brandy experience?
Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 8:12 pm
Some of you may remember me as the noob who was trying to figure out how to get martini worthy vodka from a sugar wash. A few times we got close but never really did it. We tried everything except increasing the length of my 3 foot column. I do appreciate all the suggestions that you experienced guys have given me. Much of that good advice will be use full in my next venture. I’ve decided to redirect my efforts and try to make brandy.
In the last few months I’ve made a couple batches of grape wine from concentrate that came out pretty decent. We’ve got 8 gallons of white grape wine from concentrate started right now that I’m hoping to make brandy from.
So I was wondering from you guys… why isn’t there a recipe in ‘tried & true’ for brandy? Oh, I know, you may say “all you have to do is make some wine (of the million different kinds) and put it through your pot still then age it on some oak and you’re good to go”. Well that still leaves room for some general rules of thumb that would be helpful to know. Yes I’ve read the brandy section of the parent site. How bout I tell you my plan and anyone who has done it could give the ‘yea or nay’?
9/15/09 white grape juice wine
21 cans old orchard white grape juice. With water to make 8 gallons divided into 2 5 gal buckets. Used one for the starter.
6 campden tabs
12 tsps fermax & 2 tsps dap
2 packs ec1118
Ph was ~5.0, sg was 1.070. No extra sugar added.
Rehydrated the yeast, made starter, let work for 1 hour.
Then pitched yeast and covered in two 5 gal buckets.
Used white grape juice cause I read it made fewer heads. No pectin cause I read that it may contribute to off flavors when distilled. Kept the potential alcohol low to reduce yeast stress. Will rack and let settle as much as needed to get a decent wine before distilling. Will take the packing out of my bokakob and run it wide open while collecting in 200ml jars to make cuts. Will age the hearts on charred oak sticks for at least one month before I wonder what I’ve done wrong. Do I dilute with original wine before or after aging?
all advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
In the last few months I’ve made a couple batches of grape wine from concentrate that came out pretty decent. We’ve got 8 gallons of white grape wine from concentrate started right now that I’m hoping to make brandy from.
So I was wondering from you guys… why isn’t there a recipe in ‘tried & true’ for brandy? Oh, I know, you may say “all you have to do is make some wine (of the million different kinds) and put it through your pot still then age it on some oak and you’re good to go”. Well that still leaves room for some general rules of thumb that would be helpful to know. Yes I’ve read the brandy section of the parent site. How bout I tell you my plan and anyone who has done it could give the ‘yea or nay’?
9/15/09 white grape juice wine
21 cans old orchard white grape juice. With water to make 8 gallons divided into 2 5 gal buckets. Used one for the starter.
6 campden tabs
12 tsps fermax & 2 tsps dap
2 packs ec1118
Ph was ~5.0, sg was 1.070. No extra sugar added.
Rehydrated the yeast, made starter, let work for 1 hour.
Then pitched yeast and covered in two 5 gal buckets.
Used white grape juice cause I read it made fewer heads. No pectin cause I read that it may contribute to off flavors when distilled. Kept the potential alcohol low to reduce yeast stress. Will rack and let settle as much as needed to get a decent wine before distilling. Will take the packing out of my bokakob and run it wide open while collecting in 200ml jars to make cuts. Will age the hearts on charred oak sticks for at least one month before I wonder what I’ve done wrong. Do I dilute with original wine before or after aging?
all advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.