Loquat Brandy - Noob to boot

[Triangle]

Hi all, new here so hope this is the best place to post this.

I've just picked/destemmed and pitted 25kg of loquats. Anyone that knows loquats knows this is a shitty job and I wondered why I started!

I really need some ideas on whether to add water or sugar to this? My understanding is loquat is quite high in sugar and I was hoping to ferment without to try and maintain as much flavour as possible. I'm also going to rely on wild yeasts. As a noob, feel free to slap me right now If I'm on the wrong track haha. I'm concerned from reading other stuff on here I might end up with a ferment not worth distilling due to low alcohol. Pardon any incorrect terminology.

I've just put it all in a 25-30lt plastic barrel, pretty close to full now. Lots of pulp/meat, not really liquid at the top.



All input welcome.

Thanks, Zoran.

[Meatheadinc]

never done loquats

have you got a brix reading or a sg reading -- that will help with sugar.

Whats the pH of loquats ??


wild yeast.... I think if you are going to experiment you will need to limit the variables and wild yeast can be hit and miss as far as quality.
a good champagne yeast would be the go.
I suggest you do some research on brandy recipes to adapt .. as I would be a waste of all your efort to have a bad ferment

generally people cut there teeth with a Tomato paste ,a weetbix wash or similar

[Meatheadinc]

mm looks like lots of skin and pectin
I don't think you want skin

[Triangle]

Yeah bit of a problem with loquats, all that skin. I was hoping it would help to impart flavour, maybe not....

Generally don't need sugar added for cooking, very sweet and sets well. I'll check pH.

I've heard people have made wine out of the loquat, guess good for that doesn't = good to distill. I think I know the answer here - low yield of anything good.

[Triangle]

pH is 4.5

[Meatheadinc]

https://www.google.com.au/#q=loquat+wine

lots of wine recipes on the web to give you some ideas, some say skin on some skin off, seeds in seeds out etc.
find one that fits with what you have done up to now and proceed from there.

wine making can be a little pedantic and over kill for our need, so don't stress too much.

[bayshine]

i would chuck it all in the blender and get it to as close to a liquid as i could :handgestures-thumbupleft:
then i would do a sg test and if it was a bit low i would throw in some sugar,probably aiming for an sg of around 1070
freezing the fruit first would also help break down the cells and turn to liquid easier :handgestures-thumbupleft:
let us know how it goes as i recon it would make a great brandy

[bt1]

Err...

http://aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7302&p=126623#p126623

geez... re think required I reckon.

bt1

[Triangle]

Thanks all for your replies.

There was no way I was chucking it after all this de seeding so I went for a loquat wine recipe as suggested and modified it slightly with less sugar and water but ended up with SG of 1070. Seems like a lot of water is used which I haven't notice with Slivovitz (though depends on who makes it), but Damson plums have a nice watery pulp unlike this mess. Oh yeah, and EC1118. Like someone mentioned, I've got enough on my hands so why throw more variables into it.

Checked it this morning and it's bubbling away.

[Triangle]

So I've ended up with;

24kg fruit
14g EC1118
4kg sugar
21.5l water

Given me a SG of 1070, in 2 30lt tubs @ 20-22 degrees.

pH of 4.5. To lower or leave? Wine yes, distillation?

I put the tubs inside the house, renovations underway so we have a disused old bathroom for a while which is the perfect spot. Problem is it is bubbling away like crazy and the only sound I hear at night!

I'm breaking the cap daily and mixing into the lower wash. I noticed not everyone does this or not necessarily needed for distillation? I'm following the wine making route of extracting flavour from the skins and pulp.\

[bt1]

Howdy,

pH of 4.5. To lower or leave? Wine yes, distillation?

EC1118 will run down to high 2's before it stalls from memory, a starting pH of 4.5 seems fine I normally want to start at 5 - 5.8 depending on what's being fermented... fermentation dropping about 2 to 2.5 pts over the course of a full ferment.

I'm breaking the cap daily and mixing into the lower wash. I noticed not everyone does this or not necessarily needed for distillation? I'm following the wine making route of extracting flavour from the skins and pulp.\

Not normally done ...there's a phobia re infection risk... personally if the ferment is active therefore has a good blanket of CO2 and a low~ish pH that doesn't suit bacteria I see no issues with periodic stirs. I sure stir the hell out of useless Gen1 corn washes....all I want is the backset and the earlier the better, never had an issue.

As to the bubbling...I always considered it therapeutic :handgestures-thumbupleft:
bt1

[bayshine]

Sounds great :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Can't wait to here the final result :dance:

[Triangle]

7 days later looks like it's done! The yeast works pretty quick, thought I might have a bit more time up my sleeve.

Does this look like a fair bit of yeast as the bottom, more than normal? This is a 30 lt bucket filled to 25 litres.

[bt1]

Reckon the bottom layer is a mix of fruit sediment and yeasties.

a week's for a full fruit is quick no doubt...for the fruits I've done most of the fruit drops leaving a smaller volume floating and fizzing off the CO2.

I'd be inclined to gently stir it, and allow a week for settling. Down side is stuffed if I can find anything that covers the loquat fruit oxidising giving that real dank semi off old fruit smell... It's an issue for some stone fruits like apricots, peaches etc. If you start to see that browning of the fruit syphon it off.

bt1

[Triangle]

Thanks, I'll give it a go, and it gives me time to sort the still issue out.

Smells fine, like a spritzy wine with plenty of alcohol. Fruit is still orange.

[Whiskyaugogo]

Thanks, I'll give it a go, and it gives me time to sort the still issue out.

Smells fine, like a spritzy wine with plenty of alcohol. Fruit is still orange.

Good on you mate, we used to have a giant loquat tree on our property growing up so love them. You don't hear much about them these days :-|

Really keen to hear what the flavour etc is like once you distill it! :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Triangle]

Fingers crossed mate, though if it doesn't work I'll put it down to trial and error, make some whisky in the meantime and wait till next year! Reckon the tree would have had an easy 500kg+ of fruit on it.

Well I think it is done. Hardly any CO2 production, top is browning off now which it didn't do a couple of days back. SG 1.004 and hasn't dropped over last couple of days. Had a taste, like a very dry white wine, not much flavour strangely enough. Hmmmm. Saying that the fruit doesn't have a strong flavour like apricots and doesn't look like the flesh has yielded much even with some maceration.

As I'm in process of organising a pot still (thanks to a generous) fellow forum member and making up a boiler I might have to rack this tomorrow and get it sealed up. It's a thick sludge like others have found with their apricot and plum ferments. Note to self, be better organised!

[bayshine]

If I had 500+ kg of fruit mate I'd be getting some more in your fermenters :laughing-rolling:
It sounds like it should go great as brandy when you get your still sorted :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Triangle]

Bad case of shellfish toxin or racking a wash?

What do you mean I can't do this in the new bathroom?

[Triangle]

How clean would you fruit guys recommend for the wash? I have about 5 lt of fine pulp at the bottom that is driving me nuts trying to clear. I know the old way was to dump it all in and cook it but I'm after a relatively nice drink not a throat burner.