StillSmart

I want to put my 24 liter of wash outside to cold crash it, but it's currently -12 degrees centigrade here. If I leave it so long that it freezes, does it really matter?
Will it cloud when I defrost it?

Absolutely will not matter if it freezes.

No, it will not cloud up.

but....slightly cloudy wash going into the still IMO makes no difference. But it would be good to give it a try anyway.

Mash wrote:Absolutely will not matter if it freezes.

No, it will not cloud up.

but....slightly cloudy wash going into the still IMO makes no difference. But it would be good to give it a try anyway.

Concur......

Being a bit of a tightwad, I've got out the habit (and cost) of clearing properly.

I just let my ferments finish, then leave them an extra week for the majority of the lees to drop naturally.

I then just strip it. There's usually a tiny amount of sediment in the still, post-strip (less than a teaspoon full).

Plus I've not had one cloud up at any stage later, ending up with acceptable (IMO) spirit to essence flavour and then mix/drink.......

Hence as Mash says, shouldn't be a problem (plus if your washes are pretty bog standard, they'd be about the 14% area and it'd have to get a bit colder before it even goes like slush).....

I think you are right Phantom.
It would take a pretty cold snap to freeze a fermented wash.
I haven't experimented myself,so just conjecture....

Robert.

The alcohol freezes at a much lower temp.

This is why you can distill (or 'jack' as is known) by freezing stuff and then separating the alcohol away from the water by inversion.

Did this recently with paraffin (that had water in)

Ooooo. Feel a test coming on with a kale... Could try it as a strip run.

I like Apple Jack. Kale Jack, I am not feeling much enthusiasm for.

Righto. I was thinking of replacing the strip run with a jack and go straight to the spirit run?

Thoughts?

That may work,what do I know?
You are freezing out the H2O and condensing.
A doddle where I am right now,3" of ice on a bucket of water left out overnight.
Apple Jack was what got me to build me first still,when I was a fair bit younger.

Robert.

Jacking was how I first made liqueurs. Like you say many moons ago.

Update

25 litres of kale has been in the freezer a week. Inverted yesterday over a bucket.
Nipped in quickly this morning and I see we have 2/3 full bucket of drainings.
Both mathematically what I was expecting.
Will separate it later and test both portions with the refractometer.

.... Then probably strip run.

I know of this method....never thought of it as an alternative to the strip run.. how comparable to a strip would it be?. looking forward to what info you gain from it.

It's running.
If it works I will save myself 5 strip runs for every 25l wash. Worth a visit I thought.

The real test will come when I run/test the frozen remainder.

We have a winner. The yield is the same. 4.5 litres at 40%.

Nothing to speak of in the frozen waste. I think a rack is called for! I will be doing this again.

Nice!
I currently have freezer space,and a wash finishing this week.
Will give this a go.

Robert.

Ye gods....I see another freezer coming...but I ain't got room in the brew house..

Well done Mash..lets wait and see how Robert gets on....this could be the start of something big.