sugar maple wine

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adanac58

adanac58

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the local farmers store near me sells taps for maple trees , and i have quite a few silver maples on my property so i think im gonna make some wine from it , heres my idea . tap the maple trees collect the sap ( it says before you turn it into maple syrup its pretty much like sugar water ) check that liquid with a hydrometre dilute as needed with water and ferment it , i mean like fermenting the raw sap . not proccesing it into maple syrup because i definetly dont have the budget to invest into this :p how does this idea sound?
 
I think that you'll find the hydrometer reading will indicate that it is so thin that instead of diluting it, you'll need to evaporate it to get it to the right SG. Very good idea, otherwise! Just look around for whether or not you'll need nutrients, etc to help the yeast. :)
 
I add maple sugar to apple recipes but I like your idea better. I don't think you have to dilute it though. You may still have to add sugar to it. I wonder if you could use a outdoor turkey cooker to simmer the sap and concentrate it more. If you didn't get enough, you could use it as a secondary flavor on another recipe. Either way I would still get the sap.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request132.asp
 
they make maple sugar out of sugar maple trees, not silve maple trees. Dont know if this will make a difference or not but....
 
Unless you want to boil it down.... You'ld be better off just getting the syrup from some of the farmers. The sap will be too thin for any decent fermentation. Sap is about 2% Brix which doesn't even read on Jack Kellers scale but can be inferred to be "water". ( http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/hydrom.asp )
It's not hard to boil down some sap, and many people do this on the stove in thier home with a few gallons to get a few pints. It's about a 40:1 ratio Sap:Syrup. You can def do it with a turkey fryer setup, and work your way down to the OG you want. If you decide to tap yourself, take some time and talk to the farmer you purchase from and get the info on tapping.

This is a Vermont guide for Maple Syrup ( http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/sugarprof.pdf ) that quotes it ~66% sugar (Sucrose). So if you decide to try it you could start use these numbers for initial calculations and adjust from there. If you do purchase... ask the farmer for his B-Grade. It should be less expensive since it's the stuff most people don't want. It's usually used for cooking.
Syrup has been a hard business the last 2 years. My family produces about 100Gals/Year and last year we only made 33Gals.
 
perschml said:
they make maple sugar out of sugar maple trees, not silve maple trees. Dont know if this will make a difference or not but....
Click to expand...

Yes, you can actually. All the maples, as well as hickories, birches, sycamore, and many others are used. Some, especially with softwoods/conifers, aren't exactly good candidates. Apple, cherry, plum and pear (all members of the Rose family) are pretty interesting!
 
even though you will get 5 times more off a red maple i feel like it is a waste not collecting the sap from my silver maples on my property , and i do have a red maple on my property that is about 2 feet wide so that should collect a nice amount of sap :) and im definetly gonna try this at the end of winter . thanks guys
 
adanac58 said:
even though you will get 5 times more off a red maple i feel like it is a waste not collecting the sap from my silver maples on my property , and i do have a red maple on my property that is about 2 feet wide so that should collect a nice amount of sap :) and im definetly gonna try this at the end of winter . thanks guys
Click to expand...

I've got quite a bit of experience making maple syrup. But I've only tapped sugar maples. I don't know how much sap you'll get from the trees, but it will be fun to try.

Over the syrup season, you can probably get a gallon or so of sap out of the biggest trees.
 
So a person would have to tap 25 to 30 trees for the whole season to get 25 or 30 gal of sap that can be concentrated from 2% to 10% potential, to make about 5 gallon of wine? Does that sound right for rough numbers?
 
I think that's a great idea. In "North American Sylva" (publ. 1857) F.A. Michaux wrote of the sap of the silver maple and to a lesser degree the red maple: "A whiter, more tasty sugar is made from the soft maples than from sugar maple but that from the same amount of sap, only about one-half as much sugar is obtained." When I first read that when I was a kid, I wanted to put that to the test by making my own. I didn't until many years later, and when I did it was only to make syrup, not to boil it down to sugar. I made up syrup from sugar, red, silver and black maples; I actually did not get much sap at all from the black maples for the simple reason that there were so few trees and those were of small size. The red and silver maples weren't much different from each other in color, but it took more of the silver maple sap to make syrup than the red, and it took a LOT more sap from either them than it did from the sugar maple, bearing out Michaux's statement. My technique, timing, everything - was amateurish and inconclusive, as well as biased from the outset, but there were noticeable differences between the species. None were unpleasant, though. Because of the rudimantary equipment I used, it all had a bit of smokiness in the flavor. Over the years since then, I haven't done much at all to make comparisons. I just make some syrup when time and timing allow.

