No sugar added peach brandy

[Slivovitz]

After discarding the moldy fruit I have about 195 pounds of peach slop I ran through a meat grinder. It's so thick I think I will add pectic enzyme to make it juicy.

Here are some pictures of the process so far

Some of the stuff

h

Grinding peaches

Trying to measure brix

[Slivovitz]

After grinding the peaches I added the proper amount of pectic enzyme to thin out the mixture and get the most from the now smaller amount of peaches I have.

I am concerned with possible infection because some of the peaches in the baskets were growing a small amount of mold. The molded ones were thrown out and everything washed twice.

Tomorrow after the pectic enzyme works I will try to measure specific gravity and brix. This mix is as thick as pancake batter ! I will also use the mortar mixer and drill to try to break it up more before adding the yeast.

I'll be using EC1118 and pectic enzyme only. I am considering adding Campden Tablets to the mix to kill mold or bacteria but I will sleep on that decision.

[NZChris]

Do not add Campden Tablets unless you are making wine. If you do add them, you will be back here asking how to get the sulfur stink out of your brandy. I don't have an answer.

[NZChris]

If you do fruit often, a Brix refractometer is very handy, both for pulpy washes and for checking fruit in the field.

[contrahead]

Good peach seasons are a rare around here. A late frost usually stops a crop from developing. Two years ago we had a bumper crop and I washed and prepared a bunch of beautiful peaches, most of which were perfectly ripe; some on the verge of being too soft. I sanitized them, separated the stones and ground the fruit into pulp with a food processing blender.

By the time I loaded a 6 gallon wine maker's plastic fermentation bucket with 5 gallons of pulp; the natural yeast from the peaches alone was beginning to work. I don't remember if I had added pectic enzyme yet or not, but I had definitely not added any commercial yeast before the fermentation began to run amok. The 4 inches or so of head space under the lid disappeared and pulp started oozing forcefully out of the bunghole where the airlock goes. I took the lid off and removed some pulp, then put it back on. Soon the monster within the bucket was back – the ferment was overflowing the lid again.

I panicked. I ran and got some campden tablets, crushed two up and dropped them in. Big mistake. The natural ferment reaction eventually stopped and I added wine yeast the next day. But I could not get a controlled fermentation to begin again. The Campden tablets killed everything. I eventually transferred the project to a glass carboy or demijohn where it sat for the next year or more; never having produced a wine like it should have.

[Slivovitz]

Ok no Campden! Thank you both. I have a brix refractometer some place but can't find it. I hope the mix is thinner tonight after the enzyme works for 14 hours.

I have 25 pounds of peaches I need to process tonight and add to the barrel and I decided to change yeast last minute. I read that K1-v1116 lalvin keeps more of the fruity esthers and that's what I want. I used ec1118 last year and sugar and I think it ate some of that nice peach aroma.

The new yeast is a day away so I'm hoping that wild yeast doesn't start up today!

[Slivovitz]

Barrel

The wild yeast is out of control! Bubbling and gasping like crazy. The pectic enzyme is not converting to juice as fast as I want in the barrel. In my flask it is doing good but not great. I dont think i can wait one more day for the k1-v1116 to get here tomorrow. If you're up late give advice. Pitch ec1118 now or wait until the kv-1116 is here in 24 hours? Or go crazy and use wild yeast?

24 hours later

[jonnys_spirit]

Let the wild yeasties go until they stop. Then measure sg and assess.

[The Baker]

Let the wild yeasties go until they stop. Then measure sg and assess.

I have never tried to measure complex stuff like SG and OG.
But I wonder if a thickish ferment like fruit CAN be measured??

Geoff

[Slivovitz]

I added pectic enzyme to try and thin it out. Also it breaks down the pulp so it ferments better. I just started 1.5 ounces of ec1118 in 2 gallons of peach pulp as an emergency plan.

I don't know if I can trust this wild yeast!

I'm reading now to see what I should do. I would prefer natural yeast for flavor but with only 190 pounds not the 300 I planned on I would also like some more volume on the final run.

My supplier didnt have enough and I disposed of 30 pounds to keep mold away. Next year I buy firm peaches and let them ripen at home.

This could be the most expensive bottle of brandy I ever drank when I'm done! So far with 1 pound of yeast, 220 pounds fruit and a meat grinder I'm at $325.

Last year plum trees were heavy with plums so I got 200 pounds free. This year only 40 pounds. I will try to buy some locally if I can get them for $1 a pound. I'll post about that soon.

[Slivovitz]

I added pectic enzyme to try and thin it out. Also it breaks down the pulp so it ferments better. I just started 1.5 ounces of ec1118 in 2 gallons of peach pulp as an emergency plan.

I don't know if I can trust this wild yeast!

I'm reading now to see what I should do. I would prefer natural yeast for flavor but with only 190 pounds not the 300 I planned on I would also like some more volume on the final run.

My supplier didnt have enough and I disposed of 30 pounds to keep mold away. Next year I buy firm peaches and let them ripen at home.

