Apple Brandy Recipe

Refined and tested recipes for all manner of distilled spirits.

Moderator: Site Moderator

Tuinboon
Novice
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:11 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Tuinboon »

Last oktober the neighbor of my girlfriend would let me pick all the apples and pears from his own orchard. The result was 650 kg of goudreinette, elstar and conference pears (most of them are Dutch I think). Because I don't have a shredder I brought them to a mobile presser, who pressed, pasteurised and bagged the juice in 5 litre bag-in-boxes. The end result was 425 litres of excellent sweet juice with an overall gravity of 1.060.
I have two fermenters of 25 litres in my living room with a temperature between 15 and 19 degrees Celsius. Fertmentations takes three weeks to complete with Mangrove Jack Cider yeast.
I have a schedule of three weeks in which I continuously distill 12,5 litres on each Saturday. When I empty a fermenter I fill it up directly with five bags of 5 litres of juice. Three weeks later it is ready to be distilled. Oh, and I don't add extra sugar.
I hope to eventually have a yield of 40 litres brandy of 70% abv. Half of it I will put inside a 30 litre balloon bottle(don't know the right jargon) and set it aside for 10 years. The other 20 litres are set aside for only one year before I bottle them.
White brandy is my favourite. Sometimes I use a small slab of oak and a couple of roasted walnut shells for aging.
If you have any ideas or recommendations please let me know. For example; how do you all drink your white brandy? Chilled or at room temperature (16 degrees Celsius).

Cheers, Tuinboon
stillanoob
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 736
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2019 7:15 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by stillanoob »

I leave my white brandy at room temperature. However, plum is the only brandy that I leave white. I did a pear/apple brandy a few weeks back and it was good white but was asking for some oak so it is sitting on it now.

I like the mangrove jack yeast. I think I like it better than EC1118. Bummer is that I can't seem to find it in bulk, just the little packets. Which is OK I guess but then you have to make a starter a few days before you use it to get a decent pitch.
Tuinboon
Novice
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:11 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Tuinboon »

Thanks for your reply Stillanoob. I find it hard in the Netherlands to find the right oak. I used European oak chips, but I always end up disappointed. Too woody for me. Now I use the oak sticks as described by T-pee. Much better, but also lots of tannins and woody tones. Last time I roasted some shells of walnuts. That leaves very rich aromas in the spirit.
Would really like to use American oak sometimes. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to obtain over here.
stillanoob
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 736
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2019 7:15 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by stillanoob »

Can you get these from epay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1LB-Toasted-Wh ... 2749.l2649

They have worked for me. I just got 1/2 of a wine barrel and am going to toast my own.

I am curious, do you make a starter with the mangrove jack yeast? Or have you found a source for bulk? I am envious of all of your fruit! I have about 100 liters of apple cider for brandy slowly fermenting away. I made about 50 liters of plum for brandy. I also have about 40l of plum wine and it is probably getting close to bottling.
User avatar
cranky
Master of Distillation
Posts: 6505
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:18 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by cranky »

I prefer most of my brandies white, plum, blackberry, pear, mixed fruit...etc. My apple I prefer slightly oaked.

Oak can easily over dominate brandy, especially apple. What I do with oak sticks is use used oak sticks...or apple wood. I actually have some neutral that I soak sticks in for months just to prepare them for brandy. A also have a well used oak barrel that lets me control the amount of oak the brandy gets.
Tuinboon
Novice
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:11 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Tuinboon »

stillanoob wrote: Sat Jan 30, 2021 10:31 am Can you get these from epay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1LB-Toasted-Wh ... 2749.l2649

They have worked for me. I just got 1/2 of a wine barrel and am going to toast my own.

I am curious, do you make a starter with the mangrove jack yeast? Or have you found a source for bulk? I am envious of all of your fruit! I have about 100 liters of apple cider for brandy slowly fermenting away. I made about 50 liters of plum for brandy. I also have about 40l of plum wine and it is probably getting close to bottling.
Ebay seems to be quite a problem with delivery in the Netherlands. Most products won't be shipped unfortunately. Mangrove Jack M02 sells 250 gram sachets for €29,95 on a Dutch stilling website (don't know if I am allowed to mention the website on this forum? Don't want any trouble).
I consider myself very lucky with all the available fruit! I don't quite know the species of the apples, only that the orchard is 60 years old and the trees haven't had any love the past ten years. This year I signed myself up for a pruning class, but due to covid-19 this seems impossible for this year. So maybe next year!

