Erguotou is a light-flavor liquor that is widely loved by ordinary drinkers. In 1680, three craftsmen from the original Shenghao Winery on Qianmen Street in Beijing invented the Erguotou wine brewing technique: when steaming the wine, they discarded the first and last pots and only used the fragrant and pure second pot, hence the name.
Erguotou uses sorghum as the raw material, bran koji and yeast as the saccharification starter, and adopts the traditional "Laowu steamer" process. The raw materials are steamed, the auxiliary materials are steamed, put into the pond at low temperature, properly fermented, and fire distilled. , pinch off the head and tail, and store it for fine brewing.
Erguotou is very popular in northern areas. In terms of brands, the two major brands Red Star Erguotou and Niulanshan Erguotou occupy the vast majority of the Erguotou wine market. The relationship between them is like the PK between Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. So do wine lovers know some unknown stories about Red Star Erguotou and Niulanshan Erguotou? How are the two related? Let me tell you slowly below!
Red Star was founded in May 1949 and is the first state-owned brewery in my country. It has incorporated twelve time-honored wineries in the suburbs of Beijing, including Yuanshenghao, Jushenghao, and Longquan, bringing together brewing talents and technologies, and exclusively inheriting Erguotou's traditional brewing techniques.
The first batch of "Red Star Erguotou Wine" was launched in September 1949 and became a gift wine to welcome the birth of New China. In 1965, Red Star taught Erguotou techniques to its 19 suburban county branches to produce Erguotou wine.
In 1981, Red Star gave up the trademark registration of the full name of "Erguotou" and only used "Red Star", sharing "Erguotou" with all other Erguotou companies. It can be said that the birth of Red Star Erguotou is like a living Lei Feng, and his existence is to bring benefits to people.
On October 26, 1952, the state-owned Niulanshan Distillery was officially established and was the predecessor of Niulanshan Distillery. Niulanshan Winery is affiliated to Beijing Shunxin Agriculture Co., Ltd. and is located in Niulanshan Town, northern Shunyi District, Beijing, on the west bank of Chaobai River.
The "Shunyi County Chronicle" of the Republic of China records: "Wine-making workers: There are about a hundred people doing this. The wine brewed is extremely sweet and refreshing. It is a specialty of Pingbei. It is sold in neighboring counties or Pingcheng and is quite popular among the people. Niulanshan wine is especially famous."
After liberation, Shunyi County prepared for joint venture production based on four famous old pot roasters in the Niulan Mountain area: "Gongli", "Fushuncheng", "Yixin" and "Kuisheng". Over the past 60 years, Niulanshan Distillery has grown from the "Chaobaihe" brand Erguotou, to the "Huadeng" brand Beijing Chun, to the "Niulanshan" brand series of liquors. It is a national-level intangible cultural heritage protection unit.
The craftsmanship of Erguotou originated from Red Star: In 1965, Red Star taught the craftsmanship of Erguotou to its 19 branches in suburban counties to produce Erguotou wine.
In the Erguotou Museum in Beijing, there is a table that clearly shows that the technology of Niulanshan was taught by Hongxing. The relationship between the two can be described as master and apprentice. Therefore, in terms of materials and processes, the two companies are highly similar.
However, in 2009, six people including Li Zuming and Wang Deliang from Beijing Union University, China Food Fermentation Industry Research Institute, Beijing Red Star Co., Ltd., and the Ecological Environment Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences wrote in 2009 A paper comparing the koji of Hongxing Erguotou and Niulanshan Erguotou. Found the difference between the two.
According to their research results, the number of bacteria and molds in Hongxing Jiujiu is significantly higher than that in Niulanshan Jiuqu, while there are more yeasts in Niulanshan Jiujiu than in Hongxing Jiujiu. The content of protease and lipase in Hongxing koji is significantly higher than that in Niulanshan, while the fermentation power, esterification power and amino nitrogen of Niulanshan are slightly higher than that of Hongxing koji. However, the methanol content, lead, and manganese content in the liquor they produce are all below national standards.
So what is the use of koji in the brewing process?
There are a large number of microorganisms growing on koji, as well as enzymes (amylase, glucoamylase and protease) secreted by microorganisms. etc.), the enzyme has a biological catalytic effect and can accelerate the conversion of starch, protein, etc. in grains into sugars and amino acids. The sugar is broken down into ethanol, or alcohol, by the enzymes of yeast.
The quality of koji will be one of the key factors that determine the quality of wine. It can be seen from the research of various scholars that the distillers of Hongxing and Niulanshan have their own merits, which is also one of the important factors that determine the difference in the wine body between the master and the apprentice.
Just like Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola, the competition between Red Star and Niulanshan is no longer about "who is the real Coke" or "who tastes better". Everyone has his or her own strengths and preferences.
The alcohol aroma of Hongxing is stronger than that of Niulanshan. The first reaction reminds me of country grain wine. After entering the mouth, the aroma transforms into a strong taste that fills the mouth, with a sweet aftertaste and a long-lasting taste.
Niulanshan has a wheat aroma, is soft, easy to drink, has a barley flavor, has a sweet aftertaste, and has a long-lasting taste. I don’t know which one wine lovers like more? Everyone is welcome to leave a message for discussion!