FAQ / Life on Pern / Craft Information / Vintner Craft / Distilling
Last updated 24th August 2017 by Suzee
How Distilling Works
Article by: Eimi
HOW DISTILLING WORKS
In a large container, called simply the fermenter, starches (usually grains, but not always) are combined with water and yeast, which is then heated. The heating process converts the starches into sugars, which the yeast feed on and in turn convert into alcohol. This process leaves you with a wash, a fully fermented mixture that is roughly 10% alcohol. It is this liquid that is then poured into the still.
A still is made up of several parts. On the bottom is the pot, a bulbous, double-lined metal pot in which the wash is poured. The liquid is then heated to 173f (79c), the temperature at which alcohol boils, and then to the temperature required for water to boil, which would be 212f (100c). A mixture of water and alcohol steam rises up from the pot into the distillation column.
The distillation column is a long column of copper filled with perforated plates. As the steam climbs up the column, it moves into cooler temperatures, which causes it to condense. Heavier particles, such as impurities, condense onto the plates and fall back into the heated wash, leaving less impurities and more alcohol in the vapors that eventually reach the top of the column. This vapor moves into the Lyne arm.
The Lyne arm is a horizontal pipe that the vapor travels through on it's way to the condenser. The condenser is made up of a spiraling pipe for the vapor to pass through which is contained inside a long pipe filled with cool water. As the vapor passes through the spiral pipe, the water cools the surface of it, causing the alcohol vapor to condense back into a clear liquid and drip down the length of the pipe and out into a container. This liquid is called the distillate.
There are three parts to the distillate. The head is the impurities that actually boil at a lower point than alcohol. This generally makes up the first 5% of the run. Then the heart comes out, which is the strong, nearly pure alcohol that is the base you are looking for. Finally, the tail is the lower concentration of alcohol which also contains contaminate that evaporate at a higher temperature. A lot of the flavor in the final product can come from the wanted impurities, or congeners that are found in the head. The key to being a good distiller is knowing when to start collecting the heart that leaves just enough of the head for flavor, and when to stop collecting it to leave out the tasteless tail. Depending on the still, the alcohol content of the distillate should be between 60 and 80% for a pot still, and up to 90% in a column still. This is later diluted with water in the final stage.
What you then do with the heart depends on the alcohol you are making. To finish it, there are a few different choices:
Redistilling - Putting the heart back into a distiller creates a higher alcohol content and fewer unwanted impurities, which should improve the flavor.
Filtering - After diluting the distillate to less than 50% alcohol, it is passed through a carbon filter in order to trap any remaining impurities. This is then passed through a paper filter before being put into a final container.
Flavoring - This is the point at which fruit or spices can be soaked in the distillate in order to infuse the alcohol with a different flavor. (This is what Vintners who specialize in Liquors are especially suited for).
Aging - All distillate when it is finished is clear. The color of an alcoholic beverage comes from aging in barrels, not from the ingredients used. The alcohol takes on some of the flavor from the hardwood barrels as well. Alcohol can be aged in oak barrels, used sherry or wine barrels, or even charred barrels to give the alcohol a unique flavor. It is not necessary for all types of alcohol to be aged.
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HOW DISTILLING WORKS
STEP 1 - THE FERMENTATION PROCESS
In a large container, called simply the fermenter, starches (usually grains, but not always) are combined with water and yeast, which is then heated. The heating process converts the starches into sugars, which the yeast feed on and in turn convert into alcohol. This process leaves you with a wash, a fully fermented mixture that is roughly 10% alcohol. It is this liquid that is then poured into the still.
STEP 2 - THE DISTILLATION PROCESS (POT STILL)
A still is made up of several parts. On the bottom is the pot, a bulbous, double-lined metal pot in which the wash is poured. The liquid is then heated to 173f (79c), the temperature at which alcohol boils, and then to the temperature required for water to boil, which would be 212f (100c). A mixture of water and alcohol steam rises up from the pot into the distillation column.
The distillation column is a long column of copper filled with perforated plates. As the steam climbs up the column, it moves into cooler temperatures, which causes it to condense. Heavier particles, such as impurities, condense onto the plates and fall back into the heated wash, leaving less impurities and more alcohol in the vapors that eventually reach the top of the column. This vapor moves into the Lyne arm.
The Lyne arm is a horizontal pipe that the vapor travels through on it's way to the condenser. The condenser is made up of a spiraling pipe for the vapor to pass through which is contained inside a long pipe filled with cool water. As the vapor passes through the spiral pipe, the water cools the surface of it, causing the alcohol vapor to condense back into a clear liquid and drip down the length of the pipe and out into a container. This liquid is called the distillate.
STEP 3: MAKING THE FINAL PRODUCT
There are three parts to the distillate. The head is the impurities that actually boil at a lower point than alcohol. This generally makes up the first 5% of the run. Then the heart comes out, which is the strong, nearly pure alcohol that is the base you are looking for. Finally, the tail is the lower concentration of alcohol which also contains contaminate that evaporate at a higher temperature. A lot of the flavor in the final product can come from the wanted impurities, or congeners that are found in the head. The key to being a good distiller is knowing when to start collecting the heart that leaves just enough of the head for flavor, and when to stop collecting it to leave out the tasteless tail. Depending on the still, the alcohol content of the distillate should be between 60 and 80% for a pot still, and up to 90% in a column still. This is later diluted with water in the final stage.
What you then do with the heart depends on the alcohol you are making. To finish it, there are a few different choices:
Redistilling - Putting the heart back into a distiller creates a higher alcohol content and fewer unwanted impurities, which should improve the flavor.
Filtering - After diluting the distillate to less than 50% alcohol, it is passed through a carbon filter in order to trap any remaining impurities. This is then passed through a paper filter before being put into a final container.
Flavoring - This is the point at which fruit or spices can be soaked in the distillate in order to infuse the alcohol with a different flavor. (This is what Vintners who specialize in Liquors are especially suited for).
Aging - All distillate when it is finished is clear. The color of an alcoholic beverage comes from aging in barrels, not from the ingredients used. The alcohol takes on some of the flavor from the hardwood barrels as well. Alcohol can be aged in oak barrels, used sherry or wine barrels, or even charred barrels to give the alcohol a unique flavor. It is not necessary for all types of alcohol to be aged.
See Also: No articles yet
Referenced By: No articles yet