Freeze Stripping Problems.

[Chubbs]

Well, as the title says, a problem with my first adventure into freeze stripping.

Made up a lentil wash which fermented out in six days. Degassed and cleared the wash which took a little longer than expected. After a wait of five days I transferred to the chest freezer and left for four days.

Just taken one of the fermenters out and it was virtually solid. Had to make a hole in the middle to release what was in there. Was hoping for a good gush but a total of two litres came out . Have just tasted the strip and its like rocket fuel.

Not really sure what I have done wrong here. Recipe followed to the letter, all sugars fermented out but only two litres of strip.

Any ideas anybody.

Cheers.

[Mash]

I have one in the freezer at the moment that has been there for weeks I will take a pic to compare. The alcohol is normally in the middle, cos water freezes from the outside.

Was it a recipe you had done before was everything else normal?

You could taste the remaining ice to see if there is alcohol in it.

Let me know.

[Chubbs]

Hi Mash.

Bit of a strange one this is.

Recipe and wash as normal. In fact it was the best Lentil wash I have ever had. Froze for about four days and took out this morning. Sort of expected to tip it up and find that it gushed out. It was quite the opposite.

First had to break through the middle to get at it. It wasn't that hard to do but when I tipped it, only about 2 litres came out. Left it for a while and it just slowly dripped until I got just over a gallon. It was like listening to a xylophone playing a tune as it dropped and the same happened with the second batch.

The sugar fully fermented out during fermentation so I'm buggered if I know. The distillate actually tastes real strong, a proper bite to it.

[Mash]

I wonder if your freezer is really low. Dunno. Mine is -15.
It's handy that I have one 'in' at the no.

I might try lower.

Do not chuck anything out. We will solve this.

[Chubbs]

Don't have any means of taking the temperature at the moment but do sort of remember a figure of -18. Not totally certain though.

It was nearly all frozen, the hole in the middle was no bigger than 3 inches across.

[Easydrinker]

Can I humbly suggest sticking a hydrometer in the liquid that you got and doing some math?
Should tell you what has happened.

Robert.

[Mash]

I thought about that Robert - but not sure what it would tell us now?

Don't have any means of taking the temperature at the moment but do sort of remember a figure of -18. Not totally certain though.

It was nearly all frozen, the hole in the middle was no bigger than 3 inches across.

Thats not it then.

Where are you now? BY that I mean...
You have inverted it once and let it drain- this is effectively a strip - have you run this through the still?
The rest is back in the freezer?

What fermenter are you using?

You could try getting it out of the freezer standing it inverted in a bucket and leaving it until you et 4.5 liters (enough For a fill). Run that and see how much alcohol to get.

That will be a good way of establishing what is left in the freezer.

[Mash]

To answer your original post, I don't think you've done anything wrong.
I think it's probably Just a matter of getting used to it.

I am beginning to think there is more in the ice and we just need to let it drain over a bucket. While it is thawing.

Use a couple clean buckets - taste when you have alcohol or just water dripping out

This is why I particularly liked the Young's Widemouth fermenter. It holds the ice well, is naturally a funnel shape when inverted and is also a good fit in a bucket.

[Chubbs]

Thanks chaps.

Using the Youngs wide mouthed fermenters as instructed.

After an hour I began taking samples from the dripping ice. The drip was very slow but I was still getting a very strong alcohol taste.

At the moment the strip which is just under 3 gallons is bottled up. The fermenters were left to defrost overnight. I'm going to strip whats in the fermenters and see how much I get.

It seems that the alcohol wasn't in the middle as expected, but distributed throughout for some strange reason. It made me feel a little more confident when you (Mash) said that you leave fermenters for weeks in the freezer as I thought I'd left it too long originally.

[Mash]

Maybe we both have. I have got one in at the moment. I am thinking there is a time&temp sweetspot that I was not aware I was hitting.

[Chubbs]

Its all experience isn't it Mash.

I will definitely carry on with this, just next time will freeze for only two days and see what happens.

[Easydrinker]

[quote="Mash"]I thought about that Robert - but not sure what it would tell us now?

My logic, which may be skewed, says that if you took a known volume of strip, at a known alcohol %, you can calculate the Total alcohol.
(For casual readers; Volume in ml x % alcohol divided by 100 = Total alcohol)
Put hydrometer in the measured volume that pours from your frozen strip, find the missing alcohol, some should be..
You are stripping and would expect it.
It is late, maybe I am wrong?
Maybe it is just a freezer temp. thing?

Robert.

[Mash]

Don't ....think....better, not aware you can do that maths. But have to say not sure.

Think the Hydrometer reads sugar content. %Alcohol is arrived at by assuming the sugar had been converted.

[Easydrinker]

The regular beer/brew hydrometer for sure works on sugar content.

I have never before pondered what the spirit hydrometer relies on.
Maybe fairy dust, maybe sugar, as sugar skews it?
Is it just a very different calibration?


I'm not conceding just yet, drowning not waving

Robert.

[packapoo]

Spirit hydrometer (alcometer) must have some credence as it's what's used by customs and excise?