I always make a yeast starter with lukewarm apple juice and let is sit in on my PS4 for three hours, which is just the right temperature during a Netflix session (I ferment in my living room at temperatures between 15 and 19 degrees Celsius). I have two 31 litre buckets, that holds 25 litres of cider each.

I'll sent you a PM with the address for the yeast. Of that does not work, maybe ik can send it by mail.
Tuinboon
Novice
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:11 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Tuinboon »

cranky wrote: Sat Jan 30, 2021 5:53 pm I prefer most of my brandies white, plum, blackberry, pear, mixed fruit...etc. My apple I prefer slightly oaked.

Oak can easily over dominate brandy, especially apple. What I do with oak sticks is use used oak sticks...or apple wood. I actually have some neutral that I soak sticks in for months just to prepare them for brandy. A also have a well used oak barrel that lets me control the amount of oak the brandy gets.
Thanks for your reply, Cranky.
So you recommend that I save used oak sticks for the next year? How many sticks do youd ad to a gallon of spirit and on what strength? I also use the shells of three roasted walnuts. Gives a great aroma.
How long do you keep your oak sticks in de aging brandy? The same length of time as the white spirit, so multiple years? Or do you take them out after a couple of months.
I do have a three litre French oak barrel. The taste of the final result is great, only the angles take have of it after have a year, which leaves me with only 1,5 litre.
stillanoob
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 736
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2019 7:15 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by stillanoob »

Thanks Tuinboon. I just took another look and I can't find a place in the US selling 250g packets. The best I find is $4.99 for a 10g packet.

For the oak I use one light and one medium toast stick. That gives it some oak but (IMO) not too much.
User avatar
cranky
Master of Distillation
Posts: 6505
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:18 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by cranky »

Tuinboon wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:50 pm Thanks for your reply, Cranky.
So you recommend that I save used oak sticks for the next year? How many sticks do youd ad to a gallon of spirit and on what strength? I also use the shells of three roasted walnuts. Gives a great aroma.
I usually use a 6inch x1inch x1inch stick in a half gallon jar.
Tuinboon wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:50 pm How long do you keep your oak sticks in de aging brandy? The same length of time as the white spirit, so multiple years? Or do you take them out after a couple of months.
I do have a three litre French oak barrel. The taste of the final result is great, only the angles take have of it after have a year, which leaves me with only 1,5 litre.
That is something I find difficult to answer, not just because I don't take notes but also because it all depends. I have no set amount of time, it's finished when it's finished. Everybody tends to like their oak a little different. I do like to set my jars on a heater vent with a loose lid and leave them alone for at least 6 months then make a decision.

My barrel is 5 gallons so it doesn't suffer the angels quite as much as a little barrel but the last batch aged in it for 2 years and 4 months before I felt it was ready and the angels took close to two gallons. I won't even look at the current batch until it's been in there a full year...which will be coming up around the end of march.

A couple things I've been thinking of...

First, you said the
Tuinboon wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:40 pm orchard is 60 years old and the trees haven't had any love the past ten years.
To me that means there should be a distinct possibility that there is dead and well dried apple wood to be had in the form of dead or fallen limbs. This is a great way to get some apple wood to age on. Another source for me is when someone prunes a tree. I have a pile of apple wood waiting for me to go pick it up and a stack of Reindeer cherry logs aging right now to use for future aging that were all given to me when someone cut down their apple tree and pruned the crap out of their cherry.

