If you want to ask what liquor can be compared with Moutai, it must be Erguotou, this is not a fantasy, although the grade cannot be compared, but to talk about popularity and market reputation, Erguotou will definitely not be worse than Moutai. Erguotou is also divided into many brands, and the highest praise among wine lovers is Hongxing Erguotou. Then we won't talk about anything else today, just talk about Red Star Erguotou!
What does the "two pots" in Erguotou mean?
The predecessor of Erguotou liquor is shochu, which is a distilled liquor with a history of more than 800 years. Everyone should know that "Erguotou" is not the name of wine, but a craft.
In the past, there was a tool used for distilling liquor called "Tencabe", which consisted of two parts: a retort pot with a fermented rice and a kettle with water used for cooling. When the wine in the retort pot is heated and evaporated, the cold water in the kettle will cool and liquefy, and it will flow out into liquor. When the cold water in the kettle is hot, you need to change the second pot of cold water. It was found that the first and third pots of cooled sake contained a variety of substances with low boiling points, and the taste was mixed, so the distillery only picked the second pot of sake with a mellow taste, hence the name "Erguotou".
Don't bar, the red star second pot head is the most positive and red second pot head!
In 1949, after the peaceful liberation of Beiping, almost all the distilleries in the capital were suspended, and the production process and sales form of soju were very chaotic. In order to standardize the industry standards, the soju with similar technology and raw materials is collectively referred to as liquor, and a liquor monopoly company has been established to implement the monopoly of liquor and prohibit private liquor.
It was in this situation that the Red Star Distillery emerged, it was first a pilot plant specializing in the production of liquor, and later incorporated 12 distilleries in the capital, inheriting the centuries-old Erguotou brewing process.
At the beginning, Niulanshan and Yongfeng brand Erguotou were still branches of Red Star Erguotou, and the trademark "Erguotou" was also the earliest held by Red Star. In order to carry forward the Erguotou and blossom everywhere, the Red Star Distillery only retains the word "Red Star" and shares the "Erguotou" and its brewing technology with everyone. In other words, the first batch of second pots to be put on the market in China was Red Star.
Red Star Erguotou is so cheap, is it really pure grain wine?
Pure grain wine, as the name suggests, is a kind of liquor made purely from grain, and the raw materials are generally sorghum, rice, glutinous rice, corn, wheat and other crops.
To determine whether a wine is pure grain wine, you can first observe the ingredient list on the bottle. Hongxing Erguotou clearly marks that the wine is brewed from sorghum, water, corn, barley and peas, without adding food flavors and spices, and the wine is mellow and sweet, pure and fragrant. In contrast, Niulanshan does not have the confidence to call itself pure grain wine, but it also dignified the words "edible spices" written in the ingredient list.
In addition to observing the ingredient list, you can also see if the bottle has the logo of pure grain solid-state fermented liquor. This mark is issued by the Liquor Professional Committee of China Food Industry Association, and it needs to go through a rigorous review from application to use, and only high-quality liquor that meets the "National Liquor Industry Pure Grain Solid Fermented Liquor Industry Specification" and "Pure Grain Solid Fermented Liquor Mark Use Management Requirements" can use this mark. The mainstream products of Red Star Winery have obtained the certification of "Pure Grain Solid Fermentation Mark".
In addition, the implementation standard of Red Star Erguotou is GB T107812. This is the standard of fragrant pure grain solid liquor. Combining the above factors, it can be proved that Hongxing Erguotou is pure grain wine!
What is the difference between a blue bottle, a green bottle, and a white bottle?
The raw materials are different:The raw materials for brewing in the blue bottle are water, sorghum, barley, and peas, while the raw materials for the green bottle and white bottle are more corn. Corn is sweet, and corn is added to increase the sweetness of the second pot head. But at the same time, the content of fusel oil in wine made from corn will be high, so it is easier to get on the hook after drinking.
The taste is different:The taste of these three wines is also written on the bottle. The green bottle is "pure grain fragrance", the blue bottle is "gentle aging", and the white bottle is "mellow fragrance".
The people who drink it are different:The green bottle, commonly known as the "big green stick", is the most classic of all the series of Red Star, and the favorite of old wine friends. The white bottle has a high alcohol content of 65°, and is usually bought and drunk by old drunkards, or used as a base wine to make wine. Because both the blue and white bottles are added with corn, the taste is still a little spicy, so young people generally don't like to drink it. In contrast, the taste of the blue bottle will be smoother, the degree will be lower, and it will be pure and a little softer, which is more suitable for young people or people who are not very good at drinking.
For more than 70 years since its establishment, Hongxing Distillery has always adhered to the traditional process of solid-state fermentation of pure grains and "mixed steaming and burning", providing the people with ration wine that everyone can afford. Although the distillery has launched some high-end products, the standard for affordable wine has never been lowered, and it is a well-deserved brand of conscience, both decades ago and now.