Processes for the recovery of ethanol, useful as a fuel, from various cellulosic feedstock materials fermented to produce ethanol-containing beer are disclosed. The present invention provides a method and a system for ethanol recovery from highly viscous fermented citrus waste biomass. The systems overcome various challenges, including effectively stripping the ethanol from biomass beer in an energy efficient and economical manner that may allow for the further dehydration of the ethanol/water mix in a traditional rectifier distillation column. In certain embodiments, a series of flash stages and beer stripping columns are capable of operating with highly viscous slurries and/or feedstocks containing high levels of solids.