Three Jar Method

[schmand]

Her guys,

sorry If this already has been asked x times. I am looking for threads where the three jar method, e.g. collecting every new product in a jar, drinking from the first one and not letting get one jar less than half full.
Thanks for your help.

schmand

[LWTCS]

Drinking or collecting?
say that again one more time please.
oh I see.......find the reading lounge and all will be revealed.

[Prairiepiss]

Are you talking about the solarin method? spelling? I know there is a good thread with a post on it but I have been unable to find it. As I was looking for it to.

[Dnderhead]

its solera system witch is using several barrels,,not glass.
if that is what you mean.

[Prairiepiss]

That's the word I was looking for. Thanks Dnderhead. I do remember someone doing a variant with glass jars and oak sticks. Can't for the life if me think if who it was. I thought it was Big R but it was not?

I'm just guessing that is what the op was talking about. And just happen to be searching for it myself.

[Braz]

Just for the sake of clarity, the actual word is "solera." Here's the wikipedia explanation if anyone is interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solera" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Dnderhead]

I stand corrected..

[rad14701]

Just for the sake of clarity, the actual word is "solera." Here's the wikipedia explanation if anyone is interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solera" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Thanks, Braz... That was a very informative read...

[Prairiepiss]

Yes braz thank you. Good read for a wiki entry. I will see if I can find that post about using the jars while I sit here and tend the still.

Found one of them. Not the one I was thinking about. It's a 5 jar http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... a#p6929044 .

Edited added link.

[Dnderhead]

I dont See what changing jars is going to do much but aerate when you pore from to another.
with the solera system its aged and blended.no two barrels are the same.to over come this
big distilleries determine witch barrels to mix to have a consistent flavor.with the solera system this whould not
be necessary.as it whould be aged in different barrels and by the time it reaches the last one
it has aged 10 years or however many barrels your using.
I do thank this whould be worth trying with small barrels.as the small barrels tend to flavor
fast and also deplete fast.this way you could put your product in a new barrel then when it
got almost the color you want then transfer to a used one where it could age with out over coloring/oaking.
then if you bought a new barrel every 6-12 months you whould soon have a well age spirits in constant supply.

[Bushman]

I agree with Dnder, I have never tried it and after spending a long time racking, settling, and then filtering the sediments from my raspberry liqueur this process looks to be more detailed than just aging in barrels. Has anyone tried it to see what difference it makes? To do it correctly I would have to keep better records on each barrel to match the aging process. Interesting concept and one positive is you would never have to re-seal the barrel if it is not emptied.

[Prairiepiss]

I was looking at it not for the oaking. But more for a flavoring thing. One jar oak another vanilla beans another raisins? Or something the like for a rum. I just wanted to play with it a little. You never know what you get until you try.

[Bushman]

My barrels are currently on their 3rd generation of oaking and aging and I can definitely see the slowing down process. This might be a good time to buy a new barrel and try this method.

[LWTCS]

My barrels are currently on their 3rd generation of oaking and aging and I can definitely see the slowing down process. This might be a good time to buy a new barrel and try this method.

I really like this method as you can drink aged likker every day...Just top each vessel from above every time or every other time you draw down from the drinkin barrel....I figger I'd use a 3 barrel outfit.

[Bushman]

My barrels are currently on their 3rd generation of oaking and aging and I can definitely see the slowing down process. This might be a good time to buy a new barrel and try this method.

I really like this method as you can drink aged likker every day...Just top each vessel from above every time or every other time you draw down from the drinkin barrel....I figger I'd use a 3 barrel outfit.

Larry what percent do you take out each time you draw? I am guessing it would vary on the taste but it seems that you would want to regulate this to some degree!

[Prairiepiss]

I'm wondering what percent you should start out with? And if you loose more as it ages this way or the same amount you would in one barrel?

[LWTCS]

Can always use a Steped size array of barrels too.

At my current rate of consumption, I could see myself drawing of a liter of barrel strength a week

[Bushman]

Can always use a Steped size array of barrels too.

At my current rate of consumption, I could see myself drawing of a liter of barrel strength a week

At my son's current rate of consumption I am probably in the same ball park!

[DAD300]

I do the solera method in five half gallon bottles for my faux bourbon.

Bottle one has a hand full of dark charred oak chips in it, filled with corn flake white dog, at 65% ABV
Bottle two has hand full of charred oak chips and a half an opened vanilla bean,
Bottle three has less oak, half an open vanilla bean and three dried cherries,
Bottle four has less oak, three dried cherries, three raisins and two lightly roasted coffee beans,...and
Bottle number five is liquid only, watered to 50% ABV for drinking.

I drink out of number five and when it is half empty I rotate half of each bottle up the line. As bottle one starts to loose color, change half the wood chips out for new, move those to bottle two,...If it's too sweet take a cherry out of bottle four, ya get the idea?

It forces me to air, agitate and taste each. It gives me a consistent drink. And it's probably the only way I'd get an aged product. My drinking bottle is almost eight months old by the time the product gets there. I'll keep adding bottles as I build stock. When I get to twelve bottles, the drink bottle will be more than a year old.

I have started the same with lightly spiced rum...

[Prairiepiss]

So dad300 how did you start your system? Did you just start with bottle one and add bottles as you went?

