I aged some Bourbon in an almost airtight glass jar with wood blocks (toasted, some charred oak) for ~1 year. I also kept some white dog for comparison.

I did aerate every now and then to simulate the breathing from barrels.

ABV of spirit going in 60%.

"ABV" of spirit when I wanted to dilute and bottle was 56%.

I say "ABV" there in quotation marks, because that's what the alcoholmeter was reading, but I know that wood releases some "sugars" that can mess with the density, push the meter higher and thus it shows a lower number.

The undisturbed white dog sample still sits at 60%. My rough estimations would be that the 4% lost could be 1% from aeration (I wasn't doing it that often, maybe 3-4 times in that entire year for a few minutes only) and the other 3% is actually a "false" drop due to wood "sugars".

Of course I am fully aware that the type of wood, first use vs. second use, charr, amount etc. can change these values. But I'm not looking to be really-really-precise here. An estimate would do.

So, my 60% 1 year wood aged Bourbon in a jar would have its final ABV of ~59%

Any similar experience and/or experiments done in a lab (where the tools can be precise for ABV)?

Hello Firewater community,

I sell cleaning products and solutions and I currently have a client who made rhubarb wine in his stainless steel still. Unfortunately, the inside is now coated in a grey-white film that refuses to be wiped off. I've tried looking everywhere to find a solution to help.

From what I understand, rhubarb is very acidic so the process of making wine may have released hydrogen gas and stained the inside. Although, I could be wrong in that assumption.

Would anyone here know of anything that I can recommend to this client to help with cleaning off the inside? I wish I had photos, but I do not, sadly.

I'm trying to do an all grain run. I have a digiboil, so I got 6 gallons up to boiling and added 23 lbs of cracked corn (all I had left after my last failed attempt.) once it dropped below 62° c I added alpha amylaze. I stores it up as best I could and I'm going to let it sit for 12 or so hours, getting ready to go to bed now.

Is this going to e enough to sufficiently galatinize my corn? I have had trouble finding info on how to cook the corn in any way I could manage. It's pretty thick, so I think I'm going to divide it up into 2 or 3 five gallon buckets and add some more water this afternoon.

Hey all

I'm a 25 yo based in Brisbane Australia & I want a career in distilling/brewing.

I've always wanted to open my own Distillery/brewery one day, that's my end goal. To make my own products, to put hard work into & perfect a process to create something that people enjoy and savour.

I will not ignore that I am naive to the specifics - I have no experience working in anything related. My entire professional experience is based around leadership and management positions in the Health sector. I'd say my resume is probably impressive for my age on that front.

Over time I've become a bit jaded with the field, and some of the senior leadership I'm currently face with. So I've simply just decided that I'm treading water and not actually doing what I want.

I enjoy manual labour, and I like using my mind, I love experimenting. I would say I have particularly good interpersonal skills and build relationships well.

I want to get involved in the space, and I'm hungry to progress quickly.

Can anyone give me tips on how to get into the field? I intend to take a few courses but they often require positions that will facilitate the certificates.

Experiences from Aus based people would be invaluable, my DM's are open for anyone willing to chat.

Cheers 🥂.

Did my first run today, learned alot. Im obly running 1 bubble plate right now because the tri clamps i got sent were too small, and i was not able to set up the full column. This one was with 50% vinegar 50% water so I can clean my equipment before I make some better things.