Straining liqueur idea

[Bushman]

I figured this fit in this catagory since it is after the fermenting and distilling.

I have visited different wineries and have seen how they force their wine through a thick filter to clean it. I have some raspberry liqueur I am about to clear. In the past I have put it in the fridge for a couple of days to get it to settle then siphoned off the top. After that I run it through a coffee filter but it seems to clog up after a short time. I was wondering since in the wine business they force it through what about the use of a french press to try and get it as clear as possible. My thought is trying different ideas, possibly just using it like it is intended for coffee and if that is not fine enough attaching a coffee filter onto it. Anyone try it! I am probably going to give it a go tonight when I get home, currently the liqueur is in the frige and it is settling so I will first syphon it off and I might experiment with what is left in the jar.

[Bayou-Ruler]

Why don't you strain it through cheese cloth? Thats the most common method.

[Bushman]

I started infusion with all of the raspberries in cheese cloth that is the first step. Cheese cloth does not get out all of the residue!

[primuss]

Thought about picking up a vacuum flask with a filter setup like a lab uses? Those things will make a nice filter cake. You can get a cheapo vacuum pump from Harbor Freight and the glassware online. Just a thought.

[Bayou-Ruler]

I started infusion with all of the raspberries in cheese cloth that is the first step. Cheese cloth does not get out all of the residue!

Well I have never done a raspberry liquor, but i have done, Apple, Grapefruit, Blackberry, Strawberry, Lemon & Blueberry.

Never have put the berries in the cheese cloth to let them infuse, but have filtered with it folded multiple times with great success.

[Bushman]

Thanks, I may give it ago. I put the raspberries in the cheese cloth and then immerse it in vodka for 3 months then strain. I have to admit that I am a little anal when it comes to holding a bottle up to a light and looking at it clarity doesn't necessarily effect the taste.

[Bushman]

Thought about picking up a vacuum flask with a filter setup like a lab uses? Those things will make a nice filter cake. You can get a cheapo vacuum pump from Harbor Freight and the glassware online. Just a thought.

Interesting idea, I will give it some thought!

[Bayou-Ruler]

Thanks, I may give it ago. I put the raspberries in the cheese cloth and then immerse it in vodka for 3 months then strain. I have to admit that I am a little anal when it comes to holding a bottle up to a light and looking at it clarity doesn't necessarily effect the taste.

So you are actually making Raspberry flavored vodka? I don't believe by definition its considered a liqueur unless sugar is added.

Non the less you could try allowing it to settle and pouring off the clear.

[rtalbigr]

I'm not familiar with what you're calling a french press Bushman, but I have used wine filters I get from the brew shop on top of coffee filters and it helps some, but it's still a labourous process, so a better process would be most welcome. I filtered out all the spices in my gingerbread schnapps not long ago and it took forever. I have done raspberries and had the same problems. I have seen some wine filters that use a pump and filters with different micron sizes, but at a minimum of a couple hundred bucks it's hardly worth the expense since I only do liquers once or twice a year.

Big R

[Prairiepiss]

I've been filtering off 800 ml of Thai Sweet Tea vodka all day now. Good lord theses coffee filters go slow. I took a our band screwed it over the coffers filter on a QT. Mason jar With enough filter hanging out to make it drop in the center. I then placed it upside-down over another QT jar. And let it drip all day. I just changed to another filter. So it will go faster. I was trying to think of a way to speed the process up too. I was thinking about buying a vacuum sealer with the jar attachments anyway. Dnderhead got me thinking more about using one for oaking . Any way I was thinking if I could make a piece to fit between 2 mason jars that would seal put vacuum to the bottom jar and vent the top one with a coffee filter between them. It mite work. And gives me another reason to get a vacuum sealer. I need something soon. I have 2 others that need to be filtered soon. And I think they will be even slower.

[palinkagus]

I've been making limoncello recently and have been using the Vinbrite Mark III wine filter to clear it with great success.

Check out at http://www.harrisfilters.com/vent_vinbrite.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I've been using 1 filter pad per gallon of limoncello.

[The Baker]

For filtering larger amounts I have used a wet cotton bed sheet. An OLD one.
Wet, because if it is dry a lot of the good stuff is lost wetting the sheet; and it seems to work better too.

Lay the sheet, folded once or more lengthwise, in a tray, which holds up the edges of the sheet to keep the liquid in.
Holes in the bottom of the tray, of course. And a wider container underneath (!!). Support the tray with a couple of stainless tubes or an oven rack or whatever is handy.
Then as the sheet becomes clogged, gently pull the end of it so that a clean part of the sheet is continually being exposed to the liquid as you slowly pour it in.
Works well, and would work fine on a smaller scale for little lots.

