Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

hillzabilly wrote:I have been trying to source glass covered stir rods for my magnetic stir plate ,I can get a 5lt demi full of water moveing well with the teflon coated one's but would like glass for the high ABV oak test.cheers hillzabilly

Pretty sure the teflon(ptfe) is inert in alcohol up to azeotrope which is why they use it in labs has great resistance to numerous solvents acids and other chemicals..some of the seals for sanitary fittings mac seals are made from it also.
This might be of some use https://www.belart.com/corporate/Resources/Spinbar%20Shapes%20and%20Performance.pdf

One thing I found interesting in the pdf was the encapsulated one it should stop the oak dominoes from knocking the flea(stir bar) out of place..

A way's back that post ,I did get a glass covered one and the people at the lab supplies assured me the teflon one's were safe in high value alc,it broke after a couple tests,befor I used fine stainless wire (or copper) to suspend them with ,away from the stir bar .cheers hillzabilly

bluc wrote:Gotta ask what do you think is a better end result a lot of oak for short period or small amount for long period? :think:

I think less oak for longer is better, and that seems to be the consensus from most others as well. If you do use more oak for a shorter period, you risk over oaking, which is a poor outcome. When I first started distilling (and did not have the benefit of the wisdom of this site), I made a brandy and got some french oak chips and tossed them in. Nothing happened for a couple of days so I tossed more in. Then more. After about ten days it had the colour I thought was great, so I took the oak out and bottled it. It was shite, and I gave it to my mother-in-law and her sister. They keep asking me to make more :roll: , but if I do it properly now they will hassle me more often again. :doh:

I am now using the following program:

- for sugar washes (BWKO, UJ, etc) I am using aerating as a means of getting the stuff I want ready slightly sooner, say in six months. This is my regular drink and the stuff I willingly share.
- for all grain recipes (Bourbon and Scotches), I have not applied aeration. These can age for well over a year and get better naturally. This is more closely guarded and enjoyed in much greater moderation and without mixers or ice.

There are plenty here with much greater experience and better ideas than me, so read heaps and do your own experiments. But I keep a simple philosophy for this caper: distilling requires patience.

My 2 bits on oaking from experience I used to use 100 Gm per litre in demijohn and after couple of months it tasted good if it was over Oaked in flavour blending sorted that out. Once that oaking was over the next went in for 3/4 months the next 6 months then as long as you can this method also works well, my tastebuds anyway :handgestures-thumbupleft:

WicketNut wrote:

bluc wrote:Gotta ask what do you think is a better end result a lot of oak for short period or small amount for long period? :think:

I think less oak for longer is better, and that seems to be the consensus from most others as well. If you do use more oak for a shorter period, you risk over oaking, which is a poor outcome. When I first started distilling (and did not have the benefit of the wisdom of this site), I made a brandy and got some french oak chips and tossed them in. Nothing happened for a couple of days so I tossed more in. Then more. After about ten days it had the colour I thought was great, so I took the oak out and bottled it. It was shite, and I gave it to my mother-in-law and her sister. They keep asking me to make more :roll: , but if I do it properly now they will hassle me more often again. :doh:

I am now using the following program:

- for sugar washes (BWKO, UJ, etc) I am using aerating as a means of getting the stuff I want ready slightly sooner, say in six months. This is my regular drink and the stuff I willingly share.
- for all grain recipes (Bourbon and Scotches), I have not applied aeration. These can age for well over a year and get better naturally. This is more closely guarded and enjoyed in much greater moderation and without mixers or ice.

There are plenty here with much greater experience and better ideas than me, so read heaps and do your own experiments. But I keep a simple philosophy for this caper: distilling requires patience.

I agree the only reason I was useing the stirrer was because I didnot have anything ready to drink and needed to push it along,now I have built up a small supply .I donot use it anymore ,and am happy to wait 3-6months.cheers hillzabilly ;-)