How to Make TEQUILA w/ AGAVE SYRUP!

I made an agave spirit like Mezcal and Tequila from Agave Syrup that I bought at the grocery store. I used some interesting techniques to bump up the flavor profile and get as close to a traditional flavor as possible with agave syrup.
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Agave Spirit Recipe: OG=1.070
1.25 Gallons (4.75L) Agave Nectar (11lbs or 5Kg by weight)- amzn.to/374gcZQ
4 Gallons (15L) Water
7.5 tsp Yeast Energizer - amzn.to/3nNopIw
4-6Tablespoons Distillers Active Dry Yeast (DADY) - amzn.to/3pMvwCV
Optional - 2T active culture yogurt or 1 cup Sourdough Starter
pH Test Strips - amzn.to/39iEkuv
Shop at Amazon using these affiliate links to help support my channel without costing you anything extra. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
1. Combine the water, agave nectar, yeast energizer and yeast. Aerate the wash thoroughly, then airlock it and ferment at 95F(35C) until gravity reading is consistent. 5-7 days. See notes below for details.
Gravity Reading: Your Original Gravity should be in the range of 1.060 to 1.070. No higher than that to keep the fermentation healthy.
Temperature: Float the temperature of the wash as close to 95F or 35C as you can.
Nutrient: Use a quality Yeast Energizer when you pitch your yeast. Then as the gravity drops wait until about 30% of the sugar has been depleted before adding a half dose of more nutrient. For example, my OG was 1.070 and I waited until it was below 1.047 before adding more nutrient. This will ensure the yeast stays healthy throughout the whole fermentation.
pH: This is critical. Check the pH daily and adjust it with baking soda or calcium carbonate to keep it between 4 and 5. Add baking soda 1 Tablespoon at a time, and check pH before adding more.
Yeast: Use DADY yeast and pitch heavy. Add at least 4 Tablespoons per 5 gallons of wash. Try adding other strains of yeast if necessary to get it started, or to restart.
Agitation and Oxygenation: Oxygenate the wash very well at pitching time, and then agitate it with bucket shaking or stirring once a day.
Flavor Booster1: Make a Bochet syrup with a small portion of the agave syrup by simmering it on medium low for 20-30 minutes until the color darkens significantly. Dissolve this dark syrup in water before adding to the wash.
Flavor Booster2: Add sourdough starter and/or Active Culture Yogurt to the wash 24-48 hours before pitching yeast. Allow a lactobacillus fermentation to take place to create acid and help with ester production.
DISTILLING NOTES: From a professional distiller, they found that since agave syrup has a lot less inherent flavor than the fresh roasted agave pulp it is better to de-tune their still to run at a lower ABV, around 60-70%, and run slow. This seemed to preserve more flavor.
Disclaimer: This video may contain a simulation of the process of distillation filmed for entertainment and educational purposes only. The equipment depicted is solely for the production of distilled water and essential oils. The information on the process is provided for its entertainment and educational value only. Distillation of alcohol is currently illegal at the U.S. Federal level if done without a license, even for the sole purpose of personal consumption. Understand and follow Federal and State laws when making alcoholic beverages. If you attempt this project, you assume all risk. Please drink responsibly.
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#HowToMakeTequila #HomemadeTequila #AgaveSyrup

[@BeardedBored]

*Check out the Follow Up Video where I made Pechuga with this agave spirit:-)* kzbin.info/www/bejne/lX_aeaWXeK9mntk

[@danielray1484]

I can't remember where you're from. You might find Agave at the Mexican grocery stores.

[@BeardedBored]

@@danielray1484 You must be psychic, because I just found some agave leaves at the market. Going to try making a "grungier" version of the tequila this month;-)

[@toddsimi5998]

@@BeardedBored I found a couple online nuseries that will sell and ship Blue Agave to you.

[@vruychev]

I found Blue Green Agave Organic Nectar, Raw Blue, 176 Ounce on Amazon for $37 and made a 10 gallon solution of it with 6lb of raw honey added. Yeast nutrient (1 tea spoon per gal) and pitched Red Star Premier Blanc Wine Yeast. This was done at ~75F in 10 days. BEST FLAVOR EVER!!!!

[@BeardedBored]

Nice! All the glucose in the honey helps keep the fructose ratio nice and low. There is a craft distiller I read about that uses molasses in his mix. Might have to try both;-)

[@bassmonsteradsit7160]

I really like the way you break things down and add your own, easy going sense of humor. Definitely inspiring me to some day give this a shot!

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks so much! Do tons of research in the meantime to knock down the learning curve and feel free to ask questions:-)

[@StillIt]

This is awesome man! Mrs bearded ftw!! Glad you found the toasty/ maple thing!

