Apple mash

[kevin 82]

I am attempting my first apple mash and it's fermenting nicely. I read on the forums that fruit produces more heads. When run a five gallon batch of corn whiskey I dump the first cup, with fruit should I double that just to be safe. I am running a five gallon pot still.

Thanks guys

[Richard7]

Let us know how it turns out. I always wanted to do a successful brandy!

[blind drunk]

Definitely toss your fores but some of the best flavour comes early in the run. Just make sure to taste and smell before you make any assumptions about what is and what isn't. Good luck.

[kevin 82]

Thanks man will do I will let you know how it turns out

[kevin 82]

Mash is bubbling nicely can't wait to try it.

[Braz]

What works for me when making apple brandy:
When you charge your still, hold back some of your wash. Not sure how much to recommend, maybe 1/2 gallon for each 5 gallons of wash.
Double run in a pot still. Use the wash you held back to dilute the low wines for the second run. This seems to enhance the "brandiness" of the resulting spirit. Age on oak. The addition of a small amount of maple syrup and a small handful of raisins to the aging barrel or jar doesn't hurt.

[junkyard dawg]

Everytime I have done apple brandy I have found that the distillate takes a long time to settle. It was not good right off the still and only after about 6 months of aging did it turn into something wonderful. My apple brandy after a year of sitting sealed tightly in the back of the cabinet was incredible. Good luck!

[Bushman]

I love my apple brandy. I have a friend that has 37 acres on one of the islands in the San Juan's here in Washington. We take my apple press and make cider. Last year we fed the pomus to the sheep which was a huge mistake as they had the runs really bad. This year I need to find some large plastic barrels as I plan on bringing it home to make grappa.

[kevin 82]

This mash is taking a really long time to frement this going on two weeks and it's still bubbling is this normal.

[NZChris]

Check the SG. I would guess it should be 1000 or less by now if it is ok.

[kevin 82]

Checked the SG 1.040 so I will let it bubble and check in a week if it hasn't finished bubbling first.

[natasdg47187]

hello guys just wondering about doing some apple brandy myself. is it ok to just use 100% apple juice instead of buying bunch of apples an chopping them up an juice them. anybody has a 5 gallon recipe i can use with the apple juice or should i go with the actual apples.

[Richard7]

hello guys just wondering about doing some apple brandy myself. is it ok to just use 100% apple juice instead of buying bunch of apples an chopping them up an juice them. anybody has a 5 gallon recipe i can use with the apple juice or should i go with the actual apples.

Apple juice is fine but watch out for those preservatives, most of that stuff can stop a ferment. Just get pure apple juice. Even concentrate is fine as long as it is pure. IMHO
Richard

[natasdg47187]

ok great im planning to do a five gallon batch. I got 4 gallons of 100% apple juice(concentrate) ive been collecting. each gallon jug says serving size 8fl oz, 16 serving, sugars 28g. what would my recipe contain to make a real good apple brandy? ive read a lot of people mix the apple juice an apple cider, is that necessary. is it different flavor, what the purpose for. can I just do apple juice, sugar, an hot water to 5 gallons with my red star high rise yeast or should I go a different route?

[Richard7]

ok great im planning to do a five gallon batch. I got 4 gallons of 100% apple juice(concentrate) ive been collecting. each gallon jug says serving size 8fl oz, 16 serving, sugars 28g. what would my recipe contain to make a real good apple brandy? ive read a lot of people mix the apple juice an apple cider, is that necessary.I would say the cider sounds like an apple pie recipe. That can go two ways. Hard cider or just cider. Either way if your looking to do an apple ferment just stick with juice. is it different flavor, what the purpose for. can I just do apple juice, sugar, an hot water to 5 gallons with my red star high rise yeast I would say yes here or should I go a different route?

There are many others that can give you good advice here. I am no brandy expert. Just trying to pass on what I have learned in my attempts.

[natasdg47187]

ive never done any brandys but this is my first attempt. I was planning to put 4 gallons of 100% apple juice in my 5 gallon fermenter an couple lbs of sugar. top of with boiling hot water to the 5 gallon mark than drop my yeast in there with it get to that right temp an let it ride. didn't know what the outcome would be so any advice would help.

[natasdg47187]

do I have to use the cider to get that apple pie cuz I was looking to get a flavor like that but don't have the apple cider. I wanted that apple flavor, I went with the apple juice to save all that time peeling an chopin up all lose apples.

[goose eye]

You usein store bought juice draw some out an
get you a good starter goin before you pitch it.
You can get stuff that been sorbated to work to
but it gonna take time.

so im tole

[natasdg47187]

just need to know how much juice an how much sugar an water do I use for my 5 gallon fermentor

[natasdg47187]

can I do the 4 gallon juice, 5 lbs sugar, an top off with the water or is that to much or to little. or is it not gonna have any good flavors

[Dnderhead]

you need the SG or know how much sugar in the juice.

[natasdg47187]

1 gallon has 16 servings 28g sugar

[Dnderhead]

so its 16x 28=448 or just under 1 lb per gallon .
so with just the juice its 1.046/7%..

[natasdg47187]

could I use nutmeg instead if cinnamin sticks since I can find any local. how would it taste or should I just go with the apple juice by itself to ferment

[Dnderhead]

id go with apples and spice after if you want.

[junkyard dawg]

me too,

and nutmeg and cinnamon are worlds apart in flavor. You prolly don't want to just substitute them. Only a little nutmeg is needed

[Jimbo]

Agree with JD and Dunder. Straight up apple cider fermented, distilled and aged on oak is pretty special. Makes a delicious brandy. Unadulterated. You may find you dont want to mess with it. I make lots of it every year. Add nothing, not even yeast nutrients. Squish apples, add yeast. Thats it. Then distill after 1 month and age on oak.

[natasdg47187]

ok I have one question. lets say I have a 5 1/2 gallon (22quart) pot an a 5 gallon fermenter. all ive done so far is 8 stripping runs of sweetfeed which I collected 5 pints each run to collect total of 5 gallons of 35%. Ive ran my spirit run an ive collected 24 pints of 165 proof down to 80 proof. after making my cuts I have 5 quarts of 150 proof hearts. after I cut it down to bout 120 proof I should have 1.5 gallons of drinkable 120 proof. its taken me a long time, up all nits an weekends to get to this one actual drinkable gallon an a half. id like to try some fruit brandy this time. ive got a 5 gallon apple juice going right now for 4 days so far an it still just bubbling away. is there a way to run just this 5 gallon an that's it? I usually collect 5 pints out of my 5 gallon pot on my stripping run but 5 pints aint enough to put in the pot to run a spirit run. how do I do a smaller batch run without having to do 8 stripping run to get enough to do a spirit run.

[Jimbo]

I only do a single run on apple brandy. Most of the flavor is in the heads, so careful with that cut from fores to heads.

But if you wanted to do a spirit run there's nothing wrong with running a gallon in a 5 gallon still. water expands 1700 times going to vapor. That steam will find its way out. I ran 1.2 gallon once in my 7,75 spirit still and it worked perfectly. If anything the empty headspace gave a little reflux.

[natasdg47187]

so If I do a single run would I still get my 5 pints, if so than how do I do cuts on 5 pints. would the first 2 jars be heads 3 jar hearts an 4,5 jars would be tails.