JPS6360994B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

Honkaku shochu, such as potato shochu, rice shochu, barley shochu, brown sugar shochu, etc., are defined as category O shochu under the Liquor Tax Act, and category 2 shochu must not be produced by continuous distillation. There is. In other words, it must be a simple distillation method in which a certain predetermined amount is completed each time. In general, distillation equipment for Otsu-class shochu is equipped with a heating steam pipe A or an indirect heating steam pipe B, and a mash heating evaporator E equipped with a waste liquid discharge pipe D, and a heating evaporator E as shown in Figure 1. A cooling device C that guides the shochu vapor through a conduit G through a device S that performs drip removal, reflux, concentration, etc., an alcohol meter box M that tests the alcohol content of the shochu distillate condensed in the cooling device C, and a shochu storage tank. It consists of T. To distill Otsu-type shochu, put an appropriate amount, for example, about 1,000 yam of sweet potato shochu mash, into a heating evaporator E, and heat it by blowing steam through the heating steam pipe A (it will boil in about 30 to 50 minutes). ), the generated shochu vapor passes through a device S for dripping, reflux, concentration, etc. and a conduit G, and reaches a cooling device C. The condensed shochu distillate is measured in an alcohol meter box M to measure the alcohol content (%). is stored in storage tank T. Near the end of distillation, the alcohol in the shochu becomes weaker, so when the alcohol content reaches around 5-10%, distillation is stopped. As the end point of distillation approaches, the deterioration in quality becomes obvious, so unless it is extremely bad, it is common practice to distill the alcohol content to as low as possible. Usually, the process ends within 2 to 3 hours after the shochu begins to distill. When mashing potatoes, the standard alcohol percentage of shochu in storage tank T is around 35%. In the case of potato shochu in single distillation, the alcohol content of the shochu condensed from the cooling device C and passed through the alcohol meter box M is as shown in Figure 2. Initially, the shochu distillate is distilled out, and the shochu contains a high concentration of alcohol. The alcohol content decreases over time and eventually approaches 0 and ends. In general, shochu near the end of distillation, where the alcohol content has decreased, is called the after-distillation part, or ``suedare''. ing.
There can be more than one conduit. Generally speaking, it is no exaggeration to say that the character of Otsu-class shochu is determined by the type and amount of volatile components other than alcohol. Components other than alcohol contained in Otsuru shochu include aldehydes, higher alcohols,
There are esters, organic acids, furfural, etc., but the decisive ingredients and amounts that determine the superiority and inferiority of flavor have not yet been determined. For this reason, the current situation is that the authoritative shochu competitions and competitions that compete to determine the quality of shochu are all decided based on human sensory evaluation. The fraction that is distilled relatively early in the distillation of Otsu-type shochu is called the first distillation (hanadare), and the middle fraction is called the middle distillation. Cutting it down to 100% lowers the alcohol yield rate, so the current situation is to incorporate as much alcohol as possible to the point where it is profitable.
There is also a method known as split distillation, in which the first distillate and the middle distillate, which are superior in flavor, are placed in a separate storage tank, and the very first distillate and the last distillate are collected separately and re-distilled to remove bad components. It has been adopted. However, even though this method reduces the number of bad ingredients, the number of good flavor ingredients also decreases. In addition to this, the current distillation equipment for Otsu-type shochu is designed to reduce the amount of components other than alcohol as much as possible.
Some devices are designed to increase the purity of alcohol by purifying, refluxing, and concentrating the shochu vapor generated from the evaporator, refluxing trace components other than alcohol as much as possible. The process from beginning to end must be the same, such as refluxing and concentrating. Because reflux and concentration are carried out during periods when purification and reflux are not required, for example, during the middle fermentation period, even good flavor components are lost, resulting in a shochu that has little flavor and lacks the personality of Otsu-class shochu. In addition, since purification and concentration are carried out throughout the entire distillation process, the distillation time and heating time are long, which not only increases distillation costs, but also eliminates trace components that have undergone abnormal thermal changes due to the long heating time. It is also common for a bad flavor to appear due to the distillation of alcohol. In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, shochu vapor generated from the mash heating evaporator 1 is guided to a cooling device 4 through a device 2 for refining, refluxing, concentrating, etc., and conduits 3A, 3B, and 3C. The conduits 3A, 3B, and 3C are provided in parallel, and the conduit 3A mostly bypasses the device 2 for refining, refluxing, and concentrating shochu vapor and is led to the cooling device 4, and the conduit 3B is for medium purification, After refluxing, concentrating, etc., it is led to a cooling device 4, and then passed through a conduit 3.
C is purified, refluxed, and concentrated through the device 2 and led to the cooling device 4. By appropriately selecting and using the conduits 3A, 3B, and 3C according to the passage of distillation time, high-quality shochu can be obtained by incorporating as many good flavor components as possible and removing bad components. For example, when distilling aged mash that has completed smooth fermentation or high-quality mash with a relatively high alcohol content, most of the distillation is carried out using only conduit 3A or conduit 3B. By using only 3C, it is possible to obtain shochu with a good flavor and a lot of umami. When you want to obtain shochu with a particularly high concentration, use conduit 3A only for the first distillation part, and use conduit 3A for the middle distillation and rear distillation.
