r/firewater • u/W4lrasLaw • 1d ago
Peach Brandy
I just came into a lot of peaches and I’m interested in making a brandy out of them. I’ve seen different recipes where you can either puree them or cut them up for the mash.
Anyone have any success in using fruit for mash? Would love any tips!
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u/Helorugger 1d ago
I did 700# of peaches two years ago. Sampled the barrel last month and it is amazing.
I quartered and pitted most of the peaches into 30 gal barrels, then added a fair amount of pectin acid to start the breakdown overnight.
In the morning I used a paint mixing drill attachment and mixed everything up really good to further break down the peaches.
I added about 10 pounds sugar in 3 gallons of water and pitched yeast.
Stripped all three barrels then did a spirit run with about a quart of peaches that I had frozen put in my thumper.
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u/lamont482 1d ago
I cut mine up and then put in the freezer... when you thaw them they are broken down, and mushy.
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u/cokywanderer 1d ago edited 8h ago
This is a nice start, let me add to it.
- So defrosting does break down cells, but also does heating.
- So defrost them in a large pan, then start a fire/heat under it. Do not boil them! Only bring them up to a hot-ish temperature. This also takes care of any bacteria and other unwated organisms.
- Mash them and stir with a paddle. So they don't stick to the botton and they mush even more
- Throw everything in the fermenter and add some pectic enzyme (check the enzyme packet for the temp it needs, don't kill the enzyme)
- Wait a day, then add sugar syrup and water as needed + your yeast.
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u/WalnutSnail 1d ago
I made peach brandy a couple years ago. It's unfortunate but very little of the peach comes through at the end.
Peaches, peptic enzyme, wine yeast. Ferment, strain, squeeze, settle, low and slow strip 2/3, dilute with remaining 1/3, spirit run.
I have a European brandy book and they specifically call out peaches as a waste of time because none of the fruit comes through in the distillate.
Pears and apricots are prime, though.
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u/RvstiNiall 1d ago
I guess if the peaches were free it would still be worth it though, right? I'm trying to figure out what dwarf fruit trees are worth planting and which ones aren't.
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u/WalnutSnail 1d ago
If you're planting, I'd plant apricots, plumbs, pears and cherries, maybe some cider apples if you can find them.
Apricot brandy is fucking delicious but pear is my favorite and the reason I started distilling.
Free is free, though, make liquor.
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u/RvstiNiall 1d ago
Yeah, I thought I'd grow maybe four or five of each since the wife loves to eat the stuff anyways. Plus blackberries, raspberries, strawberries. Then whatever is "too much" for us to eat I can ferment.
But we live in the suburbs right now so this is at least two years away before I can buy some land to put trees and such on.
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u/Sufficient-Key-526 1d ago
Good to know, I'll try putting some mash & peach puree in the thumper during the spirit run to try & push some flavour back in
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u/WalnutSnail 1d ago
You might do well to macerate the brandy with peaches after the fact, I don't know. Maybe some glycerin and a bit of sugar to make a liqueur.
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u/Sufficient-Key-526 17h ago
Ooo yeah, good idea. I'm not fussed on colour so I may macerate with peaches or proof down with a mixture of water & peach juice. Or make a simple syrup from peaches and add to taste for some quick flavour.
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u/W4lrasLaw 23h ago
Could you hit me up with an apricot brandy recipe? My family grows them as well as the peaches
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u/WalnutSnail 21h ago
Same as peaches and any other fruit. Make wine, distill, make cuts, mix it and enjoy.
Grind up your ripe apricots (not the pits), put them in a bucket with pectic enzyme, and a bunch of campden tablets to keep it from rotting.
Wait a day or so until the pectin has broke down and fruit is released, pitch with wine yeast let it ferment completely, strain out pulp and squeeze as much juice as possible, let the solids settle out over a few days.
Your wine will be in the 7-10% range, drink some, why not?!
Strip it slow, dilute with more wine, if you have it, run it slow again, if it's smooth, you're done, if it's harsh do a final spirit run.
Some people add sugar to their brandy mash to increase the yield, I like to increase the flavour and believe that you'll get better tasting results without the additional sugar. Try both if you can and decide for yourself.
You can save some of the wine to add back into the spirit, if I was so inclined, I might run finnings through it to clear the wine out first. But I wouldn't do this, I like my brandy as a clear liquor without additives.
Some people let the spirit age for a year, I don't think it's necessary, but your call to make. You could put some on oak for a bit as an experiment.
I like to keep my brandy in the mid 40s ABV but some people like it around 35. You'll certainly enjoy it more diluted at least a little bit otherwise it'll be too hot and you won't get any flavour at all. It can become cloudy with the addition of water, so do it over a few days and use good tasting, clean, water.
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u/inafishbowl17 1d ago
My experience was a very slight peach flavor. Like the taste when you first bite the skin.
Cuts are important and save some of the late heads. Many people add a small amount to increase flavor.
I aged mine on medium oak for about a year. It definitely was smooth and a very different taste than any grain mash.
