Apple mash

[Represto]

The 'apples' should provide enough yeast food, but you may want to add DAP if the yeast stalls.

Apple brandy is regularly aged in oak. Go to your local liquor store and grab a bottle of Calvados, from the Normandy region of France. Boulard is a affordable and easy to find. I've not tried it (yet) but Clear Creek might be one to try as well: http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com/pro ... le-brandy/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[genejonesiii]

Thanks I'm going to give it a shot

[madmace]

I am in the process of a split brandy. Ive wanted to do one for years ,so here goes .I got the pulp and skins and packed a five gallon bucket full from a local orchard after they pressed cider . Six gallons of cider also. The pulp which was about 25 pounds I added 7 gallons of water and about 10 pounds of sugar dissolved in the hot water and cooled. I added a touch of DAP and some yeast nutrient and checked ph which was about 3.4. Both container finished fermenting out in like 7 days, with a lalvin ec1118. I filtered out the pulp one using several different filters of different opening size. Their tends to be a lot of fine pulp in this that's almost impossible to remove, but I believe that the fine pulp holds much needed flavor, but with a nice boil going I don't see it scorching, If ujsm doesn't catch with all that corn sludge I don't see this being a problem. Here is some info I got from another home distilling site. (Make sure you do good cuts with fruit brandy, fruit contains pectin and the yeast will turn that pectin into methanol. The methanol will fraction off in your head cuts, you can blend some tails in to add a complexity to the spirit but don't bother blending in any heads) Distilled separate and then combined to a perfect blend is suppose to be the best brandy one can make, at least in their opinion. I use a 2 to 1 ratio of 2 parts fruit to 1 part sugar if the fruit being used is too low of sugar content. I also aim for a wash to finish around 5-9 %ABV. I feel just as important is to ferment at the lowest temp which your yeast strain can handle. Which aids in maintaining the delicate flavors and aromas your so desperately trying to keep. Adding sugar to boost alcohol content does so at expense of flavor. If possible just use the sugar of the fruits at hand , but if its a must, do so to only boost it to around 5-9 %, yes it does increase %, but at the cost of flavor. Straight off the still with no sugar added is a true schnapps. Aged on some white oak that's toasted to a 3 or 4 is perfect for me. Imparting deep hues of amber with the complexity of vanillins and subtle hints of black cherry, well that's how my mouth feels about it.
Good Luck

[Represto]

A good way to 'filter' the cider/wine to do a few rackings. I usually do it after it's nearly fermented out dry. Put the demijohn of fermented cider on a higher plane and let it settle for at least 24 hours. Then use a syphon hose to transfer the cider into a clean demijohn at ground level. Make sure that the hose doesn't hit the bottom of the source demijohn (where all the nasties are).

I'm garbage at starting a syphon so I bought an 'auto-syphon'. It was pretty cheap and has saved me a lot of headaches.

I do this for UJSSM as well. I think you'll find your product comes out a bit nicer if it goes into the pot as clean as possible.

For what it's worth, EC-1118 is very temperature tolerant. I have a batch of cider bubbling away in a 55 g drum in my garage...and it's snowing and cold as shit out there!

[Represto]

Jimbo - you mentioned before that you only run apple mash through once. So, do you take the hearts off the pot still at around %45? I found the apple bomb. It's where you said...right at the beginning. It seems to me that most of the apple flavour is in the heads and would result in vicious brew if you were to mix much of that into your single run cuts.

[Jimbo]

Ya. 1 1/2 run. Feints go in with the next batch. Take a large fores cut. The rest is all good until tails. Do it live off off the still smelling/tasting along the way. Shit to apples is pretty clear. Its not vicious at all after bunch of months on oak. Like a sweet caramel apple. Last years barrel aging at 56%. Some was 2 runs. Some 1.5.

[Represto]

I have several 23L batches ready to run. I ran the first last night, tossing the fores and collecting the rest in a single container. I did collect about 500ml of pure hearts just to taste. It's not too bad but it's a bit dirty to drink as an un-aged eau de vie. All of this will go in with the second 23L batch. I'll toss the fores and make cuts on that run. The feints will go into the third 23L run, and so on. Is this what you mean by 1 1/2 run?

[genejonesiii]

The best thing to do with apple whisky is sanitize your still. It's not bad it's just not soured corn likker. I love that lactic acid

[Dan P.]

