Aluminum Hobby Lobby Lids for storing

[JollyPirate]

Hey gang. I found some wide mouth gallon jars on sale at hobby lobby for $5 a pop. The lid is an aluminum screw top lid.

It seems the consensus is no aluminum in the vapor path because of the reactivity of the metal with ethanol (and the ultimate leaching of AL into the product). In my searches, the query only produced conversations related to aluminum in the still and boiler.

What are your thoughts on aging in a glass jar with an aluminum lid? Since there would be limited contact with the alcohol and the lid (aside from the occasional sloshing when putting on the shelf), I’m curious if there is any notable risk.

[NZChris]

There will be plenty of contact. Any time the lid is cooler than the contents, vapour will condense on the lid at a higher proof than the liquor.

Liqueur du pendu is a method used to add flavor without color. Look it up.

[NormandieStill]

The problem with aluminium is the hot acids in the boiler which will very rapidly etch it and make holes. I'm not sure how acidic your booze will be. As nzchris says you will get condensation on the lid, but the whole aluminium leads to Alzheimer's myth was quite conclusively debunked a few decades ago IIRC.

[Steve Broady]

I propose a simple experiment. Place some aluminum foil in a jar of heads, and leave it for a while. If anything at all changes, that says there’s got to be some reaction with even the cleanest neutral. Theory being that there will be some fraction of heads in anything we make, and that seems likely to be the most reactive component. Also, sacrificing heads instead of good spirit to an experiment.

[Tōtōchtin]

The problem with aluminium is the hot acids in the boiler which will very rapidly etch it and make holes. I'm not sure how acidic your booze will be. As nzchris says you will get condensation on the lid, but the whole aluminium leads to Alzheimer's myth was quite conclusively debunked a few decades ago IIRC.

Al is a recognized neurotoxin, some studies point in the direction of Alzheimer's but aren't conclusive. I have never read a study that said it didn't cause Neuro breakdown in the brain.
Toto

[NormandieStill]

For starters there's this. Which is a summary by a bunch of people concerned about Alzheimer's.

Basically in the early days of neuroimaging a researcher found that there was aluminium in the brains of Alzheimer's victims. But they didn't compare to see if the same was true of people without Alzheimer's. By the time anyone managed to point this out, the press had run stories linking the two and it was near impossible to walk it back.

Exactly the same thing that happened with the MMR vaccine and autism.

Obviously if distillate does dissolve aluminium then it would be preferable to avoid it for this use out of precaution but there's considerably more evidence on the neurotoxin effects of alcohol than on those of aluminium!