cloudy after ultrasound

[Smokee]

I tried running my liquor through an ultrasonic cleaning cycle with heat this evening with the wood and it got really cloudy. I always run my AG through the ultrasonic cleaner before adding in the wood, never tried running it like I did this evening with wood but I read this week of someone that does I thought I'd give it a try. Real bummer that both batches I ran turned cloudy. I cycle my liquor, as it's aging, through the deep-freeze, hopefully it'll clear out. If not, no biggie...I'll drink it just the same.

[still_stirrin]

Musta’ shook somthing loose in the wood....

Did the spirit gain color (along with the cloud) in the process? New wood, or 2nd use? Toasted and charred? Tell us more.
ss

[Bushman]

Musta’ shook somthing loose in the wood....

Did the spirit gain color (along with the cloud) in the process? New wood, or 2nd use? Toasted and charred? Tell us more.
ss

When I did it I got a little color, probably a weeks worth if just left on chips.

[Smokee]

Musta’ shook somthing loose in the wood....

Did the spirit gain color (along with the cloud) in the process? New wood, or 2nd use? Toasted and charred? Tell us more.
ss

I age all my spirits at 60% on cherry cubes. Both batches I US'ed had cherry cubes that were toasted and charred, I don't second use. The first batch was a 4 week old spirit run, the second was less than a week old. I only do all-grain, no sugar. The first batch was put in the cleaner and allowed to warm up to 38*C (100.4*F) then US'ed for 15 minutes. As this had already been on cherry for weeks it's color was a rich tan with a tint of red, typical for the wood I use. About 5 minutes in I noticed the cloudiness. I let the cleaner run the full 15 minutes. The second, younger spirit, was ran the exact same way. In hindsight, I should of stopped after the first run and watched what happens to the first batch. The cleaner did impart a slight amount of more color in the young batch, the older batch was already rich in color. I'm addicted to my cherry whiskey, I no longer use Oak.... I have a good bit of bottled whiskey aged on oak in my collection that's getting a chance to age without me jib'n some before it's time. I just can't make cherry fast enough.

[Smokee]

Just checked the deep-freeze and both are still cloudy. Oh well, live and learn.

I may try running the younger spirit through charcoal again see what happens. I really don't care for myself but would prefer a nice, clear spirit solely for when someone says "oh, you made this?". I find that most people think what someone makes in their basement or garage is inferior to what's in a store.

[still_stirrin]

Agree Smokee, I like cherry wood aged spirits too. Give pecan wood a try...I REALLY like that nut wood.

So, the ultrasound must have turned some of the alcohol-dissolved oils (from the wood) into “grease”. As we know, aging imparts products from the wood into the spirit as well as extracting some of the solutes from the spirit. The ultrasound must be aggravating this process.

You don’t get clouding when you process a clear spirit do you? I have not used an ultrasound bath to age my spirits, although I’ve read about it here. So, I’m just curious. I know Bushman has used ultrasonic aging before, so he is a good person to collaborate with.
ss

[Smokee]

Agree Smokee, I like cherry wood aged spirits too. Give pecan wood a try...I REALLY like that nut wood.

ss

Yes, sir.... I will try it. I'm trying to get into a rhythm of doing two 6-gallon strips and a spirit run a month to build up my reserves. Once I get where I can have some left over that can be put away to age I'm going to start experimenting with different woods. I'd like to try apple. A friend owns an orchard and offered some raw apple juice and all the stump wood I want.

Ever try walnut? I neighbor had a large walnut tree cut down recently and they kept the wood for our wood stove. Not sure how that would turn out but I'll try a mason jar's worth to see.

[Smokee]

After sitting for a week and a half it cleared. I tried filtering it through charcoal and it didn't change but letting it sit allowed the cloudiness to settle to the bottom.

[ydoih8u]

Guessing it was some sort of oil in the cherry wood. I run my US with oak all the time and it never had clouded up on me. YMMV.

[Smokee]

Guessing it was some sort of oil in the cherry wood. I run my US with oak all the time and it never had clouded up on me. YMMV.

It seemed to me that the UC freed very fine particles from the wood and letting it sit without disturbing the jar allowed them to settle. Running it through didn't really seem to add much so I'm not sure I'll do it going forward.

[ydoih8u]

Yeah it def gets some fine pieces of wood into the liquid. With oak, I've noticed this doesn't seem to cause much clouding. I do pour it through a coffee filter when I remove the oak though.

[OtisT]

I have also observed my toasted cherry put a lot of particles in my spirit. Maybe cherry wood breaks down more under heat that oak does? Just speculation. I don’t think I over toasted it because my other fruit wood toasted at the same time did not behave the same way.

I don’t ultra sound my spirits, but I do use vacuum to speed up the process. First time I vacuum soaks the wood. Second vacuum pulls stuff out of the wood and with cherry it came out like a little storm cloud of particles.

Otis

[Smokee]

Yeah it def gets some fine pieces of wood into the liquid. With oak, I've noticed this doesn't seem to cause much clouding. I do pour it through a coffee filter when I remove the oak though.

I run everything through a coffee filter when it's done aging so I'm keen to see if it catches these fine particles. I'll prob not disturb the container and siphon from the top and run through the filter.

I did try activated charcoal to see if that would remove some of the haze and it did not.

I have also observed my toasted cherry put a lot of particles in my spirit. Maybe cherry wood breaks down more under heat that oak does? Just speculation. I don’t think I over toasted it because my other fruit wood toasted at the same time did not behave the same way.

I don’t ultra sound my spirits, but I do use vacuum to speed up the process. First time I vacuum soaks the wood. Second vacuum pulls stuff out of the wood and with cherry it came out like a little storm cloud of particles.

Otis

I don't post much here, usually a quick site search answers any questions I might have, but I'm stuck on my all-grain cherry whiskey aging. I'm going to post tonight when I'm home and can think straight, I'd really like to hear from anyone that has some cherry experience. I made a "unicorn" batch this year, just absolutely perfection. I didn't detail enough of what I was doing as I always focused on making Oak-aged whiskey and made the cherry as a side-project. I took 5 quarts from an all-grain spirit run last February, used 4 qts for oak and did just 1 qt that I used cherry. When I found it in July I cut it to 82p and bottled it not thinking much about it but when I got to my campsite the next day and was done setting up I tried it and was blown away.

[OtisT]

....I don't post much here, usually a quick site search answers any questions I might have, but I'm stuck on my all-grain cherry whiskey aging. I'm going to post tonight when I'm home and can think straight, I'd really like to hear from anyone that has some cherry experience.....

Hi Smokee. What limited experience I have finishing spirits with Cherry Wood is in this thread. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=72255

Hope some of it is helpful to you. Otis

[Smokee]

....I don't post much here, usually a quick site search answers any questions I might have, but I'm stuck on my all-grain cherry whiskey aging. I'm going to post tonight when I'm home and can think straight, I'd really like to hear from anyone that has some cherry experience.....

Hi Smokee. What limited experience I have finishing spirits with Cherry Wood is in this thread. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=72255

Hope some of it is helpful to you. Otis

Thank, Otis! I have come across this before but I could use a reread on it.