Fermentation vs Distillation - What's the Difference?

We see a lot of confusion over what fermentation is and what distillation is. I know this might seem basic to some, but hey, everyone starts somewhere, right?
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[@CitySteadingBrews]

Pardon me while I drink some whiskey....

[@dragonb5758]

I'll tip my Bourbon up to that!

[@mr.knownothing]

This is a great video! It really amazes me how many people don't know the difference between making Mead and Distilling. Happy that you were able to put this video out there for those folks.

[@yomuno2511]

I tell no lie, in 11th grade Chemistry class we made 'moonshine'. We added yeast to sugar water, let it ferment over a weekend and then distilled it using a lab condenser (tube in a larger tube with running water in between). The abv was around 24 percent, we were allowed to taste it if we wanted to. I guess they were trying to teach us how to make moonshine here in the NW Georgia hills!

[@phasepanther4423]

24% is nothing too crazy. But yes, the liebig condenser will do just fine if your temperature is right, too hot and you're boiling the water, too low and you're wasting time.

[@paulsnowdon4765]

Good video on the basics. For some spirits like vodka, the distilleries do multiple passes through the still to remove flavors and get more neutral. The distillery I visited was making a 90% distillation at the time. After it had finished, they were going to water it down to 40% for sale. As always, barrel aging is a different beast and also changes ABV

[@Quintinohthree]

Vodka will generally be made in a single pass through a continuous collumn still, which does multple cycles of evaporation and condensation in one aparatus, but what you say is very true of many.

[@whitewer]

There is also another type of distillation that is done, and that is freeze distillation also known as Fractional freezing. Where you freeze the lower proof alcohol and remove the ice chunks which is the water and then you're left with a more concentrated alcohol. It was a very common thing to do with Hard apple Ciders where they then become known as Apple Jack, and is also something done with beers where they will be considered an Ice Beer. While mostly legal with beer for the homebrewer, if it's done with ciders, it's considered illegal if done in a home brew setting per times where people have reached out to the Alcohol and Tobacco bureau

[@jesuisshirley0716]

clear and easy explanation!! love your voice too! hard to find a youtuber with a voice that is comfortable to listen to .!!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks! Glad you think so.

[@Violetatk]

Agreed! Now I finally got it, thank you!

[@urbanhomesteadingchannel1813]

Brian you have outdone yourself. You have taken me to a far greater level of confusion that you have never taken me before 😂💚

[@CitySteadingBrews]

So you are confused about the difference still?

[@urbanhomesteadingchannel1813]

@@CitySteadingBrews just a bit. But I'm not interested in actually trying spirits anyway so it's all good 😊

[@jeffberridge176]

@@CitySteadingBrews STILL 😂 HA

[@GoranSvettlund]

could watch this guy all day. love this channel. thanks for making content for noobs. im advanced now because of you but its all good

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I appreciate that!

[@papasmurf9146]

I agree 100%. We all started out as noobs. Its funny how they did such a good job educating us noobs that Brian feels the need to apologize for educating noobs. We're all ignorant. Just in different subjects (to paraphrase Will Rogers).

[@mr.knownothing]

I've enjoyed your videos for a couple years now. I started making Mead after watching several of your videos. I still watch your videos just now instead of making Mead I make whiskey and rum. Mainly because I am more of a whiskey drinker then anything else. I am a subscriber for life!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

If it were legal for us to make whiskey… I would.

[@Nicker44]

Thanks for breaking that down for me. I'm a new brewer and have talk about it with my friends and family and they always seem to ask this question. Now I can tell them with confidence!

[@garystielow232]

Great idea for a video! I'm a bit older (mid 50's) and had no clue (until a few years ago) that distilled beverages started out as fermented beverages that got their higher ABV by removing some of the water to "distill" the beverage into a higher alcohol content.

[@phasepanther4423]

Don't mean to nitpick, just want to add that it's not quite removing water but removing alcohol and using the removed alcohol as your product. This is why distilled beverages tend to have less flavour immediately after distillation. Infusions and aging give a near endless realm of possibilities afterwards.

[@thiccchad6690]

I just looked it up. Distillation for personal use is only legal in New Zealand

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Pretty much, yup.

