In my youth I worked with a Polish man, he made wine and Brandy from everything, I loved his Plum origin drinks, he even treated different plum varieties differently. He loved Australia, he said he had so many more fruits that he could work with. He said in Poland they had about 5 different plums, in Australia about 15 and those ripened over a much longer time. No, he wasn’t a drunk, he was a hobbyist whom everyone invited to parties, because he bough flagons of great tarting rocket fuel! You should have tasted his Mandarin Brandy, the girls loved it and got ratso on it, it was also great on ice cream!
Slivovitz is the devil. I love brandy, but plum brandy is SUPER fiery due to its proof. There's sugary fruit that, no matter how you make it, will always make your liquor mean/ fiery. The 2 worst offenders are strawberries, and plums. I was raised polish (adopted) and Italian in chicago. Saying that They're hard drinkers, is an understatement. Here it's beer and bloody Mary's. Thank god.
@@DansBuddhaBodega I had a polish mechanic for years but I moved so ..., but he was one hell of a good drinking buddy (I couldn't keep up) and mechanic, seriously. Alas, his liver kicked out (he was about 20 yrs older than I) and he couldn't drink anymore. Best mechanic and man could have.
I have fresh crushed apple juice at the store, so... When I get my hands on a still, I'll be making one of my favorite brandy! Apple and Williams pear are my 2 absolute favorite ones!
I’m wondering how well cider apples would work for distilling. They are typically very tannic and unpleasant to eat so aren’t typically sold in supermarkets. But if distilling removes the tannins I don’t know if what makes them good for cider makes them good for distilling
Nice love waking up to a new video. BTW. Did my 1st run of sugar wash and it came out amazing. I adjusted the ph to 5.2 , got the gravity right about 1.090 ish and came out about just under dry about .999.... Now I am hooked and already want to upgrade my still as I am using a tiny tiny little thing 1.5 gallons. Anyhow love the videos and the info. you share TY.👍🍺 P.S. OH yeah it ran at 84% so I was happy!!!!!
Jesse, look for calvados. It's a french apple Brandy. Some families are making this spirit for 5 generations. The time of fermentation, for acidification and future esterification, so I think, the mix of varieties of apple, and others details are awesome!!! Btw, you are awesome! Hugs from Brazil!
It's from Normandy and only Normandy. They combine 4 types of apples, and it has to be some combination of the 120 types that grow innthe region and it has to have some different apples as far as sweet and tart varieties. Then I think it's aged in another liquors old casks but I could be wrong on that.
Use pectinase with caution... The main source of methanol in distilled spirits is the pectin that occurs naturally in various mash bases, mostly fruits, but corn and some others as well. The pectin in the mash is broken down by enzymes produced by the yeast, and is subsequently converted to methanol. That methanol ends up in your distilled spirits (no, it doesn't get stripped out efficiently in the foreshots, despite its lower boiling point). If you add pectinase to your mash, the pectin is broken down faster and more efficiently, and your yeasty-beasties are subsequently much more efficient at converting that broken-down pectin into methanol. In the end, the result is that you have more methanol in your distilled product. Now this is not to say that the amount of methanol in your final product is at a dangerous level, but it is definitely there at higher concentrations than if you had not used the pectinase. But it does mean that you should be aware of the issue, and if you feel that minimum levels of methanol are best, you might want to avoid the pectinase. Oh, as an aside, that nice clear apple juice/cider you get at the store has been treated with pectinase to clarify it. As a result, that apple juice has the broken-down pectin which will be more efficiently converted to methanol during fermentation. If you are distilling from fermented fruit juice (or corn, for that matter) you most definitely will end up with methanol in your product. It is not likely to be at harmful levels, but you should be at least aware.
I always distill 100% fruit mash, no juice or sugar added. I have a really nice old apple tree with very large and aromatic(almost herbal or floral in a sense) taste. If you have 100 % fruit mash you dont have to go into the heads to get the same flavor experience. And if you take straight hearts you really get that oily texture and the fresh and aromatic taste. Really amazing what you can get from apple brandy. Go and try pears and make sure you get some good pears grown for cider or wine, not the big supermarket eating pears. Your mind will be blown away with the results.
