Lena Savoie
The phrase touching the brown stuff is a colloquialism for drinking alcohol, specifically brown liquors, which are aged in oak barrels and emerge colorless. Brown liquors include bourbon, brandy, and cognac. While some believe that drinking brown liquors leads to worse hangovers than clear liquors, there is little evidence to support this claim. However, it is important to note that drinking rubbing alcohol, which is often sold as a household cleaner, can be dangerous and even fatal due to its high concentration of isopropyl alcohol.
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What You'll Learn
Brown liquor and hangovers
"Touching the brown stuff" is a colloquial phrase referring to drinking brown liquors such as whiskey, spiced rum, bourbon, and dark tequila. These drinks are often associated with more intense hangovers.
The consensus among experts is that darker alcoholic beverages tend to worsen hangovers due to their higher concentration of congeners, which are by-products of the distillation or fermentation process in alcohol manufacturing. Congeners, such as methanol, can break down into toxic substances like formaldehyde and formic acid, exacerbating hangover symptoms. Research has shown that bourbon, a darker liquor, leads to more severe hangovers compared to vodka, a lighter-coloured drink.
However, it's important to note that congeners are not solely responsible for hangovers. Alcohol itself and its metabolites also contribute to the unpleasant experience. Additionally, factors such as dehydration, poor sleep, and alcohol's irritating effect on the stomach play a role in hangover symptoms like headaches, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue.
While the type of alcohol consumed is a factor, the overall quantity consumed is also crucial. Binge drinking even light-coloured alcoholic drinks can result in a severe hangover. Therefore, it's recommended to limit consumption and stay hydrated by drinking water between alcoholic beverages.
In conclusion, while "touching the brown stuff" may increase the likelihood and severity of a hangover due to higher congener levels, hangovers are multifactorial, and drinking any type of alcohol in excess can lead to unpleasant symptoms the next day.
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Brown liquor and congeners
Brown liquor, such as whiskey, brandy, bourbon, and dark rum, tends to have a more intense impact than clear spirits. The aging process adds complexity to its flavour and chemical makeup. The colour in brown liquor is not just aesthetic; it signals the presence of compounds called congeners. Congeners are byproducts of fermentation and aging, and they contribute to both flavour and potential side effects.
Congeners include tannins and acetaldehyde, which give alcoholic drinks a particular taste profile. For example, acetaldehyde gives rums and bourbons a fruity smell, while isobutylene alcohol has a sweet smell. However, congeners have also been linked to more intense hangovers. A 2010 study found that participants who consumed bourbon had more severe hangovers compared to those who drank vodka. This is because the body needs to break down both congeners and ethanol, leading to longer-lasting hangover symptoms. Methanol, a congener found in some alcoholic drinks, breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde, worsening hangovers.
The amount of congeners in a drink depends on the carbohydrate used, the original sugar, and the yeast strain that ferments the sugar. Darker drinks tend to have higher congener levels than lighter-coloured drinks. Clear alcoholic drinks, such as white wine, light rum, light beer, gin, and sake, are low in congeners. Tequila, cognac, and whiskey are drinks high in congeners, with bourbon whiskey containing more congeners than most other alcoholic drinks.
From a nutritional standpoint, brown liquor does not offer any health benefits. It contains empty calories and no essential nutrients. While some types of brown liquor may contain slightly higher amounts of antioxidants due to barrel aging, these amounts do not offset the health risks associated with alcohol consumption. Repeated exposure to congeners and high ethanol content can contribute to liver damage and addiction. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the risks associated with brown liquor to make safer choices, especially for individuals with a history of substance abuse.
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Brown spirits and their aging process
The aging process is a critical step in the making of brown spirits such as whiskey, brandy, and other liquors. This process involves storing distilled spirits in wooden barrels, typically made of oak, for a specific period. The goal of maturation is to eliminate harsh flavours from the raw alcohol and infuse distinct flavour characteristics found in the barrel's wood. The longer the spirit rests in the barrel, the more refined it becomes.
The type of wood used for the barrels plays a significant role in determining the final flavour profile of the spirit. While most barrels are made from oak, which contains gallic acid to enhance the spirit's flavour, other types of wood such as maple, chestnut, and French oak can also be used to impart unique flavours. The oak barrels can be American oak, French oak, or European oak, also known as Slavonian oak. American oak barrels are particularly notable for infusing intense vanilla and brown spice scents, along with smoky flavours if the barrels are charred.
