On Microwave Aging

[SmokinGrunts]

So you like likker? So you don't mind thinkin' outside the box, taking other systems' benefits, and applying them to ye olde art of distillation?

Well here is a bit for you: On Microwave Aging of Distilled Spirits.

FullySilenced's thread is what got me going on this. I read a ton of qualms and fear-centric anecdotes. Well hooey! I like ta have an idea of what's what, and I feel that the attempt to explain that to others helps me as a teachin spirit.

So we age our likker with time. Time is our variable. Aging is our system. Now, sometimes it helps our minds to figure out how systems work, by thinking of them on either a big scale, or a small scale. Abstraction is a desirable trait here. (Shit how do I not lose everyone here...)

Okay, Everything is electricity vibratin'. You an me both. Vibrations. Of Electromagnetic energy. Atoms and such. Frequencies. Lets think about our hooch as tiny little balls of energy. They happen to have pretty precise descriptions of behavior. They like to stick together. All these balls of hooch energy make up the 750 mL of heart-warmin' goodness we call a fifth. The descriptors - the qualities - describe things like boiling point, specific gravity, ph, color, viscosity, etc.

So back to time. We have our jar o' booze-balls conglomerated into what we describe as a liquid. Great. We keep it in the jar, and apply our most strange variable - time. Time does a funny thing. It makes our liquid taste better. Cool. Well, that's okay as an explanation fer some. But fer others, we might ask "What is happening during this time?" Well shit. Those little balls of energy are interacting. With temperature. With pressure. With each other. With the other molecules that also happen to be sharing the same jar.

Now what is a microwave? A microwave just happens to generate an electromagnetic wave of a particular frequency; right between Radio waves, and Infrared. .3 all the way to 300 GHz. Source (This is my source for most of this, it's a great read.)

Most o' yer microwaves happen to generate waves at around 2.45 GHz. Great. What do we know about microwaves? They heat stuff. They have been used in Organic Chemistry since the 80's. (This means chem involving carbon based molecules... stuff you consume which happens to affect the human body.)

Without getting too technical, (Don't wanna lose more o' ya, Prolly 80% already figured tl;dr) we hafta remember that these balls of energy have a rotation and spin. The microwaves affect these rotations and spins, which also cause the heating we see.

A molecule with a 'dipole moment' as the bean-counters are callin' it, will generate heat when irradiated with microwaves. Differing molecules in a liquid will align (generating heat) with the applied field based on differing field frequencies, and the viscosity of the mixture. Source

Our balls also have a conduction mechanism. Conducting heat! Transferring heat! How big-brawn strong-man is it to lift big crates of heat quickly? Example: So you gotta mason jar of tap water, and a mason jar of distilled water. Ye microwave 'em fer 30 seconds at 150 Watts of energy. The tap water will be at about 130°C and the distilled water at about 110°C. WHY?! Well, the tap water (thank's to our water balls bein' all hard) has more Ions in it! They can move with the applied field much easier, causing them to collide with lazy balls, and the effect is heat generation! Great! Source (I'm tellin' ya, tis a good effin read!)

Awright. So a few o' ya have some issues with superheating. Well, what do we do on a large scale, to help evenly heat our boilers? I hope you guessed it you easy-on-the-eyes Dirk Diggler lookin' bastard. Fackin' put some damn boiling chips in there. Your mason jar in a microwave is a mini boiler. Your microwave is your heating element/propane burner. Fack!

How does microwave assisted reaction get its efficiency? Two areas are theorized; Molecular Mobility and regular ole Thermal Effects. Molecular Mobility is our balls crashin' around into other balls; the frequency of a molecule's vibrations at the reaction interface. (This could also be involved with the amount of 'free energy' at activation. Source

Thermal Effects are simple ole heat over time interactions.

Ahh shite. I'm gonna hafta put a pin in this. I'm gettin' far too drunk to properly layman's terms this whole sheet. I be startin' ter second guess my word choice, which ain't a good sign. Plus I gotta scoop my lady from work. I'll get back to expanding this when me time allows. Hope some o' yall gain some knowledge from this lil bit.

[Boda Getta]

Call me fear-centric but I call bull shit on microwave aging.

BG

[NB01]

I don't even own a microwave. Call me old fashioned but I have never trusted them. Not with my food and especially not with my booze.
To those who use it, more power to you!

