Why is Beer Carbonated Whereas Wine and Liquor Generally Aren't?

[Kolak_of_Twilo]

@Martini_Enfield

The second word, lest you’re currently booking flights to India, is “Sapphire”. Bombay Sapphire gin was the stuff they served aboard Concorde, and under no circumstances should you even think about considering another brand.

The third word would be - Hendrick’s.
Ignore all other words.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

@jayjay

Wait…they added gin to IMPROVE the flavor? That had to be some incredibly nasty tonic water, then. I’ve never been able to tell the difference between the way gin tastes and the way rubbing alcohol smells.

@Teacake

Tonic water doesn’t taste foul. It just happens to have an affinity with the juniper in the gin.

Modern tonic water doesn’t taste foul, because it contains trace amounts of quinine, and is sweetened. The amount of quinine in modern tonic water (83 parts per million in the US) isn’t enough to prevent malaria, or do anything other than add a hint of bitterness.

Tonic water originally contained large amounts of quinine, and was unsweetened, and hence tasted foul.

@Martini_Enfield

The second word, lest you’re currently booking flights to India, is “Sapphire”. Bombay Sapphire gin was the stuff they served aboard Concorde, and under no circumstances should you even think about considering another brand.

This. Although regular Bombay Dry gin is fine too. Sapphire is the premium stuff.

ETA: If you can find Plymouth, buy that instead. It was Churchill’s gin.

[bahimes]

@bump

Some wine is… the methode Champenoise is broadly identical to the way that homebrewers naturally carbonate their beers, i.e. ferment it out, add some sugar, bottle tightly, and let the CO2 formed dissolve into solution.

Carbonated liquor would be strange; distillation by definition would remove any gas from the original fermentation, and I pretty much doubt you’d be able to even effectively carbonate an 80 proof spirit- the alcohol & water would have very different properties than water alone.

While posted to Jordan, I went on a group tour to the local brewery. Christian owned, if anyone asks. They brewed Beck’s beer and other brands under license. They also “bottled” soft drinks and liquor. The Liquor was carbonated in the cans. --One woman said it was “Scotch and Soda”. After finishinig a 33cl can, she was pored back onto the bus. --When the Dutch brew master was asked, he said that the carbonation kept the cans from being crushed when they were smuggled into Iraq on camels and donkeys.

[Martini_Enfield]

@Kolak_of_Twilo

The third word would be - Hendrick’s.
Ignore all other words.

I suppose Hendricks is acceptable if you find yourself out of Bombay Sapphire and your valet is unable to get to Fortnum’s to acquire more.

[bump]

I’m a fan of Junipero, Boodles and Plymouth more than any other brands. Hendrick’s is great for mixed drinks, but doesn’t do as well in a G&T IMO. because it’s not as juniper-centric as some of the others.

Plymouth’s a great all-around gin though- good for martinis, good for mixed drinks, and makes a decent G&T.

And what I meant by “distillation by definition would remove any gas” is that if you take something that might be carbonated, and then boil it, and condense the vapors, that resulting condensate is going to be uncarbonated. You’d have to somehow carbonate it, and I don’t know how much CO2 you can dissolve in solution in an 80 proof drink- a lot less than plain water for sure.

[Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party]

@silenus

For most of the world’s history, beer wasn’t fizzy. It wasn’t until the invention of the crown cap that people started drinking beer with lots of bubbles.

Try a real ale in England sometime. Almost completely flat (by American standards). What bubbles there are come from residual fermentation in the cask.

You can’t do bottle carbonation of liquor because no yeast can live in that high a percentage of alcohol.

There’s a few styles of English ale that are carbonated, especially if bought in bottles. Spitfire is an example. Bitter is always flat, though.

[tallcoldone]

Other ideas for beer vs. liquor; the order is debatable:

1. Maintaing proper carbonation is key to maintaining the taste. A single serving of alcohol in beer is more or less a pint; liquor is about 1/10th that. Thus, a bottle or can’s carbonation level is easy to maintain all the way to fnal consumption. Liquor in larger bottles would be more like a 2L soda - you’ve got to go through a lot quickly to avoid it going flat and tasing bad. Beer recipes are tuned so they taste good carbonated. This could be done with liquor , but…

2. Beer yeasts are still viable at 5-10% alcohol levels, so naturally carbonating in the bottle is simply a matter of adding a dollop of sugar, capping and waiting a week or three. This was practical for pre-to-early industrial beer production. Liquors are distilled to concentrate the alcohol beyond the yeast’s ability to survive, so natural carbonation is out.

3. Beer is more of a refreshment when you’re thirsty, and carbonation enhances that. Liquor is for savoring; drink it straight as a thirst-quencher and you’ll be out in no time.

[Gary_Robson]

@tallcoldone

3. Beer is more of a refreshment when you’re thirsty, and carbonation enhances that. Liquor is for savoring; drink it straight as a thirst-quencher and you’ll be out in no time.

I’m guessing you don’t drink a lot of Imperial stouts, barleywines, and the like. They are definitely made for savoring.

For the average 4-5% abv lager drinker, though, I’d agree completely.