How to check the authenticity of alcohol at home and when buying it
Low-quality alcoholic beverages are called surrogates. Very often they are become the cause of human death. The country has a system of control over the quality and sale of spirits. Products produced in accordance with the requirements of current regulations have excise stamps. Many people believe, that they are the right way to test that, how to check alcohol for authenticity. It does not. In practice, there are a large number of cases of forgery of excise stamps.
What should be good alcohol?
Each alcoholic beverage has its own quality indicators. They differ not only in taste, color, fortress and aroma, but also on the strength and direction of the impact on the human body. You can check the authenticity of products in special laboratories. The service of determining the quality and safety of beverages is paid and long. There are many ways to do this, how to check the quality of alcohol at home.
The most accessible way to determine the quality of beverages is organoleptic evaluation.
Each type of alcohol has its own external characteristics, which indicate their quality and safety. The most common task in the practice of consuming spirits is that, how to check the quality of vodka at home. Hiding under the excise stamp surrogate vodka takes away according to statistics in Russia every day 38 persons. For, to distinguish fake alcohol from real you need to know at least the external signs of beverage quality.
How to determine the quality of vodka?
The most consumed drink not only in Russia can be verified for authenticity such spring signs, as a color, taste and smell. No need to buy a product, poured into a dark container. The strength of the drink should be at least 40 degrees. It can be determined at home with a spirometer.
Quality vodka should not contain impurities. It has a mild taste and a pronounced vodka smell. The alcohol content in the drink is within 40-56%. When drinking the drink should not burn the larynx. Rubbed on the palm of the hand should not emit the smell of acetone or other chemicals.
How to determine the quality of beer?
When buying beer you need to pay attention to its foam. Its absence on the surface of the drink may indicate:
- Hypothermia.
- Lack of carbon dioxide.
- Adding water to beer.
A large amount of foam may indicate:
- Improper bottling.
- Elevated temperature of the drink.
- Oversaturation of beer with carbon dioxide.
An important indicator of beer quality is foam stability. It indicates the degree of maturity of the product. In a quality beer, the foam should have a thick layer of foam thick 4-5 mm. It should not come off the surface of the drink for at least a while 1 minutes. The optimum temperature of the drink for its consumption 8-10 degrees.
How to determine the quality of wine?
Questions of wine authenticity are quite relevant. On sale you can find a large amount of wine, made of powder material. This type of product has documents, confirming their quality, but this does not make powdered drinks natural wines.
When determining the quality of wine, pay attention to its aroma. The low quality of the drink is indicated by its pungent odor. The aroma of a good quality drink has a range of odors, which gradually change each other. For full recognition of the whole range of wine aromas, it is poured into a wide glass and lightly shaken. Good wine should flow slowly along the walls of the vessel. If in a drink of poor quality add a few drops of glycerin, it will be colored.
How to choose quality alcohol in the trade?
The existing rules of trade do not provide for the procedure of tasting the drink when buying it. Alcohol is bought almost blindly. Ways to do that, how to distinguish counterfeit alcohol from quality based on careful study of product labels and containers, into which it is poured. There are general rules for determining the quality and safety of alcohol.
The least likely to get on surrogate drinks in specialized luxury boutiques. The rules of trade very strictly regulate the sale of alcohol. You can identify its manufacturer by barcode. It is applied to the label.
You should not buy products, brought from countries, that do not inspire confidence.
The product label must contain information about the type of drink, its composition, date of bottling and expiration date, as well as about the manufacturer. Uneven label on the container should alert the buyer. This indicates that, that the products are made by hand and its quality is questionable. There are other subtleties, which can help decide on the choice. Including:
- Champagne and sparkling wine. Ways to do that, how to check the alcohol of this type for compliance with the grade for many may seem unexpectedly simple. Despite this, they are quite effective. Champagne buyers should be aware of this, that the name of this type of beverage is geographical. Guilt, produced outside the French province of Champagne, can only be sparkling. It does not mean, that they are dangerous to human health. They are just different. Sparkling drinks contain the least sugar, belonging to the Brut group, the sweetest - Demi-sec.
- Wine. It is impossible to determine the quality of the product only by color and transparency. When buying this product you need to focus on the manufacturer. Do not count on high quality product, produced at enterprises, located outside the areas of grape growing.
- Vodka. Ways to do that, how to check vodka in containers for quality are reduced to the choice of a well-known manufacturer and verification of packaging and labeling. They should not be in doubt. The price of the product can become a reference point of quality. A good vodka can not cost less 150 rubles.
A complete quality control of alcohol can only be performed in the laboratory. For, to protect yourself from the surrogate you do not need to buy alcohol in untested places or from the hands. All types of products must have intact packaging.
Signs of alcohol counterfeiting:
