Apple Brandy first .....

[Sungy]

12 Gallon Wash

1 bushel apples. (approx 20kg) cored with the seeds removed then puree in food processor
10 kg sugar
1.5 tsp DAP
4.5 tsp citric acid
hot water to make mix temp at 80'f
120 grams fleishmans dry active bakers yeist

So I got this idea...how about apple brandy. I always wanted to try some fruit recipes. A few HD google searches gave me a start and the cals from rad helped finish this....
So here is the scene...I got a bushel of apples from the farmers market and cored them. After the removal of the cores (seems there is a possible health concern from the seeds...not sure) so to play it safe I removed them. Then, into the food processor to turn them into pulp (added a bit o water to food processor here to help out). After all was done I had 20 kgs of pulp. This was split into 3, 7 gallon buckets. From what I have read there is 10% sugar content, so If Im right, this will mean 20 kg of apple puree will have 2 kg sugar. Hope I did the estimate right. So here is what I did. Liquified 10 kg sugar in hot water and split into the three buckets. Then added 6.6 kg apple puree to each bucket.Then I added 1/2 tsp DAP and 1.5 tsp citric acid per bucket.Topped up the three buckets to 6 gallons each with warm water to get a mix temperature of 80 'f. Then pitched in 40 grams flieshmans dry active bakers yeast. Stirred it well and put the lids on with air locks. The starting SG was 1.062 and should be about 10 %ABV. It is bubbling away nicely. So what do you think?

[Richard7]

So what do you think?

Sounds like a good start. Looking forward to hear how it comes out.

[Mulitpleg]

I did something very similar last weekend.

About 30 kgs of apples through a twin gear juicer for about 24 litres of cloudy apple juice. Put that in a fermenter with some cider yeast.

Put the pulp in a brew-in-the-bag and added about 50 litres of water, spoon of DAP, spoon of Magnesium Sulphate, juice of on lemon, 12 kgs of sugar and baker's yeast. All in another fermenter.

Plan is to strip run the pulp mash. Add that to the cider. Pot still single run the combo.

[thisguy]

Love me some apple brandy. Just ran probably my fifth batch this weekend and it turned out grrrrrrreat. Hope u enjoy

[S-Cackalacky]

Most of the orchards here in VA are crankin' out cider this time of year. I got to get out this weekend and try to get a deal on 8 or 10 gallons of the stuff. Might have to make it a priority while its fresh in season.

Just sayin',
S-C

[Mulitpleg]

Do you age it on oak or drink it white?

[thisguy]

I just drink it white. But I also made a batch of apple pie with it a while ago and it turned out really good. Probably gonna do that again and i also want to try aging in oak at some point.

[Sungy]

Here is an update for ya.
So after pitching yeast the temp rose steadily till 94 'F. I mashed down the cap every day. The first 2 days this mash really bubbled wildly, then it settled down and the temp lowered to 80'F where my heater maintained the temp in my fermenter box. After 4 days I decided to measure SG and it was 1.000 and still bubbling at a rate of one bubble per 4 seconds. After a week of mashing it down we are finally down to one bubble per min. I took an old clean white cotton T shirt and cut the sleeves off then sewed them closed, same with the neck line. I used office spring clips to hold the T shirt in place around the rim of a bucket and poured in the first bucket of mash. Twisting the T shirt and squishing the solids from the mash gave me a strained wash (aprx. 15 gallons.). I'm gonna put the air locks back on the buckets and give it a week to settle out then run this in my 3 inch flute using only 2 plates. This should give me a lot of flavor carry over. Once the settling is done I'm gonna get a final SG reading and calculate the final % ABV.

[Sungy]

I Took the final SG at 0.988 or potential 9.8% ABV for the wash. After running this wash in my 3 plate flute I ended up with 5.5 L of 180 proof crystal clear apple brandy that is currently airing out. The smells for this run where wonderful. The hearts are a delight and more than once I found myself dippin a finger into the stream of spirits. Next up is cuts and dilution to 60%. Add in 4 toasted white oak sticks and the hard part is to wait for a few months to see what develops.

