Blackstrap Molasses + Enzymes

[bum.jug]

An experimental wash for me, trying to break the 10-11% barrier that I usually get from my molasses rum washes. As I understand it, the molasses I use is about 35-38% fermentable sugar. The yeast I use is standard superstart distiller's yeast (18-20% abv tolerence), but my washes always end up in the 10% range. This is an attempt to 'help the yeast along' by breaking down some of the longer complex sugars in the molasses, and also the starches that may be present in the plant material that is left from the molasses making process.
The only question is how much enzymes to use. Right now I have 2lbs each of alpha- and gluco- amylase. The instructions included say 2lbs per dry ton of grain. How should I convert this to molasses? Brief internet searching says that barley is 79% starch. Since my molasses is 35% sugar, that means it is 65% other stuff (what I hope my enzymes will have the most effect on). 79/65=1.2 Molasses weighs 11.8 lbs/gal. So my 10 gallon wash weighs 118lbs. This would call for 53.5 grams of enzymes if my wash was grain. Since my molasses has less concentration of starch, I will adjust the amount of enzymes to 64.2g (53.5g*1.2).

What do y'all think? Am I barking up the wrong tree? I already use DAP, AS, proper aeration, yeast nutrients and phosporic acid to PH balance. I'll let yall know how it comes out.

[Barney Fife]

Yeast only eat sugars. Enzymes convert starches to sugars for the yeast. Plants store their seed's energy as starch because it "keeps" longer than sugar. Plant fibers themselves do not contain starches or sugars, so trying to extract sugars from them won't happen. In short, it ain't gonna work, bud.

Don't be greedy; a 10% molasses wash is high already, and shows you're very efficient. Don't bother with the expensive yeasts, and just use cheap baker's yeast for rums, and you'll still hit your 10%, and save the distiller's yeasts for all grain washes.

[bum.jug]

Aren't there nonfermentab;e sugars in the molasses? When my wash is fermented out it still has a brix of 7-10. That means there are sugars in it that the yeast can't get at... because they are not sucrose or glucose. So using something like the glucoamylase might break these into fermentables. Right?

[Dnderhead]

how did you git the brix reading? hydrometer? if so that will not read right any way. some unfermentable sugar mite be left. but that is part of the
rum profile.

[bum.jug]

Pocket digital refractometer. Ahh, the benefits of working in The Industry.

[bstinga]

BJ go have a look at Harry's library and check out the article on 'heavy and light rum' and particularly the article 'molasses feedstock'. This gives a very good overview with regard to why the brix reading is giving you the impression of more fermentable’s and how this is dealt with in relation to the commercial rum industry. Basically if the commercial sugar industry can extract more sugar economically to sell as a purified product they would, blackstrap is the bottom of the barrel or processing chain.

Every commercial rum distillary that I have found info for ferments around the 8 to 10%abv, no higher. Be interested to know of any others though.

http://distillers.tastylime.net/library ... m#Articles" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[rad14701]

Barney Fife nailed it... You don't need enzymes for a rum wash, whether brown sugar or molasses... And keeping the %ABV low, in the 10% range, eliminates the chance of off flavors in your final product... Greed will just invite problems...

[blanikdog]

I'm with barney and Rad.

blanik