Blackstrap Molasses and RUM

[edge]

OK, back to my preferred product, RUM.
It has been suggested that the best still for rum is a pot still, so that is where I am heavily leaning.

Most of the recipes call for blackstrap / feed molasses and I bet they are one and the same.

Some have suggested Fancy but that seems to be the minority.
Now with that said, and me trying to read everything available before I actually build the best designed still for rum I go to the Rum Academy and read the lessons in: Rum Appreciation In The 21st Century

When I get to the end of Lesson IV I read:

"Only through the use of column stills and multiple, high distillations,
coupled with aging in used whiskey barrels, can the rum made from black strap become palatable."

So, is this just the opinion of this particular author or have folks here had problems with good product from blackstrap molasses.

Thanks in advance.
edge.

[DFitz]

I haven't used Blackstrap for rum, I've used fancy molasses though. I liked the finish product from the fancy. The more molasses (rather than adding brown sugar) you use will end up with a better flavor IMO. My next rum project I'll be using Fancy molasses again. Sam's Club carries it at most stores, Check the location and if you can't find it see if they'll order it for you. GFS has Blackstrap for about $13 a gallon. Sams is not much more for the fancy. My wife picked up 2 cases for just over $50 a case. That'll make a lot of rum...

[edge]

Thanks for the reply, how much is in the case at Sam's?

FYI, my local Agway has 5 gal. buckets of the feed molasses for $28 or about $6/gallon

[Prairiepiss]

I'm going to say that would be the opinion of the author. That's one of my problems with books. You don't get a clear picture. What you get is the narrow minded view of the author. That's why I like HD. You get the narrow minded view of many. And you can take those and use them to determine what you feel is the best answer. Plus they talk back to you here. A book doesn't.

I would also guess to say he is talking about a pure blackstrap wash. Nothing else added. But you could get the same outcome from a pot still running it multiple times. Every time you run it through the cleaner it would get. So if you were to make one with to much flavor. Dilution it with clean water and run it again. Or how ever many times it takes to get what you want.

Now you will notice most all the rum recipes use both blackstrap and white or brown sugar. The added sugars will dilute the flavors.

Now I haven't started in on rum yet. Will be this weekend. But this is information I have interpreted from the many hours of reading the narrow minded views of many wise members that have posted their findings on the great site.


No offence intended with the narrow minded view comments. We all get set in our ways. And we all like things a little different then the next guy. So we do get a little narrow minded at times. And its not a bad thing if you are happy with what you are doing. It's only a problem when you don't like what your making and you don't want to change your ways. And resist good suggestions from others.

I'm just babbling again. Sory I will shut up now.

[edge]

Thanks for that

On the use of brown sugar, isn't it just cane sugar with some molasses added / left in it?

It would seem that paying about twice as much for brown sugar as for regular cane sugar is adding cost for no reason!
It would seem that just add a bit more molasses and a little less white sugar would get me too the same spot but cheaper...

OR do I have that wrong?
Thanks again.

[blind drunk]

Have you seen this?

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =11&t=6975

[edge]

Have you seen this?

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =11&t=6975

Yes I did thanks.
I guess my problem was that most recipes call for blackstrap.
Now the prices I have found the fancy was more than twice the price but admit until recently I did not look except in the supermarket which is probably an unfair comparison.
That thread by GingerBreadMan shows that the fermentables were very close per gram of molasses so twice the price did not seem worth it.

Now twice the price would be worth it if the results were drastically better.

edge.

[blind drunk]

A single run black strap molasses rum is pretty intense right off the still. Some like it that way, some don't. I didn't love it but I could tell there was some nice stuff going on. So I kept it aside and did a couple of higher proof double runs and then added it back to the intense single run. I just went by taste. It turned out really nice. Best of both worlds. I spiced it up and it's still aging. It needed alot of time. Done with a simple potstill.

[edge]

Thanks, did you use the cloves, pineapple, and raisins for your spice like in Harrys GGGP Rum?

I'll be looking forward to your result.

edge.

