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Thread: Buttery Syrup

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Ohio
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    23

    Default Buttery Syrup

    I feel kinda funny posting this. We have made syrup for 36 years. 7 ft flat pan and a 2 ft preheat then finishing pan. I always tell folks the last 45 minutes of the run are the most important and am really careful. It is always a big thing tasting the first batch since it is generally the best. Up till this year there had been 1 time we tasted the first batch and it was like it had butter in it. Don't know how else to describe it. Because of some medical issues I had a guy help me this year. His wife works with a fellow whose family has been making syrup for over 100 yrs. As we were finishing up the first batch I was telling about that 1 buttery time. Taste time came and it tasted like it had butter in it. I mentioned the fellow with all the family experience because he ended up tasting our 3rd batch and the 1st batch. He said the 3rd batch was what they would consider desirable syrup and he was blown away by the 1st batch. Said his family had never produced anything like it. I figure it is a matter of everything lining up perfectly. Syrup was great color and correct viscosity. Can anyone comment? Thanks.

    Gary
    Been doing syrup for 37 years
    buckets, spiles, 2 flat pans
    boil off 30 gal/hr
    2019 178 taps
    loving this life

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    South Colton, NY
    Posts
    642

    Default

    Assuming there's no residue in your process that would alter the flavor (for example, when we had copper pans our first batch would have a slight metallic aftertaste) then it could be that the first batch is in the pan longer (you don't have any sweet left over from a prior batch) and has caramelized more.
    3,100 taps
    60 cfm flood
    HC2
    5 by 14 oil

    Brian

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Ohio
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    23

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    I do everything pretty much the same every time. The syrup is so smooth and sweet. Better than any I have ever tasted. I tastes buttery. I was figuring it was because everything came together.
    Been doing syrup for 37 years
    buckets, spiles, 2 flat pans
    boil off 30 gal/hr
    2019 178 taps
    loving this life

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    You are not the first producer or the only one to have maple syrup taste buttery. Professional taste testers sometimes note a buttery taste. As long as you don't use butter as a defoamer (that was one of the older ways to control foam) the buttery taste is OK. I would not worry about it. There are other numerous tastes associated with pure maple syrup too. You can read about that in The North American Maple Syrup Producer's Manual.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Richmond NH
    Posts
    313

    Default

    My first batches of the year usually have a buttery/butterscotch flavor to them. Then it fades as the season goes on and turns into the more traditional maple flavor. I always attributed it to the fact that I tap almost all reds. That and maybe the soil conditions. It's kinda like wine, different sugar bushes produce different flavors.
    Jake
    smoky lake 2x6 drop flue SSR on homemade arch
    235 taps on 2 gast 1550s and lappiere releasers
    24x12 sugar house
    2019 Kubota L2501 work horse

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    North Grenville
    Posts
    1,477

    Default

    I always get vanilla and marshmallow notes in my first 2-3 batches of syrup from my all-sugar bush. I've had a couple of late-season batches with molasses/brown sugar to them. One mid-season batch a few seasons ago had a delicate floral note that made me think of fresh-cut hay :-)

    Don't think I've ever had a buttery note though. Pretty sure it's on the flavour wheel. Just curious, what are your trees? Are they all reds or all sugars? A mix of both or perhaps several different species? One of my peeps here taps reds, silver, Norwegian and Freeman...in fact I think sugars are the only species of maple she doesn't tap.
    Last edited by Galena; 07-16-2019 at 02:40 PM.
    Been tapping since 2008.
    2018 - 17 taps/7 trees...819l sap, approx 28l syrup
    2019 - 18 taps/8 trees...585l sap, 28l syrup...21:1 ratio
    2020 - 18 taps/8 trees...890.04l sap...gave away about 170l, 30l snafu'd....23l total for me from approx 690l
    2021 - 18 taps/8 trees...395l sap, 12 l syrup
    2022 - 18 taps/8 trees....7 sugars 1 red due to #2 having surgery so had the season off....582l sap, 18.5l syrup
    2023 - 18 taps/8 trees...all sugars again. 807l sap, so far approx 14l syrup

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Lancaster NH
    Posts
    143

    Default

    A few years back I was doing work on capecod and there was a bunch of big norway maples. I had some taps so and it was flowing so I collected about 50 gallons and brought it back to NH. It tasted nothing like maple syrup but was the best butter scotch I ever tasted.
    44 27'08/71 27'56
    300 totalish taps 250 on tube and bosworth sap sucker
    50 bucket and bags about 40-50 gallons a season
    on a 2 by 7 home made evaporator and sugar shack
    1st gen circa 1966 still learning stuff

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    chester, ma
    Posts
    905

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    I tapped a big silver maple in my yard this year, and boiled the sap separately from the sap from my main sugarbush. Syrup tastes like artificial butter popcorn. Like overly-buttery. I don't like it. But hey, tastes differ, maybe someone would love it.

    Gabe
    2016: Homemade arch from old wood stove; 2 steam tray pans; 6 taps; 1.1 gal
    2017: Same setup. 15 taps; 4.5 gal
    2018: Same setup. Limited time. 12 taps and short season; 2.2 gal
    2019: Very limited time. 7 taps and a short season; 1.8 gals
    2020: New Mason 2x3 XL halfway through season; 9 taps 2 gals
    2021: Same 2x3, 18 taps, 4.5 gals
    2022: 23 taps, 5.9 gals
    2023: 23 taps. Added AUF, 13.2 gals
    2024: 17 taps
    All on buckets

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    23

    Default

    My trees are all Hard Maples. I have a lot of older - 50 year and older trees. This syrup was super sweet and smooth. I personally prefer a bit more of a maple taste but this really seats good on the tongue.
    Been doing syrup for 37 years
    buckets, spiles, 2 flat pans
    boil off 30 gal/hr
    2019 178 taps
    loving this life

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