So I've been wanting to make an agave spirit for a good while now and I tired once with just agave nectar and some thick parts of the leaves I was given by a neighbor. I smoked the parts of the leaves till soft but it really wasn't enough to give some real flavor. But then I came upon this a my local market.
This stuff was $3.00 per lb so decided to call the distributor right on the label to see if they were open to the public. Sure enough it is and its only $1.50 a pound. So decide the agave spirit another shot. Using this and agave nectar to get my S.G to 1.065 or so.
I bought about 26 lbs of the cooked agave and split it into 4 batches adding about 6.5 pounds per 5 1/2 gallon batch. To that I added one gallon of the agave nectar. And use some yeast nutrients to go along with a pack of SafTeq Blue yeast and a pack of D-254 lalvin wine yeast. It took off and fermented down to .999 every time. The way I added the the agave to my batches is by mashing it all up and putting it in a paint strainer bag for easy removal.
I did stripped 3 6 gallon batches resulting in 5 gallons of low wines. But to each stripping run that I added the left over agave solids which I suspend in my still in a muslin bag. I made one last 3 gallon batch and added that to my 5 gallons of low wines resulting in 8 gallons for my spirit run. I threw out the first 600ml which I ran very slow. Then I started collecting in pint jars 17 in total but this stuff kept coming ( I need to buy more pint jars ) I started collecting in any old glass jars I had. When I was in my tails I came to a surprise as this was where all the flavor was. So I actually kept a lot of this for my final cut. After airing the jars out for 24 hours I was left with close to 1.5 gallons which I blended with half a gallon of my first batch that I really didn't think was all that. But that earlier batch was siting on oak for close to 2 years. Which gave a boost to my final cut.
This stuff smells amazing and flavor is a cross between tequila and mescal.
Here are a few more pics
Last edited by brat on Wed Oct 02, 2019 8:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Also here is a little experiment am doing with some late head and some late tails which didn't taste bad. I figured I'll let this age for a year or so to see where it goes. As for my main batch I think am going to age it for 3 months or so. Going for a reposado. BTW am aging on oak I use in some my previous batch of malt whiskey.
I forget to mention that am aging my main batch @ 120 proof.
I’m in LA... which local market/distributor?? This all sounds good to me and I’d love to give it a go. I have an agave syrup + agave terpenes batch fermenting right now with flavors tbd but the ferment started out smelling bland at 1.050 and already at 1.040 smells much more complex so we’ll see.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
Hey pope the phone number and address is a the cooked agave package. But I suggest calling before going sometimes they are out of the stuff. This place is a a wholesaler for fruits and vegetables in downtown LA the place is a madhouse. This is where all the local restaurants going to buy their fruits and vegetables.
Lol shows how much attention I pay. I used to try and go down to that part of town for rye flour but I think it’s easier to just buy 20 oz packs from Whole Foods unless you need tons (but that’s another thread). I’m out in the valley, not worth the trek.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
I’ll follow up re: my agave terpenes when I have a spirit run done, that supplier is here too, just east of Compton.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
pope wrote: ↑Wed Oct 02, 2019 8:26 pm
I’ll follow up re: my agave terpenes when I have a spirit run done, that supplier is here too, just east of Compton.
Pope send me the info for the distributor east of Compton. Compton is also close by and a lot less of a hassle than going to DTLA.
It's 21 Missions Agave (21missionsagave.com), the terpenes come in a small bottle for like $15 and the owner recommended 30 ml per 10 gal wash. I also purchased dark agave nectar as the sugar base. From conversations with craft distillers and what I've read, the agave syrups need some nutrition so I used superfood (with superstart yeast), I fed it at the start (about 10g per 10 gallons wash), at 40% reduction in gravity this morning, and I'll feed it once more as it approaches the finish line. It's a slow fermentation so far. Might be really interesting to come up with a mix of the two for fermentation.
Is your local market Vallarta or was it a small market? I'd be tempted to pay the premium not to drive to DTLA, at least for a test batch.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
FYI I called just now (the mezcal supplier) and they said they're out for at least 2 weeks, to check back then.. when did you buy yours?
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
Hey pope I bought mine awhile ago. But what I did is buy close to 30 pounds worth and freeze it. I would take it out as needed. FYI it's a lot easier to mash up after thawing than fresh. Hey I wonder if I can pick up directly from 21 missions agave? Am Looking at one of those 5 gallon bottles.
I would call and ask! I believe I spoke to the owner and he was very helpful. I also had over 100 lbs shipped for under $30 so I never considered will call, it's a bit of a trek for me.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
Finally got my hands on some of this ‘fresh mezcal’, I asked where it was from and they told me it comes out of Puebla (just for the sake of knowing). Got 40# so once I know the sugar content I’m hoping to be able to use it three or four ways, with and without syrup and terpenes, oven roasted or not, etc.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
I’ll call but wondering if they’ll ship the fresh agave. I’ve a bottle of terpenes and 10 gallons dark agave from 21missions. I made agave spirits from 5 gallons of organic agave nectar and was pretty happy with it. Expecting better results next runs.
