Thin syrup

[BobMac]

First off , thanks for the wealth of information on this site. I have a newbie question.
This is my first year at this maple syrup thing :) I 'am batch boiling, built a 55 gallon drum evaporator.
Haven't used it yet not enough sap. yesterday I boiled down 7/8 gallon on the turkey fryer, I don't have
a hydrometer yet hopefully this weekend, so going by everything I've read you should bring it up to 219 degrees
to finish ??I did this 219 on a digital and a new candy thermometer .it tastes good but its awful thin not like the
syrup I have bought at the local sugar shack. Do you think I need to boil it longer or wait and use a hydrometer for the next batch??
If needing to boil longer can I re boil the little over a pint and a half that I have?
sorry for the long post but my father always said you'll never know unless you ask :) thanks in advance

[Rangdale]

I had the same issue, would bring it to 219.5 and it still seemed thin. Got myself a hydrometer and low and behold, it was thin. I had to bring it up to 223 before it registered correctly in the hydrometer. Thought my hydrometer might be off so I bought a bottle of syrup at one of the farm stores. Hydrometer was right on the money, both cold reading and hot reading. I checked the boiling point of water on the stove and its 212 exactly but using the same thermometer (within 20 minutes) on the syrup it needs to be 223. No idea why this is and nobody else seems to either. Get a hydrometer, it's definitely worth the $

[eustis22]

boiling points vary with the elevation...boiling point at sea level may not be the BP at elevation. Hydrometer to be Sure.

[wnybassman]

I had the same issue, would bring it to 219.5 and it still seemed thin. Got myself a hydrometer and low and behold, it was thin. I had to bring it up to 223 before it registered correctly in the hydrometer. Thought my hydrometer might be off so I bought a bottle of syrup at one of the farm stores. Hydrometer was right on the money, both cold reading and hot reading. I checked the boiling point of water on the stove and its 212 exactly but using the same thermometer (within 20 minutes) on the syrup it needs to be 223. No idea why this is and nobody else seems to either. Get a hydrometer, it's definitely worth the $

Ditto. After I got a hydrometer I felt bad about giving away syrup all those years that wasn't quite syrup.

[Dave Y]

Your thermometer is faulty. Buy one you can calibrate.

[BobMac]

Thanks for the information, now can I re boil to get the right consistency ,or should I just leave ??

[wnybassman]

Thanks for the information, now can I re boil to get the right consistency ,or should I just leave ??

Just pour it into the next batch before it finishes, and finish it all together.

[Ausable]

BobMac - You are very close to Maple Syrup. Keep boiling and watch it close cause at this point it has to be attended. The Old Timers would use a large spoon and dip in the near syrup and when it would ladder on the spoon it would be there. Also - Large shiny bubble appear when getting close. LOL - Watch it close - because if it cooks down too far - it becomes a hard chunk of maple sugar. Hey! Don't be a Dummy like I was - get a syrup hydrometer - SOON! Good Luck Pal - You can do it. --Mike--

[BobMac]

Ausable, you mentioned large shinny bubbles, well now looking back all I had was small bubbles all most foamy .
was using a 32 qt stainless pot and was almost bubbling over the top. I live just east of Frankenmuth does anyone know of a place closer then the sugar bush supply in mason or
the place in Novi that sells supplies to get a hydrometer ??

[Big_Eddy]

Water boils at different temperatures on different days and at different altitudes.
Stick your thermometer in a pot of water at a rolling boil and take a reading. It may be anywhere from 210 to 220 degrees °F.
Add 7.5 degrees °F to the reading, and that will be syrup - today. Tomorrow will be different.

Boil your syrup until the same thermometer immersed in the syrup reads 7.5 °F higher than the water did.

The Challenge: Syrup foams up - you can get misreadings of temp due to pockets of steam. Get a good boil going, then lower the heat. Take the reading while it is still boiling, but the fine bubbles have collapsed and you have a rolling boil. It might be a degree or two lower than you saw a moment before. That's the reading you want - not the foaming value.

