tonyhibbett
Landlord.
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.
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.
