Wait until the fruit you want to use is in season, and harvest at the peak of ripeness. For this recipe, you’ll need about 3 quarts of fruit, which will yield enough wine to make a small batch of brandy. Harvest and ferment more fruit if you want more brandy. Commercial brandy is usually made from grape juice or crushed grape skins. The resulting distillate is harsh in taste, so it’s aged in oak barrels to take off the edge. Brandy made from fruit other than grapes is more suited to making at home, since it doesn’t require oak barrel aging.
If you’re using berries, which are lower in sugar than other types of fruit, you’ll need to add sugar. Line the bottom of the crock with sugar, then add a layer of fruit. Add more sugar, and continue layering until the fruit and sugar have been used up. Use a stone crock large enough to accommodate all of the fruit with a few inches to spare, since the mixture will bubble up during the fermenting process. If you don’t have a stone crock, you can use a glass bowl or another thick, heavy container. It should be made of glass or ceramic, not wood or metal.
If you purchase a new or secondhand still, be sure to clean it before using. If you want to experiment with a very small batch of brandy, you can construct a still with a copper tea kettle and plastic tubing. If you find that you enjoy making brandy so much that you’d like to make larger batches, you can upgrade to a 5 gallon (18. 9 L) still. Anything larger than this will be too big for home brandy-making.
A Dutch oven or another pot large enough to fit the still inside. This will be filled with water and used as a double boiler of sorts to give you maximum control over the heating of the still. Plenty of glass containers. As the still does its work, you’ll need small, clean glass containers to hold what comes out of the pipe. A graduated cup will come in handy if you want to measure exactly how much you have. A sealable large glass jar, for storing the finished brandy. A towel, for wiping up any spills that might occur.
If you’re using a large 5 gallon (18. 9 L) still, it won’t fit inside a Dutch oven, so you’ll need to skip this and place the still directly over your heat source.
You’ll know the alcohol is going to start flowing soon by touching the copper tube where it enters the water. When it becomes hot, the alcohol is about to flow. [6] X Research source The slower the liquid flows from the spout, the better quality your brandy will be.
Collect the heads in small glasses. You’ll want to be able to save every drop of the hearts - the good stuff - which is coming out next. Collecting the distillate in a big glass increases the chances that everything will get muddled together. Keep smelling the distillate as it flows. The heads will smell better than the foreshots, but not nearly so sweet and pure as the hearts. The heads and foreshots together will comprise the first 30 ml per 1. 5 liters (0. 4 US gal) of wine.
Adjust the temperature as necessary. As the distillation process nears its end, you’ll need to keep increasing the temperature to achieve the same flow rate. Keep turning it up so that 1 drop per 1-3 seconds continues to flow. Do not overheat the still, and do not let it boil dry.
After the distillation process, it’s important to clean your still carefully.
