Pear Brandy (Williams / Poire) is a wash recipe targeting original gravity 1.050 with a crushed williams (bartlett) pears bill. Use it as the starting fermentation for brandy runs in Broover, or as a reference template for your own variation.
Sugar bill, yeast, nutrient, target original gravity, and fermentation temperature band. These values pre-fill the New Wash form so you're not retyping them every time you start a fermentation.
Eau-de-vie tradition from Alsace. Williams (Bartlett) pears are the canonical variety — high aromatic intensity. Whole-fruit ferment on the pulp is traditional and gives the fullest pear character.
PRE-FERMENT: Crush ripe pears to mush. Add Campden tablets 24h before yeast pitch (sulphites wild yeast on the fruit skin). Add pectic enzyme 12h before pitch (breaks down pectin, releases more juice + reduces methanol potential).
FERMENT: Long pulp contact — 14–21 days. Cool (15–18°C) preserves the volatile pear aromas that ARE the spirit.
DISTILLATION: POT STILL, single OR double distil. Single distil produces fuller character (traditional in Alsace); double gives a cleaner product. HEADS CUT MATTERS — pome fruit methanol risk again. Discard 50 mL foreshots + 100 mL heads. Hearts at 65–70% ABV off spout. Stop EARLY to preserve pear aroma — wide cuts dilute the character.
STILL HYGIENE: Pulp scorches easily. Use a thumper, bain-marie, or strain pulp before charging the still. Scorched pear smells of burnt cabbage.
AGING: Eau-de-vie is BOTTLED UNAGED — clear, to preserve the aroma. If aged, use neutral glass or stainless, NOT oak (oak overpowers the delicate pear).
GOTCHAS: Underripe pears = no flavour, no sugar. Wait for the fruit to be fragrant + soft when pressed. Hard pears = brandy that tastes like nothing.
Source: HD forum + Bertrand/Wendt eau-de-vie references. Typical OG ~1.050 (varies HEAVILY with ripeness), FG 0.995, wash ABV 6–7%.
Broover is the workflow app for craft and home distillers — track every wash, distillation run, and bottled lot from a single screen with full provenance from kettle to bottle. Clone this recipe to your account and Broover pre-fills your next wash from these settings; strip and spirit runs link automatically, and the bottled lot at the end traces all the way back to this recipe.