Chemistry of Fermentation & Distillation

This course is an overview of the chemical and physical processes that take place during the fermentation and distillation of alcoholic beverages and other foods. It is intended as a science elective for students who have completed at least one year of chemistry at Notre Dame. It will provide an overview of chemical concepts needed to understand the molecules, reactions, separations, and physical transformations during the production of wine, beer, and distilled spirits, but it will also discuss fermentation in a broader culinary, cultural, and industrial context.

The course will be structured as a MWF lecture with some Friday classes being replaced with hands-on laboratory activities or field trips.

Hands-on labs will include: chemical analysis of sugars, sulfites, and titratable acidity of starting materials, initiation and monitoring of a fermentation process, distillation of a multicomponent solution, and analysis of the distillate at multiple stages of the process.

The extended Friday class times will also be used to to tour off-campus facilities, including a working winery, brewery, and distillery.

Sandor Ellix Katz, “The Art of Fermentation,” http://amzn.to/1hcnIpf
Harold McGee, “On Food and Cooking,” http://amzn.to/1Lvmm3D
Roger Barth, “The Chemistry of Beer,” http://amzn.to/1JhGjaX
Charles Bamforth, “Beer: Tap into the Art and Science of Brewing,” http://amzn.to/1UbCqcN
Ian Hornsey, “The Chemistry and Biology of Winemaking,” http://amzn.to/1hcLbXC
Amy Stewart, “The Drunken Botanist,” http://amzn.to/1Jusoh5
Adam Rogers,“Proof: The Science of Booze,” http://amzn.to/1fEWtCL

Homework:	10%
Labs:	10%
Two Exams (October 11^th and December 4^th):	40%
Final project paper (due November 27^nd):	20%
Final project presentation (November 27, 29, December 1):	10%
Class Participation:	10%