[@BeardedBored]

She's an untapped resource:-)

[@notwithintolerance]

@@BeardedBored *Ba-Dum-Tshh!* Untapped resource?.... I see what you did there.

[@politenessisquay648]

So I just put a wash down .. followed 95% of what you where talking about .. your cherry 🍒 flavor is coming out in the Caramelizing as I tasted it before I added it to the wash

[@1QKGLH]

I followed your recipe for hard cider and love it. I'll be making "agave spirit" now. Thanks Beardie!

[@kevinacres1699]

I have been waiting to see a video like this anywhere on KZbin. I tried something similar but your bullet points and suggestions for flavouring fantastic.

[@BeardedBored]

That's why I made it;-) Glad I could help.

[@davidrishtakov1]

I'd like to say that I really³ appreciate the fact that you don't pretentiously gas on and on AND get to the point. Fantastic content and presentation. Big thanks

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks!

[@desertriderukverun1002]

One of your best videos to date, educational and entertaining. I'm just getting into distilling and had been wondering about tequila. Sounds like a fairly straight forward method.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks so much! Have fun:-)

[@desertriderukverun1002]

@@BeardedBored I wonder if putting a couple pounds of corn meal in the ferment would help feed the yeast and add some flavor?

[@kayoray]

Yes you can get piña pieces at the ranch pro's supermarket by my house already roasted when in season . Its a little pricy but if you want a treat, the price doesn't matter. Just give them a look up online 👍

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks man, I'll do some Googling:-)

[@regretdistillery3501]

Where is this supermarket located?

[@rockyrdc]

Thank you my friend and good luck on the new job or get back to us soon which ever you prefer

[@jaredobrien9758]

Another well done vid mate! Mrs Boared was awesome! I was thinking “if that’s not whiteboard marker on that plate, he’s in trouble” 🤣

[@BeardedBored]

Lucky for me it's a paper plate, 😂! Thanks brother!

[@Greedman456]

Awesome video and very very detailed explanation. Thanks for the tryout!!!

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks!

[@SCP-4680]

Saw a quick flash of one of my fav lalvin yeast! Love this man. Great easy to follow info

[@BeardedBored]

Good old EC1118 let me down this time. First time for everything I guess.

[@keving4191]

I have made this twice. The batch in the summer fermented all of the way out. The batch in the winter got stuck. Everything was exactly the same, only the temperature of the fermentation room was different. Eventually I got it to finish by adding some additional nutrient and yeast. Really good flavor. I think I will try another batch with the bochet and keep it warmer while fermenting. Thanks for the great info.

[@BeardedBored]

The variability of the performance was the biggest thing I noticed in all my reading. Hoping this helps everybody find the sticking points and avoid them. Good luck on the bochet, brother!

[@exmcgee1647]

I did this Last month. It was awesome!

[@BeardedBored]

Congrats!!👍🤘

[@michaelnichols1977]

Nice excitement, thanks for sharing mate!

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks Mike!

[@patrickheersche9056]

I am glad I found this video. I made some earlier this year and had a difficult time fermenting. I did use the champaign yeast and left it alone for 2 months and it did ferment out. I appreciate the suggestions of adding yogurt and caramelizing the syrup and will try that with my next batch. I also use dead yeast for nutrients.

[@BeardedBored]

Agave is bit tricky. I'll be doing another one this year, Tequila 2.0 to see if I can get more flavor out of it.

[@danssv8]

Awesome very useful tips mate , cheers and happy distilling

[@BeardedBored]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@bruvance]

This is really interesting, had no idea brewing had so much chemistry involved. Great video.

[@BeardedBored]

Best hobby there is:-)

[@rogerbarrett2237]

I can hardly wait for next week. I love your flavor of weird.

[@BeardedBored]

It's weird, even for me:-)

[@jamesramey3549]

Awesome job on the research, I notice you were up late editing and putting this video out there. Happy to be a patron!!

[@BeardedBored]

I have a bad habit of underestimating the editing time:-) Thanks so much brother!

[@jamesramey3549]

@@BeardedBored respect the dedication, stayed up late last night starting a rum (the easy part) and starting a barley/corn mash. They are bubbling away nicely!!

[@BeardedBored]

@@jamesramey3549 Good luck on both projects!

