Ferment and distill Maple Sap/Syrup?

Jung

So it's close to maple syrup season where I live and I have a handful of sugar maples in my yard. I've order a number of taps to use and will hopefully have them set up this weekend.

Normally, making syrup from sap is expected, but that would require yet another setup with few uses and a lot of time as you need to boil off about 98% of the volume to turn sap to syrup (40 gallons of sap will make about 1 gallon of syrup). Cool, and I love maple syrup, but that's a lot of energy. When I can buy a year's worth of syrup for $30.

So here's my thought... collect the sap, and boil for a while to sanitize and reduce it slightly, and then just pitch yeast and let it ferment. Distill the results. Sounds like a quicker way to a final product, but will it be any good? I think the sugar content will be pretty low of just sap, so I'm not sure it'll even ferment enough to use.

If that won't work, I'm honestly considering a maple sap beer. Collect the sap and use it instead of water for a beer.

Anyone done any of these? Is it even worth trying?

punkin

Google says;

Variation in Sugar Content of Maple Sap by Fred H. Taylor (PDF)

Maple sap is a dilute solution of water and sugar, alo ng with traces of other compounds. The proportions are variable but usually fall within the following limits: 95 to 99 percent water and 1 to 5 percent sugar. In addition sap contains minute quantities of organic acids, nitrogen - containing compounds, inorganic salts, and other substances, as yet undetermined.

A Comparative Analysis of Sugar Concentrations in Various Maple Species on the St. Johns Campus by Andrew Conger (PDF)

Production of Syrup
Syrup is produced by the simple method of boiling excess liquid of sap off in order to get a highly concentrated syrup. For typical sugar maple sap concentration is about 2%. It takes high amounts of about 40-50 gallons to make one gallon of syrup.

So that gives you 400 gms of sugar in a 20l batch. UJSM for example uses 3.5kg of sugar per 20l so you'd still have to add 3.1kg.

It would certainly be an interesting experiment taste wise and seeing as you've ordered the bits a good experiment to be going on with.

Jung

I'm leaning towards the use sap instead of water for beer, just for something seasonal and different until I build a proper evaporator for syrup production when the kids are a bit older.

The investment in sap gathering stuff so far is less than $40, so not a big deal. But I should be able to gather 50-60 gallons of sap from that this season without walking more than 50 feet from my back door.

FloridaCracker

Hell, I wouldn't hesitate to try it. Keep us posted on how it goes.

grim

Sounds fantastic, Vermont Spirits makes a small batch maple distillate.

Lloyd

Just love the flavor of maple... and bacon!

FloridaCracker

@Lloyd said: Just love the flavor of maple... and bacon!

Agreed. But there is the possibility of too much of a good thing; Have you ever tasted Crown Maple? #-o

Chalmer

I like crown but the maple is not so good. IMO

FloridaCracker

Been drinking Crown for a long time and I will have to say that the apple that just came out is pretty good.

Jung

Today is the perfect start to Maple Sap Season, however, the supplier sat on the shipment for a few days. So while I should have been able to tap the trees today, I won't see my gear until Monday... oh well. We'll give it a go next week.

I did get a quote on have a local steel supplier bend up an evaporator for me out of 22ga stainless sheet (2'x3' with 3 sections) for $150. It'd be a fair amount of welding to finish it, but I'll consider doing it for next year if the sap looks good. That way I'd be able to make proper syrup as well.

Jung

Flow has been horrible so far due to abnormally warm temps, but it's supposed to get cold next week, so I'm hoping to get a bunch of sap to play with. I took the first quart I had and boiled it down to get a taste... Wow, lovely stuff.

Jung

OK, sap is flowing... Got over 10 gallons in the last 48 hours and this week is looking great for continued flow.

Question: Any thoughts on just using my still in strip mode to remove a bulk of the water? At 97.5% water, I have a lot to remove, so if I through in 10-12 gallons (keg boiler) and pull of 5 gallons of water, refill, and continue until I'm a good chunk of the way there, I would save a lot of time/energy over a propane burner outside. Any issue with say 10% sugar content on ULWD elements? I suppose that's not much different that boiling a strong wort, right?

And heck, I'll be getting a bunch of distilled water out of the deal...

FloridaCracker

I don't know Jack Shit about boiling maple liquid but I will tell you that if my rum isn't completely fermented out I will get a scorched flavor in the distillate. I would guess you would have the same problem.

I don't think that elements and sugar are a good mix.

Littlechicago

Having worked with maple sap and refined syrup you are wasting your time to make any liquor out of it. as far as using a still for the boil you would be wasting energy with any tower involved. I am in NY maple country and I have exhausted any attempts to use maple sap or syrup . Pm me with any questions and I can share my failures if you like..

Jung

@Littlechicago said: ...as far as using a still for the boil you would be wasting energy with any tower involved.

True, but if I use a tower, I can condense the steam and since I'd be running this inside, that's better than just letting 10+ gallons of steam flow into the basement. It's still more efficient than the propane burners I'd use outside.

I've kind of moved past the sap/syrup for beer or distilling since it's not strong enough as sap and too much work to get to syrup to then water it back down to ferment. If I can just turn it into syrup to eat, we'll do that and call it a day. Plus the kids and wife like it.

minime

I don't comment much anymore (or drink much either) but I have a TON of experience with adding different things to the boiler whilst using a column. My all time favorite rum is maple. I've fermented maple syrup, experimented with it by adding it to the boiler and many variations in between. The easiest and tastiest way to make make a hearty, delicious maple rum is to add the maple syrup directly to the low wines for the spirit run. I have never encountered scorching adding things to the boiler and I run a 6kw element. A liter of syrup will very nicely work in a 5 gallon spirit run of 50% low wines. A liter of molasses in the boiler will add delicious aroma and flavor to any white rum too. 93%+ is my target and it's still quite delicious at azeotrope. Good luck, have fun

Smaug

Hello minuscule one. Thank you for stopping in to chime.

Hope all is well and hope you will stop by more often now.

FullySilenced

Hey @minime, So good to hear from you... I just want you to know you have been MISSED! Don't be a stranger..

FS

punkin

I was going to reply to little Chicago with your experience Mini, but was hoping you'd chime in. Good stuff anfd great to hear your still around.

captainshooch

@minime glad to hear from you sir. Life is all about priorities. Hope you have them sorted out, sure miss your contributions :-bd

Rockchucker

Minime! Damn good to see you around I miss the hell out you contributions.

LocalGoat

Adding flavor to the low wines is genius! I've got to try that. I bet it would work great to my honey stuff too. Thanks

Kapea

@LocalGoat said: Adding flavor to the low wines is genius! I've got to try that. I bet it would work great to my honey stuff too. Thanks

Yes it is.
A small taste (pun intended) of what minime brings to the table.

Miss your smiling face @minime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j8mr-gcgoI