Is carbon/charcoal filtering necessary?

[singlemalt]

[utube][/utube]
Hi Folks,

I'm brand new to this.
I have a lot of experience in all grain brewing and country wine making.
Not had an infection in 10 years and confident in controlling fermentation parameters.

I have an air still. If I have a nice clean fermentation with beer or wine yeast and double distill and am careful with my cuts, do I still need to filter? From what I've read so far aging is better done at higher proof and the activated carbon needs 50%abv or less.

Thanks for your help,

singlemalt

[BoisBlancBoy]

Carbon filtering is not at all necessary. Especially when it comes to pot stilling because you don't want to strip the flavors of the grains out. Now if running a reflux still correctly the purity is so high that the added filtering would be of no benefit.

Aging around 50-60 ABV is optimal. You can go higher but tends to pull more tannins from the wood resulting in more harshness and off flavors. Aging at a lower ABV will result in a low yield after the aging term. Kinda hard to age at a low proof for an extended time and not have much to show for it when done.

[bearriver]

All I know about airstills is that they are not well liked by most members, however people like Dad300 have had success with them.

Carbon/charcoal filtering is used to clean up a piss poor spirit. It's far better to just make quality drop to begin with instead of mucking around in that stuff.

The only thing I think carbon is really useful for to the home distiller is silver rum, which is aged on oak then filtered to remove the color.

[srs787]

Singlemalt I would not carbon filter your all grains or your country wines after you still them. This filtering would remove some of the great flavors of these process's. Age on oak at 55 to 60%. Keep on making the all grains and country ferments, you will do great things in your new hobby. Good luck. srs

[Still_a_kid]

What if you're making a neutral spirit out of a pot still and don't want the congeners that might be left in despite conservative cuts to impact the flavour?

[thatguy1313]

I'd rather run it 4 times and have a quality spirit right off the still.

[ShineonCrazyDiamond]

What if you're making a neutral spirit out of a pot still and don't want the congeners that might be left in despite conservative cuts to impact the flavour?

Keep diluting it and running it until it's neutral.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=42781

Filtering is never necessary. Just a catch phrase, and something that people seem to zero in on, like it's the "magic" that makes Good likker instead of bad.

Honestly, carbon filtering is for the uneducated. You're in school now, so start changing the way you think!

Happy adventures!

[Still_a_kid]

Well that's one less thing to bother with, which I always welcome

[T-Pee]

The only thing I think carbon is really useful for to the home distiller is silver rum, which is aged on oak then filtered to remove the color.

Well, see? This comment is why I like to read as much as I can just in case someone sez something I've been wondering about.

tp

[rad14701]

Water is a better filter than activated carbon... Add more water... Redistill... Repeat...

Water... It's the right tool for the job...!!!

[MDH]

What if you're making a neutral spirit out of a pot still and don't want the congeners that might be left in despite conservative cuts to impact the flavour?

Keep diluting it and running it until it's neutral.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=42781

Filtering is never necessary. Just a catch phrase, and something that people seem to zero in on, like it's the "magic" that makes Good likker instead of bad.

Honestly, carbon filtering is for the uneducated. You're in school now, so start changing the way you think!

Happy adventures!

I disagree. Diluting and running is a waste of time and energy. If you make two distillations in a pot still, and just run slowly with tight cuts on the second, then proof to 50% alcohol, chill the hearts to 30f/0c and filter them through carbon, you will have a very neutral spirit. Running over and over again is nice and dandy if you still do want A. A very expensive homemade Vodka if you are using propane or electricity, or B. you actually don't want a completely neutral spirit and still want a trace of mash taste (Think Tito's before he went mainstream).

[ShineRunnah]

I feel a carbon filter is very beneficial and worth the added expense and effort in most cases.

I use mine every run. Have for years with definite positive results you can taste immediately. I can't see a valid argument against it, except under specific circumstances.

But I use mine to filter my water before mashing, not for filtering alcohol.

Save for specific uses like those previously mentioned, if your likker is tasting funky, you probably just need to learn to make it better to start!

[bearriver]

I feel a carbon filter is very beneficial and worth the added expense and effort in most cases.!

