Using Maple sap

[GoneBlind]

Would using Maple sap be safe to use as my water to make a mash? Is there a danger of producing more methanol due to it coming directly from the tree? I have about 10 lit of it @ about 1.5% sugar ... I know It needs more fermentable sugar and would be using it more for the flavored water!. There is not enough to make syrup and I think it could add a little flavor to a whiskey! I used the search tool and there is very little in regards to using the sap directly....
Thanks...

[Slow & Steady]

I don't think there will be many folks who have done a Maple sap/sugar ferment because it is such an expensive commodity. I sure would like to taste a Maple Mash distilate. Just to see how the maple comes across. I have put a little maple surup into my aging Whiskey and love what that does for the taste and the nose. The Sap shouldn't produce more Methanol, it isn't wood.

S&S

[heartcut]

That ought to be fine and interesting. If it does make more methanol, just cut to hearts a little later, after the smell and taste is gone. I'd be interested in hearing about it.

[MuleKicker]

There is alot of natural yeast in maple sap. I would boil it before using it, so as the wild yeast doesnt take over your ferment. I have a friend that does maple suryp, and if he lets sap sit long, it takes off fermenting on its own.

[GoneBlind]

That is why forums like this are so great. I never would have thought of the natural yeast!

[MuleKicker]

That is why forums like this are so great. I never would have thought of the natural yeast!

[WV Shine]

Might be an interesting experiment to let some of the sap ferment naturally and then compare the results to your boiled/commercial yeast version... 'course you may just end up with a moldy mess But, its possible the natural yeasts could lend it a better/more interesting ester profile as well... wont know till ya try.

[MDH]

Might try asking these guys.

[Fastill]

My plan this spring was to boil down sap 40 gallons to 10 gallons and use this as a base for mashing my corn. Problem is the weather. Early summer conditions and trees budding put sap flow to a stop this year. Managed to make 1.5 qts of syrup from my humble operation and now might not get the sap I need for my mash. I will say that it is ALOT of work, but what else would I do in my spare time.(between 2 full time jobs )

[HolyBear]

I love the taste of sap water!!! Always wondered why somebody up there in maple country didn't bottle it an make a million
.....

[Prairiepiss]

Might try asking these guys.

I was just about to post about someone using it to make vodka.

[MuleKicker]

Using maple sap, although "free" would be pretty labor intensive. Not to mention you would have to boil it down a bit to get a decent sg to start, or add sugar. I know sap right out of the tree will get you around 2%abv if I remember. I know it can vary

[HolyBear]

Its dandy fine ifn your thirsty out n tha woods!!! Seems like somebody would bottle it an sell it like them flavored waters on store shelves.. I'd buy it..

[MDH]

If you think Maple is expensive, I once considered making a distilled spirit out of birch sap. After my calculations I found that it would cost me about $45 to make a 375ml bottle of it.

Guess I don't quite have bulk buying power yet.

To say something to the topic:

If you want to make a maple brandy, do what the french do with Eau de Vie: Ferment it with a beer-oriented yeast or a neutral yeast at COOL temperatures. Pot (Not reflux) distill it twice, and allow it to age in a stainless steel tank such as a beer keg with a small amount of access to air for a few months. This will allow it to rid itself of heady compounds.

[francis]

I love the taste of sap water!!! Always wondered why somebody up there in maple country didn't bottle it an make a million
.....

Yeah. Bottled water sells for more than syrup which is boiled down from sap. But sap is delicious. Sterilizing should be possible by UV light, if that is the issue.

[yakattack]

I did a maple whiskey using fresh SAP instead of water this year. Used it to cook my grains (corn wheat oat) it turned out amazing. Sadly I only had enough SAP for a 8 gallon batch but it was well worth it. You don't have to pre boil it if you are using grains as a fermentable as your mashing process will kill the wild yeast.

I ran my through my boka using it to draw fores and heads really slow and then hearts and tails wide open. Got a little reflux action but it was like using a thumper.

The maple really shined through with a sweetness that was not in the mash prior to running. I highly recommend using maple SAP.of you have free access to it.

Next year I will be tapping around 100 trees (they are plentiful around here) and doing a big batch.

Yak

[Steep-n-Rocky]

I have used maple sap both in place of water in a mash and on its own. On its own, it is run through a small reverse osmosis system which gets the sugar content up to approximately 10%. I then use this as a modified Wineos wash (no sugar). It produces a pleasant sweet neutral. Some of this years production I also put on used oak sticks briefly (approx. 3 months). Not a whiskey but not bad.