the alcohol preserves the fruits and keeps the flavors more concentrated — though most people will eventually discard a chunk as they drink.
Because moonshine is stored in glass jars rather than wood barrels, there is little chance that the flavors change too dramatically. When made correctly, it is just really potent alcohol that has an extra harsh taste, or kick, since it has not been aged. As a strong alcohol, hooch is not easily spoilt, but it does tend to fall flat and lose the distinctive flavors and aromas.
| How do you know if moonshine has gone bad? | |
| Never Goes Bad | If your moonshine is exposed to air, heat, or light, its flavor and qualities may alter, but it won’t lose its drinkability. |
| Quite Strong | The Moonshine is typically quite strong, at 150 proof, or about 75% alcohol. |
| Shelf Life | Once opened, it starts vaporizing, to the extent that it will not taste the same in 10 years. |
This means that the shelf life of moonshine is unlimited, at least until it is perfumed, and then its high sugar content causes it to deteriorate from the higher alcohol level. This means that moonshine has an unlimited shelf life, unless you are dealing with flavoring variants (which may degrade as a result of their high sugar content). Anything containing sugar has a finite shelf life, so moonshine with added flavors (or any flavoring spirits, for that matter) will likely go bad if left on shelves too long.
This means that a moonshine with fruit in it is certainly going to go bad at some point, especially if stored incorrectly. While plain Moonshine Spirits do not tend to spoil the way that some alcoholic beverages do, there are some good (and bad) ways to store them — particularly if you want them to stay fresh for long periods of time.
It is unlikely that you are going to make your moonshine taste better storing it on the shelves, meaning that it is probably better off just drinking and enjoying. Your moonshine only gets worse if you do not keep the container tightly sealed, and the only things that can spoil it are light, heat, and oxygen. If your moonshine container is stored and sealed, you do not have any harm in taking a dram and checking out the taste (assuming that it is been properly distilled, that is).
Keep in mind, if your moonshine was stored without the cover, and thus exposed to oxygen, that will impact the taste of your moonshine, but will not necessarily mean that your moonshine is going bad. While exposure to air can result in changes to moonshine characteristics, or even evaporation, the moonshine does not spoil or expire like fresh foods or even fine wines. It is possible that air can start changing the qualities of moonshine after a bottle has been opened; evaporation can also happen; however, moonshine will not spoil or expire, unlike fresh food and even fine wine.
The flavors or characteristics of your moonshine will not get better as time goes on, as the spirit is not exposed to any woods which can change the taste. Open-air moonshine may vaporize and develop different flavors from the distinctive flavors that most people associate with standard moonshine. While a clean moonshine does not get spoiled – never – when it is made and stored correctly, moonshine flavored with fruit is an entirely different matter.
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Featuring sugar, fruit-flavored moonshine is less shelf-stable, but it may keep for years after you open it. There is non-flavored moonshine, which is comparably easier to store than its flavor-filled counterpart. Flavored moonshine, like popular apple pie moonshine, contains extra sugar, making flavorful moonshine less shelf-stable after opening, and more prone to expiration–but will still be good for a good while after you open it and consume it (that is, a few years).
Commercially produced moonshine also lasts several years, eventually going bad, so the faster you consume it, the better. Without the needed ingredients needed to grow bacteria, a pure moonshine will never really spoil – but it will likely mutate over time, particularly when exposed to light and heat. As one of the strongest spirits, moonshine does not expire, although light, heat, and air may alter the characteristics of an opened bottle over time.
Also, keeping your moonshine in the smallest possible bottle helps preserve flavor, by limiting how long your whiskey has to contact oxygen. If you store your bottles of pure moonshine properly, and buy it from a reputable retailer, then the shelf life of the spirit is unlimited. In other words, you are allowed to purchase a legally produced spirit that is just like illicit moonshine. While a standard bottle of moonshine will never go bad, regardless of how long you store it, a distilled spirits flavor is another matter, and it will likely deteriorate over time.
While it is likely that moonshine does not spoil the same way eggs or milk does, improperly storing a batch of moonshine could have an adverse effect on taste — to the point of making it unconsumable. The Moonshine is typically quite strong, at 150 proof, or about 75% alcohol. So, yes, you can freeze the Moonshine, but most home freezers are not cold enough to freeze it. Once opened, it starts vaporizing, to the extent that it will not taste the same in 10 years.
How do you know if moonshine has gone bad?
Moonshine never actually goes bad. If your moonshine is exposed to air, heat, or light, its flavor and qualities may alter, but it won’t lose its drinkability. Even an open bottle of flavor-infused moonshine has a long shelf life before it deteriorates.
Does moonshine get stronger over time?
No, moonshine doesn’t become more potent with time. Although moonshine doesn’t spoil, there is no real advantage to keeping it in storage. Your moonshine won’t get better with time since the spirits do not come in contact with the wood, which can change the flavor. After several years of preservation, the flavor will remain unchanged.
Does moonshine need to be refrigerated?
While storing moonshine doesn’t require refrigeration, doing so won’t be detrimental to its spirit. Only light, heat, and oxygen can change your moonshine if your container isn’t sealed. If your moonshine comes into contact with any of these things, the flavor may alter and won’t be as potent.