First Year Maple sap collector

[netsplitter]

Maybe it is best described as maple whisky flavor. I finally found another post where someone had described something similar. At least I do not feel alone .

Today should be a really good run - then back to the rain. I am about ready for another boil.

[Sugarmaker]

Check the smell of the steam as your getting close to syrup. Sap can have problems with metabolic flavors to various degrees that you have no control over. (this can be from mild to mr. YUK!) That said double check all your systems for flavor gremlins that you can control.
Good luck with your season. Keep boiling!
Regards,
Chris

[Sugarmaker]

Went back and looked at previous threads and pictures.
Good helpers you got there !
I would not lower the arch yet. Looks about right to me.
On frozen sap. The ice generally doesn't have much sugar content so set it aside and just boil the concentrated sap from the center of the ice block. (get a long stem sap hydrometer or a sap refractometor to check.
Your not doing anything wrong on filtering. Once the filter stops letting syrup through you might as well dump that syrup back in the pan heat it, rinse the filter and start with hot syrup.
Keep boiling!
Regards,
Chris

[netsplitter]

Thanks for the reply. My problem is that I store 5-gallon buckets in the freezer, the ice in the picture is really about 9/10 of the sap from one bucket. It wasn't a soft freeze, the whole bucket was frozen (I just sat it outside the night before to let it thaw some).

I smell / taste the sap throughout the boiling process. The odd part was even down to the finishing, I never tasted the off taste. It has made me quite paranoid. I ordered a new finishing filter / prefilters.

I have been boiling with stainless buffet steam pans. Two boils in, they have some burn marks all over the inside of the pans (some worse than others). I am having a difficult time cleaning them. Trying water and vinegar, but some of them are not coming off. Would this pose any risk to any off flavor of syrup?

[afretired]

Net splitter
Do you need any sap? I’ve got more than I plan on boiling in the next few days. I could probably fix you up with about 100 gallons. If you want any this weekend, let me know. I’m a little over an hour away in Green County.

[netsplitter]

Wow what an offer! This being my first year, I am not able to store more than around 40 gallons at a time - and I am at full capacity myself. I also am using an outside arch, so I probably will not get to boil until this rain we are about to get stops.

I do appreciate you offering that though, very generous - so thank you.

Afretired - do you sale maple syrup? I would love to try some other syrup from KY - I have yet to taste any syrup made locally from this area, other than my own.