[Bushman]

I'm not familiar with what you're calling a french press Bushman, but I have used wine filters I get from the brew shop on top of coffee filters and it helps some, but it's still a labourous process, so a better process would be most welcome. I filtered out all the spices in my gingerbread schnapps not long ago and it took forever. I have done raspberries and had the same problems. I have seen some wine filters that use a pump and filters with different micron sizes, but at a minimum of a couple hundred bucks it's hardly worth the expense since I only do liquers once or twice a year.

Big R

French Press is used to make coffee, you put the grounds in the container pour boiling water in and then put the press/filter on top, let sit for 5 minutes and then push down. The idea is that it lets all the grounds settle to the bottom and then when pressed are trapped so they do not escape as the coffee is poured. The coffee comes through the filter and that is what is poured into the cup.

[Bushman]

OK here are my findings what worked and what didn't.

French Press: Concept I believe is still the right idea just the wrong tool. It works great for larger coffee grounds but not the best for the fine sediments left in the liqueur.

What worked best for me was after filtering it through cheese cloth (didn't mention it on my original post) then put the containers in the fridge and let sediments settle. Then use a siphon and just siphon from the top portion into another container. Run remainder through 2 coffee filters (non paper just the ones used for making coffee), alternating and rinsing as they clog. Put this back in the fridge for a couple of days to settle and repeat process. This will get most of the sediments out and ready to bottle.

Remaining sediment laden liqueur is still good and I will drink it but will not put in a decanter and share with my family and close friends. I might add that I am a bit picky about the presentation and will not put anything out to share that has any cloudiness regardless of taste.

[Bushman]

I've been doing a bit more research. I know that if I strain through a cheese cloth like some have suggested that gets a large quantity out, I also know that there are a lot more sediments remaining. This is a great article on filtering and if you read the whole article it gives a good reason for getting it as pure as possible. Now it also states that if you don't but use it before it sits to long then it shouldn't hurt anything. Hope the following link is to some value to you. I have also not given up on my quest for a better way to filter as if I go commercially using products from the state of Washington I think liqueurs have not been tapped as much as brandies by distilleries in our state. Here is the link to the article.
http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs/filters.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[hannah141]

Hi Bushman!

I'm coming across the same problems as you, a few years later!
Did you refine your filtering?

I've found that coffee filter paper produces exactly the result but is soooo painfully slow (already double strained through muslin).
And I'm talking massive quantities here, I do not have the time! The racking off in the fridge is also not practical for me really.

I looked into this:

http://www.buonvino.com/minijet.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

which is perfect in principle but have discovered that their largest filter is 5microns vs the coffee paper's 20microns. I'm concerned that with a higher level of filtration, I'll lose some of the important stuff. Did you come across any similar pumps I could look into.

Eternally grateful for any help anyone can give me

[Bushman]

Hi Bushman!

I'm coming across the same problems as you, a few years later!
Did you refine your filtering?

I've found that coffee filter paper produces exactly the result but is soooo painfully slow (already double strained through muslin).
And I'm talking massive quantities here, I do not have the time! The racking off in the fridge is also not practical for me really.

I looked into this:

http://www.buonvino.com/minijet.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

which is perfect in principle but have discovered that their largest filter is 5microns vs the coffee paper's 20microns. I'm concerned that with a higher level of filtration, I'll lose some of the important stuff. Did you come across any similar pumps I could look into.

Eternally grateful for any help anyone can give me

Designed and built the following vacuum system.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 83&t=25090

[HDNB]

i made a filter from cotton gauze from the pharmacy. just took a roll, jammed it into a sanitary tube. from there i have a little stainless steel brewer's buddy pump and some ss/teflon hose (ouch that was spendy) connected via a fitting welded onto a sanitary blind.
it filters about 80LPH crystal clear. gets the job done in a couple minutes. filter medium is cheap, available and easy to change.

[Mikey-moo]

I made some pressure infused raspberry gin a few years back... was a bitch to filter, but I found that adding a couple of drops of pectinase enzyme really helped to speed up the process.

Anyone else tried using it?

[Pikey]

Ah - "Pectin haze" type problem then ? -- great idea Mikey, I certainly will, when the time comes.

[Mikey-moo]

Exactly Pikey! It wasn't much, but seemed to clog the filter very quickly, which prevented the liquid flowing freely.

Let me know if it makes any difference for you

[Bagasso]

I was wondering since in the wine business they force it through what about the use of a french press to try and get it as clear as possible.

Every time I start thinking about clearing a wash or infusions quickly I always end up wanting to try a centrifuge. Not the lab type with the little tubes but the kind used for waste vegetable oil. Lack of funds and too little product to justify the cost keeps me from getting past the daydreaming stage.

This video shows how they work: