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hikeonpast t1_j69u0tt wrote

One of the big reasons that cheap alcohol can taste "off" has to do with the nature of the distilling process.

When you distill fermented "beer" into spirits, lots of compounds come over in distillation. Some of those compounds taste "good", and some taste "bad". At the beginning of a batch distillation run, the first compounds to come over are lighter-than-ethanol compounds like acetone. Those are called "foreshots" and are discarded or recycled. Next come the "heads", which have some ethanol, but also methanol, acetaldehyde and light esters (flavors). Next come "hearts", which are mainly ethanol and water, with a few esters in the mix. Last come "tails" which tend to include fusel oils and other foul-tasting compounds. Tails have a distinct wet dog smell and taste very bitter.

The art in distilling is knowing how much of the heads and tails to include with the hearts in the final product. More expensive spirits add just a little heads and tails to give the spirit character while still tasting good. Cheaper spirits will add back more of the heads and tails, because it increases the total amount of spirit produced, at the cost of including undesirable flavors. Barrel aging can temper some of those off-flavors a bit, but you'll still get some odd flavors/smells.

Source: I work with a distiller

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RememberThatDream t1_j6aa44n wrote

To add one more point, (specifically about tequila) cheap tequila like José Quervo or Sauza are a mix of agavé (minimum 51% in order to be sold as tequila) and grain alcohol. It’s the grain alcohol component that gives it that cheap taste, whereas tequila made with 100% agavé has a smoother more consistent flavour. If you want good tequila make sure it says “made with 100% agavé” on the bottle

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contactdeparture t1_j6ahwnj wrote

I'm going to get downvoted for this, fine whatever. Holy crap Boston did not do tequila well. I know a few places do now, but for decades that place was a backwater. I remember someone once said, "this is good, it's GOLD." With no sarcasm. Idiots.

Wasn't until I moved to California that I realized - one should never do burritos or tequila in Boston.

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sweetnumb t1_j6b3082 wrote

I can't actually say since I've never been to Boston... but isn't that place just like every other place in the US where you can simply buy whichever one you want? Or are you just talking about tequila that was made in Boston?

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[deleted] t1_j6b7z5m wrote

[deleted]

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muliardo t1_j6bauzq wrote

I don’t think you’ve been to California, if you think Boston has more variety of food

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WACK-A-n00b t1_j6bqmi3 wrote

Uhhh... Say you don't know shit about California without saying you don't know shit about California.

I'm standing by for when you say you are from California or something. My reply will be "so it's incompetence, not ignorance."

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chapstick__ t1_j6b8307 wrote

It's not possible to make tequila in Boston because that would be mezcal. Tequila has to come from tequila Mexico to be tequila.like how bourbon has to come from bourbon Kentucky. Boston probably just doesn't have very good tequila at bars.

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fiendo13 t1_j6bdymg wrote

Bourbon just has to be made in America, be over 50% corn, and aged in a new charred oak barrel. There is actually only one distillery in bourbon county, KY.

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Scottzilla90 t1_j6bf8og wrote

Close, it has to come from the USA to be Bourbon (amongst other conditions) but can only be Kentucky Bourbon if it’s from Kentucky.

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Rumhead1 t1_j6cr413 wrote

Tequila and mescal are different drinks and it has nothing to do with where it is made.

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beorn12 t1_j6dd529 wrote

Mezcal is the overall term for distilled agave spirits. As such, there are many types of mezcales, made in different regions in Mexico, using various cultivars or even different species of agave. Tequila is a specific type of mezcal made from blue agave. It also has denomination of origin, so additionally for it to be legally called tequila, it must be made in the state of Jalisco or the bordering municipalities (counties) of Michoacan, Guanajuato, and Tamaulipas.

In practice, people separate tequila from the rest of mezcales, much like people set apart champagne from "wine", despite how champagne is literally a specific type of sparkling wine, made in the French region of Champagne.

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sweetnumb t1_j6b881z wrote

Oh wow, you're right. Somehow I completely forgot about that.

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ettmyers t1_j6cvo39 wrote

Mezcal actually has stricter guidelines than tequila, also must be made in certain Mexican regions.

