Aeration

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Re: Aeration

Postby the Doctor » Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:52 pm

one question xcavator...are there diffusers on the end of the copper tubes...if not you will have very big bubbles which will dramatically increase the angels share...and may be responsible for the loss of the terpenes and aroma from the herbs... we use stainless .5 micron bubblers we buy from craft brewer...they give a very gentle stream of very small bubbles.... I have found that small bubbles get the job done slower ...but without the downsides of loss of abv.
Cheers
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Re: Aeration

Postby xcvator » Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:36 pm

Doc, the copper tube is squashed totally flat at the ends to seal them, then about 30mm is flattened to about 90% closed and the holes were punched using a new masonry nail ( very hard and very sharp ) each hole was tested by blowing through it by mouth until I could just get a stream of miniscule bubbles then the next hole was done.There are only 3 or 4 holes in each tube.
If you have a look at the photos and enlarge them you can see the bubbles on the surface of the liquid in the jars,
cheers
and thanks for the input Doc :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Aeration

Postby the Doctor » Thu Jan 28, 2016 7:34 am

xcvator wrote:Doc, the copper tube is squashed totally flat at the ends to seal them, then about 30mm is flattened to about 90% closed and the holes were punched using a new masonry nail ( very hard and very sharp ) each hole was tested by blowing through it by mouth until I could just get a stream of miniscule bubbles then the next hole was done.There are only 3 or 4 holes in each tube.
If you have a look at the photos and enlarge them you can see the bubbles on the surface of the liquid in the jars,
cheers
and thanks for the input Doc :handgestures-thumbupleft:


sounds good... i learn't a lesson using big bubbles....I left 100 liters of whiskey on bubbler ( using a cut silicone tube instead of a airstone) a couple of weeks later i was down to 60 liters.... Hot weather and a very poor seal on a stainless olive tank were also contributors. Bugger!
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Re: Aeration

Postby joilan » Fri Jan 29, 2016 4:02 am

Just tried aerating with 100ml of the heads that came just after the foreshot in my slivovica. Ran the pump for exactly 60 seconds and the heads has really transformed into hearts(or similar).
Just got 150ml more slivovica "for free".

:handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Aeration

Postby maddogpearse » Fri Jan 29, 2016 7:03 am

joilan wrote:Just tried aerating with 100ml of the heads that came just after the foreshot in my slivovica. Ran the pump for exactly 60 seconds and the heads has really transformed into hearts(or similar).
Just got 150ml more slivovica "for free".

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

Fair dinkum? Blew bubbles for a minute and turned early heads into hearts? That's revolutionary! A real game changer! :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Aeration

Postby Matt_Pl » Fri Jan 29, 2016 1:48 pm

Did you consume a lot of hearts while watching the bubbles in that 60 seconds ?

Heads is still heads after you run bubbles through it for 60 seconds. :handgestures-thumbdown: :handgestures-thumbdown:
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Re: Aeration

Postby maddogpearse » Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:18 pm

Matt_Pl wrote:Heads is still heads after you run bubbles through it for 60 seconds. :handgestures-thumbdown: :handgestures-thumbdown:


oh really? damn it, i was going to go grab a $20 bottle of vodka and a packet of straws and turn it into a bottle of grey goose! :laughing-rolling:

joilan wrote:Just tried aerating with 100ml of the heads that came just after the foreshot in my slivovica.

mate, if you're fermenting fruits, you want to do a good read up of pectin and how it produces methanol. After you've done that, do a bit more research on methanol, it's boiling point, when you collect the bulk of it when distilling, what it smells and tastes like, etc.
Then after you've done all that, put your newly aquired "hearts" in with the rest of your feints. Don't drink it.

My rule not only in distilling but in life...
"if it seems too good to be true, it usually is"
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Re: Aeration

Postby xcvator » Sat Feb 06, 2016 6:30 pm

xcvator wrote:As it's only been running for a week it's a bit hard to tell. The jar on the right is my Drambuie and it's has made a huge difference there, and not for the best, it seems to have lost quite a bit of the herbs and spices taste so that's been taken off the aeration atm. 2nd from the right is tpw with some raisins and a french oak domino that was put down on the 28/12/15, it's drinkable now but I expect it to have a large change over the next week or so. 3rd jar is "still spirits single malt whisky " now that 1 should show a pretty dramatic change over a couple of weeks, and the last 1 on the extreme left is double distilled wheat bix whisky down for 1 week with 1 american oak domino, so nfi what that should taste like. My stoppers are just paper towel rolled up very tightly, cheap but effective, like me :-D

Well today was sample day.
Does aeration help with ageing ? you can bet your left knacker on it :laughing-rolling:
The "still spirits" stuff is amazing, I would rate it at almost as good as "chivas regal"
very smooth, good flavour, no nasty bite, and a really nice warming in the chest afterwards which for $ 9-00 for 3 bottles in 3 weeks is pretty good I reconn :handgestures-thumbupleft:

The jar with the raisins and oak dominoes has developed a sweet, slightly bourbonish flavour but that too is very smooth to drink. :-D

Overall I'm very happy with this result, especially when you consider the small once off outlay and the short time period involved in this experiment :)) Now I know I can make my booze without the risk of leaving it for somebody else to drink :laughing-rolling:
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Re: Aeration

Postby the Doctor » Sat Feb 06, 2016 9:19 pm

joilan wrote:Just tried aerating with 100ml of the heads that came just after the foreshot in my slivovica. Ran the pump for exactly 60 seconds and the heads has really transformed into hearts(or similar).
Just got 150ml more slivovica "for free".