This could be the most expensive bottle of brandy I ever drank when I'm done! So far with 1 pound of yeast, 220 pounds fruit and a meat grinder I'm at $325.

Last year plum trees were heavy with plums so I got 200 pounds free. This year only 40 pounds. I will try to buy some locally if I can get them for $1 a pound. I'll post about that soon.

[NZChris]

Are you planning on drinking it as Schnapps, or whatever you call it where you are, or aging it on wood as a brandy?

[Slivovitz]

4month oak aged peach.


I Plan to drink most of it white, that is what I prefer. I will age some using oak. I prefer palinka or slivovitz style white fruit likkers.

After almost a year on charred oak spiral this is very good peach likker. It was a peach and sugar wash with ec1118 I posted last year. This small bottle had toasted oak in a jar for 4months. The small stuff floating inside is Madagascar vanilla bean.

[NZChris]

At four months on wood, most of my aging liquor is astringent, woody and has too much tannin compared to when it was young and to when it is a few years old.

[contrahead]

[/info]

I Plan to drink most of it white, that is what I prefer.

If it was me; if I had another batch of peach or apricot wine in the making, I'd produce another fortified wine. I did that once before with peach wine, and had great success and many compliments. But I made one mistake that I would not repeat now.

Once I had made the wine and before it had completely clarified, I distilled part of it and then added that and other new make brandy back to it. Initially it was not sweet enough to mimic a port, sherry, madeira or marsala - so I added sweetener. Still in experimentation mode at the time, I also added a few drops of almond extract, to add character. Eventually satisfied with the taste, I bottled about half the batch as fortified and the remainder as straight wine.

My mistake was in using regular cane sugar as the sweeter. I had ASSumed that the higher ABV in the fortified wine bottles, would prevent the EC1118 from working further. It did not. A week or so later, several wine bottles stored on their sides in a wine rack – blew their corks (some shot 30 feet across a hallway and into another room). Luckily much the fortified peach had already been handed out and consumed by that time (holiday season).

Conclusion: Regular peach wine is OK I guess. But now, I would absolutely convert all my peach or apricot wines into fortified wines. I'd find and settle upon a non-fermenting sweetener to use, to prevent secondary fermentation though.

[The Baker]

Aah.

My brother-in-law makes beer.
And at bottling adds a little sugar (or maybe dextrose, dunno).
Anyway the sweetener is to give the beer effervescence, I believe.

Looks like that's what you achieved, in spades.

Geoff

[Slivovitz]

So do I add the commercial yeast today or not? I hate asking opinions because some are crazy but this could be an expensive problem soon.....

The wild yeast in barrel definitely not as bubbly as the ec1118 but has a nice cap forming

[contrahead]

So do I add the commercial yeast today or not? I hate asking opinions because some are crazy but this could be an expensive problem soon.....

No. Simply follow Jonnys_spirit's advice. (add yeast later if determined necessary )

Let the wild yeasties go until they stop. Then measure sg and assess.

Or add one packet of yeast of champagne yeast if you just want to. It may make little difference either way. But one of your previous statements disturbs me

You said: “This could be the most expensive bottle of brandy I ever drank when I'm done! So far with 1 pound of yeast, 220 pounds fruit and a meat grinder I'm at $325”.

That is a grossly inappropriate amount of yeast to use. Even more so when you can already see that natural yeast is preforming the fermentation admirably to begin with.

There is already 2 to 4 times as much yeast as is necessary in a 5 gram (0.176 oz) package; to get the job done for a 5 gallon (19L) batch.

[jonnys_spirit]

For measuring SG on a thick must you can use a sieve and squeeze a cup or so of juice out for a sample. Best to put it into a blender and puree then extract a sample of liquid so you get a homogenous mixture of remaining solids that may still contain sugars bound up in the fibers..

Yes - Try to stick with the natural yeast for a natural ferment if you prefer (appear to be working now) and if the ferment stalls just pitch commercial yeast to finish it out so you get the benefit of both strains.

Cheers!
-j

EDIT:
Sometimes when I make wines I'll break the must up into a couple/three fermenters and pitch different yeasts in each then just blend at pressing for some diversity.

[Slivovitz]

I bought one pound of yeast. I prepared 1.5 ounces!

Too bad the pot I used to hydrate the yeast had almost 3 gallons of peach in it. Now if I dont use it I'm wasting likker!

Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh.

Bad planning on my part.

[Slivovitz]

So do I add the commercial yeast today or not? I hate asking opinions because some are crazy but this could be an expensive problem soon.....

No. Simply follow Jonnys_spirit's advice. (add yeast later if determined necessary )

Let the wild yeasties go until they stop. Then measure sg and assess.

Or add one packet of yeast of champagne yeast if you just want to. It may make little difference either way. But one of your previous statements disturbs me

You said: “This could be the most expensive bottle of brandy I ever drank when I'm done! So far with 1 pound of yeast, 220 pounds fruit and a meat grinder I'm at $325”.