Go ahead and use birch, and hickory, basswood, beech, -- they're all good, to varying degrees. Experiment with what you've got. Isn't that what this is all about anyhow? :)
 
Well, you can actually get - depending on tree size, number of taps per tree, tree health, previous years' growing conditions, etc. - from 10-12 gallons of sap per tap per season. The number of taps in a tree depends upon the tree size and tree health; don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg. Take less sap from more trees and they'll all be better for it. Locally, some of the producers get a bit over a gallon of syrup per tree per season when the flow is good and that's from big trees, but not all trees fit that bill. That's about 40 gallons of sap per tree! And, we're talking sugar maples.

As for making syrup, there are a lot of "formulas" etc,; for instance, there's "The Rule of 86," which bases the amount of sap needed to make 1-gallon of syrup by the fact that there's 86.somemthing% solids in industry-grade syrup, others that just go by the seat of their pants, and so on. But generally, anywhere from 32-43 gallons of sap to make 1-gallon of syrup. BUT -- since you only need to get it to LESS than syrup, use your hydrometer to tell you when it's where you want it to be.

Anyways, as with anything else there's going to be tons of stuff out there with a simple Google search. It's not that complicated. You'll enjoy it!

EDIT: Yooper, don't you mean a gallon of syrup per big tree? I know that even from some 12" diameter trees, I've gotten more than 11 gallons of sap in a season. The BIG trees just seem to be peeing sap on warm days following cold nights, lol!
 
Rossnaree said:
EDIT: Yooper, don't you mean a gallon of syrup per big tree? I know that even from some 12" diameter trees, I've gotten more than 11 gallons of sap in a season. The BIG trees just seem to be peeing sap on warm days following cold nights, lol!
Click to expand...

Yes, over the entire season you can plan about 1 gallon of syrup per tree, over the 3 weeks or so of the season. That's for sugar maples, of course. I've never made syrup out of anything else, and were we live it's sugar maple country anyway.
 
for those that know nothing about maple syrup and what tree's can or cannot be tapped.

visit here..
http://www.mapletrader.com/community/

Ive been a member of the mapletrader for some time and have been making syrup with mostly red and a few black maple tree's.. we tap any were from 125 to 200 tree's here on our Lil farm.

trust me the syrup is awesome..
 
People found honey, they made alcohol from it. They found fruit juice, made alcohol from it. They even figured out how to make alcohol from grains. But the one big liquid sugar source that doesn't seem to be ever made into alcohol is tree sap. Now, that could be because it taste horrible or it could be that it is not shelf stable or otherwise commercially viable. But with the later case, I'd expect some kind of Vermont tradition of maple wine or something. Doesn't seem like anyone uses maple syrup for making alcohol, not even in brewing.
 
pkeeler said:
People found honey, they made alcohol from it. They found fruit juice, made alcohol from it. They even figured out how to make alcohol from grains. But the one big liquid sugar source that doesn't seem to be ever made into alcohol is tree sap. Now, that could be because it taste horrible or it could be that it is not shelf stable or otherwise commercially viable. But with the later case, I'd expect some kind of Vermont tradition of maple wine or something. Doesn't seem like anyone uses maple syrup for making alcohol, not even in brewing.
Click to expand...

A couple of years ago, a family tried making a business of selling premium maple vodka. I don't know how it turned out.
Edit: http://www.vermontspirits.com Apparently they're doing quite well

I know that my Pops made a maple hefeweissen, and he has a maple stout conditioning right now. the maple makes it so so smooth, and can give it a kick. (the 'weissen was around 15%)

Yooper knows her stuff, so i won't repeat it :p

When my family sugared we tapped a ton of silver maples. They don't have as much sugar but tend to put out a bit more sap than the sugars or reds.

OP, If i can get some decent C or even commercial grade syrup (It has the most maple flavor), I'll give a wine a try this march, and compare recipes with you :mug:
 
Amount of sap depends on alot of factors, not so much tree type. But sugar content does vary with tree type.. best to worst Sugar, Black, Red, Silver.

Rule of thumb 12 gals sap to one gallon wine so 5 gallons of wine would require 60 gallons of sap.
 
