Search found 19 matches

by Vanmark
Mon Apr 30, 2018 6:53 am
Forum: Rum
Topic: Show us your dunder pit
Replies: 104
Views: 27628

Re: Show us your dunder pit

The apple wine from which it came was quite acidic to begin with, so to get it going I'll probably need to up the pH a bit. I have quite some time before I need to use it so I'll wait to see how it stabilises.
by Vanmark
Sat Apr 28, 2018 11:43 pm
Forum: Rum
Topic: Show us your dunder pit
Replies: 104
Views: 27628

Re: Show us your dunder pit

Not quite a traditional dunder. This is the backset from a distilled apple wine, inoculated with a strong cheese and left in a cool basement. This growth happened in less than two weeks! The smell is still surprisingly mild, more or less like the regular backset. I'm going to let it ripen until next...
by Vanmark
Thu Jun 29, 2017 12:08 am
Forum: Rum
Topic: My infected Rum
Replies: 221
Views: 33119

Re: My infected Rum

Der wo, you mentioned the potatoes and I'm wondering if you washed it? Cut it into pieces or skinned it or just put a whole potato in the wash? I'm digging my spuds up tonight and I'm wondering, what if I added it 4 days after fermentation? Could it still have an impact or should I wait for the dun...
by Vanmark
Tue Jun 27, 2017 10:28 pm
Forum: Rum
Topic: My infected Rum
Replies: 221
Views: 33119

Re: My infected Rum

Also, living in denmark, we probably have access to similar supplies. What are you using for your molasses? Through work I'm ordering fancy organic molasses and cane sugar which is quite expensive... But I have found some animal feed molasses that is said to be from sugar cane and not beet root. I'l...
by Vanmark
Tue Jun 27, 2017 10:26 pm
Forum: Rum
Topic: My infected Rum
Replies: 221
Views: 33119

Re: My infected Rum

The dunder started an alcohol fermentation without adding new sugar? Strange. No, to the yeast bed I add dunder from the still, water, sugar, molasses and then two to three days later some live dunder. My advice for more taste is a flavorful wash (only molasses, no sugar) and flavorful low wines (n...
by Vanmark
Tue Jun 27, 2017 12:56 am
Forum: Rum
Topic: My infected Rum
Replies: 221
Views: 33119

Re: My infected Rum

Thought I'd drop in to relate my own progress. My process: A ferment of molasses, cane sugar and dunder straight from the still. Inoculated with live dunder three days into the fermentation, stripped and then diluted with live dunder to 28% for the spirit run. The fermentation is restarted after the...
by Vanmark
Fri May 19, 2017 12:24 am
Forum: Rum
Topic: Dunder Pit Starter Culture...
Replies: 31
Views: 7520

Re: Dunder Pit Starter Culture...

A rat might not be the worst addition to your dunder. Many a drowned creature have added their funk to dunder pits. I'm only kind of joking....
by Vanmark
Wed May 17, 2017 11:49 pm
Forum: Rum
Topic: My infected Rum
Replies: 221
Views: 33119

Re: My infected Rum

I'll be following this with interest. So far I have been adding live dunder two days after starting a fermentation. The fermentation is started on the old yeast bed along with some fresh yeast. Idea being to give the yeast a fighting chance. I then allow for a slow fermentation and a long rest. So f...
by Vanmark
Wed May 17, 2017 11:42 pm
Forum: Resources and Reviews
Topic: Used Whiskey Barrel Planters at Lowes
Replies: 41
Views: 23224

Re: Used Whiskey Barrel Planters at Lowes

I tested out the wine barrel in different versions: Untouched toast char toast and char There was also a control of heavily toasted french oak chips and medium toasted american oak chips. Toast is by far the winner for what I want. I'm looking to age some funky rum and it has the right balance of va...
by Vanmark
Wed May 17, 2017 12:49 am
Forum: Rum
Topic: muscovado rum
Replies: 28
Views: 5552

Re: muscovado rum

Interesting that there could be a potential of one of these toxins being volatile enough to come over during distillation. I'm having a hard time to believe it to be honest. Could be the molasses that was added back in was infected or the aging containers were holding on to something nasty. Has this...
by Vanmark
Tue May 16, 2017 11:54 pm
Forum: Rum
Topic: Dunder Pit Starter Culture...
Replies: 31
Views: 7520

Re: Dunder Pit Starter Culture...

