Spirit Production Flashcards
What is a spirit?
distilled beverage that contains alcohol
Why are they called spirits?
Alcohol stems from Arabic word - “al-ko’hl” - the 8th century meaning of this word is “spirit” - which means both ghost and “essence”
Spirits produced from starchy materials -eg, rice or potatoes- require a ….. process
conversion process known as saccharification - typically accomplished by heating the starch to trigger the production of particular enzymes which then create a chemical conversion of starch into fermentable sugars
starchy grains that undergo an enzymatic conversion ferment into a “beer” of -% ABV
5-10 ABV
water boiling point
212 F
ethyl alcohol boiling point
173 F
Distillation process is contingent on this simple fact
water has a higher boiling point than ethyl alcohol
highest abv possible in commercial distillation
96.5
congeners
compounds such as acids, esters, aldeydes, fusel oils, and other alcohols developed during fermentation
heads aka foreshots
first part of the distillate to come off the still - contains lots of volatile compounds. may be discarded
tails aka fents
last part of the distillate run - includes fusel oils, acetic acids. may be discareded
center part of the distillate
heart
Rectification
process of concentrating the alcohol content in a liquid by repeated sistillation
the early method of determining the strength of distillate
each quantities of spirit and gunpowder were mixed, and a flame applied.
no burn = too weak
burned too brightly = too strong
even burn with a blue flame = proven to be 100% pure , this is now known as 100 proof
Pot still has two essential parts
the still itself and a worm condenser
Spirits produced via pot still are generally less ___ & contain more _____
pure / congeners
t/f: spirits produced via pot tend to be flavorful with distinct characteristics
true
pot still distillation output cap
~140 Proof
Oak heartwood contains these 3 structural components
cellulose
hemicellulose
lignin
the 6 processes of spirit maturation in oak
extraction - water and alcohol soak into the oak and extract congener flavors and sweetness
evaporation - “angel’s share: 2-10% of the liquid per year
oxidation - air enters the barrel via the porous oak - oxygen in the air dissolves in the spirit
concentration - all the flavors from exactrion and oxidation are concentrated in the reduced volume of the liquid
filtration - the charring of the barrel acts as an activated charcoal filter - abosrbing aldehydes and sulfur compounds - smoothing out of the spirit
coloration - the char of the barrel contributes a reddish color the spirit. oxidation darkens and changes the color as well
these all occur simultaneously
the more char on a barrel, the ____ compounds readily able to be extracted
more
a single cask release may involve ___ to ____ individually numbered bottles
100 to 300
“small batch”
unregulated term
Define “brandy”
spirit produced by distilling wine or a fermented mash of fruit
