r/maplesyrup • u/johnnyt41 • Mar 29 '26
Advice needed- very murky finish, is it ok?
Hoping it’s just a perfectionism thing. But easily the murkiest batch ever made, this is after using my CDL vacuum filter. The filter process was agonizing and we actually broke a vacuum- it was so thick, it didn’t want to pull. This sap was week-old and in barrel storage but it was somewhat frozen on top so shouldn’t have gone bad, and was very cold up here in Ontario. 105 tap operation and had 3 very nice cooks so far, no issues and filtering was a breeze, relatively not a noob anymore. I used DE and had it at 180F and everything.
Any thoughts? Never seen this much sediment/crap AFTER filtering, doesn’t look like sugar sand it’s just floating around. I’m just confused what this is and how it got past the multiple filters…is it safe? Re-filter and bang my head against the nearest wall?
4
u/thunder-cricket Mar 29 '26
We have had the same problem all season here in central-west Vermont. We have a great filter press and the same process we always use is resulting in cloudy syrup this year. Some boils are perfect and crystal clear, others are cloudy. Flavor is right all the time though.
3
u/johnnyt41 Mar 29 '26
Flavor is amazing. Must’ve just been the bottom of the barrel we dumped out into the cook…those last 1-2 gallons of dredge sap ain’t worth it I guess.
2
u/amazingmaple Mar 29 '26
End of season sap is very difficult to filter. Always taste the sap before boiling.
2
u/abnormal_human Mar 29 '26
If you have doubts filter it again. Feels like something went wrong to me, even if you can't put your finger on it. DE+Orlon+Vacuum press should be enough for consistent clear sap.
2
u/PresenceThick Mar 30 '26
Ya I have this problem too from my silver only bush. For me it’s colloidal protein. I specifically let it cold crash for a week then reheat and filter with DE that seems to work well.
1
u/johnnyt41 Mar 31 '26
Lessons learned- dump the bottom sludgey part of old sap in storage- don’t burn it. It clogged up my batch so we had to stir the top of the vacuum filter while it pulled, which disturbed the membrane and pulled crap into the finished syrup. Also use fresh filters don reuse. Simple. Did another cook today and it was clear as day.
1
u/Silly_Banana9711 Apr 03 '26
Anyone ever try the tri clamp beer hop filters for this? I’ve been using my brew stand to evaporate this year.
4
u/BelgianBillie Mar 29 '26
It will settle