Comments on: Freezing Wine: This I’ve Gotta See http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/ Growing grapes and making wine in Bellevue Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:42:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 By: Erroll http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4677 Erroll Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:51:57 +0000 http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4677 Hi Eric, Yes, that's what I was thinking. I'm glad you checked it out, though, because I don't have any experience with distillation. Erroll Hi Eric,

Yes, that’s what I was thinking. I’m glad you checked it out, though, because I don’t have any experience with distillation.

Erroll

]]> By: FleckE http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4676 FleckE Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:40:52 +0000 http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4676 Erroll, An update: I wrote an email to E.C. Kraus about this topic as they had an article on it on their website. I asked the same question(s) and this was their response: ...quote... Dear Eric, You are correct. This type of distillation will concentrate the bad alcohol along with the good, however the ratio of good verses bad alcohols remains the same. If the apple cider's alcohol was 2% "bad" and 98% "good" before distillation the same percentages will still exist after the distillation. With this in mind, it is safe to assume that you will become sufficiently "buzzed" [for lack of a better term] before you consumed enough bad alcohol to make a difference. The only concern would be if you were a raging alcoholic and able to drink whiskeys and other spirits like soda pop. Then it may be that you can drink enough to make you sick, but 4 or 5 ounces at a time won't matter. I hope this helps you out. ...end quote... So I guess this is what you were thinking all along?? Thanks, Eric Erroll,

An update: I wrote an email to E.C. Kraus about this topic as they had an article on it on their website. I asked the same question(s) and this was their response:

…quote…
Dear Eric,

You are correct. This type of distillation will concentrate the bad alcohol along with the good, however the ratio of good verses bad alcohols remains the same. If the apple cider’s alcohol was 2% “bad” and 98% “good” before distillation the same percentages will still exist after the distillation.
With this in mind, it is safe to assume that you will become sufficiently “buzzed” [for lack of a better term] before you consumed enough bad alcohol to make a difference. The only concern would be if you were a raging alcoholic and able to drink whiskeys and other spirits like soda pop. Then it may be that you can drink enough to make you sick, but 4 or 5 ounces at a time won’t matter.

I hope this helps you out.
…end quote…
So I guess this is what you were thinking all along??
Thanks,
Eric

]]> By: FleckE http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4672 FleckE Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:44:38 +0000 http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4672 Erroll, I think that where I got the idea reguarding the term " Bad Alcohol " was that when you freeze distill alcohol it produces ethanol, methanol and fusel alcohols, and the fusel alcohols are bad, from the research that I have read, at least on Wikipedia. It states that by heat distillation it can get rid of the fusel alcohols due to different boiling temps, but that freeze distillation doesn't get rid of it...it concentrates it more and that is bad. My question on their theory is that why is drinking the concentrated alcohol more dangerous than drinking it mixed in the original state?? Only if you have time please check out this small info page and tell me what you think...I would greatly appreciate it...you are probably like, " Why won't this kid leave me alone!!!! :) " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusel_alcohol Thanks, Eric Erroll,
I think that where I got the idea reguarding the term ” Bad Alcohol ” was that when you freeze distill alcohol it produces ethanol, methanol and fusel alcohols, and the fusel alcohols are bad, from the research that I have read, at least on Wikipedia. It states that by heat distillation it can get rid of the fusel alcohols due to different boiling temps, but that freeze distillation doesn’t get rid of it…it concentrates it more and that is bad. My question on their theory is that why is drinking the concentrated alcohol more dangerous than drinking it mixed in the original state??

Only if you have time please check out this small info page and tell me what you think…I would greatly appreciate it…you are probably like, ” Why won’t this kid leave me alone!!!! :) ”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusel_alcohol

Thanks,
Eric

]]> By: Erroll http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4654 Erroll Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:11:35 +0000 http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4654 Hi Eric, I've heard of freeze distillation, but I've never done it. One thing that comes to mind is that there couldn't be any more "bad alcohol," like methanol, in the Applejack than there was in the cider. There would be less Applejack than cider, and all the alcohol in it would be more concentrated, but no new alcohol would be created by the process. Erroll Hi Eric,

I’ve heard of freeze distillation, but I’ve never done it. One thing that comes to mind is that there couldn’t be any more “bad alcohol,” like methanol, in the Applejack than there was in the cider. There would be less Applejack than cider, and all the alcohol in it would be more concentrated, but no new alcohol would be created by the process.

Erroll

]]> By: FleckE http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4645 FleckE Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:04:12 +0000 http://www.washingtonwinemaker.com/blog/2008/03/12/freezing-wine-this-ive-gotta-see/#comment-4645 Erroll, This is good ole Eric, aka " Wiglaf the Mighty ". I thought that I would cast that name away. When I read the title of your post a thought popped up in my mind that has to do with this topic. As I have stated before I make mead...oh no the honey debate LOL...anyways, also another drink that I am passionate about making is cider. Cider is a wonderful drink that I can make and in about a week to a week and a half can be drinking it either calm or with the bubbily. With that said, I had made some cider a while back and read on Wikipedia ( I love that site ) about " fractional crystal- lization " or " freeze distillation "...basically you distill the brew by freezing it causing the pure alcohol to settle and the water to be frozen out of the brew. With cider they call it " Applejack " and it is very yummy. So, in a side note to the freezing of the wine, it would, I think in my humble opinion, if you wanted to a sort-of back woods brandy if you separated the ice from the frozen wine?? Here are a couple of sites to check out on the subject: http://www.eckraus.com/wine-making-applejack.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_freezing Now, I have been reading mixed reviews on the fractional freezing. On, some sights they list it as illegal, and then some list it as dangerous because I guess that " freeze distillation " can produce bad alcohol's. But, as far as I have had with my cider ( Applejack ) it has been just fine. From a 5% - 8% cider I can usually get a jack that is 12%-14% after distillation. Then again I might be arrested for doing this...lol!!! I think I hear sirens...gotta go. Eric Erroll,

This is good ole Eric, aka ” Wiglaf the Mighty “. I thought that I would cast that name away. When I read the title of your post a thought popped up in my mind that has to do with this topic. As I have stated before I make mead…oh no the honey debate LOL…anyways, also another drink that I am passionate about making is cider.
Cider is a wonderful drink that I can make and in about a week to a week and a half can be drinking it either calm or with the bubbily.
With that said, I had made some cider a while back and read on Wikipedia ( I love that site ) about ” fractional crystal-
lization ” or ” freeze distillation “…basically you distill the brew by freezing it causing the pure alcohol to settle and the water to be frozen out of the brew. With cider they call it ” Applejack ” and it is very yummy.
So, in a side note to the freezing of the wine, it would, I think in my humble opinion, if you wanted to a sort-of back woods brandy if you separated the ice from the frozen wine??

Here are a couple of sites to check out on the subject:
http://www.eckraus.com/wine-making-applejack.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_freezing

Now, I have been reading mixed reviews on the fractional freezing. On, some sights they list it as illegal, and then some list it as dangerous because I guess that ” freeze distillation ” can produce bad alcohol’s. But, as far as I have had with my cider ( Applejack ) it has been just fine. From a 5% - 8% cider I can usually get a jack that is 12%-14% after distillation. Then again I might be arrested for doing this…lol!!! I think I hear sirens…gotta go.
Eric

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