My sister in law works at a nature preserve, every year they have a Maplefest where the public can come and tap the trees. I assumed they gave or sold the syrup and found out yesterday that because of liability, codes, and other bureaucracy they are not able to distribute to the public.

Guess who is getting all the tapped maple sap this year?

I gotta figure out what to do with it now.... I was thinking Apfelwein with Maple Syrup. How much of that flavor would come through?
 
I am taking a stab at maple wine in a week or two here, there is a larger sugar shack up the road and I need to stop in and chat.

I plan to just check the SG, adjust by simmering down, follow that Jack recipe a bit and see what happens. If it turns out not so great I'll just use it as an excuse to find a pressure cooker...
 
LyonsAudio said:
I am taking a stab at maple wine in a week or two here, there is a larger sugar shack up the road and I need to stop in and chat.

I plan to just check the SG, adjust by simmering down, follow that Jack recipe a bit and see what happens. If it turns out not so great I'll just use it as an excuse to find a pressure cooker...
Click to expand...

The problem with just checking the SG is that your sap is at boiling temp and needs to be cooled to room temp to get an accurate reading.

12-1 diidnt work for me so this batch Im trying now Im doing 15-1. When I get my right amount for my trees, Thats I will repeat it till I get 6 gallons and then check SG.

I think Im going to look into getting a refractometer for next year as a smaller sample is needed to test for SG
 
I did a quick experiment

sap was boiling at 210, I took a sample by the time I got it in the house it cooled to 165F

@165 hydrometer read a gravity of 1.060

Used above link to calc it

165 at 1.060=corrected gravity of 1.084

I then cooled sample to 60F and took a reading again 1.082

So its very close
 
I just came across this recipe, I used lemons last year with mine, one would think you would need some acid somehow.

Maple Syrup Mead (6 gallons)

* 8 qts maple syrup (bulk grade B dark)
* 5 tsp yeast nutrient
* Champagne yeast

Hydrate the yeast in a separate container of lukewarm water into which you have dissolved a pinch of yeast nutrient and a teaspoon of syrup. Mix the maple syrup with two gallons hot water in a 7-1/2 gallon primary and stir well to dissolve the syrup. Then add three gallons minus two cups of cool water and stir some more to mix and oxygenate the water. Check the specific gravity to ensure it is at least 1.105 (15% potential alcohol). Add more syrup if the desired S.G. was not reached. Add the yeast and remaining yeast nutrient. Cover and ferment 7 days. Transfer to a 6-1/2 gallon glass carboy and fit an airlock; retain any extra in a wine bottle using a #3 bung and airlock (for topping off). Allow to ferment out (about 30 days) and then bulk age until it clears (60-90 days). Volume will decrease as the syrup is fermented. Rack into a 6-gallon carboy, top up, and reattach airlock. Wait 30 days and taste. If too dry, stabilize and add another cup of syrup, stir, and taste again. Wait 10 days. If no sediments form, rack into bottles. If sediments form, wait another 30 days and rack again. If sediment-free for 30 days, rack into bottles. Age 1-2 years. [Adapted from a traditional recipe]
 
in reference to my post above I used recipe #3

Recipe 1
4 1/2 cups maple syrup
10 cups water
2 oranges or 1 lemon, sliced thin
1 campden tablet
1 package wine yeast
Recipe 2
1 gallon maple sap
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 oranges or 1 lemon, sliced thin
2 campden tablets
1 package wine yeast
Recipe 3
12 gallons maple sap, reduced to 1 gallon
2 oranges or 1 lemon, sliced thin
1 campden tablet
1 package wine yeast



Place maple sap in primary fermentor. Add water and sugar, if using. Add oranges or lemon and campden tablets. Let sit overnight.

Next day, Specific Gravity should be 1.090 - 1.100. Stir in yeast. Stir daily for 5 to 6 days or until Specific Gravity is 1.040. Strain out fruit and squeeze as much juice out of it as you can. Siphon into secondary fermentor and add airlock.

For a dry wine, rack in three weeks, and every three months for one year. Bottle.

For a sweet wine, rack at three weeks. Add 1/2 cup sugar or maple syrup dissolved in 1 cup wine. Stir gently, and place back into secondary fermentor. Repeat process every six weeks until fermentation does not restart with the addition of sugar. Rack every three months until one year old. Bottle.

