Ethanol Fermentation - Alcoholic Beverages

Alcoholic Beverages

All ethanol contained in alcoholic beverages (including ethanol produced by carbonic maceration) is produced by means of fermentation induced by yeast.

  • Wine is produced by fermentation of the natural sugars present in grapes and other kinds of fruit.
  • Mead is produced by fermentation of the natural sugars present in honey.
  • Beer, whiskey, and vodka are produced by fermentation of grain starches that have been converted to sugar by the enzyme amylase, which is present in grain kernels that have been germinated.
  • Rum is produced by fermentation of sugarcane.

In all cases, fermentation must take place in a vessel that allows carbon dioxide to escape but prevents outside air from coming in. This is because exposure to oxygen would prevent the formation of ethanol.

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