By using B and 3C, shochu with a high alcohol content can be obtained. If the raw materials used are of poor quality, the fermentation is not going well, the mash has many impurities, or the mash has a relatively low alcohol content, close conduit 3A from the beginning and replace conduit 3B. If you use conduit 3C, it will be purified.
The reflux and concentration processes can be utilized to their fullest potential, and deterioration of shochu can be prevented as much as possible. An example of producing barley shochu is as follows.

[Table] The sensory test was conducted by 10 people, and a score of 1 point was given to an excellent product, 2 points to an average product, and 3 points to a slightly inferior product.The total of the scores was the sensory evaluation score. Therefore, the lower the score, the better the evaluation. Example 1 Example of distilling barley shochu using the device of the present invention (see Figure 4) Barley mash alcohol content 17.8% Volume of mash used at one time 1.050 Time from the beginning of steam injection to the end 3 hours
35 minutes (a) From the start of steam injection to the start of shochu distillate distillation 45 minutes (b) From the start of distillation until 50 minutes, pipes 3A, 3B,
Distill at 3C full throttle. (c) From 50 minutes after the start of distillation until one hour has passed, fully close conduit 3A and fully open conduits 3B and 3C. (d) Completely close conduits 3A and 3B and fully open conduit 3C for distillation from 1 hour and 50 minutes after the start of distillation until the end. Alcohol % of produced shochu 44.2% Volume of produced shochu 410 Alcohol collection rate (alcohol of produced shochu/total alcohol in mash x 100) 97% Product features A shochu with little unpleasant barley odor, lots of sweetness, and a soft texture with a good aftertaste. There is almost no burnt smell that is often found in barley shochu. Example 2 Another example of distilling barley shochu using the device of the present invention (see Figure 5) Same as barley mash example 1 17.8% Volume of mash used at one time 1.050 Time from the beginning of steam injection to the end 3 hours
46 minutes (a) From the beginning of steam blowing to the beginning of shochu distillation
45 minutes. (b) Conduit 3A is fully opened until 50 minutes from the beginning of distillation.
B, 3C fully closed. (c) From 50 minutes after the start of distillation until one hour has passed, pipe 3A is fully closed, and pipes 3B and 3C are fully opened. (d) Fully open conduit 3C from 1 hour and 50 minutes after the start of distillation to the end point. Alcohol% of produced shochu: 42.1% Volume of produced shochu: 430 Alcohol yield: 97% Product Features: Shochu with a light and refreshing barley odor, rich flavor and roundness, no burnt odor or runny odor. Example 3 An example of distilling barley shochu using a conventional device (see Figure 6) Same as barley mash examples 1 and 2 Volume of mash used for one 17.8% alcohol content 985 Time from the start of steam injection to the end 3 hours
55 minutes (a) From the start of steam injection to the start of shochu distillate coming out 53 minutes (b) Time from the start of distillation to the end of distillation 3 hours 2 minutes Alcohol% of shochu produced 39.7% Volume of shochu produced 426.6 Alcohol yield 96 % Product Features It has a barley odor, a burnt odor, and a pungent odor.The taste is sweet but has a lot of unpleasant taste, which leaves a lingering aftertaste. In the end, with conventional distillation equipment, (1) there is very little scope for responding to changes in the situation of the mash using only the distillation method unique to the device, and (2) there is no scope for refining and concentrating shochu, as only the type unique to the device can handle. , (3) Re-distillation may be required in some cases, and (4) only the alcohol concentration specific to the device can be obtained. However, according to the apparatus of the present invention, (1) the optimum distillation method can be selected according to the condition of the mash before distillation, and (2) the degree of purification and concentration can be selected according to the quality to be designed. (3) Since harmful components can be removed without re-distilling the shochu, distillation time and costs are reduced; (4) Compared to conventional shochu, it is possible to freely produce high-concentration alcohol in just one distillation. You can make shochu.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a conventional distillation apparatus for Otsu-class shochu. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the course of the alcohol content percentage of the distillate during distillation. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a shochu distillation apparatus according to the present invention. Fourth,
Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams showing changes in the alcohol concentration of the distillate during distillation in Examples 1, 2, and 3, respectively. 1: heating evaporator, 2: purification, reflux, concentrator,
3A, 3B, 3C: conduit, 4: cooling device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Arranged so that the alcohol-containing shochu vapor generated from one mash heating evaporator is led to a cooling device through two or more conduits installed in parallel, and these conduits immediately direct the shochu vapor generated from the mash heating evaporator to the cooling device. The shochu vapor is rectified, refluxed, and concentrated at selected times during one distillation. A shochu distillation device that changes the degree of shochu and distills shochu with fewer components that have a bad flavor.