Apple brandy

[Shine0n]

This spring we were offered a good deal on some fresh pressed cider of 16 varieties from the mountains in va. We had a very mild winter and the apples kept producing thru the winter.

I got 30 gallons of this sweet necter and the OG was 1.053, we got it to 065 with the help of some invert sugar and fermented it with some D47 while the temps held at the high 50s in the fermenting shed.

The wine was fine as is but brandy was on the menu this round.

After fermentation we ran 2 stripping runs and one spirit run in my trusty potstill, which on the spirit run added the remainings of the fermenter for a stronger flavor for the spirit run.

All in all we ended up with 2.5 gal of keepers @ 130p


Now down to 2 gal because I made a decent amount of apple pie which is the best ever even compared to making it with my butter rum.

Currently sitting on med toasted AWO for however long it takes.
Cranky, I personally want to send you a taste of this to get approval from the master himself!

Peace an love

Shine0n

[JellybeanCorncob]

Hey ShineOn
Buying it pressed takes all the hard work out of it. I’m down to my last bottle of apple brandy. I’ve only made it with apple juice. Getting a good deal on cider is what I’m looking for. Unfortunately I don’t live in Apple country. But I’m always looking, just in case. One thing I did on Cranky’s suggestion was to put once used white oak in for aging. It really kept the vanilla flavor from taking over and let lots of the apple come through.
30 gallons! Around here it would be quite pricey.
Cheers to You
JBC

[8Ball]

I would love to get ahold of a good deal on some cider like that!

I paid $70 for 6G of organic apple juice in gallon glass jugs earlier this year. Didn’t add any sugar. Wound up with a quart and a half of crystal clear apple brandy @ 60% abv. Thought about putting a little used oak in the jar but didn’t. Now 3 months later, the apple is coming across very nice in aroma and flavor.

[Bushman]

Our July was so dry the apples are falling off before they ripen.

[CikCikCikPogodi]

I already made some brandy from apples. We made 22 liters after double distilling, half a ton for that much. Not worth a time and effort. Early apples not very good for distilling. Probably should have gone after white plum.

[subbrew]

I will post back in a few weeks if the OP doesn't mind me tacking onto this thread. Picking apples this week with hopes of having at least 60 5 gal buckets worth to press this weekend.

[cranky]

I will post back in a few weeks if the OP doesn't mind me tacking onto this thread. Picking apples this week with hopes of having at least 60 5 gal buckets worth to press this weekend.

Nice that should be around 1440 lbs of apples and 100 or so gallons of juice, give or take 10 gallons. I think I get around 5 gallons of aging stock from that amount.

[CikCikCikPogodi]

I will post back in a few weeks if the OP doesn't mind me tacking onto this thread. Picking apples this week with hopes of having at least 60 5 gal buckets worth to press this weekend.

I have homemade grinder for apples and pear. You need old water heating boiler, one blade and washing machine motor. It dose it's job.
What I gather from my garden, neighbors, then I will buy some since 1 kg of apples is costs 0.10-0.15 cents here.

[subbrew]

If I could buy apples for 15 cents a Kg I would just buy a $100 worth. But then I would miss the fun. I have met some very nice people by seeing an apple tree and just stopping to ask if I could pick. More often than not they say yes.

[CikCikCikPogodi]

If I could buy apples for 15 cents a Kg I would just buy a $100 worth. But then I would miss the fun. I have met some very nice people by seeing an apple tree and just stopping to ask if I could pick. More often than not they say yes.

I pick too from gardens too. But it is not enough to fill up largest barrel for fermentation. And I have problem with one williams pear tree, it's small, lot of pears on small branch, wired them, put some planks to keep them from braking. Still some broke.

[subbrew]

I will post back in a few weeks if the OP doesn't mind me tacking onto this thread. Picking apples this week with hopes of having at least 60 5 gal buckets worth to press this weekend.

Nice that should be around 1440 lbs of apples and 100 or so gallons of juice, give or take 10 gallons. I think I get around 5 gallons of aging stock from that amount.

Well turns out I got carried away and ended up with 90 5 gallon buckets. We ended up processing about 70 of them Saturday for about 90 gallons of juice. I think my yield is smaller because my crusher does not crush all that fine. Also it has been dry this summer so that apples picked from none watered areas, about 3/4 of them, where not as juicy as those picked in watered lawns. About 30 gallons went to helpers and people that let me pick apples. But I have 60 gallons fermenting, 45 in a barrel for brandy, 5 for wine, and 10 with two different yeasts for hard cider.