Jimy, you need to inoculate it with something, especially in a colder climate. I live in Denmark so we are probably in a similar temperature. I also keep the bucket of funk in the basement where it's usually no more than 12c or so. But things happen, albeit slowly. I added some funky danish cheese t...
by Vanmark
Tue May 16, 2017 11:38 pm
Forum: Grains
Topic: My infected peated Malt Whisky
Replies: 38
Views: 7550

Re: My infected peated Malt Whisky

4. you mention you added chopped potato which can lead to infection with Clostridia. This concerns me as we all know the seriousness of Clostridia infection on the human body. Do you think that having this as a viable bacteria in the infected backset could lead to anything dangerous through the dis...
by Vanmark
Fri Apr 21, 2017 11:43 pm
Forum: Rum
Topic: Show us your dunder pit
Replies: 104
Views: 27628

Re: Show us your dunder pit

IMG_0426 (1).JPG I inoculated this one with some old Danish cheese that had the right combination of pukey and body sweat aroma. It should be a sign of propanoic and butyric acid producing organisms which once distilled should give some nice fruity aroma. Or maybe I'll just have puke rum? Don't kno...
by Vanmark
Fri Apr 07, 2017 12:23 am
Forum: Resources and Reviews
Topic: Used Whiskey Barrel Planters at Lowes
Replies: 41
Views: 23224

Re: Used Whiskey Barrel Planters at Lowes

I also came across this in my search through other threads: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=45447 This is from Demptos Cooperage, who sell all over Europe. "Watch out for retoasting! Anyone who wants to recondition a used barrel should know that retoasting does not give s...
by Vanmark
Thu Apr 06, 2017 11:36 pm
Forum: Tried and True Recipes
Topic: Rye bread whiskey
Replies: 478
Views: 147863

Re: Rye bread whiskey

Better late than never: I started by racking, settling, racking and have now moved to skimming off the top rye bread floaters and pouring right into the still stopping right before the yeast and rye bread sludge comes over. I've noticed no difference in end result with both methods providing a nice ...
by Vanmark
Thu Apr 06, 2017 12:31 am
Forum: Resources and Reviews
Topic: Used Whiskey Barrel Planters at Lowes
Replies: 41
Views: 23224

Re: Used Whiskey Barrel Planters at Lowes

The question I have is on how I should process from here. From my understanding I should sand/plane off the outside layer and cut it into staves. But from there do I toast or just char? Any pointers would be appreciated. It depends on what your tastes are. Yesterday I posted the following Chart: Oa...
by Vanmark
Wed Apr 05, 2017 10:51 pm
Forum: Resources and Reviews
Topic: Used Whiskey Barrel Planters at Lowes
Replies: 41
Views: 23224

Re: Used Whiskey Barrel Planters at Lowes

Because this thread helped me a lot, reporting back to say this worked really well for oaking, and I still have more oak than I'll ever know what to do with for that original $45. I'm in Denmark and it's quite hard to find any oak products for booze other than chips which I have found to be flat ta...
by Vanmark
Tue Jan 17, 2017 3:40 pm
Forum: Tried and True Recipes
Topic: Rye bread whiskey
Replies: 478
Views: 147863

Re: Rye bread whiskey

It started off looking fine. I'm just getting back into the hobby after a long break so I'm comfortable, on a basic level, with how things should look, taste and feel like coming out of the still. Just a little out of touch and practice. On a 20l charge, following the recipe with the exception of ha...
by Vanmark
Tue Jan 17, 2017 7:03 am
Forum: Tried and True Recipes
Topic: Rye bread whiskey
Replies: 478
Views: 147863

Re: Rye bread whiskey

I ran my first batch of this as a sacrificial run on my still. I was impressed with the ferment and enjoy the fact that working at a bakery in Denmark I have access to plenty of rye bread. The spirit however seemed pretty oily and cloudy and just didn't smell great. I was wondering if it was due to ...