[@everydayden5826]

This isn't related to this agave thread directly, but thanks again for all you do for us in the community. You, George , Jessie and Randy are valuable assets to us all, and your particular labors as well as their's, are appreciated more than you know. I've been following CS Meade for a while now, and I am sure that the collaboration will be a great thing. Congrats !!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family from me and mine. -- den in NH ( just a couple of hours from where it ( T-giving ) all began. PS. I did a hot pepper jelly wine I will tell you about in the future if it is of interest to you.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks Den! Send me an email about the pepper jelly wine. Sounds great!

[@stillworksandbrewing]

Thanks Beared great video always interesting.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks brother!

[@wojciechjurczyk9927]

Awesome work Bearded! i do like your funny cuts durrnig the video, hope to see more!

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks brother:-)

[@angrypastabrewing]

Well done. And I like the Start Trek reference.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks man! Been trying to get a Star Trek clip in somewhere for awhile:-)

[@Randy_84]

@@BeardedBored make sense, I just thought you meant you weren't allowed to have them.

[@gregorytoddsmith9744]

This was really enjoyable. Mrs. B&B brings her discernable pallet to yet another of your creations. We all like or dislike whatever hits the senses. Well done Mr. B&B!! I recently had a jalapeno infused beer. Bring the Heat on something in the future. 🔥🌶

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks Gregory!

[@BigEdsGuns]

B&B, Did you save some of the backset? Use an eyedropper and add a drop or two of backset to a small test jar to increase flavor. This flavor boost is usually done with dark rums, but it can be done with any spirit that is going to be aged. Cheers!

[@BeardedBored]

Awesome tip Ed!

[@rileysowner]

Interesting idea. I just found out about this with Rum, but for this is sounds like a great idea.

[@andreslucero4976]

Mexican supermarkets usually carry agave "leaves " in the produce section, you can roast and grind them up and add the pulp and juice to the agave syrup wash prior to pitching the yeast.

[@BeardedBored]

I'll start looking for some. Thanks:-)

[@roycesjourney37]

Dude. Love your channel. This looks cool.

[@BeardedBored]

Hey, thanks!

[@robertartibise5998]

Thank you One of the best videos, awesome work Bearded. I've made the HD recipe Hawquillla in July 2019, then put in on heavy toasted oak sticks. I should say that I charred half the sticks. Your video reminded me and I went out to the garage for a taste. The ABV was at 58%, lower than I expected hmmm, but the product is bonkers good. Then I tasted a tsp of the reserved neutral and as I remember it was smooth and quite different from any sugar shine. I've never done a UJSSM. The Hawquillla uses some rye content that I think really helped it a lot. I know this is far from what should be used in a Tequila, but hey do we really know what's in a Tequila. As far as I know anything can be added. So rye made mine way better IMO. Also we did a Agave to corn syrup taste test and could barely taste the difference. I was surprised. What do you think? Thanks for the tips, my notes show that I didn't ferment out dry, but I didn't follow your amazing bullets. Keep it up and thanks!!

[@BeardedBored]

Dude, I need the link to that. I can't find it on HD. Sounds cool. As far as agave and corn syrup tasting the same, there are some agave syrups that are mostly corn syrup, so maybe that's what you had? Mine was light tasting, but very distinctively agave. Going to try another one from Amazon that is darker "raw" agave nectar.

[@adamw2785]

Poor Tasha Yar. For the yeast, I'd also recommend trying Lalvin 71B, DistilaMax TQ, DistilaMax LS, or SafTeq Blue. The 7B has been used by others successfully to make something like a homemade Tequila/Mezcal, and the latter 3 are specifically created to make Mezcal/Tequila, and in the case of DM LS also fruit brandies. I also wonder if adding some inulin would be beneficial, flavour wise. Agave plants don't actually have much starch in them, they overwhelmingly contain a carbohydrate called inulin instead, made up of chained fructose molecules, versus starches chained glucose molecules. Which is why when the agave heart is roasted, the inulin undergoes thermal decomposition and breaks down into fructose molecules, the sugar source for the yeast. Maybe having inulin in there will give it a more original flavour. You can buy agave sourced inulin powder too, if all they are doing is pulping, soaking, and then removing water, it might be a very good source for making Mezcal/Tequila. Yeast can't assimilate or ferment it though, but I'll touch on some possible solutions after I talk about another source of syrup. For the other source of the agave syrup. There is a company called Wholesome Sweeteners that makes a Raw Organic Blue Agave Syrup. You can buy it in small bottles like you already had, but you can also buy it from them in bulk, maybe setup a group buy, because the bulk is 55gal, lol. I don't know how much better it would be than the stuff you purchased, but it might be worth trying out. So back to the agave inulin powder, how could you use it? Thermal decomposition works, there are 2 ways. 1. Dry process: You can cook it in your oven at 135C to 190C (275F to 375F), for 45min to 1h, and 90% to 100% of the inulin should decompose into fructose, but some unfermentable fructose based compounds will also be produced. 2. Wet process: You can cook the inulin in a water mixture, on the stove or in a pressure cooker, the pH of the solution needs to be below 5 and as close to 4 as possible for maximum return, if it isn't below 5, very little or nothing will happen. Length of time is just over an hour as well. Less unfermentable products are created in this process. Traditional roasting is effectively a combination of these 2 processes, so it's impossible to say you have to do it this way, to simulate what is really happening. You can also try and track down some inulinase enzyme, might not be that easy (Alibaba has it though), but then you won't really need to add any heat, it will be like adding amylase enzymes. That said, Aspergillus oryzae, the same fungus referred to as koji for making Sake/Shochu/Soju, makes inulinase and can break down inulin into fructose. So you could potentially have some sort of Japan/Mexico fusion spirit, it might taste exactly like Tequila, or Shochu, or a combination, who knows?! Obviously, using an inulin powder would be similar to using a corn starch to make a bourbon, so it might not make that great of a product in the end, something to experiment with! I am also looking into "agave powder", and I'm still waiting to hear back from a semi-local source if it is in fact just powdered agave heart, or if it is something else like just crystalized fructose and inulin mixed together.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks for the detailed paper Adam! I knew you'd have some good info:-)

