Drug info - Dehydrate/reconstitute beer?

[daviduga]

Is it possible to dehydrate beer and reconstitute it for the purpose of backcountry travel and/or backpacking? Think Mountain House for beer. I have heard of some processes where beer is essentially crystallized or freeze dried for the purpose of distribution and then reconstituted for final consumption. Is it possible to do this in such a way that you can simply add water to produce a nice frosty brew? I am aware that one of the cruxes of the matter is adding alcohol and carbonation back into the equation. I have also heard of methods for dehydrating pure ethanol and adding carbonation through effervescence. Does anyone have experience with this? I think there would be quite a market among backpackers and backcountry users if one could devise a product like this.

[Paracelsus]

There was once an article in a local newspaper about some Dutch students who designed the "first instant alcoholic drink powder." I have a hard time believing that, since ethanol itself is a liquid. I've seen non-alcoholic "instant beer powder" in a catalog once, so it most certainly exists (although I don't think the taste will be too great).

[Senor Gribson]

alcohol powder exists and is quite common. the ethanol is encased in small capsules the size of drink crystals, these capsules are soluble in water but not in alcohol. i've only seen instant vodka cooler mixes, but if they have instant non-alcoholic beer then i'm sure they have instant beer too.

[RaverHippie]

The powders would essentially be non-alcoholic, fizzless, water flavorings... If that's what you had in mind then go for it but that does not sound appetizing at all.

[nop707]

alcohol can be absorbed in cyclodextrines, a sugar derivate. In this way, encapsuled in small capsules, the fluid can be handled as a powder. The cyclodextrines can absorb an estimated 60 percent of their own weight in alcohol.

it just traps the alcohol in a powder, then when added to water, dissolves the cyclodextrines releasing the alcohol.

[RaverHippie]

I retract my statement, That's a pretty astounding bit of chemistry that is quite intersting.

[nEone]

The problem with the above scenario - in SWIM's mind - given the original purpose of the question (backpacking booze), is that the alcohol is trapped in a chemical - and most hikers/campers who are concerned about cutting down on weight for long treks are probably not going to be so stoked to be dissolving a bunch of weird chems just to get a buzz.

Adding the carbonation would be easy - Italians have a product they sell in the grocery store that looks like little white sugar lumps that can be added to plain water in order to give it fizz like it's seltzer water. (like Alka Seltzer then, but without the drug, just the fizz). The fizz goes away pretty quickly though.

Even if the chemical issue were resolved - Swim thinks that there would be a problem getting a product like this to market given how strictly alcohol is already controlled.

[bcubed]

Well, if SWIY indeed knows how to re-carbonate, then the trick would be to eliminate the water while leaving behind the "good stuff." My lizard advises against heat distillation, because much of the "beer" flavor would be left behind with the water. Perhaps "freeze distillation" would be better, as the water would be discarded, but all the non-volitiles would remain.

Better yet, come up with an acceptable hard liquor alternative. My lizard had to economize space and weight on a 10k-mile motorcycle ride, and instead of beer, brought along an obscure 140-ish proof liquor to be used for libation/firestarting/emergency bike fuel/road rash disinfectant. He reports that it served admirably in all regards, except that it (thankfully) was never pressed into service in the last regard. (He also reports that the mixture--an unaged brandy/whiskey combo--was almost unnoticeable in a 4:1 Mountain Dew combination.)