Hook Rum

[bastardbrewer]

stripped the second batch too, now have a total of 11.2ltr of 42%. Will be making fresh wash next week (excluding the spirit run dunder, add 1 ltr to the 11.2 and do the spirit run and add the spirit run under to the wash before adding the yeast.

[Saltbush Bill]

do the spirit run and add the spirit run under to the wash before adding the yeast.

Did you mean Dunder above ? Are you saying you will use dunder from the spirt run in the next wash ?

[Adamx]

So I did my first two washes using refined molasses (not blackstrap). It worked great but somewhat expensive, $15/gallon, so I go to our local farm supply superstore and bought 3.5 gallons of feed molasses for $20. This sounds great but when I open the bucket and taste it, it has absolutely zero sweetness. In fact it tastes more like soy sauce than molasses. The label says total sugars 35%, and the ingredients stated are molasses and molasses products. It seems like garbage that I wouldnt feed to a horse let alone try to make rum with. Can someone tell me I should just toss it or is it ok? 35% sugar seems low

[cayars]

So I did my first two washes using refined molasses (not blackstrap). It worked great but somewhat expensive, $15/gallon, so I go to our local farm supply superstore and bought 3.5 gallons of feed molasses for $20. This sounds great but when I open the bucket and taste it, it has absolutely zero sweetness. In fact it tastes more like soy sauce than molasses. The label says total sugars 35%, and the ingredients stated are molasses and molasses products. It seems like garbage that I wouldnt feed to a horse let alone try to make rum with. Can someone tell me I should just toss it or is it ok? 35% sugar seems low

Got a picture of the container?

[still_stirrin]

...It seems like garbage...Can someone tell me I should just toss it...

You should just “toss it”....into a fermenter! Honestly, have you seen some of the “shit” distillers put into their rum ferments? Actually dunder with “critter carcasses” in it...OMG!

You say the label says 35% sugar content, does it say the Brix content? It sounds like it has a high ash content which would account for the soy-like flavor. And perhaps it is not an all cane sugar product as there are other sources of sugars which could be used to make the molasses.

I’d suggest making a small batch of wash with it and see how it goes. If you’ve got a refractometer, measure the brix (sugar content) and adjust to a 10% potential. If the flavor is still too strong, then soften it with cane sugar, again diluting down to a 10% potential. Let it ferment and strip it to see how well you like the product. If need be, run it a couple of times to see if the flavor is acceptable.

The rum may not be “top shelf”, but since you’ve already bought the molly, at least you don’t have to “toss it” into the garbage. Make something out of it.....you just might like it! At least you’ll learn something.
ss

[thecroweater]

Seeing as ya posted in this thread I'm guessing ya following Hook's recipe which calls for 5 to 7 ratio of raw sugar to molasses so stress less about the low sugar content. I have in the past had some really stripped out molasses like you described with fermentable sugars maybe 20% on a good day and it tastes like burnt hell so maybe up the ratio a tad but take note raw sugar is not brown sugar, in the US its called turbinado . If you look for my thread "Crows Rum" i have some hints for dealing with shit molasses and i think some fellas posted where to get raw sugar in the states
Edit ok seems that guy didnt mention where but here is his post and im sure he could help ya
viewtopic.php?f=101&t=68260&hilit=Crow%27s+rum#p7502677

[cayars]

Adamx, why don't you try to clarify some of the molasses and see how it is without as much ash in it?

[Adamx]

Thank you all for your quick responses re: my questionable blackstrap. I am in the US and we have a large grocery retailer here that sells raw cane sugar in bulk and I will indeed take your advice and try using this glop with an increased sugar ratio. And I will try clarifying some of it first. I don't see any critter carcasses, yet so that's a plus.

[Adamx]

Oops. Forgot about the location info on the pics. Since I don't own a still nor have I tried distilling anything I guess its moot, eh?

[bastardbrewer]

do the spirit run and add the spirit run under to the wash before adding the yeast.

