Calvados Pt 1. My First Distillation

[drbobbeattie]

Just thought I would post this as I could not find anything useful on the internet. I don't really drink much, but I do like the occasional Calvados and as I have some apple trees in the garden I thought I would give it a go. I am a complete novice, so bare with me. This what I did and the results seem OK. I am using a 20L Chinese stainless steel still. Bit basic, but seems to work. I calibrated the thermometer by boiling water. It reads 1.5C low.

Cider

First I made 15L of cider in 3 demijons. Fermented for a week, then transferred to clean demijons when it settled and then put out in the cold. Really nice dry cider. I think it was 1 camden tablet, 1 tsp yeast, 1/2 tsp nutrient, 1 tsp pectic enzyme, 1/2 tsp tannin. This should give about 7% ABV. I measured 11.5% SG, 4.5% FG which gives an ABV of 6% so near enough.

Distillation

Putting this into the pot still calculator, picture included, suggests about 3L of product at an ABV of 28%, which is pretty much correct. The temperatures and ABV were reasonably close to predicted. I took this 3L and ran it through the still again (slowly) and it gave more or less what the calculator suggested, although the initial ABV was a bit above the predicted curve. I collected about 1.2L and finished collecting when the ABV dropped to 20. I collected in jars roughly 150mL.

Cuts

There were 8 jars in total. Around where ABV starts dropping below 40% on the 8 th jar, it smells pretty bad, so I tossed that and the foreshots jar 1 as well. The 7 th jar had next to no smell so I kept that and jar 6, 5 & half of jar 4. I am using 500ml bottles and it was full at that. Jars 3 & 2 had slight acetone note so they got thrown out. That left me with a 500mL bottle full at just over 60% ABV. I am going to do a second run the same but split jar 4 and 8.

Ageing

My plan is to put a toasted oak stick until it has a very slight colour, just for the look of the thing. There is tannin in the cider and I want something fairly neutral so I will leave it at that rather than more oak. I am going to age it for a couple of years, letting it breathe occasionally and the turn the two bottles into 3 at 40% ABV. Currently it tastes OK, bit a bit raw.

I will do an update next Autumn just prior to dealing with the apple trees. And a big thanks you for the pot still calculator. I would have been lost without it. There is not really a recipe to follow for Calvados that I could find.

Rob.

[cranky]

There is not really a recipe to follow for Calvados that I could find.

There isn't a recipe as such but the Calvadose makers are required by law to do certain things which gives an idea of the process. Others do give hints. True Calvadose is made from only specific apples that are found in Normandy. They must fall from the tree but shaking the tree is allowed. They are grated and pressed a certain way. I would have to do a little searching and don't have much time right now but they are only pressed to extract something like 60% of the weight, so not pressed excessively hard. Then the cider is fermented and allowed to rest a number of months and up to a year before distilling.

All of that said it sounds like you did fine. The only thing I would really say is leave the camden out. It can cause problems when distilling.

[drbobbeattie]

All of that said it sounds like you did fine. The only thing I would really say is leave the camden out. It can cause problems when distilling.

Thanks, will do. I imagine of I am using it fairly quickly, the chances of it spoiling are low anyway,

Rob.

[Farside]

Well you did better than me on my first attempt!

Just like you I had trouble finding information, and I have never tasted commercial calvados. All I had to go on was a memory of drinking the stuff my relatives in Normandy made when I was a teenager. They were farmers and fishermen who fueled their equipment with calva during WWII so they have been making it for generations. I remember it was good stuff but very difficult to describe the flavor. Most likely a peasant drink than fine calvados LOL.

I started with cider I made from juice of whatever apples I could find and press the juice from. As soon as it fermented dry (3 months) I freeze concentrated it (and made applejack). I then charged my still with it and did one spirit run.

I discarded the foreshots, and then collected everything in one container until the abv of the liquid was around 45. I then aged this on apple wood that I toasted and lightly charred. It actually turned out quite well. Certainly not calva but it's still a nice drop.

[drbobbeattie]

Calvados Pt 2. One Year On

Tried it for the first time. Near as I want to perfect. Devil casting his hook. A little bit fiery, but I am assuming another year or two and that will die down. Colour is good with two small light toasted apple sticks. Only thing I am changing is making the cider with no tablet or enzyme.

I measured the ABV where I made the cuts by nose. They came out at 70% ABV (87 - 88 C) - 40% ABV (95 - 96 C). I get the impression that's inline with other fruit wines. Starting with 15 L of cider, gives 3L of 28% low wine, and in the spirit run I discard the first 500ml and keep the next 500ml.