[@robertartibise5998]

Holy smokes Adam! What an amazing description. I've got a couple of comments but I'll make them in a different thread as they are nowhere near this caliber. PS. Thanks for the recipe help a few weeks ago

[@kurttrzeciak8326]

Adam, you sir should have a KZbin channel of your own! Some really interesting information and ideas you have shared!

[@adamw2785]

@@kurttrzeciak8326 I do have one. It's just down right now because my desktop crapped out on me and I can't afford to get a new one until after Xmas. The channel is called StillBehindTheBench.

[@kurttrzeciak8326]

@@adamw2785 well you have a new subscriber....me!

[@johnpilon]

BEARDED! You gotta check into using crushed oyster shells (cleaned) or seashells for sugar heavy washes! Just throw a handful into a mesh bag and add it to the fermenter. You can find bags of it at pet stores, garden stores and amazon. Since the shells are nearly 100% calcium carbonate - they work as a beautiful PH buffer. As the wash gets acidic, it chews away at the shells and keeps PH over 4.0 without any maintenance. Loving the videos, so thanks for all the hard work. :D

[@BeardedBored]

Yeah, you're right. I'll get some:-)

[@rcbran]

Well done!

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks so much brother!

[@Rubberduck-tx2bh]

Hey Bearded, great vid! As mentioned by some of the other folks here in Comment Section, I also used the Costco agave syrup & some sugar to get to correct SG. Next batch, I will definitely INVERT the sugar to help make it more convertible by our yeastie buddies. Inverting uses acid blend, which also helps bring down the pH of the wash. Another tip from the HD forums is to use a little hop bag with about a cup of oyster shells (5 lb bag is cheap @ Tractor Supply, or your nearest feed grain store). This helps keep the pH from crashing below 3, which is where those dreaded stalls happen. My ferment on my 1st batch took over 3 weeks due to finish due to said stall. Oyster shells do wonders - trust me... For aging, I got a wonderful slight smoky, complex flavor & mouth feel in just a couple months with medium toasted oak cubes + some agave barrel chips. Great for sipping on ice!!!

[@BeardedBored]

Awesome advice brother!

[@Rubberduck-tx2bh]

@@BeardedBored Oh, forgot to mention an alternative name (also from HD forums): FAUX-quila !!!!

[@bensoulsby86]

That's a genius idea with the bouchet to give it some depth. You could even go really crazy with it and burn up some nopales for a smoky grungy vegetal character.

[@BeardedBored]

I like that idea dude!

[@HisVirusness]

Man, you make some really unique homebrews.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks!

[@puddingwar5110]

I've done a similar Agave Spirit but I made it upto gen 4 using around 20% backset to try and build up the agave flavors instead of cooking up a syrup concentrate. I agree PH is important I used both calcium carbonate and oyster shells/ chicken scratch the later was more a set and forget it option. I found tequila flavors like to hide in the tails and the stuff on french oak really turned into something great with some time.

[@BeardedBored]

I'm thinking about a generational spirit. Our tails smelled like gym socks all the way through. Never had them come out so uniform before. They were also clear and had no fusel oil film, which was surprising. But other than the little bit of aloe at the transition, it was a bit disappointing to not get any other nuggets of flavor.