Second, Have you tried contacting Odin and see if he knows a source of oak in your area? I bet he can help steer you in the right direction.
Tuinboon
Novice
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:11 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Tuinboon »

cranky wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 7:44 pm
Tuinboon wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:50 pm Thanks for your reply, Cranky.
So you recommend that I save used oak sticks for the next year? How many sticks do youd ad to a gallon of spirit and on what strength? I also use the shells of three roasted walnuts. Gives a great aroma.
I usually use a 6inch x1inch x1inch stick in a half gallon jar.
Tuinboon wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:50 pm How long do you keep your oak sticks in de aging brandy? The same length of time as the white spirit, so multiple years? Or do you take them out after a couple of months.
I do have a three litre French oak barrel. The taste of the final result is great, only the angles take have of it after have a year, which leaves me with only 1,5 litre.
That is something I find difficult to answer, not just because I don't take notes but also because it all depends. I have no set amount of time, it's finished when it's finished. Everybody tends to like their oak a little different. I do like to set my jars on a heater vent with a loose lid and leave them alone for at least 6 months then make a decision.

My barrel is 5 gallons so it doesn't suffer the angels quite as much as a little barrel but the last batch aged in it for 2 years and 4 months before I felt it was ready and the angels took close to two gallons. I won't even look at the current batch until it's been in there a full year...which will be coming up around the end of march.

A couple things I've been thinking of...

First, you said the
Tuinboon wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 1:40 pm orchard is 60 years old and the trees haven't had any love the past ten years.
To me that means there should be a distinct possibility that there is dead and well dried apple wood to be had in the form of dead or fallen limbs. This is a great way to get some apple wood to age on. Another source for me is when someone prunes a tree. I have a pile of apple wood waiting for me to go pick it up and a stack of Reindeer cherry logs aging right now to use for future aging that were all given to me when someone cut down their apple tree and pruned the crap out of their cherry.

Second, Have you tried contacting Odin and see if he knows a source of oak in your area? I bet he can help steer you in the right direction.
I've read the topic of OtisT with the different uses of fruit wood and he seemed to like the toasted apple wood. I didn't know before fruit wood was used for aging. Probably it is possible to obtain some of the branches. Are there any criteria for the wood, like the minimal thickness of the trunks or logs? I can imagine that younger wood possesses more sap or juice than matures logs right? How do you cure your wood? Do you toast and char it? Thanks for all the help anyways. It is nice to talk to some fellow stillers during these bitter times.
User avatar
cranky
Master of Distillation
Posts: 6505
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:18 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by cranky »

Tuinboon wrote: Mon Feb 01, 2021 12:12 pm I've read the topic of OtisT with the different uses of fruit wood and he seemed to like the toasted apple wood. I didn't know before fruit wood was used for aging. Probably it is possible to obtain some of the branches. Are there any criteria for the wood, like the minimal thickness of the trunks or logs? I can imagine that younger wood possesses more sap or juice than matures logs right? How do you cure your wood? Do you toast and char it? Thanks for all the help anyways. It is nice to talk to some fellow stillers during these bitter times.
Everybody seems to do everything a little differently. I like a log I can get a 1in x1in section of heartwood out of but I don't mind overlapping into the sapwood, others might. Ideally I look for something 4 in diameter or larger. I have been lucky in the past and found branches that were knocked off in storms years earlier so they were already cured when I found them but what I do with green wood is cut it into lengths slightly larger than I want the final length to be and leave it outside uncovered exposed to the weather for a year or two or three then cut to size and toast the T-pee way ( https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... =4&t=50348 ) temperature and length of time is usually decided at the time I do it.

As far as char, that is another subject people differ widely on. My personal opinion is that char makes brandy taste too much like whiskey so at the most I might slightly darken the sticks but not enough that could be thought of as char. Of course that's just my way of doing it and other people are happy with various levels of char so it's one of those things you wind up working out for yourself.
CoogeeBoy
Rumrunner
Posts: 573
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2020 6:56 pm

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by CoogeeBoy »

stillanoob wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:56 am I leave my white brandy at room temperature. However, plum is the only brandy that I leave white. I did a pear/apple brandy a few weeks back and it was good white but was asking for some oak so it is sitting on it now.

I like the mangrove jack yeast. I think I like it better than EC1118. Bummer is that I can't seem to find it in bulk, just the little packets. Which is OK I guess but then you have to make a starter a few days before you use it to get a decent pitch.
Stillanoob,

I am in the middle of my first ferment of plums for a plum brandy.

Can I ask what are your quantities for plums / water? How may kilos plums / litres water? What is your yield at the end?

