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Alcoholic Beverages, Potable Alcohol (Alcoholic Beverage) obtained, Fermentation, Distillation, ABV = ALCOHOL BY VOLUME

Dear Blog readers and Hotel Management Students,

We all expected that you should be aware of the below mentioned terms and should be able to recall it by the end of third year.

I am now listing down the important terms which are

Alcoholic Beverages

Potable Alcohol (Alcoholic Beverage) obtained

Fermentation

Distillation

ABV = ALCOHOL BY VOLUME

What are Alcoholic Beverages?

A potable (meaning drinkable) liquid containing ethyl alcohol or ethanol of 0.5 percent or more by volume is termed as ‘alcoholic beverage’. Alcohol is mobile, volatile fluid obtained by fermenting a liquid containing sugar.

The word ‘alcohol’ is derived from the Arabic al – kohl. Pure alcohol is colourless, clear liquid with a burning taste. It derives its colour from the wood of the cask in which it is matured, and / or from the caramel which may be added during its maturation or bottling

How is Potable Alcohol (Alcoholic Beverage) obtained?

All alcohol or alcoholic beverages are obtained by a process called fermentation. It is concentrated or increased in strength by distillation. The percentage of alcohol in a drink varies from 0.5 – 9.5%, depending on the method by which the alcohol is obtained. 

What is Fermentation?

Fermentation is the process in which the yeast acts on sugar and converts it to ethanol and gives off carbon dioxide. The fermented liquid has 3-14% alcohol and it can be concentrated up to 95% by a series of distillations.

What is Distillation?

Distillation is the process of separating elements in a liquid by vaporization and condensation. In the distillation process, the alcohol which is present in the fermented liquid (alcoholic wash) is separated from water.

ABV = ALCOHOL BY VOLUME

The concentration of alcohol in a beverage is usually stated as the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV, the number of ml of pure ethanol in 100 ml of beverage) or as proof. In the United States, proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume at 60 degrees Fahrenheit (e.g. 80 proof = 40% ABV). Degrees proof were formerly used in the United Kingdom, where 100 degrees proof was equivalent to 57.1% ABV. Historically, this was the most dilute spirit that would sustain the combustion of gunpowder.

Ordinary distillation cannot produce alcohol of more than 95.6% ABV (191.2 proof) because at that point alcohol is an azeotrope with water. A spirit which contains a very high level of alcohol and does not contain any added flavoring is commonly called a neutral spirit. Generally, any distilled alcoholic beverage of 170 proof or higher is considered to be a neutral spirit.

Most yeasts cannot reproduce when the concentration of alcohol is higher than about 18%, so that is the practical limit for the strength of fermented beverages such as wine, beer, and sake. However, some strains of yeast have been developed that can reproduce in solutions of up to 25% ABV.

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