Friday, April 24, 2009

I-search Summary

I wanted to know how to make meat and savory flavored liquors so that I could try and produce them and cash in on a trend that I believe is soon to form. I checked a lot of websites, I consulted with friends in the beverage industry that work closely with or directly in manufacturing plants, and I emailed some of my contacts in the local government to ask how I could get this off the ground. I know have samples of flavor concentrates that I can start preliminary testing with, I have a meeting with the state to discuss the venture, and I've got a better idea as to how I want to proceed with this project.

Annotated Biblio #2

Works Cited

"Alcohol Distill Machinery(WZJN-SERIES) - China Ethanol Distillation Machine, Ethanol Equipment, Concentration Machine in Chemical Equipment & Machinery." Made-in-China.com China manufacturer directory, China products, China suppliers, China trade, China factory. 03 Apr. 2009 <
http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/t-zone/product-detailOuQnmYxcIrZI/China-Alcohol-Distill-Machinery-WZJN-SERIES-.html>.

Here I found a lot of different types of manufacturing equipment for sale. I couldn't believe how many different stills and types of equipment there were. There are many ways here to skin a cat so to speak. You can really tailor the equipment you need to the volume you expect your business may need to produce. After finding out that I probably wasn't after making the alcohol myself, I really didn't need to get into the production capabilities of the equipment.

Bellanger, Carolyn K. "Small Project." E-mail to the author. 5 Apr. 2009.

Carolyn is an experienced Public Safety Inspector for Liquor licensing and compliance. She handles licensing and inspections relative to alcohol for off premise, on premise, and manufacturing. I sent her an email on the 5th of April asking for some help on the legal requirements for this project. I only had two questions, what permits or licenses do I need to set up a place of business and then make alcohol in it, and what permits or licenses do I need to distribute the product? Carolyn pointed me at the ATF, the department of agriculture, and the liquor licensing and compliance division for forms. The ATF website pointed me to the TTB website where I found what I needed. She also offered to bring one person from each division over to the office to meet with me to discuss doing this, we are planning on meeting in May!

"Find Companies By Keywords." IFT Food Technology Buyer's Guide. 03 Mar. 2009 <
http://buyersguide.ift.org/cms/?pid=3004&keywordId=57&keywords=flavors,%20savory>.

This website lists contact information and websites for hundreds of flavor manufacturers and types, I found several that offer liquid concentrates and requested samples. Most of these companies listed are in business to flavor beverages. I noticed there are a lot more fruit and sweet flavors than there are those that fall into the “savory” category of meats and vegetables.

"Flavored alcohol production." Telephone interview. 7 Apr. 2009.

I reached out to a subject matter expert that I've known for a few years, Monika Baldwin with White Rock Distilleries. She was able to tell me more than anything else I found. She told me about production techniques and flavorings. She also knew a lot about distribution and mass marketing for new products. She was by far the most helpful resource when it came to finding out more about this new and exciting component to the business.

"Liqueur Making Principles." Gunther W. Anderson. 29 Mar. 2009 <
http://www.guntheranderson.com/liqueurs/principl.htm>.

In this website I found how alcohol can be flavored with steeping and sweetening. This wasn't very helpful for applying meat flavoring to alcohol however it did shed some light on an infusing like process that may come in handy later. It also mentions that the best base alcohol is Smirnoff 80 proof red label, a helpful place to try and start with some small scale experimentation.

"Maine State Police Liquor Licensing and Compliance Division: Liquor Laws: Rules and Regulations." Maine.gov. 05 Apr. 2009 <
http://www.maine.gov/dps/liqr/regulations.html#c4>.

This is where I started my search for state documentation. What an incredible waste of time this was, you can't find anything in here. It turns out Maine.gov was not where I would look for forms on starting a business in Maine, who would've figured. It's almost as though they made this website as a bit of an entrepreneur endurance test, to see if you had the patience and the wear with all to really start a business.

"Public Laws, 1st Special Session of the 122nd." 05 Apr. 2009 <
http://janus.state.me.us/legis/ros/lom/lom122nd/9Pub351-400/Pub351-400-81.htm>.

Here I actually found something of use, this is what Maine.gov should have been. Here I found out that there is a license needed. I also found out that there is a license that allows for 50,000 gallons of production per year and it is what I would call inexpensive. The web still was no match for what Carolyn could tell me, all of the forms and processes she told me about weren't anywhere on the Internet as far as I could tell. There is definitely no easily found “Start your business here” website for distilleries.