So, you just crush the apples, add some water and yeast? Do you add some kind of amylase, or other enzyme to break down the heavier starches? Thanks ahead of time.
@@CLCustom1911 I crush the apples but i do not add water. in austria we can buy a prepacked mix of yeast and enzymes (called Gärfix) specially for apples and pears at the hardware store. it contains some yeast(does not say which one), pectinase and cellulase. the cellulase breaks down the fiberous plant cells, releasing the juice so you do not have to add any liquid to the mash. the pectinase breaks down the pectin in order not to jelly up during distillation(basicly to prevent the mash to turning into jam and scortching on the bottom of the still). the mash will end up around 5-7%abv depending on the type of apples you use. also the type of apples defines the taste of the actual product at the end. if you use very aromatic apples like topaz fe. the brandy is also very intense in aroma and taste. milder apples result in a smooth, yet somewhat herbatial/floral taste and smell of the brandy.
Your amazing as always Jesse. I been watching and learning from you almost since the beginning, learn more every video. You even inspired me to do few vids of my own....Thank You for your knowledge my friend
Thanks Jesse for the informative video. It's all about the taste 😋. I see you used a dr gradus pot to distill your apple Brandy. Good equipment. I hope Andrei and and his team are hanging in there. Keep up the great work Jeese . There's fewer people making distilling videos so we're glad you're there. Take care down there Jesse and have a kick ass weekend!👍
It's literally rakija, Balkan brandy, a magical Balkan drink, we use it for everything, from drinking to medicine, we also make it from plums, apricots, and everything like that.
You’ve made liquor almost out of everything on your channel. I have one request from you. can you make raisin liquor? Before Iran went islamic that was our national spirit. Its usually with the same alcohol content as Vodka, however raisin is used for the fermentation than distilled. We call it arak saggi or doggy spirit in english.
Laird’s AppleJack (From my Home State Of New Jersey) Has been a thing here since 1698, Originally made via Jack Distillation ( if you know what that is) Best apple Brandy I’ve ever drank ( Pairs nicely with Ginger Ale and Apple Cider ( Not alcoholic cider what in the states is just unrefined apple juice) and was a favorite spirit of George Washington.
JESSE !!!! help ! did this yesterday distilled 40 ltr of cider in two batches in a t500 with the alembic dome ((first time using it )) , the entire time it was at temperature and producing it was ""chuffing"" as in blowing in a repeated and rhythmic fashion from the tube the distillate came out of , the distillate came out at 20-24 c and the head temperature was 95 to 98 distillate came out at only 30% and i dont know what the cider went in at as it was given to me i never made it . can you tell me why it was blowing ? and why the end product was so low ? surley even if the cider was 1% alcohol it should still come out stronger than 30% ?
It's interesting to see the processes that are explored here on this channel, I make cider and meads mostly so I doubt it carries over to distillation the same but I usually recommend using vith apples and apple juice, I don't usually juice the apples and instead of using water to fill the fermenter instead i fill it with apple juice, that way you have both apple juice flavor and the fresh apples, it usually works out well for me
I agree, I only make meads and ciders but, I have found a mix of juice and fresh fruit to give me the best in terms of balancing cost, effort and taste on the final product.
I think you're pretty on point. Juicing the apples might result in a concentrated flavor.....but watering it back down to ferment loses whatever you might have gained. Adding apple juice to the pulverized fruit still adds whatever water is a part of the juice....but also adds flavor AND sugar that could only help after distilling. Like he said....there is a happy medium between the two. I'd be willing to bet that if you juiced your apples and then added water for volume to fill the fermenter your mead or cider would be distinctly lacking due to the lost sugars and flavors.
Yes!! I use apples off our tree but don't juice the apples, and I have found once you have drained all the liquid off the mash and bottled it in the demijohns you can throw in some apple juice on the used mash and get a second lighter brew. First brew is usually a heady 6-8% cider and the second brew is usually a more refreshing 3-4% cider which is nice for quaffing in the garden in summer
I have just done the same. I froze ans crushed 10kg ov apples. I didnt quite get as much juice as i wanted so nipped down to the shop and got 3 3L bottles of apple juice and jsut wacked it rite in there. Will see how it goes in a few weeks after bottling. If it sucks i just plan on poring it thru the still.
