molasses vodka

[pounsfos]

I really dont know what you would call this.

anyway the other day I had an idea, why not add some molasses to the ferment for nutrients and flavour?

long story short, it came up amazing

so far the recipe I have tried are:
500 grams molasses
5 kg white sugar ( i tried brown as well but saw no difference, YMMV)
10 grams yeast
fill with water to 25
mine took 1.5 weeks to ferment

after a strip and a spirit run, the final product was sweet, very drinkable and was gone very quickly....,
It's not a white rum as its not made from 100% sugar I'm not on expert on types of drinks so I could be wrong
Either way, its a great recipe.

I will be trying with 1kg of molasses next ferment.

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

Sounds good. I think the molasses and sugar make it a rum. Although rum is usually just molasses. But I could also be wrong. In sure someone will chirp up about it.

[Windy City]

Welcome to the world of rum
Molasses = sugar
White sugar = sugar
And yes it tastes yummy
The molasses will not give you all the nutes you want though. Check out Pugi's yeast bomb to help with fermentation.
I was originally a bourbon drinker before becoming a distiller but have now found a great appreciation for a good sipping rum.

[DAD300]

It's Rum if it comes off the still at less than 95%. But at 95% it becomes Vodka...some one actually got this approved by TTB.

[carbohydratesn]

Somebody who takes it off around 94.9%, I'd wager...

[Drunk-N-Smurf]

Rum is any spirit made with sugar cane as its main ingredient.

This includes but is not limited to
Sugar cane
Sugar cane juice,
Refined cane sugar (but not beet sugar, most sugar made in Canada is beet sugar, unless it specifically says cane sugar)
Molasses (sugar cane juice after most of the sugar has been cooked out of it)
Brown sugar (which is white sugar with a bit of molasses I believe) (as long as it's made from cane sugar)
Sugar in the raw (unrefined sugar?)
Icing sugar (as long as its made from cane sugar)

[Rastus]

I just saw your post and i have been looking for a new recipe for my new fermenter.

i have a batch of odin's Rye bread fermenting out now and want a second option,
this sounds like the one i will try. I have seen what Fermax will do now first hand
so i think in addition to your recipe I will add Fermax to kick the Yeast in high gear.

I had a nine generation run of Sweetfeed, but instead of using white sugar straight,
I used 1/3 white cane sugar 1/3 Brown sugar or sucanat, and 1/3 Molasses.
it was tasting pretty good by the end. but since those days
the darn bugs infested my sweet feed stash and i had to toss it...

so i will try a few rounds of this recipe and give straight molasses / white sugar a try
utilize the backset, and take a few generations ...

Congrats to you,

Best regards
Rastus

[NZChris]

You didn't give any time between stilling and quaffing, but you make it sound like it might be a good White Dog option for newbies with nothing in the cellar.

I have a few kgs of molasses waiting in line behind this year's grapes. If I remember, I'll try a small ferment of this and see how the local Quality Control Officers rate it.

[pounsfos]

I am about to put down the same recipe but with 1kg of molasses

my ferments usually take 2-3 weeks due to the cold here so thats normal for me

I made sloppy cuts and it still came out well (been on a tight schedual lately)

does anyone know if blackstrap molasses has enough nutrients in it for good fermentation?

Seemed to do well for me, but would like a better understanding (Will do some googling but if anyone has anything off the top of their head)

would make a great white dog for beginners, I chucked some on a vanilla bean 3 days ago and its already irresistible!!!!!

also it comes off my still at 95.6% (azeo)

[FullySilenced]

I do a birdwatcher recipe and add molasses to it sometimes... it call it "Dirty Bird" and if i double the molasses i call it "Dirtier Bird" and it's a light rum when pulled off at 93 or so ..

happy stillin,

FS

[NZChris]

does anyone know if blackstrap molasses has enough nutrients in it for good fermentation?

No, it's short on phosphate. DAP, or tomato paste will help. I add Vegemite as well.

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

I may give this a go for my next run. Sounds yummy.

[Tater]

I use feed molasses 2 gallons and 20 lb cane sugar. For a 15 gallon total in boiling water Do add a bit of Epson salts seems to help

[Rastus]

Does this stuff like to foam and froth much when it ferments?

i am asking so i can figure how much room at the top of my fermenter...

I am thinking:

4 pounds Molasses
14 pounds sugar
12 gallons water
and appropriate amount of Fermax with a good fusion of bakers yeast.

I cant wait to have a few tablespoons full of straight molasses
just because it tastes so dog gone good

I will see if i can con the old lady into a batch of molasses cookies also yummy

regards

[Brutal]

This sounds like a cool project! I might start up a recurring ferment of this to keep likker in the bottle. How about a simple-sour-mash-vodka-rum? I'll take two please.

[NZChris]

Does this stuff like to foam and froth much when it ferments?

i am asking so i can figure how much room at the top of my fermenter...

I am thinking:

4 pounds Molasses
14 pounds sugar
12 gallons water
and appropriate amount of Fermax with a good fusion of bakers yeast.

I cant wait to have a few tablespoons full of straight molasses
just because it tastes so dog gone good

I will see if i can con the old lady into a batch of molasses cookies also yummy

regards

I've never fermented molasses with anywhere near that much sugar so I can't predict how high your brown fountain will go if you use a small airlock.

[Rastus]

hmmm come to think about it i think 10 pounds of sugar may be more correct with 4 pounds of molasses comes to 14 pounds sweets to 12 gallons ... ill check the hydrometer and set for 1.080 or so


these days i use a loose lid rather than a bubbler.

