Alcohol Flashcards
How much alcohol can beer and wine yeasts tolerate?
6 and 16% respectively
What is the process called that converts sugars to carbon dioxide and alcohol?
Fermentation
What is mead fermented from?
honey
Where does the earliest evidence of wine production come from?
Persia
What culture produced a corn based alcoholic beverage?
Inca
What culture produced an alcoholic drink from honey and balche bark?
Mayans
Who discussed the therapeutic benefits of wine in treating numerous ailments and disease?
Hippocrates
How was alcohol used medicinally?
removing irritant oils (poison ivy), to relieve sore muscles, as a disinfectant, and anesthetic
What religion viewed wine as a gift from God?
Christianity
What was the main beverage for peasants in the Middle Ages?
beer, wine was for rich people
What was beer called, because it provided important calories, vitamins, and minerals?
aqua vitae (water of life)
What is used to preserve and flavour beer?
hops
What type of beer is fermented quickly and has a sweet fruity taste?
ales
What type of beers are fermented slowly?
lager
What is the maximum alcohol content of fermented beverages?
16%
How are higher alcohol concentrations achieved?
through distillation
Describe the distillation process
boiling a fermented beverage, and condensing the resulting vapour
Who discovered distillation?
Arab alchemists
What does wine distill into?
brandy
What does beer distill into?
whiskey
What berries were added to distilled grain alcohol to make gin?
juniper
How much gin was produced during the English Gin Craze?
up to 18 million gallons annually
What is the principle psychoactive constituent in alcohol?
ethanol
How does ethanol work?
stimulates receptors of GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system; classed as a depressant since it increases the inhibitory effect of GABA