[Fastill]

The problem I see with this process is that you still are in need of purchasing new barrels in order to keep the end product consistant, or all you will have at the end is a bunch of used up barrels. Might as well just buy a bunch of new barrels and produce, age and consume at a steady rate to keep ones stockpile to a minimum, or enjoy the changes that occure by letting some age longer in the barrels that you don't keep up with drinking. This is one of my favorite parts of this hobby, the changes that take place over time, different flavors and results.
I am not aging in barrels yet, just in glass bottles and stainless kegs, but so far the end result is way beyond what I expected. I am hoping one day to use barrels, and when I do, I will use them, one barrel at a time until used up, and then hopefully move on to the next barrel.

[Prairiepiss]

That's why I was thinking the glass jars with oak sticks would be better. That way you could replace them as the weaken. I'm collecting gallon pickle jars I have 2 now. So I'm gona start on it shortly. Right now they are full of feints.

[banter_king]

i think i am going to give something similar a try. I have a supply of 1 gallon pickle jars so i could have a pretty good system going soon. I like the idea of different things in each jar. now to come up with my own jar recipies.

[Bushman]

The problem I see with this process is that you still are in need of purchasing new barrels in order to keep the end product consistant, or all you will have at the end is a bunch of used up barrels. Might as well just buy a bunch of new barrels and produce, age and consume at a steady rate to keep ones stockpile to a minimum, or enjoy the changes that occure by letting some age longer in the barrels that you don't keep up with drinking. This is one of my favorite parts of this hobby, the changes that take place over time, different flavors and results.
I am not aging in barrels yet, just in glass bottles and stainless kegs, but so far the end result is way beyond what I expected. I am hoping one day to use barrels, and when I do, I will use them, one barrel at a time until used up, and then hopefully move on to the next barrel.

A micro distiller in my state buys used wine barrels, carefully takes the outside rings off to remove the ends and then rechars the barrels. I think this would be possible with our spent ones as we work a new one into the rotation.

[DAD300]

I started with the half gallon Makers Mark bottles, ahh...because that's what I drank before I knew better. Wish I had a better story there...

Imagine I had no stock pile of white dog to start with five bottles all at once...that would also queer the aging tasting idea.

I watered my white dog corn liquor to 65% and put it in bottle number one with the toasted oak chips. Tried to force age it as much as possible (in and out of the freezer) for a week or two. Then I added some dried cherries and raisins to it and it became my drinking bottle. It was good...so I did it again, with another bottle while drinking the first bottle which is now bottle number two. When bottle number two was half empty I poured from bottle number one to fill bottle number two...I refilled number one with white dog and added some more toasted chips.

You never empty a bottle...everything gets moved in halves. To facilitate a blending.

Every time I still corn liquor, I have more stock to add a new bottle. The number of bottles is getting bigger, the stock is getting bigger, the drinking bottle is getting older and tastier every month.

I do go along with different items in each bottle (keg, cask, barrel,). This is your chance to see what each ingredient is adding to the flavor.

Every time I move some drink from bottle to bottle, I have a watered shot! Imagine that!!!! Now, I know what each ingredient/bottle adds to the taste.

Last time I moved some, I decided bottle four tasted better than the drinking bottle, so I eliminated some cherries and mixed the two to cut some sweetness.

If you were using wood barrels, I assume you'd just always start with a new barrel at the lowest point with white dog. As you move towards the drinking barrel, you have your oldest product in the oldest most seasoned barrel. Your not trying to add color at that point. Your just storing it.

Or you could recondition the barrels, strip, and refire them!

Somewhere I saw a pic of someone having this setup on a metal stand. Almost like fermentors. Oldest on top, so that gravity drained product to the next lower level.

This idea is really "poor man's blending." Jack Daniels would take different barrels, from different distillations, different ages and blend them to get the flavor they want.

My week old oaked liquor is damned good. Bottle number three is better than most commercial. And the drinking bottle is great!

I don't see me getting to barrels. but I could foresee gallon glass jugs in my future. I also see Xmas in the future...if I give family bourbon as a present, I may be back to two or three bottles. Nah..they get week old spiced rum...ha!

[freespirited]

I am not this far yet but the content in this thread really caught my eye. Not trying to hijack this but I would love to move to this in the near future. I would like to see pics of some setups. I am thinking I would like to do 5 two gallon barrels stacked on top each other and gravity fed. Taking from the bottom and replacing the top one with new when necassary. How long would the bottom four last and what would be the best way to gravity feed them? I am assuming you would need a top and bottom spigot on them (excluding the top spigot on the top barrel) and connect them with???

[Ayay]

Whaddya rekkon schmand?

3 Jars as in; 'Keep the middle jar regardless'; or..'Make proper cuts'..?

You may be talking about the collection jars and these jars need sorting out by taste/smell/feel long after the run is done.

[schmand]

Hahah that is why I love this forum, you ask something and you get 5 replies instantly
The Solera System is what I was looking for. Thanks to everyone!

Some ppl. here mention that they have seen shiners connect their barrels from top to bottom so that when you open the lowest barrels tap, spirit from the higher barrels flows into the lowers automatically.
I don't think that would work because of Brownian motion and diffusion. Eventually you would end up with all barrels having the same content!?

[Prairiepiss]

I would say that's good thinking.

[Bushman]

I would like to revive this post as I toured a distillery this last weekend and he mentioned using it to age his absinthe. He used 300l SS containers and when it was done he removed 200l always leaving 100l in the container. He would then add another 200l. His theory was that the original 100l in the container helped smooth the other out sooner. Anyway I did a google review of his Absinthe and it is rated one of the top brands. I know we have thrown around how it should be done on this thread using both jars and barrels so thought I would add another perspective as he is not concerned about the time on oak as we are with whiskey but just the natural process of having the liquor become smoothing through time.