There is a bar in Houhai

Chapter 226 Brewing
Although the bourbon whiskey distillery originated in Bourbon County, Kentucky, most of them are now concentrated around the city of Louisville, which has a large area of ​​plains for growing corn.Genetically modified corn from Monsanto has high yields, larger grains, and higher starch content, making it easier for mechanized planting.

Shen Fang's winery is still located in the outskirts of Bourbon County, Kentucky, where the most traditional whiskey brewing process is still preserved.The raw material used for brewing is also non-GMO traditional corn.Shen Fang's [-]-hectare farm is all planted with this kind of corn.

The starch content of this kind of corn is low, and it is not drought-tolerant, and the harvest is not high.According to the traditional brewing technique that the original owner of the winery has always insisted on using, the proportion of corn should be 85%, which is far higher than the current common 51%.It is fermented with high-quality barley malt and wheat malt to make it have a higher alcohol content and a more mellow taste.And [-] hectares of harvested corn can only brew dozens of barrels of whiskey at most.In the United States, farmers have to pay a large amount of taxes every year, and the unsustainable heir of the winery sold the winery to Shen Fang after his father died.

After Shen Fang took over, he reorganized the farm that was about to be abandoned, and found the winemakers he laid off one by one, because Shen Fang was not short of money, and he didn't expect the winery to make money. The production process requires excellence, and even the proportion of grains requires the selection of the best.Still brew your favorite whiskey according to the most traditional techniques.

Standing in the winery's underground wine cellar, Shen Fang proudly told Qin Mohan about the process of acquiring the winery.Although the production volume of this winery is small, the whiskey produced is the best in Bourbon County.

Pointing to the oak barrels marked with different years, Shen Fang said with a smile: "The biggest gains I have gained in the past few years in the United States are actually these. Maybe it is the difference in social circles. After entertaining guests at several receptions, I was loved by many friends. Come on, help me open up a lot of contacts." These wines that could not produce benefits in the wine cellar, under the promotion of Shen Fang, have become the private pets of many Internet giants in Silicon Valley.And the quantity is limited, only for gift but not for sale, so many people who love wine have become friends with him.

Qin Mohan curled his lips and said, "Should I show a look of admiration on my face, then look at you and say: Wow, you are so amazing, I adore you so much!"

Shen Fang patted her buttocks: "Stingy, you still haven't calmed down. I said it, I have nothing to do with her, she is just a little girl when I saw her for the first time. Besides, she is not my type, I like you."

Qin Mohan pursed his lips and said, "Hmph, seeing her hug you so kindly makes me uncomfortable."

After arriving at the winery today, Shen Fang was hugged by a blonde at the gate. This is Megan Hart, the granddaughter of the winery's chief winemaker Jack Hart. She has a figure similar to that of Hollywood. A sexy girl.In contrast, looking at the other side's towering mountain, Qin Mohan felt a sense of crisis. Although he knew that Shen Fang had nothing to do with her, seeing the familiar exchange between the two, Qin Mohan was still a little jealous.

Sensitive Shen Fang clearly felt Qin Mohan's recent emotional changes. At first, Shen Fang thought it was the arrival of relatives, which made her feel a little out of control.Later, it became clear that Qin Mohan had a sense of insecurity following the media's continuous reports on Shen Fang.

"Jealous?" Shen Fang surrounded her from behind: "There is no need at all, where is my confident girl?"

Feeling the temperature coming from behind, Qin Mohan said quietly: "I feel that the gap with you is getting bigger and bigger, and I can no longer keep up with your pace."

"Fool, caring about other people's opinions, and comparing your achievements with your lover is an extremely stupid thing. We always have to live for ourselves, and our smiles should be particularly bright, don't care about other people's opinions, we don't live for others , you are mine, and I only belong to you, this will never change."

Shen Fang's words made Qin Mohan's tense emotions gradually soften, and his whole body also softened. He leaned into Shen Fang's arms and let him hug him tightly.

In the next few days, the hearty Qin Mohan came back again. She took the initiative to communicate with Megan Hart, and the two of them rode horses, went shopping together, or watched Old Jack and the others make wine with Shen Fang.

