my first run of blackberry brandy thru my brewhaus still

[pigpen-99]

Finally.....after much anticipation....my brewhaus still arrived,started fermenting a batch of blackberry brandy,2 weeks later,ran it thru the still.....amazed at clarity and flavor.....140 proof,smooth,aging it with oak chips,cant wait until that is done....found this forum by accident,cannot say enough about information that I have gained and used,thank you...I am primarilly a brandy maker,have strawberries on the stove now,but I will dabble in other areas,that is the fun of this,again thanks for all the help thru all of the info on this forum......pigpen99

[dakotasnake]

blackberry brandy sounds great. i assume you did the required cleaning runs?

[Bushman]

Welcome to HD, you should go to the welcome center and give us an introduction. I just fermented some cider into hard cider and then made apple brandy, would be interested in your blackberry brandy recipe as we have a lot of blackberries in my neck of the woods.

[pigpen-99]

did all required cleanings.......only trouble I had was a slow leak with my water cooler at the inlet side,easy repair......as for a recipe- I used 12 lbs of black raspberries,boiled them in 2 gallons of distilled water,then mashed them real well,strained the seeds and skins,time consuming extra step,but the seeds can leave a bitter taste....I strained them 3 times,added 10 lbs of sugar.....cooked until dissolved placed in fermenter,filled to 6 gallons,pitched a grappa yeast,let yeast do it's magic....took about 10 days....distill when you have time....I placed my fermenter in fridge for a week until I had time,yielded a little over a gallon of 140 proof,clear brandy,that had a wonderful aroma and flavor,placed oak chips in to enhance,and in 6 weeks should be complete.Note- the oak chips are an extra step,not neccessary,completely up to the individual

[Clearwater]

did all required cleanings.......only trouble I had was a slow leak with my water cooler at the inlet side,easy repair......as for a recipe- I used 12 lbs of black raspberries,boiled them in 2 gallons of distilled water,then mashed them real well,strained the seeds and skins,time consuming extra step,but the seeds can leave a bitter taste....I strained them 3 times,added 10 lbs of sugar.....cooked until dissolved placed in fermenter,filled to 6 gallons,pitched a grappa yeast,let yeast do it's magic....took about 10 days....distill when you have time....I placed my fermenter in fridge for a week until I had time,yielded a little over a gallon of 140 proof,clear brandy,that had a wonderful aroma and flavor,placed oak chips in to enhance,and in 6 weeks should be complete.Note- the oak chips are an extra step,not neccessary,completely up to the individual

Officially.... thirsty...

[rgarry]

Might have to try this.

[Ghost]

def gonna put this one on the back burner and try this summer. We have TONS of blackberry bushes around the house and use them in everything from jelly - pies. I can see my children are going to be put to work this summer!

[Wasserwerks]

did all required cleanings.......only trouble I had was a slow leak with my water cooler at the inlet side,easy repair......as for a recipe- I used 12 lbs of black raspberries,boiled them in 2 gallons of distilled water,then mashed them real well,strained the seeds and skins,time consuming extra step,but the seeds can leave a bitter taste....I strained them 3 times,added 10 lbs of sugar.....cooked until dissolved placed in fermenter,filled to 6 gallons,pitched a grappa yeast,let yeast do it's magic....took about 10 days....distill when you have time....I placed my fermenter in fridge for a week until I had time,yielded a little over a gallon of 140 proof,clear brandy,that had a wonderful aroma and flavor,placed oak chips in to enhance,and in 6 weeks should be complete.Note- the oak chips are an extra step,not neccessary,completely up to the individual

That sounds fantastic!
I'm still new to this, but I have been making wine for 10+ years. Just made a simple still and first run the other day. I have to remember the do's and dont's of this new adventure. Once I can get black raspberries I will be sure to use this recipie. Thanks for sharing in advance.

[claude3c]

My plan for this yr is to press enough blackberries to get 25 litres and ferment it as i would pressed apple juice then run that through the still no added water or sugar - as long as there natural sugar is high enough -

should i water it down and add sugar or go ahead with my original plan?

[FreeMountainHermit]

did all required cleanings.......only trouble I had was a slow leak with my water cooler at the inlet side,easy repair......as for a recipe- I used 12 lbs of black raspberries,boiled them in 2 gallons of distilled water,then mashed them real well,strained the seeds and skins,time consuming extra step,but the seeds can leave a bitter taste....I strained them 3 times,added 10 lbs of sugar.....cooked until dissolved placed in fermenter,filled to 6 gallons,pitched a grappa yeast,let yeast do it's magic....took about 10 days....distill when you have time....I placed my fermenter in fridge for a week until I had time,yielded a little over a gallon of 140 proof,clear brandy,that had a wonderful aroma and flavor,placed oak chips in to enhance,and in 6 weeks should be complete.Note- the oak chips are an extra step,not neccessary,completely up to the individual

Excellent post and welcome.

I have zero exp. with fruits so can I assume i would be able to use your recipe as a baseline for canned peaches ? I have several #10 cans of them in the pantry.

[InglisHill]

did all required cleanings.......only trouble I had was a slow leak with my water cooler at the inlet side,easy repair......as for a recipe- I used 12 lbs of black raspberries,boiled them in 2 gallons of distilled water,then mashed them real well,strained the seeds and skins,time consuming extra step,but the seeds can leave a bitter taste....I strained them 3 times,added 10 lbs of sugar.....cooked until dissolved placed in fermenter,filled to 6 gallons,pitched a grappa yeast,let yeast do it's magic....took about 10 days....distill when you have time....I placed my fermenter in fridge for a week until I had time,yielded a little over a gallon of 140 proof,clear brandy,that had a wonderful aroma and flavor,placed oak chips in to enhance,and in 6 weeks should be complete.Note- the oak chips are an extra step,not neccessary,completely up to the individual

That sounds fantastic!
I'm still new to this, but I have been making wine for 10+ years. Just made a simple still and first run the other day. I have to remember the do's and dont's of this new adventure. Once I can get black raspberries I will be sure to use this recipie. Thanks for sharing in advance.

That had me wondering as well.