[@DeeKitchen]

Nicely explained will try

[@BeardedBored]

Good luck:-)

[@gnomzb5070]

Until now I was convinced that a not not tequila spirit can not be distilled at home. :) Thanks a lot for the recipe and the great insight into the process.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks brother:-)

[@LP23D6]

Agave, You'll be growing it in your garden next year. I have often wondered about the syrup while stopping in the baking aisle for some sugar. Great vid B&B

[@BeardedBored]

I think it rains too much here. Might go on a field trip after covid to see if I can find some growing wild.

[@LP23D6]

@@BeardedBored I like it says, once established, neglect is how to grow agave and produce happy plants. My kind of plant there! LOL www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/agave/growing-agave.htm#:~:text=Agaves%20need%20full%20sun%20and,to%20dry%20out%20before%20irrigation.

[@deweydewey]

Great job. Ph is the major thing. It took me about a year to figure it out. Go easy on the oak . It changes it very quickly and the oak over powers your spirit.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks for the tip Dewey!

[@kevinauld4367]

I have been using my own blend's of yeasts and have never had a problem .

[@BeardedBored]

Which yeasts do you like for agave?

[@Jose-hq5gv]

Hey man congrats on 40k subs!

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks brother!

[@KobaKong777]

I dont even drink and you make me wanna make some just to give to guests.😁😁😁

[@my1956effie]

Great content.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks so much!

[@heymulen1840]

Bonkers ? Strange ? Weird ? 🤨 More than Usual ?? ?🤣 Loved the video. An the fact your wife helped you make it, make her, her weight worth in gold ! 👍 Love the smell when I make the honey bochet for "burnt" mead. Save a picture of the burnt samples progress for next time. Thanks man, stay safe 🥳

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks Mulen! Couldn't have gotten the video done without her:-)

[@spikelove9533]

I tied Agave necter a couple years ago I had a gravity of 1.010 I used dady yeast but I stirred it on my mag stir for 2 days. I didn't do the bochet step or the yogurt trick. Mine fermented down to 0 i little below if I remember. I also pot stilled it but like I normally would. I wasn't impressed it was more of a sugar wash. Now it looks like I need to revisit the Agave. Im in San Diego when covid is over ill be working on some Agave heart. I had a line on before covid but I lost track of my contact. But if I get a source ill get ahold of you. Another great vid full of neat things to try !

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks so much!

[@kennethw.puckett8988]

Ha I really like this video -- After I get better at running my still will relook at this .

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks man! Good luck on the practice;-)

[@skyhookspirits]

There are two types of Agave syrup, light (which you used) and dark. I've found the dark carries more flavor over to the final spirit. Also, one can add Tiquila flavor extracts to create a better end flavor. If you use flavor extracts start with small amounts. It is easy to over flavor. You can't remove them if you too much.

[@BeardedBored]

Yeah, I think I'm going to try it with the dark next time, but don't know if I'd used the extract.

[@rileysowner]

Time to get some agave nectar and try this out.

[@forgotten_hero_360]

Tepache is Mexican too and i heard mrs. Bearded requested you to make it means you're gonna do that Yayy uncle bearded I'm happy

[@The7thSonSteve-O]

I used to have them growing along my property line. Grew like crazy

[@BeardedBored]

If only you had known then what you know now;-)

[@lukejosselyn7706]

Love all your vids Bearded & I've watched this one a few times🤘🏻 I was curious on your thoughts about possibly creating a muck pit with the backset like a lot of people do with rum to introduce those acids to create the esters in either the ferment or most likely just straight into the boiler when distilling since this seems like it can be a temperamental fermentation.

[@BeardedBored]

Interesting idea!

[@easco42]

I wanted to make the Carmelized syrup but I know that burnt honey is a common off-flavor in Bochet Meads so I caramelized the Agave by adding 2 lbs (approx 1 kg) of syrup in a quart jar and putting it in a Sous Vide water bath at 185 ˚F (85 ˚C) for 24 hours. It deepened the color really well and gave the syrup a rich caramel flavor without darkening it too much.

[@BeardedBored]

Nice! I really need to get a sous vide rig:-)

[@davidrogers6262]

My mama used to say, " Bobby Bochette, That Tequila's the DEVIL!"😂

[@BeardedBored]

😜

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Nice video! I love that you tell people not to skip steps.. you know they are going to, right? :)

[@BeardedBored]

Yep. I've been known to be a step skipper on occasion, so I figured I better add that in there:-)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@BeardedBored aren’t we all?

