Century Plant (Agave Americana)

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zach
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Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by zach »

So I was told I need to remove three agave plants that are beginning to die from the yard. The plant sends up a stalk and flowers prior to the end of life. I've cut off this stalk which I've read extends the life of the plant a little.

It didn't take long for my mind to drift to how to make mezcal. I might have 100 to 150 lbs of pina to work with. I've read it takes 11 lbs of agave to make a bottle of tequila. I doubt that I can achieve that efficiency, but I will try. A google search of this variety of agave yielded a page full of commercial products made from this plant.

I'd like any advice from those that have been down this road. This is the process I'm planning:

1) After cleaning up the pina and cutting in section I was planning on cooking on the grill at 350 F in pans. I 've read to discard the juices from the first 4 hours which are bitter.

2) Then I'm going chop further and cook at 190 F for 48 hours. I have a 15 gallon stainless fermenter I can place in a trash can and heat the water in the trash can to maintain temp in a double boiler arrangement. I want to try a paint mixer on a drill to break up the pulp as it cooks.

3) Check brix at 48 hours and continue if not converted. Adjust brix to 16 with dilution or adding agave syrup, and ferment juice on pulp. I was planning on using baker's yeast.

4) Strip 80% of mixture. I'm comfortable with pulp in my boiler and don't want to squeeze.

5) Take low wines and remaining 20% of the mixture for my spirit run. I have a lm head but will likely run it like a pot still.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Zach
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contrahead
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Re: Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by contrahead »

I wish you luck...

Tequila is a type of mezcal; not the other way around. Mezcal can be made from any type of agave, but tequila is made only from big, blue agave piñas. Blue agave piñas (the center core after leaves have been chopped away) can get huge, and are not harvested until mature, which can take 8-12 years.
agave00.jpeg
agave.jpg
agave.jpg (32.51 KiB) Viewed 965 times
agave005.jpg
(They don't use the leaves - which is probabbly because these are dry, or lacking in sugars).

The traditional method for making mezcal is to trim the leaves away and to cook or roast the piñas in a big fire; and then let them sit around outside for a week or more. This is where the fermentation takes place. Then the agave hearts were rolled inside, split opened and chopped into smaller parts, and finally crushed to collect the fermented juices; before distillation. The spicy, smokey flavors are valued in some mezcals.

Modern day mezcal distillers stoop to using yeast; whereas that was never done before, traditionally. There are some 135 active distilleries in Mexico, not all produce mezcal or tequilla though. Apparently there are over 900 brands or registered tequila labels. Apparently it is required that at least 51% of the sugars in tequila come from blue agave; but the other 49% can come from cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
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NZChris
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Re: Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by NZChris »

It won't get smoke if it's cooked in a conventional oven.

I have tried to cook it in an oven, but didn't get much conversion, if any, and it went into the compost. The temperature probably couldn't get high enough, (long story). If I get the opportunity to try again, I'll light a fire under rocks in a hole and cook it in the ground.
juana_b
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Re: Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by juana_b »

I'm jealous to say the least. Godspeed zach. I've been marking wild agave on the map where I live in hopes to one day have enough time to harvest, haul them out and roast. But, alas, my job really limits my time for such endeavors.

After the stalk is cut, the plant is usually harvested the following year, as the sprouting of that stalk signifigantly reduces the sugars contained(from the reading I've done).
I recently had the opportunity to try an agave spirit from blue agave grown upcountry on maui, from batches 1 and 2. I was informed that the water content of said agave was much higher than expected, and the distiller used steam oven(which to my understanding is not optimal), and the white dog(batch 1) tasted very watered down. If it was a blind tasting I wouldn't be able to say what it was.
The second batch was put on virgin oak(which is very wrong for such a spirit) for one month or so, and tasted one sided to say the least, but the potential for it to be something good was there.
Please don't stop hunting this unicorn though.
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zach
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Re: Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by zach »

Thanks for the feedback. I've given the pit method some additional thought, but all the wood on the property is eucalyptus. I might be able to source some oak and place concrete pavers over the coals. I was thinking to wrap in aluminum foil.
The Baker
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Re: Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by The Baker »

I have heard of Red Gum barrels.
This is a eucalypt.

Geoff
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Demy
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Re: Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by Demy »


I have no experience with tequila, but it is very fascinating ....
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contrahead
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Re: Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by contrahead »

I mentioned pothoi and pithos in another thread. And they are clay urns that are larger than regular amphorae.
If you look up “Pisco” (the clear Grappa like brandy from Peru and Chile) you might find a picture of usual shaped amphorae like these; also called “pisko s”. They look like carrots or Jicama roots.
Piscos.JPG
Ancient Phoenician, Minoan and Greek amphora, were the vessels or containers used for shipping liquids back in the day. They could not stand up alone, but had to lean. Amphorae were built with stiff and strong bottoms, and this next picture explains why that was probably necessary for transport in a ship.
amphoria.jpg
I was led to several little revelations by reading an elucidative and humorous text about mezcal, tequilla, aguamiel, pulque and so fourth; from a website that I am about to disclose.
Pulquebottle.JPG
Statements to the effect that “you can't distill pulque” – piqued my interest. Another sentence: “An individual maguey plant can produce about 1000L of aguamiel over the course of three to six months”, was curious. That's a lot of juice coming from just one agave plant. (I didn't know what aguameil was).
aguamiel.jpg

There is not one, but six professional writers contributing to this website. I would recommend checking some of it out.

https://drinkskool.com/lesson-four-whit ... r-tequila/

Also check out: "Chapter Four: Whisky from the British Isles" « DrinkSkool.com
(This one paints a better picture of the history of Irish whisky).
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zach
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Re: Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by zach »

Demy wrote: Tue Sep 27, 2022 2:27 am
I have no experience with tequila, but it is very fascinating ....
Nice video.... I need the tool, the coa.
zach
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Re: Century Plant (Agave Americana)

Post by zach »

The Baker wrote: Mon Sep 26, 2022 8:41 pm I have heard of Red Gum barrels.
This is a eucalypt.

Geoff
Has anyone tried this rye or anything aged in a red gum barrel?

https://www.tasteaussiedrams.com.au/pro ... rg2-sample
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