Northampton Community College (NCC) craft distillery students worked with distillation runs at Doan Distillery in Quakertown this March. Students must complete this process as a part of the craft distillery program at NCC.
The students in the class each brought their own recipe for a gin to Doan Distillery, where owner Christopher LaBonge helped them navigate the process. LaBonge, teaches the distillery and maturation operations course for NCC’s new and exciting craft distillery program.
Students added their botanicals, flavors and ingredients, to mason jars to create their own special concoction for gin. The students start with a grain neutral spirit, which means the grains, like barley, wheat, corn, and so forth, are distilled with no added flavors or aging. After adding the botanicals from their recipes, the ingredients macerate and ferment before going through the limbic system where the alcohol is pulled from the spirit to a drinkable level and then finished in the final step.
The students learned to identify important steps in the distillation process and honed in on the key qualities of the spirit.
NCC partners with several local area distilleries that offer internships and help teach courses in the program, including Doan Distillery, Eight Oaks Farm Distillery, Silverback Distillery, Wardog Spirits, and County Seat Spirits. McCall Brewing and Franklin Hill Vineyards help students learn about fermentation.
Learn more about the program at https://www.northampton.edu/craft-distillery.htm.
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