Provided is a system and method for rapid aging of distilled ethyl alcohol. The system includes a vessel with at least one aperture for introducing RF energy at a preselected frequency to be absorbed by opaque material in a target area; at least one liquid circulating system; and a platform to substantially contain a plurality of units of wood as the opaque material. Each unit of wood has a plurality of capillaries containing at least wood sugar and resin. The system has a wood agitation system to move the wood through the target area. An RF generator provides constant RF energy at the predetermined frequency to induce oscillation of molecules within the wood. The system has an oxygenator to provide oxygen into the liquid mixture and outgas congeners from the liquid, the vessel further providing at least one vent structured and arranged to vent the outgassed congeners.

The invention relates to a light-stable hop extract comprising at least 1 g per kg of dry matter of one or more hop derived substances represented by formula (I), wherein R?CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2, CH(CH.sub.3)CH.sub.2CH.sub.3 or CH.sub.2CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2. The invention further relates to the use of the light-stable hop extract in beer and to a method of preparing such a hop extract.

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The invention relates to a method of preparing a light-stable hop extract, said method comprising: providing a pre-isomerised hop extract comprising at least 10% of iso-alpha acids by weight of dry matter, and illuminating the pre-isomerised hop extract, optionally after dilution of the pre-isomerised hop extract.

An improved system and process for rapidly producing distilled spirits having characteristics associated with a much longer maturation process is provided. The method involves contacting wood with an amount of unmatured distilled spirit under heated conditions and contacting the resulting heat-treated spirit with actinic light. The disclosure provides embodiments where a spirit is sequentially processed through heat and actinic light treatment. The disclosure also provides embodiments where a heat-treated spirit is mixed with a spirit that has been separately treated with light to give characteristics of a mature spirit. Air may also be percolated through a mature spirit in a container with a headspace at a gauge pressure between about 25 inHg and about 30 inHg, until the alcohol concentration of the mature spirit is reduced by between about 1% to about 2% by volume, and until the total volume of the mature spirit is reduced by about 10% or less.

This invention relates to compositions and applications for a bioceramic composition that includes from about 45 to about 55% by weight of kaolinite (Al.sub.2Si.sub.2O.sub.5(OH).sub.4); from about 5 to about 15% by weight of tourmaline; from about 3 to about 13% by weight of aluminum oxide (Al.sub.2O.sub.3); from about 11 to about 19% by weight of silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2); and from about 3 wt % to about 13 wt % zirconium oxide (ZrO.sub.2).

An extreme acceleration of the process of aging spirits to obtain aged liquors includes circulating the spirits through a cavitation zone within a controlled cavitation reactor and exposing the spirits therein to high energy cavitation induced shockwaves. Sources of flavor and color such as charred wood chips may be added to the spirits to provide the color and flavor of liquors aged for years in traditional charred oak barrels. The method and apparatus of the present invention obtains the same conversion of undesirable alcohols, flavor extraction, and color as years of aging in an oak barrel but does so in a matter of minutes or hours. The apparatus and method also can be used in conjunction with traditional aging techniques and methods and the total aging time is still reduced dramatically.

A fluid sterilization apparatus includes: a flow passage for causing a fluid to flow; and a light source that irradiates the fluid flowing in the flow passage with ultraviolet light of a wavelength of 290310 nm. The fluid contains a cutting fluid for a cutting work or Japanese sake in the process of manufacturing.

This disclosure relates generally to a system, method and apparatus for the indirect electromagnetic irradiation of liquid and gaseous mediums. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a method of using a high intensity ultraviolet emitting light source that enables a high flux of selected wavelengths of far ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation to impinge on a chosen medium while simultaneously reducing or preventing exposure of said medium to undesirable heat (infrared) and other visible and near ultraviolet wavelengths. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a system and method of employing an apparatus with one or more parabolic reflectors, mirrors and/or other light focusing, filtering and redirecting means to expose a medium flowing within a UV transmitting medium transport tube to a desired wavelength or range of desired wavelengths of far ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation for the purpose of irradiating a chosen liquid and/or gaseous medium.

An alcoholic beverage enhancing device includes a transfer liquid tank for holding a transfer liquid and an alcoholic beverage container. The alcoholic beverage container is positioned at least partially in the transfer liquid tank and is configured for holding an alcoholic beverage to be enhanced. The enhancing device additionally includes an ultrasonic energy device positioned for transmitting ultrasonic energy to the alcoholic beverage in the alcoholic beverage container through the transfer liquid in the transfer liquid tank during operation of the alcohol beverage enhancing device.

This invention relates to a method for recovering beer during a beer brewing process. In the method, yeast entrained in beer 36 is recovered from a fermentation step 32. The yeast is separated from the beer to provide recovered beer 42. The recovered beer 42 is passed through an ultraviolet (UV) photo-sterilization unit 46, to provide sterilized recovered beer 48 which is recycled to the fermentation step 32. The invention uses ultraviolet light to achieve a microbially safe beer recovered from surplus yeast, and the recovered beer is recycled back to the brewing process, thereby saving financially as well as water loss.