Feed grade molly and brown sugar wash

[Pikey]

Some really good tips there SHineOn Thanks for writing it up. It will be invaluable in my quest for a "Full" Rum using molasses and Muscavado. Quantities not the same, I have more molasses and a smaller ferment - but it will be good to compare how I feel about mine with what you have written here !

[Shine0n]

I've been reading on der wo''s thread (s) about infections and been doing sooooo much research on dunder pit and how to incorporate that into my rums.
Time will tell the truth and I look forward to doing interesting things to improve (hopefully) my rum.

Don't get me wrong, the rum is amazing the way it is but if I don't try new and different things I'll always have the same thing and never know if it does get any better than this.
Let me know how your rum turns out pikey, always like hearing good things,
Shine0n

[TDick]

Hi Shine!
I AM A NEWBIE!
In reading this and other threads, I have to stop and figure out exactly what some of the terms such as Molly, sf and DME means.
I am interested in trying a good rum after I stumble through some sugar washes to begin my education.
In your April post you mention that you've hit on the recipe for "a very bold and flavorful rum".
Could you just restate the recipe and the exact steps you used,
I'm sure some other newbies like me would love to give it a go.
BB

[Pikey]

Some really good tips there SHineOn Thanks for writing it up. It will be invaluable in my quest for a "Full" Rum using molasses and Muscavado. Quantities not the same, I have more molasses and a smaller ferment - but it will be good to compare how I feel about mine with what you have written here !

After a query from Still Life, it seems I lied to you about quantities - my ratio of molasses to wash is a tad lighter than 1:8 - yours is exactly 1:8 - remarkable co-incidence !

My consolidated recipe is towards the bottom of Page 5 here ;
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 5#p7477555


Apologies for intruding on your thread.

[Shine0n]

Pikey, no problem at all!
If it's about rum and the making, infection, or distillation process of rum... ANYONE is welcome to ask or post about it here if they choose.
All are welcome

Bam, if you go to my very first post of the thread you'll see the exact recipe, I'm not sure of your location but if in the US get the domino dark brown sugar and I used evolved habitat deer molasses 10 bucks

For my ferment it's explained pretty good at the beginning as well.
My distillation I will explain to you as I do it every time now with repeated results.
I run a 2" pot still with (then) a 7.75 gal thumper and 40ft 1/2" ID worm.
I pull off as muh cleared ferment as possible to load the boiler, cut the heat (propane) on and heat up without the riser on so I can stir until it's moving on its own. When I see the first hint of steam I connect my riser to the thumper and paste it up at the inlet of my thumper which is already pre heated and loaded with 4 or so gals of wash plus the feints from the previous run.

Now I don't drip nor do I run full blast, it's sorta in between because we'll that's the way the rum tastes it's best. For me! Now you may like to run you rig different than me and your taste may also not be like mine but if you want a very bold, sweet and buttery rum I suggest you use the same ingredients and run somewhat the same speed as I do. Then if you decide you like it lighter you can do it as a strip run and follow up with a spirit run.

Smearing the run for this rum is what I found for my taste to be the better of the processes I've tried.
It ain't for every one but all that's tried it, loved it as I do.

Hope that helped a bit and hope to hear your results if you decide to give it a go.

Shine0n

[Shine0n]

Well that was a fast ferment! I'll put it in the open 55 gal fermenter and make another 15 or so gal wash and let her rip. Once I have the 55 gal full I'll see if there was any type of infection starting.
I may run this one just to start the dunder pit, I have some malted barley and wheat ( red and white ) I might try and start a lacto with one and see what happens. I still have a lot of learning to do before I can isolate and keep certain strains but hey I'm here to learn. Even if it be by trial and error. Lol
I'll still have some rum and dunder to play with, if nothing else I can get drunk while fukn something up.

I'm enjoying playing around with this to the point my wife thinks I'm nuts, I have 16' of 2" copper tubing and 6or 7 ferrules and elbows and unions in the back of my truck.
A map gas bottle and Flux and solder too.

