Plum Brandy

[Hill]

Hey crow just wondering when u take your ph readings, I took readings just of the plumbs and I wouldn't think it would drop during fermentation.

[crow]

Hey crow just wondering when u take your ph readings, I took readings just of the plumbs and I wouldn't think it would drop during fermentation.

Buzzzt wrong all ferments will raise the ph level your wash may start at 4 or 5 but will drop quite quick at first and then continue more slowly . that's just what happens with any ferment the acid level will rise :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[BackyardBrewer]

So what do you use to raise ph & lower ph? Bicarbonate?

[crow]

That will work for sure but I'm just as lousy as ya can get so I use hydrated lime :shhh: :laughing-rolling:

[MacStill]

A fruit press and only ferment the juice :handgestures-thumbupleft: I reckon this will be my medium term plan

Found this to be a dismal failure, the press only squished about 40% of the plums, the rest just worked their way into the mush and the skins wouldnt pop :crying-blue:

The juice is very hard to extract from the flesh of the plum, a bucket & 4 x 2 worked well followed by a modified paint stirrer :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[invisigoth]

So what do you use to raise ph & lower ph? Bicarbonate?

yeast produce citric acid as part of their metabolism, hence the ph drop. bt1 did a good write up on ph adjustment here http://www.aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2835 :handgestures-thumbupleft:

just don't get carried away like i did and over do it or you end up with blue distillate 8-}

[crow]

Found this to be a dismal failure, the press only squished about 40% of the plums, the rest just worked their way into the mush and the skins wouldnt pop :crying-blue:
The juice is very hard to extract from the flesh of the plum, a bucket & 4 x 2 worked well followed by a modified paint stirrer :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Hmm ok I guess thinking about how plums are I shouldn't be overly surprised. Wonder how the press would go for separating the mark once you racked off most of the wine. Of cause the fines would push through but I think it would remove almost all the skins and seeds and you could likely run what you got as is (just a thought)

[emptyglass]

I reckon you guys are over thinking things.

Throw the fuckers in a drum of water and leave them for a few days. This makes em soft. Right there you got yourself time to think about WTF to do next.
Make a masher, an old oak stave was what old mate told me to use. I opted for a 10mm stainless rod with some rod welded to it, on a cordless drill. I've heard of a rod with light chain on a drill, a 4 x 2 plank, I've seen a guy rack it off with a hand pump, stirring sediment along the way. That part dosn't matter, just don't get so violent that the pits smash.

Let them do their thing, they seem to start fermenting already if the fruit is good and not scraped up off the ground, and that fruit works too. Add or dont add sugar, up to you, but by now you have decided.

Ph?, is that photograpic hygine, or phil Hardy? The pH works itself out. And for the guys using pH meters, are your tips fresh and calibrated? Oh, didn't they tell you about that one when you bought it? Litmus paper is more reliable, as long as its fresh too.

Then just wait. Gravity will do most of the work for you. Like crow reminded me, good, fast, cheap - pick two.
This stuff is good and cheap, it ain't fast.
If you make it cheap and fast, it won't be good.

[googe]

Be at one with the plum, that's deli's advice anyway.

[emptyglass]

You got it Googe, you gotta find your inner plum,

or plumb, depending if your straight or not.

[MacStill]

Found this to be a dismal failure, the press only squished about 40% of the plums, the rest just worked their way into the mush and the skins wouldnt pop :crying-blue:
The juice is very hard to extract from the flesh of the plum, a bucket & 4 x 2 worked well followed by a modified paint stirrer :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Hmm ok I guess thinking about how plums are I shouldn't be overly surprised. Wonder how the press would go for separating the mark once you racked off most of the wine. Of cause the fines would push through but I think it would remove almost all the skins and seeds and you could likely run what you got as is (just a thought)

For all the pulp I end up with I'm going to make a liner for the press from heavy gauge 1/2" bird wire, I reckon it will strain the seeds and skins out pretty good without too much work and too much waste :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Cane Toad]

^:)^ Oh Great Macovich :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: I can see the inner Croate or Slav starting to come out in you :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: you'll be eating goats next :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :D

[crow]

yep good idea I've talked about getting a press and doing that for pressing my whiskey grain :handgestures-thumbupleft:
@ BD : Io gummy Ya don't have to be Croatian nuthin wrong with goat was going to shoot some next week , best spit meat going Najbolji :happy-partydance:

[MacStill]

Day 4 on all drums has a ph between 3.8 & 4.0 with the sugar wash's being the lowest.

No sign of slowing down on any, however the no sugar no yeast added wash's are getting more vigorous :D

[Hill]

I got all mine going today, 1 50l batch 10kg sugar 10kg plumbs 1090 start, 1 50l batch 20kg plumbs 8kg sugar 1190 og, I added wine yeast to both, both started 4ph which I am happy with and both are going crazy :handgestures-thumbupleft: now running a rum and drinking a rum

[MacStill]

My shed smells like a lolly shop now, even mrs macs eyes lit up when she came down there this arvo.

Wonder how accurate the OG is with a lot of sugars still left in the plum meat :think: or did you have another way of actually figuring it out ?

[Hill]

I can tell u Mac the plums alone were 1055 and once watered down 10kg to 20l water 40L total mark it was 1030, I didn't think it was enough fermentables so I added sugar.

[adam89]

yep good idea I've talked about getting a press and doing that for pressing my whiskey grain :handgestures-thumbupleft:
@ BD : Io gummy Ya don't have to be Croatian nuthin wrong with goat was going to shoot some next week , best spit meat going Najbolji :happy-partydance:

Hey Crow,
I love my Goat, I have a spit BBQ and I'm making Sljivovica. I think I've ticked the boxes to be called... Wait, I am Croatian.

[emptyglass]

I love my Goat, .

I hope you mean you love eating it :laughing-rolling:

[MacStill]

I'm making Sljivovica. I am Croatian.

I'll bet your rellies are going to love you in a couple of months :happy-partydance: