Peach brandy, no sugar?

[Almtngoat]

I live one county north of a major peach producing one and would love to make a pure peach brandy without using any added sugar. I am thinking 4 bushels to 15 gallons water with peptic enzymes and a good wine yeast maybe some spices added in for a cobbler flavor.

[The Baker]

Could maybe get fruit for free, especially what has (not too long ago) fallen to the ground.

Geoff

[NZChris]

There is no need to add water.

Tread them like a winemaker would tread grapes, add yeast, press, ferment, not necessarily in that order.

[The Baker]

There is no need to add water.

Tread them like a winemaker would tread grapes, add yeast, press, ferment, not necessarily in that order.

Do not, whatever you do, tread with bare feet (of course) the peaches that have a wicked
spike in each end of the stone.

Yes, I tried it!

Geoff

[NZChris]

I cut the stones out before I trod the peaches.

Gumboots did a great a great job of treading Kiwifruit and I will tread peaches wearing them if ever get another opportunity.

[shadylane]

...and would love to make a pure peach brandy without using any added sugar. I am thinking 4 bushels to 15 gallons water with peptic enzymes and a good wine yeast.

I wouldn't add water until after the peaches have been squished into pulp.
Then test with a refractometer to see if any additional water is needed.

Don't break the stones while squishing the peaches.
Bubba prefers to remove the stones before fermenting and definitely before distilling.

[Bradster68]

My peach brandy is around 9 months and coming along nicely. Just had a pull with my brother in-law who provided them. Definitely a nice strong peach flavor .

[jonnys_spirit]

If you use straight peach and approximate juice content to grapes ten gallons or about 100# of peaches will yield about six gallons of peach wine. Check the brix with a refractometer to time harvesting.

~500# or an almost full blue hdpe barrel would make a nice sized batch for a 15g still

If you’re aiming for a good wine to start then test for pH and TA as well and treat with tartaric or calcium carbonate as needed and for sugars either chapitalize or use acidulated water to get it where you want. D47 yeast would be nice and there are many wine yeasts. Consider sur lie processing the wine.

It might take a minute (ie;12-18 months) to get the wine where you want it before stripping gently but you can also reserve some of the quality wine for proofing down the spirit.

Age on toasted peach wood and maybe a little charred oak or in a used oak barrel with peach wood adjuncts

If it’s a seasonal product starting with the wine will lead to next years brandy.

Cheers,
Jonny

[Ben]

If you can fit them in the freezer, freeze them right in the fermenter. When you pull them out all you will need to do is stir and they will disintegrate. Tater did a post on this here: viewtopic.php?t=2196&hilit=peaches

Works good. You can just skip the sugar he calls for. Yield is very low. 100 lbs of peaches got me less than 2 quarts of finished product :...( The flavor is strong enough to stand up to a little sugar in the wine I think.

[shadylane]

If you can fit them in the freezer, freeze them right in the fermenter. When you pull them out all you will need to do is stir and they will disintegrate.

Freezing definitely makes the job easier.

Peaches natural sugar is around 1.030ish or 4% alcohol potential.
Some folks add extra sugar to raise the alcohol content.
Other folks add some neutral spirits after the fermentation is done.

[Almtngoat]

...and would love to make a pure peach brandy without using any added sugar. I am thinking 4 bushels to 15 gallons water with peptic enzymes and a good wine yeast.

I wouldn't add water until after the peaches have been squished into pulp.
Then test with a refractometer to see if any additional water is needed.

Don't break the stones while squishing the peaches.
Bubba prefers to remove the stones before fermenting and definitely before distilling.

I will of course remove the stones before mashing. From what I'm reading the more peaches per gallon I can add the better, maybe with a rapid simmer reduction like I do in cooking when making a sauce to concentrate the flavors and sugar? I really want to keep it as processed sugar free as I can. The peaches here are really sweet and juicy, Chilton county free stones.

[jonnys_spirit]

...and would love to make a pure peach brandy without using any added sugar. I am thinking 4 bushels to 15 gallons water with peptic enzymes and a good wine yeast.