Hydrometers are typically used as there is too much variability using a thermometer to get the syrup spot on. In Ontario, syrup must be 66 °Brix to be legal, but it is recommended to take it to 67 °Brix for optimum taste and viscosity. If water (sap) is boiling at 100 °C, 66 °Brix Syrup will boil at 104.1 °C. Boiling to 104.2 °C will increase the density to 67 Brix. A 0.1°C difference increases °Brix by 1. Even electronic thermometers are not precise enough to truly differentiate between 65 °Brix (not legal) and 68 °Brix syrup (will crystalize) in a boiling pot. I use a thermometer to decide when to draw off, and a hydrometer just before filtering and bottling.

For your own use, a thermometer is fine. Take it to 7.5 °F above today's boiling temp of water and enjoy.

[Ausable]

BobMac - No I don't know of anything closer/ I ordered mine from Leader Evaporator Co. - I know You don't have a syrup hydrometer and you want to make maple syrup with what you have. The Thermometer rule is - Boil water - check the temp and add 7.1 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale and that is the temperature You have maple syrup for you area. If a boil gets away - foams up - a few drops of olive or canola oil will settle it down. A commercial product called ATMOS is used by many - except it freezes when cold. Hey! When Big Eddy gives advice - listen to it - he knows his stuff about maple syrup making. The other guys and gals are good too. ---Mike---

[maplefarmer]

What about using a digital thermometer, would 219 always be syrup, or would it change each day for whatever water would boil at ?

[Ausable]

What about using a digital thermometer, would 219 always be syrup, or would it change each day for whatever water would boil at ?

As I understand - One would check his daily temperature that water boils at and add 7.1 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale to know what point one is at syrup. Now - not to many of us would do that. I have reached the point where I really don't trust thermometers and just use them for a rough idea of where I'm at. Many times - I have made maple syrup using only a syrup hydrometer. I - who made thin maple syrup without a syrup hydrometer for many years - now - would not be without at least two.

[wnybassman]

Many times - I have made maple syrup using only a syrup hydrometer. I - who made thin maple syrup without a syrup hydrometer for many years - now - would not be without at least two.

This is my 4th or 5th year with a hydrometer, and this is the first year my thermometer has not even made it out of the closet yet. I don't even miss it (although I do have to pay a bit more attention)

[adk1]

I use them both and calibrate the thermometer prior to boiling each time

[waterfowlah]

I had the same issue, would bring it to 219.5 and it still seemed thin. Got myself a hydrometer and low and behold, it was thin. I had to bring it up to 223 before it registered correctly in the hydrometer. Thought my hydrometer might be off so I bought a bottle of syrup at one of the farm stores. Hydrometer was right on the money, both cold reading and hot reading. I checked the boiling point of water on the stove and its 212 exactly but using the same thermometer (within 20 minutes) on the syrup it needs to be 223. No idea why this is and nobody else seems to either. Get a hydrometer, it's definitely worth the $

Same exact temp for Me.

[lyford]

finished a batch last nite and another one last tues, both times i had to bring it up to 223F as well to get the hydrometer to read it as syrup, get the the hydrometer you wont be sorry

[Spolcik]

Ausable, you mentioned large shinny bubbles, well now looking back all I had was small bubbles all most foamy .
was using a 32 qt stainless pot and was almost bubbling over the top. I live just east of Frankenmuth does anyone know of a place closer then the sugar bush supply in mason or
the place in Novi that sells supplies to get a hydrometer ??


I live in Clio exit 131 on I-75 if you don't know. The Tractor Supply Company here in town has hydrometers for $18 and hydrometer cups for $20. Was there 4 or 5 days ago and they had quite a few. Don't wait though they are seasonal items and when thery are gone they are gone till next year.

[BobMac]

Spolcik,
Thanks for the heads up. Looks like they buy there stuff from tap my trees.com actually tsc is cheaper than there web site??
$23.95 for 1" test cup tsc $19.99 ,hydrometer $20.95 web tsc $17.99 even had the long candy thermometer 14.99 tsc $11.95
they told me they have been carrying this stuff for about 3 years now, you save me about $25.00 if would have taken thee drive to the
Sugar shack in mason, thanks again

[Spolcik]

Glad it worked out. I noticed the price difference also. Not sure why that is but I guess who cares if your saving. Hope you have a great year!