What are you using to filter your shine or do you?

[Blackgrub79]

I have read about active charcoal filtering after distilling and wanted to see if anyone had any advice about building one? Or is it really necessary to even do the filter?

[Salt Must Flow]

Good product doesn't need filtered. Make good product.

[Blackgrub79]

Good product doesn't need filtered. Make good product.

Thanks so new guy here how do you make bad product? I'm not trying to be a smarta$$ at all. It's good that we can learn from others success but might gain more from there failure's.

Again new I might do something that I think is smart and others have done and failed .

[Dancing4dan]

Good product doesn't need filtered. Make good product.

Thanks so new guy here how do you make bad product? I'm not trying to be a smarta$$ at all. It's good that we can learn from others success but might gain more from there failure's.

Again new I might do something that I think is smart and others have done and failed .

Really encourage you to read how to mash, ferment, and make cuts. That is the journey to making good product.

Learn those basics and you are on the road to good product that wont need to be cleaned up.

If your product isn’t good enough to drink dilute it back down below 40% ABV and distill it again. All of it including fore’s, heads, hearts and tails. You get to practice making cuts each time you run it all again. Learn to run your still.

[Blackgrub79]

Good product doesn't need filtered. Make good product.

Thanks so new guy here how do you make bad product? I'm not trying to be a smarta$$ at all. It's good that we can learn from others success but might gain more from there failure's.

Again new I might do something that I think is smart and others have done and failed .

Really encourage you to read how to mash, ferment, and make cuts. That is the journey to making good product.

Learn those basics and you are on the road to good product that wont need to be cleaned up.

If your product isn’t good enough to drink dilute it back down below 40% ABV and distill it again. All of it including fore’s, heads, hearts and tails. You get to practice making cuts each time you run it all again. Learn to run your still.

Thanks I did so a strip run but I also tried to see if I could taste and feel between each group. I could mostly taste the difference but I could also feel it not sure what but when I put my finger under the product coming out the heads and hearts had a different feel. Just going to have to make more I guess.

[NZChris]

I filter it through my liver.

[bcook608]

I filter it through my liver.

best answer you'll get!

[bcook608]

I distill in my garage so i usually run mine through a coffee filter before bottling to catch any stray dust that might have gotten into the jars while they are breathing. even covered they seem to be a magnet for a stray cat hair or two or some dust.

[Wyododge]

I filter it through my liver.

NZChris wins the internet!

[hawkwing]

Depends what you want to achieve. How neutral do you want. I've used charcoal to help strip taste when I took a bunch of old flavored stuff and stripped it to make neutral when I didn't want to add any flavor to what I'm putting it in. There is also a thread on using baking soda and washing soda to strip flavors.

Some distilleries use charcoal which is different than activated carbon. Activated carbon strips a lot more out. Apparently charcoal mellows. I know Jack Daniels does this as well as Chase Potato Vodka. I'm interested from the Potato vodka front. I'm not thinking I need to do for Bourbon as I'll just take the cuts I want.

I've seen some nice stainless units that are fairly pricey. They have long necks to add pressure to help with filtering. I'd like to build one for my vodka experiments. For now I've been dumping the activated carbon in the jug and letting it sit them filtering using a kitchen strainer and coffee filter. Then I distill it again to get rid of the remaining carbon particles. I don't do this often though and only for some things. As they have said make good stuff and you shouldn't have to worry about it. Also if you want a really neutral product use just the sugar wash and yeast nutrient not the tomato paste or bran recipes.

[Ben]

I will run mine through a chemex filter stuck in the funnel when bottling after aging to get out the wood bits.

[howie]

for basic sediment filtering.
ikea do a cheap filter, it's good because it has a double skin that makes filtering easier/faster.
just add coffee filter papers for basic filtering of sediment.
https://www.ikea.com/au/en/p/oeverst-3- ... -10360233/

[MurvSneaker]

As all of us aren't born Master destilleras, I found it useful to rescue some foul tasting vodka using an activated carbon filter. I have built this filter that doesn't run dry or creating air bubbles in the pipes as that can affect the filtration process.

The pipes should be at least 40mm.
Pipe lengths for my filter is 54cm. Total 162cm.
The small hoses are made of silicon
The pipes should be made of either stainless steel or copper.
If you only filter alcohol below 60 ABV / 120 proof, you could use PP (polypropylene) pipes.
Dimensions for this box is approximately 80x45x10cm making it easy to stow away when not needed.

[still_stirrin]

… The small hoses are made of silicon …
… If you only filter alcohol below 60 ABV / 120 proof, you could use PP (polypropylene) pipes …

Bad statement. Don’t use synthetics AT ALL,
ss

[LWTCS]

… The small hoses are made of silicon …
… If you only filter alcohol below 60 ABV / 120 proof, you could use PP (polypropylene) pipes …

Bad statement. Don’t use synthetics AT ALL,
ss

https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlin ... 2/rcm.2837

And another:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... 9BE698D63C

For the record, the moderator team is aware of these studies. However the position at this time appears to be better safe than sorry?

