Buddy Sap _ how do you tell

[TwinBay]

Do you have to boil a test batch to know if it is buddy or can you tell by tasting the raw sap in the buckets?
We dont have it yet, but the next week is warm nights and +15 daytime highs.
Thanks-

[DonMcJr]

I was wondering that too...my sap is still crystal clear and flowing but slowing down.

Except one of my Box Elder had only about a gallon but it smelled a strong nutty flavor so I dumped it and don't know if I should have...

[Greg Freeze]

I just boiled off the last of my sap that I thought it was good and it was inedible. It was sweet but had a bad after taste...bitter. I had to pitch 2 gallons of syrup...almost cried lol. The sap was clear when I collected and clear when I cooked it, so I'm not sure what happened...or if it had to do with the warm weather. My trees weren't budding either. Any how, we're done here in NE IN.

Greg

[mathprofdk]

You'll notice the smell while boiling. Horrible.

[PerryW]

you can NOT tell by the sap. Usually, bringing the sap to a boil and smelling the steam is enough but you can also take 1 gallon of sap, and divide it into 4 sauce pans. Put all 4 pans on the stove on high and boil like crazy. Combine them into one pan when the levels get too low. You can have a couple ounces of syrup to taste in less than an hour.

[hodorskib]

Last year we made syrup into April, for us that was a first, and our last batch was clear sap and there was a distinctive smell while boiling not horrible just different. I took it to syrup and tasted it out of the pan it had that bitter after taste. I thought I had just wasted all that time and figured maybe I could use it for cooking or something. To my surprise after filtering it there was so much niter/sugar sand that it took about 3 hours to go through the felt. A long time for a small batch. After it was filter it actually tasted pretty good. I tasted the niter/sugar sand and that was the bitter taste. Although not something I would sell or give away to friends it was more than adequate for cooking and making kettle corn. Good luck.

[PerryW]

If it still tasted "pretty good" it sounds like Metabolic Off-flavor. If has a strong flavor with an aftertaste, but still not that bad. It is the precursor to Bud Run.

[sapbrush]

Its dark full of niter and smells like a brewery, buddy syrup is something you give to all the people that ask if you have any extra, most of the time they will never ask again

[dustinanderson]

Sapbrush... We make wine on a "almost more than a hobby" level.... I have some old watermelon wine that even the fruit flies wont touch. That goes to the in-laws and people that want to drink but wont help pick berries or help bottle it

[markct]

Its dark full of niter and smells like a brewery, buddy syrup is something you give to all the people that ask if you have any extra, most of the time they will never ask again

I have to disagree with that statement, i have made some buddy commercial syrup that was even light amber grade but had a buddy taste to it. I used to sell my commercial to bascoms but now have a bakery that makes cookies and such that buys it from me in 5 gal containers