Could the Eisbock freezing process be applied to other styles besides Bocks?

For those of us who don't home-brew or hang on those forums could you briefly summarize the difference between freeze distillation and freeze concentration? Thanks!

 

For commercial brewers, it's not legal for such a product to be sold as a "malt beverage" according to the TTB (see links in post #12 above for the ruling and article):

Domestic Beverage Alcohol Formulation
• Not more than 0.5% of beer can be removed as ice crystals
• ATF Ruling 94-3
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For example, BrewDog's "Sink the Bismarck!" was registered with the TTB as a "Distilled Beverage - Type 699 OTHER SPECIALTIES & PROPRIETARIES" for it's COLA.

 

Conceptually that's pretty much how Eisbocks are made, but I didn't realize that the technique went back that far. Thanks for the info.

 

Sure! It has to do with the method of capture of the alcohol. In distillation, the alcohol is isolated in the form of a vapor and captured likewise, then condensed back into liquid resulting in a stronger alcohol. In concentration, the alcohol is concentrated (duh) into the remaining liquid, and the remainder (mostly water) is removed. Distillation can obviously produce 4-5x the alcohol because you're removing more than just some of the water.

Here's a video that includes information pertaining to the legal differences:

 

Struise has a special machine just for this and used the process to make Double Black, so yes it has been done with ales. I drank one bottle, 750ml, alone once and was pretty hungover the next day. Great Stuff.

 

Froze a Brooklyn Sorachi Ace by accident and drank the liquid before the ice had completely defrosted...

It put me on my ass

 

Whats so different about it?
I think from a legal standpoint there is a worry about methanol ( which is no bueno, potential never toxin) being concentrated at unsafe amounts with freeze distillation. The formal distillation process will separate this out normally with a column still and the head which contains this can be discarded in a pot still. And how is freezing beer not a form of freeze distillation? why is it different? You are essentially freezing a liquid and discarding the ice crystals.. sounds like basic freeze distillation to me!

 

Thanks, I got that. So if I understand correctly you, and the guys in the Video, and the TTB are effectively saying that what some folks call freeze distilation is actually misnamed and should be called "freeze concentration."

Edit: And that only heat produces distillation.

 

That's my understanding.

 

Thanks for the help with that and the video link.

 

I've done this with a coffee imperial stout a few years ago and it won a gold in cat 23 in the comp I entered it it.

You could theoretically do it to any beer, but bigger sweeter styles seem to be better suited for "icing"...

 

Freeze distillation is the legal term, but it's a misnomer better described as "freeze concentration."

 

I think whats going on here is a legal expedient. If you watch the video link he provided they quote a letter from the TTB that basically says that ice removal by home brewers is no longer considered to be illegal and so they (the TTB) call it concentration rather than distillation, which remains illegal.

 

Exactly. Freeze concentration/fractional freezing is completely legal. Distillation on the other hand is a completely different process and is illegal.

 

Yes, of course it has. If it can be frozen, whether accidently or not. It can, and should be tried.

 

I think I'm going to try this with a Habanero Sculpin. I'm just too curious about how undrinkable that will be.

 

I work for a farm that produces apple cider and some of the owners' kids love to drink it half-frozen because of how sweet it gets.

 

And if it's not, that would be like discovering plutonium...by accident!

 

Speaking of the good stuff: I just had one tonight that could be considered an 'ale', depending on how you look at things:

Aventinus Eisbock. Pretty heavenly, too.

 

At the very least I'm hoping it'll be interesting to blend with another beer