Filtering.

[bigdownunder]

Hello,

I have read a few posts as to whether filtering is necessary or not. It would seem it is a matter of taste. HOWEVER - a friend who is an industrial chemist has warned me that it is necessary due to residual toxins in the brew and is dangerous if consumed regularly.

I am sure my method isn't unique. I use 8 kilos of dextrose in 25 litres of pure Tassie mountain water with Alchotec 48 yeast which is fermented for 7 days. I then add Ultra Clear finings to the mix for 24 hours. The mix is then distilled for appro 3 hours at 78 degrees yielding 3.5 to 4 litres of high 80s ethanol. I then cut it to 40%, add a JD essence and it's party time.

I am very happy with the taste despite the fact I do not filter it through a ceramic filter and granulated active carbon filter as recommended by the supplier and strongly recommended by my chemist friend.

My question is basic. Is there any risk to my health by not filtering my brew? Is there a chemist out there?

Thank you.

[Dnderhead]

and what do you purpose this is going to remove?

[Prairiepiss]

Making proper cuts. And using good recipes. There is no need for filtering other then personal taste preference. But truthfully. Filtering should not be needed. And water makes the best filter. By diluting and running a second time.

Now I can't speak for the essences you are adding to your turbo fuel.

There is a lot of good information around here to help you make a much better product. New distiller reading lounge is full of good need to know info. So good it should be required reading.

Oh and welcome aboard. If you would make your way over to the welcome center and introduce yourself. That would be nice.

[bigdownunder]

Making proper cuts. And using good recipes. There is no need for filtering other then personal taste preference. But truthfully. Filtering should not be needed. And water makes the best filter. By diluting and running a second time.

Now I can't speak for the essences you are adding to your turbo fuel.

There is a lot of good information around here to help you make a much better product. New distiller reading lounge is full of good need to know info. So good it should be required reading.

Oh and welcome aboard. If you would make your way over to the welcome center and introduce yourself. That would be nice.

Thanks Dnderhead for your question and thanks to Prairiepiss for your answers, help and welcome.

Sorry I am very, very green. I know zip about distilling and chemistry. I just followed the bouncing ball in the instructions supplied with the kit. I questioned the need to filter and I am told by my chemist friend that I should filter it. He told me it would be harmful if it wasn't filtered without a great deal of info other than that. There are two reasons I don't want to filter. One is the cost of the filter cartridges and the other is the time factor.

" By diluting and running a second time". Does this mean diluting to 40% and running it through the still again? And again, is this necessary if I am happy with the taste?

BTW, I use an OZ essence by Edwards called Tennessee Bourbon, it tastes like JD, (well sorta), anyway I am happy with it.

Thanks again

[Dnderhead]

if your happy so i'm I...you can look it up,,filtering removes organics as flavors and colors.not alcohols like methanol/acetone or metals like led/copper others.

[Prairiepiss]

I'm guessing you picked up a T500? And let me guess the bouncey ball and destructions told you that you don't need to make cuts with that still? This is the biggest load of horse pucky sales gimmick.

If I were a betting man. I would bet that if you ran a good recipe. The way that is recommended around here. You would stop buying those turbos and essences.

Now as far as running it again. If you like what you made there's no reason to run it again. But you never know you might like it better. You would never know if you don't try. One of the best parts of this hobby. Is trying a new experiment. Or trying a new way to run.

There are some really good recipes in the tried and true recipe section. That none of them call for turbo yeast and all the clearing garbage they sell you. These recipes will make a better product. And even cost less. And most of it can ne bought at a grocery store. Sory don't remember what you guys call them down there.

Do some looking around. I bet you will find a lot of useful info.

And do some research on making cuts. Try this thread. Yes it says pot still. But it is very useful for all stills.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=13261

[bigdownunder]

I'm guessing you picked up a T500? And let me guess the bouncey ball and destructions told you that you don't need to make cuts with that still? This is the biggest load of horse pucky sales gimmick.

If I were a betting man. I would bet that if you ran a good recipe. The way that is recommended around here. You would stop buying those turbos and essences.

