Birch Syrup?

[WindyPoplars]

Anyone else on here tap Birch trees? This will be our third year. Our second year, we achieved 9 gallons of syrup!

[Plungerke]

Sure haven't but we where going to attempt one batch this year.
Do you tap White Birch?
Is there any differences in the procedures to make the syrup?

[WindyPoplars]

I believe its white that we tap.
Ratio of sap to syrup is approx. 100 to 1.
There in lies a very big difference. At least double the time and fuel.
Birch also burns easily. so you have to take a bit of extra care.

[BlueberryHill]

How many taps did you do to get 9 gallons? I have white birch here, but I think none are really large enough. At least not by the 10" maple standards. How big do they have to be before you personally tap them?

[Loch Muller]

I've got lots of white birch around here to tap. This year I'm thinking about trying it with some of my sap bags on 10-15 trees just to see what it takes. Don't really know what I'm doing, but that usually doesn't stop me. Hopefully I'll be able to avoid burning my 2x4 pan by cooking at a depth of 2-3 inches and using my blower carefully or not at all. An ro would be real useful for this, but I don't want to wait until I have the money to get one.

My birch are between 8 and 16 inches with plenty of larger ones to tap, so I'll probably just tap the largest/healthiest ones this year. I wonder if the tapping guidelines would be different since white birch generally has a faster growth rate than sugar maple?

[Ittiz]

I tap black birches (Betula Lenta), I have a few giant old timers. Lots of white, silver and yellow birches around too, but I've only tapped them experimentally. I've heard some people say birch syrup is like molasses, but I disagree. Mine has a more intense flavor than maple but the flavor is a bit fruity and not like molasses at all. I plan to try and use vacuum distillation this year to boil the birch at a lower temp.

[khuberpt]

At the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery they do a Black birch sap beer and it is excellent, you can read about it on line.

[WindyPoplars]

How many taps did you do to get 9 gallons? I have white birch here, but I think none are really large enough. At least not by the 10" maple standards. How big do they have to be before you personally tap them?
I think we do around 30 trees. Sap ran for over two weeks that spring.
The smaller trees, 10 inches or so, are not big producers. We have one that I cannot get my arms around, and it can take 3, three gallon buckets and will fill all of them in a 24 hour period. Some days I had to empty them twice.

[WindyPoplars]

I tap black birches (Betula Lenta), I have a few giant old timers. Lots of white, silver and yellow birches around too, but I've only tapped them experimentally. I've heard some people say birch syrup is like molasses, but I disagree. Mine has a more intense flavor than maple but the flavor is a bit fruity and not like molasses at all. I plan to try and use vacuum distillation this year to boil the birch at a lower temp.
I think that description is used, because you can use it to replace molasses in recipes.
Personally, I have never tasted commercially produced birch syrup. Its far too expensive for us.

[Ittiz]

I think that description is used, because you can use it to replace molasses in recipes.
Personally, I have never tasted commercially produced birch syrup. Its far too expensive for us.

Commercial? Me neither, the price is 4 or 5 times maple syrup.

[DrTimPerkins]

My birch are between 8 and 16 inches with plenty of larger ones to tap, so I'll probably just tap the largest/healthiest ones this year. I wonder if the tapping guidelines would be different since white birch generally has a faster growth rate than sugar maple?

Hold that thought....because Dr. Abby van den Berg just started looking at tapping guidelines in birch. We will know quite a lot more in about 2 1/2 yrs time.

[Ittiz]

Hold that thought....because Dr. Abby van den Berg just started looking at tapping guidelines in birch. We will know quite a lot more in about 2 1/2 yrs time.

That'll be nice, can't wait. Seems to be it has to be consistently above freezing for birch to run, usually towards the tail end of the maple run. I've tapped black birches small enough to put two hands around thumbs to forefingers, and the trees seem to do just fine. Once they run they run like crazy though.

[WindyPoplars]

we have never done maple, so we have no way to compare runs. No maples in Alaska :lol:
But we are preparing to move to mid Michigan this year, so then we will switch to Maple.

The pros up here, use reverse osmosis to make the process less costly and reduce time needed.

[DrTimPerkins]

Once they run they run like crazy though.

Very different sap flow mechanisms. Maples run due to stem pressure. Birches run due to root pressure, which is why warmer temperatures are required and why once they start running, they keep going hard unless it freezes up again.

[Ittiz]

we have never done maple, so we have no way to compare runs. No maples in Alaska :lol:
But we are preparing to move to mid Michigan this year, so then we will switch to Maple.

The pros up here, use reverse osmosis to make the process less costly and reduce time needed.