Did you mean Dunder above ? Are you saying you will use dunder from the spirt run in the next wash ?

I had intended that yes, but upon some more reading no i will not as dunder is boiler remains from the strip runs right? It will be molasses black/brown and full of flavour, where I assume the spirit run boiler remains will be less flavoursome and colourless (if low wines only). Guess I start muddling things up after reading so much, and so much different recipes and advice.

Unfortunately I already tossed the strip runs dunders so dont have any so it's going to have to be just a low wine spirit run, perhaps with some fresh wash added (10% or so) for some additional flavour. Let that be a lesson for me.

[thecroweater]

You don't get dunder from low wines, that is just stillage and not much use for anything.
You don't need dunder to make a good rum, dunder makes a particular style (heavy rum)

[Saltbush Bill]

BB that is what I was getting at. If you want to use dunder use it from the strip run, not the spirit run

[bastardbrewer]

Thanks gents, will keep the next strip run dunder, for comparison against this one without. Just completed the spirit run, will post the whole run and results once tasted and blended tomorrow, keen for feedback and advice so watch this space! I do think I'm left with about 2 ltr at 65% of good tasting rum, and that without using dunder. Had a taste from the latter half of the hearts... beautiful even at 60%. Im a happy man.

[NorthWoodsAb]

I tried this recipe on my last batch. First time trying rum. Made a miscalculation and used more molasses than I should have. Set an 80L batch but used molasses and sugar for 100L. My yeast did not take off the way I thought it should have. On day 2 there was almost no action at all. I airated and pitched more yeast and ferment started but remained slow. Wash temp remained constant at 26-28 deg C for the next 13 days. Racked it and let settle for another 3 days. Ran it in pot still. The smell from the still when this started to run was beautiful. My step son, just turned 18, had decided to help me with this run. He said it smelled like caramel. Explained to him what we were actually doing, how to watch temp and adjust the element to keep a constant flow rate. Played crib and babysat the still all day Sunday. Good day. I think we may have another shiner in the family.
I was a little disappointed with my return volume. I had expected to pull 10-12 L of white but ended with only 8.5 of good product. I think the heavy molasses load had an adverse effect on the ferment not getting all the alcohol from the available sugars.
Overall I'm pleased with this run and recipe and have some dunder for next batch.
Cheers
Oms

[MyUncleMo]

Ahhhh. glad to read this thread again.
Ive been sitting on my last run of Hook Gen3 low wines since 2015 hehehehe.
Kids - work and life got in the way of allowing me a solid 8-9 hours to do anything.
NOW that we are on lockdown, I will have the time LOL...
So I will dig out that last run of Low Wines and do a 2nd distillation.
I will also take the heads and tails I've been saving since the start of this project and make a nice clean run.
The under pit is in my garage. I have not opened it in years - so I am not sure of its condition. It looks the same - no growth LOL.
We have moved since I started the Hook Rum project - we now live in the "country" so I might setup outdoors when the weather warms up a bit.
The Hook Rum I have made is really good quality - ive gifted some to friends and they have all wanted more... but... its a nip at a time ONLY!!!
hahahahaha
peace
-mark

[Crabmanstyle]

Put this on tonight. Just shy of 60L in 3 fermenting buckets with original recipe. PH 5.3. After reading about high SG in previous posts with raised eyebrows I started with 1.20. I'll be ignoring that. Bubbling away with bread yeast after 3 hours. My previous ferments have taken anything from 1-4 weeks (Birdwatchers and Odin's cornflakes) so no panic.

Edit: Topped up the buckets and reading 1.1 ish (still ignoring)

Progress update:

And I have not had a ferment like this yet. Running 20 hours and down to 1.07.
@ 24hours 1.056
Ambient inside is 18c and the wash is 24c.

