half assed funky rum

[Ben Stillin]

I was inspired by my buddys brewing of spontaneous sours, I was considering using a few of his beers that didn't prime right (over primed) as my starters.

So I made a rum wash
100# white
1 gallon of molasses
~40 gallons water
This came out to about ~1.10
Then I left it open to the air to cool, but then I thought lets do what he did and what we catch. I part covered the barrel and stuffed a brew bag in the crack to keep flies out.

After about 3 days there was a floating haze cloud on top, just below the surface, might just be particulate matter. After 7 days we had a feathery mold clinging to the side of the barrel right at the waterline. SG didn't move much but the smell was getting gross, sour, vomitish. The sugar was still there though.
For my yeast I chose K1v-1116 knowing that it should be able to kill or put everything in check in there eventually. I didn't want it to blow it out too quickly though so I under pitched a bit (30gm) bloomed. I also added dap (60g) and a handful of oyster shell for ph. Within a day it was sizzling like a soda. Still stank, and developed a serious sulfur component. By day 3 (day 10 total) it smelled like you would expect, cookies (not gonna taste it). By day 7 (14 total) some sour came back but it was very citrus like and shortly after we got nuances of pineapple and banana as SG dropped to 1.0. Its gone through the strip now and its quite fruity. I am making one more now, the same way right on top of the other lees but using 25% of the backset.

I will add to this photos of the new barrel and spirit run descriptions.

edited for spelling

[zapata]

I love everything here except the amount of molasses, sounds way more like a sour sugar wash. From experience 1 gallon molly to 8 gallons wash is a super light rum and reflects about 50% fermentables from sugar / 50% from the molly. Cant imagine 1 gallon to 40 will give more than the slightest rum taste, at 100# white that's a fermentables ratio of about 6% from molasses, 94% white sugar.

May well be a very tasty wash, and a good proof of concept for something closer to rum.

It's also a brave experiment, good on ya for trying it, and for sharing it here.

[Ben Stillin]

I do not disagree at all. My original intention was to make a white rum as I have in the past with brown sugar. Finding out later that I was using even less than a gallon at 100lbs of brown but paying more, I just put the two together myself at less price. I dislike heavy blackstrap rums, especially when white but I really like Barbados and Prussers rums. I have run this before and was comfortable with it so that's basically how I arrived here. If its a fail, no big loss I will just call it window cleaner

[Saltbush Bill]

sounds way more like a sour sugar wash. From experience 1 gallon molly to 8 gallons wash is a super light rum and reflects about 50% fermentables from sugar / 50% from the molly. Cant imagine 1 gallon to 40 will give more than the slightest rum taste, at 100# white that's a fermentables ratio of about 6% from molasses, 94% white sugar.

+1

[Ben Stillin]

By all means,

Mod, if you have a moment please move this to the sugar wash forum.

[Shine0n]

Ben, even light rum has a place here in the rum forum
Not everyone is after a heavy, bold, funky high ester rum and although not my style I applaud you as well for doing what you like.

Set up an account with webstaurant.com and get the dark brown sugar, 50# for 26$

It helps to get 200# to cover the shipping!!!

[Yummyrum]

Not sure about in the US but in Australia , dark brown sugar is refined white sugar mixed with enough molasses to make it dark and sticky. Guessing it wouldn't far of the proportion you used Ben Stiller.

You might have ended up with what you wanted anyway .

Re: the natural funk first , you're a braver man than me . Good stuff .

[Ben Stillin]

That's what it was here basically a teaspoon molasses to a cup of sugar is brown sugar. So I just buy 100lb white at Restaurant Depot and a gallon or two of their baking molasses. Knowing that webresturant has reasonable or even free delivery in quantity I might start putting a little more molasses in. The depot doesn't carry 5 gals.

[Shine0n]

That's the same here yummy, it makes a very light Bacardi style rum as is.

I don't use baking molasses just blackstrap, it's a more robust flavor but you mentioned a lighter flavor so 1st molasses is probably better for what you'd like to achieve.
Webstaurant.com has blackstrap for 23$ for 5 gal pail, it saves me 17 bucks on 5 gals, I do normally get 10.

About to start getting it by the 275 gal tote. lol

[Ben Stillin]

OK I have run this twice now, both times turned out very good. Incredible banana with a light pineapple.

I would highly recommend giving this preinfected rum thing a shot.

Take your normal rum wash and don't pitch for a week (no initial DAP) , leave open with a mesh cover. Then ferment, add dap (2nd batch I added it later and it worked better) and bloomed yeast in quantity.

I'm soaking one jar with an oak stave now and will put the rest in a mini barrel when I can get to the brew store.

