How is "ice" beer made?

[unkle bik]

Pretty self-explanatory.
Just would like to know what the process is to making "ice" beer.
Is it just fermenting the wort to completion, freezing it, then removing the excess water (ice)?
(at least that's what I tried, once)
Thanx.

[brewmonkey]

In Europe it is made by the method you described. They brew the beer and then crash the temp to form ice. Once the ice is formed the beer is racked and the ice left behind. Doing this concentrates the alcohol (Distillation) as well as enhance malt character.

In the US it is illegal to do this without a distillation permit and it is my understanding that you cannot be a lisenced brewery and distiller on the same premise. While there are some companies that have both (McMenamins Edgefield comes to mind) they cannot brew the beer in one place and then send it to the distiller for this process. So in this country it is my understanding that the beer is brought to a level where ice crystals will form but then it is racked and packaged without leaving the ice behind.

[unkle bik]

Interesting answer.
It did not know that this process could considered "distillation".
I guess that this is the reason why many microbreweries do not consider doing it. (not that their would be a demand for it)

I guess I was flaunting the law when I did it.

[steveh]

Brewmonkey is exactly right - especially about freezing and skimming being a form of distillation, and distillation being a separate process from brewing and thereby being separately licensed.

Another way U.S. brewers have been known to "recreate" an ice beer is the old fashioned way of making a strong beer: more fermentables and less water in the boil. Unfortunately, they don't use the same fermentable ingredients as Kulmbacher Reichelbrau might.

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by unkle bik
[B]
I guess that this is the reason why many microbreweries do not consider doing it. (not that their would be a demand for it)

There are a few brew-pubs that do, Madison's Great Dane for one, but the law may be different for a brew-pub or micro? I don't know.


I guess I was flaunting the law when I did it.

Call the revenooers! ;)

S.

[fidcastro]

The December 2003 issue of "Brew Your Own" has an article on it that includes plenty of instructions and a few recipes. It also notes (as it has been mentioned above) that it is illegal to do without a permit, but that doesn't stop them from telling you how.

[barley ben]

IIRC, in that article, I believe they said something about breweries are aloud to do it as long as it is not more than a .5% ABV difference. Don't know how the permit would fall into place there. not sure where my magazine is right now to check it out.

[Tweek]

Anchor I believe distills under the same roof as they make beer. For those of you that dont know Anchor makes the Old Potrero Whisky.

[barley ben]

DFH also has distilled spirits. I don't know if it's done under the same roof though.

[barley ben]

Lucky for me I don't like liquor and it's not worth the effort to me but it sure doesn't seem too hard to distill alcohol with the ice method. Couldn't you ferment a high gravity concoction and keep icing it till it's almost pure alcohol?

Now the feds are probably on their way to my how for that question!!

[Richard English]

In the UK distillation by heating or freezing are both illegal.

And so far as I know there are no "ice beers" brewed here.

[chazwicke]

Niagara Falls Brewing used to make one. It is on the Canadian side. Also Didn't Jack Daniels make a beer for a while? Never tried it.