calvados

[jean-yves]

do you know calvados ? in brittany we say "lambig". tomorrow I'm going to distil my cider with a man who're allow to do it. I can make 20 ltr of lambig at 50°. :rolleyes:

[Reg]

I love Calvados! I think they also make it here in the UK. We also make "Perry" which is a pear-based drink... Yum!

[jean-yves]

Hi Reg , I've my 20ltr of calva, I've put it in a cask (wood cask) to mature, it's actually at 50°and look like water, i hope it'll be at 43°- 45° in 3 years with a good brown colour.

[Reg]

Now that will be a long wait, JY, but I certainly hope it's worth it.

How will you store you calvados for againg? Will you use an oak cask?

[jean-yves]

yes it's a long wait, but if you do it every year, you can drink it every year
I store it in an oak cask, I'll lost about 2-3 ltr we call it "the angel's share"

[Reg]

In Canada, they make cider and freeze distill it in the winter by putting the barrel outside. The water crystalises out leaving a central core of liquor which they crack open before the spring thaw and mature for a year before drinking...

I gather it's very nice but extremely strong.

[jean-yves]

that's very strange, i've never heard about it <_<
today i've seen the distill-man (don't know how you call him), i want to buy a hold machine, but not to distill, i'm not allowed to do it

[johnmac]

I read that alcohol distilled by freezing can kill you! Or is that just a myth put about by Customs?

(yes, I know any alcohol can kill at a certain dose)

[tubby_shaw]

I read that alcohol distilled by freezing can kill you! Or is that just a myth put about by Customs?

(yes, I know any alcohol can kill at a certain dose)

Freeze distillation is at the very least the best way to a nasty hangover and could cause severe problems with liver function
During "normal distillation" methanol and fusel oils which are toxic are removed from the finished product by throwing away the "heads" and "tails" from the still.
Unfortunately freeze distilling only removes ice and leaves the nasty stuff behind