Problems with juniper infusion

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stevetuk
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Problems with juniper infusion

Post by stevetuk »

Hi all

I've infused juniper berries in NGS diluted to 40% for years and lately have been having problems as I've moved to larger and larger volumes.
I'm experiencing the juniper giving the liquid an almost green tinge, it goes squeaky to the touch if that makes sense, and then the liquid itself ends up completely cloudy.

When I take samples out at different heights, it seems the oils are separated and sitting on the top, the lower levels are clear liquid (water/NGS).

Initially, I had this happen when the temps were really high so the consensus was that too much oil had been released because the juniper had baked in there.

I've got glycol refrigeration on the vessels now so they're held at a steady 16-17c, so I can rule the temp out.

Does anyone else know what it might be?

Lack of agitation? Residue from chemical (PBW) cleaning after rinsing? We only boil the (hop) bags we use to infuse so no chemicals on those.
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NZChris
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Re: Problems with juniper infusion

Post by NZChris »

Why is it a problem?
stevetuk
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Re: Problems with juniper infusion

Post by stevetuk »

When we try to mix the oils in with the clear NGS/water below, the entire lot goes milky and we need it to remain a sort of brown but clear colour.
Could it be that it's just not mixing properly? It's weird because when this happens, the tinge to the liquid is green whereas it's normally brown.
stevetuk
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Re: Problems with juniper infusion

Post by stevetuk »

Sorry to bump but does anyone know what might be the cause of this?

Lack of sufficient miscibility in the ethanol/water mix maybe?

If so, does anyone have any recommended methods of agitation/stirring that would work on a 40% ABV liquid? Pump, or...?
howie
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Re: Problems with juniper infusion

Post by howie »

assuming the junipers and NGS are from the same source......
what kind of volumes are we talking about?
recipes are usually scalable, but we often talk about just 1l, 10l, 20l etc.
i'm thinking that gns/neutral can only hold so much oil before it separates. :think:
some of my gins do that separation thing in the bottle, they are shaken and served. :lol:
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NZChris
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Re: Problems with juniper infusion

Post by NZChris »

Why is it a problem? What, exactly, are you trying to do?

I've been using juniper for years without any problem that remotely resembles anything you described.
crispy_eels
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Re: Problems with juniper infusion

Post by crispy_eels »

You have too many oils for the amount of alcohol. I am experiencing the exact same problem, I scaled my amazing gin recipe up to 5 gallons, ran it and it's cloudy. I had this problem last time, but was able to clear it but just adding a little more alcohol with no juniper oils in it. This time, I can, but I have to dilute by 50%, and it really is diluting the flavor of the Gin. NZChris, it's not a problem. I don't mind drinking cloudy gin, but I'd rather not bottle it up for gifts and have to explain it to friends. It's neat that you've never had the problem, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist for other distillers, which is why I'm trying to figure out how to clear it, without reducing the flavor.
Sporacle
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Re: Problems with juniper infusion

Post by Sporacle »

Some stuff here that may or may not help
https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 0#p7373197
" you can pick your nose and you can pick your friends; but you can't always wipe your friends off on your saddle" sage advice from Kinky Friedman
Mischka43
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Re: Problems with juniper infusion

Post by Mischka43 »

crispy_eels wrote: Wed Nov 10, 2021 4:18 pm You have too many oils for the amount of alcohol. I am experiencing the exact same problem, I scaled my amazing gin recipe up to 5 gallons, ran it and it's cloudy. I had this problem last time, but was able to clear it but just adding a little more alcohol with no juniper oils in it. This time, I can, but I have to dilute by 50%, and it really is diluting the flavor of the Gin. NZChris, it's not a problem. I don't mind drinking cloudy gin, but I'd rather not bottle it up for gifts and have to explain it to friends. It's neat that you've never had the problem, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist for other distillers, which is why I'm trying to figure out how to clear it, without reducing the flavor.
Thank you crispy_eels for the comment. A little while ago I ran my first Odin's Easy gin and head a smashing success. It was fresh and so tasty that even I liked it (normally not a gin drinker) and my wife thought it was much better than store bought. Everything was clear and tasty and just perfect.

I tried to repeat this after the first batch was gone, but ended up with a clear liquid (@79% ABV) which turns cloudy as soon as I dilute it. The taste is fine, but the optics are off.
Diluted Gin.jpeg
Undiluted Gin.jpeg
I was searching for a reason for this and found your post which explains it perfectly. Because the only difference between the two run was that the first time the alcohol was on the macerated berries for less than 48 hours and the second time for 4 days...

Cheers mate
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