Apple Brandy!

Many like to post about a first successful ferment (or first all grain mash), or first still built/bought or first good run of the still. Tell us about all of these great times here.
Pics are VERY welcome, we drool over pretty copper 8)

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piperdave
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by piperdave »

Look at my thread in mashing and fermenting " Did I kill my wash..." And you will see the light.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by T-Pee »

Bigbob wrote:Like Jimbo said....LEAVE IT ALONE! Just pitch and forget for a month or so, that's what I was told and that's what I did. It takes some time, but it's worth it. :thumbup:
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by PTS_35 »

HA! Yep.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by PTS_35 »

Are you doing a stripping run with this? Or are you keeping hearts of a single run? I only have a pot still and run abt 3.5 gallon.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by Bigbob »

I ran two 1.5 runs. Run the first, put in the second, run a third and final.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by PTS_35 »

Hate to say I can't figure what you're talking about. I had to do three separate washes, 3 gal each to get approx 3 gal of stripped, diluted down to 40%for the spirit run of the all bran. I was gonna do the same here. Basically 9 gallon of wash to get about a gallon of drinking spirit before dilution.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by still_stirrin »

PTS_35 wrote:Hate to say I can't figure what you're talking about....
Well, this isn't really my conversation, but to help clarify...the 1.5 run takes the product from one strip and adds it to a thumper, or back into the boiler with the next strip charge. Doing it this way "cascades" the flavor, building it up into the final spirit's product.

When making a brandy, it would give you more flavor and aroma in your product with the benefit also if an increased proof (over the single pass product).

Try it...you'll like it.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by Jimbo »

Ive always been tore on brandy between single and double runs. Done em both over the years. IN general I like double runs, but with brandy its damn tricky not to lose that fruit that comes over early so takes very careful cutting. I bet a 1.5 is ideal.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by S-Cackalacky »

Apple brandy is the only thing I do single runs on. I run with the thumper attached and charged with wash. I run very slow up front - drips instead of a stream. I try to hold it at a steady drip until I'm sure I'm through the heads and then switch to a steady stream. I hold that stream until finished - way deep into tails. I collect in small amounts and probably pay more attention to blending than with any other type of spirit. I took this approach with the one and only apple brandy I've run and it turned out great. I blended the hearts with the last 6 oz jar of heads, which was a heads/hearts smear, and with the next jar of tails that I found after the jars of tails that had an oil sheen on them. After oaking and a little time, it was a great drink and that's the approach I'll always take with apple brandy. Can't mess with success. If I do anything different, it will be to use more of those late tails to dilute down to aging proof.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by Jimbo »

Making me thirsty to pour a snifter of brandy Cack, and its only 930 AM. :shock: :ebiggrin:
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by Bigbob »

PTS_35 wrote:Hate to say I can't figure what you're talking about.
Sorry should have been more clear. The others explained.
Jimbo wrote:Ive always been tore on brandy between single and double runs. Done em both over the years. IN general I like double runs, but with brandy its damn tricky not to lose that fruit that comes over early so takes very careful cutting. I bet a 1.5 is ideal.
Yeah Jimbo, as you know I'm usally a single run guy, but I did the 1.5 on the apple because of puking. I also did a 1.5 on the honey shine because of low ABV . That worked out pretty good, and the way this apple smells I think it's going to become part of my protocol! :thumbup:
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by nerdybrewer »

Jimbo wrote:Making me thirsty to pour a snifter of brandy Cack, and its only 930 AM. :shock: :ebiggrin:

Then it's after 10 somewhere! :)
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by PTS_35 »

Time, still size and comfort level are my obstacles. My still will only do 3.5 or 4 gallon. What I've done so far is make 3.5 gallon washes at a time. Make a wash then strip run. Once I've collected approx 3 gallon, probably a little less, I diluted and did the spirit run. They only thing I can think of with what you're saying is do two 3 gal washes, strip each then have a 1.5 or 2 gal wash and add the stripped to that all in one final run. Now would something like that work along the same lines as what you're saying? Basically putting almost 2 gal of low wines into almost 2 gal of cider wash and that being my final run. Would that work?
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by Bigbob »

No, I have a 21/2 gal alembic, so I'm in the same boat. When I say 1.5 I run one time thru the still, take that run and put back into still with more wash. So I'm rerunning with more wash not spirit.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by still_stirrin »

PTS_35 wrote:...what you're saying?...putting almost 2 gal of low wines into almost 2 gal of cider wash and that being my final run?...
Sorta...but instead of stripping two washes, take the product from your first strip and put it in the boiler then top it back up with more wash. Run that and you've got a 1.5.