Presumably you make a starter, what surprises me is that it isn't more common.

Finally, do you push down the cap? I tried to get some juice to test for Ph and SG but the effect was most of the cap sank.

Is that a bad thing?
Taking a break while I get a new still completed....
stillanoob
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 736
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2019 7:15 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by stillanoob »

CoogeeBoy wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 8:55 pm Stillanoob,

I am in the middle of my first ferment of plums for a plum brandy.

Can I ask what are your quantities for plums / water? How may kilos plums / litres water? What is your yield at the end?

Presumably you make a starter, what surprises me is that it isn't more common.

Finally, do you push down the cap? I tried to get some juice to test for Ph and SG but the effect was most of the cap sank.

Is that a bad thing?
Coogee, I went and took a look at my log book. I am not the best note keeper. What I have is that one batch was three 5 gallon buckets filled with plums and that I added 2 gallons of water and 4 pounds of honey. This yielded 8 gallons of must. Yes, I made a yeast starter. I punch the cap down daily. When it starts to sink I rack it into a carboy and let it sit for a week or two. By racking I mean press through a strainer, as you no doubt know by now plums are a sticky, gelatinous mess. However the brandy is amazing and by far my favorite white. It would actually be an insult to oak it, the delicate plum notes are just amazing and I think oak would cover that up.
CoogeeBoy
Rumrunner
Posts: 573
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2020 6:56 pm

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by CoogeeBoy »

stillanoob wrote: Sat Feb 13, 2021 1:07 pm
CoogeeBoy wrote: Fri Feb 12, 2021 8:55 pm Stillanoob,

I am in the middle of my first ferment of plums for a plum brandy.

Can I ask what are your quantities for plums / water? How may kilos plums / litres water? What is your yield at the end?

Presumably you make a starter, what surprises me is that it isn't more common.

Finally, do you push down the cap? I tried to get some juice to test for Ph and SG but the effect was most of the cap sank.

Is that a bad thing?
Coogee, I went and took a look at my log book. I am not the best note keeper. What I have is that one batch was three 5 gallon buckets filled with plums and that I added 2 gallons of water and 4 pounds of honey. This yielded 8 gallons of must. Yes, I made a yeast starter. I punch the cap down daily. When it starts to sink I rack it into a carboy and let it sit for a week or two. By racking I mean press through a strainer, as you no doubt know by now plums are a sticky, gelatinous mess. However the brandy is amazing and by far my favorite white. It would actually be an insult to oak it, the delicate plum notes are just amazing and I think oak would cover that up.
Thank you, great advice.
I am off to get some more plums!
Taking a break while I get a new still completed....
NormandieStill
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1738
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 10:17 pm
Location: Northwest France

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by NormandieStill »

Hi there. Posting in here hoping to catch the attention of the master! ;-)

This is the follow-up to https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 15&t=82365

In short. I stripped 25l of cider (apple, US-05, and about 3 months) to produce a little over 6l of low wines. These sat in corked demi-johns for about 2 weeks before I did my spirit run (all on a pot still). The spirit run was collected in jam jars with about 200ml per jar after the first 3 or 4. I took about 100ml in the first jar as foreshots.

So I did a tasting today and I confess to being somewhat disappointed. In all I have 13 jars. Jar 1 is foreshots and I'm not touching it. Jars 2-4 were changed out relatively rapidly and there wasn't enough volume in them to test with my alcometer. It wasn't until jar 7 that I finally got a (temp corrected) reading of 71%. Jar 8 was 65%, 9 was 59% and 12 was 38%. I include these numbers so that the more experienced might have an idea of where I was.

But here's the thing. During the run there was a consistent apple smell right through. Even down to jar 13. I even took a little from somewhere around jar 6 (IIRC) and tasted it and got a sense of a fairly neutral alcohol with a subtle apple flavour.

Today I sat down, started at jar 7 and worked down, then restarted at jar 6 and worked up. Took about 1ml with a glass straw proofed down with the same of tap water and started sniffing and tasting. When I came to taste it there was a very strong bitter component that seemed to mask everything else. That bitterness seemed to be there right through the run, all the way down to jar 12 and (to a lesser extent) up to jar 2.