[Ben Stillin]

Ok, I have started blending the cuts of this half assed funky rum.
Some interesting observations

Fores - smell like straight up glue, no surprises there, smell was present for longer than normal though. collected double the usual

Heads- The heads really seem to contain all the fruit. Started nailpolishy and then something quite pleasant to smell but harsh, like heads are 4 jars

Hearts - first 2 jars were a tiny bit headsy, then straight up neutral for about 2. Then an earthy leathery mushroomy musty smell. Kinda like an old foot locker that you found in an attic. Not like the wet dog/cardboard of tails and my abv didn't drop for 4 more jars. I'm not exactly sure I'm happy about this. Its funky to be sure but not that powerful leather I get from Prussers. Maybe some of the fruity heads and time on oak will make it more interesting.

Tails - bad. just plain bad. Indescribably bad 4 jars, collected down to 20%

[Jimy Dee]

BenS- so was the finished product worth it or not? Your good report as per the last post seems all negative? Maybe I am missing something.

I am curious because I was thinking of doing similar - put funk from a Dunder pit into a wash for a few weeks BEFORE adding yeast and basically letting the wash funk up. Now this what was just rambling around in my mind. For the more knowledgeable there may be every reason not to do this - if that is the case could ye chime in please.

If this was a runner however I was then thinking of using ShineOn's butter rum protocol on top of that.

However if your experience was negative I might give it a miss. JD

[Shine0n]

I would let the ferment start and add the muck a few days into it so you know it's a healthy fermentation THEN let it set for 2-3 weeks. With some good high temps you should have a thriving ferment with a good bit of funk.

Keep the top open tho!!!

Ben, let that stuff set on wood for a year and you may be pleasantly surprised.

[Ben Stillin]

That's the thing. I'm not sure if its good or bad yet. I think I was just super excited when I smelled the heads coming off and that might have tainted my opinion of the hearts.

Maybe its supposed to come off that way in hogo rums. When I drink Prussers I feel like I walked into a Tandy Leather store (super Leather with a fruity beginning), when I drink Barbancourt I feel like I walked into a Cartier leather handbag store, subdued, complex but still there.

Maybe my description was a bit harsh, I have a glass next to me that I have been sniffing all day and processing the smell. The more I sniff the more I feel it will work out well in a barrel. Maybe wet leather with a slight sour.

** I would absolutely continue with this line of experimentation, perhaps my issue is with the fact my wash was so very light that a stronger wash may have more flavors to balance the funk better

[Jimy Dee]

BenS, a fact rearly admitted is that rum straight out the spout is harsh, and it takes time / Oak / glycerol / flavourings etc to make it more paletable. I made loads of all moll rum over a year ago and I have yet to drink it. I remember when I was at the start of my rum phase, the rum experts here on HD advised a rest of at least 6 months, 12 months better again and at 24 months it is a different drink. So I am going to do a phase of rum every 12 months and let time do its trick. Chin up and keep going. JD

[Shine0n]

When I was on the high ester kick it wasn't what I thought it should be, I ended up blending it into some non funky flrum and it balanced out nicely with alot of fruity notes and a huge dollop of funk.

I wish I had a lab to do the ppm count as I know it was fairly high. Just not your normal sippin rum but not bad either just way different.

I still have many plans for rums, now it's on butter not funk but a combo might be in the works very soon if I can't find time to run this ferment. It's already been 2 weeks and my work shows no sign of slowing down. GOOD AND BAD!!!

[Yummyrum]

Ben , pot stilled Rum is really nasty off the still . The tails are like arse . The late heads are worth keeping but the tails are shite IMO , they never seem to get any better with age .

Like Jimy said , you need to age the Rum , a lot of the Rum character comes from the Oak ...I think Bundy Rum claim about 80% . But don't get carried away and whack in a heap , sure it will colour up quick but it will tast woody and nasty , the real Rum flavour happens with time . A little Oak for a long time is the key

You mention Prussers , do you mean Pussers ?

For a while I was experimenting with Clarifying the wash by adding Calcium Hydroxide to raise the pH to around 9ish and heating to about 80-90 degC then letting it cool and settle out the crap , then acidifying it back to around pH5 with Hydrochloric acid . All the Rum I made this way had a Pussers taste to it

[Copperhead road]

Ben , pot stilled Rum is really nasty off the still . The tails are like arse . The late heads are worth keeping but the tails are shite IMO , they never seem to get any better with age .

Like Jimy said , you need to age the Rum , a lot of the Rum character comes from the Oak ...I think Bundy Rum claim about 80% . But don't get carried away and whack in a heap , sure it will colour up quick but it will tast woody and nasty , the real Rum flavour happens with time . A little Oak for a long time is the key

You mention Prussers , do you mean Pussers ?

For a while I was experimenting with Clarifying the wash by adding Calcium Hydroxide to raise the pH to around 9ish and heating to about 80-90 degC then letting it cool and settle out the crap , then acidifying it back to around pH5 with Hydrochloric acid . All the Rum I made this way had a Pussers taste to it

I heard that Pussers Rum is distilled from a wooden oak boiler , maybe that is a factor with its signature flavour....

@yummyrum Speaking of signature flavours, your Appalachian Oak mini staves I am sending you will go in the post on Monday. I hope it helps you create that bundy flavour.