Diary of a Distiller

Over the weekend we finished installing new steam pipes and condensate returns for the brewery boiler. Late Saturday afternoon we fired the boiler up and it seemed to work fine. When we got in Monday to check on things, the sight glass on the brew kettle was broken. We think it probably had the wrong gaskets or some other small problem and cracked during the cool-down. We ordered a replacement, and some valves, and then we're set to start brewing.

Later Monday we got our first shipment of brewing ingredients: crushed malt, hops, yeast, and assorted adjuncts and fermentation nutrients. So as soon as we clear up the last little things we will be brewing beer!

Follow up:

Much of the rest of the week was spent in the winery, bottling wine, re-arranging storage, and all kinds of things to get ready for our busiest time of year, the Holiday Season. Later in the week we found out that we still had some major problems with the boiler. Actually, not the boiler, but the configuration of the piping, where and how parts are located, steam condensate traps, pumps, etc. An expert came in and very soon was able to figure out the problems and we ordered some more parts and started what we hope will be our final re-design. Just another week or so and we'll be able to brew.

Lately, most of my spare time is taken up with other stuff to do with the distillery. Research, thinking up possible products, evaluating their feasibility, doing marketing surveys and investigation, searching through distilling books from the 18th and 19th century, talking to other distillers, and so much more along these lines. My brain is constantly churning and coming up with ideas that I then have to pursue to see if they are feasible, and possibly profitable, as well as fun.

One big thing for me is that a year ago a professional, artisanal Internet discussion board was formed and I was one of the first members. It is a relatively small group composed mostly of of professional artisanal distillers; plus some spirits experts, mixologists, and interested parties across the USA and around the world. As well as those researching opening distilleries themselves. It's a place where we can talk about our relevant experiences, legislation, zoning issues, equipment, techniques, marketing, distribution, etc. This week I was asked to be one of the forum administrators and to help re-format it so it can be more useful for us small spirits producers, as we develop the field of artisanal micro-distilling and hand-crafted small spirits production. I think it may take up a lot of my time over the next few months, but should be well worth it.

Artisanal micro-distilling seems like it is a new and rapidly growing field, but that is in current history. I'm going to digress a bit and go back in time. Back before Prohibition there were thousands upon thousands of small distilleries in the US. Almost every town had at least one. Many, if not most farmers had stills as well. They were a great way to add value to their crops, and allow their products to be shipped long distances without spoilage, by making whiskey from grains and brandy from fruit.

I've been told that just NY state alone had more than 1500 small distilleries in the early 1800's. While there were thousands of distilleries back then, there was also concern by many about over indulgence, even what we call binge drinking today. Did you know that Massachusetts first tried to make alcohol illegal as early as 1651?

By the mid-1840's the forerunners of Prohibition started to gain power. Maine, where I live now, went "dry" in 1851 when the state banned alcohol. Several other states tried around the same time to enact laws banning alcohol. Some were successful for awhile, although most repealed the laws after a short period of time. The Prohibition Party slowly gathered strength, as well as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, then was superseded by the Anti-Saloon League. Some researchers even think that the Prohibition movement came about as an ancillary political movement to Women's Suffrage, the fight for women to get the right to vote. It was a way for women, as a group, to flex their political strength, on a different front besides the vote. Sort of a two pronged attack.

Thinking about it, I bet that the women activists of the time were using Prohibition as a blanket to cover the Suffrage Movement. If they got people all riled up about losing their libations, they would get the vote instead. Then were surprised when they got both. Or Maybe Not. In 1919 Women's Suffrage came up for vote in the House, Senate, etc. and kept being beaten by narrower and narrower margins until finally during that summer it was passed and the Presidential Election of 1920 was the first where women were allowed to vote. About the same time the anti-alcohol movement was going through the same process as the Suffrage movement.

On January 16, 1920 the Volstead Act went into effect. At the time called "the Noble Experiment," it was anything but. It turned out to be one of the greatest mistakes in US history. One that lead directly to the formation and growth of racketeering and organized crime, and some think, to the acceptance again of the binge drinking mentality that came about from prohibition, that affects the USA to this day. Don't believe me on this. Go and do some research and read about it yourself. We're trying to fight the binge mentality, but it is very strongly ingrained in our society. I saw this in my years as a mental health counselor, researcher, and as an individual. Artisanal distilling and craft brewing, both try to make the appeal to drink quality, not quantity. That's what we're all about. But binge drinking has kept hold, and is even spreading to Europe and other parts of the world.

Almost 75 years ago, after thirteen years of quiet and not so quiet rebellion against it, on December 5, 1933, the Volstead Act was repealed with ratification of the 21st Amendment. The few surviving distilleries and all the new ones, had to learn how to make fine spirits all over again, many not doing a good job of it.

This was also when the style of beer called American Lager, what many beer aficionados call 'piss-water,' was created. Breweries didn't know how to make quality beer, so made swill instead, and Americans didn't know any better. This sad state of affairs in the US slowly improved until the white monster, vodka, came on the scene. for several decades from the late 40's to 60's vodka slowly crept into the room. Then during the late 60's and early 70's it exploded and took over. Whiskey was in shock. from being number ones for centuries it had been knocked back and became an old fuddy duddy almost overnight. Sort of like Superman being exposed to Kryptonite. Whiskey crept along for a few years, seeming to almost die out, then got a grip on itself and decided to create a new image of itself. It spent the 80's through 90's doing so, and has rebounded quite strongly with small batch, single barrel, and barrel strength offerings. Paving the way for quality spirits to make their way onto the scene after a many decade hiatus.

Anyway, Twenty years ago in the mid 80's there were only around five, small, artisanal distilleries in the US.but five to six years ago it had grown to around twenty. As of September of 2007there were almost 100. Now, as of this week there are over 150 artisanal micro-distilleries in the US and the numbers are growing rapidly. So now we're back to the present.

This distillers Internet forum I spoke about earlier is a way for us to connect, in ways never seen in the distilling industry before. Distilling is like a secret society in many ways. It's hard to learn how to do. You either have to learn through trial and error, or have an 'apprenticeship' where some old time moonshiner teaches you. Or you have to work your way into one of the big distilling companies. The top handful of major spirits producers distill and create 99.8% of all the liquor in the world. The other 0.2% are produced by all the small places.

So us little guys have to work together to make it. We have to teach each other, learn from each others mistakes, and educate the general public. For the first time ever you can now, just in the past year or two, see distilling workshops and seminars happening here and there. The great majority haven't been that good, still keeping back secrets and techniques, but it was a start. Now, just in the past few months, I am seeing real classes teaching the skills needed to run a distillery being offered. They aren't cheap, and are very limited in size, but they are out there for those who want to open their own artisanal distillery.

So I see big things happening among us pioneers of artisanal distilling over the next few years. Soon legislation to allow home distilling may be passed, similar to how home wine making and home brewing did in the late 1970's. Other legislation has been going around for legal commercial distillation on residential property. if it passes you could set up a commercial distillery in your garage or an outbuilding. Who knows where it's going to go? But it's going to be a fun ride for the small distillers, and even more so for the general public as high quality, fine spirits, locally made, become available.