Off flavor, steam smells

[Johnny Cuervo]

Any ideas? Every year right around March 28 I start getting a fishy smelling steam and an off favor syrup. You can smell it in syrup if it’s undisturbed; if you stir it the smell is not so strong. My wife said it smells like an old refrigerator. You can taste it right away, but the after taste is ok.
It just might be my soil or trees? It might be bacteria? Is 4 weeks without cleaning too long for buckets? I tapped Feb 25 using tree saver taps (plastic) with 5 inches of tubing on each all on buckets. I collect just about every day. The taps are 4 years old, each season I clean taps and buckets w/ a light bleach solution. I also boil the taps. I might try cleaning some buckets and see. My syrup starts out very light and very sweet, even when it gets dark I never get a strong maple flavor. Then it gets light and the off flavor starts, it also looks very glossy and when boiling has what looks like small strings rolling around. Buds are still tight.

59 Taps 14 Gal to Date

Thanks
John

[325abn]

Is it a "buddy" smell or taste?

What about your tanks, do you clean them?

[Johnny Cuervo]

Tanks are washed every night. Just what is a buddy taste/ smell?

Thanks
John

[andyp]

John,
It might be bacteria. I had about the same thing happen on the last small run. The buckets were cleaned during the warm spell we had,and put back on just before the last run. The temps dropped down to high twenties at night and high sixties during the day giving us a small short run.We had a small run the next day and gathered it all. Even though the buckets were clean the weather warmed up so fast the sap stopped running and the bacteria started to grow. I could tell sap was not crystal clear.

Andyp,
300 taps
16x30 sugar house
250 polaris & 250 ford

[802maple]

Does the syrup have a slight chocolate or woody flavor, if that is what you are tasting it is what is called metabolism, you will get it just before the buds start to swell. When your wife said it was smelling like an old refrigerator it made me think that is what is going on. I have seen that flavor hold on for along time and the packers and maple inspectors usually grade it as "C" syrup especially when there is alot of dark syrup.

[Flatfoot95]

Johnny I notice the same thing the last two days. My sap is not crystal clear but clear. My flue pan smelled fishy but did not notice the same smell coming from the syrup pan. I was wondering if it could be the scum that builds up on the sides of the flue pan. I tasted the syrup though and it tasted fine to me. It also looks to be light amber to medium amber so not sure what the deal is myself.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Most of the time at least for me that fishy sap or off smelling sap, whatever you call it will still make great syrup. I guess it boils off all the off smell, no I am not joking. Haven't boiled it too many times, but that is usually the case.

[mountainvan]

Your starting to make buddy syrup. Some people love it. I sold 50 gals as c last year and got a nice check for 2 days work.

[Flatfoot95]

Will the upcoming cold snap change that?

[Johnny Cuervo]

A neighbor gave me 10 gal last night it was almost brown, but clear he is only 3 miles away, it boiled down to good tasting dark. Just in case I’m going to clean a dozen buckets and try one more time. I might replace the taps too.
Can bacteria reside in taps enough to spoil a run?

John