Tequila wash not tasting like tequila

[blackbrj]

Not many tequila posts so hopefully someone will have answers.
I've tried two times now to create a tequila wort and both times NO FLAVOR! Smells and tastes like pure ethanol. Can someone please review my wort and see what I'm doing wrong. Or just help me with tips to get more flavor. I'm a newby at this stuff but excited about the process. Thanks for any
feedback.

3.5 gallons of distilled water
10.4 pounds of white sugar
25 oz of agave nectar
1/2 cup of fleishmanns bread making yeast
38 grams of miracle grow for nutrients
3 B1 pills
4 teaspoons of lemon juice

I don't think I need to add extra agave nectar but I'm open to anything. My last batch just finished fermenting (fermenting took about 4 days) and it is settling right now before I distill. I don't have a final SG yet.

Thanks to anyone.

[der wo]

3.5 gallons of distilled water
10.4 pounds of white sugar
25 oz of grape nectar

or

4 gallons of mashed grapes

Which do you think will result in the better wine? And better brandy?


BTW your recipe sounds like way too much sugar for bakers yeast. SG? FG?

[yakattack]

There a a number of things that you need to change. Get over to the new distillers reading lounge. And read. Once you've done that you should be able to answer a number of these questions yourself.

Do your due diligence and people will be more than happy to help you. But we don't spoonfeed. Your in the right place friend. Saddle up and get your reading glasses on. And maybe some eye drops and a few beers.

Yak

[Pesty]

Can't make tequila without the blue agave plant and it takes 8 to 15 years to mature

[cranky]

What Yak said. For what its worth, I have read numerous posts about agave nectar and don't think I've ever read where it turned out tasting like tequila. Tequila pretty much requires a specific process that is very impractical to try to replicate on our scale. I have read that fig brandy is very close to tequila but haven't done any of these things myself.

Now Read and follow the first two links in my signature to help get started in the right direction.

[rad14701]

Bone up on the research and go back to the drawing board... OR, better yet, stick with a Tried and True Tequila recipe rather than going rogue on your first effort...

[Pesty]

Tried and True Tequila recipe

there is only 1 in there and it uses a blue agave plant.

[rad14701]

Tried and True Tequila recipe

there is only 1 in there and it uses a blue agave plant.

Well, then, obviously members aren't having much success with tequila recipes... If there isn't one in Tried and True Recipes or Recipe Development, it probably isn't here... In the grand scheme of things we haven't really had a high percentage of tequila interest from a recipe development standpoint... If it was easy, everyone would be doing it...

[nerdybrewer]

A local cash and carry type store used to sell blue agave nectar by the gallon.
It was pretty expensive, but that might get you closer.

[nerdybrewer]

If I were serious I'd have a good oak barrel ready and then I'd buy this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wholesome-Sweet ... 2057229465" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I'd go from there, no sugar, nothing but water, blue agave and yeast.
Research of course how it's done in Mexico and run it and then after cuts age it.
Then you just might, after aging properly, have something like tequila, maybe.

[Snackson]

There are a few recipes out there via HD Google search. I am working on one right now and if it turns out, I will post it. Costco sells 2x36oz bottles of Wholesome Organic Blue Agave Nectar for under $10. I think I picked them up for about $8 when they were on sale. One bottle of it mixed up to 1 gallon total volume gave me 1.064 which is perfect. I am using some methods found here and on other forums with no added sugar. I plan on stripping off the 10 gallons I made later this week and then spirit running this weekend. If it turns out, I'll try to repeat and post it up here.

[skow69]

Wow. That is about the most optimistic tequila post I have ever seen. Good luck Snackson.

Lots of people like this recipe. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 11&t=35090 It didn't work for me.

[Pesty]

The problem with the commercial agave syrup is that its refined into syrup by heating kind of like molassas. Fructose sugar and glucose make up the sugars and its known that fructose makes for some nasty shine. The agave cactus is a wide variety and the syrup from them will not make a tequila.

The Blue Agave is so valuable for tequila production that it's hard for us to get the real thing.

[Pesty]

Costco sells 2x36oz bottles of Wholesome Organic Blue Agave Nectar for under $10.

It's all high fructose syrup.

Read up on Agave syrup, stuff is worse for you than corn syrup and even white sugar.

[MDH]

its known that fructose makes for some nasty shine.

Fructose is the sugar in almost all fruits.

[Snackson]

Wow. That is about the most optimistic tequila post I have ever seen. Good luck Snackson.

Lots of people like this recipe. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 11&t=35090 It didn't work for me.

Yeah, I've read that one. That's where I got the inspiration for all agave to try it out. I saw the stuff on sale and figured what the hell. Treating it like rum ferment, which I've done about 5 batches of.

[just sayin]

Agava syrup should make tequelia that is about equal to corn whiskey made from HF corn syrup. It can technically be called 100% corn liquor, but most of true corn flavor we are expecting got processed out at the factory.
Good luck!

[Snackson]

Check out http://www.state-38.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow. They somehow figured out how to make an agave spirit out of the syrup...

[NZChris]

I calculate that what you did was approximately the equivalent of mixing one part tequila with ten parts of vodka, then wondering why your drink didn't taste like tequila.

[junkyard dawg]

making an agave spirit out of refined agave syrup is no challenge at all.

It tastes nothing like tequila tho.

Go look at Ian Chadwicks site on how tequila is made. The flavor profile comes from the pina and how it is roasted, steamed, smoked or otherwise processed. It is fundamental to the process. The original posters recipe is poorly designed. It will not yield a tequila.