That is a grossly inappropriate amount of yeast to use. Even more so when you can already see that natural yeast is preforming the fermentation admirably to begin with.

There is already 2 to 4 times as much yeast as is necessary in a 5 gram (0.176 oz) package; to get the job done for a 5 gallon (19L) batch.

I bought one pound of yeast. I prepared 1.5 ounces!

Too bad the pot I used to hydrate the yeast had almost 3 gallons of peach in it. Now if I dont use it I'm wasting likker!

Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh.

Bad planning on my part.

[Slivovitz]

For measuring SG on a thick must you can use a sieve and squeeze a cup or so of juice out for a sample. Best to put it into a blender and puree then extract a sample of liquid so you get a homogenous mixture of remaining solids that may still contain sugars bound up in the fibers..

Yes - Try to stick with the natural yeast for a natural ferment if you prefer (appear to be working now) and if the ferment stalls just pitch commercial yeast to finish it out so you get the benefit of both strains.

Cheers!
-j

EDIT:
Sometimes when I make wines I'll break the must up into a couple/three fermenters and pitch different yeasts in each then just blend at pressing for some diversity.

I'll strain and measure tonight. The yeast is cooking but I'll at least get something to compare to.

[NZChris]

To get a sample from such a must, I push a siphon hose down below the cap.

[jonnys_spirit]

I bought one pound of yeast. I prepared 1.5 ounces!

Too bad the pot I used to hydrate the yeast had almost 3 gallons of peach in it. Now if I dont use it I'm wasting likker!

Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh.

Bad planning on my part.

Just let your starter ferment on the side and pitch it into the main must closer to when it's all done unless the natural yeast stalls in which case pitch the ec1118 starter in sooner...

When complete process it all to run! Not sure whether you still on the pulp or strain/press/squeeze but you don't need to ditch your starter. You can ferment it in a different bucket or whatever and use the fermented juice (peach wine) to still...

I think the yeast contribution will be fairly subtle but using the natural yeast prolly makes us feel like it's better when it all works out well so go for it!

Cheers!
-j

[Demy]

I measure fruit ferments simply by filtering coarsely to take only liquid juice. In any case, great job, it's like that I like it, without sugar (if you have a reasonable amount of fruit). As for wild yeasts you usually get a good product, sometimes better than wine yeasts, other times it might go wrong but is usually ok. It may take a few days more to conclude fermentation. Good job!!

[Slivovitz]

Yeast starter after transfer

Update: the wild yeast smells great as it ferments in the barrel. I placed my "starter ec1118" into a fermenter 7 gallon carboy with am airlock. Its bubbling like crazy! No airlock on barrel juat a snug lid.

I'll give this wild yeast 7 days and see if it eats all the sugar in the barrel. If not I'll dump this ec1118 in.

I'm hoping that I can fine tune this process a bit and make some changes I like I can share with others. I dont see much experimenting with different yeasts and peaches. Most people here dont seem to trust wild yeasts but my family used only wild yeast for generations.

I will update often so you know what to expect if you try this at homw.

[Demy]

Here where I live, we still ferment our wine with indigenous yeasts with great result (called by those who taste it, not to me) while other small hobbies like me have a result not as good. Indigenous yeasts As mentioned above can produce unique and highly appreciated characteristics, they can create an unreachable complexity with industrial yeasts, precisely these mutability can create both excellent and bad results depending on many variables. Once I did an experiment (I like to experiment because it makes so much things to understand), while my wine fermented I produced a beer and I have inoculated a bit of wine rich in ferments, the result was bad, while for the wine it was exceptional . I like to ferment with wild yeasts the fruit that will be distilled and the result is always good, but if I had to produce a wine wine I should first try a little batch because you never know what the result will be.

[Stonecutter]

Bookmarked this topic. Eager to see how this turns out Slivovitz!

[tommysb]

Hey! The timing on this thread is perfect for me. Although I suppose it's not a surprise as it's probably peach season in a lot of places.

I've got a peach tree which I harvested into my freezer over the course of a week - it went from most peaches being too hard/unripe, to being too mouldy in around 9 days. So, each day I went and picked what i could, and removed any bad bits, cut into quarters, removed the stone and placed into the freezer.

I probably got about 20kg of peaches.

I have a small test going on with about 2kg of MY peaches, 4kg of shop bought imported (Moroccan?) peaches (I can get them 75c/kg right now!) and some additional water. It was much too thick to blend and I was borrowing a stick blender from a friend, so preferred to not stress it too much. I am aware I'll drop the ABV of the final product but it seems to have two advantages -
1) If I'm unable to filter the fermented product well, I may be able to load this directly into the still and have less chance of scorching.
2) The cap has risen and I have a greater volume of relatively 'clear' liquid underneath.

I added a pinch of campden and then pitched some champagne yeast 24 hours later (Saccharomyces bayanus).

So far all going nicely on this experiment. I will post pics later. No appreciable sulphite impact.

[The Baker]

I have this theory that Mother Nature specially designed the
yeast found on the skins of peaches for the fermentation of peaches....

Geoff