I have got a 180 litre fermenter filled with smashed apples fermenting with their own yeast. I could have done about four times that amount, but I don't have a scratter or press, and smashing apples is not what I enjoy. I think I might get some pigs next year to take care of some of our apple problem, though apples probably make them scour like wild things.
Anyway, I just broke up the apples and fermented, as per this method;
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21252/21 ... tm#Page_84" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
It wouldn't work for making cider, but the extra methanol and nasties you get from fermenting on the must can be eliminated through distillation. I think it's a fair exchange for not having the hassle of pressing the juice (or not having a press)

One thing I wanted to mention; there seems to be no tradition anywhere of drinking apple brandy in the white. That seems to bode ill for the general quality of straight apple distillate.
Does anybody here drink this white?

[Dan P.]

The best thing to do with apple whisky is sanitize your still. It's not bad it's just not soured corn likker. I love that lactic acid

Ha! I wouldn't use "corn likker" to sanitize my dog's still, nasty, greasy stuff!

...Having said that, I will wait till my apple brandy is done before passing further judgement...

[Jimbo]

Bourbon and Single Malt isint drank white either. I dont think that bodes ill for any of the 3. Caramelly vanilla aged apple (and bourbon and single malt) is just too damn good to mess with (or not mess with, as it were).

I have drank apple brandy white, and its not bad. But next to oak aged, its no competition.

[Dan P.]

Bourbon and Single Malt isint drank white either. I dont think that bodes ill for any of the 3. Caramelly vanilla aged apple (and bourbon and single malt) is just too damn good to mess with (or not mess with, as it were).

I have drank apple brandy white, and its not bad. But next to oak aged, its no competition.

Both single malt and bourbon were traditionally and are still drunk white all the time. Apple brandy is something that I have never seen offered white.
Some distillates are just too rough to drink white.

[Jimbo]

Both single malt and bourbon were traditionally and are still drunk white all the time.

hmmm. If you say so. Damned if I ever see it, even in the mega likker marts, aside from the desperate efforts of startups trying to bring some green in before they have somthing aged.

Apple brandy white is ok, its like other eau de vie's but less fruity than say a pear (poire) or cherry (kirsch) which are pretty fruit forward. Maybe thats why it barrel aged. A good French Calvados is amazing. Steve McCarthy at Clear Creek does a nice one, but it doesnt compare to the traditional French ones.

[Dan P.]

Both single malt and bourbon were traditionally and are still drunk white all the time.

hmmm. If you say so. Damned if I ever see it, even in the mega likker marts, aside from the desperate efforts of startups trying to bring some green in before they have somthing aged.

To clarify, I meant that spirits distilled from grain were traditionally drunk white, and are, in my opinion, perfectly palatable that way, or even superior.

[Jimbo]

Both single malt and bourbon were traditionally and are still drunk white all the time.

hmmm. If you say so. Damned if I ever see it, even in the mega likker marts, aside from the desperate efforts of startups trying to bring some green in before they have somthing aged.

To clarify, I meant that spirits distilled from grain were traditionally drunk white, and are, in my opinion, perfectly palatable that way, or even superior.

Certainly more revealing I'll bet. Can you recommend a good one, besides corn likker or vodka, thats avail. white. Id like to try it.

Got me curious to try some aged apple brandy white as well and see how it tastes. Ive tried it fresh but never aged as I always toss it all on oak.

[midwest shinner]

I'm with Jimbo, although i do enjoy some white likker, i find almost everything is better after sone time on oak or fruit woods(mainly apple and cherry woods). I am doing a bit different of a 1.5x run on mine though, i stripped half of the apple wash and will add the low wines to the rest of the wash for the next run to get the product up to aging strength while preserving the flavor. Many ways to skin a cat...

[Jimbo]

I'm with Jimbo, although i do enjoy some white likker, i find almost everything is better after sone time on oak or fruit woods(mainly apple and cherry woods). I am doing a bit different of a 1.5x run on mine though, i stripped half of the apple wash and will add the low wines to the rest of the wash for the next run to get the product up to aging strength while preserving the flavor. Many ways to skin a cat...

Sounds great. Cant wait to get together and try each others Apply Brandy made with the same lot of apples. I have most of mine on oak, but 1 jar from each yeast run is on lightly charred apple wood too, to try something new.