And for grins...take the product from the 1.5 and put it back into the boiler. Then again, top it up with more wash. Yummy in the making.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by nerdybrewer »

still_stirrin wrote:
PTS_35 wrote:...what you're saying?...putting almost 2 gal of low wines into almost 2 gal of cider wash and that being my final run?...
Sorta...but instead of stripping two washes, take the product from your first strip and put it in the boiler then top it back up with more wash. Run that and you've got a 1.5.

And for grins...take the product from the 1.5 and put it back into the boiler. Then again, top it up with more wash. Yummy in the making.
ss
I have a 15.5 gallon keg boiler.
Would it be advantageous to split my 8 gallons hard cider into two runs, adding the strip from the first part into the last part?
Of course it seems like just running it all at once would be the intuitive way and what I've always done in the past, but if splitting it results in a better flavor I'm in!
Should I run 5 gallons through then dump the boiler charge and then add the remaining 3 gallons cider and the strip run and run it all again?
Cranky's spoonfeeding:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975

Time and Oak will sort it out.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by T-Pee »

S-Cackalacky wrote:...I blended the hearts with the last 6 oz jar of heads, which was a heads/hearts smear, and with the next jar of tails that I found after the jars of tails that had an oil sheen on them.
Pay attention to this, y'all. That there's gold. :thumbup:

tp
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by still_stirrin »

nerdybrewer wrote:....Would it be advantageous to split my 8 gallons hard cider into two runs, adding the strip from the first part into the last part?
Of course it seems like just running it all at once would be the intuitive way and what I've always done in the past, but if splitting it results in a better flavor I'm in!
Should I run 5 gallons through then dump the boiler charge and then add the remaining 3 gallons cider and the strip run and run it all again?
It sounds like you need a bigger ferment(er). If you had 12-14 gallon wash, then yes, strip 9-10 gallons and add the product into the boiler with the remaining wash....for a 1.5.

You could do an 5 + 3 run for a 1.5 as you've suggested....as long as your electric element (if electric) is covered throughout both runs.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by S-Cackalacky »

T-Pee wrote:
S-Cackalacky wrote:...I blended the hearts with the last 6 oz jar of heads, which was a heads/hearts smear, and with the next jar of tails that I found after the jars of tails that had an oil sheen on them.
Pay attention to this, y'all. That there's gold. :thumbup:

tp
Thank you TP. I should mention that I was using a 5 gallon pot still with a 4 gallon stock pot thumper attached. I don't remember how many five gallon ferment buckets I used, but there was enough wash for two runs. I did both runs the same way and did cuts and blending for each run. I combined the blended cuts from the two runs for aging.

I think it only takes one successful batch of apple brandy to get the apple pickin' jones. God have mercy on us.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by S-Cackalacky »

BTW - it was Jimbo who convinced me that THAT was the way to do the cuts - just to give credit where credit is due.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by PTS_35 »

Still stirring, if I get you right what you're saying is keep cycling the strips back in with more wash and keep doing that till all the wash I've made is in there and I'll be collecting one final spirit? Idk..my pot get plenty hot, and I've got ptfe tape acting as a seal for the lid. Time is a hard thing to come by for me as well. But if you're talking abt just cycling low wines and topping off with wash and keep doing that.. Im wondering could you do this over time. Collect low wines, do a run just as you said, add to pot, top off with wash. My thing is it takes me 9 gallon wash to end up with a gallon of drinkable likker. Unless you're talking only doing a run, put low wine into pot, top with wash and collect and keep the spirit from that and that alone. If that's what you're saying then quantity would be lower but I can understand that.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