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Actually, you can legally distill at home in several other countries, provided you register your still and you register yourself as a distiller. This is the case in South Africa. Another example is The Netherlands. You need to follow a course that’s recognised by the government, you need to register your still, apply for a license, and at set points in time, you need to report how much you’ve distilled and how much you are planning on distilling. This needs to be backed up by receipts of your primary ingredients (f.ex. how many kilograms of sugar for sugarwash) and your yield. You are then taxed on your yield. I’m not entirely certain anymore if taxation differs for personal use or for sale though. Anyone can apply for the license. Or do you mean unlicensed distilling? Perhaps that’s the case in New Zealand… I haven’t checked. Might be. I know that where I live it’s very hard to obtain a license to distill. You have to have a VAT number, which rules out everyone who is not self-employed. You have to follow training at your own cost, which isn’t cheap. You have to register your still, your distilling place, get both the still and the space approved by the food safety inspection services, and pay a crapload of taxes. Even professional companies in the food and drink business shy away from distilling. Instead, they’ll buy distilled neutral alcohol from another company, pay for the shipping, and mix/macerate it until they have their desired end product. If it were easier to obtain a license, I’d delve into the art of distilling. As is, I’m keeping myself far from it.

[@AedanBlackheart]

​@Edda Van Leemputten jeeze... at that point why even go through all that hassle lol. The government just wants more money because they're afraid everybody will sell their booze, I'd make it just for myself and family.

[@markellis3597]

Beautiful explanation! Spot on!

[@nikolthomas2544]

'Proof' is a very old unit. It's the result of an archaic (tho still decently accurate) way of calculating ABV. It's called 'Proof' because spirits below ~40% ABV won't burn/ignite. An old test to make sure your hooch wasn't watered down too much was to see if some of it would burn. A burning spirit is 'proof' that it wasn't overly diluted.

[@3signets]

Best explanation, thank you.

[@daigledj]

Can't believe you not only used the "D" word numerous times but even made a video on it!!!

[@ronaldgroves9037]

Loved this one keep educating us I know I love watching you guys.

[@SA12String]

It is illegal to distill alcohol at home in the entire United States. It is federal law. Some states have made it legal by STATE law, but the federal law is still in effect and you can be arrested and prosecuted in federal court, regardless of the state law. If anyone is interested in the art of distilling, I suggest watching Jesse's videos on his channel - Still It. He is in New Zealand where it is legal to distill spirits at home.

[@yomuno2511]

It's also Federal law that recreational marijuana is illegal in the entire USA, but states like Colorado and others have legalized it in their respective states; however, one could still be charged on a Federal level. I understand that Congress is considering dropping the federal law.

[@kevind1470]

OMG your so funny in that one ferment vs Distillation LOL😂

[@barrytdrake]

Brian, thank you for the education.

[@cheguevara4451]

Talk about Apple Jack you can freeze it to purify the alcohol to like 40% Without distillation

[@CitySteadingBrews]

The US govt considers that distillation still and it is illegal.

[@nextlifeonearth]

2:57 You're correct here. Vapour is the same thing as gas, gas being the more scientific term, because you're talking about alcohol in the gaseous form.

[@phasepanther4423]

On the topic of higher purities, it becomes significantly more dangerous the closer to 100% you get to. 95% may get you drunk quickly, 98% may leave you in the hospital for the exact same amount. And I do mean even in smaller doses. Yes the overall amount of alcohol ingested will determine the overall effect it would have, but the immediate effects are experienced by concentration differences. This includes the rapid dehydration.

[@shanelefever7704]

I have seen new Zealand youtubers that have stills in their homes checkout still it I find it fascinating how stilling works

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yup, one of the few places it’s legal.

[@roytelling6540]

I am so happy to here you don't se the need for proof of alcohol, it never made any since to me. I just thought it was only used in countries that wanting to sound like they can drink stronger liquor than anyone else LoL also you have to work out the ABV first then multiply it by 2 WHY! I understand this is for people that do not know the different! But you can distil at home I've been doing it for about 20ish years, but you are only looking at small amounts of product. if you distilled 10 litres of 13% wash? You would get maybe 2.5 litres. BUT another great video by you again

[@CitySteadingBrews]

RE: home distilling, no, it's illegal in most areas. Look it up for your location, you might be surprised. This is where people get fermentation and distillation confused.

