filtering low wines before spirit run

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baldyben
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filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by baldyben »

Is there any advantage to filtering stripping runs (low wines) through activated carbon before a redistill spirit run. Running neutral spirit
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by still_stirrin »

Nope. Just rerun it.
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by stillanoob »

Yes. The carbon sellers will sell more carbon and you will be doing your part to keep the economy rolling along.
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by jonnys_spirit »

Much more economical to do a very clean ferment (assuming you're after neutral) and make good cuts. Rinse and repeat. After that if you really want to get fancy consider polishing with activated carbon or platinum and diamond chips or something marketing related...

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baldyben
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by baldyben »

stillanoob wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 1:10 pm Yes. The carbon sellers will sell more carbon and you will be doing your part to keep the economy rolling along.
Thank you for your constructive advice
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by stillanoob »

baldyben wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:27 pm
stillanoob wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 1:10 pm Yes. The carbon sellers will sell more carbon and you will be doing your part to keep the economy rolling along.
Thank you for your constructive advice
I apologize. My intent was to say no, there is no purpose but my oft misguided sense of humor got the best of me again.
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Your allowed to have a sense of humor I think, maybe mines warped to, I knew exactly what you meant.
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Windy City
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by Windy City »

Your original question was should you carbon filter your low wines.
If you are trying to make a very clean neutral/vodka.
My recommendation would be to lose the carbon and just filter it with water.
What I think is that if I want to make a neutral that I am going to turn into a vodka I will first strip it through my four plate bubble cap and end up with product that is approximately 92%. I will then dilute to 40% ABV and redistill through my packed column two to three more times. Each time redilluting to 40%ABV. I don’t need activated carbon because the best filter is water.
The vodka I make this way has stood up to the highest of top end vodkas in blind taste tests.
To be honest I throw away a lot of very good liquor in heads and tails that might have made the cut but I am aiming for a true ultimate neutral/ vodka
I don’t know what your equipment is but it really doesn’t matter, whether it be a pot still, plater or packed column just keep rerunning it till you are happy with it.
Whatever your still is the best way to clean your liquor is to run it, redillute it, run it, rinse and repeat :D
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by The Baker »

My recommendation would be to lose the carbon and just filter it with water.

I have been distilling sugar wash in my pot still.
Six times through.

Should be okay as vodka.
Takes a helluva lot of time but I will have enough to do me for ages...

One day I will get a flute...

Geoff
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NZChris
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by NZChris »

The Baker wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 8:18 pm My recommendation would be to lose the carbon and just filter it with water.

I have been distilling sugar wash in my pot still.
Six times through.

Should be okay as vodka.
Takes a helluva lot of time but I will have enough to do me for ages...

One day I will get a flute...

Geoff
Six times through??? Surely it would be cheaper, quicker and easier to use carbon or a more neutral wash? Are you on solar power?
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by The Baker »

Thanks, Chris,
I always read your comments with a lot of interest.

I have used carbon and I think it improved the product. 'Cleaner' and better mouth feel.
But I am not an expert taster.

A more neutral wash? What would you suggest? (Not all grain, never tried that yet...)
I do Tomato Paste Wash...

Yes we have solar but only 3 kilowatts.
That's the same as the element in my still.
So if no power is being used elsewhere it's free; but that's not going to happen.
So I turn off whatever I can...

Geoff
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NZChris
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by NZChris »

If you don't use tomato, you don't have to remove tomato when doing the cuts. ( I have made tomato essence using the cuts). I've done a few TPWs, but I doubt I'll be doing them again There are a couple of simple sugar wash methods here that are pretty much what I did when I started out and are what I've gone back to. Shady's Sugar Shine would be pretty close. I don't know how old Shady is, but there is a chance that I was using his recipe before he was born :D
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NZChris
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by NZChris »

The Baker wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 11:44 pm Yes we have solar but only 3 kilowatts.
That's the same as the element in my still.
I'm green with envy. :mrgreen: I've managed to do one small run of gin on solar.
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VLAGAVULVIN
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by VLAGAVULVIN »

VLAGAVULVIN wrote: Mon Jul 12, 2021 9:35 pm May I also add my single penny here, Sirs?

Sometimes it's worth to infuse the low wines with charcoals. Say, proofed down to 10-15%AbV. Just drop 2-4 tbsp. per liter and leave for a night or two, with periodical agitation.

The first reason is removing of approx. 2/3 of the most ugly fusels.

Secondly. After infusion (and even after short-term filtration), new aldehydes are formed. The following run will help to remove them with heads.

Finally. You don't have to thoroughly remove all that coal dust from your drink if you process the low wines and not the final spirit.

Works well for my full-bodied thangs like corn&rye&buckwheat (I am not campaigning for anyone to use buckwheat here cause this component is deadly much specific). Just for example.

