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Odin wrote:By the way ... why don't we use some pectinase with this recipe? To break up cell structures and release some additional taste as well as fructose? Should only improve taste & yield ...

Probably because methanol is formed by the breakdown of pectin by pectinase. If feet don't work for you, you could use a large wooden pestle. I use a 2"*4"

That's a very valid point, Chris!

Running the first batch as we speak, by the way!

Regards, Odin.

What went wrong? This tastes like crap. Hot, oily. Not good.

Odin.

Odin wrote:What went wrong? This tastes like crap. Hot, oily. Not good.

Odin.

I doubt that canned peaches in a sugar syrup, with added sugar is what is used to make the Pálinka you want to replicate, and I bet they use a pot still, maybe double distilling.

Seeing as you still have everything, you could put it all into a pot still and see if that will do a better job.

I will let it air out. But my hopes are low. Maybe burnt some peach particles on my heating elements? Taste is SO far off from anything ...

Updates later this weekend!

Odin.

I ran this as well. Got two quarts, let it air for a day. No peach taste for me.

It says that the peach taste comes on strong after some time, but mine although a little tastier, still doesn't have what I would call a peach taste.

Mine tastes like crap!

Odin.

Mine wasn't bad, just no peach flavor. Didn't help that I put too much vanilla extract in it. I'll will try this again.

Odin wrote:Mine tastes like crap!Odin.

got to love honesty
yeah preserved or stewed fruit has been heated and this changes the flavour in a big way and for fermenting rarely in a good way. the other significant problem I saw with your method was the use of bread yeast, i feel bread yeast is singularly the worst thing you could add to a fruit must of any sort. I once did a dozen batches of fruit using bread yeast in just the first one it was horrid and what's worse is I added those low wines to the rest thinking its only a small proportion and the S run will clean it up. Bzzzt wrong answer it ruined the whole lot beyond repair, two more runs later still no improvement in fact it made the crap flavour more pronounced so i mixed some with neutral dusted off my old reflux still and guess what still Crap with a capital C . I hope your stuff cleans up for you but I have my doubts

I don't doubt. It is crap and it will stay crap. I will toss it, that's how bad it is. Yes, maybe the choice of yeast wasn't that good.

Odin.

Wow, so I haven't been on here in a while and I haven't mixed anything up lately either because everything is frozen (hose for cooling) but I read the first page of this thread and thought it might be something to try on my small indoor still. I went out and bought a case of 6 x 3 kilo cans from Restaurant Depot. Then I came home and read the rest of the pages.......some people weren't happy with the result. From what I can see the OP did a single distillation and said the flavor is great. Is everyone that didn't like it doing a double distillation? Should I just return the peaches?

I just did a single run on a pot still. I just sipped on it yesterday and still no peach. I am going to use the two quarts for the SPD recipe...

Looks like they're going back then...oh well. Guess I'll wait for the thaw. My indoor still is too much of a hassle to run for something that wont come out that good...

When I have crappy spirits, I add them all up, throw in about a teaspoon of calcium or sodium hydroxide and redistill all of it very slowly. I usually carbon filter it afterwards. To me it is better to get something tasteless that I can use than throw it out altogether.

There is no easy fruit brandy using juices. It is not the sugar, although it is known that glucose fades fruit-flavours if used more than 5-10%. Nor it is the type of yeast that led to such unconvincing result: it is the lack of fruit skins, where the most natural oils and aromas of any fruit hide therein.

Imagine two banana mash: for one batch use and ferment only the flesh (dont forget to break up the starches with enzyme or some malt), for the other one drop the browned banana skins in too. The latter will smell AND taste like banana. Same applies to orange, only three orange's thin outer skin is enough to make two liters of Cointreau-ish liquor with macerating the skins in neutral and redistilling it, but when you start with fermenting only the fruit to make the same amount of spirit you will literally need hundreds of oranges and the result will still not be the same. And it applies to most fruits, apples, pears, etc.

So, if you want some quick and tasty* fruited spirit, just macerate fruit skins in neutral and redistill it. Mango, date, rambutan, physallis, maracuja, pineapple.. and my favorite, passion fruit. So don't stop till you make some Charleston Follies for the Ladies with your very own recipe

(*tastes are mostly olfactory, so if you can smell the fruit in the pinched fruit-skin then it will be hundred times more recognizable if drank in alcohol)

Great info, Paulinka, as usual!

Regards, Odin.

Lack of skins will make the spirit bland for sure but not off or awful, that is the result of something else. Oils may have helped mask this but their deficiency did not cause it. Something was wrong with the method most likely an unsuitable yeast and the processing of the fruit

Ok so I just poured the last of my peach into a glass. Was very surprised to smell peaches! I will try this recipe again. I learned a lot with this batch.

This recipe sure took off.

I feel bad for the folks that had their runs not turn out very well. I dont know what could have happened there. I am still an extreme novice at this craft.

I just pulled a few gallons down that have been ageing for a year with some vanilla bean/white oak chips and it tastes amazing. I get more of an oak taste to it, but a sweet peach after taste. I ran a few gallons of this same thing a few weeks ago and it still tastes like peaches right off the still for me.

All in all, I love all of the comments and feedback people are getting.

Haha! Friend of mine made it too. He told me he had more success than me. He could actually taste the peach. I invited him and his bottles over and we had a few tries ... we ended up concluding - sorry guys - that it is crap. The remark on peels missing is an interesting one though!

Odin.

Odin wrote:Haha! Friend of mine made it too. He told me he had more success than me. He could actually taste the peach. I invited him and his bottles over and we had a few tries ... we ended up concluding - sorry guys - that it is crap. The remark on peels missing is an interesting one though!

Odin.

Sorry you had a bad time! I have had nothing but success with it. Same with a few others in the thread.

I have been buying apricot brandy flavoring by whiskey quick and making it that way . Very good once you adjust the sugar to your likings . Kind of pricy but makes some not so good tasting shine taste just fine . Tried making some with peach wine flavoring and it was terrible .

I preparing this mash tonight; any other thoughts or suggestions? I will use distilled water, canned peaches and sugar, with turbo yeast.

Texan, Before you dive into this ferment you should read up on Turbo Yeast on the forum here...
I bet there are 3000 entries on Turbo Yeast. at the top of the page in the middle is a "HD Google Search" button. press that and then when the next page loads go to the search box and add a space to the end of the HD address and type in "Turbo Yeast" hit enter and then READ Away... You will Be amazed at the information that is in the annals of HD. It will probably save your next ferment too.

Thanks Ranger_Ric!!!

Ranger_Ric, should I use bakers yeast? If so, doing a 5 gallon mash; how much bakers yeast should I use?

Texan13 wrote:Ranger_Ric, should I use bakers yeast? If so, doing a 5 gallon mash; how much bakers yeast should I use?

Ric will chime in too, but I'd recommend the Lalvin EC-1118 champagne yeast for a brandy ferment. It'll go slower and cleaner than bread yeast. And it'll tolerate "basement" temperatures better (74-76F).
ss

Oh, and distilled water is better left for tempering. Use spring water, or even tap water to ferment in. Distilled water doesn't have the minerals necessary to support yeast health.
ss

Gracias still-stirrin