[@BeardedBored]

@@CitySteadingBrews LoL:-)

[@kennethw.puckett8988]

Ha Just a update -- I am now set up . Running 10 gallons every 2 weeks . Thanks for all the information You & Still It & George are Alsome for all The Newbies .

[@BeardedBored]

Happy to help:-)

[@ThinkFreely2012]

This was great dude. My wife prefers tequila and has been poking at me to make some, other than that she doesn't care lol. I'm definitely going to look into this more. Main thing that put my of was the expense. Thanks brother.

[@BeardedBored]

The agave nectar I linked in the description is about $35. Pricier than a grain bill, but way cheaper than honey;-)

[@billjiron8475]

Thanks for the great information. Can you expand on what de-tuning the still would look like?

[@BeardedBored]

Depends on your set up. If you had several bubble plates in the column, you would remove some of them. Basically do what ever you can to reduce the output abv. It can be a simple as removing column packing. If you don't have any of that, just run slow.

[@ShortCircuitedBrewers]

Interestingly enough. I had success without any of the tips except the nutrients and the temp. I did use tequila yeast though. Mine came out very close to the "actual" product. I wonder if you could smoke a little syrup to add some character. Good tips. I may try again and use your tips. 👍🍻 Tip: Costco has crazy good prices on organic agave nectar! $10 for 3lbs

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks man:-)

[@bowsmythe]

I tried this with Agave nectar and nopalitas (prickly pear pads). I also aged it with some Jack Daniels smoking chips to "age" it. it turned out great! I had seen that's what a distillery in Texas was using. they also used jalapeno which is something I've tried but didn't really appreciate.

[@BeardedBored]

Awesome! Did you roast the nopales or just use them fresh?

[@bowsmythe]

@@BeardedBored Hi, they were raw. It was my first experiment with it. I don't get to do this hobby often but I love doing it. I may try roasting or smoking them next time. Thanks for the idea

[@kinggkeke12]

I live in VA and bought an adult agave plant a few months ago from Walmart on clearance. I actually propagated it so now have a little baby agave . Check Walmart’s Plant aisles

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks:-)

[@sta39cee]

I am using your instructions for making "agave" spirit. I will also use these instructions in making rum. It seems like it would work equally well with rum, seeing that both washes are syrup based. Wish me luck.

[@RandolphJohnson]

Nice! And you know your Star Trek!

[@BeardedBored]

Long time nerd:-)

[@Edgunsuk]

""violent cactus juice "" i want to see Jesse try this now PS cant wait for the CS brews colab !!

[@BeardedBored]

I like that!

[@joecuddington3205]

Mad points for the TNG reference. And who knew making agave wine would be such a pain? My wife wants me to try since she loves tequila.

[@BeardedBored]

It's pretty good as a wine too:-)

[@SuperOrcy]

I tried homemade tequila from agave syrup. distillamax LS yeast. stripped as fast as my pot will run then a slower spirit run. what I got in the end was very neutral. Oaking improved it a little, but I have been left with what could be best described as a very clean slightly fruity vodka. I think if I try again i'll bump the ferment temperature and really push the speed.

[@BeardedBored]

Try low and slow to see if you get more esters.

[@firstfromabove]

I know this video is older and you probably already have an answer. But you can buy agave plants at a lot of landscaping supply companies in the southeast, like the one I work for. They aren't mature, but growing your own agave for a while makes it more satisfying.

[@bryanderian8276]

I always do a starter yeast.that proofs my yeast.thx

[@raphaelalba574]

Not sure if it’s been mentioned but I recently did a generational batch with 21 missions agave. It came out great. My best test to date. Also, ran a batch in a thumper with their terpene. It gave it that roasted flavor I was looking for. I may have stripped it a bit much of the flavor but it’s really smooth after I cut it to 120. Aging some on Hungarian and French oak now.

[@BeardedBored]

Nice! How many generations?

[@raphaelalba574]

@@BeardedBored 4 generations. 30 gallons using 5 gallons of agave (each time with a different type of agave to build complexity) came out to roughly 1.05 each time. I had a rough time maintaining the ph. As you mentioned, it kept wanting to go to 3 ph. Your video was very helpful. Thanks. The terpene they sell is an unfermentable adjunct (from what I understood a by product of nectar making process). I was concerned it would burn in the boiler with my wash and internal element so used 1 gallon of it in a thumper.

[@BeardedBored]

@@raphaelalba574 Thanks for the details!

[@raphaelalba574]

@@BeardedBored no problem. Love your channel and experiments. Thanks

[@AdamSteidl]

Blue agave readily grows in Florida, and makes tons of "babies" on each plant, each able to grow big.