I wouldn't add water until after the peaches have been squished into pulp.
Then test with a refractometer to see if any additional water is needed.

Don't break the stones while squishing the peaches.
Bubba prefers to remove the stones before fermenting and definitely before distilling.

I will of course remove the stones before mashing. From what I'm reading the more peaches per gallon I can add the better, maybe with a rapid simmer reduction like I do in cooking when making a sauce to concentrate the flavors and sugar? I really want to keep it as processed sugar free as I can. The peaches here are really sweet and juicy, Chilton county free stones.

The last time I did a peach wine I partially roasted/dehydrated some peaches in the oven for the caramelization and Maillard contribution. My goal was to use a process in the spirit of producing an Amarone style wine. No added sugar or water.

Cheers,
J

[Nanacooks]

I do a grilled/ smoked peach dessert too. I've toyed with the idea of smoking some peaches and apples for a smoky brandy as well. It just has a certain appeal that I cannot describe, in the way a peaty Scotch makes you crave fall weather and a bonfire. I was known for my smoked meats when I still ran a restaurant, and we had a brick oven for pizza that I used for all kinds of things, quiche's, desserts, toasting marshmallows for a smores brittle, there's something that I just find so grounding but complex in adding smoke in the right proportions to the right things.

[Almtngoat]

...and would love to make a pure peach brandy without using any added sugar. I am thinking 4 bushels to 15 gallons water with peptic enzymes and a good wine yeast.

I wouldn't add water until after the peaches have been squished into pulp.
Then test with a refractometer to see if any additional water is needed.

Don't break the stones while squishing the peaches.
Bubba prefers to remove the stones before fermenting and definitely before distilling.

I will of course remove the stones before mashing. From what I'm reading the more peaches per gallon I can add the better, maybe with a rapid simmer reduction like I do in cooking when making a sauce to concentrate the flavors and sugar? I really want to keep it as processed sugar free as I can. The peaches here are really sweet and juicy, Chilton county free stones.

The last time I did a peach wine I partially roasted/dehydrated some peaches in the oven for the caramelization and Maillard contribution. My goal was to use a process in the spirit of producing an Amarone style wine. No added sugar or water.

AFE4D0B2-1506-4857-96E4-85C8CD6BA187.jpeg

Cheers,
J
Hmm, something to certainly think about, as a a cook I am familiar with caramelization and what it does for flavor. Read a long thread here on the Maillard effect too.

[tombombadil]

I made one a while back when peaches were on sale for $.75/pound.

I let them get very ripe, on the verge of being a little funky.
Then I mashed them up with a 4x4 and some pectin enzyme.

At this point, no water was necessary.

Poured it through a very rough strainer to remove the pits.
Then finally pitched some wine yeast.

Double distilled.

It came out very good! I still have most of it. Saving it because I probably won't make more of it.

It was pretty expensive, yield being what it is with fruit.

If I could get peaches cheaper I would probably make a batch every year.

Edit: to answer your question, no water or sugar in mine and it came out great.

[zach]

Peach Street distillery in Colorado states that it takes 26 lbs for each 750 ml bottle of the brandy and eau de vie on their website.

I have had eau de vie from fruit with and without pits ( plums, cherries, apricots, pears, grapes) and like both. I would include the pulp in your boiler if possible for the most flavor and not worry if a few pits make it to the boiler . No sugar, and double distill.

[Almtngoat]

I made one a while back when peaches were on sale for $.75/pound.

I let them get very ripe, on the verge of being a little funky.
Then I mashed them up with a 4x4 and some pectin enzyme.

At this point, no water was necessary.

Poured it through a very rough strainer to remove the pits.
Then finally pitched some wine yeast.

Double distilled.

It came out very good! I still have most of it. Saving it because I probably won't make more of it.

It was pretty expensive, yield being what it is with fruit.

If I could get peaches cheaper I would probably make a batch every year.

Edit: to answer your question, no water or sugar in mine and it came out great.

