Can You Ferment Maple Syrup at Home? Step-By-Step Instruction

“Happiness is maple syrup on pancakes” – However, for me, it’s ice cream, popcorn, pies, cakes, scones, and many more.

Maple syrup sprinkled over pancakes is everyone’s favorite. However, this golden brown syrup has other use than just being a side sprinkle. People often use maple syrup to make maple wine and mead.

However, how to do it? Is it possible to ferment maple syrup at home?

Yes, you can ferment maple syrup smoothly at home; it’s not rocket science. You can make maple mead by fermenting maple syrup with honey and maple wine by skipping the honey, fermenting simply the maple syrup.

However, easy, the task is not walking in the park, too. You need to follow proper procedures.

Let’s explore everything you need to know about fermenting maple syrup, maple mead, and maple wine.

What Is Maple Syrup?

In each cooking, maple syrup is a must-have item. It’s the most popular pancake topping and a common sweetener.

In addition to being used in sweet meals, Maple syrup is also utilized in savory cuisines. You can use it to create exquisite sauces and glazes.

Despite its widespread popularity, not everyone understands what maple syrup is made of.

Maple syrup is created from the sap of the maple tree. The maple tree sap is cooked until all of the water has evaporated, leaving behind a dense mass of sugars.

The sugars subsequently caramelize, giving maple syrup its glamorous golden brown color.

The flavor of all-natural maple syrup is rich and sweet, similar to that of brown sugar. The stronger the flavor, the darker the syrup.

Can You Ferment Maple Syrup At Home?

Maple syrup can be fermented. Unlike sap that isn’t rich enough in sugar to ferment, Real maple syrup can be fermented.

As maple sap is heated, the sugar content increases, creating an ideal condition for fermentation.

Real maple syrup can be fermented to generate Acerglyn, an alcoholic beverage. Maple syrup can also be fermented to make wine and ale.

Maple mead is Alcerglyn. Mead is honey wine, as you may know. Honey and water are fermented to make it.

A portion of the honey in maple mead, or Acerglyn, is replaced with pure maple syrup. To add warm flavors to maple mead, you can incorporate orange peels, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and even raisins. You can try the ready organic or granulated orange peel available in shops to make your task easy.

While many people confuse maple mead and maple wine, there is a significant distinction between the two. Maple wine is made without the use of honey.

How to Ferment Maple Syrup?

Depending on the drink you want to prepare, you can ferment maple syrup in several different ways.

However, whether you’re producing maple mead or wine, you’ll need a lot of pure maple syrup and necessary equipment, including-

• Fermenters
• Airlocks
• A thermometer
• A hydrometer
• Yeast
• Various containers, bottles, and siphons

A home brewer’s kit is often recommended by many.

How To Make Maple Mead (Acerglyn) At Home?

You’ll need the following materials to make maple mead-

1. 2 lbs. clover honey

2. Grade-A pure Maple Syrup 12.5 ounces. (For a richer, fuller flavor, use grade A maple syrup.) Make sure you’re using only pure maple syrup, not breakfast or pancake syrups.

3. Dechlorinated water 1 gallon

4. White wine yeast 1 packet

5. Half teaspoon yeast nutrient.

Making Maple Mead At Home: Step-By-Step Instruction

Follow the steps and easily make your maple mead at home.

• Begin by cleaning all of your brewing equipment. You should also disinfect the scissors you’ll use to open the yeast packet.
• Pour 1 gallon of dechlorinated water into your jar.
• Using a funnel, pour the honey into the water.
• Next, pour the maple syrup into that homey and water mixture.
• Shake the jar to help the fermentation process by aerating the contents.
• Add the yeast nutrition & the white wine yeast into that mixture.
• It’s now time to put your hydrometer to work. Take a gravity reading and verify that it is between 1.042 and 1.090.
• Place the airlock and the stopper in position.
• Allow 30 days for the mixture to ferment. Make sure the room temperature is between 66 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
• After 30 days, give the mead a tasting test. Continue fermenting for another week if you think it’s too sweet.
• When the mead is finished, bottle it.

Can You Ferment Maple Syrup Into Wine?

You can ferment maple syrup instead of honey if you don’t want honey in your drink. It will result in maple wine.

Materials You Need To Ferment Maple Syrup Into Wine

Everything you’ll need to ferment maple syrup into maple wine is listed below: 

1. Pure Maple Syrup 5 lbs.
2. Distilled water 1 gallon
3. Tartaric acid 1 ½ Teaspoon
4. Yeast energizer 1 teaspoon
5. Malic Acid 3 teaspoons
6. Wine Tannin ¼ teaspoon
7. Champagne Yeast 5gms

How To Make Maple Wine at Home?

Making maple wine at home is not rocket science; it’s not as easy as pie. However, if you know the steps and follow them correctly, your maple will be ready shortly.

Making Maple Wine At Home: Step-By-Step Instruction

• Begin by cleaning all of the tools you’ll be using. Sanitizing your equipment is essential whether you’re creating maple mead or wine.
• Fill your brewing container with 1 gallon of water.
• After that, add the maple syrup.
• To blend the maple syrup and water, stir them together. The mixing process creates bubbles in the water, which is beneficial to the fermentation process.
• Take a reading on gravity. If you get a 1.100, the maple wine will contain alcohol by volume (ABV) of 10% or more.
• The additives will be added next. Combine the malic and tartaric acids and add to the mixture. These two ingredients keep the composition from spoiling. They also have an impact on the final wine’s flavor.
• Then add the tannins from the wine. This ingredient impacts the texture of the drink. Tannins are naturally occurring compounds found in wood and bark.
• After the wine tannins have been added, add the yeast energizer. These are nutrients that help the yeast in the drink flourish. Because the sugars in maple syrup are insufficient to enable fermentation, you must add a yeast energizer.
• The yeast is the last element to be added.
• Shake the mixture to aerate it once you’ve added the yeast.
• Cover the container with a lid and secure it with an airlock.

What Does Fermented Maple Syrup Taste Like?

The flavor of fermented maple syrup varies according to the process of fermenting and the type of maple syrup used.

For example, maple mead has a dry but pleasant flavor. According to mead makers, maple mead fermented from grade A maple syrup gives a fuller flavor.

Different elements can also influence the flavor of maple wine. If you mature maple wine in whiskey barrels, it will have a bourbon-like flavor. Lemon juice, on the other hand, helps to balance out the sweetness of the maple wine.

Maple wine, on the other hand, is sweet but not sugary.

FAQs;

• Can you make liquor from maple syrup?

Yes, you can ferment Maple Syrup into mead or wine. Maple syrup can be processed into hard alcohols or used as a flavoring component in finished products.

• How long does it take for maple syrup to ferment?

As you can see from the above Fermenting Maple syrup process, it usually takes around 30 days to ferment.

• Can you make wine out of maple syrup?

Yes, if you ferment maple syrup by following the correct procedure, you can make mead or wine from the Maple syrup.

Take Away

Maple tree sap is naturally sweet; it’s easy to see why people collect it and turn it into maple syrup. It’s also logical to convert those same sugars into alcohol through fermentation.

Maple syrup can give a natural, subtle caramel flavor to various brewed and distilled alcoholic beverages. Maple syrup can also ferment on its own, thanks to the presence of wild yeast in the environment.

Even if your maple syrup has accidentally fermented in the bottle, it can still be utilized to flavor a variety of meals and recipes. Another approach to enrich flavors and add depth and dimension to your brews is ferment maple syrup into Acerglyn, maple ale or beer, or even maple wines and spirits.

Now you know – how can you ferment maple syrup at home. So, wear your apron, and let’s get to work.