Sunchoke "Mezcal"?

[hellbilly007]

This article was interesting to me, so I figured I'd share it with y'all

https://punchdrink.com/articles/can-mat ... the-world/

[NZChris]

I’d like to be proved wrong, but I don’t think there is much in the way of fermentables in them. I’ve recently gotten rid of a fermenter worth of them.

[Rum Agol]

We call them Jerusalem Artichokes here in the UK. Agree with Chris, nutritional info states about same % starch as potatoes however they can cost about £5.00 per Kilo here so it would take £50 worth to get around 1 kilo fermentables. Sugar only costs about £0.65 per kilo

[NZChris]

I don't think much of the starch is usable. The artichokes will mainly be useful for flavor and for a substrate to hold the smoke.

[Rum Agol]

Yes I see that honey is added to boost sugar content. Some interesting combinations of ingredients in their ferments, I admire people who are not afraid to experiment and expand knowledge in the craft.

[Farside]

We have a butt load of sunchokes to dig out of the ground this spring when the ground thaws. If you chop them up and boil them for 45 mins to an hour with an acid, the sugars break down into fermentables. I did this the other year to make sunchoke mash for eating using vinegar and it was rather too sweet for a main course dish.

Citric acid is probably the cheapest and most neutral way to convert the complex carbs.