[packhorse]

I have done several runs of this so far. It comes out really nice.

1/3 of a 14kg tub of molasses.
3kgs of brown sugar.
1 packet of "Distillers yeast Rum" from Still Spirits.
Top up to 25 litres with water.

When available I transfer the dunder from the previous wash. I have not kept a record of what washes I did this with so cant comment on the pros and cons.

I also did 2 washes with added chili in the ferment, one of which I added Chili in the still. While they are sill aging they taste fantastic so far adding a nice lip burn to the mix.

Next I will add some feijoa's. I have enough for a supplement but not enough for a pure feijoa ferment.

[NZChris]

For what it's worth, my estimate is that 2.1 kg of raw sugar to 1 kg molasses gets close to the original ratio of what gets pressed out of cane at the mill.

[Rastus]

so i started up my new batch

I started out with 10 pounds sugar 5 pounds Molasses.
when i get it all mixed with Approx. 11 or 12 gallons water my SG was 1.05
so i added 2 more pounds of sugar so ended up with:

12 sugar to 5 pounds molasses.

added approx 3 TBS Fermax
4 TBS bakers yeast started it to waking up in a bowl of warm water with sugar...

so now just got to sit back and let it rip.

cant wait to see how it turns out.

now i think i need to order up some coconut water to mix with the final product.

Thanks Pounsfos for the inspiration

[NZChris]

now i think i need to order up some coconut water to mix with the final product.

That sounds like a recipe for a very fine cockup.

Essence is very good, so try that first. My Jimbo inspired 35%ABV rum+essence was so good that I never let visitors taste it cos I didn't want them cleaning out the rum in my cellar.

[pounsfos]

be carefull as the molasses will put off the reading on the hydrometer....

[Rastus]

Thanks for the heads up on the readings....

within 3 hours i couldnt resist a sniff... and HOLY Yeast Apocalypse... that brown liquid was was fizzing like a fresh opened soda, and when i listened it was sizzling with yeastie effervescence and today it is boiling hard ... and the smell oh golly, i will have to see but along with the coconut water i was thinking also another flavor to play with would be some ginger, and a touch of allspice or clove perfect for the holidays next christmas

of course I am sure the flavor is going to shift away from the molasses flavors when i am done.

well cant wait to see how quickly this batch runs through..

regards

[Rastus]

This morning when i was getting ready to go I poked my nose in for my sniff of the good smells and today the hydrometer has dropped to 1.000 , i must say that is the fastest ferment i have ever experienced.

I mentioned adding 2 pounds when my specific Gravity was 1.05 and that raised it to 1.06. so i should be sitting good as soon as i can find a day to spare... so now i have this rum and a rye bread ready to still up.

life is good

[pounsfos]

wow, thats amazing to hear, it is winter in new zealand and keeping my fermenters warm is hard, when it -5c at night sometimes, mine moves about 0.05 a day at 16c

need to go buy some aquarium heaters and get that sorted.

1 month ferments arent out of the question for me, but it is nice to hear it can ferment in 3 days, cant wait till you get back on how it tastes distilled

I distill mine at 95.6% (like a vodka) and made a pretty wide cut, the molasses gives it a sweet note and a very VERY smooth texture.

report back when you have a minute

[NZChris]

This morning mine was over 36C, I took the duvet off, mid day the insulation, then wired a cooling fan into the controller.

Temperature is dropping a bit now and the 35W element has just come on. Put the insulation and duvet back on for the night. Shed smells great

[Rastus]

what kind of heater did you end up with? i went to the auto parts store and bought a battery heater blanket.

like this link shows:
http://www.amazon.com/Kats-22200-Watt-B ... B000I8XD9E" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

works great heats up in no time i just use some tape it around the barrel. 80 watts .

my first round is excellent i dropped a plate from my 5 plate 4" flute so i ran it with 4 plates and it came out an average 89% ABV i have been trying hard to resist as the second round is so close because i want to see how it tastes with the backet added to the 2nd generation.

HOWEVER: I did take a small jar and mixed in a small amount molasses into it. a mild amount, and it was foggy day one next day it cleared and wow ! i am very pleased with that and will experiment with various amounts of molasses ... and i will also set aside some backset for a dunder experiement.

I am very happy with the recipe. Fast and easy and the flavor is smooth and mildly sweet, molasses adds a touch of body and a broader flavor profile.
I went with 5 pounds of molasses and 12 pounds of white cane sugar to approx 12 gallons the Hydrometer floated at 1.060 , that was with about 4 - 5 inches of the sludge , dreggs left on the bottom of the barrel. so i am not certain about how much water i have in there my guess may be off but... in 3 days it is back down to 1.010 i did sprinkle just a teaspoon of the fermax into it the first day.

good day to you all

[NZChris]

This ferment is in a 90l SS can. An STC-1000 controlling a 4" fan and a 35W element stripped out of an electric blanket wrapped around a SS rack and placed under the can.

The electric blanket had two 35W elements. The other is in the bottom of an old fridge, currently a cheese cave, keeping some Swiss Cheeses warm to develop the holes.

[pounsfos]

add a vanilla bean to it and leave for a week

this is actually a great recipe for a base to any sort of infusion I have found

I'm about to do a feijoa infusion and I wish I had a time machine

[Odin]

Friend of mine makes molasses vodka. Or actually he makes a rum and fractionates part of it into a vodka. Nice, sweet tastes. Yeah, TTB approved, by the way.

Regards, Odin.