Proud for being or -more likely- wanting to be a well-rounded person, I'm always interested in how things are made. Especially when it comes to my favorite poison, Vodka!
So here goes how Vodka goes from grain to bottle...
{the Middle West OYO Vodka}
1. The wheat is grown and milled
First, the wheat is milled down, and the bran (outer husk) is removed. For Middle West, this happens at one mill in northern Ohio that draws wheat from farms within an 80-mile radius. They only use soft red winter wheat, which contains about 30% more starch than other kinds of wheat.
2. The wheat is fermented in a mash
Wheat goes into big fermentation tanks at the back of the Middle West facility, where it is turned into a mash, a mix of water, yeast, and grain. It is warmed and then left to ferment for about 4 days. The starch turns to sugar, the sugar is eaten by the yeast, and alcohol results. When the yeast has consumed the sugar and turned it into alcohol, this wash is transferred into the pot, the first piece in their lovely distilling equipment.
3. The pot boils the wash and creates ethanol vapor
The creamy, rough liquid is brought to a boil. Since water and alcohol (ethanol) boil at different temperatures, the water boils after the alcohol, and condenses is allowed to fall back down into the pot, while the alcohol vapor is transferred into the distilling columns.
4. The ethanol condenses and drips down
The ethanol condenses and drips down as very high-proof liquid alcohol. From this point on there is a careful process of separately drawing off what they call the "heads", "hearts," and "tails." The first 5% or so (heads) of a distilling run is very high in undesirable chemical compounds. If you taste nail polish remover (acetone) in your booze, then it is probably at least partially heads. The middle of the run is the "hearts" or good stuff. The final bit, the "tails" is lower-proof. The spirits-makers mix these three carefully to get a good flavor balance, and leave out the harshest portions for a smooth sip. The vodka is filtered, blended and set aside in tanks until bottling.
5. The vodka is bottled, aged, or infused
Middle West bottles their vodka just a few bottles at a time, in big parties where they invite volunteers to come and help in return for a bottle and a t-shirt. But not all vodka goes straight into their (very pretty) glass bottles. Some is infused; they have a totally delicious Honey Vanilla Bean variety that I like very much, as well as a newer Stone Fruit vodka that makes an excellent cocktail. Altogether, this process (not counting infusing or aging) takes about 1 week.
So here goes how Vodka goes from grain to bottle...
{the Middle West OYO Vodka}
1. The wheat is grown and milled
First, the wheat is milled down, and the bran (outer husk) is removed. For Middle West, this happens at one mill in northern Ohio that draws wheat from farms within an 80-mile radius. They only use soft red winter wheat, which contains about 30% more starch than other kinds of wheat.
2. The wheat is fermented in a mash
Wheat goes into big fermentation tanks at the back of the Middle West facility, where it is turned into a mash, a mix of water, yeast, and grain. It is warmed and then left to ferment for about 4 days. The starch turns to sugar, the sugar is eaten by the yeast, and alcohol results. When the yeast has consumed the sugar and turned it into alcohol, this wash is transferred into the pot, the first piece in their lovely distilling equipment.
3. The pot boils the wash and creates ethanol vapor
The creamy, rough liquid is brought to a boil. Since water and alcohol (ethanol) boil at different temperatures, the water boils after the alcohol, and condenses is allowed to fall back down into the pot, while the alcohol vapor is transferred into the distilling columns.
4. The ethanol condenses and drips down
The ethanol condenses and drips down as very high-proof liquid alcohol. From this point on there is a careful process of separately drawing off what they call the "heads", "hearts," and "tails." The first 5% or so (heads) of a distilling run is very high in undesirable chemical compounds. If you taste nail polish remover (acetone) in your booze, then it is probably at least partially heads. The middle of the run is the "hearts" or good stuff. The final bit, the "tails" is lower-proof. The spirits-makers mix these three carefully to get a good flavor balance, and leave out the harshest portions for a smooth sip. The vodka is filtered, blended and set aside in tanks until bottling.
5. The vodka is bottled, aged, or infused
Middle West bottles their vodka just a few bottles at a time, in big parties where they invite volunteers to come and help in return for a bottle and a t-shirt. But not all vodka goes straight into their (very pretty) glass bottles. Some is infused; they have a totally delicious Honey Vanilla Bean variety that I like very much, as well as a newer Stone Fruit vodka that makes an excellent cocktail. Altogether, this process (not counting infusing or aging) takes about 1 week.
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