[@BeardedBored]

I guess I could put an add on craiglist offering to remove unwanted agave plants;-) Customer - "Thanks for coming by to dig these agave plants up for me. So how long have you been a landscaper?" Me - "Oh I'm not a landscaper. I need these for...uhh...science. Pass me that axe."

[@stillfrugal1695]

LOL Nothing ventured, Nothing gained. :)

[@jamesfry8983]

This reminds me of jam (jelly) wine which is almost the same to get started

[@BeardedBored]

Did not know that. Thanks for the tip:-)

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Damn bro. Looks good.

[@BeardedBored]

Thanks Rand!

[@billcharlton1434]

I just finished up an agave watermelon wine. It’s cold crashing as we speak. I used real watermelons which I juiced and real agave from Puerto Rico. I want to see how it tastes before I steam it through my steaming apparatus. Cheers!

[@BeardedBored]

Sounds fantastic! Have a good steam:-)

[@dback1976]

Very good video. This has inspired me to make a tequila. I'm from Australia and we have blue weber agave growing everywhere like a weed here. Would love to see a video where you use agave pina!

[@BeardedBored]

I hope to someday too.

[@toddsimi5998]

Agave Nectar has been fermenting for 2 days now and going like crazy. I've read that many "Nectars" are processed at a lower temp. and doesn't have as much fructose as the syrup as the syrup is processed at a hotter temp. that creates the fructose. Update: Fermented dry in 3 days from an OG of 1.084 and a fermentation temp of 85F

[@Rev-D1963]

I've wondered about spirit made from agave syrup since I saw it the first time. Cool stuff man! Did you try it in the glencairn glasses??? If not, wonder what you could find with them. Another cool vid brother, thanks! Rev. D.

[@BeardedBored]

I did two tastings. The first was with the glencairn. Problem was I forgot to hit record on the camera and didn't realize it til I was editing the video, LoL:-)

[@cvanalstyne2905]

It’s to bad you aren’t going to make it again with the syrup as Costco now sells it by the gallon. Ingredients are Organic Blue Webber Agave.

[@BeardedBored]

Got another process I'm working on for version 2😉

[@qdmc12]

Thanks, I wish I had this info a year ago. I thought the stalls were from the tea I was using. I had been using Cote des Blanc and that does pep-up 48 to 72 hours after pitching, but yes, higher fermentation temperatures are preferred. I feel an EC-1118 or Safcider yeast would work better than the blanc. I have plans to make a Tea-quila using a modification of your applejack method. I may update you with the results of that project - I will be using nutrient now for that.

[@BeardedBored]

Glad I can help with future brews. Let me know how it goes:-)

[@qdmc12]

@@BeardedBored It went pretty well as I recall, that was about a year ago. I think the wine finished to 10 or 12% and jacking it brought it to about 45 to 50% ABV using the freezing temperature determination.

[@jefffawley3299]

Just started Agave syrup and cactus pear

[@BeardedBored]

NICE!!! Let me know how it goes

[@lazyplumber1616]

So...the Star Trek reference was on point. I'll probably watch this about 6 more times.

[@BeardedBored]

huuuuAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH! The way it echoes into space sticks with me.

[@josephkordinak1591]

Interesting. I was going to ask about caramelizing the syrup to get more flavor till you mentioned it. I wonder how much it adds.

[@BeardedBored]

1 bottle adds a noticeable burnt sugar note to the wash, and a slight dark sugar note to the spirit. Bump it up for more of that:-)

[@mndlessdrwer]

Dark agave syrup would make for a more flavorful spirit, similarly to how a darker molasses results in a rum with more dark, complex flavors. Depends on what you're looking for. Also, you have every right to be ridiculously proud of your wife. It's really hard to develop a nose for spirits, so being able to pick out so many distinct scents is really impressive.

[@pureprotein9597]

Don’t think so: pretty sure those darker colors come from the barrels they store the rum in, and in modern times they put cubes of wood in to color it artificially

[@GGEEED]

Hey Bearded, awesome video! I'm here in Jalisco Mexico and am harvesting some organic agave plants in the next couple week, let me know if you want any, Best Wishes, Eli

[@BeardedBored]

I'd love some, but shipping a 100 pound pina would be crazy expensive. Have fun and wear long sleeves and gloves. The sap burns like fire ants.

