Unit 5 - Lesson 6 - Brandy Flashcards
Brandy distillation which method?
Either pot or continuous
What are the 3 brandy categories?
Neutral brandy
Cognac-style brandy
Armagnac-style brandy
What is pisco considered?
a brandy
How are neutral spirits made?
Through continuous distillation
Why produce neutral brandy?
Used for liqueurs, botanical spirits and fortifiers eg port and sherry
How does EU classify neutral brandy?
“ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin”
US classification of neutral brandy?
Any fruit brandy distilled between 85-95% ABV
Who is Pierre Duplais?
Wrote a distilling book in mid 19th century in France “production of absinthe”
To make aromatic cognac what type of still do you require?
alembic charentais - doesnt remove too much aromatic, allows to cut our unwanted compounds (eg methanol and acetaldehyde)
What is the heat source for Cognac?
Flame (usually gas)
How many times is Cognac and Armagnac distilled?
Cognac - twice
Armagnac - once
What type of still is Armagnac made?
alembic armagnacais
What is different from Cognac and Armagnac distilling?
Pot still vs column still
Double distillation vs single run
How many times is Armagnac distilled?
Only once
How is Armagnac distilled?
Made from similar grapes as Cognac with the still heated directly (by gas) but in a column still and uses up to 15 plates (usually less) for a single pass.
- Wine fed into holding tank near condenser
- Cool wine is used as a medium to chill vapor
- Heat from hot vapors heats incoming wine
- Column is on the boiler.
- Distilled vapors pass into the coil in the condeser and cool back to liquid
- Heaviest (tails) are steadily drained through a pipe
- Lightest (heads) exit through a valve at the top
What make an alembic armagnacais different than other column stills?
The stills are configure to only produce 52-60% ABV.
How is grappa made?
Similar to Armagnac - used pressed grape skins (3-4% ABV)
either continuous or traditional vapor extraction
Vapor Still / vapor extraction for grappa
- Solid grape pomace added to perforated chamber
- Boiler is filled with water
- Water vapor travels through the pomace picking up alcohol and flavor compounds
- Vapor through still with some plates and condenses back onto the plates
- Resulting 70-80% ABV (as high as 85%)
What is vapor extraction method?
Using water vapor to collect alcohol and flavor compounds
What is vapor extraction method?
Using water vapor to collect alcohol and flavor compounds
Preferred method for grappa for small producers?
Vapor Extraction
