how to filter oaked vodka

[Cooperville]

hey guys ,
so i have just added about 100g of ss tenesee chips to 1.7 litres of 12 times filtered vodka through my family brita water filter should be enough came out smelling a lot better i am wondering how to filter the oak chips of the finished product and do i let it breath or leave it sealed in the jar????? ;)

[maheel]

paper coffee filers are handy and i have also used kitchen paper towel

some stick a bit of cotton wool in a funnel

the chunks will sink after while (few days) and you can just pour off the top
thats what i do, i dont worry about a few floaties if they make it into my drinking bottle
i like a squeeze of lemon in my G&T's and often have seeds in there as well floating with the ice

not sure the Brita is food safe with alc ? but thats your call....

[Heffers]

not sure the Brita is food safe with alc ? but thats your call....

+1

Muslin Cloth is also good for filtering through, especially if you need to filter thicker liquers.

Cheers, Heffers

[QLD.Andy]

I wouldnt be using the plastic water filter, plastic is a no no :naughty:
I strain the wood chips out using surgical masks :dance:

[Cooperville]

ok great advice guys i thought the old coffee filter trick would be best
as for the brita filter i agree but wont be using this liquor for human consumption as it is the first run of wash through my still
i am just going through the motions to gain some experience and see how it all works
as for the plastic i am not to sure about the brita filter but i have purchased a filter designed for spirits from clarence water filter
http://www.clarencewaterfilters.com.au/ ... lter-Kits/

got it for $100 came with 2kg of carbon and also comes with all the hoses to flush carbon and a nice little tap to regulate the flow also a bracket to hang onto it so you can mount it to wherever and love it its just what i needed i havent used it for spirit as yet as i dont have the volume to make it worth while hence the brita filter but have done a lot of water through it to get the hang of it and learn how to bake my carboni will also be using this to filter my water for fermentation and adding to the finished product
but fellas this is made of plastic also!!!should I be worried about this also????

[Heffers]

Yeah, I'd be pretty suspect on using any plastic in the filtering process of 40% alcohol. When I first started stilling I used to throw about 1 cup of rinsed carbon into a 5L demijohn 2/3 full of 40%. Every time I walked past the demijohn I'd give it a good mix around, and continued to do this for 5-7 days. After that I'd let it settle for a day and then filter through a coffee paper.

Now I have gotten a bit better at the distilling process I don't even bother to clean up my spirit with carbon.

Cheers, Heffers

[devotus]

Is food grade plastic good for high % spirit? I know it's ok for low %

It says on their site that the tubing is food grade plastic but seems to not mention the same for the rest of the kit. I reckon it probably is all food grade but might pay to send them an email and ask about all the plastic within the kit that the alcohol comes in contact with.

Apart from that mate it looks a pretty good set up.

[DeeJae]

I personally wouldn't put any of my spirit anywhere near plastic .
But I'm sure it's safe . I did a tour of a small commercial distillery and they collected into 1000l plastic drums and then stored and sold 96% alc in 220 litre blue plastic drums ..
Are we too padantic about plastics ? Or is this distillery putting people's health at risk ?

[QLD.Andy]

And I stuck my finger in it and tasted it, then we drank glass's of the shit. Photos to follow when tome allows

[Cooperville]

I will get onto it thanks devotous good call
i can totally understand everyones concerns and we should all strive for the safety of eachother i will see if they can give me an acurate list of plastics!!!!

[Sam.]

About two years ago I bought that exact same filter from clarence and I thought it was the ducks nuts as it was the only "Z" filter that I had seem that didn't fucking leak! I have only started experimenting recently with only filtering in a glass demijohn with carbon and not letting my alc touch plastic. I am sure my results should get better but it all depends on what you are doing.

Unless you are trying to make the cleanest of clean vodkas that should have no taste at all I don't think it is that bad to put through a plastic filter. I reckon it would be pretty hard for anyone to tell a spirit that is flavoured (natural or artificial) that had been through plastic or not.

I have always filtered my alc throught the "Z" filter as it does take A LOT of the impurities out in a minimum of time and I have never noticed any "bad" tasted associated with it.

As for the health concern, how much plastic shit do you cook in a microwave and then eat off........

[maheel]

for those filtering these might be of interest

get one with a glass or PTFE stopcock not the plastic

bit of cotton wool in the bottom above the tap
tip in some carbon
tip your spirit in the top
drip it back out



http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1000mL-1L-bo ... 3f0e9ef960

[Sam.]

Maheel, wish I had seem that a few years ago....... :oops:

[maheel]

Maheel, wish I had seem that a few years ago....... :oops:

me too....

like most i have used plastic, filtered with carbon, even made a still with lead solder many years ago
even now my "new" BOKA has 2 brass parts

often its a somewhat calculated risk, we ware exposed to many things on a daily basis that will impact our health
right now i am trying to kill my liver, having had 2 beers and 2 scotches that might have been triple nips ? (i don't measures) maybe 8 standard drinks....

stay somewhat safe and be happy :)