# Eureka! Alcohol filtering works!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418 "2005-02-22T21:54:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/1 "2005-02-22T21:54:40Z")
First off, I’m putting this in Café Society ‘cause it’s a thing of freakin’ beauty. The experiment (based on a tangent in a previous thread): 1 new bottle Evan Williams Bourbon. Not exactly top shelf, but not rotgut. 1 brand new Brita water filter-pitcher. Reserving a tumbler of unaltered booze, I passed the bourbon through the filter 4 times. I am blown away by the incredible increase in quality. First off, it lost any faint smell of alcohol, you know, the slightly “rubbing alcohol” smell? It now smells like nice pipe tobacco. Taste-wise, it lost all harshness and is as smooth as any bourbon I’ve ever had. My wife and a buddy, non bourbon drinkers, could immediately smell and taste a major difference in blind taste test (using the “control” unaltered booze), and unless our eyes are deceiving us, the filtered hooch is several shades darker (though I have no idea how or why). At the risk of over selling it, it was better than ten SuperBowls. I repeated the experiment (after rinsing the filter several time with water) with Bacardi Light Rum. Again, the “alcohol” smell and harshness were gone. I’m no rum drinker, but the differences were notable and the filtered product was superior. Please, anybody, repeat the experiment, and report your results. Cheap vodka would probably work spectacularly! ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/2 "2005-02-22T23:00:01Z")
Congrats, but I doubt you’ll get away with putting it in CS. 🙂 I read that one page describing how to do it, but have not yet had the nerve to try it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/3 "2005-02-22T23:04:43Z")
I’m happy for you, but I’m not sure why you thought that I (a non-drinker) needed to know so badly. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/4 "2005-02-22T23:17:21Z")
> [@Eureka](#): > > I’m happy for you, but I’m not sure why you thought that I (a non-drinker) needed to know so badly. 🙂 Following that logic, I could walk into every computer related thread and say, “I’m happy for you, but I’m not sure why you thought that I (a non-IT wonk) needed to know so badly.” If it was a joke, that’s cool. But I detected a little snarkiness in your tone. If the thread’s about alcohol, and you don’t drink, exactly what can you contribute? By the way **sleeepy2** , I am buying a Brita filter tonight and experimenting. Thank you for hacking through so we can see the light. (I just hope the light isn’t there when I wake up tomorrow with a hangover. 🆒 ) ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/5 "2005-02-22T23:19:49Z")
Psst. look at the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/6 "2005-02-22T23:22:07Z")
> [@Mr. Babbington](#): > > Following that logic, I could walk into every computer related thread and say, “I’m happy for you, but I’m not sure why you thought that I (a non-IT wonk) needed to know so badly.” If it was a joke, that’s cool. But I detected a little snarkiness in your tone. Whooosh! (pst, look at the thread title, and look at the poster’s name) ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/7 "2005-02-23T00:09:23Z")
My ears are still ringing from the sound of that whoosh. I’ve been doing this a while with cheap vodka, then flavouring the vodka in various ways. 65% grated chocolate, orange oil, and pink pepper corns. - very nice, but next time I would go for an even higher percentage chocolate. dried mixed cherries, blueberries & cranberries - this was a bit sweet so I added two chipolte chillis for just a day and then fished them out again to make an excellent flavoured vodka. coffee beans - a bit bitter and lacking in taste, so I added a litle sugar and several cardomom pod’s worth of cardomom seeds to make an Arabic coffee vodka. ginger and honey - a teaspoon of honey plus 4 inches of peeled ginger makes for a vodka that can cure cold symptoms. I also tried a cheap brandy and then added irange and lemon zest, on its own it isn’t much, but mixes great with red martini. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/8 "2005-02-23T00:09:25Z")
:smack: sorry folks. I’ve just been seeing a lot of idiotic crap recently. A LOT of it, and i just jumped on the stupid train. _backs away quietly_ and one more for good measure… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/9 "2005-02-23T00:23:11Z")