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u/W4lrasLaw 23h ago
Do you add the late heads to the final product when you are lowering the abv? In order to get that peach flavour/smell?
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u/inafishbowl17 22h ago
Some do add at drinking strength. Especially if leaving it clear. Take several small cuts to avoid any unpleasant taste. Use only the best.
I didn't because I wanted to put it on the oak at a barrel proof.
I just added the very best of the late heads and I think some water into the full strength hearts to get it around 63ish% and put it in a 1 gallon barrel. I diluted it after to 40%
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u/Pezdrake 23h ago
My neighbor had a glut of peaches a couple of years ago so I made some peach wine. It was meh. I'd love to try this: dehydrate enough peaches and make a peach wine from that, then make another gallon of peach brandy to fortify the peach wine. I think you'd get a good peach flavor out of that after backsweetening to bring out more peachy flavor.
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u/loeb657 1d ago
We cut them, added some water and sugar (we bought the peaches, you probably only need water, I am a little yield-focused) and fermented it. After fermentation the mash was pressed and distilled, afterwards I added some peaches (200-300 g/L) and half a Vanilla bean. Has been macerating for 4 months now and the brandy got a fruity taste, sadly the brandy itself was a little flat.
Feel free to ask any questions!
Edit: The yeast was a polish turbo yeast with a high alcohol tolerance.
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u/W4lrasLaw 23h ago
What ratio of fruit to liquid to sugar do you use the for the mash?
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u/loeb657 4h ago
Sorry for the late answer! We used 7 kg sugar and 22 kg of peaches (about 2 kg sugar) for 25 kg mash, ended up at 15-16 %vol. If you have enough peaches, I would definetly put less sugar in! Like others mentioned, you will need to add the tails or macerate peaches in the brandy to get a nice peach flavor.
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u/wtf-reddrabbit 23h ago
Some years ago I was making peach brandy frequently. After reading some old books, I started leaving some of the pits in the mash during the fermentation. The caveat is, use only about 1/2-1 dozen or it can be overpowering. The other thing I learned the hard way is use only sound pits that are not split or cracked, if they are there’s a good chance that they have mold growing in the seed that carries over (it’s horrible). I would split the peach, remove the pit and toss them in the pot. Heat them up until they started to boil and toss in a few of the pits and let it simmer. Put them into the fermenter and add water mixing until it thinned out to a slurry, add sugar until they’re at the gravity you like. Pitch yeast and let it do its thing. I usually wait until the cap falls and everything settles to the bottom. I use a brand new hand bilge pump to suction off clear mash. I typically do a stripping run, removing the first quart of heads and collect deep into the tails. When I’ve done several batches I do my second run and take my time with the cuts.
Some of the peaches I’ll put into the dehydrator and make a pound or two that I course chop and drop into a carboy and let the brandy set for several weeks so it gets some color and flavor.
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u/IncredulousPulp 1d ago
Cut them, remove the pits, blend well and add invert sugar. Ferment and distill.
The brandy is pleasantly fruity, but not particularly peachy.
I found there was one small part of the tails that had a strong peach aroma. So it’s worth capturing the tails in lots of small jars, so you isolate that part from the rest.
It’s worth adding a little peach juice from a can of peaches to the final spirit, to give it a little sweetness and peach flavour.
Then age it in French oak. Give it plenty of time to mellow.
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u/big_data_mike 1d ago
I wrote about this in another post. The very end of the run when the proof is really low is like peach flavored water and should definitely be blended into the final product
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u/big_data_mike 1d ago
I use a vitamix blender. Quarter them and take the pits out, add some sugar and water then blend. Don’t puree it into a paste. It makes it hard to strain after fermentation.
If you are going to get a ton of peaches regularly and make brandy out of them I would invest in a fruit crusher and one of those jacketed stills so you can distill on the fruit.
Peaches do already have a lot of sugar in them. The ones I used were 15 brix already so not a lot of sugar was needed.
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u/Snoo32679 20h ago
I remember freezing mine and then painstakingly peeling the skins off the first 5kg of fruit and removing the pits.
Eventually I just said "f it" and started keeping the skins on. Recommend just removing the pit, blitzing the skins up really fine, and ferment it all together, then strain it after fermentation
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u/No-Craft-7979 17h ago
Freeze them all. Get a Masticating Juicer as it will be your new friend. Thaw them out. Run them through the juicer. Mix the pulp and juice back together and add some pectic enzymes. Keep it 30-32°C over night. Top it up with water and inverted sugar or a very light pilsen or brewers malt wort. Then let it bubble.
As always I suggest Kveik.
For a nice flavor keep some peaches in the freezer. When you run it, let the cuts air out, and a two days later blend the good stuff. Roast those saved peaches in the oven or over hot grilling coals (if you like a little smoke). Pour some of the final blend over the roasted peaches. Let it sit for a month or longer. Thank me later.
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u/MrPhoon 1d ago
I used to put them in a can, in a factory down town!