I think I'm an addict

[Shine0n]

After some research I'm now convinced to infect the dunder, not the rum!
I've reading some threads der wo suggested and seen a post from Odin saying the esters carry better from the infected dunder mixed with low wines vs an infected wash.
After confirmation with der wo and since he's been using the infected dunder and whiskey backset I think I should take head to his advice.
So now the plan is to run my rum Friday and get going on this infection to start adding to my low wines.

[Shine0n]

Plans change, I've decided to run this today.
I haven't used my rig in a while so I cleaned it real good with some fores and then put 30% fores in the boiler and thumper and ran them for an hour to further clean everything.
Now loaded up and running with 12 gal in boiler and 5 gal wash/water in thumper, I should've soaked my thumper barrel to swell back up. I topped it off with water now I have a very leaky barrel. Lol
I think I'll retire the wooden barrel after a few more runs and put dog food or something in it. What a fukn mess, tiz what it tiz.
Thumpers coming alive now and sounds like a machine gun, so far so good, no leaks and I'm looking forward to having some rum for the 4th although it being young I'll nuke age a quart or 2 for the party.
Plus I have a gallon of over oaked shit that's a year now I'll blend with some to try and salvage it.

Just wondering how many out there use infected dunder on their rums and how you go about incorporating in your runs?

[Shine0n]

Right now I'm averaging a pint every 3.5 minutes, I'm not checking abv because this is a strip run, I hope to pull something over 3 gallons and hoping for 4+
I could go in the house and grab the hydrometer to check when I'm getting down to 15%

I don't have many large jars around so I'm collecting in pints and quarts an I pray I have enough jars.

It's smelling pretty good, dipped my finger and it's fire-e as hell. I know I haven't run her in a while and the only thing I've changed is I went to a 15.5 gal thumper, that's it!!!
Ahh, I know! It's been a couple months and I've forgotten how hot right off the spout it... I guess I'm going to get the hydrometer and a glass of water so I can keep my gizzard intact

[Shine0n]

Looks like 3.5 gallons low wines, not shabby
I'm making another ferment soon as I finish this run. And hope i get a little more next time.
I am keeping 1 jar to drink not 2 like I had planned but at 150 I think I'll be fine.

Now on to the next batch

[Spritshere]

This sounds really good. I might have to give this a try.

[Shine0n]

This sounds really good. I might have to give this a try.

Thanks, the key to it I've found is to running it not as fast as strip run but not as slow as a spirit run when I'm doing a one and done.
On this new experiment I'm going to strip a few batches, enough to fill both boiler and thumper with low wines with 25% infected dunder as per Der wo's recipe.

I'm doing research on dunder pits and infection and there's so much to read but I think I have a plan.

For now I have a lot of ferments to make and stillin to do before all is said and done, plus I have to infect my dunder. I'm figuring a month or 5 weeks before I'm finished with this. After I'll see if there's anyore time needed to let the dunder age longer, get funkier or if it's good as is.
We'll see before long!
Shine0n

[Shine0n]

I've added 3 -1/4 cut dirty potatoes to the dunder and will update as things progress, after my next run I'll infect the new dunder pit with hopefully a lacto to be able to compare noted and possibly mix the 2 and make a more interesting rum.

the rum has aired for 3 days now and I kept a heart cut for my simple enjoyment through the holidays. Good stuff my friends
Shine0n

[Shine0n]

Note to self☆
To keep costs down to a minimum in case of failure, 2 sipping run will yield 7+ gallons at 35-40% with the addition of 2.5 gal of infected dunder will be approximately 10 gallons for boiler charge x's 2 for total run.
4 stripping runs each experiment keeping 5 gallons of each dunder for extra experimental purposes will have my barn full of funk, fruit flies and keep my wife far far away from my shit! lol

dunder pit#1 5 gallons with a couple 1/4 cut dirty potatoes
dunder pit#2 5 gallons with Swiss cheese
dunder pit#3 5 gallons with 2 cups crushed malted barley
dunder pit #4 5 gallons with 2 cups infected HBB backset

This should keep me busy until my apples are ready this fall!!!
Shine0n

[der wo]

Great!
What do you do against a pH crash? Do you have an electrical pH meter?
Yo need at least much calcium carbonate (marble, garden chalk, shells), better would be also to have lime (calcium hydroxide).