"Vodka Sellers, Suppliers, Manufacturers, Exporter & Trade Leads. Buy Vodka Here. Business To Business Marketplace-Fuzing." Fuzing.com - Where buyers and suppliers connect! 29 Mar. 2009 <
http://www.fuzing.com/qrx/vodka>.

Here I found a list of vodka manufacturers and their contact information. Most of them are out of the country, Russia in fact which comes as no surprise. With this I can reach out to them and get a quote on purchasing base alcohol they manufacture. This will be helpful, however I will continue to search for something a little closer to home to try and curb shipping costs early.

"Vodka—Still-Crazy After All these Years Food & Wine." Food & Wine Magazine Recipes, Menus, Chefs, Wine, Cooking, Holidays, Entertaining. 05 Apr. 2009 <
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/vodka-still-crazy-after-all-these-years>.

This was my favorite article, I have a few recent web periodicals that discuss the same. It's all about trends and the new things happening in the industry. A few people have done some real small scale experimentation in bars and nightclubs with Bacon bourbon and I saw a BLT cocktail with a Bacon fat washed vodka. I can feel the new trend on the tip of my nose, it's coming right up and I want in!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

I-search Future

After finding the real questions and sculpting my search through asking the preliminary questions, I've got a good idea of what it is I would need to do to be successful with a product like this. Now that I know how to make the product and I have an idea where to start with some testing I can at least put a demo on someone's desk. I think I'll end up taking this information and using it to try and pursue this interest of mine.

I've discovered that I am much better off developing a recipe and trying to pick up a company that is interested in selling it for me. So from here I'm going take some base “canvas” spirits and some of the savory flavor samples that I have to try and create some trial products. I'll then take the trial products and run them through a test panel made up of probably friends or peers with a wide range of pallets. Once I've got what is perceived as a suitable recipe, if that's even possible, then I'll be ready to ask a distiller to try and hopefully produce my new product.

So, I'm going to reach out to the distilleries that I met with to see if either of them are interested in this new product line. I'll offer them samples of the product to evaluate and then hopefully they'll get into the idea. I've got a lot of friends in the industry, especially the promoting end that could help influence some of the decision makers at both of these distilleries.

Then with any luck I'll have a new hobby in continuing to experiment with new flavors while making a small profit or margin on the product being manufactured and sold. I'll have a blast trying out new flavors with friends. I'll probably look to a few friends to write a couple of articles or blogs about how I've created these new savory spirits. Ooh, I like that name “Savory Spirits”! Once they've written the articles I'll try to push them through the local paper on a slow news day and I'll try to get them dispersed through the Internet through a couple of industry e-zines.

Friday, April 17, 2009

I-search Answer

I'm amazed at how much I was able to find. The more answers I found the more guided my questions became. The journey actually changed what I thought I was looking for and helped me sort of zero in on what I really hoped to accomplish with this. More important to me than the answer here was having the right questions, once I discovered those this became a really enjoyable research project. I am now very close to where I think I need to be to make a product suitable for the masses and I know what steps I need to take to get this project off the ground.

What are the best sources of information regarding production techniques? There is a lot of information on this subject available on the Internet. I would also recommend talking to a plant manager at a distillery.

What are the benefits of the different production techniques? The more you filter the alcohol, the less taste it has. Charcoal filtration seems to be the most widely applauded and filtering more than once has the best results.

What types of equipment used? There are tons of different types of stills. They come in all sizes and can produce very small or very large quantities.

What are the advantages of each type of equipment? It really depends on the size of your operation. There are some with larger columns like condensers that collect the vapor and allow it to cool faster, these are good for producing large quantities.

What practices are used for clarifying concentrated flavorings? This I couldn’t find anything on but I did find that most concentrates are available for purchase and are already clear. They fall into two categories, oil and water based. For alcohol flavoring you need water based.

What are the advantages of infusing vs. Flavoring? Infusing provides a more subtle flavor, it’s trendy, and it typically affects the color of the alcohol if that is an effect you desire. Flavoring is more consistent, it can remain clear, and it is the most commonly used means of flavoring alcohol.

