Small-Scale Production of Brandies, Schnapps & Liquors: The art of crafting alcohol is a very ancient one, and small, artisan distilleries are growing in popularity every day. Expert Austrian distillers Helge Schmickl and Bettina Malle guide readers through the process of creating or purchasing their own still and provide detailed instructions from personal experience on mash creation, fermentation, distillation, and infusion using a variety of ingredients. Schmickl and Malle also introduce readers to the tradition of schnapps distillation and present a brief look at domestic and international brweing cultures.

The authors cover in detail which distillation techniques excel, which merely succeed, and which should be avoided at all costs in their discussion of

• Necessary equipment
• Possible ingredients
• Mash fermentation
• How to begin distillation
• Alcohol regulations

With ninety recipes - from classic fruit brandy to chili infusions - this book is not only for the curious beginner. Even experienced distillers will discover new approaches to this classic practice.

Preface to the English-Language Edition
Preface to the First Edition
1. The Foundations and Traditions of Distilling
   Schnapps, spirituous beverages, distillates
2. Mashes
   • How is alcohol formed?
     A side trip into chemistry
     The fermentation process: Water & sugar; Flavors & aromas; Vitamins, trace elements; Solid, ligneous components
   • Which fruits can be used to make the mash?
   • Preparing the fruit
   • Fermentation container
   • Adding water
   • Conventional mashes
     Fruit pulp without additional ingredients: Simple mashes
     Adding cultured yeast: Mashes with cultured yeast
     Checking the pH value: Measuring the pH value, Correcting the pH value
     Pectinase
   • Alcohol content of conventional mashes
   • High-grade mashes with added sugar
     What are the advantages of a high-grade mash?, Turbo yeast, Preparing a high-grade mash
   • Checking the progress of the fermentation
     What should you check, and how often?, Daily check, Regular stirring, Weekly measurements, Fermentation logs, When is the fermentation complete?, The optimal time for distilling
   • Problems during fermentation
     No alcohol has formed in the mash yet, Alcohol has already formed in the mash
   • Filtering the mash
   • Storing the mash
   • Making a mash from grains, corn, or potatoes (starchy products)
3. Stills
   • Principles of construction
   • Some key points
     Materials; Kettle; Heating and jacketed kettles; Column, lyne arm, and measuring the temperature; Cooling
   • Different types of stills
     Pot stills, Reflux stills, Combination stills, Large stills (pot still and reflux)
   • Using the still
     Filling; Receiver, container for the distillate; Emptying and cleaning
4. Distilling
   • Introduction
   • Heads
   • Hearts
   • Tails
   • Distilling process
     Relative proportions of the three parts
   • Antifoam
   • Single or double distillation?
     Calculating the amount when mixing a low-percentage alcohol with a high-percentage alcohol
   • Diluting to a drinkable strength
     Determining the alcohol content, Calculating the amount of water needed for dilution, Cloudiness
   • Treatment with activated carbon, taste-neutral alcohol
   • Storage
5. Mash Recipes
   • Excellent mash, excellent schnapps
   • Recipes
     Agave (mescal, tequila), Apples (obstler, cider, calvados), Apricots, Bananas, Beer brandy (bierbrand), Blackberries, Bullaces (Kriechenbrand), Chequers, Cherries, Currants (red and black), Damsons, Elderberries, Elderflowers, Gentian, Grains (whiskey), Grapes (cognac, wine brandy), Grapes (grappa, pomace brandy), Jerusalem artichokes, Juniper berries (Borovička), Mangos, Maple syrup, Mead, Medlars, Nectarines, Nuts, Peaches, Pears, Pineapples, Plums (vieille prune), Potatoes (vodka), Prune plum (slivovitz, Zwetschenbrand), Quinces, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Rice (sake), Rose hips, Rowanberries (Vogelbeerbrand), Sloes, Strawberries, Sugarcane (rum), Sweet potatoes
   • Fruit wine
     Filtering the mash, Pressing the solid components, Extracting the fruit wine, Storage
6. Infusions
   • Materials
     Recipe for tasteless alcohol, Infusions – preparation
   • Recipes
     Absinthe, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cherries, Chili peppers, Coffee, Currants (red and black), Elderflowers, Gentian, Hazelnuts, Herbs, Hops, Lemons, Limes, Morels, Mushrooms, Nuts, Oranges, Raspberries, Rose hips, Sloes, Snowy mespilus (or juneberry), Spruce shoots, Strawberries, Swiss pine (Zirbengeist), Wormwood (absinthe, "the green fairy")
7. Spirits
   • The principles of spirit production
   • Base materials
   • Recipes
     Absinthe, Anise (ouzo, raki, Pernod, sambuca), Apples, Aquavit, Bananas, Barberries, Caraway (aquavit), Cherries, Christmas spirit, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cocoa (chocolate), Coffee, Elderflowers, Fennel, Gentian, Ginger, Grains, Hazelnuts, Herbs, Juniper berries (jenever, gin), Lemons, Lemongrass, Limes (daiquiri, mojito), Mint (peppermint), Nutmeg, Orange (Cointreau), Ramson, Raspberries, Rue (grappa di rutta), Spruce shoots, Swiss pine, Wormwood (Swiss absinthe)
   • Comparison of the three distillation methods presented in this book
8. Essential Oils
9. Drinking Culture
   • Bottling and labeling
     Glass bottles; Cork stoppers, metal screw tops; Heatshrinkable caps; Labels
   • Checking the taste and quality
   • Other countries, other customs
10. Legal Situation
    Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spirit productions and distilling infusions, The United States
11. Frequently Asked Questions
Harvest Calendar
Afterword
Index