[@roytelling6540]

@@CitySteadingBrews Thank but I do not live in the USA. I do understand the different started my first homebrew beer about 35 years ago then went onto wine I still make wine but don't do beer now a days

[@phasepanther4423]

For those confused about the temperature being variable, imagine if there was no energy of vaporization and all your water changed phase immediately. Then when you boil water it will appear completely still until it reached it's boiling point at that pressure before exploding into steam.

[@jasonwilson1880]

Hi I'm new to making homemade cider have a quick question if that's ok currently making pear cider in 1 gallon carboy used pure bartlett nectar juice and ec1118 its been 1 week now I see a heavy white thick top kinda looks like cheese on top of the cider is this mold or normal? thank you love your channel;)))

[@AedanBlackheart]

Yup

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Hard to say… foam is normal, cheese? Is there a smell?

[@jasonwilson1880]

No smell it's hard to describe but looks like a sponge type texture floating on top once I touched the carboy it sank to the bottom right away! Could this be krausen that floats?

[@mr.knownothing]

Still spirits makes an air still that allows you to distill on your kitchen counter. Just thought I'd throw that in. 😉

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Doesn’t make it legal!

[@mr.knownothing]

@@CitySteadingBrews 🤣🤣🤣

[@jongrnl]

This video make me wonder; is the corn wort drinkable? I’m sure it’s safe to drink but would you want to? This might be a thing. I can’t drink beer so I wouldn’t know.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Drinkable? Maybe. Good? Doubtful.

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

I know this has been said but whiskey can not have any sugar in it. Only grains. And bourbon has to be at least 51% corn. Distilled and no more than 80% abv and must be aged in new American white oak barrels.

[@papasmurf9146]

Will Rogers said it best: Everybody is ignorant, just in different subjects.

[@TarunChauhan-ee3pe]

Sir , what are you talking about corn something in this video

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Corn is used to make bourbon.

[@markmanning2921]

I have to argue ONE point there is no such thing as OVER caffeination

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Lol

[@geoffreyreuther5260]

I dunno... my son had some friends over for his birthday party a couple years back, and one of the kids had a bit too much Mountain Dew and ended up going full Cornholio right as his parents came to pick him up.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Lol

[@andyn3532]

I once accidentally added to much sugar to a cider and it ended up at 24% that was some years back now using bulldog brand mead yeast that was a fun weekend 🤣

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Did it really get to 24 or just potential? In my experience, it's very rare.

[@andyn3532]

@City Steading Brews I was just as surprised myself and yes it went to 24 I didn't think it was going to brew at all but it got there

[@andyn3532]

@City Steading Brews I've just had some mead making supplies delivered today shredded liquorice root and dandelion root and burdock root. Not sure if you have the soda drink dandelion and burdock over there but it's a rather nice drink so a couple of years back I made a mead with it it's rather nice. I went through a phase of old drinks like sasparilla and sweet shop sweets like pear drops and parma violets but wanting to make them from natural ingredients like the pear drop was made with ripe bananas and pears and I think I added some lemon juice or zest in secondary to give it a bit of a sour tang like you get with some boiled sweets.

[@leepetrenka]

i would think even more basic. Distillation is the manual process of separating compounds based on evaporation, while fermentation is the metabolic process of converting sugars into alcohol and CO2. One will happen naturally, while the other will not.

[@DawzeyJ]

distillation can happen naturally - let your alcoholic beverage outside to freeze in winter and boom... natural distillation.

[@leepetrenka]

"Freeze distillation" isn't actually a distillation, It is fractional freezing.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Incidentally the US government does consider it distillation and it falls under the same laws. They consider any method of raising the abv of a beverage by removing water or concentration to be under the topic of distillation as laws are concerned.

[@leepetrenka]

I look at the science and legality as two separate conversations. Technically distillation is the separation/purification of liquid by evaporation and then condensation. Though there is also solid distillation where you heat an object and condense the gasses that come off the substrate.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Well, legality plays a huge part imo, since we aren’t doing anything illegal on our show.