My only previous run was a sloe-de-vie. This had clear hearts that were pleasant and some interesting stuff each side that had a bit of junk with it too. The blending choices were fairly simple as I could just pull the jars that were clearly hearts, and I then added back in a little from each side in the hope that ageing would kill the off-flavours and work in my favour.

So my question is: Is this a normal thing for an apple brandy that needs to age out? Or are my taste buds currently fried? (I can still taste some bitterness now so I'm wondering). My wife tried a sample from jar 4 and while her descriptions don't match mine, she did also get the bitterness along the side of the tongue which suggests that it's not just me.
"I have a potstill that smears like a fresh plowed coon on the highway" - Jimbo

A little spoon feeding *For New & Novice Distillers
User avatar
cranky
Master of Distillation
Posts: 6505
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:18 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by cranky »

NormandieStill wrote: Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:42 pm Posting in here hoping to catch the attention of the master!
I'm not sure who this master is you speak of but it looks like he isn't going to show so I figured I'd give my thoughts.
NormandieStill wrote: Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:42 pm So my question is: Is this a normal thing for an apple brandy that needs to age out? Or are my taste buds currently fried? (I can still taste some bitterness now so I'm wondering). My wife tried a sample from jar 4 and while her descriptions don't match mine, she did also get the bitterness along the side of the tongue which suggests that it's not just me.
Not long ago someone PMd me about this same issue but I can't remember who. I personally have never had a problem with bitterness throughout the run, only at the end. Maybe it's the apples you used, maybe tails somehow got pushed through during the entire run or maybe something else, it's hard to say. One thing I'm wondering is how the cider was made as I've read broken or ground up seeds can cause bitterness but I'm just speculating.

My guess is aging will likely fix the problem but can't swear to it. Maybe if that master guy shows up he will have better in input, or maybe someone else has had the same problem and can help.
NormandieStill
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1738
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 10:17 pm
Location: Northwest France

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by NormandieStill »

cranky wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:54 am I'm not sure who this master is you speak of but it looks like he isn't going to show so I figured I'd give my thoughts.
Hey. Look. The master graces us with his presence! :clap:
cranky wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:54 am Not long ago someone PMd me about this same issue but I can't remember who. I personally have never had a problem with bitterness throughout the run, only at the end. Maybe it's the apples you used, maybe tails somehow got pushed through during the entire run or maybe something else, it's hard to say. One thing I'm wondering is how the cider was made as I've read broken or ground up seeds can cause bitterness but I'm just speculating.
The cider was from a local cidrerie. You can buy the juice direct from the press, and while I could get cider apples for peanuts, I'm not yet set up for juicing in bulk. I'm not sure exactly how they obtain the pomace, but given the scale of the operation I would guess it involves some heavy machinery (The press is a hydraulic affair run from a tractor that presses one cheese of pomace while the next one is being prepared. The pomace feeds in from the top of the machine and the cheeses are wrapped directly on the rails. It's quite q wonder to behold as long as you don't mind smelly faintly of apples. The workers tend to be dressed for a stormy day at sea!
cranky wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:54 am
My guess is aging will likely fix the problem but can't swear to it. Maybe if that master guy shows up he will have better in input, or maybe someone else has had the same problem and can help.
Thanks for your input. I guess I'll make some conservative cuts and stick in on some oak and see what happens. I did try a little mouthful today and I'm still getting bitterness so I don't think it's just me. With luck I can organise some solution for pressing apples by next season and I can scale up somewhat as well as having a better idea of how everything is processed. The low wines had such promise that I couldn't help but be disappointed. :(
"I have a potstill that smears like a fresh plowed coon on the highway" - Jimbo

A little spoon feeding *For New & Novice Distillers
User avatar
cranky
Master of Distillation
Posts: 6505
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:18 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by cranky »

NormandieStill wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:09 am Hey. Look. The master graces us with his presence!
Where!?!?