I am thinking to go down there and request the peaches that don't look pretty for the market but would work just fine in a mash barrel. I have a recipe stewing in my cook's mind and it does involve sugar just not the white or brown processed kind

[Renhoekk]

It’s not something I play with a lot, however here’s a few things I found useful.

- I used super ripe peaches. I could pull them apart by hand, toss the stone, squish the flesh and drop it straight into the fermenter. No time consuming chopping or blending

- Pectinase. I never bothered adding a set amount of water - just enough to cover the peach pieces. A little bit of pectinase into the fermenter breaks down the structural integrity of the peach flesh. Then it was a simple matter of paddle mixing it into a liquid mush

- Peaches have a moderate sugar content. My peach-only ferments produced a final ABV of about 5% for distillation. So your 4 towering bushels of peaches may shrink down to fewer than 10 bottles of finished spirit

[Ben]

Leave the stones on. They carry a lot of flavor. So much in fact you can dump a whiskey mash in on the yeast/stone cake and end up with a very strong flavor of peach in the whiskey, for several generations.

[Bradster68]

Leave the stones on. They carry a lot of flavor. So much in fact you can dump a whiskey mash in on the yeast/stone cake and end up with a very strong flavor of peach in the whiskey, for several generations.

I will be giving that a go

[LWTCS]

Leave the stones on. They carry a lot of flavor. So much in fact you can dump a whiskey mash in on the yeast/stone cake and end up with a very strong flavor of peach in the whiskey, for several generations.

OK that sounds pretty amazing.
Have you oaked any of that? If so did it mask the peach notes.
Please start a thread about that at your convenience if you have not already.

I do recall goose commenting on starting a batch of rye on apple lees back in the day and it made my mouth water.

[Almtngoat]

It’s not something I play with a lot, however here’s a few things I found useful.

- I used super ripe peaches. I could pull them apart by hand, toss the stone, squish the flesh and drop it straight into the fermenter. No time consuming chopping or blending

- Pectinase. I never bothered adding a set amount of water - just enough to cover the peach pieces. A little bit of pectinase into the fermenter breaks down the structural integrity of the peach flesh. Then it was a simple matter of paddle mixing it into a liquid mush

- Peaches have a moderate sugar content. My peach-only ferments produced a final ABV of about 5% for distillation. So your 4 towering bushels of peaches may shrink down to fewer than 10 bottles of finished spirit

A couple quarts was about all I figured it would bring anyway considering I do single and 1 1/2 runs typically. I wish i had a still when I lived in Ca., had hundreds of pounds of plums and peaches free in my yard.

[Almtngoat]

Leave the stones on. They carry a lot of flavor. So much in fact you can dump a whiskey mash in on the yeast/stone cake and end up with a very strong flavor of peach in the whiskey, for several generations.

Certainly not anywhere I have heard, maybe bitter flavor, that is something I will Not try.. There is also arsenic found in fruit stones that is why removing the seeds is important.

[jonnys_spirit]

Leave the stones on. They carry a lot of flavor. So much in fact you can dump a whiskey mash in on the yeast/stone cake and end up with a very strong flavor of peach in the whiskey, for several generations.

Certainly not anywhere I have heard, maybe bitter flavor, that is something I will Not try.. There is also arsenic found in fruit stones that is why removing the seeds is important.

They actually contain amygdalin which breaks down in the body to hydrogen cyanide. I’d research more but toasting the pits in a 350*F oven for 10-15min neutralizes it so it’s safe for culinary use.

A variety of fruit trees would be awesome!

Cheers,
j

[Ben]

Certainly not anywhere I have heard, maybe bitter flavor, that is something I will Not try.. There is also arsenic found in fruit stones that is why removing the seeds is important.

Arsenic has a boiling point of 614°C, my level of concern is zero. No bitterness to note, the whiskey is the sweetest of anything I have made.

[Ben]

Leave the stones on. They carry a lot of flavor. So much in fact you can dump a whiskey mash in on the yeast/stone cake and end up with a very strong flavor of peach in the whiskey, for several generations.