[Crabmanstyle]

Was hoping to add as an edit to my original post but I'm not able. Finished at 1.02 and sat for 24 hours at that so left outside to clear and racked 20l for a stripping run. Ended up with 3.2litres of combined 40% having stopped at first cloudy tails which came @ 15%. The smell was absolutely amazing and totally different from my previous cornflake whiskey runs but a taste mid run was horrendous! (Not a criticism I was curious) Will finish the rest of stripping tomorrow and sprit run Sunday.

[bastardbrewer]

OK, so I had a guys get together watching Bundesliga as it's the only football league that started, and decided to bring my collection of rums, consisting of 1. A jamaican rum flavored neutral, 2. Buccaneer Bobs silver, 3. Buccaneer Bobs gold and 4. Hook Rum. Obviously the flavored stuff is least... but ok with coke. The others we had straight, just some ice in it. I preferred Buccaneer Bobs Silver over gold (somehow i found it too oaky) but the Hook Rum is the clear winner for all of us. I thought I put too much tails in it but it's beautiful now at 4 months old.

Buccaneer Bobs recipe give a better yield but the overall quality and smoothness of Hook Rum we found was a clear winner.

Salut!
B the B

[rockymars]

Heya,

Rum Production Flow Chart

I was just wondering if the flow chart that Hookline mentioned in the original post might still be kicking around?

Cheers
Rocky

[STILL WORKIN]

I have run about 10 or 12 batches of Hook, However i just started to utilize a 16 gal ss Gas One pot for fermentation.
Hook recipe is a 60 liter run. When I do the math that is equal to 13 gal and that fits my pot just great.

My concern is my abv has jumped from 1.07-1.08 . I have made 4 13 gal washes and I'm worried about stressing the yeast!
I follow hook to the T except for molasses then I put the extra liter in. 2 full jugs ($74.00 worth where I live) My sugar is 5 x 1 kg demerara @ 3.29 a bag

Since I started making 13 gal batches my ferments have had SG 1.103-1.130-1.105-1.104 with the calculator on home page that puts me in the 15% range.

Could the extra molasses account for the high abv or could the 16 gal pot actually be 16 US gal and there fore i'm 2 gals short(us) and if so could that account for the increase? I have good well water softened and a RO system both run just under 7.

And Oh, i had my very first puke yesterday (Hook) it lasted for 4 lt 2 of witch i tossed the next two were tinted. Thanks to NZKris I run it and it cleared on # 3

Sorry for the life story. My question is: will my bakers yeast be ok? maybe a little more DAP? or back the recipe to accommodate the US gallon if that is the case ?
I have a 25 gal pot with a 8 gal thumper and 5 gal condenser
Thanks for the help. I'm running out of time. It's getting cold. It snowed to day!
STILL WORKIN

[Sporacle]

IMO Bakers works fine for Rum, have never done Hooks though.
The unfermentables in the mollases will stuff up your gravity.
Stick to the recipe ratios, if it's worked before then the scaled down version should work as well.
Good luck

[Yummyrum]

I’m with Spiracle . Molasses is only around 50% sugar ( Blackstrap is often less from modern refineries) , the rest is unfermentables ( Fibrous material , ash , salts etc) . So the gravity readings are not true indication of the potential alcohol .

For reference , I do all molasses ( no added sugar like hooks) and the Start gravity can be up around 1.120 but the actual alcohol is only around 8% ….. I think Hook is saying around 10-12% …. But he uses sugar and less Mollasses.

The Bakers yeast easily handles it .

You will find that the Start gravity will slowly creep up with each addition of Dunder per generation .I’ve found capping the Dunder at 10% of total Wash volume sorts that out . … when using 100% Molasses. . Hook talks about 30% Dunder in his OP . You might want to back this off over time .

If you are unsure of the true volume of your new fermenters , you may need to measure some water to find their capacity .
Nothing worse than doubting .

I did start off my Rum adventures with Hooks Rum .
I now just use all Molasses …. Because its cheap here ( in Queensland Aussie ) .
I pretty much follow SBB,s Rum recipe now .

viewtopic.php?p=7530792#p7530792