LJ Idol - Week 14 - Resolute

[aggienaut]

   I have a hot and steamy resolution. It involves a lot of alcohol, and possibly explosions. I've been doing a lot of resoluting lately actually. Generally, it is preceded by soluting, and desoluting.

   It begins with creating a solution of, basically, water and sugar. Sometimes we use molasses, sometimes we use malted barley. You'd think we'd use the sugary substance we have literally tons of laying about -- honey -- but honey is naturally antibacterial and we need bacteria (yeast) to live in the solution. Over the next few weeks to as short as a few days, yeast will thrive in the solution and convert the sugar into EtOH, ethanol, the alcohol we know and love.

   Once this process has completed, it is time to de-solute it (ie divide the solution into component parts). We do this by heating it to a temperature between the boiling point of the two major components, alcohol and water. Alcohol evaporates above 78.3 celsius, and water, obviously, evaporates at 100. This is distilling.
   Over the course of a few hours, if the still does not explode and kill us all, it will divide the solution into two new solutions -- one of between 60-80% alcohol (and water and some other materials from the original solution), and in the bottom of the still a slag of everything that didnt evaporate.
   There is a pervasive urban legend that amateur distillation can yield a product that will make you blind. This is totally incorrect. Distilling does not make anything that wasn't in the original substance. What caused blindness is back in the days of prohibition people would load up their moonshine with methanol and other dubious substances in order to artificially up the alcohol content or volume.

   Then it is time to re-solute. Since an 80% alcohol solution is kind of gnarly, one typically waters it down 50-50 with water (preferably distilled, so it is pure water). One then filters it through activated charcoal to get out anything else less desirable that made it through the distillage.
   Then, my latest thing is to mix honey into the solution. Honey is sweet and delicious, flavoursome, and kind of has a little bit of a bite itself really (and I have a metric shit-ton of it). The flavour (and colour!) in most commercially available distilled beverages comes from months to years of barrel aging. Most home distillers don't have time for this but you can buy "rum essence" (or brandy, or tequila or...) and mix it in and have something that tastes exactly like the commercially available product (this seems kind of like cheating to me, however).

   This was all going to be a silly lead in to me saying I was going to take my bye this week, but hey I think it turned into an entry itself. (=

Legal Note: It is unlawful to distill in California without a license from the Alcoholic Beverage Control agency. However, you don't necessarily know whether or not I have one and I should be assumed to be in compliance with the law until proven otherwise right? (=

Comments

[bitchencamaro.livejournal.com]

You better watch out-revenooers are gonna get ya!

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

Great take on the subject!

[boxsofrain.livejournal.com]

I think I love you for writing "EtOH".

[tigrkittn.livejournal.com]

Haha-- "re-solute"!! I knew someone would find a way to do a crazy take on the word itself! Good going ;)

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

In most states I have lived, I always understood you can legally brew 300 gallons for "home use only" but cannot SELL it.

[erisian-fields.livejournal.com]

My husband, housemate, and a few friends make beer, wine, and mead. We haven't tried distilling our efforts yet. I think I'd cry if we tried to distill the maple porter.

More like a mushroom.

[pixieinthemist.livejournal.com]

Yeast is a fungi, not a bacteria.

[fsk8ing-judge.livejournal.com]

Very interesting entry. I have to be honest and say I have never been bored with what you write, and that's saying a lot. Congrats with another great piece.
Edited to add I always come away from your posts feeling educated. Amazing, huh?

[nocturneprime.livejournal.com]

WRONG

This is the United States of America. You are assumed guilty upon being charged and can only prove your innocence by spending untold of thousands of dollars on lawyers...and even then you will probably lose.

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

I love it! I used to brew beer in college. One time we made a mistake with our sugar and yeast... Demon Beer arrived some months later. It was the strongest stuff we ever tasted. Immediately we called our friends to come over.

Man that looks fun.

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

And your resolution is to continue breaking the law? Right on! Grins. Honey alcohol sounds interesting.

[brightflashes.livejournal.com]

lol. Great entry! And I love the afterthought at the end! : D

[nursemae.livejournal.com]

Mmm, I love honey liquor! And mead. And just plain honey. Good stuff, that.

I hope you don't explode! :)

[hexkitten.livejournal.com]

Totally assumed...assuming I'm invited to your next party.

[baxaphobia.livejournal.com]

Have a shot...or two for me will ya?

[shadowwolf13]

Interesting! Cool entry. :)

[scienter.livejournal.com]

An excellent and timely take on the the topic! I've never understood the mechanics of home brewing and distilling, but that may be a good thing. I would most certainly blow something up.

Happy New Year!

[walkertxkitty.livejournal.com]

You're a man after my own heart. I have blueprints for a whiskey still which I intend to put to good use.

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

Fun entry! My brother-in-law is going to begin brewing beer this year.