Sugar Cane

[Mud Mechanik]

Has anyone had any experience in using raw sugar cane for a wash? I raise my own cane for making syrup, and have a cane mill to squeeze the juice out, but would like to hear some war stories about it before this fall when cane is harvested.

[LWTCS]

Say Mud Mech, how deep in the south are you?

I've been dyin to get to Plant City after the harvest and get a drum of juice.

I currently use panela cakes for all my rum washes.

[Dnderhead]

ya,,it makes rum,having /making your own you do not need to cook it all the way down, just until it riches about 1.080 SG.

[Mud Mechanik]

Mississippi gulf coast is home, I have been making syrup for many years and decided to try some washes using the cane, but I wanted to fish for some advice here.

[Tater]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... re+sorghum

[LWTCS]

aint no future tryin to work off just the green juice. goes bad to quick. seen folks squeeze a green barel to cook down the next day an it go bad

Tater,
can you translate that a bit more? Does that mean it needs to be cooked/rendered down (immediatly) a bit?

[Mud Mechanik]

Whatever the language Goose is using, it seems he is not very fond of fermenting cane juice, may have had some bad luck trying.

[LWTCS]

Yeah, I hope he will comment further as I did have my heart set on doing this sometime in the near future.

[Tater]

Goose is saying that the juice spoils very easy if not cooked down some.. Goose might be hard to understand but I would pay attention to what ever he tells ya.

[LWTCS]

Wonder how quickly from the press to the heat?

[LWTCS]

Although it shouldn't be a prolem for you Mud Mech.

If you prep your heat just prior and stand ready after you press.

[Mud Mechanik]

I know that if the weather is somewhat warm, the raw juice will sour quickly, but do you think that would happen in the fermenter with no oxygen?

[Tater]

Been told its best to cook as soon as squeezed when making sorghum syrup.Ive made rum from sorghum that wasn't fully cooked down cause color wasn't right. Made a very lite and tasty rum. drank some white slightly charred rest of it till it was just a gold color liked it that way also.Single ran it keeping mostly just the heart.

[Mud Mechanik]

My syrup making has evolved to an all day job, so to buy some time I squeeze out enough juice to fill my pan a day ahead of time if the temps at night are gonna remain cool. It will be this fall before I can experiment with fermenting some, but I will document what I try and keep all informed, thanks for all the input. MM

[rednose]

Around me (30Km circle) are about 10 sugar cane distilleries, I've posted once some pics, in about two month they start the harvest called "zafra".

If you guys are still interested I can make a series of photos and comments during that time.

At this moment I cannot say too much about it as my interest to distilling was awaking after the last zafra.

I know that they first pass the caña through the press, called trapiche, and then cook it.

After all they diluite it and ferment it in big, open wood vessels pitching the "madre" and last not least they distill it with very simple stills to about 60 ABV.

Joe

[Mud Mechanik]

Rednose, I would be very intersted in seeing those pictures and reading all about it, sounds interesting to me.

[rednose]

Ok, it's a promise.

One of the biggest distillers asked me for some help in his hardware so I have to be there several times a week.

Their biggest problem are the non food grade plastic storage tanks where they keep the booze at 60 ABV for several month, imagen the nice acetone flavor.

Rednose, I would be very intersted in seeing those pictures and reading all about it, sounds interesting to me.

[Mud Mechanik]

MMMMMMM, sounds good

[Mud Mechanik]

LWTCS, has Goose eye's post been removed? I did not think that there was anything innappropriate in it, and was looking foreword to reading some more about his experience with sugar cane. MM

[Tater]

Gooses post wasnt removed was in this post- viewtopic.php?f=15&t=13697&hilit=pure+sorghum

[Mud Mechanik]

My confusion, thanks