:handgestures-thumbupleft:



No mate ...I am afraid that what you did will not turn heads ... Aldehydes, acetone, or methanol into ethanol or hearts....these are different chemicals and are not tranformed into hearts by either the chemical (oxidative) or physical (the stirring effect of the bubbles rising)...

It may have made the product easier to drink, but the chemicals which are dangerous to ingest are still there... respectfully I urge you to take the time to learn a bit more about the science before you drink heads, it is dangerous and the effects are cumulative. Aeration works...just not in the way you think. Please be careful.
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Re: Aeration

Postby RUMBLE » Wed Mar 30, 2016 2:42 pm

After reading this thread, I gave it a go with an air pump in my rum and in a whisky.
3.8L in each. 2 weeks both started off at 65%.
After 2 weeks, I lost about 200-250mL in each, however....
The Whisky dropped to 41% and the Rum went down to 56%.
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Re: Aeration

Postby WTDist » Wed Mar 30, 2016 2:45 pm

RUMBLE wrote:After reading this thread, I gave it a go with an air pump in my rum and in a whisky.
3.8L in each. 2 weeks both started off at 65%.
After 2 weeks, I lost about 200-250mL in each, however....
The Whisky dropped to 41% and the Rum went down to 56%.

and the taste?
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Re: Aeration

Postby RUMBLE » Wed Mar 30, 2016 3:55 pm

Both taste quite good.
Rum, not much different (that I can tell) but whisky definitely better!!
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Re: Aeration

Postby bluc » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:22 pm

You dropped 24% abv on your whiskey :wtf:
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Re: Aeration

Postby RUMBLE » Thu Mar 31, 2016 3:59 pm

Hectic numbers on the whisky. I have purchased stainless air stones from ebay. However the air pump I have won't pump air thru it. I am hesitant to upgrade due to the ABV loss as I do have quite a stockpile for the cooler months I think I will just stir the aging stuff and leave it ageing until maybe xmas.
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Re: Aeration

Postby Squids » Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:25 am

How long should I aerate (fish tank pump) 90% spirit straight after distilling ?
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Re: Aeration

Postby Sam. » Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:59 am

Squids wrote:How long should I aerate (fish tank pump) 90% spirit straight after distilling ?


Have you read the thread?
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Re: Aeration

Postby splitice » Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:35 pm

Giving this a shot currently.

Using a generic 45W Chinese pump that I usually use for other things. A beer carbonation stone (stainless) on a food grade silicone tube (KL02707 part). My spirit (rum) is in a 19L corny keg filled to approx 12L with 10-12 10-15cm oak sticks (common oak) debarked and toasted with light char on the thickest 1/3.

I haven't been able to confirm the ABV of the spirit yet in the corny due to being a clutz with the alcometer, however based on the brix and knowing the rough output of the still I would say 50-65%. Most likely closer to 50-55%.

Corny keg is located in the fridge. Pump is located on the outside. Tubing running through a small mostly sealed opening made for power cables for the heating (this is a fermenting fridge normally used for beer). Fridge is set to 2-3 degrees. Air temperature is currently 22 degrees and expected to range between 22 and 13 degrees over the next few week in the area it's located.

Air exits via the gas post. A ball lock fitting is attached with 30cm of tubing and no other fitting.

Goals:
1. Decrease aging time
2. Loose minimal spirit to the Angels
3. Improve quality

Observations: It's very difficult for the pump to push air through the 0.5 micron stone. It's made more difficult by the less than perfect match of the fittings. This pump was not designed for homebrew applications and has a different sized barb to all my duotight fittings. I had some fittings lying around from a water system to BSP that fitted and bsp to homebrew. Although not the perfect setup, I've confirmed air exiting at the gas post so it's flowing. Unable to hear the sound of bubbling however over the pump, or lock into the keg due to the lid...

Main Concerns:
- Spirit loss
- Stress on pump
- Stress on fridge

I'll be making observations on the main concerns.

Please do let me know if anyone is interested in the results, or if anyone has recommendations.
Last edited by splitice on Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Aeration

Postby RC Al » Mon Dec 09, 2019 6:58 pm

Sounds awesome mate

Perhaps you could grab a small sample out now for later abv testing?

I remember reading this a couple of years ago now... there is sooo much to this hobby, it can be very easy to forget things like this gem

Bluc did you ever try the stir bar idea?

DB do you still use this, or can't be bothered?
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Re: Aeration

Postby db1979 » Mon Dec 09, 2019 7:36 pm

RC Al wrote:DB do you still use this, or can't be bothered?

I pretty much just make vodka now. Gonna get into gin soon (before the end of the year) and when my shed is properly set up I'll get back into bourbon and also all grain whiskey. Like you said, so much to this hobby. So no, haven't used it in ages as the advantage of vodka is no aging needed. I guess I'm too impatient even though aeration can speed up aging.
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Re: Aeration

Postby splitice » Mon Dec 09, 2019 8:31 pm

RC Al wrote:Perhaps you could grab a small sample out now for later abv testing?


Planning on doing an ABV test later in the week when I can get a replacement. I'll adjust it to 60% in the unlikely event it's above then, and I'll likely water it down to 40% at a later date. I'll likely take the first taste test then with the measuring sample.

Planning on taking the sample using the beer out keg post, so It will be a test of that too (making sure my pump can create enough pressure to force out the spirit).

Just a quick note to anyone thinking of a similar setup, cool your pump if it's working hard. Mine got a bit too toasty. It's not paired with a pedestal fan and working much better. Mine has an aluminium casing so air cools well. Fortunately while hunting that down I found some better fittings too and should be getting more aeration now.
Last edited by splitice on Mon Dec 09, 2019 8:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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