GB957972A - Rapid maturation of alcoholic beverages - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for the rapid maturation of alcoholic beverages involves co-fermenting a wort with a yeast strain capable of fermenting carbohydrates to alcohol and a Penicillium variety capable of fermenting carbohydrates to ethyl acetate, and distilling out the alcoholic fraction and other volatile materials, which includes ethyl acetate. The distillate may then be matured in containers of selected wood to increase further the ethyl acetate content and improve the taste, flavour, and aroma. Preferred are Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces ellipsoidae and Penicillium digitatum in a proportion of from one-tenth to one-thousandth of the amount of the yeast. Examples are directed to the production of bourbon entry whisky, rye entry whisky, rum, grape brandy and apple brandy; the process is, however, applicable to sweet or sour beers obtained from any type of grain, e.g. maize, rye, barley, wheat, and rice, as well as mashes prepared from sugar cane, molasses, grapes, or apples. The stillage or slop residue from the distillation is rich in vitamins, especially riboflavin and other components of the B complex, and may be recovered by spray drying or other conventional methods for use in animal feed mixtures. In a typical example, a diluted bourbon cooker mash was prepared from a mixture of 250 parts distilled water, 75 parts maize meal, 25 parts of a mixture of toasted wheat, flour and malted barley, 10 parts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and 0.01 part of Penicillium digitatum spores with a pinch of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and potassium monohydrogen phosphate as a buffer. This was incubated at 90 DEG F. for three days. The wort was then distilled and had an ethyl acetate content of from 250 to 500 p.p.m. corresponding to that of a 4 to 6 year old bourbon. The entry whisky was placed in charred white oak barrels and stored for from six months to two years; the matured bourbon had the flavour, aroma, and taste of a 4 1/2 to 8 year old bourbon and the ethyl acetate content ranged from 375 to 750 p.p.m.ALSO:The stillage or slop residue rich in vitamins, especially riboflavin and other components of the B complex, obtained after alcohol and other volatile materials have been distilled from wort co-fermented with a yeast strain such as Saccharomyces cerevisi or Saccharomyces ellipsoid and a Penicillium variety such as Penicillium digitatum, preferably present in a proportion of from one-tenth to one-thousandth of the amount of the yeast, is spray dried or otherwise recovered for use in animal feed mixtures.