[usaftrevor87]

I hope you're subscribed to the post. How did it turn out aged on the white oak? Was the oak toasted or charred?
I'm planning on doing an apple brandy and was curious as to the taste?

[T-Pee]

I recently did an 8 gallon ferment of Tree Top apple juice with 4# of sugar for an OG of 1.070. Caught hell from Jimbo on the sugar addition but it turned out real well.

I used local valley oak heart toasted at 400 degrees for 2 hours then a light alligator char. Color came up quickly and after only a couple of weeks tastes pretty darned dandy.
The second ferment is strictly just apple juice with an OG of 1.052. It'll get the same oaking for comparison between the sugared and non-sugared ferments.

tp

[firewater69]

I look forward to your comparison T-Pee. The blackberries are in bloom & the huckleberries will be ripe in a month, im prolly just gonna do a maceration with the hucks(too hard to find enough of em) but will ferment the blackberries.

[T-Pee]

Mmmm. Blackberry brandy. That sounds really good!

I used to live in the PNW. Blackberries are considered a pest there as they're everywhere. Wish I'd known then what I know now.

tp

[cranky]

I'm interested in the comparison too. I've noticed that some people on here get a bit anal about what you can or can't call something and would like to know how it turns out. Fortunately for me I currently live in the PNW and am beginning to prep for fruit season. My blackberries have just started blooming and the blueberries have been in bloom for a couple weeks already. I have been taking stock of whats left in the freezer from last summer and beginning to make some plans. I grew up in OK and recall blackberry season being rather short. Here it goes on for several months so I can really stock up on them. I also found an unlimited source of free pick your own blueberries which I hope to put to good use this year.

[firewater69]

Very lucky find on the blueberries Cranky. if you make a brandy with them, please post your results.

[cranky]

Very lucky find on the blueberries Cranky. if you make a brandy with them, please post your results.

The blueberries are actually in a public park cared for by volunteers and free to the public with more than 3,300 blueberry bushes that are taller than I can reach. They also have some apple and crabapple trees. There is also another park not far from me that used to be blueberry farm. The only problem with blueberries is the amount of time it takes to pick them. In the time it takes me to pick a gallon of blueberries I can pick 5 gallons of blackberries or 30 gallons of apples. So I tend to use the blueberries for preserves, syrup, and cooking, and some panty droppers and use blackberries and apples for making adult beverages. On top of that I also found some plum trees and am hopping to do something with them as well. That's one of the great thing about the PNW, Fruit is everywhere and often free for the taking. I don't know what part of OK you are in but where I grew up we had lots of wild plums, blackberries and persimmons. All of those should make good brandy but the blackberries here are like nothing anybody outside of the area could ever understand, they literally over run everything if not constantly cut back.

[T-Pee]

Better'n a razor wire-topped fence for security too.
Nobody in their right mind would try going through a ten foot high Himalayan bramble unless the devil himself was chasin' ya.

tp

[Red Rim]

I made some decent plum brandy last year. The plumbs were so ripe I just put a wheelbarrow under the tree and shook it. I wheeled the plums home from my neighbors and the juice started pouring through the holes in the wheelbarrow. I put them in five gallon buckets and beat them with a drywall paddle. Threw in some yeast and they were the most violent ferment I have ever brewed. Looking forward to this years batch. Like you said, fruit is every where in the PNW.

[firewater69]

Im gonna try plums again this year, i've made lots of wine but have never distilled any. so far banana is the only brandy under my belt, but that fixin to change.

[cranky]

Better'n a razor wire-topped fence for security too.
Nobody in their right mind would try going through a ten foot high Himalayan bramble unless the devil himself was chasin' ya.

tp

You'd think but many, many years ago when by beloved motorcycles got stolen the bastards went through 3 barbed wire fences and 2 blackberry brambles to get to them but it takes a very determined thief and a big pair of clippers that's for sure. In fact that's one of the popular picking techniques around here. Wait til peak season, grab some clippers and clip vines as you work your way into the bramble while you pick. Like you said, T-Pee, they are just considered a nuisance here and in 2 years there will be no sign you were ever there.

