Long Term Ageing

[Matt S]

Hi guys,

If I am ageing in 4L glass jars, whats the best way to cover the spirit but also allow air to get in? Would placing paper towel over them allow too much air to get in? I would use a wooden cork, but the opening is as wide as the jar.

I was going to just use 5L demijohns but the opening wasnt wide enough to fit the oak dominoes, and I couldnt be bothered cutting them all once they had all been nicely brushed of dust already.

Cheers and thanks :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Bushy]

Not too sure about the jars Matt. I use the demis myself. Dominos only takes one hit on the end with a sharp object and they fit nicely. I also remove the rubber washer and use a bit of folded coffee filter. I'm happy. Perhaps double coffee filters over yr jars.

[Matt S]

So you are placing the coffee paper over the opening and still clamping it shut (without the rubber washer) over that? Or are you just placing the coffee paper over the opening and then holding it there with a rubber band?

Cheers mate

[Matt S]

PS- By long term, I mean 5 years+

[Bushy]

Clamping it over the filter paper. Five years time your jars will be empty, i reckon. Not too sure you need to give that much to the angels.

[crow]

Firstly I call this flavouring not aging . I give stuff plenty of airing before I place it on chips/sticks in a jar or bottle then I seal it,on probs :handgestures-thumbupleft: . The exception to this is my barrel aged stuff ;-)
These are just my opinions but you are unlikely to change them :laughing-rolling:

[Matt S]

When you seal the jar or bottle, are you worried the alcohol fumes are going to leach into the rubber, plastic lid at all?

Cheers fellas, appreciate the feedback :handgestures-thumbdown:

[crow]

Yeah mate that's what they mean. Wrap it in thread seal or get a silicone or :handgestures-thumbupleft: cork seal

[scarecrow]

I age my stuff in 5 litre pickling jars from The Reject Shop.
I remove the rubber seal and the metal clamping mechanism and just have the glass lid as the only seal.

I find over a 12 month period my hooch goes from 65% to 60% and after 2 years it ends up at about 55-58%.

The hooch can still breathe and it slowly mellows over about 2 years. I found if I seal it totally, it is not as smooth, but has a higher ABV%.
I try to get 2 years on oak with all my hooch.

scarecrow

[Milky]

I age my stuff in 5 litre pickling jars from The Reject Shop.
I remove the rubber seal and the metal clamping mechanism and just have the glass lid as the only seal.

I find over a 12 month period my hooch goes from 65% to 60% and after 2 years it ends up at about 55-58%.

The hooch can still breathe and it slowly mellows over about 2 years. I found if I seal it totally, it is not as smooth, but has a higher ABV%.
I try to get 2 years on oak with all my hooch.

scarecrow

So have big are your oak pieces leaving them in for 2years? Interested as I haven't done it yet but am close

[bt1]

Hello Mikly,

Do roughly the same process so won't go into that. This for UJSM's/Ryes/Malt washes
But once it's done in jars, transfer to postmix 19lt kegs for ageing. The 5lt jars would have 2 x 1cmx12cm x1cm sticks roughly during the colouring/flavouring stage.
Once into keg seriously reduce timber to same 2 but for whole keg= 2 sticks per 19lt.

If you age at same level as you flavour it turns to "wood soup" and is well over done.

If in jars for a good 3 -4 months, after the first month there's also a good reason to taste and reduce timber to just 1 stick.. but this is personal flavour pref.

Reckon there's a good case here also to try medium to heavy toast vs. a char stick. Char seems to impart quicker flavour/colour good for flavouring stage but is less suited to ageing long term imho.

Port soaked stick make great long term ageing sticks btw given most of the bite has diminished.

For rums, bit different, again on personal taste, but use raw American oak as it turns the spirit faster without the char effect coming through.

bt1

[scarecrow]

So have big are your oak pieces leaving them in for 2years? Interested as I haven't done it yet but am close

My oak pieces are 100mm x 20mm x 20mm, alligator char.
I oak for 12 months on these. After that, I snap them in half and age for another 12 months+ .

Oaking is a personal preference. Find what works for you and stick to it.

scarecrow

[BackyardBrewer]

I oak for 12 months on these. After that, I snap them in half and age for another 12 months+ .

Oaking is a personal preference. Find what works for you and stick to it.

scarecrow

My "preference" is that I figure out how to make enough so I can have product aging for 12 months.

Well done on getting it to last that long:-)

[Milky]

Scarecrow, bt1 & BackyardBrewer, thank you heaps for your replies. It all makes sense now. I was only curious as I'm about 5 days away now from putting 2 lots of MacWhiskey (with LME) on oak and had no idea what I was doing. I was going to put toasted oak in one lot then charred & toasted in the other. Not quite up to the 19lt mark on spirit stock yet but that's a bloody good idea hey! I like it! Wanted to long term age some whiskey when I get up to doing a UJSM which is probably only a week from putting down the first ferment.

[scarecrow]

My "preference" is that I figure out how to make enough so I can have product aging for 12 months.

I started on a 15l stovetop job many years ago. It was frustrating to put 8 hours of my day into this and only getting a litre of drinkable.
Best move was to a keg and 60 litre fermenter. :happy-partydance:

scarecrow