alcohol storage

[SnoSheriff]

What is the best way to store alcohol for future dilution, infusion or consumption? Is the storage method the same for 90% vs 40%? Thank you

[SnoSheriff]

BTW, I'd like to store in 1L sizes or so

[Truckinbutch]

My pick is Jaegermeister bottles for storage like you are asking about . I also use half gallon Mason jars . Proof will have little to do with simple storage . I am waiting on delivery of a Gibbs Brothers 5 gallon barrel to store and age some special distillate . Those green bottles block light and are very storeable in a small space .

[SnoSheriff]

Can I use the mason jars with metal screw on lids? Or, can I use 1 gal (I'll look for smaller) carboys with plastic/metal screw on caps? I know glass is safe but I guess my concern/question is about the lids/caps.

[SnoSheriff]

I am waiting on delivery of a Gibbs Brothers 5 gallon barrel to store and age some special distillate.

I just ordered my first still today so I'm not nearly that far into the process but I would like to that one day as well

[WooTeck]

i tend to store in 1gal glass demijohns with a cork in the top. butchs idea with the jagger bottles is a good one, very easy to stack and store and im sure a local bar could save them for you.

[SnoSheriff]

It's easy to buy demijohns and mason jars locally. Any issues using:
- metal screw top on mason jars
- rubber bung, plastic screw cap or metal screw cap on demijohns

Jagger bottles sound interesting. I'll have to look into it.

[WooTeck]

you could allways wrap the mason caps in a forum aproved material. if you get a cork bung... corkstore.com im sure itll be fine.

[SnoSheriff]

Hey, can I use wine bottles for storing distilled spirits and simply put a cork in it? Would I store these wine bottled spirits on the side?

[GrassHopper]

Hey, can I use wine bottles for storing distilled spirits and simply put a cork in it? Would I store these wine bottled spirits on the side?

Absolutely. I use gallon wine bottles with corks or metal lids. No, no need to store on the side....that's a wine thing. Just keep em' in a fairly dark place if you can.
They are kinda tough to oak in though, due to the opening size to get your oak sticks in there and then out again.....because they swell up once immersed.

[NZChris]

I've made it my rule not to bring glassware home for aging unless I can put readily available natural cork in it because bringing something home just because it is large, then having to find a suitable large stopper or lid to fit it, can be a PITA.

[Pikey]

I've made it my rule not to bring glassware home for aging unless I can put readily available natural cork in it because bringing something home just because it is large, then having to find a suitable large stopper or lid to fit it, can be a PITA.

I bought a couple of 10 gallon glass carboys cheap, off a fella down the road. His dad was an Italian immigrant and used a whole load of them for winemaking - (the local community had lorry loads of grapes shipped over every year in those days ).

The cork stoppers had long since disintegrated and these came with wooden stoppers he had carved himself ! Sometimes the old timers just got it right !

I'm not going to re-use the stoppers, since they're way past "Sell-by" - I'm thinking Sycamore, Willow, Maple or any fruit wood should be good for the job. we'll see.

Btw - the storage on the sides is to keep the corks wet, so they don't dry out and let air in/out and the vinegar bug can't get in to spoil the wine. If you're keeping for extended time, I'd suggest to seal your (damp) corks with wax to limit the "Angels share".

I use demijohns with rubber bungs, since they're not actually touching the product.

[Truckinbutch]

I've made it my rule not to bring glassware home for aging unless I can put readily available natural cork in it because bringing something home just because it is large, then having to find a suitable large stopper or lid to fit it, can be a PITA.

I bought a couple of 10 gallon glass carboys cheap, off a fella down the road. His dad was an Italian immigrant and used a whole load of them for winemaking - (the local community had lorry loads of grapes shipped over every year in those days ).

The cork stoppers had long since disintegrated and these came with wooden stoppers he had carved himself ! Sometimes the old timers just got it right !

I'm not going to re-use the stoppers, since they're way past "Sell-by" - I'm thinking Sycamore, Willow, Maple or any fruit wood should be good for the job. we'll see.

Btw - the storage on the sides is to keep the corks wet, so they don't dry out and let air in/out and the vinegar bug can't get in to spoil the wine. If you're keeping for extended time, I'd suggest to seal your (damp) corks with wax to limit the "Angels share".

I use demijohns with rubber bungs, since they're not actually touching the product.

I use twisted cotton t-shirt rags for carboy plugs . They breathe a little . Corncobs make good stoppers , too , if you can find the right sized ones .

[NZChris]

I use demijohns with rubber bungs, since they're not actually touching the product.

