Here you will find more information about about the fermentation and distillation processes, collect cocktail recipes, and learn about us in the our news.
WHAT IS FERMENTATION?
Fundamentally fermentation is the biology of how yeast eats sugar and makes alcohol (its how yeasts convert what they eat into energy). Yeasts make ethanol to rid themselves of their own by-products, aka waste, because ethanol is highly volatile and the most efficient approach. It is a natural process and we humans have been tuning the yeasts, ingredients, and process timelines to when we feel like to drink for over 10,000 years.
Each winemaker and distiller has their own yeast and timeline preferences (mostly proprietary-including at Dutch & Dewey Distillery). Each of these products and procedures affect the success of a fermentation of making ethanol and other molecules that also contribute to flavor. It also makes carbon dioxide which has its own flavor. Wine goes through two fermentations: Primary –The rapid fermentation during which the sugar in the must is converted by yeast to alcohol and carbon dioxide. Secondary.-The slower (malo-lactic) fermentation done in the barrel (away from air) that transforms the malic acid to lactic acid, developing buttery tones.
After the fermentation(s) is completed, the results go to the distillery where the alcohol will be liberated from the water.
WHAT IS DISTILLATION?
Fundamentally distillation is the liberation of alcohol from the water by turning a liquid to gas and then back to a liquid. Humans have been distilling for over 5,000 years and after this transformative technology spread across Europe and became a household art, farmers began fermenting their extra grains and fruits and distilling them into more portable, stable, and profitable products.
Stills come (or in the case of our distillery—custom designed and built by the distiller) in a variety of types and sizes: Pot Stills-Make one batch at a time and separates the components of distillation by time into heads, heart, and tails. Holstein Stills-Similar to stacking multiple pot stills on top of each other. This leads to a higher purification in one distillation that one pot still could. Columnar Stills-Run continuously and separates the components of distillation by space (the column) into heads, heart, and tails. Also known a fractional distillation, this type of still can achieve the highest purity of the other three types.
It is the art of the distiller on when to make the cuts (heads, heart, and tails -along with the shape of the still) that impacts the flavor of the spirit. Heads/foreshots are cut out and discarded because they are unpalatable and contain methanol which in some quantity can cause blindness or death). Heart is the main part in the spirit run that can be safely consumed (ethanol). Tails/feints are either completely cut out and redistilled or partially cut out depending on the spirit and preferred taste (furfural). What comes out of the still is clear (known as “white dog” or in the case of distilled wine “eau-de-vie”) and it is the aging in a wooden barrel (aged brandy and whiskey) or addition of flavors (limoncello, coffee liqueur, and gin) that give us the wide variety of distilled spirits.
RECIPES
“Taste the spirit of the farm.”© either neat, on the rocks, or in a cocktail. Here are some cocktail recipes to get you started:
Bee's Knees with Darjeeling - Horse Mountain Dry Gin, Darjeeling tea, honey syrup, and Eureka lemon juice.
Coffee Delight - Old Town Eureka Coffee Liqueur, cream, and dark chocolate.
Cool as a Cucumber - Horse Mountain Dry Gin, , cucumber, lemon juice, simple syrup, and tonic water
Liquid Sunshine Martini - Farm Horse Vodka, Limoncello di Pacifica, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
Zest - Farm Horse Vodka, Horse Mountain Dry Gin, Limoncello di Pacifica, and tonic water
IN THE NEWS
May 24, 2016 Horse Mountain Gin - Humboldt County’s First Gin Is In: Dutch & Dewey Distillery’s Horse Mountain Gin Dutch & Dewey Distillery launches its Horse Mountain Gin, a premium, handcrafted 96 proof dry gin that balances the classic juniper character of London Dry with the bright, citrus notes of New Western style.
September 2, 2015 Old Town Eureka Coffee Liqueur — Dutch & Dewey Distillery is proud to announce the release of their Old Town Eureka Coffee Liqueur; a full-flavored, rich-tasting coffee liqueur made from a special blend of custom roasted coffee from Old Town Coffee & Chocolates and Dutch & Dewey Distillery’s Farm Horse Vodka.