Making Alcohol

Producing alcohol is simple. It occurs naturally when yeast comes into contact with sugars. Fermentation, or alcohol production, occurs when yeast metabolizes sugars. The byproduct from the yeast is ethanol and CO2.

For making alcohol one just needs to take a liquid or juice which is high in sugar and add yeast. For wine the sugars come from the grapes themselves. Winemakers will pick the grapes whenever the sugar content is ideal for producing wine. Beer makers make use of a combination of malted barley, cereals and grains and plenty of water (mash). But, the brewers must cook the mash so as to convert the starches into fermentable sugars. Winemakers don't have this problem since the sugars inside the grapes are readily available to be fermented. Making whiskey is similar to making beer. However, mash after ferment will be distilled to create a beverage that is roughly 40% alcohol by volume. The combination of different grains and cereals will ultimately determine the taste, flavor profile, of the final results.

The most commonly seen yeast put to use in wineries, breweries and distilleries is Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It's the most common species of yeast utilized to make alcoholic beverages. Having been used since ancient times in brewing and baking it is believed that yeast was originally isolated from grapes skins. Typically you can find on the skin of grapes a light colored film which is partially comprised of yeast. Brewers, distillers and winemakers will choose specific strains of yeast to add distinct flavor components. Yeast selection can be critical for the solution that it's going to be required to ferment. Some yeast strains perform better in high pH while others do better with a lower pH solution. As the yeast metabolizes the sugars the concentration of alcohol rises which inevitable kills the yeast. This is the reason it is difficult to ferment a mash to an alcohol content above eighteen percent. To obtain a higher alcohol content product you simply must distill the fermented mash.

To produce fortified wines, port, brandy, neutral spirits like vodka, and whiskey the fermented mash must be distilled. A detailed discussion on how to make whiskey can be seen at the How To Make Whiskey Headquarters. Mash recipes and particulars on how to distill are also available for your continued education in this remarkable industry.

The Volstead act or Prohibition act took effect in 1920. In several states in America laws were already in place in an attempt to stop the use of alcohol. These laws were in effect prior to the 18th amendment (Volstead act, Prohibition act) was approved before congress.

New York was the earliest state to possess these laws passed in 1697. This law basically stated that all bars and drinking establishments must close on Sunday. Sunday for most religions is supposed to be regarded as a day of rest and prayer not drinking. In Georgia around 1735, the government passed its 1st state wide prohibition on alcohol. The ban endured only 7 years and was a complete failure.

In 1851, they tried once again to instill a prohibition on alcohol in Maine, this time it worked better than they had anticipated. By 1855, 12 other states had joined Maine in becoming what is known as a "dry state."

After the Civil War in 1880, women of all ages joined the "dries". It was not long before the temperance movement was a power to be reckoned with. The conservative Woman's Christian Temperance Union, WCTU, was formed and the Prohibition Party began gaining steam.

By 1900, over 50% of the continental U . S . was dry. The prohibitionists thought they had the alcohol ban secured and there was not any way possible for anybody to get liquor in a dry state. Sadly for the dries, the United States Postal Service unintentionally provided a loophole. Because the postal service was governed by the United States government and not the state government, liquor could be purchased and shipped by a wet state. This infuriated, the dries. In 1913, an Interstate Liquor Act was passed. This act effectively made it illegal for anyone to mail liquor to any dry state in anyway. The end results was actually a step backwards for the people attempting to keep liquor out as it gave rise to much more illegal methods of acquiring the alcohol as liquor distilleries were now in league with organized crime.

In 1917, the 18th amendment was drafted rendering it illegal to buy, mail or produce liquor. This didn't sit well for lots of states. The amendment was disputed in congress for a further Two years. In 1920 Thirty-three states had declared themselves dry and this meant a major victory for the prohibition party.

January 29, 1919. The 18th Amendment was ratified to make all hard liquor having an ethanol content over 80 proof (40%) be disallowed. Officially, it banned the production, selling, or transporting of these alcoholic beverages. It was backed by many folks because they thought that only hard liquor would be banned and that it would be fine to have a glass of wine with food or drink a beer after work. Nevertheless, it was not until a year later, the Volstead Act (prohibition act) was passed. The Volstead Act completely banned all alcohol that had over 1 proof (1/2%) of alcohol. This essentially banned all styles of alcoholic drinks, with the exception of non-alcoholic beers. After the 18th amendment was ratified, the Volstead Act was brought into the light by Prohibition fans. For many of the prohibition supporters who only wanted a little wine or the occasional beer believed that they had been betrayed as they wound up with absolutely nothing when the act was passed.

One group that nobody thought of were the veterans of WW1. These soldiers felt very betrayed returning home from battling in the war. Most had been stationed in France and came to know how a moderate quantity of alcohol could enhance the quality of life. Returning home and discovering that the dries had won a complete victory over alcohol compounded the bitterness of the veterans disdain. The fatal error with prohibition was to ban all varieties of alcohol. Eighty percent of the Prohibition Party followers left the party. Prohibition continued for 13 years in the US until in 1933 the 21st amendment was passed to officially end the ban on alcohol.

How would you like to discover more about making whiskey? Take a look at How To make Whiskey HQ. There you will discover mash recipes, equipment information and detailed step-by-step instructions for how to make whiskey.