[@willcool713]

I have been planning to make a super dry agave wine to render into something like tequila. But my plan was to cold distill it like Apple Jack, which I assume will keep much more flavor. I now especially like the idea of very lightly caramelizing the syrup, to bring out more depth of flavor. I had been brainstorming about edible cacti and close cousins which I might roast and juice to add character. With cold distillation all the impurities are concentrated, so it'd be easy to go overboard with character. I used to have a homemade pot still, which worked well enough once you determined the temperature range needed and monitored it closely. But it took several runs for my six gallon carbouy. If I had a large vacuum chamber, I would vacuum distill it, as so many volitiles get lost in heating that this seems a perfect candidate for vacuum distillation. But, alas, poor man that I am, I plan to freeze the wine multiple times to get it up to as high a proof as de-icing can raise it. I'm suspecting +35%, but I have no real guide. If anybody has any ideas to share, I'd love to hear them.

[@BeardedBored]

Sounds like a great experiment. Let me know how it turns out.

[@MadJix]

I wonder if a step mash and some enzyme would help break down the fructose. Also, a kveik yeast might help blast through and keep you from getting a stuck ferment. I've been using hothead from omega for my beer lately and it's a beast! I ferment at 95° and it goes to dry within 24 hours!

[@BeardedBored]

I almost went with kveik yeast. I think it would do really well.

[@BeardedBored]

@@theworldisastage1984 Maybe? Never worked with it.

[@andrewcwight2967]

I recently bought some agave syrup for added sugars in my corn mash, I haven't started working it yet.

[@BeardedBored]

Cool idea:-)

[@danielgodfrey4415]

Funny that I keep coming back to this video for Fermentation temps and pH Got all this guy's numbers on my whiteboard in my still lab. (I ruined my parents with tequila). Been having problems with my fermentation. If you need a high fermentation temperature try using a space heater and a closet you are not opening too often

[@glleon80517]

Awesome! I love that you bring your culinary arts background to your recipes. You have gallons in your recipe and video but the syrup contents are in ounces or kg. Can you help us out here and give us a weight measurement?

[@BeardedBored]

I changed the details in the recipe just now. It's 5Kg of nectar. Thanks for the suggestion:-)

[@freewheelburning8834]

I love the taste of real traditional Tequila

[@BeardedBored]

My most recent tequila video gets MUCH closer to real tequila than any agave syrup based spirit I've ever had.

[@ericlondon5731]

Blessed are those who have a great friend as a wife

[@BeardedBored]

👍

[@markmathis5189]

I like the comment below about using nopal cactus leaves, and I was wondering if you could take the nopal leaves and slice them in half along the thin edge, roast them on an open wood fire, cut 'em up and put them into a botanicals attachment (in my Still Spirits dome pot still) and infuse this flavor back into the spirit run...?

[@BeardedBored]

I think you should try it and let me know how it goes cuz that sounds awesome!

[@japieduminy8058]

Hi Bearded, I am enjoying your videos tremendously. Although I would be suspicious if my wife knew exactly what a locker room smelled like off hand.😀 Jokes aside, what a pleasure if your wife is into your passion for distilling weird and wonderful stuff. Keep up the good work and regards and best of luck from South Africa. Hypothetically...

[@ODballin357]

I've been growing and propagating blue agave And other agave species for over 20 years.

[@BeardedBored]

Cool! Got a mature pina you need to get rid of? ;-)

[@cquicknrp4700]

Agave ? Literally anywhere, everywhere all over South Carolina oddly enough, I've got 2 in my front yard

[@timfoster9291]

I wonder if that would be a good base to then make a triple sec / lemoncello to use as a mixer. I have made some using 80 proof tequila and another batch using 120 proof grain alcohol. It would be great to make margaritas with all agave-based alcohol.

[@BeardedBored]

For sure:-)

[@rickascii]

My guess re: fermenting dry is that it did create some unfermentable sugars, and the 1.000 gravity is those sugars cancelling out with the 0.789 gravity of the alcohol.

[@russellgibbon8621]

Congratulations and thank you, Mr. B&B. Fascinating, as ever. I understand the brewing - fermentation process. What puzzles me is the blending part with your wife. Where or how did those 25 jars come into being?

[@russellgibbon8621]

I am a homebrewing Brit living in Mexico. My dream is to one day persuade a local to allow me to make my own tequila using one of their huge maguey plants. Locally they make pretty good pulque here, so when I follow YOUR recipe, I´ll add some of that too - for the bacteria component.

[@BeardedBored]

@@russellgibbon8621 Check out this couple who live in Mexico and did what you want to. kzbin.info/www/bejne/omStdKeOm7yorLM Maybe they can help you source the maguey if you can contact them. Good luck:-)

[@chadpunisher]

Me at the store: I'll take a bottle of that NOT NOT tequila. Clerk: WTF? Awesome video Bearded

[@BeardedBored]

Haha!

[@charlesdeshler202]

Tequila....... my first love.