This winery is not like those large wineries that brew whiskey all year round. Shen Fang’s winery harvests corn every year in September, and after three months of natural drying, it starts brewing in December.

Shen Fang will come to participate in the brewing every year whenever he is free, watching the air-dried corn being ground into ultra-fine powder in the refiner, then mixed with mixed rye, fermented barley malt, and wheat malt, and finally put into the grain for cooking Cooked under high temperature and high pressure in the pot.

The cooked grains are then transferred to fermentation tanks for fermentation, which is when the secret recipe made by Hejia Winery is used.

The entire state of Kentucky belongs to the interior of the United States and has basically the same climate. Even the corn used to produce whiskey is basically the same, plus the same machinery and equipment, but the bourbon whiskey produced by different distilleries has different tastes. feature.Old winemakers will tell you that in addition to the ratio of grain raw materials, what is more important is the fermentation strain, new white oak barrels and storage warehouses.

Each distillery has its own yeast strain, and the unique fruity aroma of bourbon whiskey is not only due to the yeast but also to the oak barrel.They all survived Prohibition from 1919 to 1933.The yeast strains of Shen Fang's winery are even more special, bringing a richer taste. In order to keep these yeast strains strictly confidential, Shen Fang even applied for a patent for them.

After working with Old Jack for a few days, we have to wait for them to ferment naturally. According to the traditional method, the brewer will let the cooked grain acid store in the fermenter for three days, and wait for the yeast inside it to start to change. converted to alcohol.At this time, the distillation and barreling can begin.In this step, Shen Fang’s winery adopts the mechanized treatment commonly used by wineries in the United States, so that the whole process can be sterilized. The distilled raw wine is directly poured into fresh white oak barrels through the condenser, avoiding the influence of external pollution. Wine quality.

After a busy day, Qin Mohan gave him a massage to relax his muscles and bones at night: "Megan doesn't want to stay in Bourbon anymore, she wants to go to Hollywood or Bainaohui. She is very envious when she knows that I am an actor." Not so good, she is still the cheerleader of the school's American football team, a man of the hour in the school, and the praise of her classmates makes her even more eager to move.

Shen Fang said: "Don't encourage her, old Jack will not allow it. According to Jack's idea, he wants her to inherit the wine-making skills. This girl has been very sensitive to whiskey since she was a child, and she is very talented in the wine-making industry. of."

Three days later, this year's whiskey has been fermented, and Old Jack can tell the quality of this batch of wine through a slight change in breath.The broth is distilled through a column still, condensed and barreled.As the owner of the winery, he needs to close the first oak barrel himself. Qin Mohan is deeply interested in this ceremonial work.After Shen Fang asked Old Jack for his opinion, he asked Qin Mohan to close the first oak barrel, and stamped it with the QMH brand and production date.

Seeing his achievements being stored in the large wine cellar, Qin Mohan felt a sense of accomplishment.

"Wow, this barrel of wine belongs to me personally, you can't secretly drink it for me."

"Certainly not. I will keep this barrel of wine until our children grow up. We will use it as a gift for them."

Listening to Shen Fang's words, Qin Mohan didn't refute, and touched the date on it with his hand, looking forward to the moment when the barrel of wine was opened.

It took two days for Old Jack and the workers to barrel, seal, brand, and store the whiskey. Shen Fang paid them generous remuneration so that their income could reach the level of the middle class in the United States. This is why Old Jack opposed May. Another reason to root for Hollywood.

After all the new wine was put into storage, Shen Fang began to select the old wine and let these workers bottle it.Although the winery is relatively small, it also has its own bottling production line.A standard barrel has a volume of 200 liters. After aging, alcohol volatilization and other reasons, it can probably hold about 1 bottles with a capacity of 150 liter.

This time, Shen Fang opened 20 barrels of whiskey of different ages. Among them, the oldest barrel of 1970 whiskey has been condensed to only half a barrel. The liquor has become viscous and has an extremely mellow taste.

After bottling, labeling, and sealing red wax, Shen Fang felt a sense of accomplishment when he saw the [-] boxes full of whiskey, but he also felt distressed. More than half of the wine would be distributed to different friends.Shen Fang waved his hand, signaling Qian Bin to deal with it, and asked him to contact DHL to send it out according to the list he gave.

(End of this chapter)