Now as far as running it again. If you like what you made there's no reason to run it again. But you never know you might like it better. You would never know if you don't try. One of the best parts of this hobby. Is trying a new experiment. Or trying a new way to run.

There are some really good recipes in the tried and true recipe section. That none of them call for turbo yeast and all the clearing garbage they sell you. These recipes will make a better product. And even cost less. And most of it can ne bought at a grocery store. Sory don't remember what you guys call them down there.

Do some looking around. I bet you will find a lot of useful info.

And do some research on making cuts. Try this thread. Yes it says pot still. But it is very useful for all stills.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=13261

Thanks heaps, you have been very helpful.

We call them, um ... stores! But I live on an island and we only got one.

No filtering for me and I will try some of the recipes .

Thanks again.

.

[Boda Getta]

All the advice above is spot on. Thank your friend for his advice; then:

Go to "Tried and True" Recipe section and find the recipe for UJSSM, read the recipe and comments and posts to the recipe several times until you have a good understanding of it. Pay particular attention to the adding back-set on second and subsequent fermentation and reusing the yeast left (trub) for subsequent runs.
Mix up a batch, I would recommend a 5 gal batch to get a feel for the recipe, this will give you enough back-set to add to the second 20'ish gal batch. DO NOT USE TURBO yeast, get some good distilling yeast on-line. Bread yeast from the local store does perfectly well as well.l. After it has finished working, give it a few days to clear, no need to add fining.
Run it through your still hard and fast for the stripping run with no cuts, discard first 4 ozs of foreshots. Dilute the low wine to 35% ABV and run it again low and slow into pint jars after discarding 3 ozs of foreshots. Let it air for two days, then start the blending process. This is where the steepest learning curve is. With a 5 gal wash I recommend only keeping the very heart of the hearts, put the rest (heals and tails) in the next stripping run.

Consider this first 5 gal run as training and to supply the back-set for the sour-mast run of the larger 20 gal run.
Repeat process of first run. After the first several runs you will begun to get the hang of it. Your end results will get better and better. You will start getting the feel of the cuts and blending. The biggest lesson you will learn is not to be greedy in your cuts/blend. You will learn its far better to have 2 liters of really good stuff than a gallon and haft of crap you can hardy drink. Set up a jar for the heads and tails (either separately or combined) These can make a excellent product when ran later.

Get some good white oak and make some good charred sticks, try to find to find some Jack Daniels BBQ chips found in the grocery stores in the States. Take some good UJSSM at 120-130 proof and age in gal jugs with 3-4 charred sticks and a handful of chips. Age for at least a month and then start checking it; after a few months you will be surprised how good it. If you have the patience, you won't believe how good it after a year, I see nothing wrong with using the Essence in some, but suspect after tasting it aged on char and oak you will forego that route.

Good luck

BG

[CuWhistle]

@ bigdownunder:- Do as they say. My first attempt was with the Turbo Yeast, as I was advised and conned out of nearly $10.00. You think it's OK until it's filtered, which I did and it makes it better, and you realise it's actually quite bad without filtering. Then you try not using Turbo and you realise it's crap. Since very early I've been using the Birdwatchers recipe for Neutrals and it is so much better. Put the filter away. Head over to tried and true recipes and never use Turbo again. Ask your chemist mate what toxins he is talking about. The birdwatchers recipe is water which you would drink, tomato paste which you would eat, citric acid of some form which is just citric acid (lemon juice) and bakers yeast which is in bread that you would eat. No toxins in that.

We call them Supermarkets down here Prairiepiss but he lives on an Island so it's probably just a just a shop (ie: store).

[bigdownunder]

@ bigdownunder:- Do as they say. My first attempt was with the Turbo Yeast, as I was advised and conned out of nearly $10.00. You think it's OK until it's filtered, which I did and it makes it better, and you realise it's actually quite bad without filtering. Then you try not using Turbo and you realise it's crap. Since very early I've been using the Birdwatchers recipe for Neutrals and it is so much better. Put the filter away. Head over to tried and true recipes and never use Turbo again. Ask your chemist mate what toxins he is talking about. The birdwatchers recipe is water which you would drink, tomato paste which you would eat, citric acid of some form which is just citric acid (lemon juice) and bakers yeast which is in bread that you would eat. No toxins in that.

