Production Process
Production at Fuhr Estate Winery
Welcome to the heart of Fuhr Estate Winery, where tradition meets innovation in every bottle of mead and moonshine. Our production process is a blend of meticulous craftsmanship, sustainable practices, and a deep passion for creating exceptional beverages. Let’s take you behind the scenes of our Alberta distillery and meadery.
Mead Production
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Ingredients: The Essence of Local flavour
At Fuhr Estate Winery, we believe that great mead starts with exceptional ingredients. Our mead is crafted using 100% pure Canadian liquid honey from BeeMaid Honey in Spruce Grove, AB. Known for its delicate and mild flavour, this honey is the perfect foundation for our meads.
For our flavoured meads, we source the finest Saskatoon and Sour Cherry juices from Pearson’s Berry Farm in Central Alberta. We met Len Pearson at a local farmer’s market and were impressed by his farm’s legacy as the world’s first commercial Saskatoon Berry Farm. This partnership ensures that our meads carry the authentic taste of Alberta’s best fruits.
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Fermentation Process: A Blend of Tradition and Precision
Creating our mead begins with the meticulous preparation of the “must.” We start by thoroughly cleaning and sterilizing all equipment. Honey is then added to the fermenters, and water is slowly stirred in until the honey is fully dissolved. After checking the concentration, we add a neutral sparkling wine yeast to maintain the pure flavour of the honey and fruits.
Fermentation takes place over 2 to 3 months at room temperature, allowing the natural heat generated to enhance the process. Throughout this time, we regularly sample the mead and monitor its specific gravity to ensure perfect alcohol production. Our commitment to quality means that only the best mead is bottled after a month of settling post-fermentation.
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Quality Control: Ensuring Excellence
Quality is at the core of our mead production. By using only the best ingredients and tasting regularly during fermentation, we ensure consistency and excellence in every bottle. Our small-batch approach allows us to maintain rigorous quality control, delivering a product that stands out in the market.
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Aging and Bottling: Handcrafted Perfection
Our mead isn’t aged but is given time for the yeast to settle after fermentation. Every bottle is hand-filled and corked, preserving the artisanal quality of our mead. This hands-on approach reflects our dedication to craftsmanship and quality.
Moonshine Production
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Ingredients: Simplicity and Purity
The base of our moonshine is a simple blend of sugar, water, and yeast. For our clear moonshines, we use a gin-style distillation process to extract flavours, while our coloured moonshines are infused with flavours over several weeks. This method allows us to create a diverse range of bold and delicious moonshines.
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Distillation Process: Art and Science
Our moonshine is distilled in a 200L batch still with six copper plates, each equipped with bubble caps. This setup creates multiple distillation stages within the column, resulting in a purer and more refined spirit. We monitor the alcohol concentration with a hydrometer and taste samples throughout the run to ensure consistency and quality.
Typically, we perform a single distillation run to produce a robust and strongly flavoured moonshine. This approach retains the bold character that our customers love.
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Fermentation: Speed and Precision
Unlike mead, our moonshine wash ferments over just 4 to 10 days. We wrap our fermentation barrels in insulation to maintain optimal temperatures, speeding up the process while ensuring the quality of the final product.
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Quality and Safety: Adhering to High Standards
Safety and quality are paramount in our moonshine production. We meticulously dispose of the "foreshots" to eliminate any harmful byproducts like methanol and acetone. As a Class E Liquor Manufacturer registered with AGLC, we adhere to strict standards and undergo regular inspections to ensure our processes meet regulatory requirements.
About Our Production
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Commitment to Sustainability and Innovation
At Fuhr Estate Winery, sustainability is more than a buzzword—it’s a practice. We use an electric still to reduce emissions and have plans for a solar system to further minimize our environmental footprint. Our mead is fermented in a “wine egg” made of breathable plastic, promoting natural convection and enhancing fermentation.
We stay updated with industry advancements through continuous learning and experimentation, ensuring our products remain at the forefront of quality and innovation.
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Overcoming Challenges: Stories of Ingenuity
Our journey hasn’t been without challenges. From balancing production times with growth ambitions to managing manual processes, we’ve faced and overcome many hurdles. A memorable incident involved spilling several liters of product due to a forgotten valve—turning a setback into a humorous lesson and a running joke about “docking pay.”
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Flavour Development: Crafting Unique Experiences
Our flavour development process involves considerable trial and error. For instance, our Apple Pie Shine has become a favorite after perfecting a recipe that evokes the warmth of grandma’s kitchen. The Nightcap Shine, with its blend of sleep-inducing herbs, was a dream-turned-reality, offering a soothing, unique experience.
Customer feedback plays a crucial role in our product evolution. Whether it’s adding a touch of sugar to our Cinnamon Shine or creating a Mint Shine for hot chocolate lovers, we value and act on our customers' insights.
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Expertise and Passion
Our team brings diverse expertise to the table. With backgrounds in engineering, customer service, R&D, and a deep love for the craft, we combine science with tradition to create outstanding mead and moonshine. From engineering precision to engaging storytelling and regulatory navigation, each member’s contribution is vital to our success.