If you live in south east Alaska there is the Douglas Maple (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_glabrum). Not sure how easy it would be to tap though, it tends to have a bushy form.

EDIT: Looks like some people are already tapping them: http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?17073-Tapping-Mountain-Maple-in-Northern-BC

[Cabin]

Very different sap flow mechanisms. Maples run due to stem pressure. Birches run due to root pressure, which is why warmer temperatures are required and why once they start running, they keep going hard unless it freezes up again.

Now are you telling us that what stops the run of my reds starts the birches??? 4-6 more weeks of boiling!?

[WindyPoplars]

If you live in south east Alaska there is the Douglas Maple (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_glabrum). Not sure how easy it would be to tap though, it tends to have a bushy form.

EDIT: Looks like some people are already tapping them: http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?17073-Tapping-Mountain-Maple-in-Northern-BC

Nope, that is a long ways from us :)

[Loch Muller]

That's good to know some one is looking into tapping guidelines for birch. I don't think they compartmentalize wounds in the stem in the way maples do, but I'd have to check on that to be sure.

Is Dr. Abby van den Berg doing her work with vacuum systems? If the mechanism for sap flow is different, maybe the results from vacuum systems will be different than maples. I'll look forward to hearing what comes out of the research.

[WindyPoplars]

The big companies up here, all use vacuum now.

That's good to know some one is looking into tapping guidelines for birch. I don't think they compartmentalize wounds in the stem in the way maples do, but I'd have to check on that to be sure.

Is Dr. Abby van den Berg doing her work with vacuum systems? If the mechanism for sap flow is different, maybe the results from vacuum systems will be different than maples. I'll look forward to hearing what comes out of the research.

[maple marc]

I've tasted birch syrup from a large producer in Alaska. In my opinion the syrup tastes very much like sorghum syrup. If this is what you want to end up with, it might be a lot easier to plant sorghum cane, press it, and boil it down. Cane has a very high sugar content compared to birch.

[WindyPoplars]

I've tasted birch syrup from a large producer in Alaska. In my opinion the syrup tastes very much like sorghum syrup. If this is what you want to end up with, it might be a lot easier to plant sorghum cane, press it, and boil it down. Cane has a very high sugar content compared to birch.
no thank you! We have a rich source in the trees, loaded with minerals. And cane and sorghum cannot grow up here.
Plus, all the equipment needed to grow and process sorghum? Yikes! That would be spendy!

[BC Birch Tapper]

We have been tapping since 2006 and they are quite different than maple. different tree, different sugars, and a different end use. We've had some testing done at a lab where they indicated that you don't need to finish it to 66 Brix. As such we have been finishing to 60 deg. When boiling the temperature should not go over 100 deg C. We tap about 300 trees which results in about 6000 litres which evaporates downt to approximately 50 litres of syrup. We sell out every year & charge just under $ 100/ litre. We have produced a manual on birch tapping and have sold numerous copies to many parts of he world , including many maple producers. Birch typically flows after maple is finished ( or close) and it does provide an option for those who want to make a different product. It is nothing like maple and people have to get their head around that point. It is NOT a pancake syrup. It is used more in cooking applications and chefs and brewmasters love using it because it is SO different.

[Ittiz]

It is NOT a pancake syrup. It is used more in cooking applications and chefs and brewmasters love using it because it is SO different.

The first batch I made I used on waffles and pancakes. I thought it was very good for the purpose, but I tapped pretty much just Black birch which may turn out a bit different than White and Alaskan birch. I also never let the sap boil when cooking it down, I targeted a temp of 175F (80C).

[Loch Muller]

Interesting stuff. $100/liter would be about $85/quart in US dollars if I've done my conversion right ($340/gallon!). That is 5 times the price of my quart jugs of maple syrup, so it seems like it would be worth the extra effort.

I can see why an RO would be useful if you don't want it going above the boiling point. I'll try running my pan deeper than I would for maple sap and using a long and slow burning fire to keep it from getting too hot. Should make a good distraction while I'm getting my vegetable garden ready and starting on next years firewood. I'm assuming you have to keep birch sap like maple sap, cool as possible and boil it down as soon as possible to avoid spoiling.

[Ittiz]

Interesting stuff. $100/liter would be about $85/quart in US dollars if I've done my conversion right ($340/gallon!). That is 5 times the price of my quart jugs of maple syrup, so it seems like it would be worth the extra effort.

I can see why an RO would be useful if you don't want it going above the boiling point. I'll try running my pan deeper than I would for maple sap and using a long and slow burning fire to keep it from getting too hot. Should make a good distraction while I'm getting my vegetable garden ready and starting on next years firewood. I'm assuming you have to keep birch sap like maple sap, cool as possible and boil it down as soon as possible to avoid spoiling.

