Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 60
The technology of distilling wine is not advanced, the first is the creation of utensils.

Shen Zhezi asked people to open up a quiet courtyard in the manor, placed the craftsmen there, and then began to sketch the still.A cauldron for heat, a container for wine, a cover for collecting steam, two conduits, one for water circulation to condense steam, and one for draining condensed wine.

Although Shen Zhezi was a clumsy painter, but this time he directly held the charcoal block to draw on the paper, and the lines were vivid.After washing off the black charcoal from his hands, he showed his achievements to the old man Zuo Dan.

The old man Zuo Dan held the scroll in his hand and watched intently. Just as Shen Zhezi felt that the old man should not know the distiller just like the emperor did not know Quyuanli, and needed to explain it in detail, what Zuo Dan said surprised Shen Zhezi: "Is the object painted by Lang Jun steamed?"

"Old man has seen this thing?" Shen Zhezi asked anxiously.

Seeing the drastic change in Lang Jun's face, Zuo Dan was startled, he probably made a mistake in his answer, and held the sketch for a long time to observe, before he hesitated and said slowly: "Although the style is a little different, it should be a good steamer."

As he spoke, he pointed to some parts on the sketch to explain the functions, and it was indeed no different from the reality.

Shen Zhezi originally wanted to use distilled wine to kill the Quartet, but he didn't expect to be a bad teacher. The old craftsman who lived in the manor all the year round actually knew the distiller, which made him feel a haze, but he was not reconciled, so he asked again : "Old man, do you know what this thing is for? Does the village have this utensil?"

Zuo Dan thought for a moment, then nodded slowly: "There are indeed such utensils in the village. The chef cooks the flower pulp to extract the fragrant dew, which can be eaten in spoons. When the old master is here, he also uses it to boil pine and cypress ointment to preserve health and heal diseases."

Shen Zhezi heard this, and asked again: "Then can this steamer be used to boil wine?"

Zuo Dan was not calm when he heard this, and raised his eyebrows as if he was quite indignant. After thinking about Shen Zhezi's identity, he suppressed his emotions, but his tone was a little stiff: "How can this be done! Brewing, blending, shaking, sifting, and serving as for storage, the taste is different even if there is a trace of air flow! Once the ingredients are selected and heated, it will become astringent, sour and turbid soup.

Shen Zhezi didn't intend to argue with the old man professionally, but saw that Zuo Dan looked at him with an unreasonable look, as if his proposal was an unforgivable act of violence.

Shen Zhezi didn't mind the old man's attitude, but was relieved because of this, people at that time already had a complete and mature theory of wine making skills, and even endowed it with a sense of sacred ritual.Then he neither agrees nor has the concept of distillation, which is a superfluous process.

However, he was also worried that the old man was not well-informed and ignorant, so he asked the selected craftsmen again and again.Although these people have different attitudes, their answers are the same, and they feel that there is no need to cook the liquor.

In this way, Shen Zhezi was completely relieved.The process of generation, development, and promotion of technology is a very paradoxical thing.Even in the era of advanced consulting in later generations, it cannot be said that all technological potentials have been fully tapped and utilized. The collision of different fields and concepts can always produce amazing results.

Since there is no concept of distilled alcohol nowadays, Shen Zhezi has no scruples.Someone found the steaming urns in the manor, including copper casting, iron forging, and pottery.Although the materials and styles are different, the structure is similar, and there is indeed a distillation effect.It is only slightly deficient in gas collection and condensation, and can be directly applied with a little modification.

Since the tools are ready-made, Shen Zhezi asked someone to modify them according to his own ideas to make them more in line with his vision.Then they brought all the sorghum rice wine stored in the manor over, slapped the mud seal, and poured them into the remodeled steamers one by one under the incomprehensible eyes of the craftsmen, and lit the fire to steam them fiercely.

Although Shen Zhezi didn't approve of Shen Zhezi's approach, since Mr. Lang gave orders, these craftsmen could only guard one stove and take care of it carefully.As for the old man Zuo Dan, he sighed regretfully, and didn't care much about Shen Zhezi's feelings.

As the oldest of a group of brewers, Zuo Dan's status in the manor is not low, and he is especially skilled. The heavy brewed wine produced by Longxi Manor is best brewed with this old age.People with extraordinary skills are valued everywhere.

Therefore, this Zuo Dan's status in the manor is also quite detached, he is not a servant who is completely inferior to others, no matter whether he marries a wife and has children, or has basic necessities of life, the master's family will treat him differently.As a national master figure in Wu Xing Brewing Industry, seeing Shen Zhezi messing around in his professional field, one can imagine the dissatisfaction in his heart.

Although the steaming urn has been remodeled, it is not airtight. Although the top is covered with multiple layers of silk cloth, when the wine in it boils, there is still a very strong smell of wine, and the room is full of fragrance. .

Shen Zhezi took a sip of the wine, feeling good in his heart.However, the old man Zuo Dan paused and sighed: "If the qi is scattered here, how can we get good wine!"

When the steam condensed and turned into liquid and flowed out, Zuo Dan leaned forward, looked at it first, then smelled it, and then took a sip, feeling even more heartbroken: "The taste is too thin, and the mellowness is gone!"

Shen Zhezi ignored the stubborn old man, seeing the results, he made people increase their firepower.He scooped up some of the distilled wine, and saw that it was as clear as water, with a strong smell. After tasting it for a while, although there was still a trace of the original flavor, the overall flavor was completely different.

