Ken Albala's Food Rant: How to Make Brandy

Sunday, November 10, 2013

How to Make Brandy

In the next few posts I will explain how to make brandy. You must start with grapes. Doy. Pick them off the stems and nasty bits. This took a few hours without machines. 20 quarts. But do leave the grapes whole on the skins and pits, for flavor. This is where ALL the flavor happens. Thanks to Elke who gave them to me from her backyard! I think they're ZIN. Very sweet. Shriveled a bit. Late harvest, right? So next I will crush them by hand NOW and let them ferment naturally with wild yeast. Whatever is already there. Push the bubbly top down a few times a day. Then take to the still. That's next in a few weeks. This is so exciting. And I have more grapes. Maybe I'll take them to class tomorrow to let them do it all. Is there any reason not to do this yourself? Even if you have to find some grapes elsewhere? The only investment is a still. Next time. Same Bat Channel!

5 comments:

Savvy Mom Ruth Paget said...: You do have to have specify grapes. You could also use apples or plums.; November 10, 2013 at 11:46 PM
Savvy Mom Ruth Paget said...: You could also make limoncello.; November 10, 2013 at 11:47 PM
Deborah Barocas said...: I will try this Ken..I will mix them with plums, and see what happens.; November 11, 2013 at 6:53 AM
Deana Sidney said...: My next project if only I had lots of free grapes.
The absinthe with my little still was divine but 1/2 gallon of brandy makes less than a bottle of strong absinthe and it takes 3 hours of still watching.

Can't wait to see your product. Are you getting limosin oak casks for it or putting wood in the bottle?; November 11, 2013 at 6:55 AM
Ken Albala said...: I do have a 3 liter oak cask. I'll be lucky if I have enough to fill it. But a single run of the still only takes me about half an hour. Why is yours so slow?; November 11, 2013 at 9:24 AM