[kenfyoozed]

just to give my humble opinion..... I have used both..... and will only use one from here on out. And that would be fancy molasses. Yes it is more costly, but also taste better. Better product in better product out. The feed molasses came across very strong, not bad in anyway. But the flavor profiles of vanilla, butterscotch, and fruity flavors were so much better from fancy molasses using the same bread yeast. Everyones opinon is different..... so try both and see what you come up with..... experiment.... thats half the fun!

[edge]

kenfyoozed, may I ask your recipe, and what you normally pay for fancy molasses?

Thanks.

[DFitz]

Thanks, did you use the cloves, pineapple, and raisins for your spice like in Harrys GGGP Rum?

I'll be looking forward to your result.

edge.

I used the cloves, pineapple and raisins, threw in some JD chips for a little extra help and colored it for effect. Its been sitting now for almost a month at 150 proof. Yesterday I looked in on it and the aroma is fantastic. Flavor was full and still buttery and the pineapple wasn't overwhelming. A very nice rum

I need to get through some barrels before I make any more rum.

[blind drunk]

Thanks, did you use the cloves, pineapple, and raisins for your spice like in Harrys GGGP Rum?

I went a slightly different route. Pineapple, orange and lemon zest, lemon grass, fresh ginger, candied ginger, vanilla, a very small piece of cinnamon stick and some new and used oak. I'll be making "dark and stormy" sipping drinks with it. The summer is fast approaching!

[King Of Hearts]

Sams Club for Fancy Molasses. thanks for the tip, but first I have to try this molasses I already bought at GFS for $13, and white sugar.

[Anemephistus]

Unsulphered fancy molasses is the best in my exp. The fermentable materials in it are estimated to be greater I would not be promising that I have seen research, but I have done both blackstrap (livestock molasses) and fancy. The fancy is better IMO.

I have used inverted and caramelized sugar in rum before. Try each strait. Caramalized, brown, white, and molasses. Then try them in every ratio you can think of. It will be fun and you will enjoy the exp. In my opinion however use fancy molasses and dark brown sugar in ratios that reflect your preference.

I also feel I need to share this it says it belongs to H. Jackson, Bless him. I cannot recal who posted it originally if anyone who sees this knows, pm me and I'll give him credit as well...



As inportant as the stuff ya' put in is the way ya distill it. I love this image and credit to the original poster for it. It ain't mine but it explains alot.



-A

[King Of Hearts]

That's very cool Anemephistus, does anyone know how much of Black Strap molasses is fermentable?

[Tater]

On most of the black strap/feed molasses I use .There is 12 lbs to a gallon and about 5lbs of that will ferment.On fancy its somewhere between 8 to 10 lbs per gallon http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 40&t=18108

[blind drunk]

That's very cool Anemephistus, does anyone know how much of Black Strap molasses is fermentable?

Not sure about animal feed grade molasses, but the bakery quality black strap is about 60% sugar.

[King Of Hearts]

That's very cool Anemephistus, does anyone know how much of Black Strap molasses is fermentable?

Not sure about animal feed grade molasses, but the bakery quality black strap is about 60% sugar.

Excellent, thanks a lot. My unsulphered Blackstrap is from Groebe Farms, who also sell honey and agave syrup.

http://groebfarms.com/index.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[edge]

According to the Rum University Lesson IV :

How much sugar do I need to make rum?
In the early days, long before industrialized sugar mills, the sugar plantation owner’s table of equivalence looked
something like this:
1 Acre of Land equals
10 Tons of sugarcane, equals
1 Ton of sugar, equals
30 Gallons of Rum


Today’s formula (a bit more technical), based on sugar-rich molasses, looks like this:
1 Ton molasses with 46% fermentable sugars = 920 pounds of sugar. Based on the Gay-Lussac equation for
ethanol production from glucose by fermentation, this is equal to 470.21 pounds of ethanol, which is equal to 71.46
gallons of ethanol. Using the Pasteur Yield (which is a formula based on a statement by the notable scientific that
it is impossible to get more than 95% of the maximum theoretical yield), we have an adjusted value of 67.89
gallons. This last number needs to be adjusted even further by a value which represents “plant efficiency,” which
denotes the extent to which the plant’s equipment and processes can get close to the Pasteur Yield. The average
plant efficiency is around 90%, which gives as a final number of 61.10 gallons per ton of molasses. What a
difference technology makes!