birch sap

[tonyhibbett]

The initial 5 gallon batch is down to 1005 so I racked it for the secndary fermentation. The bouquet is decidedly citrus, from the peel simmered in the sap, and the mouthfeel is also 'zesty', and would make a good aperatif.
The first lot of sap had a clean, refreshing taste and got progressively dull and lifeless later on.
As I was initially using old stock, the first 5 gallons contains a roughly equal mixture of Youngs Definitive grape juice compound, sultanas and raisins, all of which were way beyond their best before date. For the rest , I used new raisins only and the sap distinctly cloudy and grey and lacked the hint of sweetness of the first batches. How they compare, remains to be seen.
I boiled the last 5 litres of sap down to 0.7 litres. It turned brown and has an sg of 1030, 8 Brix and pH 5.2, (slightly lower than the original 5.7).
As the sap flow slows on tthe tree, it turns frothy and dries yellow, presumably on it's way to amber. Leaves are appearing on the uncut branches, so hopefully no harm done.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Approaching the final straight. The first 5 gal batch is down to 0.094 and ready for the stabiliser and finings. The rest will follow

 

[tonyhibbett]

Finings cleared the wine within hours. The citrus bouquet has vanished, which suggests that fining may well strip the finer points of wine. Although very dry, the wine is smooth with no hint of harshness and ready to drink. The flavour is unique, subtle and very drinkable. As I will end up with 10 gallons, I will certainly leave some to mature in bulk with oak.
The project has been fascinating and the results really worthwhile.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Now the first 5 gallons is in the polypin, I did some final tests. The sg is 0.992, very dry. The abv is therefore 13%. The pH is 3.9 (originally 3.3) and the total acidity is 4.5 ppt (as tartaric). This compares with a Winebuddy sauvignon blanc at pH 3.8 and 3.75 ppt. This illustrates the wisdom of not relying just on pH! There is no aroma and the mouthfeel is a little harsh, but that is to be expected at this stage.
Meanwhile I put the other 5 gallons together as a single brew and added more nutrient, as it was somewhat lethargic.

 

[Crastney]

wow - great write up Tony, very methodical and consice. well done.
I hope the tree will be ok after you've taken so much - I'm guessing it is quite a big tree anyway, so should be ok. probably best not to tap it next year, but leave till the year after.

 

[RedFrame]

A really informative, interesting and very funny thread, a great style of writing Tony; Our street is lined with rather large Silver Birch, one of which is parked in our front garden so I'm going to give this a go early next year for sure..!!

This had me in tucks....

The tree is still dripping but no longer from the 'tap', which only yielded about 2 pints.

As the ground temperature rises, the sap keeps on pumping. It's like having a well. I have now deployed a large fermenting bin to collect the sap, along with other containers.

Meanwhile the 'gusher' is yielding 2 gallons per day. That's 7 gallons so far!

The sap has almost stopped flowing, thankfully.

:rofl:

Cheers
Red.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Well I am flattered by these comments. I was thinking that folk would be bored by the obsessive detail, but with over 1000 views, maybe not.
Meanwhile the beat goes on. I had reduced the last gallon of sap to 10% and put it in an empty milk carton. I found this carton on the floor this morning, empty, swollen and bursting with gas. What the hell was that all about? It was totally sterile when I put it in. It's strange stuff.
I have 5 gallons on Wilko white wine kit which is too sweet, despite being fermented down to 0.994. So I mixed the sap wine with it 50/50 and stuck the bottle in the fridge. Magic! It takes the edge off the sap wine and the over sweetness off the Wilco stuff. A really nice result. To quote that line that so offended feminists: Juicy, fruity, fresh and cheap!
I am now turning my attention to the considerable amount of dandelions in neighbouring gardens. I tried very hard to eradicate them from the lawns and veg plots and at the vineyard too. I have now revised my attitude. Apparantly they give off a substance that helps fruit ripen and can make a nice wine too. Never tried it, but why not? Well they don't make you wet the bed, contrary to matriarchal opinion, but you have gather a lot, chop out the green stuff, infuse them in boiling water with citrus peel and chopped sultanas, add tartaric acid, sugar, nutrient, tannin, ferment and leave for 6 months...

 

[tonyhibbett]

Clearly, the next step is to brew another batch of Wlico white to blend with the second batch of birch. It is such a good combo.

 

[tonyhibbett]

The second batch has an even higher pH of 4.1 because the fresh sap became less acidic. I am convinced now that lemon juice is a poor ingredient for increasing acidity. In future I will use tartaric acid instead.

 

[tonyhibbett]

After just 2 weeks in the polypin with oak chips, the first batch has smoothed significantly, so I'll leave the second batch for a month, rather than blend it.

 

[tonyhibbett]

The second batch is not clearing so fast, probably due to warmer temp. The pH has jumped to 4.2, yet the total acid remains at 6 ppt (t). Time to recalibrate the pH meter! Sure enough, once this was done, the reading was 3.7. Big difference! This gives an acidity index of 2.3, which is perfectly acceptable.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Approaching the last word on this saga, hopefully! People like the wine and I see no need to wait 6 months before drinking it. It's impossible to know how this slightly sweet, slightly acidic but otherwise tasteless liquid makes such a nice wine, but it does!

 

[tonyhibbett]

Just drinking the last bottle of the first 5 gallon batch. It's really wonderful stuff. I put the next batch in the polypin today, topped up with the Wilco white. It's unaccountably darker than the first.

 

[tonyhibbett]

When rinsing out the bin, I noticed a considerable amount of tiny crystals stuck to the sides, like sandpaper. These are tartrate salts, precipitated out of the tartaric acid I added to compensate for the reduction of citric acid. The final pH was 3.8, which is ok, but it's rather astringent. Fortunately, I have just about enough Wilco white left to take the edge off.

 

[Lampie]

There is a small eastern european supermarket near where I live and found some birch sap in juice packs. 93.8% sap, 6% sugar, 0.2% citric acid. Could not resist to buy 5 liter for 7.50 euro :)
just waiting to get a empty dj to get it started.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Wow! That is amazing, and so is birch sap wine, believe me! I am now into the 6th gallon and it's even betterthan the 5th.

 

[Lampie]

oh yes friday get some new dj`s so I can start it :).. The woman from the shop is looking if she can get hold of some more packs for me :)

 

[tonyhibbett]

Don't forget the sultanas. You won't need as much sugar if it already contains 6%.

 

[tonyhibbett]

Word of warning. It's mind altering stuff. That's ok if you are semi retired, like me, but if you have a regular job and a social circle, it could be problematic.

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

Word of warning. It's mind altering stuff. That's ok if you are semi retired, like me, but if you have a regular job and a social circle, it could be problematic.

Do you mean mind-altering in the conventional alcohol sense, or in the bayleaves/nutmeg/peyote/salvia/thujone sense?