I am most cases, being someone that wants vodka thus owns a well designed reflux still. K.I.S.S. Combine that with the techniques perfected here and I make a product far superior to most commercial offerings, on par with the best. The other reflux owners such as Hound dog, Dad300, T-Pee, Rad...ect all would likely say the same thing about their efforts. Speaking for myself I will put my unfiltered vodka next to anyone's filtered vodka, any day.

Aside from the whole silver rum thing, carbon is good at one and only one thing which nobody here is disputing. Hiding the taste of greed and/or impatience in the spirits. Such as in turbo spirits, shitty distillation practices, and bad cuts. If you make a proper drop there is nothing to clean up, making carbon filtering completely pointless to begin with. It's like getting your favorite sweater from the dry cleaner then taking it home and throwing it in the washing machine.

If you are just trying to prove that you can get vodka from a pot still, I have to ask, why? It's the wrong tool for the job, plain and simple. You can drive a screw with a hammer if you hit it hard enough.

[BoisBlancBoy]

Well said Bear! Couldn't agree with you more. When I first started distilling my likker wasn't bad but it sure isn't the quality I'm making now. I also think I can improve on it but I wouldn't do that with carbon filtering. It's putting a bandaide on the problem. If you get comfortable just filtering instead of improving your practices your going to come up short. Not to say that filtering doesn't have its place but it shouldn't be used as a crutch. If I used that crutch it wouldn't have allowed me to learn and practice my ways to improve my product.

[Bagasso]

Using a reflux still is using a crutch. Any real artisan appreciates the time and effort put into distilling vodka with a pot still.

Sounds silly doesn't it?

To the OP: No it isn't necessary and counterproductive in the elaboration of flavored spirits.

[ShineRunnah]

I feel a carbon filter is very beneficial and worth the added expense and effort in most cases.!

I am most cases, being someone that wants vodka thus owns a well designed reflux still. K.I.S.S. Combine that with the techniques perfected here and I make a product far superior to most commercial offerings, on par with the best. The other reflux owners such as Hound dog, Dad300, T-Pee, Rad...ect all would likely say the same thing about their efforts. Speaking for myself I will put my unfiltered vodka next to anyone's filtered vodka, any day.

Aside from the whole silver rum thing, carbon is good at one and only one thing which nobody here is disputing. Hiding the taste of greed and/or impatience in the spirits. Such as in turbo spirits, shitty distillation practices, and bad cuts. If you make a proper drop there is nothing to clean up, making carbon filtering completely pointless to begin with. It's like getting your favorite sweater from the dry cleaner then taking it home and throwing it in the washing machine.

If you are just trying to prove that you can get vodka from a pot still, I have to ask, why? It's the wrong tool for the job, plain and simple. You can drive a screw with a hammer if you hit it hard enough.

Now that you've made your point, would you care to read beyond the first line in my post so you include the thesis statement, and thus avoid criticizing something taken out of context.

From my previous statement:
"But I use mine to filter my water before mashing, not for filtering alcohol.
Save for specific uses like those previously mentioned, if your likker is tasting funky, you probably just need to learn to make it better to start!"

While I've never made a habit of producing vodka, neutral is easy. Good, clean ferment and distill it until its clean tasting. More a matter of diligence than skill from my experience.
And in reality, achieving good tasting vodka from my still (23gallon, two thumpers, all copper) is as simple as making good wash and running it twice.

[rad14701]

Water being a better filter than activated carbon, I'll stick with diluting and redistilling if my spirits aren't clean enough for my liking... Activated carbon is just one more unneeded tool that eventually requires cleaning or replacement...

[myles]

I don't carbon filter and i have both pot and reflux stills. For me the reflux still is used (run slowly) to produce as close to neutral alcohol as I can get.

I don't drink it, it is just a feedstock for infused products and gin.

I like vodka, but I pot still it and leave it with a slight residual flavour.I know some other folks do something simmilar with a detuned packed column. You can drink neutral if you like - I just don't like to do so.

[BrewNewbie]

Guys I see a lot of discussion about filtering off the still
As part of the run. It’s been a decent discussion. What about filtering the water before putting it in the fermenter?

[Bolverk]

Two reasons I can see to filter..
You're running some sort of turbo and can't get rid of the crappy taste and/or you plan of making crappy cuts.

Otherwise no, use quality ingredients and learn to make make good cuts you shouldn't need to filter.