But the product touches them. In the airspace, especially in falling temperatures, the product is evaporating then condensing on the lid and sides of the vessel. The condensation you see inside the jar on a cold day is higher proof than the contents and some of it is contacting whatever you are using for a stopper.

[WooTeck]

The cork stoppers had long since disintegrated and these came with wooden stoppers he had carved himself ! Sometimes the old timers just got it right !

hand made oak stoppers sound like they would be lovely if not over kill

[Truckinbutch]

The cork stoppers had long since disintegrated and these came with wooden stoppers he had carved himself ! Sometimes the old timers just got it right !

hand made oak stoppers sound like they would be lovely if not over kill

Wood stoppers in glass are fine until they swell and bust the neck of a carboy or jug . That's why the ole boys used corncob , cork , or rag .

[WooTeck]

The cork stoppers had long since disintegrated and these came with wooden stoppers he had carved himself ! Sometimes the old timers just got it right !

hand made oak stoppers sound like they would be lovely if not over kill

Wood stoppers in glass are fine until they swell and bust the neck of a carboy or jug . That's why the ole boys used corncob , cork , or rag .

seems logical. if its not usual practice there is a reason

[The Baker]

I use demijohns with rubber bungs, since they're not actually touching the product.

But the product touches them. In the airspace, especially in falling temperatures, the product is evaporating then condensing on the lid and sides of the vessel. The condensation you see inside the jar on a cold day is higher proof than the contents and some of it is contacting whatever you are using for a stopper.

And over time they get to STINK of rubber.
I won't have them any where near my product.
Geoff

[cob]

What is the best way to store alcohol for future dilution, infusion or consumption? Is the storage method the same for 90% vs 40%? Thank you

BTW, I'd like to store in 1L sizes or so

Jaegermeister bottles and the like with high proof undiluted spirits just seems like such a bad idea.

even if it is kept under lock and key you have no idea who might gain access to your high proof undiluted off labeled stash.

dilute your product before storage, (unless your aging) stainless won't break. I have lost product to unexplained breakage

rubber duck lost gallons in glass to an earthquake. oak corks will break glass with humidity changes ("tb").

mason jar lids have plastisol seals, and as the baker pointed out rubber stinks and is counter to rule 8.

as stated above stainless won't break (normally).

[Pikey]

I use demijohns with rubber bungs, since they're not actually touching the product.

But the product touches them. In the airspace, especially in falling temperatures, the product is evaporating then condensing on the lid and sides of the vessel. The condensation you see inside the jar on a cold day is higher proof than the contents and some of it is contacting whatever you are using for a stopper.

Valid point as ever Chris.

[Pikey]

I use twisted cotton t-shirt rags for carboy plugs . They breathe a little . Corncobs make good stoppers , too , if you can find the right sized ones .

I use twisted cotton sometimes during the last part of fermentation as they can let pressure out and prevent explosions. Can't get corn cob over here and I have no experience of them at all, so that's not really an option for me.

[Pikey]

The cork stoppers had long since disintegrated and these came with wooden stoppers he had carved himself ! Sometimes the old timers just got it right !

hand made oak stoppers sound like they would be lovely if not over kill

Wood stoppers in glass are fine until they swell and bust the neck of a carboy or jug . That's why the ole boys used corncob , cork , or rag .

I would have thought that shrinkage was the major issue with stoppers in a storage situation Tb - Under what storage conditions did you have this happen ?

[Kareltje]

I use demijohns with rubber bungs, since they're not actually touching the product.

But the product touches them. In the airspace, especially in falling temperatures, the product is evaporating then condensing on the lid and sides of the vessel. The condensation you see inside the jar on a cold day is higher proof than the contents and some of it is contacting whatever you are using for a stopper.

Indeed, I found that out too.
Alcohol vapours have detrimental effects on rubber stops.
Using wooden stoppers or cork is much better.
I have some large glass bottles and I put a drinking glass over them. Maybe there is some loss, but as long as temperatures are low these can not be great.

[Kareltje]

The cork stoppers had long since disintegrated and these came with wooden stoppers he had carved himself ! Sometimes the old timers just got it right !

hand made oak stoppers sound like they would be lovely if not over kill

Wood stoppers in glass are fine until they swell and bust the neck of a carboy or jug . That's why the ole boys used corncob , cork , or rag .

I would have thought that shrinkage was the major issue with stoppers in a storage situation Tb - Under what storage conditions did you have this happen ?

Just my thoughts too. Until I visioned the process. A fitting, conical wood stopper shrinks, slips a bit down in the opening and then swells again. Due to friction it does not wriggle itself up in the neck, but is stuck and breaks the neck.