The practice of "finishing" a spirit involves transferring it from one barrel to another towards the end of the aging process, often into a barrel that previously held a different spirit. This technique imparts unexpected flavours into the liquor, as the previous spirit's flavours are trapped in the wood. Additionally, adding molasses, honey, or coffee distillate to the finishing barrel can create unique flavour infusions.
The climate where the barrels are stored also significantly impacts the aging process. Humid and warmer climates tend to speed up the aging process, resulting in shorter maturation times for spirits like rum and tequila. On the other hand, spirits aged in dry climates, such as Scotch whisky, may take longer to mature. The rate of oxidation, or how fast or slowly oxygen is introduced during the maturation period, is another critical factor in the aging process.
While aging spirits in barrels, a natural loss of about 10% in the first year and 2% annually thereafter, known as "The Angel's Share," occurs due to evaporation. This loss is higher in hotter climates. Additionally, unlike wine, distilled spirits do not improve with age once they are bottled. Their flavour and character remain unchanged until the bottle is opened.
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Brown spirits and their flavour
Brown spirits, such as bourbon and whiskey, are renowned for their complex aromas and robust flavours, offering a unique drinking experience. Despite their similar appearance, these spirits boast distinct tastes, each with its own dedicated fan base. The distinct characteristics of brown spirits are largely influenced by the distillation and ageing processes.
Firstly, all brown spirits emerge crystal clear from the still, regardless of the type of still used. The distillation process increases the alcohol concentration, resulting in a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) in the final product. Spirits typically have an ABV of 35-40%, with liquor laws mandating a minimum of 15% ABV for spirit drinks.
The ageing process in oak barrels is what gives brown spirits their distinctive colour, flavour, and aroma. There are three primary types of oak used for barrels: American, French, and European (Slavonian) oak. American oak barrels are known for imparting intense vanilla and brown spice notes, along with smoky scents if the barrels are charred. French oak is often associated with elegance, while European oak offers a more subtle influence. The choice of oak type allows distillers to curate the desired flavour profile for their brown spirits.
Additionally, the practice of blending by master blenders further enhances the complexity of brown spirits. While single-barrel spirits exist, most premium brown spirits are a harmonious blend of different batches, carefully combined to achieve a balanced flavour profile. This blending process is akin to creating a fine perfume, where the artful combination of ingredients results in a superior final product.
The ageing and blending processes are what set brown spirits apart, transforming them from clear, uninteresting distillates into the full-bodied, flavourful spirits we know and love. So, the next time you savour a glass of your favourite brown spirit, appreciate the intricate journey it has undergone to develop its unique character.
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Brown spirits and their distillation
The phrase "touch the brown stuff" is a colloquial expression for drinking alcohol, particularly spirits such as whiskey, brandy, and other "brown spirits." These brown spirits derive their distinct amber hue from the distillation and maturation processes.
Distilled spirits are alcoholic beverages produced by distilling grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have undergone prior alcoholic fermentation. The distillation process involves heating the fermented liquid to its boiling point, capturing the resulting vapors, and then cooling them to recondense them into a concentrated liquid form. This process separates desirable flavor compounds, known as the "heart," from undesirable elements like the "heads" and "tails." The distiller's skill lies in maximising the extraction of the "heart" while minimising the "tails." Spirits are often distilled multiple times to achieve the desired flavour profile.
Brown spirits, in particular, undergo a maturation process after distillation. They are typically transferred to oak barrels, which impart a golden tint and subtle notes of vanilla, dried fruit, or spice. The maturation period can vary from days to years, and some producers even finish their spirits in different barrels to impart additional nuances of flavour and aroma. Cognac producers, for instance, favour Limousin oak, while Japanese whisky-makers opt for Mizunara oak when available.
The production of distilled spirits has a long history, with civilizations worldwide developing their own alcoholic beverages through fermentation and distillation. The Chinese were distilling rice beer by 800 BCE, and the Arabs introduced distillation to Europe, producing beverages from wine. Today, spirits are broadly classified as hard liquor, indicating their higher alcohol content compared to beer or wine. The term "spirit" is typically used to describe liquor without added sugar, usually containing 35–40% alcohol by volume (ABV).
While distillation is a critical step in the production of brown spirits, the maturation process in wooden barrels and the blending of distillates from different barrels also contribute significantly to the final product's flavour, colour, and aroma.
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