To be honest, the distilled wine is indeed not as good as the original wine, only spicy and straight to the taste buds, neither rich in taste, nor lingering aftertaste, it is more similar to alcohol directly mixed with water.

No wonder this old Zuo Dan felt contemptuous and disdainful. According to the standards of the world, this clear and pungent wine is indeed not as vivid as the heavy-bodied rice wine.

But Shen Zhezi didn't intend to brew any unparalleled fine wine. The taste and color are just soft power, and the use is the real king!As long as the alcohol content is high enough and the alcohol is strong enough, it will fulfill its mission.Cold food powder doesn't taste good at all, but after it became popular, it is also popular in the north and south.

Shen Zhezi himself does not have much research on the wine-making process, but he also knows that the distillation process pays attention to the head and the tail, that is, the first time the cold water is poured to condense the wine as the head, the alcohol content is high, and the taste is not good.The third condensed outflow is wine tail, with too many impurities, which is a little bland and tasteless.Only the quality of the second condensed outflow is the best, suitable for drinking. This is the principle of Erguotou technology.

It is clear to understand, but the actual application is different, because the raw material of shochu in later generations is the fermented grains of Kuaiqu and rough processing, while the distilled spirits used now are already brewed, and there is a big difference between them.

Yiguo wine is too spicy, but Erguo has changed slightly, but it is not good.Until the third pot flows out, at this time, the ingredients in the original rice wine are also transpired with the alcohol. The original flavor is not greatly damaged, but the alcohol content has increased a lot.

Seeing the pot of wine flowing out, Zuo Dan's face showed a slightly different color, he picked up a little and sipped it lightly, then closed his eyes and smacked it carefully for a long time, his expression changed and enriched.After a while, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at Shen Zhezi with vigor: "Where does the method of steaming and boiling come from, sir?"

Shen Zhezi felt a little happy when he saw the old stubborn looking like he was asking for advice humbly.Although he didn't mind the old man's attitude of contempt and criticism before, but he was somewhat resentful, seeing that the old man was subdued, he laughed: "This is the secret method of Immortal Master Baopuzi, please don't pass it on! "

Hearing this, Zuo Dan was not only in awe, but it was actually the inheritance of the immortal law of the Ge family, which is deeply popular in Jiangdong, and it can be said that it is known to all women and children.As soon as Zuo Dan learned that this method was taught by Mr. Ge, Zuo Dan had no more objections in his heart, raised his arms and left the stage, watched the fire carefully, and then tasted the distilled wine again and again, savoring the slight difference in taste, and at the same time repeatedly asked Shen Zhezi asked for details.

Shen Zhezi put forward an idea and set up a framework. How could he have the ability to deal with Zuo Dan's professional questions?

Zuo Dan became annoyed again when Shen Zhezi didn't know what to ask.He has been immersed in the art of wine all his life, and he has no other distractions. Wine making has become an inseparable part of his life, and he spends more time making wine koji than his old wife.Distilling wine has opened up a new world of wine making technology for him, especially when he learned that this is the immortal method taught by Master Ge Xianshi, Xiao Langjun can't understand it thoroughly, what a waste of great immortality!

Can't get any specific details from Shen Zhezi, Zuo Dan held on to a steaming urn angrily, ready to concentrate on research by himself.

When Shen Zhezi saw this, he didn't think it was disobedient, and professional things should naturally be left to professionals.He used a clay pot to make a pot of Guotou wine with a decent taste, and was going to ask Qian Feng for his opinion.Qian Feng was originally from a noble family, and he had many contacts with famous people around Wang Dun earlier, and he was the consumer class that Shen Zhezi intended, so he naturally had to ask for advice.

Qian Feng was counting the inventory, registering and making registers, when she saw Shen Zhezi approaching, she rushed to meet him.A burly man with a veil covering his face looked a little funny, but Shen Zhezi knew what was going on, so he naturally didn't have the intention to make fun of it, so he said to Qian Feng seriously: "Uncle, do you have time now? I have something new and interesting , I want to ask my uncle to taste it."

Qian Feng knew that Shen Zhezi was not a young man who only knew how to have fun, and his actions had deep meanings. After hearing this, he asked others to do the work at hand, and went back to the living room with Shen Zhezi.

Shen Zhezi asked someone to put the clay pot on the table and opened it, and the strong smell of alcohol immediately permeated. Qian Feng sniffed it lightly, and wondered in his eyes: "Is this wine? Why is the smell so strong?"

Seeing Shen Zhezi smiling and not speaking, Qian Feng took a sip of the wine and was even more surprised. The taste of this wine was different from what he was used to drinking.If he hadn't believed in Shen Zhezi, he would have thought it was some kind of poison that he had to open his mouth to spit out. The wine was turned over between his lips and teeth before he swallowed it with difficulty, and soon the heat of the wine slowly spread in his abdomen.

　The distiller was unearthed from the tomb of Haihunhou in the Western Han Dynasty. Regardless of the tomb robbers of later generations who brought it in, there is no doubt that distillation technology existed at that time.But there is no evidence to stand alone, no matter the official history or unofficial history, or literary works, there is no record of distilled alcohol in that era.Therefore, whether distillation is used to make wine is not conclusive.A brief explanation, this book does not do textual research. . .

　　
　
(End of this chapter)