Expensive_Staff2905 t1_je83gxq wrote on March 30, 2023 at 2:20 AM

Reply to comment by musicals4life in 6 pints and counting by musicals4life

I would agree with you. All maple syrup should be a sugar content of 68%. A higher percentage and you make rock candy, any lower and you risk fermentation in the bottles. The color comes from the time of year and the quality of sap. Where we tap trees, our syrup tends toward the darker spectrum.

When I first started out with just a few trees. We often made light syrup.

I sometimes wonder if extreme heat from a bigger evaporator helps caramelize the sugar to a darker color. When I made syrup over a stovetop it was often lighter. Maybe I'll test this theory next year

homebrewology t1_je887it wrote on March 30, 2023 at 2:58 AM

Extreme heat may actually help with keeping it light. Check out https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2022/03/making-grade-color-flavor-maple-syrup for some info on the factors impacting color both in and out of the boilers control.

Expensive_Staff2905 t1_je8adkm wrote on March 30, 2023 at 3:17 AM

Thanks! Good info in that article.

Planning on getting a hobby RO unit for next season. That should shorten boil time and maybe give us that light amber 🤞

homebrewology t1_je9h9n9 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 11:58 AM

RO is definitely worth the investment, especially on the smaller scale. I'm still using propane and made 8 gallons this year in 4 days of boiling. You remove 2/3 to 3/4 of the water before you get started with heat. Save a ton of fuel and time.

akrasne t1_je9olqn wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:03 PM

We have a decent sized setup in Stewartstown with a few hundred trees filling a 200gal holding tank. Tap nice and early, and some of the first runs in the past ended up being almost clear. Very light color and taste great We also are much more strict about cleanliness than most producers, which I believe plays a role. Clean evaporator entirely after every run for instance. Cheers

Expensive_Staff2905 t1_je9r67u wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:24 PM

We run a small wood fired 1.5x6 hobby evaporator with about 100taps out. What would you say is a standard rate for cleaning? We are usually clean 2 to 3 times a season depending on sap quality and the weather.

This is just an extensive hobby for us that has built over the years. We try and boil off everything we collect in a 24hr period. It's difficult on those days that run hard though! Most of the 30 gallons we ended up bottling this year was medium to dark

akrasne t1_je9thyd wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:41 PM

You’re doing just fine! Lots of the big operations don’t clean all year and they leave the pans sweet all season long. Ends up degrading color a lot by the end of the year. Lots of mineral deposits and cleaning at the end. No real need to boil right away either as long as you keep the sap well refrigerated. We keep our holding tank buried in snow. We sugar at our camp and can only get up once or twice a week. Most of the product being medium to dark is normal, it’s what makes the light runs so exciting. They are rare and usually get one or two shots at it per year and is a good incentive to get out and tap early!