I guess he must have deleted his post. What a shame. I would really like to have read his thoughts.
NormandieStill wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:09 am The cider was from a local cidrerie. You can buy the juice direct from the press, and while I could get cider apples for peanuts, I'm not yet set up for juicing in bulk. I'm not sure exactly how they obtain the pomace, but given the scale of the operation I would guess it involves some heavy machinery (The press is a hydraulic affair run from a tractor that presses one cheese of pomace while the next one is being prepared. The pomace feeds in from the top of the machine and the cheeses are wrapped directly on the rails. It's quite q wonder to behold as long as you don't mind smelly faintly of apples. The workers tend to be dressed for a stormy day at sea!
I'm pretty sure I know the setup. Broken seeds shouldn't be the source of the bitterness so maybe it was the mix.

My guess is it will age out.
NormandieStill wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 11:09 am Thanks for your input. I guess I'll make some conservative cuts and stick in on some oak and see what happens. I did try a little mouthful today and I'm still getting bitterness so I don't think it's just me. With luck I can organise some solution for pressing apples by next season and I can scale up somewhat as well as having a better idea of how everything is processed. The low wines had such promise that I couldn't help but be disappointed.
Apple brandy often takes considerable time to show itself.
stillanoob
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 736
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2019 7:15 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by stillanoob »

Now that the master has spoken... :D

Did it taste bitter before you ran it? I am guessing not as you didn't mention it. I have never (in my all of 4 runs of apple brandy) had a bitter taste. Like Cranky says it can take a while for the apple to show up. Actually, in mine it is there strong at first, goes away and hides and then comes back with some time and oak. My first batch is coming up on a year and it is really starting to get good.

I'd also say that a lot of the apple is in the heads. I dump the foreshot and a bit more then keep it all until it gets tailsy. A commercial distiller I know who makes apple brandy says that with apples there is only foreshot, hearts and tails.
NormandieStill
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1738
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 10:17 pm
Location: Northwest France

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by NormandieStill »

stillanoob wrote: Thu Feb 18, 2021 7:18 am Did it taste bitter before you ran it? I am guessing not as you didn't mention it. I have never (in my all of 4 runs of apple brandy) had a bitter taste. Like Cranky says it can take a while for the apple to show up. Actually, in mine it is there strong at first, goes away and hides and then comes back with some time and oak. My first batch is coming up on a year and it is really starting to get good.
I didn't notice anything beyond the normal slight tartness of cider apples. It does feel a little strange to live this close to the world's principle apple brandy producing region and be asking people on the other side of the planet, but I don't have the contacts here. I used to buy a really nice calvados that had an fantastic apple / vanilla thing going on and I recently stumbled across the website of a Calvados distillery where they described their ageing method. They age for 3 months in new oak barrels, then pull it out into older used barrels to continue, introducing vanilla notes and avoiding excessive tannins. They are kind enough to detail the process in english: https://www.calvados-dupont.com/en/dist ... -aging.htm
stillanoob wrote: Thu Feb 18, 2021 7:18 am I'd also say that a lot of the apple is in the heads. I dump the foreshot and a bit more then keep it all until it gets tailsy. A commercial distiller I know who makes apple brandy says that with apples there is only foreshot, hearts and tails.
OK. I'll try that and stick it on oak. One thing I'm not short of is oak. In the worst case it'll be good for making grog, or pouring on chocolate ice cream.
"I have a potstill that smears like a fresh plowed coon on the highway" - Jimbo

A little spoon feeding *For New & Novice Distillers
User avatar
cranky
Master of Distillation
Posts: 6505
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:18 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by cranky »

You do have to be generous with the heads cut but this also makes aging take longer.
NormandieStill
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1738
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 10:17 pm
Location: Northwest France

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by NormandieStill »

Well. I blended it as is. I ditched the first jar as fores, and the second because the nail-polish remover was just too strong (for a total of around 250-300ml) and then blended the next 7 jars (based on my notes, as there was a point at which the apple in the nose was clearly disappearing. Ending up with just over 1l @ 65% (From an original wash of 25l). We tried a little sample and it was hot, but surprisingly tasty (although as predicted, fairly light on apple flavour). The bitterness was either a reaction to something that I'd eaten, or boiled off in the week that it aired out in the jars. I need to cook up some oak and some apple wood and get it ageing.
"I have a potstill that smears like a fresh plowed coon on the highway" - Jimbo

