Anyone in PA tap birch?

[FunnyFarm]

Just wondering round about when to tap?

[DrTimPerkins]

Birch sap runs AFTER maple sap. When the maple sap flow stops, tap birch. Typically this is about the time there is relatively little or no snow left on the ground as the flow mechanism is dependant upon root pressure (as opposed to stem pressure in maple). You definitely do not want to tap very far ahead.

[FunnyFarm]

Thanks for reply. So when my maple's stop tap my birch.

[DrTimPerkins]

Or just slightly before. Maybe drill only a few at first and see if they run before doing a bunch of trees. Once they start, they don't stop unless the temperature falls below freezing. Wide variability in yields.....some will run a lot, some won't run at all. Far lower sugar content than maple as well. Way more foaming in the pans.

[Dave Y]

Gary R, Has made birch syrup before. he lives in Polk Pa.

[Gary R]

I have tapped Black Birch trees four different years. They usually start to run about a week after I'm done with maple. The sugar content is about 0.5%. It is very difficult to finish to syrup. I'm not that fond of the taste. I do make tasty Birch wine. I will probably make some this year. I boil down to a good looking color and then add sugar to 23%.

[FunnyFarm]

Have you tried making birch beer? That's what I have in mind. I was figuring if I reduced it to the right sugar content for a beer
I'd just pitch the yeast and bottle it up in a few weeks to let it carbonate.

[happy thoughts]

Have you tried making birch beer? That's what I have in mind. I was figuring if I reduced it to the right sugar content for a beer
I'd just pitch the yeast and bottle it up in a few weeks to let it carbonate.

I thought birch beer was made from the bark not the sap, similar to what some sell as hickory syrup which is made from bark boiled in water to extract the flavor. Just wondering if the sap would have the same intensity of flavor or even taste the same. Whatever the case, no harm in trying it. Let us know how it turns out.

[FunnyFarm]

couple of the recipe I've seen called for sap and twigs. I've also read being that when making wine or beer you don't need near the sugar content of syrup that it's a great way to utilize birch sap without having to get it down to the point where it burns up on you.Of course I've not tried it so I will re post when I have product and tell how it all went...

[Gary R]

I have done all that. Birch beer with and without alcohol and with and without carbonation. I use the twigs of the Black Birch. If you crumple some up and smell it, it is like wintergreen. I boil the sap then add twigs and steep like tea. Carbonation with yeast is difficult. If the yeast keeps growing you blow bottles. This happened to us. I bottled and went to bed. In the middle of the night the first bottle exploded on the counter top. I moved all the bottles to the refrigerator to slow the growth. Three more blew up in the fridge. Luckily I put them in the crisper drawer. Also, the yeast settles but when you open a bottle it stirs everything up. Your drink will then taste yeasty. The beer with no yeast is pretty good.

[FunnyFarm]

I would think so long as you knew sugar content..potential alcohol etc... that one could assure no explosions lol. I've not had regular beer blow up yet.
Did you ferment in a carboy or bucket before bottling?

[BC Birch Tapper]

I've made several batches of birch wine in the past few years. Typically it takes a good year to mature. This year I made a sap wine and a birch concentrate wine for a bit of variety.

[sr73087]

Or just slightly before. Maybe drill only a few at first and see if they run before doing a bunch of trees. Once they start, they don't stop unless the temperature falls below freezing. Wide variability in yields.....some will run a lot, some won't run at all. Far lower sugar content than maple as well. Way more foaming in the pans.

So they run until the first freeze? I'm thinking about trying this. Is the tapping and boiling process the same?

[BC Birch Tapper]

The process is the same but many producers find it difficult to make pure birch syrup on an evaporator depending upon your configuration. Typically producers will take it down to 20-30 deg brix & then finish it on a secondary unit with more of a controlled temperature. We freeze the concentrate & finish it later as time permits. Also as it is a different kind of sugar with a lower boiling temp you done heat it over 100 deg C otherwise it will scorch & make tar. One can likely go a littel over initially hovever as the sugars concentrate you need to reduce the heat.