I collect my distillate in jars used for vegetables or olives.
I store my high proof distillate in 1 litre juice bottles with a warning label on the bottles.
My diluted drinks I store in wine or spirit bottles with a clear and different label.
I hope, but I am not sure, that the plastic on the inside of the lids can resist alcohol.

But I only have a 10 l boiler. Next summer, when I am goning to use my 80-litre still, I have to find other solutions.

[Truckinbutch]

The cork stoppers had long since disintegrated and these came with wooden stoppers he had carved himself ! Sometimes the old timers just got it right !

hand made oak stoppers sound like they would be lovely if not over kill

Wood stoppers in glass are fine until they swell and bust the neck of a carboy or jug . That's why the ole boys used corncob , cork , or rag .

I would have thought that shrinkage was the major issue with stoppers in a storage situation Tb - Under what storage conditions did you have this happen ?

I've not had this happen because my grandfather told me not to and why . He was pretty canny about things like that .
Also , I'm a rather skilled woodworker well versed in wood's reaction to moisture or lack of it .

[Pikey]

The cork stoppers had long since disintegrated and these came with wooden stoppers he had carved himself ! Sometimes the old timers just got it right !

Wood stoppers in glass are fine until they swell and bust the neck of a carboy or jug . That's why the ole boys used corncob , cork , or rag .

I would have thought that shrinkage was the major issue with stoppers in a storage situation Tb - Under what storage conditions did you have this happen ?

Just my thoughts too. Until I visioned the process. A fitting, conical wood stopper shrinks, slips a bit down in the opening and then swells again. Due to friction it does not wriggle itself up in the neck, but is stuck and breaks the neck.

.............

Yes at first sight, I envisioned the situation you describe above. Then I thought about it, and asked Tb under what storage circumstances he had this happen. ? I think most of us would have our storage inside and thus any absorbtion of moisture would likely be limited to minor effects due to airborn humidity changes.

Edit: - If we take into consideration the situation which NZChris pointed out re: "Rubber bungs" - the humidity inside the jars will be greater than that outside and could also represent a stabilising effect on the moistre content of the wood.

However, the jars I speak of have had these stoppers in them for decades and will have been through all the humidity changes that the uk weather can do, without ill-effect. The old fella was a lifetime Italian wine maker and this method is clearly what the community had devised as a method of stopping the bottles, probably brought over with them from multiple generations of winemaking in Italy.

I bought these carboys in the early summer and they have been stored outside, open to the hot dry summer we have had, when the stoppers would dry out and then the damp and rain of the autumn and early winter when they should be absorbing water and "Swellling". Recently we have had a period of heavy frost and the slop in these jars froze solid along with any other standing water around and presumably the water absorbed by these wooden stoppers too. SO Ice taking up even more volume than water, that should have broken the jar necks, if anything was going to.

So I ask again, Under what storage circumstances do you vision this happening or have you actually seen it happen ?

Edit: - The site would not let me post "more than 4 quotes embedded in each other" - so I had to lose Woo-Techs suggestion for nice oak stoppers, - but I messed it up and had quotes attributed to the wrong paople and had to come back and straighten that out

[Soulshine]

I realize I am new here but if anyone is looking for storage containers for nearly any use at all be it food grade or general , I get a catalog from Uline . They sell all kinds of food grade storage containers. Glass and plastics. Including carboys of various sizes.
https://www.uline.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[seamusm53]

Absolutely. I use gallon wine bottles with corks or metal lids. No, no need to store on the side....that's a wine thing.

The reason wine (with real corks) is stored on its side is to keep the cork from drying out and falling apart into the bottle when you try to uncork.

Don't think it matters what the liquid contents are re: wine or liquor.

Personal experience speaking. I've had to fish many a cork piece out of my glass.

[ShineRunner]

They sell all kinds of food grade storage containers. Glass and plastics. Including carboys of various sizes.

Do NOT store any high proof alcohol in any form of plastic- no matter if it's good grade or not. Food grade does not mean alcohol safe. Glass or stainless are what you want. PTFE is the only approved synthetic.

Also, the problem is generally not finding glass containers, but finding a way to seal them. Natural cork is probably the best. I bought a sheet of PTFE and cut out discs to line my jar/bottle lids with. Pretty cheap and easy.

SR

[Stonecutter]

Saw these today while browsing. Thought it might be a different if not “classy” way of glass Aging/storing Hooch. What do you guys think?

Suwimut 3 Pack Glass Jar with Airtight Seal Wood Lid Ball, Clear Candy Jar Mason Jars Food Storage Canister for Serving Spice Sugar Salt Tea Coffee, 500ML, 900ML, 1200ML