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still_stirrin wrote:
nerdybrewer wrote:....Would it be advantageous to split my 8 gallons hard cider into two runs, adding the strip from the first part into the last part?
Of course it seems like just running it all at once would be the intuitive way and what I've always done in the past, but if splitting it results in a better flavor I'm in!
Should I run 5 gallons through then dump the boiler charge and then add the remaining 3 gallons cider and the strip run and run it all again?
It sounds like you need a bigger ferment(er). If you had 12-14 gallon wash, then yes, strip 9-10 gallons and add the product into the boiler with the remaining wash....for a 1.5.

You could do an 5 + 3 run for a 1.5 as you've suggested....as long as your electric element (if electric) is covered throughout both runs.
ss
Fermenter size wasn't the problem, amount of apple juice and desire to keep some as hard cider is the issue.
I'm planning to taste the cider today and see if it's still the way I want to go.
If I don't think it's going to be awesome as is then I will run the entire 13.5 gallon batch as you suggest.
I'm cooking with gas, so temperature is adjustable.
Cranky's spoonfeeding:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975

Time and Oak will sort it out.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by PTS_35 »

Wanted to post an update on the ferment. It's been a week and I just couldn't take it anymore. Damn airlocks. One bubbled for a couple days. Looked this am and nothing. So I couldn't stand it. Stirred them up a little; took a sample. One that had an OG of 1.052 is now 1.008 and the one with OG 1.060 is now 1.006 l. So I'm gonna wait another week and test again. I'm relieved but confused. Cider looked flat with just this small area about half the surface area with suds. No movement in airlocks. Hope gravity continues to fall
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by still_stirrin »

PTS,

Didja taste it? Or happen to check the pH? It (they) may be done already.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

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PTS_35 wrote:Wanted to post an update on the ferment. It's been a week and I just couldn't take it anymore. Damn airlocks. One bubbled for a couple days. Looked this am and nothing. So I couldn't stand it. Stirred them up a little; took a sample. One that had an OG of 1.052 is now 1.008 and the one with OG 1.060 is now 1.006 l. So I'm gonna wait another week and test again. I'm relieved but confused. Cider looked flat with just this small area about half the surface area with suds. No movement in airlocks. Hope gravity continues to fall
Even if done it doesn't hurt to let them rest a week, let it clear a bit.
I think Jimbo recommends letting it sit a month before running - IIRC.
Cranky's spoonfeeding:
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975

Time and Oak will sort it out.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by PTS_35 »

Nah, I dont have ph strips. Didon't taste it either. The smell burnt my nose hairs. I ordered strips today. I sure hope it ain't done. Shouldn't it get to at least 1.000?
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by Bigbob »

Let them sit. Mine said 1.00 and I let it sit for another week or two. Got down to .995 I believe .
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by PTS_35 »

Ok. In a week we'll see what it says. If not below 1.000 I'll wait another week. Now I saw on a hard cider site to syphon it off and into a 2nd fermentor under airlock and leave it there 4 weeks. Then syphon again into another under airlock and leave there until you're ready to bottle. Any thoughts? Also side your first transfer would occur somewhere around the readings I'm getting now between 1.005 and 1.010
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by Jimbo »

For cider I do primary for a month then rack to carboy for at least another month. 2 or 3 better.
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Re: Apple Brandy!

Post by cranky »

Jimbo wrote:For cider I do primary for a month then rack to carboy for at least another month. 2 or 3 better.
I do the same, this past year I finished picking apples on December 1st but had begun picking July 15th so I had it in various stages of fermentation. I ran the first batch either in December or January, I think the second run was in Feb and the final run was in April. This year I expect will be no different other than I have twice as much cider to run. I'm thinking one run every month or maybe 2 a month starting mid January until they are all done. I know some people don't wait at all, as soon as it is done they run and seem happy with the outcome, I just go to extremes and want to do it french style this year.
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