The ABCs of Making Alcohol and Spirits 02/18/2012
 Grapes Being Harvested for Wine Producing alcohol is easy. It can occur naturally when yeast makes contact with sugars. Fermentation, or alcohol production, takes place when yeast metabolizes sugars. The waste product from the yeast is alcohol and Carbon dioxide. In order to make alcohol one just needs to have a solution or juice that's high in sugar and add yeast. For wine the sugars come from the grapes . Winemakers will harvest the grapes whenever the sugar content is just right for producing wine. Beer makers may use a combination of malted barley, cereals and grains and lots of water (mash). However, the brewers need to cook the mash as a way to convert the starches into fermentable sugars. Winemakers don't have this concern because the sugars inside the grapes are readily available to be fermented. Making whiskey is comparable to making beer. However, the product after ferment will be distilled to produce a beverage which is around 40 percent alcohol by volume. The blend of different grains and cereals will ultimately determine the taste, flavor profile, of the end results. The most typical yeast put to use in wineries, breweries and distilleries is Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It's the most common species of yeast used to make alcoholic beverages. Having been used for thousands of years in brewing and baking it is believed that yeast was first isolated from grapes skins. Typically you can observe on the skin of grapes a light colored film which is partially made up of yeast. Brewers, distillers and winemakers will purchase specific strains of yeast to add distinct flavor elements. Yeast selection is also critical for the solution that it'll be required to ferment. Some yeast strains thrive in high pH while others fare better in a lower pH solution. As the yeast metabolizes the sugars the concentration of alcohol increases which inevitable kills the yeast. This is the reason it's difficult to ferment a mash to an alcohol content above eighteen percent. To reach higher alcohol content product you must distill the fermented mash. To create fortified wines, port, brandy, neutral spirits like vodka, and whiskey the fermented mash must be distilled. An in depth discussion on how to make whiskey can be seen at the How To Make Whiskey Headquarters. Mash recipes and information on how to distill and distillation can also be found for your continued education in this remarkable industry. CommentsLeave a Reply | AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
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