The wine is best if you can refrain from drinking it for one full year from the date it was started.
 
linuxbgood said:
I may try a gallon of that, I cant image it has much taste. But whats a gallon of sap when boiling 30 gallons tonight
Click to expand...

yeah, a gallon doesnt make that much of dent, I used to do syrup, and think we ended up spilling at least that per night! Compared to syrup, homebrewing is way easier...and cheaper:mug:
 
There are tons of uses for maple syrup and sap in home brewing and wine making. Unlike what the other guy had posted. I'v made various brews over the last 3 yrs using both. Either sugar maple or silver maple can be used. Last year the sugar maple sap was at about 1.012 and the silver maple at about 1.009. This varies year to year mostly depending on weather. I have a close friend in northern Vermont that has a small commercial operation which produces several hundred gallons of syrup per year. Two years ago he added a reverse osmosis system which draws the water out of the sap before boiling to reduce the boiling time. The sap last year out of the reverse osmosis was read at 1.130 gravity. It is still clear at this point and will darken as soon as it is heated. Anytime maple syrup is added it will darken the brew.

The beer that i have made has had maple added at every point of the process. I'v used maple sap instead of water during the boiling, I'v added maple syrup at the beginning and end of the boil, and I'v added maple syrup to carbonate. Almost all the maple flavor gets fermented out during the primary. Maple sap gives the beer a slightly woody/earthy taste. Only the maple added for carbonation is really noticed and tricky to get ratio right.

Every year we make cider also, and we have used maple syrup to help jump up the alcohol. It comes out very nice.

I have made maple wine in the past and learned some about it. I ruined 7 gallons of maple wine due to natural bacteria in the sap. Anytime it is used in wine you definetly need to get camden tablets in there within 24 hrs. There is no point making wine out of straight sap, it is too weak. You will need to either boil it down like the others said, or add heated syrup to the sap and make sure it gets diluted. Whenever you heat sap you do not want to boil it, it will burn. It needs to be heated at a slower pace. Which can be difficult to take gravity readings of. I prefer to heat the sap and add the syrup to make sure its well diluted. I use champagne yeast and yeast nutrient.

This year I will be making a wine out of straight unheated sap that has been run through the RO system. I will also make my maple wheat that i do every year and try to make a maple beer with some biscuit malt to try and make a pancake and maple sort of beer.

I can try to answer any other maple related questions based on my experience.
 
S_carve said:
There are tons of uses for maple syrup and sap in home brewing and wine making. Unlike what the other guy had posted. I'v made various brews over the last 3 yrs using both. Either sugar maple or silver maple can be used. Last year the sugar maple sap was at about 1.012 and the silver maple at about 1.009. This varies year to year mostly depending on weather. I have a close friend in northern Vermont that has a small commercial operation which produces several hundred gallons of syrup per year. Two years ago he added a reverse osmosis system which draws the water out of the sap before boiling to reduce the boiling time. The sap last year out of the reverse osmosis was read at 1.130 gravity. It is still clear at this point and will darken as soon as it is heated. Anytime maple syrup is added it will darken the brew.

The beer that i have made has had maple added at every point of the process. I'v used maple sap instead of water during the boiling, I'v added maple syrup at the beginning and end of the boil, and I'v added maple syrup to carbonate. Almost all the maple flavor gets fermented out during the primary. Maple sap gives the beer a slightly woody/earthy taste. Only the maple added for carbonation is really noticed and tricky to get ratio right.

Every year we make cider also, and we have used maple syrup to help jump up the alcohol. It comes out very nice.

I have made maple wine in the past and learned some about it. I ruined 7 gallons of maple wine due to natural bacteria in the sap. Anytime it is used in wine you definetly need to get camden tablets in there within 24 hrs. There is no point making wine out of straight sap, it is too weak. You will need to either boil it down like the others said, or add heated syrup to the sap and make sure it gets diluted. Whenever you heat sap you do not want to boil it, it will burn. It needs to be heated at a slower pace. Which can be difficult to take gravity readings of. I prefer to heat the sap and add the syrup to make sure its well diluted. I use champagne yeast and yeast nutrient.

This year I will be making a wine out of straight unheated sap that has been run through the RO system. I will also make my maple wheat that i do every year and try to make a maple beer with some biscuit malt to try and make a pancake and maple sort of beer.

I can try to answer any other maple related questions based on my experience.
Click to expand...

what recipe do you use?
 

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