Edit: "pH-crash" is not correct here. Of course the dunder will have a very low pH from the beginning. According to Arroyo pH 5.5 is optimal for dunder pits. 5.5 needs a lot of pH risers in my experience.

[Shine0n]

I have on hand 5lbs of lime, I live by the sea so shells are easy to get. Most around here use them in their driveway.

I've not given much thought on the pH of the dunder and I have only the cheap strips which would render useless in that black dunder I suppose.

I was looking on a thread where marble was used, and I must say wow I had no idea it would work, now I know.

I just freed up my 55 gal fermenter so now I can make 45 gal at the time to help speed up my stripping runs to get my goal of 20 gallons of strip.

I have another 55 gal drum that needs a very deep cleaning so I can have a massive dunder pit to pull off of for the experiments plus it can age better in there being taller to avoid the critters from jumping in. lol

Sorry, ph! how much lime to raise the pH to optimal levels? I'll look on amazon for the pH meter and get on top of that today. Hell, I never thought about ph and all the threads I've been through not one has mentioned that.

[der wo]

Sorry, ph! how much lime to raise the pH to optimal levels? I'll look on amazon for the pH meter and get on top of that today. Hell, I never thought about ph and all the threads I've been through not one has mentioned that.

From "My infected Rum":

Then I poured the hot dunder onto calcium carb and calcium hydroxide (each 3 tbsp per 10l).

The measured pH was 4.6. Low but not too low. I rised it to 5.5 with calcium hydroxide.

All in all it needed 5tbsp hydroxide and 5tbsp carbonate per 10l dunder to reach pH5.5. It was dunder from a pure molasses wash. Perhaps from a sugar + molasses wash it is a bit less acidic.

[Shine0n]

I'll do a conversion to get those measures in gallons to raise the pH to 5 or better. I think doing some now will benefit although I can't measure the pH right now I'll go with the amount you described to get it close and when my meter comes in have a look.
I'm sure I've read that and just forgot or thought perhaps you were referring to a wash. Either way I'll get on top of that soon... Today!
Once my wife leaves for work I'm off to the other house to check on the next ferment and look at the dunder in hopes no critter has taken a dive.
I just read a thread about infected dunder and one member said he had maggots and all kinds of shit in there but he strained it off through cheese cloth and kept it. The thread ended without him saying if he ever used it in an actual wash or with low wines although both were mentioned.
Hope he's still around to tell the tale. Lol

I was in an email this am with Jimy Dee in Ireland as he's just finished his spirit run from his rum strip. GREAT JOB JIM!!! He's aked my opinion on blending and things, I told him my process but said for him to use his senses to make the call. My rum ain't for someone who likes light, or not bold flavorless rums.
I'll give a brief explanation of how I do mine so anyone who wants to know can.
I age mine white!!! Very little gets oak.
I toss a quart first with fores and early heads, I then use pint jars and fill them to the top with everything that is above 50%. I'm pretty good into the tails by then and it's not cloudy yet. After that I put gallon jug under and collect 1 gallon and switch back to pint jars. Now I'm past the cloudy stuff and getting pretty low in abv but that's what I try and use to bring my rum down to aging proof with to not have to use distilled water. Some may be required but at least this way its minimal.
I also don't run strip speed, nor spirit run speed. this gives a nice smearing of the distillate, wouldn't matter because I use alot of it any way.
This will have ( from my recipe ) a sweet, buttery, molasses-e aromas and taste. It is bold, not for wusses and is nice on the rocks and as a mixer at aging strength.

I don't do shots anymore and when on the rocks... I swirl my spirit to get diluted with the ice...
very nice and little waste.

For these experiments I'll make different cuts and blending as well. I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for as my rum is wonderful as is but I want to try something different with different results and who knows possibly the next big thing.

Thanks der wo,
Shine0n

[Shine0n]

Holy cow, I just looked at the post and it's Cranky length. Lol
Just poking Cranky, I very much enjoy reading your posts.