[cranky]

A few years ago I tried to make a a plum dessert wine. For dessert wine I normally use Wyeast sweet mead yeast which has a fairly low alcohol tolerance and finishes at about 11-12% regardless of remaining sugar, which makes it perfect for dessert wine. But my brew shop was out and I had 1118 so I just used that. Don't try this! It was an extremely violent ferment and hit 21% in 10 days! It was awful and almost got tossed but I stuck with it, just couldn't bear to dump 5 gallons of wine out and at 21% it really wasn't fit for distilling so I let it run it's course. It took 4 months, racking every month and topping up with water to get it to clear and get the alcohol down to 16%. In the end it actually made a pretty decent wine. It has been aging for a few years now and although it isn't what I intended it is pretty darn good. I still wouldn't distill it but want to do a nice no sugar plum and see how the brandy turns out.

[T-Pee]

Better'n a razor wire-topped fence for security too.
Nobody in their right mind would try going through a ten foot high Himalayan bramble unless the devil himself was chasin' ya.

tp

You'd think but many, many years ago when by beloved motorcycles got stolen the bastards went through 3 barbed wire fences and 2 blackberry brambles to get to them but it takes a very determined thief and a big pair of clippers that's for sure. In fact that's one of the popular picking techniques around here. Wait til peak season, grab some clippers and clip vines as you work your way into the bramble while you pick. Like you said, T-Pee, they are just considered a nuisance here and in 2 years there will be no sign you were ever there.

We used wood planks. Throw them onto the bramble and walk on top. God forbid you fell off.

Clippers worked well too but for removal a big weedwacker with an edger blade was called for.

tp

[Jimbo]

Man you guys are making me antsy for fruit brandy season, Cherries will be ready next month. I still have 120lbs left in the freezer from last year also , need to pull them out and make some Kirschwasser to free up space. Funny tp the catchin hell comment LOL. Just try these brandies both ways, straight fruit, and sugared, and compare. Thats all I ask.

[T-Pee]

Just try these brandies both ways, straight fruit, and sugared, and compare. Thats all I ask.

The non-sugared 1.052 SG Tree Top ferment has finished and is in the process of clearing but it'll likely be next week until I run it.
Life gets in the way of my fun now and then.

tp

[MyUncleMo]

Very lucky find on the blueberries Cranky. if you make a brandy with them, please post your results.

The blueberries are actually in a public park cared for by volunteers and free to the public with more than 3,300 blueberry bushes that are taller than I can reach.

No to cut in on your action or anything...

Where is this park?

Sounds like a blast for my family.

At Satsop (public access) there is an old volunteer apple tree next to the Admin bldg that is available for anyone to pick from. The deer get the low hanging fruit pretty quickly. Tart - but would make great cider.

Discovery Park in Seattle also has a bunch apple trees and loads blackberries that are avail to the public. Last year there were packs of cider makers carrying out bushels after bushels.

The falling fruit website is a good way to find hidden oasis's in your area.
http://fallingfruit.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

peace

[Bushman]

The falling fruit website is a good way to find hidden oasis's in your area.
http://fallingfruit.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

peace

That is a nice resource, thanks for sharing!

[MDH]

Mmmm. Blackberry brandy. That sounds really good!

I used to live in the PNW. Blackberries are considered a pest there as they're everywhere. Wish I'd known then what I know now.

tp

They are indeed; but the yields are absolutely awful. About equal to raspberry. A true Eau de Vie of blackberry, I'm thinking, would take about 100lbs / 375ml.

[Jimbo]

A true Eau de Vie of blackberry, I'm thinking, would take about 100lbs / 375ml.

holy christ.

[T-Pee]

That would be a lot of bloody forearms.

tp

[cranky]

No to cut in on your action or anything...

Where is this park?

Sounds like a blast for my family.

Here is a link about it.
http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/charlot ... erry-park/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Now don't tell anybody Don't want everybody getting all my blueberries.
I like the falling fruit website but am very glad most of my picking spots are not on there.