Notes for a beginner would be dont try to measure ABV with an optical meter for high ABV, temperature is more accurate. When you calibrate your still with water, try to use the same cold water flow and volume as for real. Also the still needs to be running properly to get good readings.

I collect the foreshots+ at low power. Not enough steam to give a good temperature reading and only the high ABV alcohol seems to make it out. I am assuming this is at least not a bad thing to do. Then I turn the power up to get a modest trickle.

Thanks
Rob.

[drbobbeattie]

Pt 3, Just some observations for anyone trying this. I have been doing a bit of experimenting. Last years was good, but if it had a fault, is that the taste disappeared quickly leaving no trace. I have tested a few with the still running a bit longer. I would say for the cider I am making, 40ABV is to early to cut of, and 30ABV is to late. At 30ABV the aftertaste is to strong. Somewhere just south of 40ABV seems about right. Similarly, at the other end just north of 70ABV adds a not unpleasant note.

[B_Stilling]

Very cool. I distilled some self made cider a friend found in his basement lol... So I have some distilled cider of about 38,5%ABV sitting here, just dont got any oak yet, but the plan is to get some to age it on. How much oak will you use and will you toast it?

[B_Stilling]

Just like you I had trouble finding information, and I have never tasted commercial calvados. All I had to go on was a memory of drinking the stuff my relatives in Normandy made when I was a teenager. They were farmers and fishermen who fueled their equipment with calva during WWII so they have been making it for generations. I remember it was good stuff but very difficult to describe the flavor. Most likely a peasant drink than fine calvados LOL.

Great stuff lol

[drbobbeattie]

Just a noteon how much wood to use. What I have found so far is as little as possible is a pretty good answer. To much and it starts to get bitter. I just go by colour. I use lightly toasted apple wood and when it gets a light honey colour I take it out.

Rob.

[Toxxyc]

I think you're tossing too much in one go. Tossing the first 500ml and then saving the next 500ml isn't a great way to make cuts. You should, if you're distilling low volume like 3l in the still, make finer cuts. I would say 50ml cuts until you're through the heads, and then 100ml cuts until you run out of steam (ABV drops to 20% or less, I run mine DEEP into tails always). Then you can blend your cut jars together (after letting them stand open for a day or two) based on smell and taste. I'm betting you'll get a bigger and cleaner yield.

Whatever you're not drinking (except the first jar), throw it together into a feints jar and run it together with the next spirit run. It'll also boost your yield a bit, as you're not dumping alcohol.

PS: Stop cutting by temperature. It's not accurate.

[NormandieStill]

I'm not french, but I do live in Normandie (a little too far north to be calling an apple brandy Calvados).

First up, I offer the following link Calvados Ageing. It's from a distillery in the Calvados area who kindly provide quite a lot of details about their ageing process, and in English too.

A few things to note from their process (for those who don't have time to read the page, or if they decide to take it down in the future):

- The second distillation is run slowly at first to clear the foreshots and heads, then the hearts are run fast in order to carry over flavour that might be lost to a slow distillation. I'm not sure how much difference this makes at the hobby level since the thread discussing experiments to test it petered out without any definitive results.
- They age for 3 months in new barrels, then finish the ageing in used barrels so as to capture the vanilla without over oaking.
- They prefer evaporation of alcohol through the barrel as a way of lowering the abv, so as to reduce the flavour dilution that would come with proofing down. (They sell some bottles of cask strength)
- The barrels are not heavily toasted or charred (From a chart I've seen on the internets toasting sticks at around 170C-180C should provide the sweet spot for sweet vanilla without getting too much toast).

To be called Calvados (in addition to coming from the right area of France) it needs to be aged at least 2 years in oak barrels. We used to buy "vieux" which was four years old, or when feeling a little richer "hors d'age" which was eight years old. Sadly, we never managed a side-by-side tasting.

For legal reasons I can't easily get into a conversation with the more local produces of eau-de-vie de pommes to talk about their methods, but what I've tasted locally is not really worth discussing either so perhaps no loss there!

[bluc]

I did some apple and cut hard and I liked it better white. Nice rich apple flavour.
After oaking 10g/l french oak it lost that apple character and just became "a brandy".
I used a cold press juicer half fresh squuezed half pre pressed juice.
Next time round I wont oak and just let it mellow in glass..