Just finished my first batch of Blue Agave Nectar Likker

[Fishkiller68]

Hey All,

I wanted to try to make a tequila like beverage (yes, I know it has to be from the Tequila region to be called tequila but I'm still Tequila anyways.. sue me!)

So I bought two i gallon bottles of organic blue gave nectar from amazon and heated it up in a pot with water. In the pot I also added yeast nutrient and energizer. After filling the fermentor up to the 10 gallon mark my OG was around 1070. It took a little time to get started but once it did, it took off! Fermented like crazy down to 1020 in the first week (i kept a hydrometer floating in the fermentor to see the gravity). It pretty much stopped there so I added a bit more energizer and started cranking again with a really bad sulfer smell but got down to around .9999. I let it sit for about a month before I was able to run it. When I ran it I drew out about 4 quarts of likker at about 170 proof. I diluted it down to 80 proof with distilled water.

I have to say that this is some of the smoothest tequila like drink I have ever tasted. I compared it to some of the top shelf tequila we have here and it tasted much better. Has a sweet taste off the lips followed by the tequila like flavor at the end. Just awesome. I have put some in a 2L oak barrel to aged for a few weeks and I'm hoping to get a nice Anejo Like tequila like beverage from it. I am so impressed I am running a second batch now.

Super excited!!!

[Truckinbutch]

We always like to success stories . Thanks for yours

[jonnys_spirit]

Thats great news and congrats! Adding this to my run list.

Cheers!
-j

[rgreen2002]

Congrats....

I could never get the Agave to work to my liking

[Pesty]

Glad you liked it, I'm still waiting for the day when I see a big blue in the area that I can harvest and make the good stuff.

[goinbroke2]

Can you show a link to the agave you used please? I tried using 100 percent pure agave syrup from Costco and it would not ferment. Showed 12 percent potential but would not ferment until I put a bit of sugar, it took off and the next day stopped, add a cup of sugar and it would work one more day. The hydrometer remained at the starting gravity. Seemed to have a lot of unfermentable sugars.

If yours worked I'd try it again, after buying $50 worth of agave and then having to use the rest as a sugar replacement in My tea for three months, mama wasn't happy.

[Fishkiller68]

Sure! Here is the link to the Blue Agave Nectar I used.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GXZTX2C/re ... blue+agave

This is the one I have used from the beginning with success. I think It works well because it is organic and raw. I have found that the secret to getting it to take off and ferment down is to boil it in water and add yeast nutrient/Yeast Energizer to it since it doesn't have the nutrients the yeast need to finish the job. That helps a lot. Also, buy an oxygen tank from Home Depot and pick up an Oxygenation wand to connect to it and pump some pure oxygen into the mix before you pitch. From the start it should ferment down to around 1.020 from the primary fermentation and then I would boil some water and mix in another tablespoon of yeast nutrient/energizer and pitch it in and it will go crazy a second time and have a very foul sulfury smell (stunk up the house for a few days) and then finished at about .9999,

I had a taste again last night and I really enjoy how smooth it is and the sweetness I get from it on the tongue and then the nice tequila (a little bitter but not too bad) taste on the after taste. I compared it to other fine tequilas like Milagro and Don Julio and it tasted very similar except mine was smoother.. So much my wife actually enjoys drinking it too. I am about to empty the Oak barrel of the first aging batch and I'm anxious to see if it has a nice anejo smoothness and flavor as well.

The second batch is in the fermentor and is going. Found the you should pitch the yeast when the wort is on the warm side and it will take off quicker. I am using Redstar Dady Distiller yeast.

[Fishkiller68]

One tip on making this work better in the winter is to make sure the mash is warm otherwise the Red Star DADY yeast will not ferment and instead drop. Keep it around 80 degrees and it works great.

[Jakey126]

Great job OP! I'm actually hoping to make a tequila like beverage in the near future myself. I have already purchased one bottle of agave nectar and it is the exact one you linked. Let us know how it is after it's been on oak for awhile!

[Stonesryan]

Any updates, OP?

[bluefish_dist]

I would be interested in a little more detail on how you restarted the ferment. I have done a couple of tequila runs and have been unsuccessful in restarting them.