Birch sap is much harder to keep than maple sap. Mostly because birches start running when the maples end. So the temps are consistently much higher outdoors. Birch sap also scorches much easier than maple sap because it fructose instead of sucrose.

[Loch Muller]

So how do you store your sap until you can boil it? I should be able to get it in the evaporator fairly quick, maybe add some frozen blocks of sap into the tank if I have to let it sit a day.

[Ittiz]

Birches run 3 times faster so you boil more often, but you only get 1/3rd the sugar in a given amount of sap than maple. So you end up with a similar amount of sap at the end of the season but it took much more work to get there. Though I rotted a lot of birch sap because I simply didn't have the time to boil it.

[Loch Muller]

Wow. So if I put out 20 taps I might pick up 60 gallons of sap in a days run. Do you process the sap in batches or draw off as you go? Seems like the partially cooked sap would spoil on you as well if it sat in the pan too long between boils. Also how will I know if the sap is no good? Does it get cloudy like maple sap would? Thanks for your responses.

[Ittiz]

Could be... I filled a 5 gallon bucket in two days on a single tap. So 20 taps could give you 60 gallons on a good day. I never partially cooked it, but it might have saved more sap if I had I suppose. If you store it still scalding hot it should self sterilize. It's pretty easy to identify bad sap. It's like bad milk, one whiff and you know it. Quite a wretch worthy scent actually. It does cloud up too.

[BC Birch Tapper]

Since birch runs later in the season the temps can be quite warm. We collect and boil down the day's run on a continual basis as the sap has a short life span. I have only talked to one birch syrup producer who has ever made finished syrup on the evaporator (without using an RO). What happens is as the sugars condense the temp of the evaporator has to be reduced to keep below 100 deg C as birch sap sugars have a lower boiling temp than sucrose. We freeze the previous days run at around 25 deg Brix and start on with the next days flow. The use of an RO is a good option as any time you can remove the water without heating will result in a lighter syrup. We finish our syrup later on on a secondary stove with an even lower temperature to avoid burning the end product. You're not a true birch syrup maker until you've burnt a batch or two..... and I' m a true syrup maker.

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

I ran a Birch Syrup experiment for my own benefit last season. I am in Central VT, and wanted to see if I could maximize my equipment by using it to make two products, instead of just Maple Syrup.

What I learned
- Birch Syrup is not delicious. Sure it may have it's applications, but I can't imagine why you wouldn't just use Maple Syrup instead.
- It smells like really good while cooking it (nutty, like Amaretto), which was deceiving once you taste the end product.
- Using Vac isn't really needed, I don't think Vac outperformed gravity. At least not for the trees I tapped, which was around 200 White and Yellows. Mostly White.
- I will not attempt this again without an RO. Wow, 12 hours to sweeten my 4*12 pans.
- It can be boiled the same as maple, and I took it to 66brix on the evaporator without burning. I watched it like a hawk though. Maybe that is why it was so bitter tasting.
- Maple and Birch sap runs overlap in our area. So you would need to shut Maple down early to get full crop of Birch.

In summary, I decided to not do this again. I won't be cutting my birches however, at least not at the rate I used too. But I won't be making syrup from them anytime soon either.

If you want to set up a Birch syrup production, I think it should be kept separate from the Maple operation. Someday, I will get a small 2*8 rig paired with an RO and a completely separate tubing system for just Birch Syrup. That is once the demand for the stuff picks up.

Personally I think there will be a much stronger market for Birch Sap for the beverage industry. Birch Syrup will be scarce when sap becomes the new Coconut water and is worth .50 cents per gal. That's why I am not cutting the Birches anymore, and think that is worth considering if you have them on your properties as well.

I actually have a gallon or so of syrup sitting in my sugarhouse if someone wants to try it, they can have it.

Ben

[Ittiz]

Maybe that is why it was so bitter tasting.

Bitter? hmm Maybe you cooked it too hot?

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

That was my guess. Or that it was just the way it was supposed to taste. Mike Farrell from Cornell told me he fired it hot, and brought it to syrup on evaporator, so that's what I did. Of course he isn't selling to restaurants and such, he sells 40ml jars for $5 as a novelty. Or was it $6.

When I try again someday, and RO it to like 20% sugar, I will try slow cooking to see if I can get a better flavor.

[Loch Muller]

Yeah, I wouldn't describe the birch syrup I've tasted as delicious either, but interesting enough to give it a try. I'm not sure its going to work, I'll know more if I try it out though. I don't really like the idea of having to shut down maple early. This year is just the experimental stage. If nothing else it will be a good story to tell... remember when that strange guy on the mountain tried to boil down birch sap...