[subbrew]

Last night finished this years apple pressing. I just couldn't let those remaining apples go to waste. Final verdict:
Pressed about 115 gallons from 90 5-gal buckets picked
40 gallons used fresh and given to helpers or people that donated apples
55 gal barrel with about 48 gal bubbling away using EC-1118 - destined for the still
4.5 gal in carboy with D47 for hard cider
4.5 gal in carboy with EC-1118 for hard cider
4.5 gal in carboy, sugar added with 71B for apple wine
7 gal in poly fermenter, pitched a quart from 55 gal barrel with EC-1118 - probably destined for still
7 gal in poly fermenter, pitched D47, not sure where it will go.

[The Baker]

subbrew, great story and video. Thanks.

I just worked out the basket press system, how it slides beneath the 'pressing screw' after it is filled from the cutting works.

Neat.

Geoff

[subbrew]

Just finished stripping this years cider. the cider was only 4 to 5% so 60 some gallons of cider yielded 13.3 gallons of 28% low wines.

But it was so fun. After last year, working with an 8 gal still on a hot plate which took about 4.5 hours to strip a 6 gallon charge, this was a pleasure. 12 to 13 gallon charges and 5500 watts of raw power made it 2.5 hours from fridge where it had cold crashed to cleaned up and ready for the next time. Was running 1500 ml every 11 minutes once up to temp. If my wife wasn't so pretty I might fall for my still.

Busy with other things or the next month so might be a bit before I have time to devote to a spirit run, but I am looking forward to my first apple brandy.

[subbrew]

Did my spirit run a few days ago. 54 jars, 300 ml per jar, plus another 2300 ml ran into a big jar at the last to put into the feints carboy.

In trying to do cuts last night I was amazed at the flavor. Tongue too tired to make definite cuts but some place between jar 7 and 11 for the heads hearts cut and between 41 and 47 for tails cut. Any recommendations on cuts specific to apple brandy are appreciated. I do have every intention of putting this on some type of wood (another area I need to research a bit) for two years at least. So willing to have it a bit rough now for more flavor in 2024

[NZChris]

Did my spirit run a few days ago. 54 jars, 300 ml per jar, plus another 2300 ml ran into a big jar at the last to put into the feints carboy.

In trying to do cuts last night I was amazed at the flavor. Tongue too tired to make definite cuts but some place between jar 7 and 11 for the heads hearts cut and between 41 and 47 for tails cut. Any recommendations on cuts specific to apple brandy are appreciated. I do have every intention of putting this on some type of wood (another area I need to research a bit) for two years at least. So willing to have it a bit rough now for more flavor in 2024

Here's my method for anything flavored. viewtopic.php?f=65&t=85251&p=7689296#p7689296

[subbrew]

Here's my method for anything flavored. viewtopic.php?f=65&t=85251&p=7689296#p7689296

Thank you. I followed that method and ended up with pretty wide cuts. This was my first apple brandy and I noticed a few things. One was that I was a long way in before I found the neutral hearts I find in rum or whiskey. The same flavor as the heads continued for a long time, just losing the bite as it went to hearts. And by the time it really mellowed to where I would usually grab that bottle of heart of hearts to save for sipping white, it no longer had hardly any apple flavor.

Also, the tails were milder, just a bit of cardboard, no eating a box or wet dog aroma or flavor. I think it will need a couple of years but I feel it has the structure to really produce something wonderful.

My thinking on cuts is evolving. Last year I made very tight cuts. My hearts were pretty good to drink just in the white. But a year later UJSSM and the rum are good but simple, rather one dimensional. They are easy to drink, but not complex. By doing tight cuts I don't think I had enough additional flavors to blend and develop over time. I am beginning to understand that the cuts for drink it soon and let age for years are different animals.

[JellybeanCorncob]

Hey Subbrew: I hope your brandy is wonderful. If you have done it right, and it seems you did, it should be great. Aging it for two years or more is the best thing you can do.
JBC


On a side note: ShineOn “Who started this post” hasn’t been around for a while. Hey ShineOn please let us know your ok, and I do hope all is well.
Cheers mate
JBC

[The Baker]

I made some apple brandy and was not satisfied with it.
Seemed to have little apple flavour.

So when I had done the cuts I reduced the alcohol content by adding some concentrated apple juice, not water.
Still a high alcohol percentage (did not try to measure it, the apple juice would play hell).

So, it was drinkable with six ice cubes and a heavy splash in the glass.
Then a flash of brilliance...

Four ice cubes.
A heavy splash of the liquor.
And an equal splash of cold apple juice.

This stuff is not bad!

Geoff