Long term ageing

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Re: Long term ageing

Postby MacStill » Thu Jan 15, 2015 12:27 pm

Matt_Pl wrote:Mac,

Do you continue to add generations of hearts into your 50 ltr keg until you hit 5 generations then rinse and repeat?

Im assuming you would have to do this unless you have a 500 litre boiler.

Cheers,

MP


Yeah mate I just keep topping the keg up until it's 90% full then leave it for a year or even more, as above I shake the keg regularly and open it to breath for a day at least once a fortnight, cant say I've ever had the problem of my spirit going flat though :think:
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby Rowey » Thu Jan 15, 2015 7:08 pm

bt1 wrote:The SS keg soln is a good one for a few reasons.

To get to 13 years you going to need passive non wood storage in any case even if that meant wood barrel to SS keg/glass then seal cos left in a wood barrel it would be wood soup, low abv and significantly reduced volume.

At what ever flavour point you like you can remove the wood strips with little effort...just use a bit of copper wire to string them together in a long "rope" arrangement so you can pull em out when ready.

I've found if hearts are used bout 2 years on timber and it's tops...depends on level here a bit. As your in no hurry you could instead of chasing speed with quality hearts take less strict cuts allow much longer... what the hell you got years!.
After that I seal in SS keg. When needed place an aeration stone/leg into keg and liven it up for a good week or two @ about 50lt per hour, otherwise it's really flat and dull.

bt1


Thanks bt1 that is some really good advise! Great idea with the copper wire and oak strips :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I have plenty of time to trial so I am hopeful that I would have something half sorted by the time my lad is 21

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Re: Long term ageing

Postby choppy » Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:31 am

I currently store my CFW and Macrum on oak in 2 litre jars, a bit over half filled, with a paper towel over the top held on by an elastic band. It is all oaked at 65%.

I have about 20 of these jars in a steel double doored cabinet.

My shed has developed a distinct alcohol smell and SWMBO is worried about the flammability of the current set up.

Most of the product has been on oak for about 10 weeks.

Any suggestions on how best contain these fumes?

Close up the jars?

Transfer all the hearts to a larger sealed vessel?

And do the same to the taily/heart jars?

Another solution would be to start drinking it :obscene-drinkingdrunk:
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby CH3CH2OH » Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:35 am

I vote for the last option!!
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby Sam. » Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:40 am

Have you checked the ABV of the gear you have had stored there the longest?

I reckon you might be in for a bad shock. The usual go is to have them sealed then let them breathe every now and then :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby Zak Griffin » Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:24 am

If they've been completely unsealed for 10 weeks you might have yourself some mid-strength bourbon :laughing-rolling:
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby dogbreath vodka » Thu Feb 05, 2015 5:08 pm

:text-+1:
The angels are having a party at your place.
:D :D

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Re: Long term ageing

Postby choppy » Thu Feb 05, 2015 5:37 pm

oh dear….
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby Rowey » Thu Feb 05, 2015 6:30 pm

With th 19l kegs do you take all of the rubber seals out? Do you need some sort of gasket for the lid? Make one out of cork or is there a silicone seal you can use?

Cheers
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby choppy » Thu Feb 05, 2015 6:49 pm

i just checked a CFW hearts jar labelled 21/11/14 and it was 61%, at about 25 degrees, so all good. sealed them all up
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby bt1 » Fri Feb 06, 2015 6:31 am

For the corny kegs used so far for long termers removed the gas and beer post, beer tube replaced with oak bungs, same for the lid pressure relief valve. A split domino or strip is all you need.

Yeh a quick natural cork gasket is the go for the lid and you can shim up both the lid legs to seal against a single gasket. 2 x 20 cent pieces works ok.

Plan on aerating the spirit when you eventually do pull it out otherwise it's very flat/dull. See the post else where on cheap simple aeration.

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Re: Long term ageing

Postby Brendan » Fri Feb 06, 2015 8:54 am

choppy wrote:i just checked a CFW hearts jar labelled 21/11/14 and it was 61%, at about 25 degrees, so all good. sealed them all up


You're bloody lucky! I'm surprised you don't have brown water left in there by now :teasing-neener:
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby dogbreath vodka » Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:09 pm

You tend to lose more alcomahol when it is hotter.
so in the tropics it just floats away. :D

I had a cloth folded tightly several times over a keg with about 30ltres of 50% in it.
Next time I looked it was 38%

Learnt the hard way.

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Re: Long term ageing

Postby 2deadly.308 » Fri Apr 08, 2022 1:29 am

bt1 wrote:

Plan on aerating the spirit when you eventually do pull it out otherwise it's very flat/dull.

bt1


Sorry for my lack of knowledge but what do you mean by flat? I didn't know spirits could get any flatter?


Again, forgive my lack of knowledge and/or common sense. I am not very bright at the best of times and this concept of spirits being flatter makes me feel even more stupid than my old man says I am.
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby RC Al » Fri Apr 08, 2022 7:05 pm

The statement has me scratching my head too
It aint wine?
Hopefully the carbon dioxide from my cola dose the job adequately.
bt1 hasnt loged in since 2018 so you prob wont get an answer im afraid.
Pretty sure you can have faith in your old man again :razz:
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Re: Long term ageing

Postby 2deadly.308 » Sun Apr 10, 2022 3:18 pm

He must be too busy giving quality advice on the facebook groups or something :laugh:
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