How does freezing yield a 41%abv beer???

Here is a link to a brewery touting the worlds strongest beer (Sink the Bismark) coming in at 41% ABV. the blog says that they achieve this by "freezing" it 4 different times. I'm not familiar with this process. how does it work? I thought yeast would die above a much lower %abv. Here's the link:

http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article.php?id=251

The wort is fermented out. Then the beer is frozen and the ice chips are either removed or the remaining liquor is racked away from the ice. Wash, Rinse , Repeat.

Eventually all the water is removed and only alcohol remains.

Eisbock.1234638763

I see. It would be interesting to taste.

.................It would be interesting to taste.......

I guess you could turn a pale ale into a lagered barleywine with a good freeze!

I am just not certain it will be all that pleasant. I can only imagine how much flavor is lost in all the ice. Sure there will be some in the remaining alcohol but, how much?

When it comes to the higher proof liquors, 80+, they all tend to taste the same to me.

The important thing to keep in mind with freezing is that the original recipe has to be designed for freeze concentrating. You have to have a solid fermentation as well. Any flaws in your ferment will be accentuated by the freezing.

wscott823 said:

The important thing to keep in mind with freezing is that the original recipe has to be designed for freeze concentrating. You have to have a solid fermentation as well. Any flaws in your ferment will be accentuated by the freezing.

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I'm about 1000% sure the first Eisbocks werent designed to be frozen

babalu87 said:

I'm about 1000% sure the first Eisbocks werent designed to be frozen

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I am about 1000% sure that it also illegal in the USA, freezing a fermented beverage, then removing the ice is, technically distilling, and is illegal. That is, if you were considering doing the same at home.




Not to rain on the parade or anything.....

enderwig said:

I am about 1000% sure that it also illegal in the USA, freezing a fermented beverage, then removing the ice is, technically distilling, and is illegal. That is, if you were considering doing the same at home.




Not to rain on the parade or anything.....

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Actually this is a really gray area. Members have contacted state and local governments as well as federal agencies to find out how legal this would be. If I remember, ATF's standpoint was "A lawyer might be able to convince someone you are distilling alcohol, but to us it looks like you are just making a different style beer at home. And if you do this AT HOME, for personal use, there is no way anyone would know anyway, so don't worry about it."

Obviously that is not an actual quote, just what I remember from what another member posted. The general consensus in other threads is that freeze distillation is a somewhat inaccurate term, and freeze concentration is more appropriate.

If it were that cut and dry, it would be illegal to send Eisbock to any brewing competition.

From what I have read and heard it is actually considered concentrating and not distilling...It is totally legal...Im sorry but I cannot recall the website, but the law is quoted on a Basic Brewing podcast sometime ago in the past...

firebird77 said:

Actually this is a really gray area. Members have contacted state and local governments as well as federal agencies to find out how legal this would be. If I remember, ATF's standpoint was "A lawyer might be able to convince someone you are distilling alcohol, but to us it looks like you are just making a different style beer at home. And if you do this AT HOME, for personal use, there is no way anyone would know anyway, so don't worry about it."

The general consensus in other threads is that freeze distillation is a somewhat inaccurate term, and freeze concentration is more appropriate.

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Bobby_M said:

If it were that cut and dry, it would be illegal to send Eisbock to any brewing competition.

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Recusit8m said:

From what I have read and heard it is actually considered concentrating and not distilling...It is totally legal...Im sorry but I cannot recall the website, but the law is quoted on a Basic Brewing podcast sometime ago in the past...

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Good to know, guess I'm behind the times Obviously I am not 1000% sure anymore...

You can go to your grocery and pick up a few beers that use the same principal...bud ice, nasty ice, keystone ice and so on. I don't remember the exact specifics but I believe there is some regulation on how much ice/water can be removed, at least in the usa.

The process I'm aware of is super cooled metal rods are inserted into the finished beer and the water forms ice crystals on the rods and then the rods are removed and you have a higher alc content brew by taking out some water/ice.


I've actually done this years ago to see what would happen, let's just say it's somewhat a pain to do on the small scale...you are better off just using more fermentables if you want a higher alc brew, or buy some whiskey.

brewingmeister said:

You can go to your grocery and pick up a few beers that use the same principal...bud ice, nasty ice, keystone ice and so on. I don't remember the exact specifics but I believe there is some regulation on how much ice/water can be removed, at least in the usa.

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The following ATF ruling applies to the commercial sale of "ice beers":

ATF Ruling 94-3:

The definition of "beer concentrate" in 27 CFR 25.11 does not include a beer whose volume has been reduced as long as there is not more than a 0.5 percent by volume reduction in the beer, and the resultant product retains its character as beer.

Read the whole thing


These guys clarify the gray issue on the federal level in this video at about 1:13

Great info. Thanks!