June Journal 2018 Really??

[n8hutch]

I'm not sure if this is the first one but i couldn't find one so I started one.
In the good news column syrup has been moving very well this month, I have many new accounts for which I am thankful and the old faithful ones are coming through as usual. Looks like I'll be buying syrup again this fall.

I also had the pleasure of Meeting Russel Lampron a few weeks back as he paid me a visit at my Sap house and I am looking forward to getting down there to Loudon some day to see his place .

Gave my evaporator a good pressure wash this weekend it came out great, about 5 gallons of vinegar and 8 weeks really did the trick. Still have a million things to do but I'm putting the wood pile to the top of the list, not sure why I waited so long seems like I'm always doing wood in July and I'm always cursing myself for putting it off.

Also got a good wilderness camping Trip in up in the North Maine Woods. Caught some nice Brookies and saw a fair amount of moose. If you like to explore and you like to feel like your alone in the wilderness the NMW is hard to beat. Ok that's my rant hope everyone is having a good summer.
NATE.

[Maple Man 85]

All washed up and ready for next season... Currently in 5 different farmers markets leaving me 2 days to make more value add products and bottle syrup along with cutting wood and shipping orders. Got feelers out for new accounts and working on top secret maple products for an untapped market (pun intended). Looking at buying jars by the pallet to keep up demand and should be looking for bulk syrup to purchase by the end of summer. Gotta increase the tap count! :mrgreen:

[maple flats]

Today I'm bottling my next batch of bourbon barrel aged syrup today. This batch was aged 6 mos + a week. I taste tested it a few times since late April, it took until now to taste right, with the perfect marriage of maple and bourbon taste. Since I first bottled my first batch of this BB aged syrup, it has been by far my best seller in terms of unit sales, in fact it has sold more units that all others combined. I emptied the barrel yesterday, into my finisher(with the help of my brother-in-law, brought it up to 200F and filtered it into my WJ bottler. I set the temperature on the bottler at 185 and left it overnight. This helps evaporate off any alcohol that might be in the syrup from the barrel.
While very few use it like regular maple syrup most use it for putting on fresh fruit, on ice cream and as a coffee sweetener along with other uses. It is great as a flavoring on many foods too, like meats, fish and anything bbq'd.
I have one more batch aging, it should be ready in Sept-Oct. I'll need to start another batch soon.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

My partner is revamping the sugar shack for the new to us evaporator. Moving everything around to get the new one on the opposite side as the old one. A lot of work but will be well worth it. Unfortunately, it is mostly him doing the work for now as I have my own siding project at home to do this summer. Picked up some jugs, pan gasket ceramic and evaporator plugs yesterday at CDL.

[n8hutch]

DAVE what grade syrup are you using for the Bourbon Barrel Syrup? Have you ever tried to make cream or sugar with it? I have a thing of Maple Cream I lug in my lunch pail every day (I know I have issues) but I was just enjoying some of it and got to wondering what Maple Bourbon Cream would taste like.

[Russell Lampron]

I started June off with all of my tanks and equipment washed. I don't remember having it done that early in quite awhile. Last year I finished on Labor day weekend. I took my releaser apart to seal up the seams where the secondary chamber goes into the primary chamber. That's ready to be put back together and I'll do that this weekend. I'll be taking my RO apart this weekend too. I need to find out if I can replace the noisy bearing in the recirculation pump or if I have to replace the pump.

Late last month I went up to Chatham to visit n8hutch. He built himself a nice looking sugar house and it was nice meeting Nate and talking maple for a couple of hours.

The end of June is almost here and I usually stop visiting Maple Trader in April or May. I've got to say it has been interesting here lately and it looks like I'll stick around this year.

[Russell Lampron]

Yeah Nate the June journal got started a little late. It has been a busy month for me. I finished washing my tanks and equipment on Memorial Day weekend which is earlier than I usually have it done. Last year I didn't finish until Labor day weekend.

I took my first camping trip of the season in late may and went to visit n8hutch in Chatham. It was nice to meet Nate and talk maple for a couple of hours. He built a new sugar house last winter and it's a nice looking building.

My Son and daughter in law and My daughter and her fiance were up from NC for my grandson's high school graduation. We had a full house for a couple of weeks and it was a lot of fun. We celebrated Fathers Day with lobsters and steak on the grille. My 94 year old father really enjoyed the lobster and strawberry shortcake.

It's going to be too hot to cut wood this weekend so I'm planning to do some mods to my camping trailer and some repair work to my releaser and RO. There will be plenty of boiling sodas consumed and I've got plenty of back up.

[maple flats]

n8hutch, so far I've always used very dark because I sell little of that retail, but my next batch will need to be dark because I made no very dark this year and I have none left from last year. Either way my guess is that the bourbon barrel aged syrup will be quite dark. When bourbon is made it gets its color from the char in the barrel and the syrup after aging months in that barrel always takes on more color. I don't know about other states or provinces but in New York BB aged syrup does not get graded and I've never had a complaint on the color being real dark, just compliments on the taste.

[Maple Hill]

Today I'm bottling my next batch of bourbon barrel aged syrup today. This batch was aged 6 mos + a week. I taste tested it a few times since late April, it took until now to taste right, with the perfect marriage of maple and bourbon taste. Since I first bottled my first batch of this BB aged syrup, it has been by far my best seller in terms of unit sales, in fact it has sold more units that all others combined. I emptied the barrel yesterday, into my finisher(with the help of my brother-in-law, brought it up to 200F and filtered it into my WJ bottler. I set the temperature on the bottler at 185 and left it overnight. This helps evaporate off any alcohol that might be in the syrup from the barrel.
While very few use it like regular maple syrup most use it for putting on fresh fruit, on ice cream and as a coffee sweetener along with other uses. It is great as a flavoring on many foods too, like meats, fish and anything bbq'd.
I have one more batch aging, it should be ready in Sept-Oct. I'll need to start another batch soon.

Dave,you said you tasted it in April how do you keep it from fermenting if the barrel is not sealed?