I think the answer on the shipping might be 'no' but worth triple checking. If you don't speak Spanish and you get a guy that keeps saying 'yes' make sure you ask for someone who speaks English, he always handed me off to a woman who spoke a bit more English. When I picked it up it was all pretty cold as if it had been frozen or refrigerated and I took it straight home to put it in my own fridge/freezer. They're down in the produce market in DTLA (adjacent to the boojee Row DTLA), open from midnight to 10:30 am Mon-Sat. I was down there at 5 am this morning with a backpack, the weird gringo buying 40 lbs of what is sold as a sweet treat. There was a language barrier but they explained you basically 'eat' it or chew on it the same way people chew on sugar cane.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
Also, my first agave/terpene ferment was a stalling, sluggish mess. Took several weeks and it smells pretty sour with a nice bacterial film on top now. As I mentioned earlier I used superstart yeast, O2 at the beginning, and three feedings of superfood (which includes DAP and nutrients). Went from 1.050 to 1.014, but I will be using Distilamax TQ (tequila yeast) on the next round and have a larger heater to get it up into the 80's for fermentation temp (was in the 70's on my first round). One thing I could have done better on the first round was properly rehydrating the yeast rather than sprinkling it on top like it was fairy dust.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
Dosing is tricky because nutrient addition rates are based on being a wine or beer product, and I understand rum and tequila to offer even less to the yeast. I have superfood and use the max dosage recommended for wines (~28g/1oz per 10 gallons). I fed multiple times on the first one as the sugar dropped, still was a sluggish ferment. I tried to restart with a yeast designed to 'unstick' ferments (uvaferm 43) but no dice. I think my pH got too low but I think I'll run it at this point rather than trying to raise it and start it up again.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
The yeast nutrient I used is the LD Carlson. I bought it on Amazon. It's cheap and works well for both brewing beer and distilling washes. For the agave spirit I use 3 heaping tablespoons that I boil in 3 cups of water and add another tablespoon of bakers yeast. Let that boil for like 3 mins. That's how I feed the yeast. I had no lag what so ever. I did use the saf teq blue along with some wine yeast.
This is for the 5.5 gallon batch? If that's the case I think I'm using about half as much nutrient, though it's apples to oranges as well. I'll try doubling on my next attempt. I also think that tequila yeast likely makes a difference. I read a lot about stuck fermentations and about glucose and fructose levels and consumption, and I think that a non-tequila yeast might not 'like' fructose and eat all the glucose first, leaving it with an insurmountable 'wall' of fructose against which it can struggle/stall. This is my theory at least. I'm going at it with Distilamax TQ next which is a tequila yeast (maybe even the same stain under a different brand), we shall see!
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
I ran my agave/terpene blend this am and it was disappointing. I expected the low volume, plus the tails were sweet due to incomplete fermentation, but I'm not sure I'll even be able to do anything with it. I have a small 1-gal still I can probably run it in!
At the same time I started boiling 10 lbs of the mezcal in 3 gallons of water and left it to simmer for about four hours (someone's stepping in to turn it off). This stuff is smoky! My kitchen smells like a cook-off. I was wondering what the origin story of the product is given the shape and size, now I am thinking it is the outside edges of the peña that took the brunt of the cooking process. It would make sense that they were sliced off by a jimador with a coa. In a sense this is a waste product or reject (not to say it's not useful in it's own way). What do you think?
Either way, I think if I simmer it for four hours or so the chunks of fiber will fall apart... a pressure cooker/instant pot would probably be perfect for this but it'd take several batches just to process 10#.
I'm guessing but I expect the fiber also contains nutrients that will help with fermentation. I'll get some numbers this evening and sort out my agave ratio and total volume and I'll report back. The distilamax tq yeast specs specify optimum temperature is 86-95F, I've got a new aquarium heater so I'm hoping I can give this strain optimum conditions this time around.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
I never cooked the agave. Since that process was done for you already. But let me know how it goes. As for the agave/terpene run just add that run to your spirit run your currently fermenting. Am sure it will work out.
So you just threw the ~1/2 lb chunks into the mash and they sort of fell apart during fermentation? Or did it break apart while straining? I'm working too hard at this..
I'd typically do that but I'm trying to run all of these as separate spirit runs to create distinct variations (i.e. 100% mescal, 50/50 mescal/agave w/ w/o terpenes, 100% agave/terpene if I can get it fermenting properly, etc).
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
If you look at my original post you'll see how I mashed it up and added water and mashed it more. I just strained off all the liquid and threw all the pulp in a painting straining bag. I just threw all that in the fermenter. It worked out great.
Last edited by brat on Thu Oct 24, 2019 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Yea, so that was all pre-ferment. I'm kind of hoping that cooking it all day will do all that work for me. I cut the chunks into thinner slices but even after four hours they're sticking together pretty good. It'll have simmered a full 10+ hours by the time I have my hands on it.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
Work got away from me so it simmered 12 hours, still solid chunks. But after a few minutes tearing the pieces apart with forks I switched to the blender and it took about 10 minutes to shred them up. Went from 3-1/2 to 5 gallons with the water added in blending, I’ll let it cool overnight and come up with my final blend tomorrow am.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
I'd add some pectic enzyme to assist with breaking down the mezcal. Wish I could get some. If I get out to LA i'll figure out how to ship a 50lbs bucket.
jonnys_spirit wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 5:51 am
I'd add some pectic enzyme to assist with breaking down the mezcal. Wish I could get some. If I get out to LA i'll figure out how to ship a 50lbs bucket.
Cheers!
-jonny
Jonny I figure the shipping will be more expensive than the product lol. Well I guess that depends where and how you ship. And the pectic enzymes should work out okay. I got to try that next time.
If I end up going back for more and you want some, you can probably get almost 20# into a large box, that's $15 something to anywhere in the US. I might still try and get pectic enzymes into my mash tonight.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope
