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How Alcohol is Made
Alcohol is a the common name for a substance called ethanol. Ethanol is the result of fermentation, a chemical process that occurs when yeast is used to break down the sugars naturally found in carbohydrates.
Beer: To make beer, grains are soaked in water until germination begins. Enzymes develop which begin to break the starches down into sugar. They are then removed from the water, heated and dried. This stage takes between one and two weeks. The sugars are then separated and boiled along with hops, the aromatic flowers from hop vines. This is where beer gets its characteristic taste and smell. After being boiled, the substance is cooled and yeast is added. It then sits in a large stainless steel tank for 3 to 7 days. Lagers are made by using a particular strain of yeast called uvarum, while ales are made by using cerevisiae.
Wine: To make wine, grapes are ripened and harvested. They are then crushed in large containers. To make white whines, the skins and seeds are removed. For red wines, the skins and seeds are kept with the juices. Yeast is then added, which begins to break down the sugar in the grape juice. The wine is then moved to large oak barrels, where it sits for months. It is the bottled and aged.
Liquor: Different liquors are made with slightly different methods, but the overall process is basically the same. Fermentation takes place as with beer or wine. The product is then distilled multiple times to increase the proof of the alcohol. During distillation, the substance is heated so that the different constituents separate or boil off. The alcohol is collected and condensed back into a liquid. Water is often added back into the alcohol to make it drinkable.