Awesome video, brother. I've had the suspicion that fermenting on the pulp and skins would help apple brandy have more flavor. Do you think the bright flavors were from the fresh juice, the pulp and skins in the ferment, or both?
Hello random person on a New Zealand video. If the liquor fairy were getting an 8-15gal still. (Have to flip a coin) would the fairy want a 2. ..3 or 3in sized column?
I thoroughly believe that fermenting on the skin makes a huge difference. I that with peach brandy the skin is the difference between it being a decent fruit spirit and an amazing peach spirit.
Good job with the video and research. I make apple brandy every fall ( neighbor has 2200 trees-10 varieties) with fresh pressed juice. After watching this, I may tray mixing specific varieties to see what the flavor difference is. Thx Jesse.
Freeze all the apples. The apple mash from the juice squeeze, you can rinse it with spring water and squeeze again. The washed pulp can then be dehydrated and processed for unsweetened apple flour.
I would love to see you make a jack brandy (freeze concentrated) and then distill off the methanol and do a comparison there. Apple jack vs apple brandy vs store bought juice brandy, which is better?
Another really good video, but I wonder if you can't get fresh pressed apple juice (cider) in NZ. I frequently make hard cider but I get my juice from apple orchards that press the apples for cider makers. The orchards that press for hard cider tell you the varieties of apples they press and blend, the gravity of the juice and its pH. Cost is a little more than juice for non alcohol cider but the juice is prepared. The work is done for you. No more labor than buying bottles of apple juice.
Kinda surprised you didn’t blend the two versions and taste them mixed, especially with the idea of mixing the two methods. I’ve made a couple ciders by blending some commercial juice for the sugar and some specialty cider apples for the flavor, and they turned out… alright, I guess. I was making them more for a friend who doesn’t do beer (especially the hoppier beers I like to make), and he loved them. Said it was better than the commercial ciders he drank so 🤷🏻♂️. Distilling that might work, but I’ve not distilled anything yet.
We have a spirit here in the US called Applejack, which was historically made by freeze distillation which we now know is dangerous compared to hot distillation. The difference between French Calvados and American Applejack is that here in the states we use eating-apples, really sweet, tart whereas Calvados and other apple brandy is made with cider apples. They couldn't taste more different, it's very surprising to taste them side by side.
A lot of the old recipes I see for apple cider uses a lot of crabapples. That might also work well for apple brandy. As far as old goes in those old recipes, back from the early to mid 1800s in the USA.
@@davidwilliams5497 I have an apple tree that came with the house I bought and haven't seen it produce, but when it does... The cider will flow! But I expect that I will need to do the same and I'm ok with that.
@@brendoncromwell8138 I have, its been a while and they have a few different types now. Best thing to do is split a batch of juice and try them all out against each other at once. I found champagne yeasts and those like them came out super dry and killed the apple flavour.
@@mc-zy7ju thanks for your response, I've only made a couple mangrove jacks cider kits so far. But have a black rock cider recipe coming that uses safcider yeast 😊
Enjoyed this vid. Please keep doing what you do. I'd love to see you make and distill a Cyser (cider/mead hybrid). Loved the mead episode you did a while back, and think this would be an interesting one.
Eh actually I find it pretty hard to taste a lot of things. I think its more that I have forced my self to think about how to describe flavours a lot. How to make connections between the sensation and memories. Only reason I am saying that is to highlight the fact that its not some super power or "you have it or you don't" kinda thing. Anyone can do it, its really just a practice and repetition thing.
Personally, if you go with the Lalvin strains (like Ec1118), I really like either 71B or K1V1116 for apple. 71B does things with Malic Acid too, and the K1V is just an amazing performer for fruit wines.
Have you ever tried applejack (Officially called Lairds apple brandy, but it will always be Applejack in my heart)? It's the state liquor of New Jersey (the best state, and I will fight anyone who disagrees), the oldest distilled product of the United States, and has been made by the same family for 200+ years.
