Here's the big idea - tap the neighbor's massive maple tree and harvest the sap. Then use the sap INSTEAD of water to make beer. The beer needs to be a slight thing to get some of the maple character to come through. Soooo how about a cream ale? I used Pearle hops and an all-grain recipe with all malt rather than using corn or rice adjuncts.
When you make beer with maple sap, you don't get pancake maple syrup, instead you get a slightly woody spicy character. So this beer was a success and failure. We did get some extra alcohol from the maple sap, but the taste was not what people expected.
There is always next year!
09-03-30 Maple Cream Ale
6-A Cream Ale
Author: Wilbur Ince
Size: 11 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 73.0%
Calories: 180.74 kcal per 12.0 fl oz
Original Gravity: 1.054 (1.042 - 1.055)
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Terminal Gravity: 1.015 (1.006 - 1.012)
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Color: 4.5 (2.5 - 5.0)
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Alcohol: 5.18% (4.2% - 5.6%)
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Bitterness: 20.5 (15.0 - 20.0)
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Ingredients:
3.5 lb Maple Sap (Equivalent sugar content)
3.5 lb Organic Malt
10 lb Maris Otter
4 lb Standard 6-Row
1 oz Pearle - Leaf (8.6%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
1 oz Pearle - Leaf (8.6%) - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
2.0 ea WYeast 1728 Scottish Ale
Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m
00:25:12 Mash In - Liquor: 6.0 gal; Strike: 158.69 °F; Target: 148 °F
01:25:12 Single Rest - Rest: 60.0 min; Final: 144.2 °F
Notes
FG 1.060
Starter was very dark and may affect the final color
Used old hops ( at least 1.5 years old)
Only sparged 8 gallons - added some sap directly to the kettle
Strike temp was 142 not 148 added another gallon and half of strike water to increase temperature
fermented in 6 gal plastic buckets
Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.5.3