What is the difference between beer and spirits and liquer even?!
What is the difference between beer and spirits and liquer even?
i'm looking to find the difference between beer and spirits and liquir even. i know that rum and vodka and stuff like that are spirits but why are they called spirits? compared to beer like carlton cold or tooheys new. if theres a website that anyone knows of that compares the 2 also would be great
Answers:
"Spirits" got their name because they are distilled. Distilling involves boiling off the alcohol ( which boils at a lower temperature than water), catching the vapor, and condensing it back to liquid form. It's an effective way of seperating alcohol out of a mass of liquid. Vapor in the air (think steam) looks like a "spirit" . The words "spirit" and "Liquor" or interchangeable. A Liqueur is a spirit with sugar and flavorings added.
Most clear spirits are basically the same. Vodka is the most flavorless. In fact, much of the content of a bottle of vodka is plain water to get the proof (alcohol content) down to legal and tolerable levels. Where this water comes from - a tap, a glacier, a spring - is a main flavoring agent . Add to it herbs, spices and berries ( juniper ) and you have gin. Distill it from sugarcane instead of the usual grain or potato, and it's rum. Amber spirits start out the same way, but are aged in charred wood barrels to mellow. It's the caramelization ( sugar plus heat ) inside the barrel that adds color.
Beer (grain) and wine (fruit) are fermented - sugars and starches are consumed by yeast (a fungus) and the by-product is alcohol (yes, you're drinking fungus poop to catch a buzz) and since they are not as concentrated as something that's been distilled, they have a lower alcohol content. You can distill wine : you'll get Eau de Vie (water of life) which is bland until you age it in wood barrels. Then you have brandy. If you're in French wine country when you make this brandy, it's called Cognac.
The words Vodka, Whiskey, and Aquavit also mean "water of life" in various languages.
This is the best answer you'll get. Where's my 10 points?