No other industry is as heavy regulated and studied as the medical industry btw. Bar none.

[MurvSneaker]

For the record, the moderator team is aware of these studies. However the position at this time appears to be better safe than sorry?

No other industry is as heavy regulated and studied as the medical industry btw. Bar none.

Thx for the clarification. How do you suggest I address the use of different materials?
Is there a "site-approved" list of materials?

I've used my "Google Black belt" in searching for facts (recognized institutions) combined with my own testing before using PP and silicone hoses for use with both my distillation processes and when brewing beer.

[shadylane]

I have read about active charcoal filtering after distilling and wanted to see if anyone had any advice about building one? Or is it really necessary to even do the filter?

Good question.
What you are describing is called the Lincoln County process.
Thats how Jack Daniels filters their whiskey before barreling.

[LWTCS]

For the record, the moderator team is aware of these studies. However the position at this time appears to be better safe than sorry?

No other industry is as heavy regulated and studied as the medical industry btw. Bar none.

Thx for the clarification. How do you suggest I address the use of different materials?
Is there a "site-approved" list of materials?

I've used my "Google Black belt" in searching for facts (recognized institutions) combined with my own testing before using PP and silicone hoses for use with both my distillation processes and when brewing beer.

I don't know mate.
Better off keeping the use of any type of material beyond copper, SS, glass, and PTFE to yourself until you find at least one study that that says 95% abv at its boiling point for,,,,multiple hours(?) is safe to expose to silicone.

[Dancing4dan]

I have read about active charcoal filtering after distilling and wanted to see if anyone had any advice about building one? Or is it really necessary to even do the filter?

Good question.
What you are describing is called the Lincoln County process.
Thats how Jack Daniels filters their whiskey before barreling.

I understand they use continual distillation and no cuts. Is that correct? Good video on NetFlix about the JD distillery.

[LWTCS]

I have read about active charcoal filtering after distilling and wanted to see if anyone had any advice about building one? Or is it really necessary to even do the filter?

Good question.
What you are describing is called the Lincoln County process.
Thats how Jack Daniels filters their whiskey before barreling.

I understand they use continual distillation and no cuts. Is that correct? Good video on NetFlix about the JD distillery.

No cuts, but likely vented.
Same as a number of the big " bourbon " houses.

[Captain Clyde]

As all of us aren't born Master destilleras, I found it useful to rescue some foul tasting vodka using an activated carbon filter. I have built this filter that doesn't run dry or creating air bubbles in the pipes as that can affect the filtration process.

The pipes should be at least 40mm.
Pipe lengths for my filter is 54cm. Total 162cm.
The small hoses are made of silicon
The pipes should be made of either stainless steel or copper.
If you only filter alcohol below 60 ABV / 120 proof, you could use PP (polypropylene) pipes.
Dimensions for this box is approximately 80x45x10cm making it easy to stow away when not needed.

4EC94F6B-BB79-4150-BD5B-B9A9481A35F0.png

Make the same thing out of copper my friend. Might be a bit more difficult, but safer in the long run..

[Yummyrum]

Didn’t read any previous posts ,…..so no pre conceived thoughts on the matter .

I don’t filter .

I used to when I did turbo's on my old still .
Since switching to my LM/VM ( which has been just VM for over ten years ) , and running tried and true recipies on this forum, I’ve found no need .

[squigglefunk]

I filter my fruit macerations sometimes... coffee filters for the big chunks, freezer to clarify and pour off the clear stuff.

coffee filters to get the wood/char particulates out of my whiskey also

[jonnys_spirit]

Coffee filter if the chunks are a certain size. Liver for everything else.

[Deplorable]

Just a coffee filter for the charcoal that comes off the oak. That's it, everything else gets swallowed and the liver takes care of it.

[psf]

paper towel. coffee filter takes to long

[Stonecutter]

any advice about building one? Or is it really necessary to even do the filter?

A long spool of 2” Stainless, coffee filters clamped onto the bottom. Fill it up with activated charcoal and pour in yo shit.
Obviously, there’s Science involved (its around here somewhere).
charcoal filtering is at the bottom of my list of concerns.
I’m a newbie though so take my opinion for what it’s worth (not shit).

[Deplorable]

paper towel. coffee filter takes to long

Really? I'm filtering a bottle at a time, I can filter 500ml of 60% into a 750ml bottle through a funnel in around 3 minutes. My Kirkland branded paper towels are slower than my Kirkland branded coffer filters, and soak up more booze than a coffee filter.

[Yonder]

Okay, what the heck are you filtering? You may filter beer or wine but (No offense)unless you puke your product ought to be clear as glass. Never needed a filter other than my liver, as NZC noted above. Charcoal strips more than volatiles, just air your product for a day and make clean cuts and you’re in the sweet spot.

[NorthWoodsAb]

I filter it through my liver.

Best quote in a while.
Cheers