Weinbrandbohnen
Etymology
Wein + Brand + Bohne
Literally: "Wine Fire Bean"
A brandy filled chocolate in form of a bean. Usually only manufactured in winter.
Warning:
If one consumes too many, one might get drunk without realizing it!
Especially dangerous while ice-skating... ;)⛸️ 🎅
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The Brandy Bean is a crusted or non-crusted praline that is filled with brandy and covered with chocolate. Its inventor was the Rüdesheim brandy manufacturer Hugo Asbach (1868–1935), who is known for his brandy Asbach Uralt.
Brandy Bean Without Crust
First, the pod of the brandy bean must be made. The preheated mold is filled with liquid chocolate and sufficiently ventilated. The brandy beans undergo a long cooling process in which they pass through several cooling tracks. The unfilled brandy beans are then transferred to the filling molds and filled by the pouring machine. The filled beans are then covered with the lid template. Finally, the brandy beans are covered with a thin chocolate coating.
Brandy Bean With Crust
Brandy beans with a crust have a sugar crust that consists of an alcoholic sugar solution and is covered with chocolate coating. During production, the alcohol content must not exceed 16% vol. The sugar solution is mixed with the brandy in a kettle using a stirrer and boiled down to 32 degrees Bé. The alcoholic sugar solution is poured into the molds using a Cerbone pouring machine or liqueur pouring pan. After pouring, the sugar solution is immediately sprinkled with warm powder. The sugar solution can now form crystals and is turned over after two hours using a wire hanger. Finally, the sugar solution is poured over with chocolate coating, giving it a shiny surface.
Durability
In the case of brandy beans with a crust, a drop in alcohol content from 15.7 to 8.1% vol. can be seen after 13 months. The brandy beans without a crust have already experienced a loss in alcohol content from 20.8 to 15.6% vol. after six months. In addition, in the case of the brandy beans without a crust, a strong drop in the taste of the filling can be noticed after four months, which can be recognized by a dried fruit taste.
Literature
H. Lange, A. Fincke: Cocoa and chocolate. In: Alkaloid-containing luxury foods, spices, table salt. Volume 6, Springer-Verlag, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-46225-2 , p. 262.
Reinhold Parlow: Chocolate and Confectionery: The Scientific and Technological Basics for the Chocolate and Confectionery Maker. New edition. de Gruyter, Berlin 2020, ISBN 978-3-11-231170-7 , pp. 150–176.
Brandy beans. In: Pralinenwelt. April 8, 2011, accessed on December 13, 2020.
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