Can infusions be done with Meat? The closest I found to a fusion with meat was a bar that took bacon grease and poured it into a half full bourbon bottle. They let it sit for weeks and then strained the bourbon. The result was a smoky bacon flavoring mixed into the bourbon, genius!

Are concentrates usually purchased or made? This is definitely purchased, I found almost nothing that suggest liquor manufacturers make their own flavor concentrates.

If they are purchased, where? The international food technology websites buyers guide offers dozens of different flavor concentrate manufacturers. I found the samples I received from savor flavor to be exactly what I was looking for.

If they are made, how? Again, little information here. Admittedly I stopped searching in this regard once I found the plethora of concentrate manufacturers.

How long does it take to make a bottle of flavored alcohol from beginning to end? Depending on the plant size, machinery, and process like fermentation time, distillation, and the like, about a month.

How do they develop the right flavor, smell, look? The good old fashioned way, testing. They typically use a sensory panel to evaluate the products look, smell, and taste. New products go through several trials before becoming a final product.

What are the advantages of the different types of ingredients used to make vodka (grapes, potatoes, etc...)? All the information I researched for making vodka was using sugar, water, and yeast. Once I realized I could also get a manufacturing plant to sell me alcohol for what is very possibly cheaper than the start up costs and short term return on investment given a small distillery license, I decided to stop pursuing this as well.

What kind of permits or licenses are required in Maine to make alcohol? All kinds! I've got a working list and I am waiting on a little more confirmation. Basically you need a license to make the product, a license to sell it, a license to be a small business, and a I'm still waiting to find out how they prefer to tax me for this.

What kind of licenses are required to sell and/or export massive quantities of alcohol? This turns out to be a whole different ball of wax, it seems like it's easier actually to get make it and then use a distributor that is licensed to sell it to the masses. Turns out that this is the most common and sort of customary practice.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

I-search Search

I thought there would be more information about this on the Internet than I would be able to sort through, boy was I wrong. I tried every different type of search I could conceive of. I got a lot more out of the interviews that I conducted than I did from anywhere else. It was really cool getting the inside scoop from the people that do this everyday. I have however decided that this is a good thing, the fact that there is little information available specific to making meat or savory flavored alcohol means that no one has done it yet. If I’m the first and this sparks interest in even a small percentage of bars I could do enough business to keep this interesting.

The first searches I did on the Internet were all about equipment. This was pretty helpful when it came to making alcohol and finding alcohol making supplies in general. I learned about pot stills and micro stills and turbo yeasts. I saw stills in all sizes, little stove top ones all the way up to giant barn sized ones. I also was able to find a lot of videos of people actually making alcohol. When it comes to making booze and finding the places to buy the stuff to make it, there is plenty of information out there.

Then I did some searches on companies that make alcohol. I was looking around to see if this was possible and if it was I wanted to know if it was cost effective. I found out that there are websites for several different companies that make alcohol that are looking to sell it to the highest bidder, sort of like EBay. Almost all of these manufacturers are Russian but I did find some from India. I was intrigued by this whole process and I was surprised to find what seems like no manufacturers in the US that participate in this bid type process.

Next I looked around for flavoring manufacturers. It turned out I was looking specifically for water based liquid savory flavorings. It took a lot of searching to find out that I was even looking for this. I checked out the International Food Technologies website on a recommendation from my mother, a food science professor at UMO. I found an army of flavoring resources here and several companies that made exactly what I was looking for. Almost all of them had a very easy to fill out form to request samples of there concentrates. I filled out several sample request forms and already have samples to try some first step trials and some very preliminary testing.

Then before I went to interviews I went to compliance. I toured Maine.gov and Janus (also a state website) and began to poke around with some key words like Distillation, small brewer, wine production. I tried Google and I tried searching Maine’s websites and still couldn’t find all the information I was looking for. Not to be that guy, but this was the least helpful area to search. It’s very hard to find exactly what you want on the states website. Additionally, when I tried to reach out to state employees that I know in the field it took a very long time to get a response if I got one at all.

Lastly and most beneficially I looked to consulting with contacts that I had in the business that produced liquors for the masses. There are two distilleries in Maine, White Rock, and Maine Distilleries which makes cold river vodka. I was able to arrange tours of both facilities and was able to talk to the plant managers about the entire process. Between these two experts and the others that work for these companies that I was able to talk to, I found out more than I did anywhere else. It became real clear to me that the internet is no substitute for talking to a subject matter expert.