[der wo]

Perhaps "Cranky length" is something for the HD glossary?

[Shine0n]

Put a sticky on it. Lol

[Shine0n]

It smells pretty good but I ain't gunna taste it, not until I boil the snot out of it.

Since my work has brought me back out of town I may just strip the ferment in the kitchen and save the low wines until I'm back in town. If I get another good yield like the last one I'll have 7ish gallons of low wines.
I'll just do a 10 gallon run with the infected dunder.

I have enough to do another ferment but that will be sitting for a spell while I'm working so I may just hold off on that one until the work is finished.

[TDick]

Shine, a couple of weeks ago I asked a question about the original recipe and you politely directed me back to page ONE of the thread without handing me my head.

I went back to square one and gotta say THANKS!
For a newb like me, going back and reading every post and reply was a great lesson in the thought process and logic used building a product.
You kept mentioning Dunder and building a Dunder Pit. I did a little research and found an interesting article about it.
Instead of posting it here, I created a new topic. I'd be pleased to have your input on the subject.
http://ww.homedistiller.org/forum/viewt ... 39&t=66994" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Thanks again!
BB

[Shine0n]

I've decided to open a new thread in yeast, nutrients, fungi, section inorder to keep everything on topic in the appropriate place.
I'll keep this post open for my rum recipe alone and I'll help anyway I can to those interested in trying it.

Shine0n

[Shine0n]

I'm on my second strip run for my infected rum, 1st strip yielded 3.75 gallons low wines and I expect the same for this one. Not cut down to 30% yet either:)

I snagged a quart from the late heads/early hearts to sip this week at work and might toss in a bit of very late tails to give some funk.
I'm collecting a quart every 7-7.5 minutes so that's roughly 2 gallons per hour give or take, very happy about not being out in this heat for 8 hours doing a run. lol

Shine0n

[Shine0n]

Boy, I ran that last strip hard as hell! I could taste tails from early hearts and I won't do that shit again. lol

I'm going to go all moll on this ferment to see what the hell the hype is all about and report the results later on.

I'm doing the spirit run on my infected dunder now, 12.5 gallons total at 30% with 25% dunder. I've decided to run this without a thumper so now the wait is on.

I've got a feeling this will be something special, I'm not per se a strip/spirit run kinda guy but if this proves me wrong in the way I've done things for years I'll slap my own hand and save yall the "I told ya so dummy" remarks but please send them my way anyhow. Lol

I'll report totals later,
Shine0n

[Shine0n]

SLAP....SLAP....SLAP
What the hell was wrong with me? I've been wrong, I can't believe the amount of flavor coming off the still and I just diluted some to 90p and WOW Only one sample for this fella but gosh all mighty this is the fukn bomb.

This is a good recipe the way it's written out and is proven to be many many times over BUT now haven come out from under my rock and tried something different I've found that a strip then spirit run with dunder has made this one really special.

Shine0n

[Shine0n]

Started another ferment yesterday afternoon, nice and hot 93f with a ton of humidity. cleaned up my barn, set up a new space to ferment... over night a storm blew in and now it's raining with a north east wind and the temp is 70f and my ferment hasn't started, Well damn!!!

it's gen 3 on the yeast with no dunder, just the same ole same ole, nothing new, nothing different just isn't started so now I've gotten 6 new packs of bread yeast and about to make a hella starter and wrap the fermenter in some blankets.
Just a reminder, there is no electricity or nothing, it's just a barn for storage and stillin.

Go figure that soon as I move my ferments outdoors there would be a fukn storm and major temp drop, I guess I should watch the depressing ass news channels now and again...

[Shine0n]

After last weekend I pitched new yeast and she took off as the heat went to 90f by Sunday afternoon.

The dunder pit had a covered top by 18 hours and was nice and sour. I'll let this one sit for weeks and check again, maybe a month as I want to make enough strip to fill both boiler and thumper.

Shine0n

[Pikey]

There is no way my ferments are going at 93 F - 70 is luxury for me - so yeasts have t be different