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contactdeparture t1_j6bamun wrote

Can't buy it there and most bars serve Cuervo as their mid range and worse as well. It's awful.

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Shouldacouldawoulda7 t1_j6cux3d wrote

Not sure how long it's been since you left... it is not hard to find good tequila in Boston. At least, it's no harder than any other place I've been to in the US.

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sweetnumb t1_j6bbhw2 wrote

That's so strange to me. I don't think I've ever actually had Jose Cuervo either, is it really that much worse than other brands? I assume there's also a difference between their 100% de agave offerings and the 51% or whatever ones.

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ringobob t1_j6cxk3z wrote

>I assume there's also a difference between their 100% de agave offerings and the 51% or whatever ones.

There's a difference, but 1800 (their 100% product) isn't great, either.

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Sci-FantasyIsMyJam t1_j6d8jbz wrote

I haven't had the 1800, but I like Jose Cuervo Tradicional Anejo, which is 100% agave. It's pretty good, especially for the price.

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ringobob t1_j6d9gm0 wrote

Tried it, was not a fan, though I know others like it. Good price, tastes better than 1800, OK in a marg. May even compete well in the price range, but I'd rather spend more on something I really enjoy.

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SassySybil71 t1_j6bgboe wrote

Cali Girl here. Charlotte NC does not do tequila well either. Finding decent (not 51%) tequila there is definitely a needle in a hay stack adventure. Let's not even talk about their Mexican food....

Stick with BBQ & vodka in Charlotte.

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no_usernames_avail t1_j6bnv5u wrote

I don't liquor shop in many parts of the country besides home... do you not have didn't liquor superstores that have everything and anything?

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Snatch_Pastry t1_j6bs76v wrote

A lot of people don't have bottles at home, they just have some drinks when they go out.

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Ratnix t1_j6cctqu wrote

And they don't ask for top shelf when they order drinks, so they get whatever cheap shit that particular establishment pours by default.

Some places, at least around here, will have the good stuff. But they don't pour it by default. You have to specifically ask for it, and they're going to charge you more for it.

Basically, it's like in the movies when someone walks up to a bar and says, "Give me a beer." Except they are just asking for a shot of tequila without specifying they want something other than the cheap shit.

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Broomstick73 t1_j6d8dlg wrote

Should try this in real life - go to a bar and say “gimmie a beer” and when they say “what kind” just keep pushing back on “just gimmie a beer”. lol

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SassySybil71 t1_j6bwthj wrote

California has great liquor stores - superstore or corner market. The ABC store in Charlotte was nothing like BevMo!. I took two good bottles in my checked luggage thankfully and the recipient of the bottle I gifted was very appreciative. (I spent four weeks working in Charlotte.)

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[deleted] t1_j6dn2vh wrote

[removed]

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im_the_real_dad t1_j6drctu wrote

I think your reply ended up under the wrong comment. I saw one further down where it would make much more sense. ;-)

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Maidenbaby88 t1_j6c4r6o wrote

That’s exactly what I was thinking! NY has like so many different types at the store so do other parts not have it this way?

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WinterSon t1_j6bv4af wrote

> Cali girl

At first glance this looks like "call girl" lol

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DarthGuber t1_j6cjlnl wrote

Gotta go up to Raleigh for good Mexican food in NC.

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Clewin t1_j6etac0 wrote

100% BLUE Agave. I make that distinction because there are tequila mixes with green Agave (Mezcal) that are 51% Blue as well. Tequila's main requirement is it being manufactured in Jalisco with Blue Agavé as the main ingredient. They use the piña, or the fruit of the plant, not the leaves, but the leaves are strong fibers and have other uses (like rope).

My ex ran a tourism company and I've been on so many tequila tours...

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blkhatwhtdog t1_j6ao3yj wrote

I thought near all distilled spirits, in the US anyway. Are run through a column where precise cuts are made at very specific temperatures. The flavor of bourbon is mostly from the barrel and how various weather conditions effect it.

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Snatch_Pastry t1_j6bsnb4 wrote

I've toured a couple smaller distilleries that do this. They make grain alcohol. They cut it with water to make vodka. They cut it with water and age it in barrels to make whiskey. They cut it with water and throw it in a tub with a Christmas tree and lawn trimmings to make gin.

