still no answer

brewster · Post by **brewster** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:06 am

will one get a tequila taste by fermenting with blue agave instead of plain white sugar or do you have to age it to get the tequila taste...thanks scott

booger · Post by **booger** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:02 pm

You can make a tequila with blue agave and age it in oak (assuming you have access to blue agave plants). However, the blue agave is a cactus and if you're not careful you'll cut yourself up pretty good...and the only part you want of the plant is the heart (which I believe is boiled to extract the sugar).

Homebrew shops sometimes sell (or can order for you) a blue agave extract similar to malt extract that is used to make "tequiza" clones (why you'd want to clone that, I don't have a clue). You could ferment the extract, distill and then age with oak and you'd end up with a tequila. This is actually one of the projects I haven't gotten around to, so if you do it let me know how it turns out.

I'd ask the homebrew shop owner (if he's knowledgeable) how much extract he'd recommend to make an agave wine - I'd guess 8-10 pounds of extract would do it, depending on how high an alcohol % you want to end up with.

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:48 pm

Tequila is made by roasting an agave heart and then chopping and mashing it followed by ferment and distillation and aging. I believe there are many variations. There are no obvious shortcuts. I haven't made tequila, but I don't think its gonna be as simple as fermenting agave nectar with the proper yeast. You gotta get an agave heart. Unless you're in the right desert then good luck. They aren't cheap or common most places.

hate to say it, but search this forum for tequila. There is a good article on commercial tequila production that gets linked often. I don't have it handy...

I have some landscaper friends keeping their eyes out for me... I want to make tequila.