Hey guys! Newbie here, log time subscriber but did not start yet with distilling. Anybody would recommend DigiBoil 35L with alcoengine as a first still?? Mostly fruit brandy a whiskey is my interes.. Thanks!!!
ZZ Top and a Bugs Bunny character lives on. Is this a "rock star" of distilling thing? There are many rock stars with short hair, Bruce Springsteen, Angus Young , Freddie Mercury to name a few btw. I expect to see two baby owls peeking out of that nest the next time thank you very much. Rock on Jesse!
i just made one from a wash made from store bought apple juice. Have about 1 liter after diluting it. But what came off had such a strong, volatile nail polish remover smell. probbaly didnt throw away enough forshots and heads, however I made another from a different fruit wash and threw away around 200ml of heads, keeping maybe 300-400ml after that, and this one too has such strong nail polish remover smell. Is that normal?
I dont like fruit brandy, I dont have the right equiment, but found some Royal Gala apples and thought...so I used 4kg, (removed core and seeds as well) and ran them thru blender. Added some sugar with normal distillers yeast. No stripping run. Low and slow. On apple wood for 2 months now......and I need to stop myself from testing.....its almost gone. Thanks for the video. Mmmmm a thought what if you use this as a base for an apple type gin. Wat botanicals would you add to compliment the apples.....
Just watched your video, coming from a Frog family on my mothers side was interested in your findings. Several observations came to mind, firstly the old time cider and calvados producers were never shy of using already rotting windfalls to bring in natural yeasts, removing the cores reduces the cyanide yield I could not say if that is for the better or worse and I would like to point out that the very best French Calvados is mildly trippy, please note I said MILDLY if you are a pisshead or slosher you will never notice. Calvados mixed back with apple is known as Apple Jack or apple brandy. and like many other sweetened drinks traditionally produced for special occasions, xmas new year etc. Often referred to as a woman's drink, whilst it is probably true most women prefer the sweeter version over the harsher neat drink, As a bloke I am not adverse to the odd slug of the sweeter stuff. Try using a sloe gin recipe obviously replacing the gin with apple spirit. Sloes sugar juniper berries one dozen liberty caps dried. leave in back of cupboard for min five years.
Hypothetically, someone might create a very low effort apple brandy by just using store bought apple cider, adding to the cider some Fleischmann's Bread Yeast (not the rapid rise), and putting a stopper and air lock it. Let that sit for a week or so, then run it twice through a simple air still. Should smell like apples when done, very fruiy, and I would guess a little barrel does it some good. Jesse has lots of nice equipment, but for someone who does not, the above could, hypothetically, create a nice beverage.
I'm currently brewing a 55 gallon mash that's 50 gallons apple cider and 5 gallons cranberry juice. I'm hoping for a slight tart to come through from the cranberry to enhance the warmth of the apple
fun fact: there are so many type of apples that even google doesnt know how many there are. they confirm over 7,500 types while also letting you know that number may be over 30,000 and even reports of 85,000 types of apples.
Would be fascinated to see what someone else (Whisky Tribe ?) Thought of the two as a blind head-to-head and what time and barrels ? did to them ? (Cider drinker, love apples especially with alcohol)
you guys don't really get unfiltered/cloudy apple juice down there do you? might be a good middle ground between the two. lots of cidermakers here prefer to use it over the filtered juices, but part of that is because it's usually flash or even UV pasteurized to preserve flavors which probably aren't really relevant when distilling lol
Thanks Jesse for the informative video. It's all about the taste 😋. I see you used a dr gradus pot to distill your apple Brandy. Good equipment. I hope Andrei and and his team are hanging in there. Keep up the great work Jeese . There's fewer people making distilling videos so we're glad you're there. Take care down there Jesse and have a kick ass weekend!👍
For flavor, you cant get much better than McIntosh, Northern Spy or Braeburn, if available to you. McIntosh has the tart, lightly sweet, full of flavor that nearly everyone looks for.
