Not at all sure why anyone would bother even trying this, but the
Japanese can be pretty innovative:
Discerning
drinkers may soon be able to branch out after Japanese researchers said
Tuesday they have invented a way of producing an alcoholic drink made
from wood.
The
researchers at Japan's Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
say the bark-based beverages have woody qualities similar to which is aged in wood barrels. They hope to have their "wood alcohol" on shelves within three years.
The method involves pulverising wood into a creamy paste and then adding yeast and an enzyme to start the fermentation process.
By avoiding using heat, researchers say they are able to preserve the specific flavour of each tree's wood.
So far, they have produced tipples from cedar, birch and cherry.
I like this understatement further down:
The institute has a
broad mandate for scientific study related to Japan's extensive woods
and forests, but Magara acknowledged "wood alcohol" might not be the
most obvious application for their research resources.
4 comments:
Birch wine is made with the sap of birch trees. It's supposed to be delicious. Though it's hard to get in Australia, there is a possible local equivalent- as its name suggests, the cider gum (growing in Tassie, mostly, and here and there on the mainland) yields a very sweet and drinkable (and fermentable!) sap.
Oh. You do know a lot about fermentation...
By the way, I saw recently on Reddit a video about maple tree tapping and making maple syrup. It was surprising the amount of sap they collect, and how far down it's boiled to make the syrup. I see there are many Youtube videos about this too, for the home tapper.
Believe you me the Baron has looked into this. It doesn't work in the Australian climate - and you need a lot of trees!
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