Peach Brandy: an Experiment

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

There's an old family recipe for this, which I'm not using, but might next time if this doesn't work out. This is a very imprecise version, but that's ok. I started it two days ago, fyi, and it's already started developing alcohol.

Dump a bunch of sugar in the bottom of a glass jar. Carefully wash and halve nine ripe peaches - leave the pits in, though. Layer them in the jar, adding more sugar between layers. When you've got everything in there, add enough water to fill it up to an inch from the top. Poke a hole in the lid (because this stuff will bubble really, really fast and you don't want the jar to explode) and put it away some place dry and cool.

That's all I've done so far. I tried a little bit of it a couple minutes ago and it's delicious. I'm not calling it done until February, though. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

[Aggie]

My chemist self will quibble that it's going to be a peach wine rather than a brandy, unless you're planning to set up a still.   Let me know how the end result turns out - I'd like to try it if it's good.  If you're not adding yeast specifically, it's going to be dependent on your native yeasts, so the success may vary by location.  We've peaches here, but maybe the strains would be different.

Hmm...  I might be able to get a local recipe for peach wine and compare.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Hey, that's what the internet/my grandmother call it, lol. Looks like the native yeasts in the fruit I got is damn good, 'cause that sucker started bubbling like less than a day afterward. I was briefly concerned the jar was going to over flow like a shaken soda when I first opened it this morning and I only started it four days ago.

Also, jerry rigged a set up to let the excess gasses out without leaving it open to the air by drilling that hole in the lid a bit wider and inserting a hose. The hose feeds into a (clean beer) bottle filled with water and oil. Lets the gas escape, keeps out the air. I took a picture, but my phone does not like the inside of my pantry and the photos look really weird. I'll try again later.

I'll know by February at the latest, so I'll definitely let you know.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Did you know it was a common thing, back in the medieval days, to have a sort of glass trap assembly?   The glass trap was made of glass (duuh) and shaped like an "S" only on it's side.  One end was longer, and was inserted into the sealed bottle/keg/container.  Some water might be added within it's loops, but not always-- sometimes natural fermentation coupled with low temperatures caused water vapor to naturally condense in the trap.  Cotton was typically stuffed into the open end, to keep out critters.

I've seen paintings and drawings of these apparatus in old history books.

You've re-invented it all by yourself-- kudos!

[Darlica]

The modern version of Bobs contraption. 



This is a fermenting tube with a water trap, during the fermentation the cap is replaced with a thin textile fabric.

Nifty little thing.


Good luck with the brewing!

[Swatopluk]

It's also used in old-fashioned gas detectors. Students usually encounter it first in chemistry courses on the topic of proving CO2 emissions from reaction mictures.

[anthrobabe]

mmmmmmmmmm--- good job--- and we look forward to yummy updates

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Aaaaaaaaaaand FAIL. Didn't seal the vent hole well enough and it turned into vinegar! D: I'll try again soon, I suppose.

[Aggie]

Not a fail - that'll be mighty fine on salads, and might age nicely.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Wish that had occurred to me before I dumped it. D:

Ah well.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Oooohhh that's too bad-- peach vinegar on a nice fresh-green salad, with a bit of apple/fruit thrown in?  That would've been yummy....


... for next time, you can enhance your chances of success, by adding a pinch of brewer's yeast into the mix-- if you overwhelm the other (undesirable) microbes in the batch with the one you want, it usually works out, or so I've read.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

It was doing fine until I didn't seal the vent, lol.

Speaking of which, I just did. I used plumber's putty to seal it over, and I'm hoping it a) works, since it says not to use it on plastic and I'm doing it anyway and b) that it doesn't contaminate the taste. I'm going to fill the jar with water tonight and check tomorrow before I go buy more peaches (they're 88¢ a pound right now).

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

It was doing fine until I didn't seal the vent, lol.

Speaking of which, I just did. I used plumber's putty to seal it over, and I'm hoping it a) works, since it says not to use it on plastic and I'm doing it anyway and b) that it doesn't contaminate the taste. I'm going to fill the jar with water tonight and check tomorrow before I go buy more peaches (they're 88¢ a pound right now).

Any good-quality of duck tape ought to do better-- the good quality ones use natural rubber-based glues on the back, which is nominally waterproof for awhile-- certainly long enough for your project.  Some plumber's putties are dependent on fresh water flowing away the out-gassing, which can stink.  One reason why I don't use the stuff myself (I use RTV silicone and let it cure-out before food-grade water is used-- and I do not use the anti-mildew stuff, ever-- that kind has poison in it).

Good old garden-variety clay might work, at least until it dries out, if you've any about the place.

[Aggie]

Beeswax makes good seals for this sort of thing, is easy to work with, waterproof and nontoxic.  Paraffin wax would work in a pinch, but tends to be more brittle.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Brilliant!  You're so right, and wax was/is the original inert ingredient--

-- I remember from chemistry history: before they invented high-density polyethylene  containers, wax bottles were the only way to contain the really-really caustic chemical mixtures, such as hydro-flouric acid or aqua regia.