Just sayin said it well. Just like a spirit made of highly processed high fructose corn syrup will not taste like corn. If you were to grind corn and mash it and ferment it then the spirit will have that corn flavor. This is not rocket science. Its common sense.

The thread about Rogers tequila recipe is pretty ridiculous. It actually made me cringe to read some of those posts. There is a lot of ignorance and poor understanding of concept in that thread. Not good advice.

[Saltbush Bill]

Dont limit yourself . look around the forums at different distilling sites, look for a fella that calls him self Rossco....he makes a nice tequila so I'm tole.

[skow69]

I've been expecting Rosco to show up here ever since the OP.

[junkyard dawg]

He posted in the rogers thread. He is making a spirit from agave syrup and white sugar.

I'd love to hear why he believes a wash made from sugar and a highly refined syrup is unlike a rum. He states that it smells different... well, it is different. It is sugar and agave syrup, instead of sugar and molasses. of course it smells different. It is not made of the roasted heart of a huge plant that has been cooked, crushed, fermented and squeezed dry. It is nothing like mezcal. It is like a rum and it is wonderful. Probably my favorite sugar wash type recipe.

Figs, artichokes, sweet potatoes, onions, etc, are nothing like agave and produce nothing remotely similar to tequila. Agave flavor is as distinct as the plant itself.

This link should explain many many details for folks unfamiliar with this unique spirit.

http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/defined.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Stonesryan]

Snackson, did you ever finalize your tequila recipe?

[Snackson]

Snackson, did you ever finalize your tequila recipe?

It worked out perfectly. I see you've been bumping every tequila thread there is? Lol.

Mixed up to 1.064, added 1 tbsp tomato paste to each, and some oyster shells. That was the recipe. I haven't made any since, but it worked out perfectly. I got about 3 quarts of 50% out of it. I oaked some and kept some white. Tastes much better than Jose.

[Johnlj101]

This thread seems dead but thought I would revive it......Had a frustrating day yesterday and decided to distract myself and get something new fermenting and do some experimenting. Found some 100% Agave on sale at the store and decided to give this a shot with my own version after some extensive reading of all the threads like this one.

Did a yeast starter with Red Star DADY
took 7 lbs of sugar and inverted with some citric acid
added 60 oz of Agave and brought back to a boil
dumped into the fermenter and added cool water to 6 gallons
Did 2 batches and got SG of 1.069 and 1.067
through in 1 heaping tbsp of tomato paste and oyster shells
once it was down to 90 degrees stirred in the yeast starter and put in the closet with a heating pad between them on low to keep warm and covered with a blanket.

Checked it when I got home from work and its bubbling 2-3 times a second. We are on a water well with an aerator so I have the added benefit of tons of O2 bubbles in the water when I topped it off. (our water comes out of the faucet virtually cloudy white there are so many little bubbles until they slowly dissipate to crystal clear water)

This could be interesting, regardless of how it goes from here, it made my day end a lot better than it had been going! (Plus I sipped some UJ while I did it!)

[bluefish_dist]

Tequila is a challenge. Here are a couple of hints as I am not going to share my full process as it took hard work to figure out.
Keep sg on the low side, it will ferment dryer with a lower sg. I have had 1.056 ferment dry (.997).
Do stepped addition of nutrients over the first 3-4 days. It needs nitrogen.
Adjust ph daily. It will crash.
Consider using two yeasts or two additions of the same yeast. 2nd pitch 2-5 days after the first pitch.

That should give a good start on fermenting agave syrup.

[Johnlj101]

Tequila is a challenge. Here are a couple of hints as I am not going to share my full process as it took hard work to figure out.
Keep sg on the low side, it will ferment dryer with a lower sg. I have had 1.056 ferment dry (.997).
Do stepped addition of nutrients over the first 3-4 days. It needs nitrogen.
Adjust ph daily. It will crash.
Consider using two yeasts or two additions of the same yeast. 2nd pitch 2-5 days after the first pitch.

That should give a good start on fermenting agave syrup.

THANKS BLUEFISH! I'll keep an eye on it and use your suggestions. Part of the reason I did the invert of the sugar was I thought it might help the yeast during fermentation.

[jonnys_spirit]

Step 1 will be to make some agave spirit low wines - and some agave nectar dunder muck pit. Rinse repeat infect and concentrate.

Only then will the real work just begin.

Add some of that infected muck pit into your low wines / high wines.

Plunder ur dunder!

Proof it down with nasty incected mucky dunder and let it sit - re distill it a couple times as you process your 10 gallons of blue agave spirit.

No goat heads but you could liquefy a couple handfuls of agave worms and trow em in da pit!

It won’t be tequila or mezcal but it will end up as a highly concentrated and aromatic nuanced blue agave spirit. Call it whatcha will but do stop by my place and pour yasself three or four fingaz. Hint of mildly mottled lime zest rubbed around the rim.

Cheers!
-j

EDIT:
i started with a five gallon order of blue agave nectar for $130. My calcs say that will get me about five stripping runs and should provide a good amount of backwash / dunder. This will take some time and I’ll start a new thread to track the specifics and may need to purchase a little more more blue agave nectar once I’m into the thick of it.

Yours truly,
jonny rotten aka: the-molester-of-ester and the-plunder-of-dunder
(I only have the worst of intentions and terrible plans in mind but we will have fun as we watch the sun rise over the end of the world)

[Johnlj101]

Siphoning mine off right now—-it finished at .999 and 1.001 after 10 days. It seems like the key was a good stir every day or so to agitate the oyster shells to balance the ph. Dang things would slow or stall after 24-36 hours but after a good stir it would kick right back up for another day or so.

Gonna strip it this weekend! Or play hookie from work one day and do it sooner!