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klipseracer t1_j6c296k wrote

Lmaooo. How someone can enjoy gin and tonic is really beyond me. I can't unsee that when I see someone who likes it.

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larrydukes t1_j6cbata wrote

My favorite on a hot summer day. It's got to be good gin (I like Tanqueray), generous amounts of ice and lime with any decent tonic(Canada Dry or Schweppes). So crisp and refreshing.

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BladeDoc t1_j6d8vwq wrote

Have you tried Tanqueray Rangpur? It makes any gin drink that you’re going to make with lime taste even better.

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dubbzy104 t1_j6cak8k wrote

Some people derive pleasure from pain and suffering

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Selfless- t1_j6czc7c wrote

Tonic is not soda water. It’s quinine juice. Quinine is a bitter, obsolete medical extract that has horrible side effects. If you don’t like a gin and tonic it’s probably not the gin you object to.

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klipseracer t1_j6gd3uy wrote

Yeah I'm aware there is a difference. Having had shots of gin, I can say with confidence there is nothing about a gin and tonic or gin by itself that I think is appealing, hence my astonishment when someone enjoys it or calls it their drink or choice.

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SapperBomb t1_j6d3yvn wrote

I've found that substituting premium vodka for gin in most traditional gin drinks works really well

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larrydukes t1_j6cbt3w wrote

That's how all distilleries do it. That's literally how you make booze. Except for the lawn trimmings. Juniper berries give gin it's distinctive flavor.

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aotus_trivirgatus t1_j6h6orq wrote

>They cut it with water and throw it in a tub with a Christmas tree and lawn trimmings to make gin.

Them's fightin' words, pardner.

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G0_pack_go t1_j6arw42 wrote

The mash bill has a lot to do with it too. As well as the filtration process.

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cunninglinguist32557 t1_j6bhz5s wrote

This is also why you have to be careful with moonshine. If you don't know what you're doing you could get too much methanol in there and cause serious issues.

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hikeonpast t1_j6brq79 wrote

Fun fact - methanol is really only a concern 1) if you are fermenting fruit or 2) if the federal government denatures (poisons) your moonshine with it like they did during prohibition.

Other fun fact - the antidote for methanol poisoning is….ethanol.

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dave200204 t1_j6d0dl9 wrote

Methanol appears at the very start of the run. Almost every moonshiner knows this. So they dunno out the first cup of so.

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Justeserm t1_j6atwqp wrote

Has anyone tried marketing a pure 100% ethanol drink?

I personally drink Everclear, and it's 190 proof, or 95% ABV. From what I can tell alcohol with water forms an azeotrope and has a lower boiling point than alcohol without. I would suspect that when alcohol is distilled some flavors may come with the water that evaporates with it.

I was thinking about trying to distill my own "dry" alcohol. If you add certain dried salts that form hydrates I think you can "soak up" the extra water and be left with basically pure ethanol, except for some of those other things you mentioned.

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jrp55262 t1_j6b17xm wrote

Are you drinking Everclear straight? Got your liver transplant lined up already?

The thing about the azeotrope mixture at 95% ABV is that at that point alcohol and water have exactly the same vapor point. You could distill that stuff 100 times and not get any higher alcohol concentration. There are various tricks that are used to push past this barrier, but they either require exotic equipment (vacuum swing distillation) or can leave undesired residues (benzene addition)

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Justeserm t1_j6bgeat wrote

God, no. I like drinking it because it has like no taste and I only have to use a little.

From what I read, acetone can be dried by baking Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate?) to dry it and then adding acetone. I think then it's supposed to be frozen and the acetone can be poured off the top. I was thinking of trying it with ethanol, but using a natural salt that forms a hydrate and (hopefully) isn't a laxative, not that it should dissolve.

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[deleted] t1_j6cqa21 wrote

Starch works. Tapioca pearls are used industrially to produce dry ethanol for vehicle fuel.

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Scottzilla90 t1_j6bfgru wrote

Ethanol above 70% actually damages proteins and cell membranes.. use with caution

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cunninglinguist32557 t1_j6bhu3p wrote

An ex of mine chugged everclear from the bottle because he thought it was vodka, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone that fucked up.

