Spec...u...lating

[lowangle al]

I saw on TV the other day that maple syrup was responsible for widespread tooth decay of the early colonists. Anyway, keep up the good work, nothin but 100% pure for me.

T-man how many gallons of sap does it take to get a gallon of syrup?

[Teleman]

Colonists didn't have Crest!....That and Honey was about it for people living in the Gonzo....@ 48-50 gallons of sap to one gallon of syrup....Lots of boiling on our small rig....Made about 10 gallons of fancy yesterday....a very good boil for us...TM

[lowangle al]

Wow 50 gallons, so according to a previous post it must have taken 12 hours to evaporate about 500 gallons. Is that a typical batch ? How often do you have to tend the fire?

[Teleman]

Sort of...Probably on a good run of sap we will have about 500 gallons....On a big run lots more and you boil till your a zombie....If lucky enough to fire the rig in the AM all is well but if you fire the rig in the afternoon....sleep deprivation...Like yesterday no boiling and I was a couch potato....Will start this am and clean out all the sap....Have made 15 gallons of fancy which is high grade nitro....Everybody wants to make it....Best tasting is A medium amber...(opinion)....the Government regulators have changed the grading system and we won't follow their dictates....Regulators want to shut down all rigs like ours cause they don't meet standards....(bathrooms....concrete floors....stainless steel and plastic containers and filters....(you can taste the difference)...we also do not use sap suckers or reverse osmosis which also affects the taste....Kinda like Vectors and e99's...heh....Firing the rig (arch) is full time...every two minutes or so with soft wood one needs to rake the coals and open air flow...hardwood a little less work but while it lasts longer it wont combust with as much instant heat....Meanwhile the beer is flowing...ice cold.....the jokes are coming until you get seriously zombie out...An somebody says "It's running"....Oh...TM

[Johnny]

50 gallons T-Man? I think our trees are a bit sweeter here:

[MikeK]

40:1 is the ratio I've always heard. I'm sure it varies throughout the season.

[Teleman]

Lots of things go into sugaring but the first is Congratulations LJ....Wonder if she will become a sugar queen?...Tried to put a tiny amount of Fancy syrup on my Great Granddaughter's tongue....but...the women wouldn't let me! Next year says they....Our old roadside maples are high in sugar content and the new young serious producers need a bit of aging...Mix it together and we have some great fancy syrup with no reverse osmosis and no serious filtration...Done the old fashioned way and the taste is outta sight....Good ski on Sunday with a new friend from Telemarkeast on a visit....Man did Teleking and Telekid put on a show!!!!!! TM

[MikeK]

Throw out that Labatts! There's a new beer in town, just for the KTB!



Conveniently comes in cans for those arduous journeys out to ski camp. Nothing pretentious here. Just good old fashioned beer for guys who like their joints as slim as their skis.

[Teleman]

Our definition of Pinners is a bit different than yours Mike.....Major party forming this weekend....Free ski at Stowe and then up to Camp for raising Heel....leather heels....pinner heels....Great season and it isn't done yet....Back says don't do it at Stowe.....Damn....TM

[MikeK]

Umm... I think it's the same? The beer name is referring to a specific type of thin marijuana cigarette, which I'm surprised you got that reference. I was referring to BOTH, the gonz on skinny skis AND the ganga in a skinny paper!

Oskar Blues makes good beer. I've not had this particular type but I saw it at the beer store yesterday and thought of you.