A little spoon feeding *For New & Novice Distillers
stillanoob
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 736
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2019 7:15 am

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by stillanoob »

Sounds about right to me. I seem to wind up at about 65% aggregate by the time I cut it off. Glad to hear it isn't still bitter, whatever the cause. Now leave it alone for as long as you can stand it but even in 4 months it should start showing its character, at least enough to where you can tell what its potential is.
Shine4fun
Novice
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2022 7:45 am
Location: East Texas

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Shine4fun »

Can you use Apple Moonshine (Brandy) as the base for Apple Pie Moonshine?
I am in over my head. :)
User avatar
cranky
Master of Distillation
Posts: 6505
Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2013 3:18 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by cranky »

Shine4fun wrote: Thu Feb 10, 2022 7:52 pm Can you use Apple Moonshine (Brandy) as the base for Apple Pie Moonshine?
I don't make apple pie myself but personally I wouldn't use anything else.

My personal opinion when making something with fruit, like apple pie or a panty dropper, is to start with a base that is itself made from fruit because alcohols made from grain or anything else can have flavors that can fight with the fruit flavors and fruit based spirits tend to play nicer with the new fruit flavors.

Of course that's just my opinion.
User avatar
Saltbush Bill
Site Mod
Posts: 9675
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:13 am
Location: Northern NSW Australia

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Saltbush Bill »

I agree with Cranky that starting out with an apple base spirit should work well.
Having said that Ive used Neutral or UJSSM as a base and always had favorable comments when Ive passed it around.
There are a lot of recipes for making Apple Pie and they vary a lot......some are better than others and probably lend them selves to using different base spirits more readily than others.
If you look around the net a bit you will find Winoes Apple Pie recipe, same fella who made the Wineos Plain Ol Sugar Wash recipe as far as I know.
Its what Ive always used.
Shine4fun
Novice
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2022 7:45 am
Location: East Texas

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Shine4fun »

Thanks for the responses.
I am in over my head. :)
User avatar
Stonecutter
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1911
Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:40 pm
Location: Somewhere within the Milkyway

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Stonecutter »

Thanks for this thread Cranky!
B788EF7D-3742-45F5-AF49-CF765052B10A.png
Been having success with this apple juice lately. Just stripped 1 of what will be 4 charges for the upcoming autumn season.
Freedom had been hunted round the globe; reason was considered as rebellion; and the slavery of fear had made men afraid to think. But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing.
-Thomas Paine
Wayside Loop
Novice
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2021 8:05 pm

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by Wayside Loop »

I love this recipe. My family and I acquired a little farm that has peaches, plums, and about 5 different varietals of apples on it. So last Fall I filled up a 55gal barrel with Golden delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, and a few Fuji’s to make this brandy. It turned out excellent! Followed to the T, with the exception of using Distillamax TQ for the yeast. I let the ferment sit for a long while, as described in the recipe, and it really seemed to help the product prior to running. Added a little apple cider to the thumper as well, but yielded about 1 gallon of damn fine apple brandy after two runs in the 12 gal pot still. Will be scaling up big time this year, with hopefully more success. Great recipe!
“There is no spoon”

-Some little kid in some movie
User avatar
higgins
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 415
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:16 am
Location: US Southern Appalachia

Re: Apple Brandy Recipe

Post by higgins »

Just read this entire thread ... very good information.

I have 4 semi dwarf trees and 1 standard tree - Grimes Golden, Fuji, McIntosh, Cortland, and Winesap. A small group of fellow home brewers gathers each year to pick/grind/press and we share the fresh cider. Some can it and some ferment it for cider, but this year we are talking about turning it into brandy. Some years we have as much as 80 gallons of juice, but usually it is 40-50. This looks like it will be a good year, and we might get up to 100 gal.

We use a garbage disposal without issues - no breakers popping, no overheating. We do core each apple first, so there are no seeds. The ground up apple mixture is very juicy and looks like it could be fermented as is ... has anyone fermented ground up apples without pressing into juice? That would sure remove a lot of the work doing the pressing. Here is my press - it takes 4 cheeses and is a bit time consuming to use. Of course, it may need to be used after fermentation to squeeze out all the goodness.
apple press.jpg
Post Reply