Chapter 157 Liquor
This brewery's main business was brewing potions, so it was fully equipped with all the necessary tools and utensils. In the basement, Jiangyou found several sets of distillation equipment, some new and some old, which could be assembled and used in conjunction with the Crucible of Time.
She then took out a brand new set specifically for distilling liquor.
There are many ways to brew baijiu, but Jiangyou uses a solid-state brewing process. Most of the process is very similar to brewing soy sauce.
Wash and soak the plump, mold-free red sorghum, then steam it in a pot. Pour it into a clean and sterilized winnowing basket, stir it, let it ventilate, cool it to 25 degrees, mix it with the pre-prepared wine yeast, and put it into the crucible of time to accelerate the cultivation of bacteria.
The process of cultivating fungi usually takes 5-7 days, but it can be completed quickly with the acceleration of time magic. When you open the crucible, you can see that the sorghum is covered with beautiful white mycelium.
Fermentation releases heat and generates high temperatures, so the sorghum needs to be stirred and cooled once before the fermentation process can begin. Originally, it needed to be placed in a darkened ceramic vat and brewed for six months, but now this process can be accelerated using the Crucible of Time.
The fermented lees can be steamed. Just cover the Crucible of Time with a special "sky pot" for distillation, and use water elements to circulate on the top of the pot to cool down and promote condensation. The wine vapor distilled from the lees will condense under the action of temperature difference and flow out through the wine tank pipe under the sky pot.
The first and last drops of wine contain large amounts of esters, fusel alcohols, and acids, requiring constant monitoring using the Poison Detection Technique. This impure wine is collected and discarded in a separate container. The acceptable middle portion of the wine can be bottled and retained. To ensure the wine is completely non-toxic and harmless, Jiangyou will perform several magical tests and further purify it using alchemical techniques.
In order to brew wine, after closing the shop at night these few days, Jiangyou spent his time in the basement studying the magic tomes left by the owner and her daughter. He understood many methods of making potions, learned how to use distillation equipment, and even understood many principles and techniques of alchemy.
Alchemy is 80% similar to chemistry, and for a moment, Jiangyou felt like he was back in the chemistry laboratory in junior high and high school.
Potions and alchemy share many similarities. The former primarily studies fusion, while the latter focuses on decomposition, purification, and substitution. However, as all roads lead to Rome, these two already closely related fields often intersect and overlap, achieving similar goals and even collaborating to achieve certain outcomes.
Using alchemically purified liquids to create potions often removes impurities and significantly improves quality. Therefore, a potion master is inevitably also a well-researched alchemist.
After starting to study this knowledge, Jiang You also became more interested in potions and alchemy. Of course, her research focus was still quite different from that of scholars in this world. Xiao Gutou did not forget her original intention and focused on how to use potions and alchemy to improve the brewing quality of soy sauce, wine and vinegar.
The process of making a sauce-flavored liquor is far too complex, and Jiangyou herself isn't a fan of drinking culture, so she hasn't delved deeply into it. However, the clear brewing method she's memorized produces a transparent liquor with a light grain aroma that pairs well with almost any jam. Add lemon juice, ice, and Wind Magic Sparkling Powder, and shake and stir for a trendy and delicious cocktail.
Taking advantage of the fact that a lot of malt sugar was made today, Jiangyou took out two small pots, one for cooking pineapple jam and the other for cooking lychee and rose jam.
After being made into jam, these tropical fruits can be preserved for a long time without changing their flavor much. They can also be used whenever you want and are a very good choice for making sparkling wine, sparkling water, fruit tea or baked desserts.
Jiangyou didn't have many lychees, but Auntie Wolf had a lot of roses in bloom. He'd bought a bunch from the noble lady when he made her rose wine that day, and now he had quite a few left, perfect for use. Using roses to make sauce, and the lychee pulp to enhance the flavor, was a pretty good choice.
Xiao Nian Gao was not idle today either. The store had consumed a lot of glass jars in the past few days, so she flew to Melori City several times during the day and brought back a large number of glass jars, which were now neatly stacked in the small storage room.
"I think the area at the back needs some renovation."
After making the jam, Jiangyou mixed Andrei a white wine-based sea salt pineapple cocktail. "Try this and see if there's anything else you need to tweak about the recipe... That storage room, which doubles as a brewery, is a bit small and a bit cramped. I originally wanted to convert the entire small dining room in the back into a brewery, but I couldn't bear to give up the view from the stained glass windows."
"Besides, the workshop has become famous these days, and nobles are always coming. It's not good to let them sit directly in the hall. That would be too offensive. But this private room is also a bit shabby. I always feel that it needs to be modified."
The lich muttered to herself and brought out a small plate of fried peanuts. Andre also held up his wine glass and listened to her story quietly.
Jericho had already finished his glass of wine, quietly cleaned the restaurant, closed the shop, and cleaned the bakery, then wisely went upstairs to rest. It was his duty as a competent knight's squire to provide the young master and the lich with some undisturbed time together.
The extra candles in the front room had been extinguished, leaving only a few burning on the bar counter for illumination. The flickering candlelight added a touch of charm to the atmosphere.
"No rush. I've temporarily piled up the bricks, old doors, and wood from the Baron's hunting grounds in the backyard. Let me think about it for a few days. I should be able to use these materials to renovate the small restaurant..." Andre pondered. "But, you need a spacious place to brew... Have you considered buying the empty house next door?"
The neighbor Andre was referring to was the neighbor on the other side of the brewery. If you stood at the entrance to the brewery's courtyard and looked in, you'd see Aunt Wolf's house to your left, and a neglected garden to your right. The house was also half-timbered, but even more dilapidated than Jiangyou's brewery, with a leaky roof. It was obvious it had been abandoned for years.
"If you're interested, I can help you ask the Winchester clerk. The household registration, vacant houses, and land in the city are all managed by the clerks of the Kingdom's Knights. If it's truly an abandoned vacant house, the price shouldn't be too high."
"That's a good idea." Jiang You pondered, "When the time comes, we can open a restaurant here and brew wine there. There will be enough space. We can even open up the garden..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
