Pisco Raki Arak etc

GD50

@Sam I like your idea of putting some in the thumper and letting the rest finish. I wonder if putting some raisins in the thumper might get you a similar taste profile. Your posts have reignited my Pisco passion. The Pisco People Australia have for sale a 6 pack of 50ml bottles of - Cuatro G in Mosto Verde Albilla, Mosto Verde Quebranta, Mosto Verde Acholado, Mosto Verde Torontel, Mosto Verde Moscatel, and Mosto Verde Italia.

I bought one to taste but pity they only 50ml. $65 Nice bottles though.

punkin

Ahh i thought you were after the sugar.

Ignore my ignorance.

GD50

@Punkin Reading the Mosto Verde story it appears to be a green fruity flavor that comes thru .I will know more when i get my 6 pack.

Sam

@GD50 thanks mate, just ordered that. Good find!

jbierling

@grim said: Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about the sugar. Worst rum distillation we ever did was a stalled ferment.

Burnt tires, dumped it.

And we have a bain marie.

Probably more of a fault with whatever stalled the fermentation than distilling something with sugar?

I've actually had a fermentation stop due to experimenting with adding heads, tried to get it started again with no luck, distilled it, cooled what was left over and then refermented it again. Turned out fine.

Sam

@GD50 one of the thoughts I had recently was that maybe a yeast like Lalvin's R2 might be a good option for Pisco as it produces fruity flavours.

punkin

@jbierling said: Probably more of a fault with whatever stalled the fermentation than distilling something with sugar? I've actually had a fermentation stop due to experimenting with adding heads, tried to get it started again with no luck, distilled it, cooled what was left over and then refermented it again. Turned out fine.

Have to disagree with what you say there. You'll know if it's residual sugar burning. Tastes like toffee that's caught. A burnt, acrid taste that even running through a VM won't sort.

May not have happened to you, doesn't mean it's not real.

GD50

Re The bottle of imported Singani

$50 Bottle $50 Freight and just got the import bill to clear it through Australian Customs which was $62

punkin

Friday night shots!

Sam

Bloody hell, I hope it’s worth it!

My Mosto Verde taster pack arrived today, can’t wait to get stuck into it!

GD50

@Sam. As you said bloody hell - that was quick.

Surely you have at least stuck your tongue in it by now. Will let you know about the Singani or post you an emptied Pisco sampler bottle

Friday night shots coming up for sure but probably not this Friday seeing as post to the backwater I live.

Sam

@GD50 I would be lying if I said I didn't get curious after lunch and have a taste... got to be careful though as they are only 50ml each so not much to go around.

GD50

@Sam. Yes figured the 50ml would be a little challenging.

DonMateo

The Quebranta will be the best. The Italia second best.

GD50

I have not got my Pisco 6 pack yet but the Bolivian Singani 63 arrived.. First bottle cap taste - super impressed.

Sam

@GD50 I guess that speaks volumes about the Australian postal service...

I’m actually writing this as I’m stripping the first 200L concentrated grape juice wash and I’m very surprised how its tasting... there was so much flavour up at the start and still yummy! I’m a little hesitant to try and turn it into vodka...

I’m not planning on trying to get Pisco out of this one as I’m not thrilled with the ferment and all the bicarb I had to use.

I’ve just put the next 200L batch in the fermenter and another 50L in my little fermenter with K1-V1116 yeast which I’m going to try and turn into a Mosto Verde style Pisco.

I did have enough juice for a second 50L batch but an apprentice at work thought the drum of grape juice was a hydrocarbon clean up solution and now I don’t have enough for a second batch and a really sticky workshop floor...

Fiji_Spirits

@Sam said: a really sticky workshop floor...

We don’t have a proper floor drain either. A simple 2200psi electric pressure washer/water blaster and a wet shop vacuum and you’ll be running like a champ in no time.

Sam

@Fiji_Spirits its ok, we made the apprentice clean everything up. Sometimes you just can’t write these things!

Sam

So I did a Pisco run yesterday and was having a sniff and taste ahead of making the cuts.

I notice a lot of the samples have a musty/ wet dog aroma to them. Before I make the cuts and put it away for 3-6 months in a glass container to what extent will the musty aromas and flavours drop away over time?

Sam

I am assuming that most of that musty aroma will fade as given in Pisco production you cant dilute the product a fair amount of this would need to be included to get the ABV down.

Anyway this is my first attempt and I didn't dilute it but got it to about 45% ABV by blending the sample jars. Will see how it goes over time as its in a glass jar chilling out for the next few months.

I'm going to do a few more Pisco experiments in the run up to Christmas with various yeasts etc and see how it goes.

DonMateo

In some of the older pisco distilleries in Peru they put the pisco in clay amphorae, yes just like the romans used to use. and they stack them up and leave them in the sun after sealing the lead with cork bungs. I was at a wedding once and the sister of the bride, whom I knew, was from a old family in Peru who had one of the best pisco distilleries and he told me thats how they do it and that the nasties that give it a harsh taste will slowly pass through cork. After 6 months they put them in big glass 20l bottles and then let them settle for about 12 months. Anyway that is what I was told. At the wedding this guy brought one of their old family 20l bottles. Holy shit that stuff was amazing. Apparently it had been sitting for 15 years. I had 4 big glasses of that stuff and it sat me on my ass. Anyway your my hero @Sam. Go for it mate.

Sam

I read that the clay amphoras are becoming less common these days and distilleries are using glass and stainless containers now. As you say in the amphoras the spirit can breath a bit which obviously it can’t with glass and stainless. I have left lots of head space and will let it breathe regularly, time will tell!

I did have a look for some clay amphoras but couldn’t find anything suitable.

Sam

Actually thinking about it, I might just put a cork in the top of a mini stainless steel keg as it should allow it to breath a bit.

The only suitable Amphora I could find is 5L, $170 and from Croatia so will probably break on the way over.

DonMateo

Yes well they make them here but they can pay the super poor peasants 50 cents an hour. I wouldnt be trying the amphora. But they do look really cool. You could get a couple, fill it full of pisco and then invite some folks over and get dressed up in togas and get shitfaced drunk. Who knows what might happen. Women look great in small togas. I once went to this Toga party while I was at Uni and you wouldnt believe what happened....... Maybe the next part belongs in the confession thread. ha ha ha.

richard

Well monday is shit slow and boring so, please tell B-)

Sam

@DonMateo I agree, I might get a couple of Amphora and a chaise. The kids can fan me with a palm leaf as I sit by the pool

GD50

Hey @DonMateo. Do I remember a red head story about to come. Snippets of it last time remain in my memory bank. But I could have it all wrong which I will put down to too much Pisco

DonMateo

@GD50. No I havent had a red head girlfriend for many years. But red headed women are spectacular. We should ask @motherofdragon.

GD50

I know what it was - @Punkin 's redhead in Perth story and @DonMateo 's Irish redhead "lost opportunity of youth" story i got mixed up. I just remembered the redhead and Perth connection but confused the owner. Thank goodness there was not too many redhead references in the search engine to trawl through. The shit that stick in the brain is stupid.

punkin

Not me mate, never been to Perth.