Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Kenster:
When you made all of your "grappas" what kind of still were you using?

Where do mulberries rank on pectin content?
As with all fruit washes be a bit more careful by removing a larger fores cut.

I have done a fair variety of fruit washes through the 4 plate bubbler and have always been quite happy with the flavour carry. I do however think that the level of satisfaction is relative to your expectations, the flavor strength of the fruit and the amount of fruit used.
So far i have done mango, watermelon, lemon, orange and ginger which i then did a second generation as a rum, three different native wet tropics first fruits and now a mullberry.
I always run the take off nice and slow for a generous fores cut and into mid heads then crank it up for hearts and tails for max flavour carry whilst still pulling~94% ABV. Have learnt different things for each fruit from each wash that l have changed is successive washes for improved results.
So far have made some really smooth complex flavored clear schnapps as well as light oaking on french oak for brandy.

Scythe, thanks, i think u nailed it... the pectin content.. most fruits have heaps.. I learned the system from my dad... they didnt do cuts or really anything else, just collect the shit and drink...seriously, cant remember them diluting or anything... sad. (all thru a simple pot) care taken not to have the burnt wash taste, which often happened as they didnt decant or let it settle...a lot of crap in the boiler.... only occasionally double distilled.
Since then, i have run fruit - apples, pears, apricots, nectarines and obviously plums (slivovitz) with added sugar no added yeast. thru a t500. all tasted the same.ish. Not a big fan.
Would be great to get a real flavour ( apple/pear/cherry) off the still without it tasting like petrol.
Maybe the infusion thing is the go..adding to neutral.?

Chief, i did a 100 lit plum/nectarine mix last season... tasted like shit. (natural yeasts and added sugar)
Dont know what i was expecting but the flavours did not resemble anything i can call nice. Run slow thru a T500, still didnt strip the petrol taste (burnies) out of it...
I get it now though, BIG fores cuts....

Trying to run flavoured washes slowly through a T500? I think if you had a go with a 4 plate bubbler you'd be pleasantly surprised.

Zak Griffin wrote:Trying to run flavoured washes slowly through a T500? I think if you had a go with a 4 plate bubbler you'd be pleasantly surprised.

:text-+1:
Be hard on the cuts as well. Fruit washes can be deceiving if you select your cuts on smell alone as much of the sweetest aromatic compounds come out in the fores and early heads. Just because they smell nice dont mean they taste nice.

T500s are designed for making neutral, which is probably why they tasted similar.
Not much good for flavour.
Probably best to macerate.
I also wouldn't use wild yeasts, use a known performer like ec1118.
If wild yeast was any good all commercial vinyards would do it for their wines.
Also maybe add pectinase to help the yeast breakdown the pectin to fermentable sugars.

Thanks for the heads up with the pectinase...

Mullberry does make very good wine had a taste along time ago it was a sweet wine so experimenting with small batches may be worth doing and may need some grapes .

Mine actually turned out alright, wouldn't call it a schnapps though, just lost a lot of flavour.

I reckon stripping first, running slow on the spirit run, macerating fresh berries and then running hard would pull some flavour without the issues of smearing as it's cut spirit already.

well it's the season now, but I'm just too busy to get anything down at the moment :teasing-blah: :dance:

What about fresh berries in a gin basket as well?

That may work scythe, but I doubt much flavour would pass through. I've tried fresh berries in the caddy before but dried is the go. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

if doing some berries be careful that the seed may be bitter.