OK that sounds pretty amazing.
Have you oaked any of that? If so did it mask the peach notes.
Please start a thread about that at your convenience if you have not already.

I do recall goose commenting on starting a batch of rye on apple lees back in the day and it made my mouth water.

Nope, but I have some aging on peach wood

66% corn, 34% Munich malt. It's lovely. Sweet, very peach, little grain musty, but still a bourbon profile.

And this was all fermented with yeast cultured from the peaches, that may also contribute to the flavor... impossible to tell because I never took the time to seperate the yeast from the sediment, I just dumped about half of the yeast out to get the cell count down some and ran 4 generations of whiskey mash on it.

Broken Barrel does a bourbon finished in peach brandy barrels and it is fantastic, if you can get a bottle do so.

I got the idea of leaving the wine on the fruit from Demy, he seems to know fruit well and it worked out.

[Almtngoat]

Leave the stones on. They carry a lot of flavor. So much in fact you can dump a whiskey mash in on the yeast/stone cake and end up with a very strong flavor of peach in the whiskey, for several generations.

Certainly not anywhere I have heard, maybe bitter flavor, that is something I will Not try.. There is also arsenic found in fruit stones that is why removing the seeds is important.

They actually contain amygdalin which breaks down in the body to hydrogen cyanide. I’d research more but toasting the pits in a 350*F oven for 10-15min neutralizes it so it’s safe for culinary use.

A variety of fruit trees would be awesome!

IMHO I'm not leaving the frutistones in mash boil or ferment, from all I have seen it's just not a good idea though some here mey claim it to be it is their right to do so. I will not.

[Almtngoat]

Leave the stones on. They carry a lot of flavor. So much in fact you can dump a whiskey mash in on the yeast/stone cake and end up with a very strong flavor of peach in the whiskey, for several generations.

OK that sounds pretty amazing.
Have you oaked any of that? If so did it mask the peach notes.
Please start a thread about that at your convenience if you have not already.

I do recall goose commenting on starting a batch of rye on apple lees back in the day and it made my mouth water.

Nope, but I have some aging on peach wood
1130221952.jpg
66% corn, 34% Munich malt. It's lovely. Sweet, very peach, little grain musty, but still a bourbon profile.

And this was all fermented with yeast cultured from the peaches, that may also contribute to the flavor... impossible to tell because I never took the time to seperate the yeast from the sediment, I just dumped about half of the yeast out to get the cell count down some and ran 4 generations of whiskey mash on it.

Broken Barrel does a bourbon finished in peach brandy barrels and it is fantastic, if you can get a bottle do so.

I got the idea of leaving the wine on the fruit from Demy, he seems to know fruit well and it worked out.

My all grains typically start bubbling from the narutall yeast well before I add mine..

[Almtngoat]

Leave the stones on. They carry a lot of flavor. So much in fact you can dump a whiskey mash in on the yeast/stone cake and end up with a very strong flavor of peach in the whiskey, for several generations.

OK that sounds pretty amazing.
Have you oaked any of that? If so did it mask the peach notes.
Please start a thread about that at your convenience if you have not already.

I do recall goose commenting on starting a batch of rye on apple lees back in the day and it made my mouth water.

Nope, but I have some aging on peach wood
1130221952.jpg
66% corn, 34% Munich malt. It's lovely. Sweet, very peach, little grain musty, but still a bourbon profile.

And this was all fermented with yeast cultured from the peaches, that may also contribute to the flavor... impossible to tell because I never took the time to seperate the yeast from the sediment, I just dumped about half of the yeast out to get the cell count down some and ran 4 generations of whiskey mash on it.

Broken Barrel does a bourbon finished in peach brandy barrels and it is fantastic, if you can get a bottle do so.

I got the idea of leaving the wine on the fruit from Demy, he seems to know fruit well and it worked out.

So do mine but my query is about 100% peach brandy, capiche

My all grains typically start bubbling from the narutall yeast well before I add mine..

[squigglefunk]

my preference is to avoid cooking fruit for wine or brandies