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

Call me fear-centric but I call bull shit on microwave aging.

BG

Did it not turn out good for you?

[S-Cackalacky]

If you don't agree, probably best to just NOT participate in the discussion. Many here have used this technique and the OP is simply trying to impart some insight into the theory behind it. No need to come in and try to shut things down with negative input. You have been forewarned that lambasting the OP's thread won't be tolerated.

[Boda Getta]

"If you don't agree, probably best to just NOT participate in the discussion."

Silly me, I thought that's what discussion was.

Who is OP?

BG

[FullySilenced]

It does work

@ NB01 if you don't own a microwave how could you even try it...

i am gonna hold my tongue and let others speak.... its worked for thousands of people... on 7 forums why not you?


@boda getta BTW i am the original poster read the thread


http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... ear+ageing

[heartcut]

That's a hilarious post with some good info, Smokin. Thanks.

[NB01]

It does work

@ NB01 if you don't own a microwave how could you even try it...

i am gonna hold my tongue and let others speak.... its worked for thousands of people... on 7 forums why not you?

Never said It wouldn't work, my apologies, just stating my opinion on microwaves in general. Anything that "cooks" and gets stuff that hot that quickly I don't trust, PERSONALLY. Like I said "call me old fashioned" Sorry if that is negative and out of place. No offense meant. Thought this thread was meant as a discussion, not a lesson.

;;stepsback::

[Truckinbutch]

I'm one of the thousands that it has worked well for . Be pretty difficult to 'unconvince' me .

[thecroweater]

No , voicing a negative opinion to a method is not a discussion ,not if its not backed up with negative data or a negative result then it is just thread shitting. I haven't tried it so I have no reason to say it is a good or bad idea, a lot have and that would suggest that the idea is indeed sound

[S-Cackalacky]

I don't even own a microwave. Call me old fashioned but I have never trusted them. Not with my food and especially not with my booze.
To those who use it, more power to you!

Sorry NB01, my post wasn't directed at you. You expressed an opinion that adds to the discussion and I'm sure there are others who hold the same opinion. My comment was directed at the "thread shitting", as Crow so aptly put it. Comments that add nothing to the discussion and serve no purpose other than to lambaste the OP (Original Poster), or the post are not welcome here.

So now, where is the OP. Surely he's sobered up enough to finish what he started here.

[NB01]

No , voicing a negative opinion to a method is not a discussion ,not if its not backed up with negative data or a negative result then it is just thread shitting. I haven't tried it so I have no reason to say it is a good or bad idea, a lot have and that would suggest that the idea is indeed sound

So sorry to upset your microwave humping party here crow! I should start a thread about distrust for microwaves and how they are going to rise up and take over! I'll never speak ill of them again, who knows what crow or microwave is around the corner i might upset.
Op, very interesting thoughts....sorry for invading your thread

[S-Cackalacky]

OK folks - time to take a calming moment and get the thread back on track. Anybody got anything to add to SmokinGrunts' discussion?

[T-Pee]

You mean besides more alcohol?

tp

[thecroweater]

I haven't tried it so I have no reason to say it is a good or bad idea

So sorry to upset your microwave humping party here crow!

fine champ and maybe you can dry root that tree your hugging so tight
I already stated I haven't tried it . The greater part of my liquor is aged in oak barrels, I do have some in jars with sticks but I do not consider that aging and have on rare occasion distress aged (also flavouring not aging) via immersing in hot water. I have no burning desire to microwave my hooch as I am not keen on distress aging. Thing is calling bullshit and other disparaging remarks with no proof or data and especially if you haven't even tried it is spurious to say the least and really just thread shitting. Fact is a lot of ppl have done it and I am yet to read one really bad result so that would tend to say as far as distress aging goes it is a winner. To hold that something should not be done because pappy's pap nar done it that way ain't a reason, the term Luddite comes to mind
The Original poster of this particular thread was just explaining his findings on how he believes the method works, The fact that it works was established long ago in other threads

[S-Cackalacky]

OK folks, the thread has officially turned into a discussion of thread shitting. I'm assuming that SmokinGrunts is probably locked up on DWI charges because of getting behind the wheel to go pick up his SOH at work.

Shutting it down.