If I figure out a way to effectively collect and cook it down this year, I'm planning on adding an RO next year. Then I could take the lessons I learn this year and maybe have a merchantable product next year (assuming someone wants to buy it!). If not I'll have the RO for maple and have only wasted a little bit of money and lots of my time and fire wood. Worth the risk in my mind. Thanks for sharing your experiences, I'll post back and let you know how it goes.

[WindyPoplars]

So how do you store your sap until you can boil it? I should be able to get it in the evaporator fairly quick, maybe add some frozen blocks of sap into the tank if I have to let it sit a day.

You don't store it. You boil from dawn till dark.

[WindyPoplars]

No, it is not Maple. But that is the point. It is a different product with different use. So it should not be compared apples to apples.
Birch syrup is highly prized overseas, and that is one aspect that drives the price up, along with the need to boil twice as long.
We use is on pancakes, in cookies, and hope to try beer as well.
I would advise preparing it correctly, before judging its taste :lol: It is also very high in tannins, so that is going to affect its taste, no matter how you prepare it.
We finished with 9 gallons two years ago, and now have about 6 quarts left. So we certainly use it differently (course, flour products are also low priority in our house too) and do not plan to replace Maple and Honey with it. It comes alongside and joins the party.

I ran a Birch Syrup experiment for my own benefit last season. I am in Central VT, and wanted to see if I could maximize my equipment by using it to make two products, instead of just Maple Syrup.

What I learned
- Birch Syrup is not delicious. Sure it may have it's applications, but I can't imagine why you wouldn't just use Maple Syrup instead.
- It smells like really good while cooking it (nutty, like Amaretto), which was deceiving once you taste the end product.
- Using Vac isn't really needed, I don't think Vac outperformed gravity. At least not for the trees I tapped, which was around 200 White and Yellows. Mostly White.
- I will not attempt this again without an RO. Wow, 12 hours to sweeten my 4*12 pans.
- It can be boiled the same as maple, and I took it to 66brix on the evaporator without burning. I watched it like a hawk though. Maybe that is why it was so bitter tasting.
- Maple and Birch sap runs overlap in our area. So you would need to shut Maple down early to get full crop of Birch.

In summary, I decided to not do this again. I won't be cutting my birches however, at least not at the rate I used too. But I won't be making syrup from them anytime soon either.

If you want to set up a Birch syrup production, I think it should be kept separate from the Maple operation. Someday, I will get a small 2*8 rig paired with an RO and a completely separate tubing system for just Birch Syrup. That is once the demand for the stuff picks up.

Personally I think there will be a much stronger market for Birch Sap for the beverage industry. Birch Syrup will be scarce when sap becomes the new Coconut water and is worth .50 cents per gal. That's why I am not cutting the Birches anymore, and think that is worth considering if you have them on your properties as well.

I actually have a gallon or so of syrup sitting in my sugarhouse if someone wants to try it, they can have it.

Ben

[BC Birch Tapper]

Birch Syrup is as different from maple as night and day. It is a different tree, different sugars, and a different end use. We've written a manual on birch syrup production and sold hundreds of copies to folks in Canada, us & Europe. The sap has been used for centuries as a health tonic of sorts primarily in Scandinavia and Russia. We call the sap nature's gaterade.
Birch sap runs typically after maple, although there can be some overlap. The ratio varies from 80:1 to 120:1 depending upon your geography.
Maple sugars are primarily sucrose and birch is composed of fructose & glucose. Fructose has a lower boiling temp than sucrose & as such must be evaporated no higher than that boiling temp ( 100 deg C). We've had some testing done at a lab and it was determined that birch is shelf stable at 60 deg Brix. This is helpful as it is difficult to hit 66 deg on birch without burning it, although it is achievable.
It also has a different end use than maple.....it is not a pancake syrup but used more in cooking applications.
Chefs love it because of it's bold flavour and the fact that a little bit can go a long way. It is used similar to vanilla. We use it on planked salmon, as a vinaigrette in salad dressings and on really good vanilla ice cream. You can even mix it 50/50 with whiskey for a nice after dinner drink. I typically keep a bottle in the sugar shack for those cold nights staying up late.
We live in British Columbia and don't have any maple in our part of the world. We've talked to people who give it a go and every producer sells out every year, although the total world production is only a drop in the bucket as compared to maple. I talked to a regional maple extension person in Eastern Canada a few years back and he just snubbed his nose at the concept. The thing is that sugar maple doesn't grow everywhere but there are opportunities if you keep an open mind. We've talked to numerous maple producers that are giving it a go, because if you have the trees, time and fuel, you can make another product using the same equiptment that would otherwise sit idle for 11 months of the year!