What are the differences between sorghum wine and corn wine?

Sorghum is the primary ingredient for producing Baijiu. Baijiu, with its unique color, aroma, taste, and style, embodies the profound heritage of the rich brewing culture.

In China, the distillation of Baijiu using sorghum as raw material has a history of over seven hundred years, to the extent that we often say, "Good liquor cannot be separated from sorghum." In addition to containing a large amount of starch, moderate amounts of protein, and minerals required for brewing, sorghum grains mainly contain tannins.

An appropriate amount of tannin has an inhibitory effect on harmful microorganisms during the fermentation process, which can increase the yield of liquor. The aroma substances such as syringic acid and syringaldehyde produced by tannin can enhance the aromatic flavor of Baijiu.

"Clear steaming clear", "clear steaming mixed", and "mixed steaming mixed" are three important batching processes in the brewing of Baijiu. "Clear steaming clear" is mainly used in the production of fen-flavor Qujiu, while the production of Luzhou-flavor Daqu liquor adopts the process of "mixed steaming mixed and continuous fermentation with spent grains".

The main raw materials for producing Luzhou-flavor Daqu liquor are sorghum, wheat, rice, glutinous rice, barley, corn, peas, etc. The main material for making Daqu is wheat, with some added barley and peas.

Famous Chinese and foreign liquors such as Guizhou Maotai, Sichuan Jiannanchun, Luzhou Laojiao, Wuliangye, and Shanxi Fenjiu are all brewed using sorghum as the main ingredient or as an auxiliary ingredient.

Corn is one of the common grains in our daily life. Corn wine, also known as baogu wine, has an alcohol content ranging from 25% to 70%. Corn wine is mainly brewed using corn as the main raw material. It has a clear and transparent appearance, free of impurities and foreign matter, with a mellow and sweet taste. Corn wine is rich in nutrients and has a refreshing aroma, making it another wonderful product among medium-sweet wines.

Solid-state fermentation distillation requires water-separation distillation. Place the bottom of the pot with clean water, no more than 20 jin (a traditional Chinese unit of weight, approximately 10 kilograms), and then add the grain at a ratio of 1:1. For example, if you are distilling 20 jin of corn, add 20 jin of clean water. Place the corn on the separator layer, ensuring it is tightly packed. If there is too much empty space, the alcohol will not be distilled out. If there is too much empty space, it will cause water vapor to rush through some of the empty space and directly rise up, preventing complete distillation. If you are not afraid of the trouble, boil the water in the bottom pot first, then lay a loose layer and add more as gas bubbles out. Lay more at the gas-emitting areas (in two layers), to avoid incomplete distillation from only one or two gas holes. This will ensure overall uniform distillation. Only in this way can more alcohol be produced.

The key to the entire process lies in ensuring that the container is clean, the proportion of distiller's yeast is appropriate, and the fermentation time is just right. When these conditions are met, the resulting fermented wine will be sweet and mellow with the aroma of alcohol.