Bad news: proof down to 10-15% if you really wanna bind the surplus fusels. The hazy "cabbage/fart" complexation will be removed at any strength, imo.

Cheers!

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Saltbush Bill
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by Saltbush Bill »

NZChris wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 12:01 am If you don't use tomato, you don't have to remove tomato when doing the cuts. ( I have made tomato essence using the cuts). I've done a few TPWs, but I doubt I'll be doing them again
I agree Chris its not the perfect neutral wash......but it is one that most beginners use and it pisses on anything that you will make with Turdbo yeasts.
Ive seen more than one of your posts where you say " maybe my taste buds are rooted"..or something similar.
I'm beginning to think that maybe you are right , they are , or that you need to build a better reflux still.
Ive yet to ever taste tomato in any TPW wash that I ever done, even back when I was a newb running a T500.
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by baldyben »

stillanoob wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 4:39 pm
baldyben wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 3:27 pm
stillanoob wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 1:10 pm Yes. The carbon sellers will sell more carbon and you will be doing your part to keep the economy rolling along.
Thank you for your constructive advice
I apologize. My intent was to say no, there is no purpose but my oft misguided sense of humor got the best of me again.
I too apologize for my sharp reply , Its just that i am quite new to all this and i thought it might have been a good idea . I had heard of carbon filtering the final run and thought why not the low wines as well. Now i know...lol
thanks Dave
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by The Baker »

Seemed harmless to me.

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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Live n learn Folk ......we want this forum to be a learning experience..at least I do
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by stillanoob »

baldyben wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 2:51 am I too apologize for my sharp reply , Its just that i am quite new to all this and i thought it might have been a good idea . I had heard of carbon filtering the final run and thought why not the low wines as well. Now i know...lol
thanks Dave
No worries! :thumbup:
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NZChris
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by NZChris »

Saltbush Bill wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 2:39 am
NZChris wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 12:01 am If you don't use tomato, you don't have to remove tomato when doing the cuts. ( I have made tomato essence using the cuts). I've done a few TPWs, but I doubt I'll be doing them again
I agree Chris its not the perfect neutral wash......but it is one that most beginners use and it pisses on anything that you will make with Turdbo yeasts.
Ive seen more than one of your posts where you say " maybe my taste buds are rooted"..or something similar.
I'm beginning to think that maybe you are right , they are , or that you need to build a better reflux still.
Ive yet to ever taste tomato in any TPW wash that I ever done, even back when I was a newb running a T500.
I say that because I've read a few posts about yields from experienced long time members who get far lower yields than I do.

A double pot distilled narrow heart cut TPW from my setup will usually have just enough tomato for me to detect it in an OEG. It's not 'in your face' and nobody who has tried it has commented on it and I haven't pointed it out. Much of it gets put through a Bokakob with the feints, the rest gets diluted to oblivion making essences.

BTW, the first TPW I did failed to take off, so it isn't foolproof. I tried a different brand of TP and it took off like a rocket.

The OP hasn't said what still he's running.
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by cranky »

I also get a tomato taste in a TPW run just at the hearts-tails transition. I only use TPW for cleaning runs because of this.

and like SBB my best neutral goes through the flute then finishes in a big packed column.
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by The Baker »

I know we are just a bit off topic, but;

I am going to make another Tomato Paste wash because I have sugar and tomato paste on hand.
And when it is fermented, I want to put crushed wheat (also on hand!) into what is left in the fermenter.
I have been searching but can't find how much grain to add.
I can calculate to my size of wash if you can let me know a quantity of grain per however many litres or US Gallons of wash,
and method.

Thanks a lot.

Geoff
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NZChris
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by NZChris »

The Baker wrote: Sun Aug 01, 2021 9:37 pm I know we are just a bit off topic, but;

I am going to make another Tomato Paste wash because I have sugar and tomato paste on hand.
And when it is fermented, I want to put crushed wheat (also on hand!) into what is left in the fermenter.
I have been searching but can't find how much grain to add.
I can calculate to my size of wash if you can let me know a quantity of grain per however many litres or US Gallons of wash,
and method.

Thanks a lot.

Geoff
Check out the UJSSM thread. When I use a different grain, I use the same amount. I wouldn't use the TPW backset though.
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by CoogeeBoy »

I'm am still new to the sport but have read a lot of the posts and because of the sometime yes, sometimes no, in relation to tasting the tomato paste, I haven't done a tomato paste wash but I have done Shady's and TTFV and for my 2 cents worth, TTFV wins every time. That of course is when I can get the wheat bran, when i can't, its oat bran

Just sayin.....
Taking a break while I get a new still completed....
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Re: filtering low wines before spirit run

Post by The Baker »

Thanks, Chris.

Yeah I was looking at UJSSM, and wondering if it would work and how.
Same quantity but no backset.

Geoff
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