I've found that using your favourite crispy and juicy apples in the same way you did, but add apple juice instead of water to increase the liquid content, increase the sweet flavour of the end product and ensure you get enough sugars to get a good yield. You get the more complex flavour from the fresh apples and an extra sweetness. Can make the cutting process a little more complex, with essentially two different products going through the still at once. The fresh apples might start to turn funky earlier than the juice, so it can be just as good to do the entire process twice, once with fresh apples and another with the juice, then blend the two together at whatever ratio tastes best to you. Or just mix both in completely to maximise end product, your choice.
In honor of the Cinco de mayo 'Mexican Celebration' that was celebrated yesterday. Might you take a crack at the distillation of Blue Agave nectar into the spirit.?
I was wondering why you couldn’t let the apples, naturally make their own wild yeast and let them ferment like that ,I know it takes time to do those things, but basically letting some of the apples rot would probably make its own wild yeast. I may be wrong.
I mean, I live an hour away from a whole town full of apple orchards and each one of them presses their own juice.the downside is it’s been pasteurized, BUT it’s obviously 10x better than store bought or from concentrate juice. I think that’s your perfect compromise.
What i usually do when i make cider is to mix several apple varieties, crush them, let it sit for an hour or so and then press them and leave the juice to ferment reletively cold with the yeast naturally present on the apple skin. It would be interesting to see you try to distill a wild fermented cider, i imagine you would get some fun flavour notes atleast
Hi Jesse I was just wondering if you or anyone else could answer this question did a all grain wash barley corn and rye and the next day I had what I would call snow not heaps just a small amount in the bottles they have not been proof,d down i just would like to no what I did wrong and I'm guessing its not safe to drink ... thanks for the vids
Hi Jess, I've made many gallons. Red Delicious and Granny Smith equal parts. I use about 3 pounds per gallon of water an about 1 pound of sugar per gallon of water. Mash apple really good, Heat water to boiling an pour over your apples make sure your apples are very ripe. Ferment and distill Don't push for proof but for flavor.
You know when you get an apple and a knife and you just cut along the skin and break it and the wild yeast on the skin enters and ferments it very slightly and you just leave them in the fridge for a couple hours and they taste amazing.
I have a feeling its mixing after distilling to bring them together in a not 50/50 but like a 70/30 might get best flavors, if a guy just added store apple juice and a bunch of fresh apples the freshness might get lost.
Boring commenter alert but the technical/industrial term for the mangalator I think would be a macerater - should you ever expand to needing a bigger one and need to find more search results
I made an apple brandy, aged it on apple wood, then used some of it to fortify an apple cider into an apple port which I sweetened with apple juice. It is pretty ridiculous.
Approach a local cider maker in season and contract for a volume of juice from them - hundreds of litres of chosen varietals can be had at a fraction of the cost of shop bought juice.
thats really interesting, just wondering, have you tried to distill cider? might be worth getting a liter or two n running through your lil pot still as a viability test.
So you should look into M05 yeast by Mangrove Jack. It shines with Apples and rockets off with strawberries. Of course in my case a mead recipe use. I keep it on hand for Melomel brew (Fruit Based Mead).
I’ve been wondering about a hybrid apple brandy / jack recipe. Theory: 1- Brandy is made by distillation, and we make cuts to get the best alcohol while discarding the heads and tails that make the flavor less desirable. Basically, take the alcohol out and leave everything else behind. 2- Jack is made by freezer jacking, where we remove the water (in the form of ice) and leave everything else behind. 3- Brandy is more refined and more subtle, but also much more drinkable. Jack had more flavor, but is known to give a killer hangover. So, my idea is to get the best of both worlds. Start by making brandy, making cuts as usual. Then take what’s left in the still, cook it down to remove the water, and blend that back into the brandy. Basically, removing the alcohol and water separately so that you can remove the heads and tails and prevent the hangover, and put it back together in the end for the best flavor and drinking experience.
I have read that jack also concentrates the methanol content (unlike distilling where that comes off in the foreshots). But jacking as a first step, followed by distillation, might work.
Also, you could do it the other way around, freeze jack the initial apple cider and then distill it, that way you can get a higher ABV yield to put into the still without adding any additional sugar.
You know what I think I think you got to talk way too much you guys don't get on with the point how do you make alcohol with apples just do it quit talking too much you making me want to go to sleep
