BrewDog Launches the World’s Strongest Beer

Reads 23715 • Replies 113 • Started Thursday, November 26, 2009 2:27:12 AM CT

The forums you're viewing are the static, archived version. You won't be able to post or reply here.
Our new, modern forums are here:
RateBeer Forums

Thread Frozen

Message fidelis83 beers 3837 º places 16 º 04:06 Thu 11/26/2009 I don’t see how it should be classified in the same way. "Heat distilling" is used essentially to purify the alcohol and remove most of the water and "beery" components. "Freeze distilling" is used to concentrate and purify the alcohol and "beery" components together, and remove mostly water. They are both concentrating some part of the mixture, sure, but to a very different end.
Message chriso P beers 7540 º places 736 º 04:11 Thu 11/26/2009 Originally posted by fidelis83 I don’t see how it should be classified in the same way. "Heat distilling" is used essentially to purify the alcohol and remove most of the water and "beery" components. "Freeze distilling" is used to concentrate and purify the alcohol and "beery" components together, and remove mostly water. They are both concentrating some part of the mixture, sure, but to a very different end. Yep
Message SilkTork P beers 7868 º places 112 º 04:17 Thu 11/26/2009 Originally posted by Borresteijn Unlike with heat-distilling, there is a limit to what can be done with freeze-distilling, if I’m correct. And it’s all a matter of definition. Both methods have a limit. There is a point at which you can no longer get increased alcohol strength by either freezing or boiling. But you can get higher strength through heat distillation. Yes, it’s a matter of definition. We could if we so decided say that if a fermented beer is distilled once it can still be defined as a beer. But that would mean that a lot of whiskies could then be classified as beers, and would be stronger than 32%, so we would start to see the strength of the "World’s Strongest Beer" going up.....

Message Trappistenbier beers 52 º places 4 º 04:20 Thu 11/26/2009 Originally posted by absolutesites Originally posted by Trappistenbier >>Heat distill beer = whiskey. That’s a given. >>Freeze distill a beer = Eisbock. That’s a given. both techniques remove "water". Apart from the temperatures, I don’t see any difference Cheers, Filip Maybe your brain is still fried from thinking that something resembling a West Coast IPA was made in Belgium? Viven IPA ! Yes, comes pretty close tio the real stuff. Freeze distillation is an analogous method of purification using freezing instead of evaporation. It is not truly distillation, but a recrystallization where the product is the mother liquor, and does not produce products equivalent to distillation. This process is used in the production of ice beer and ice wine to increase ethanol and sugar content, respectively. Unlike distillation, freeze distillation of ferment concentrates poisonous congeners rather than removing them like distillation. .... that’s it Cheers, Filip
Message chriso P beers 7540 º places 736 º 04:27 Thu 11/26/2009 Of course low/no alcohol beer is generally made by a process of distillation. Except that, in that case, it is to remove the alcohol rather than to concentrate it.
Message SilkTork P beers 7868 º places 112 º 04:29 Thu 11/26/2009 Originally posted by fidelis83 I don’t see how it should be classified in the same way. "Heat distilling" is used essentially to purify the alcohol and remove most of the water and "beery" components. "Freeze distilling" is used to concentrate and purify the alcohol and "beery" components together, and remove mostly water. They are both concentrating some part of the mixture, sure, but to a very different end. I’m not clear. You say: "Heat distilling" is used essentially to purify the alcohol and remove most of the water and "Freeze distilling" is used to ~~concentrate and~~ purify the alcohol ~~and "beery" components together,~~ and remove mostly water. Which are agreed facts. But in there you also mention removing or purifying "beery" components. I’m not clear what you mean by that. What is not in dispute here as far as I’m concerned is that while the methods are doing the same thing, the flavour will be different. But I’m not sure that flavour difference can be summed up as heat-distillation decreases beer flavour while freeze-distillation increases beer flavour. If that was the case then Molson Ice and Icehouse would both taste more "beery" than other non freeze-distilled beers. But drinkers of those beers don’t report that at all.
Message SilkTork P beers 7868 º places 112 º 04:34 Thu 11/26/2009 Originally posted by chriso Of course low/no alcohol beer is generally made by a process of distillation. Except that, in that case, it is to remove the alcohol rather than to concentrate it. So they keep the ice and throw away the liquid. Interesting, as such beers do retain some of their "beery" quality. Body and bite are missing, but they are still somewhat recognisably beer.

Message JoeMcPhee P beers 12214 º places 543 º 04:44 Thu 11/26/2009 You can’t purify indefinitely using fractional freezing and the concentration of ethanol left behind is a consequence of the final temperature, not anything else. Since they said they only got down to -20, I’m very skeptical of the ABV claim. If they simply used the volume of beer they started out with then the volume they ended up with, I’m afraid the calculation is way off. I wouldn’t believe it unless they got it lab tested.
Message SilkTork P beers 7868 º places 112 º 04:55 Thu 11/26/2009 Originally posted by JoeMcPhee You can’t purify indefinitely using fractional freezing and the concentration of ethanol left behind is a consequence of the final temperature, not anything else. Since they said they only got down to -20, I’m very skeptical of the ABV claim. If they simply used the volume of beer they started out with then the volume they ended up with, I’m afraid the calculation is way off. I wouldn’t believe it unless they got it lab tested. They did it more than once. Same as Hair of the Dog Dave - and that was claimed to be 29%, so they are in the same ballpark.
Message schorsch 05:07 Thu 11/26/2009 Our schorschbock40% has 39,44% Vol and so Schorschbräu still holds the record,the laboratory-results are open for everybody who wont believe. great contest,i think 50 % are possible,we are working on this.