Maple Sap Mead '12

[vtchuck]

Second year I've done this:

12 lbs clover honey
Boiled and cooled maple sap... reduced ~15-20%
Lavin D-47
Staggered nutrient additions.

The maple sap ups the ABV (sap straight from the tree is about 2% sugar)
and I think adds some readily available fermentables that boost
the yeast activity. Last years batch was delicious... I only have 3 bottles left.

 

[Fathand]

How much sap do you use pre-boil?

 

[ScottSingleton]

How much raw sap are you using? It's that time of year and I think my father is on his annual pilgrimage to the great white north to make maple syrup.

He usually brings me back 2-3 litres of syrup but I can get a good deal of raw sap as well and would love to try this.

 

[vtchuck]

How much sap do you use pre-boil?

Maybe 7 or 8 gallons for a 5 G batch of mead... I just eyeball it in the pot, boil until I think about a fifth of it has boiled down and then I turn off the gas, cover and let it cool overnight.

I just dump whatever is left over. I also make a sap beer, replacing all the water with sap. I use about 15 gallons for mash & sparge "water"

 

[vtchuck]

It's that time of year and I think my father is on his annual pilgrimage to the great white north to make maple syrup.

Here in Vermont, the season is winding down. I pulled my taps a couple of days ago. We're expecting temps in the 60's-70's for the next week.

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

just because I am completely ignorant in the area of maple sap, what is the flavor like only boiling it down 15-20% as I think the OP stated, do you still get the same characteristics as being fully boiled down to syrup?

 

[vtchuck]

just because I am completely ignorant in the area of maple sap, what is the flavor like only boiling it down 15-20% as I think the OP stated, do you still get the same characteristics as being fully boiled down to syrup?

It doesn't impart any maple syrup flavor that I can detect. Not an maple expert, but the maple syrup flavor really doesn't happen until the sap is completely boiled down.... ~40 gallons of sap = 1 G of maple syrup. A certain amount of the flavor is carmelization, and the grade of the syrup.... Fancy grade syrup has a very light delicate maple flavor, whereas B grade has a more robust maple taste.

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

Then what does it do for the mead? Provide fermentables? Other flavor profiles?

 

[vtchuck]

Then what does it do for the mead? Provide fermentables? Other flavor profiles?

"The maple sap ups the ABV (sap straight from the tree is about 2% sugar)
and I think adds some readily available fermentables that boost
the yeast activity."

Plus its a fun use of a free resource.

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

Nice, I have 6-7 sugar maples I've considered tapping before, never got around to it, never had time or patience to boil it down to syrup, may give it a try now, put one of my keggles to work.

 

[fatbloke]

Second year I've done this:

12 lbs clover honey
Boiled and cooled maple sap... reduced ~15-20%
Lavin D-47
Staggered nutrient additions.

The maple sap ups the ABV (sap straight from the tree is about 2% sugar)
and I think adds some readily available fermentables that boost
the yeast activity. Last years batch was delicious... I only have 3 bottles left.

No maple trees here to speak of......

Just the boiled sap and honey ? presuming all the "water" element comes from the sap ?

What size batch is it ? Some gravity readings ? etc etc. I'd be curious to find out, as all that's available here is birch sap and I don't know if that has any of the flavouring or aromatic qualities of Maple sap........

 

[vtchuck]

No maple trees here to speak of......

Just the boiled sap and honey ? presuming all the "water" element comes from the sap ?

Yup

What size batch is it ?

5 Gallon

Some gravity readings ? etc etc. I'd be curious to find out, as all that's available here is birch sap and I don't know if that has any of the flavouring or aromatic qualities of Maple sap........

I rarely take gravity readings, so I Dunno. I know birch sap can be used to make syrup, but I think the sugar content is lower. The maple sap adds no flavor or aroma that I can discern.

 

[vtchuck]

Nice, I have 6-7 sugar maples I've considered tapping before, never got around to it, never had time or patience to boil it down to syrup, may give it a try now, put one of my keggles to work.

Easy to do.... I picked up a few taps at the hardware store and I use gallon plastic milk jugs for "pails". I tap three trees and get plenty of sap to do a
batch of beer and mead each spring. I store the collected sap in my unheated garage until I have enough to brew. Fun way to make mud season pass more quickly.

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

So doesn't do anything for the flavor or aroma but makes your primary liquid source slightly fermentable.... slight increase in abs, about as pure/organic as you can get and another cool mead to add to the list...I like it

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

In abv that is...gotta love autocorrect on phones

 

[hewnizit]

In abv that is...gotta love autocorrect on phones

Lol... I second that one.

 

[Brew72AK]

Yup

5 Gallon

I rarely take gravity readings, so I Dunno. I know birch sap can be used to make syrup, but I think the sugar content is lower. The maple sap adds no flavor or aroma that I can discern.

You are right, birch sap has a lot less sugar than maple, 80 gallons sap for 1 gallon pure syrup. It is also a different type of sugar (fructose).
I am in the middle of tapping now. Instead of making all syrup this year am going to try boiling down 30 gallons of sap to a 5 gallons of concentrate and use that as my base. Just need to figure out a recipe and how much less malt extract to use?

 

[odinsgift]

Isn't Birch sap hardly fermentable? It is the source for zylitol, which is a non fermentable sweetener.

 

[Brew72AK]

Isn't Birch sap hardly fermentable? It is the source for zylitol, which is a non fermentable sweetener.

Had heard others mention the same when trying types of wine with Birch sap/syrup, but have had a couple of micro brewers contest it. I tried a beer made that I think came out of White Horse, Yukon or Haines, AK that was primarily brewed with sap and syrup added (along with m.e.) and it was a very good crisp beer in the 5.0 abv range. Not sure of the science behind it all but am going give it a run just the same!

 

[vtchuck]

Did a batch of this in '13 as well.... Changed up the recipe a bit as I boiled down the sap to ~ half its
volume... from about 8 G to 4G. Bottled it a few days back and it may be my best yet... very smooth after
only about 5 months.