Is it possible that you are just filtering out the alcohol somehow? That would smoothe out the flavour, and of course get rid of the “alcohol smell”. To eliminate this as a possibility, try the following experiment: Chugalug an eight ounce glass of filtered bourbon and report back to us. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/10 "2005-02-23T03:36:39Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Is it possible that you are just filtering out the alcohol somehow? That would smoothe out the flavour, and of course get rid of the “alcohol smell”. To eliminate this as a possibility, try the following experiment: Chugalug an eight ounce glass of filtered bourbon and report back to us. After a night of celebrating my success at filtering booze, I would surmise that the alcohol content is the same. Of course I have no way of knowing if the proof is exactly the same (there’s laundry drying on my gas chromograph) but it’s pretty close. IIRC, one of the websites where they tried it with vodka, the brave experimenters got drunk on filtered rotgut and experienced far fewer ill effects than the unfiltered swill. The Brita filter is just a little canister of actvated charcoal, and couldn’t hold back liquid alcohol, I’m guessing. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/11 "2005-02-23T03:38:20Z")
> [@Eureka](#): > > I’m happy for you, but I’m not sure why you thought that I (a non-drinker) needed to know so badly. 🙂 You struck me as the type who likes to remain informed 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BoringDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/12 "2005-02-23T04:42:17Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Is it possible that you are just filtering out the alcohol somehow? That would smoothe out the flavour, and of course get rid of the “alcohol smell”. If he was filtering out the alcohol, the alcohol would have to remain in the filter media. He would then end up with about 40% less volume in the drinkable portion after filtering. So I think that we can rule this out. Have none of you ever heard of Jack Daniels? Charcoal “mellowed”? Part of the process is to drip the whiskey over charcoal to smooth it out. Just like the charcoal in your Brita filter. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/13 "2005-02-23T04:42:41Z")
I’m guessing this ruins the filter for water filtering? If it removes impurities, the folks that make Chaser would have you believe that it reduces hangovers also, has this aspect been tested? Maybe I should take one for the team and test it myself. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/14 "2005-02-23T13:02:54Z")
Ok, I’ll try it. What do I do? Just filter it, or is there some scientific process? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/15 "2005-02-23T13:20:37Z")
It occurs to me that a less expensive method of doing this would be to buy a box of activated charcoal (available anywhere aquarium supplies are sold) and a package of coffee filters. Rinse the dust off the charcoal, place it in the coffee filter, and run your booze through it. Those Britta filters are too pricey for being just a little cannister of activated charcoal. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/16 "2005-02-23T21:41:23Z")
> [@RumMunkey](#): > > Ok, I’ll try it. What do I do? Just filter it, or is there some scientific process? Rinse out the brita, pour the booze in. When it has run through, pour it from the brita pitcher to another pitcher or container. Re-pour the booze into the brita pitcher. Rinse, lather, and repeat. I did it four times. Salud! ---
**Author:** ![BoringDad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@BoringDad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoringDad)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/17 "2005-02-23T22:36:46Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > If it removes impurities, the folks that make Chaser would have you believe that it reduces hangovers also, has this aspect been tested? Oh certainly. It is obviously just the impurities that give you a hangover. Why, when I drink Everclear I never have hangovers! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/18 "2005-02-23T23:32:48Z")
I have noticed that after filtering about 10 liters of booze, I now need to filter the alcohol 8 times to get the same eefect I used to get filtering it 4 times, so the britta filter does lose filtration ability afre a while. Is it possible to get activated charcole cheaply of sufficuent purity to filter water for human consumption? How is such charcole marketed? Has anyone attempted to saw a britta filter open and replace the charcoal? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/19 "2005-02-23T23:43:56Z")
Here is the GQ version of this thread, from last month: [Water filter + cheap liquor = better liquor?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=298002) ---
**Author:** ![YellowTail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5ac83/32.png) [@YellowTail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YellowTail)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418/20 "2005-02-23T23:58:37Z")
Do Britta and PUR work the same way? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eureka-alcohol-filtering-works/291418.md?page=2)