Fract. Distilling question

[Grist Licker]

Several posts in cider (heh heh) talk about fractional distilling; freezing cider and pulling off the ice to concentrate the alcohol. My question is, will the freezing kill all yeast? If you killed all yeast and concentrated to a high enough alcohol to prevent bacteria from getting a start, couldn't you back sweeten without adding sulfites or anything?

[meisterofpuppets]

don't make me call the revenuers

[Grist Licker]

don't make me call the revenuers

I know! I only want to know in theory. I would never cross that unholy line and actually place cider in the freezer with the evil intent of concentrating the alcohol. If I knew exactly how it worked, I could recognize it if I happened to stumble onto an illegal freeze-concentrating cider ring. Then I could do my civic duty and turn in the wrongdoers to the good authorities. I think it's disgusting that people would try to defraud the government out of their well deserved tax revenue.

(can they hear us?) ........... (are they gone now?)

[wezil]

Yes my opinion is that yes it will kill the yeast. Good cider makes good hooch, average cider makes crappy hooch.

Brad

[Grist Licker]

Thanks. Good to know. I think I will leave my current batch of cider alone. Unless of course we get a sudden week of sub-zero temps here in Phoenix. If it accidentally freezes and a flock of migrating birds inadvertantly knock the ice off the top, that can't constitute a criminal act, right?

[Mylo]

If it accidentally freezes and a flock of migrating birds inadvertantly knock the ice off the top, that can't constitute a criminal act, right?

It's only criminal if any of them drop a deuce in it during the flyover. F-ing birds.


Mylo

[Henway]

Isn't the issue with distillation. I think you could freeze as much as you want and wouldn't cross the legal border.

IANAL...

[wezil]

Nope still illegal when you freeze it. But only if you get caught.

Brad