A Dive into Distilling
This week we meet with Ryan from Devil’s Head for a different type of craft. Craft cocktails that is. But before we tackle the story behind Devil’s Head Distillery in Englewood, CO, we must first learn about how to distill. Specializing in gin, vodka, and Aquavit, Ryan’s passion is bound to become yours. Prohibition? What’s that?
Video Notes to Highlighted Topics
1:11 On Site from Grain to Bottle
Ryan walks us through the basic stages of distilling.
4:07 Distilling Differences
Ryan goes into a bit more detail about how he specifically distills for vodka, gin, or aquavit, including the botanicals used to instill the specific flavors into the spirits.
5:38 Distilling Botanicals
Ryan touches on the three ways of doing a botanical distillation. Considering himself a purist, he doesn’t cut corners and his passion for the craft is evident in his knowledge of the entire process.
8:31 The Final Spirit Run
Heads, hearts, and tails are common terms used in this stage of the process. Ryan goes into detail about each of these terms.
12:07 Pop Rocks?!
Spotting Pop Rocks candy on the shelves, Ken could not let this go. Turns out, they are used for a popular cocktail called the Electric Kool-Aid. Kool!
12:48 What is Aquavit?
Ryan was the first producer of Aquavit in Colorado, and there are not many US distilleries that offer this unique Scandinavian spirit.
We’d love to hear from you.
We’d love to hear from you. In part two Ryan talks about becoming the first distillery in Englewood since Prohibition. He actually helped change the laws to make this happen. What are some laws currently on the books that you would love to see gone forever?
Don’t miss out on more conversations with Ryan all about distilling and craft cocktails.
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you don’t miss out on future Stout Conversations.
To watch previous episodes and stay up to date with future episodes, click here.
Curious as to what premiered last week?
Click here for more craft beer lifestyle stories!
Cheers!
