Chinese liquor is one of the six famous distilled liquors in the world. Its unique technology is the sum up of the production of the working people of our country for thousands of years and the crystallization of wisdom. It has exquisite skills, and the color, aroma and taste of its products are favored by people from all walks of life, especially the national famous liquor, which is clear and transparent in color, clean and ice clear, fragrant and fragrant, elegant and delicate, sweet and soft in taste, mellow and lingering, and clean in finish. It is loved by people, has broad domestic and international market prospects, and plays a very important role in the national economy.
Classification of liquor
It can be divided into Daqu liquor, Xiaoqu liquor and bran koji liquor according to the types of koji used. According to the fermentation method, it can be divided into solid fermentation liquor and liquid fermentation liquor. According to the flavor type of liquor, it can be divided into Luzhou flavor liquor, Maotai flavor liquor, light flavor liquor and rice flavor liquor.
In the classification of liquor, some liquor is also divided into famous liquor and ordinary liquor according to quality, and high liquor, medium liquor and low alcohol liquor according to alcohol content.
Raw materials, auxiliary materials and production water for liquor making
In terms of liquor fermentation, all raw materials with starch and fermentable sugar or that can be converted into fermentable sugar can be used to produce liquor by microbial fermentation. The raw materials for brewing include grains, sweet potatoes and substitute materials. The first two types of raw materials are mainly used in production. The main raw materials are sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, corn, sweet potato, potato and cassava.
The auxiliary materials in liquor production are mainly used to adjust the starch concentration, acidity, moisture and fermentation temperature of the fermented grains, so that the fermented grains are loose and not greasy, with a certain oxygen content, to ensure normal fermentation and improve distillation efficiency. The auxiliary materials basically include rice husk, rice bran, sorghum husk and corncob.
Water for liquor brewing production includes water for koji making, yeast making, fermentation, blending, packaging, boiler, etc. The quality of water used in liquor production is directly related to the smooth progress of saccharification and fermentation and the quality of finished liquor. It also compares water to "the blood of wine making", which is a bit excessive, but it also shows the important position of water in wine making production.
Production technology of liquor
Liquor brewing is mostly solid fermentation, and the main product is ethanol. According to the detection and analysis, in addition to ethanol and water, liquor also contains other flavor substances accounting for about 2% of the total amount. Due to the difference in the number and proportion of these flavor substances in the nine categories, liquor is different from alcohol and forms different style characteristics. The flavor substances contained in liquor are mainly alcohols, acids, lipids, ketones, aromatic compounds and other substances. These substances can transform each other under the action of microorganisms.
Raw materials and their ratio? The raw materials for brewing wine have strict requirements on their quality ratio. The ingredients shall be transported to the material handling site according to the principle of "more before less", and the proportion of various grains shall not be wrong.
Smash? The five kinds of grains are crushed after they are accurately proportioned and fully stirred. The technical requirements for pulverization are: the degree of pulverization of sorghum, rice, glutinous rice and wheat is 4, 6 and 8 segments, and no whole grains are mixed.
Steamed bran? Fur hull is a high-quality filler used in liquor making, which can produce methanol, furfural and other substances in the process of fermentation and cooking. Steam the bran to remove the odor in the bran shell.
Open pits? At the end of the fermentation period, the pit should be removed from the mud, and the lees should be taken to steam the wine. The fermentation period of grain cellar is 70 days.
Ingredients, mixing and moistening? In this process, three accuracies should be achieved: accurate ingredients, accurate grains, accurate bran, and two evenness: uniform grain mixing and uniform bran mixing.
Go to the steamer? The steamer should be flat, and the steam should be evenly distributed. No steam is allowed to escape, and the steamer should be evenly spread.
Distill and pick wine? When distilling, we should master the principle of slow fire liquor flow and high fire grain steaming. When picking wine, judge the quality of wine by sensory taste, and try to pick the wine while tasting. After picking, the wine is transported to the wine warehouse, weighed and mixed into the jar according to the quality.
Steaming and cooling? Close the gas valve before discharging the steamer, take down the bend and open the steamer cover; Lift the steamer to the place near the cool lees bed and open the bottom of the steamer.
Pit entry? Before the fermented grains enter the cellar, the cellar must be cleaned, and about one kilogram of koji powder must be sprinkled. After entering the cellar, it must be quickly excavated and stepped on. After stepping on the cellar, find five temperature measuring points, insert the thermometer, and make records after inspection.
After being out of the pit, the fermented grains are produced by mixing bran in batches. Then the fermented grains are steamed to produce liquor head, liquor tail and finished liquor, and finally the finished liquor is stored in the warehouse.
After being out of the pit, the fermented grains are produced by mixing bran in batches. Then the fermented grains are steamed to produce liquor head, liquor tail and finished liquor, and finally the finished liquor is stored in the warehouse.
Machinery and equipment related to liquor production
Grain conveying equipment: air flow conveyor and mechanical conveyor
Crushing equipment: hammer mill and roller mill
Koji making equipment: molding equipment, control training equipment, and koji crushing equipment
Brewing machinery and equipment: pit equipment, transportation equipment for lifting and unloading fermented grains, mixing and steaming equipment, distillation and cooling equipment
Packaging machinery and equipment: conveying equipment, bottle washing and filling equipment, sealing and labeling equipment, packaging equipment
Liquor storage and aging
Most of the newly produced liquor from the brewing workshop is dry and spicy, not mellow and soft. However, after a period of storage, the dry and hot taste of the wine decreased significantly, the wine taste was soft, the flavor increased, and the wine body became more harmonious. This process is generally called aging, or aging.
The aging principle of liquor: 1. Volatilization? The pungent smell of newly distilled liquor is mainly caused by some irritant and volatile chemicals contained in the new liquor. These substances can volatilize naturally during storage. Generally, after six months of storage, the pungent smell will be greatly reduced. 2. Intermolecular association? Both alcohol and water are polar molecules. After storage, the arrangement of ethanol and water molecules is gradually straightened out, thus strengthening the binding force of ethanol molecules, reducing the activity of ethanol molecules, and softening the taste of liquor. 3. Chemical changes? Liquor will undergo slow chemical changes during storage. In the process of esterification, the generated alcohol can endow liquor with mellow flavor and increase liquor flavor. For liquor storage, a reasonable storage period should be determined on the premise of ensuring the quality of the product. Generally, liquor can be packaged as finished products after one month of storage.
Steps and methods of liquor tasting
The sensory quality of liquor mainly includes four parts: color, aroma, taste and style. Tasting is the process of seeing its color, smelling its fragrance, tasting its taste, and determining its style by combining the sensory impression of color, fragrance, and taste. 1. Color? The identification of liquor color is to hold a glass with your hand to the light, use white paper or cloth as the bottom, and observe the color, transparency, suspended solids and sediment of liquor with the naked eye. 2. Fragrance? The aroma of liquor is tested by human olfactory organs. Smell method: hold the wine cup in your hand and smell it at a certain distance from your nose. Analyze the delicacy of its fragrance and whether it is pure or not. 3. Taste? The flavor of liquor is mainly determined by the human tongue. When tasting, judge whether the alcohol ester and other flavors are coordinated and whether there are different flavors. 4. Style? Style is typical, also called liquor body, which is the comprehensive impression of color, aroma and taste. For example, Maotai Liquor is famous for its colorless, transparent, outstanding soy sauce flavor, elegant, delicate, full-bodied, and long aftertaste; It is colorless and transparent, has a long aroma, mellow taste, sweet in the mouth, clean and refreshing in the throat, and harmonious in all flavors. It is just the right way to describe his style and is famous for its comprehensive taste.