[@olologmereol5031]

Is it worth distilling a bad batch with beer/wine?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

No idea... it's illegal for us to do it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We do not distill nor give distillation advice on this channel.

[@olologmereol5031]

Illegal for me too. I just Wonder:p

[@thatjonguy103]

1:06 Well not with that attitude! I do kinda wonder what a distilled mead that's then aged in a barrel would taste like.

[@jamesvaughn1354]

There big difference in distillation.. I did research on it an too much for me

[@thedullohanvids]

What would distilled mead be? it wouldn't be whiskey, rum, brandy, or vodka. Is there even a turm for that?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

There’s no official designation

[@thedullohanvids]

@@CitySteadingBrews Someone must make something like that somewhere I'm sure, or at least tried too. wonder how it would taste. I would guess that not a lot of the honey flavor would come threw.

[@AedanBlackheart]

*term and probably nasty

[@Quintinohthree]

​@@CitySteadingBrews There is a very boring official designation of "honey spirit" defined in EU law. It's defined as being made from a honey mash, distilled below 86% with no additional alcohol or flavoring, except honey to sweeten and caramel to adapt colour.

[@nicholaskarako5701]

As far as getting a license to distill spirits it would probably only be worth for your channel if you wanted to sale it a product that imbues both you and the wifey personality. Like a distilled mead, wine something or other. As far as spirits in the US you are typically not going to find any liquor higher proof than Everclear, 190 proof, Spirytus 192 a couple of rums that are 151 proof or Goldschager 107 in most package stores. Now if you know anyone that makes their own moonshine that is different.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s not worth it. We would need to rent or buy a building, insurance, plus the $4,000 a year license IF we got approved.

[@nicholaskarako5701]

Wow $4,000 dollars just to get a license to distill legally and that's if you get approved. No wonder why people distill illegally. Just think how much your state could make if the license to distill legally for personal consumption. Small batches of liquor if the license was $100 dollars, approval and as long as you have a clean record/ no issues with drinking and driving.

[@covered_in_sponges7058]

Corn wine... Corn mead??? Actually, April fools day is coming up. If y'all posted a video making mead with a few cans of creamed corn, well it'd be something, all right.

[@saddletramp1979]

There is away to freeze distill, but they say if you get drunk on it you will beg for death.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s still illegal technically.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

In addition, since its just concentrating a version of the original, drinking the equivalent amount as freeze distilled won’t make you feel much differently.

[@saddletramp1979]

@@CitySteadingBrews Freeze distillation leaves the heads and tales in it, and that will give you a bad hangover.

[@chuck419plus1]

isn't Tennesee mountain ever clear 200% proof?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s 190 proof at its highest but there’s a few versions. Can’t be 200% proof, either % or proof :)

[@AedanBlackheart]

So basically 95% abv

[@LadyElaineLovegood]

"I may have over caffeinated." lol

[@ricksigurdson2016]

I thought Jim Beam was a cleaning product unfit for human consumption😅 Or in cold weather countries just freeze it and pour off the slush. Rinse and repeat as necessary. While I distill it's not quite as easy as it looks on moonshine shows. It is legal where I live.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Umm, no? It's a decent bourbon. They also make many others. Is it the best? No, but for the price it's not bad.

[@ricksigurdson2016]

​@@CitySteadingBrews Just not a fan of bourbon. Prefer rums and scotch I can't afford. But I prefer grain to glass beer brewing. About 28 days from brewing to drinking unless doing a lager.

[@DawzeyJ]

@@CitySteadingBrews it is pretty average bourbon 🤣

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@DawzeyJ I said that above. That hardly makes it not suitable for human consumption :P

[@geoffreyreuther5260]

@@CitySteadingBrews "Unsuitable for human consumption" would be what's found on the bottom shelf at a WinCo. 😆

[@elricthebald870]

Hypothetically

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I didn't do any distilling....

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yes, I know the reference :)

[@elricthebald870]

@@CitySteadingBrews 😁

[@Bob.isnotmyname]

lol

[@robertsullivan3970]

I have no actual comments. I just know commenting helps boost the channel and I wanna do that till I can actually join the "club" lol stay excellent 😎

[@CitySteadingBrews]

:). Thanks.