We call them Supermarkets down here Prairiepiss but he lives on an Island so it's probably just a just a shop (ie: store).

Thanks again, I will give the birdwatchers recipe a go.

Yeah, you and I know it's usually called a shop, but we only have one shop here and it's known as "the General Store", or locally as the GS. Now if we had a few stores they would be referred to as "the shops" and we would go shopping.

Isn't it great to be an Australian?

.

[rad14701]

bigdownnder, don't take this the wrong way but your chemist friend obviously doesn't know enough about distillation to be offering advice... Commercial distilleries don't filter every drop they distill and the masses buy their products off store shelves every day... As stated, following proper distillation procedures, including making proper cuts, will yield safe spirits... Several members have submitted samples for testing with very satisfactory results... The real trick is to not add anything into the wash that you are concerned about having to remove during distillation...

[Boda Getta]

bigdownnder:
You mentioned in your first post you were adding JD Essence to your stuff. I assumed from that that you were aiming for a bourbon or straight whiskey. Why would you pick Birdwatchers recipe for that type whiskey? Birdwatchers is an excellent recipe IF you are aiming for a neutral (Vodka), but so much for bourbon type whiskey. You need some corn in the recipe. What gives bourbon or Tennessee whiskey its distinct favor, in addition to heavy corn grain bill, is the aging in charred oak barrels. I'm confused as to what you want to end up with.

BG

[Prairiepiss]

BG I have a feeling he had a T500 still. He didn't deni or confirm it? Not the best still to make a whiskey with.

[bigdownunder]

BG I have a feeling he had a T500 still. He didn't deni or confirm it? Not the best still to make a whiskey with.

Hello, back again, sorry, they just put the power back on in Australia. No I don't have that still, I have this one, the one at the top of the page. The Super Express Still 27L 3000W...

http://yourshout.co.nz/distilling.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Seems to do the job.

Thanks again.

[620rossco]

Hello, back again, sorry, they just put the power back on in Australia. No I don't have that still, I have this one, the one at the top of the page. The Super Express Still 27L 3000W...

G'day bloke.
I've heard you can use a column extension on those to improve their performance.
One chemist at work goes on with that crap too, he is just marking his territory and doesn't know shit from clay.

[Ayay]

Hey bigdownunder, Your product can be so good as to not need filtering. Filtering can make a good product better, but all too often filtering is needed to make a bad product passable.

Here we say your product should be good without filtering. Absolutely superb with a little filtering, better cuts, and better ageing.

Hangover test...then taste test. Award presenters go for the taste and forget the hangover. Never leave out the hangover test and view chemists as poor examples of alchemists. Awards are like chemists.

[CuWhistle]

Down here, the home brew shops will tell you that to make spirits, you use Turbo Yeast, distill the crap after 2 days, filter it through carbon, then flavour it with essences. Oh, and they might also sell you some finings to put in before you rack it off into the still. This is how they make their money.

It is only when you join up to a site like this one, that you find out the right way to do it.

[bigdownunder]

Hello, back again, sorry, they just put the power back on in Australia. No I don't have that still, I have this one, the one at the top of the page. The Super Express Still 27L 3000W...

G'day bloke.
I've heard you can use a column extension on those to improve their performance.
One chemist at work goes on with that crap too, he is just marking his territory and doesn't know shit from clay.

Thanks dingo cobber. My mate is a good wombat. I don't want to hurt his professional pride. It's not about proving him wrong. I only wanted to know if his concerns had some foundation for my sake and for the sake of others. Wallaby, goanna, gum leaf.

Again, sincere thanks.

.

[dragon9874]

couple unbleached coffee filters as needed, that is all... and yup, only for the organics.