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Starting a brewery or a distillery can be incredibly rewarding, but it isn’t without its risks. Double that for those who combine the two together in what is becoming a more common business model, often referred to as a brew-stillery.
Read more...Safety is the most important element in any manufacturing facility, and a distillery is no exception.
According to the American Distilling Institute, OSHA defines a distillery as “a plant or that portion of a plant where flammable liquids produced by fermentation are concentrated and where the concentrated products may also be mixed, stored or packaged. The main cause of distillery incidents is fire or explosion. This is caused from vapors being released into a confined space with an ignition source. The vapors can be released by leaking equipment components such as mating surfaces, leaking tanks, gaskets, valves, casks, even transfer pumps.
Craft Distillation Tax structure: Most craft distillers pay $13.50/proof gallon for any cases of beverage alcohol they remove from the bonded distillery space including cases they move to their gift shop or tasting room areas. For a craft distillery who pays less than $50,000 in excise tax per year (3,700 six pack cases per year), they can pay every quarter (4 times per year). If a distillery pays more than $50,000/year in one calendar year, they must pay every 15 days and 3 times in September.
Read more...Note: Check with your canning/bottling line manufacturer to see if your line is capable of processing Straight spirits.
Read more...Maturation Post Distillation: You can use your brewery tanks for spirit storage. Since you do not need to control temperature or hold under carbon dioxide pressure you can substitute much simpler, less expensive tanks for this step. The liquor at this point will need to be held in a separate bonded area for tax purposes, and you must have fire suppression measures in place according to local code. Maturation depends on the particular product being made. White spirits can go immediately to finishing and packaging. Others must be allowed to mature in casks. Aging in new, charred, wooden barrels is the most common procedure. This is sometimes followed by a shorter, second aging in used wine or fortified-wine barrels.
Read more...While sourcing the correct still may seem a little daunting, here are a few things to consider. Most equipment manufactures understand not all prospective brewery/distillery facilities are created equally. Some manufacturers are willing to customize the equipment to fit the brewer’s specific needs and space. Another thing to consider is how often you plan to operate the equipment. In some cases, bigger is not better, and if it’s too small you may have and issue with keeping up with demand. When choosing a still and project production volume, pay attention to the increased loads on your existing heating and cooling systems. Some start-up craft distillers report overloading of existing brewery systems during peak production periods.
Read more...Will my current Grist or Grain Mill work? A variety of malted grains can be processed with a grain mill. You can probably use your existing mill to crush the malted grains or purchase pre-gelatinized flakes of cereal adjuncts from your malt supplier to add to your mash to increase the alcohol content allowing the operator to have a higher yield in the distillation phase.
Read more...CQ – What types of spirits do you make?
Read more...Probrewer.com thanks the following Brewstillery content contributors:
Brandon Wright, The Depot Brewery & Distillery
Clark McCool, McMenamins Inc.
Yusuf Cherney. Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits (Now CutWater Spirits)
Eric Howard, Sinister Deluxe Brewery & Distillery
Microbreweries, now having been successful outlets of palatable, aromatic and distinguished beers, have planted their roots, established their legacy and are ready for some fresh air. Well, these brown bottle pioneers need look no further – their spirited cousins are gaining speed and ready to join forces.
Read more...All it takes: grain, water and yeast!
Read more...“Brandy” originates from the Dutch brandywign, which means, “burnt wine.” Dutch traders introduced the secrets of brandy making to Northern Europe after learning about it in France and Spain. It is said that Brandy was spread to these western Mediterranean countries by word from the Arab alchemists of Muslim states back in the 7th and 8th centuries. After so much traveling, one can imagine the variance among brandies across Europe. Brandy can be categorized in three ways: grape brandy, pomace brandy, and fruit brandy.
Read more...Vodka. The pure, clean spirit.
Read more...“1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila, floor!” -Buddy Shirt
Read more...The reserved and bashful gin is making a splashing comeback. City-dwellers across the nation are requesting more of the spiced and herbed white spirit, and popular drinks include gin and tonics and colorful martinis. As the drinkers’ palates become more sophisticated, their tastes and curiosity lean towards not only more refined drinks such as gin, but to artisan, micro-distilled spirits that more perfectly capture the aromas, flavors and essences of the spirits we love to drink.
Read more...Alcohol: A member of a class of organic compounds containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Considered as hydroxyl derivatives of hydrocarbons, produced by the replacement of one or more hydrogen atoms by one or more hydroxyl (-OH) groups. Under the modern IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) naming system, the name given to an alcohol is derived from the parent hydrocarbon, with the final “e” changed to “ol”: thus methane-methanol; ethane-ethanol; etc. The principal alcohol in fuel and beverage use is ethanol, (otherwise known as ethyl alcohol). Murtagh & Associates, Alcohol Glossary
Read more...In researching these materials we discovered a wide variety of conflicting and, at times, just plain wrong information about the age-old process of alcohol distillation. In this first installment on our in-depth and continually expanding informational resource on Probrewer.com, we have and will continue to strive to present the brewing industry with the most accurate and up-to-date information available.
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