Syrup Grades

[maple flats]

Are others finding their grades getting lighter this season.
My friend who I'm buying bulk from this year (and last) sent me a message. He has started making syrup that tests 88-90% on his Hanna Checker. I bought an Amber barrel that tested 69 about 2 weeks ago, now it's super light on his subsequent boils.
What are others getting this year?
I was at another producer yesterday and looking at his lineup of sample bottles, it looks like he has also gotten far lighter as his season got older. I don't recall this as a trend, but of course I had the pans lighten up on really big runs, but this doesn't seem to be what's happening this year.

[tcross]

i have been noticing that i'm getting lighter syrup than I ever have this year... so far. my sugar content is up as well. it hasn't froze here since Monday. Tuesday's sugar content was 2, Wednesday's 2.25 and yesterdays was 2.4%. that seemed very odd to me without a freeze, but the syrup totals agreed with my refractometer! the only difference this year from the past 3 years is that i have replaced about 400 feet of black mainline with the leader 30p. i still have plenty of black line up though. I hope this trend continues!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We've boiled off 860 gallons and we are borderline Golden Delicate, won't know until filter but its much lighter than the medium in the test kit and has buttery sweet flavor to it. Pretty typical of our early runs when snow is still on the ground. But that is disappearing fast.

[Chickenman]

Just a backyarder, but this year is the first I've ever had Amber. It has always been Dark and I'm not doing anything different.

[ebliese]

We are also borderline Golden/Delicate for almost all of the season. The very last batch (done while trying to chase the sweet, not sure how well it worked so we emptied the pan and did a batch boil on the stove) was 55%, close to Dark/Robust. Last year we didn't grade but just judging by eye it would all be Amber/Rich. I know we are quite a ways away from New York, though.

[maple flats]

My original post may be a false alarm. Yesterday I got a message from my syrup supplier that his Hanna Checker was giving strange results. It is inconsistent. He also said he ran a test. He put the glycerine couvette in and set it, it showed 100% as it should, he then took it out and put it back in as a sample to be graded, it read as darker while it should have again read 100%. Something is going on with it. I've never had any issues with mine, except it needs a new battery more often that I think it should. I'd think a battery should last a year (about 12-15 test cycles), I seem to go thru 3 batteries a year and I use Alkaline batteries from a name brand manufacturer.
My syrup supplier is trying to fix whatever the issue is.