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D0ugF0rcett t1_j6bzq6u wrote

>An ex of mine chugged everclear from the bottle

Oh boy

>because he thought it was vodka,

Oh boy

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Gabzop t1_j6cfc4n wrote

Me and my buddies used to put warheads or skittles in a bottle and drink it because we were fucking stupid.

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jashxn t1_j6cfcn0 wrote

Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels. Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger, I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the “loser,” and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round. I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior. I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world. Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment. When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3×5 card reading, “Please use this M&M for breeding purposes.” This week they wrote back to thank me, and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this “grant money.” I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion. There can be only one.

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Tyraels_Might t1_j6d58q9 wrote

Yooooo. It's been years! Finding this again feels like meeting an old friend.

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CoolGuy175 t1_j6cv5jl wrote

This guy knows how to give head, and tails too.

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purple_hamster66 t1_j6e0zw8 wrote

Are there filters that could be designed to get exactly the compounds you want, without all that guesswork?

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Albs610 t1_j6a1ge8 wrote

Good explanation. Is this true with like beer beer to? Like why budwiser and bush are basicallu identical but one clearly is better tasting(usually) and cheaper?

I've always heard the better case of bush would taste better than a worse case of budwiser but never understood why.

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hikeonpast t1_j6a6ihr wrote

Beer has much more to do with ingredient quality and process steps. I can’t speak to Bud vs. Busch, since they are both lagers and have a similar flavor profile (to me). Compare the flavor of, say, Anchor Porter to Budweiser. Worlds apart.

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Ralfarius t1_j6am1h4 wrote

All macro brews are pretty much interchangeable, imo. Not bad, necessarily, but the difference between a domestic 'premium' and 'value' brand is not significant enough to warrant the price difference. Craft beers, however, run the gamut from eye opening to terrible mistakes.

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jrhooo t1_j6aopu2 wrote

add to that, a significant number of medium-macro brews may have their own recipe, but pay some bigger macro to brew their stuff.

Example, Baltimore's "Natty Boh" being owned by PBR and Brewed on contract in Coors facilities

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blkhatwhtdog t1_j6app96 wrote

Well you can tell Michelob from bud n Busch and they all come from the same vats.

Pete's Wicked Ale...I believe the first craft beer or maybe that's Anchor Steam...was hired out to a small mass market brewer...as was Boston Lager

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im_the_real_dad t1_j6dstow wrote

A few years ago I toured the Anchor brewery in San Francisco. At that time they made Anchor beer in SF.

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blkhatwhtdog t1_j6ap8en wrote

American beer is mostly barley flavor rice sake. Literally the cheapest beers have the most rice. That's why people are surprised by their first taste of a European beer.

In the old days before I could drink, breweries usually only had one product and the flavor varies with the price of commodity barley, hops etc...and the marketing price they were aiming for. I read about the implosion of Schlitz when the brewers decided to go cheaper but the marketing department decided to go upscale, and nobody knew what the others were doing. In the 50s n 60s you had to plan 6 months ahead. Your advertising was locked in 3 months in advance (my dad used to tell me about shooting summer fashion in the winter)

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lewisj75 t1_j6asvwp wrote

This is not true.

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blkhatwhtdog t1_j6ba72i wrote

Easy just look at the ingredients on the nutritional label. Case closed, thanks for playing.

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nutsotic t1_j6bey8e wrote

Lol beer doesn't have nutritional labels

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TremulousHand t1_j6buhqh wrote

I almost never drink the American macrobrews, but I was curious about looking into this. While rice is common, corn is actually more common (especially in the form of corn syrup). Hilariously, many companies pass both ingredients off as variations of "fine cereal grains" without actually specifying what they mean exactly.

Of the 13 most popular beers in the US (rankings based on what I found in a USA Today article), three have rice, nine have corn (usually syrup), and there's only one with no rice or corn.

Rice: Bud Light, Budweiser, Michelob Ultra

Corn: Coors Light, Miller Lite, Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, Natural Light, Busch Light, Busch, Keystone Light, Miller High Life

No rice or corn: Heineken

I do think calling them barley flavor rice sake is a bit unfair to sake, which has a much more complicated fermenting process than beer. In any event, I had no idea how much corn syrup goes into cheap American beers.

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