[Represto]

I'm finding that 1.5x is either too dirty for me or I'm shit at making the cuts. So, I've double distilled the fermented cider of the less flavourful apples (commercial honey crisp) and single distilled the more flavourful cider (wild apples). I've combined these low wines and am pulling off some really amazing product as a 2.5x. Very clean but also very flavourful. I've found that the french oak Barrel Mill infusion spirals give off most of their flavour and colour within the first week. Anything longer and it starts to impart a wet plywood flavour. So, I've got the oak spiral in a glass growler with 80% ABV spirit, covered with a coffee filter and rubber band, and left in the dark at room temperature.

I experimented with freezer cycles but it just speeds up the shitty plywood flavour.

I have a handful of 375ml bordeaux bottles with t-corks, dipped in wax and pressed with a seal, all packaged up as x-mas presents. However, I'm sure the contents won't make it through to boxing day.

[opjones]

Awesome thread, can't wait to give this a go

[Dan P.]

Stripped first load last night. I'm not sure if it is puking in the classic sense, or a lot of airborne particulates carrying over, or just how the distillate looks, but the singlings on this are crazy milky.

[Represto]

That should never be the case.

[Dan P.]

Yes, it's very strange. No reason that I can think of except that it was a very buggy wash.

[Kelbor]

Did you let it clear all the way (lesson I learned this fall !). Apple wine will turn pretty much clear clear if you let sit for a while. I run it when I can really see my hand through the carboy but with still a little haze and have not had problems with apple. All my loads of plum I did not clear was hazy as hell! Same with my peach...

[Jimbo]

Weird. I been making apple brandy for 20 years. Never saw this happen. Buggy unsprayed apples too. And I dont let the cider sit any longer than 30 days.

[Dan P.]

Yup, very odd. There must be an explanation, but I don't know what it is. Puking, or a lot of particulates carried over in the vapour, maybe. My apples also have quite naturally greasy skins. Not sure of the variety; very big, yellow cookers. The feints are otherwise as they should be, I am not concerned.

[Represto]

As I mentioned, I put aside some of my apple pomace and mixed it with water and 25kg of brown sugar in a 200L barrel. It rolled with a fierce bubble until this horrid winter came to spoil all my fun. The only good thing about this shitty cold is that it froze all the water in the barrel. I chipped away through the ice layer in the barrel - like a thirsty ice fisher - and siphoned off 25L of a very sweet and alcoholic syrup. I think I misjudged my recipe or it didn't get enough heat/time to ferment dry. Either way, with the freezing, the alcohol content tasted as if it were well over 10%.

I ran it through my alembic pot still (no lentil) and it came off at ~60%. I pitched the fores and collected until just over 30%. This gave me about 4L. If I had more time, or energy, I would have continued to collect...but I'm as olde as the winde and need my beauty sleepe.

I tasted a bit off the run and a lot of the sugar carried through. This might be horrible, or it might be wonderful. I really like the sweetness of vodka so this could prove to be right up my alley.

Just as a side note, my 2.5x distillation of the pure apple has been my best output yet. I think that's the formula for me and my still. Anything less and it has a taste that I can't agree with. Perhaps time will prove me wrong on that one.

[Jimbo]

Thats a funny read Represto Id say you got somethin special there. You made an applejack of sorts, grappajack?, then ran it. Sounds fantastic. JackedGrappa? Wish I was there to try it. Hows the flavor of the pomace based spirit compare to the straight apple to you? Any tasting notes are appreciated. As we discussed before I toy with the idea every year, but so sick of apples when Im done pressing I never bother. If its good I will tho.

If its good, Ill make it, freezing and all, and make us a label called 'Represto's Jacked Apple Grappa' Hell, Ill make you a label now, stand by.

[Jimbo]

Here ya go.

[Represto]

Hilarious! I'm letting it rest a bit before I taste it. I also have quite a bit left in the barrel that I need to run through. Since it's a sugar wash, I'm going to put these lows back through for a spirit run.

[stevenun]

My wife and I went apple picking back in October. I still had a crapload of apples in the fridge last month. She wanted to get rid of them. I put them in the food processor and chopped them into bits. I cooked them for about 45 minutes and dumped into my fermenter, and added light brown sugar to about 9% pot. Alcohol. I dumped in yeast and let it run. I think I used Montrachet, left over from a wine kit. Apples set in the liquid for a week. Smelled divine! Like apple pie every time I came home. Took apples out of liquid (in fermentation bag), dropped in an airlock and it's still bubbling two weeks later. Not as much... But still doing its thing. I was hoping to make wine, but an apple brandy isn't out of the question if the wine sucks. I've got five gallons of red muscadine wine to bottle this weekend, so I'll have a free fermenter. What to make, what to make?