Panela/Piloncillo RUM

[rad14701]

Bear in mind that Rad's original intent was to create a substitute for turbo yeast. So the extra yeast was for a bit of muscle.
The yeasty beer was originally run through the column.
Of course the wheat adjuct turned out to make a great pot stilled starter recipe as well.

I, for the most part, have dropped back to using about half as much yeast as my recipes originally state... That, however, is only because I have refined my nutrient additions...

[Hound Dog]

Bear in mind that Rad's original intent was to create a substitute for turbo yeast. So the extra yeast was for a bit of muscle.
The yeasty beer was originally run through the column.
Of course the wheat adjuct turned out to make a great pot stilled starter recipe as well.

I, for the most part, have dropped back to using about half as much yeast as my recipes originally state... That, however, is only because I have refined my nutrient additions...

This is all good to know! I will have to follow suit and cut back on yeast for future ferments. This Panela with the extra yeast has definitely been a "turbo substitute" although that was not my intent.

[Hound Dog]

Quick question guys, I have read in some of the Rum threads that a hydrometer is not very accurate with a molassas wash. Does this hold true with the Panel a wash? Since I just brew for me ( and the wife) I am not too concerned with the dead on scientific accuracy (I am looking for tastes and effect ) I see some guys after but knowing I am in the ballpark helps me out during the run.

[rad14701]

The more unfermentable solids in your sample the less accurate the readings and potential %ABV will be... This pretty much goes for any wash, not just rums...

[Prairiepiss]

Clear liquid will give you and accurate reading with panela. Or at least its been good for me.

[Hound Dog]

Seems like I will be close enough then. I usually just float the hydrometer in the barrel instead of taking samples. Seems to work OK.

[LWTCS]

Panela is more likely to work off good and dry.
Just have a taste when your air lock goes quiet. It will be bone dry.

[Prairiepiss]

Panela is more likely to work off good and dry.
Just have a taste when your air lock goes quiet. It will be bone dry.

Be careful it tastes good. I still have a gallon I have been clearing to bottle as wine. I probably should bottle that soon.

[LWTCS]

Panela is more likely to work off good and dry.
Just have a taste when your air lock goes quiet. It will be bone dry.

Be careful it tastes good. I still have a gallon I have been clearing to bottle as wine. I probably should bottle that soon.

What yeast PP?

[Prairiepiss]

Just bakers yeast.

[LWTCS]

Just bakers yeast.

My clarified beer has a "beer" quality with bakers yeast imo.
I wonder how wine or champaign would affect the finished beer.
I wonder if stopping the fermentation early with a wine yeast would offer up a mead like quality?

[Prairiepiss]

I thought about making like a carbonated cider like drink with it. I just haven't gotten that far yet. I do have a gallon of Apple wine that I used panela in. Instead of regular sugar. It's about ready to bottle to. I haven't tried it yet. I have 5 or 6 gallon batches of wine. That I need to get bottled. I need to get off my but and do it.

[Hound Dog]

Got my first batch racked off into buckets and clearing in the cold garage. Should be stripping and running this week. I am excited to make my first rum!

[Hound Dog]

Stripping the first batch down now. I have more panela broken up in the barrels waiting on some hot backset to melt it down. I am on Quart 10 of my first batch and it should be deep into tails but it still smells good! I have to get my meter and take a reading to see where I am......

Hmm. Down to 40% and no tails but QUART #11 is starting to smell a bit. I'll probably stop on # 12 and set up the second batch.

After the spirit run, what do you guys do? Keep it whit? Put it on charred JD sticks? Toasted JD Sticks?

[LWTCS]

I prefer to keep it white.
It is a bit lighter than molasses and so i find the oaking or other adjuncts can mask the honest quality of the finished product.

[Prairiepiss]

I've been experimenting a little with mine. 100% panela that I have ran off so far. Had a little more flavor then I would have liked. I will be fixing that on my next runs. But I have 4 or 5 different jugs put away. With different stuff in them. Some are spiced and some oak and sugar maple. The sugar maple is coming along quite nicely. Not impressed with the oak. The spiced stuff is not coming along as well as I was hoping for. But they are a work in progress.

If you keep it as white. I would let it age a bit. Open it up from time to time. LWTCS told me about that a while back. And I like the outcome.

[Jimbo]

Ive done some experimenting also with straight 100% Panela rum, and agree with both LWTCS and P. Oaked is ok, not great. Spiced is ok, not great (but that could just be lack of spicing skill). White with one run I liked but wife said had too much flavor, so I ran it again. After several months aging, this double run rum is really nice. Goes well with all sorts of mixers, a nd even tasty sipping straight up.

[Hound Dog]

Thanks for the heads up. I stripped it down on my pot still and will do a fast spirit run on my boka. I will keep it white airing it out a little as suggested and see what it turns out like. I have a second batch ready to go now that I melted down with 25% backset so when I am done with that I should have plenty to experiment with if I get a wild hair. For basic commercial rums I liked Mt Gay the best in both amber (Eclipse) and Silver. I had drank CM Private Stock quite a bit also for spiced rum. I don't like regular CM at all.

[aknewb1s]

I don't like regular CM at all.

Which CM? White?

Of the 6 white rums I have, CM White Rum tastes the most like panela rum to my palette.

[Hound Dog]

I don't like regular CM at all.

Which CM? White?

Of the 6 white rums I have, CM White Rum tastes the most like panela rum to my palette.

I didn't even know the Capt'n made a white rum. I was referring to the regular Capt'n Spiced rum. I do like the Private Stock though.

[Hound Dog]

Well I ran the panela a while ago and was not too thrilled with it. I stripped it on my pot then ran it fast through my 2" boka. It was a flavor I did not expect. Nothing like I had ever tasted to be honest and I didnt care for it. So I set it aside for a while. Since I completed my 3" boka with a 6" bubbler under it and finished a vodka run I figured I would give this rum a run through my new rig to see what it would come out like. Worst case, I would strip out all the flavor and have more neutral. Not a chance. I cut six gallons of 80+% down to 30% and ran it. I pulled it off at 93-94% and aired it out. Cut it in half for drinking strength and found it still has plenty of flavor! This is good stuff! It is still different from anything else I have drank but it is damn good!

I did save some of the first run, cut it to three quarts around 65% and put some toasted JD barrel sticks in it. We'll see how that is in a couple months.

[mendodistilling]

I'm so confused, was it good but different than anything you tasted or bad? Did you not like the boka run, however, the neutral vdrsion was appealing?

[Hound Dog]

I'm not always the best at explanations. The first fast run through my small boka left too much flavor and it was overpowering and unpleasant. When I ran it slow through my current rig, I thought it would come out neutral but did not. It still carried over flavor. This time it was just the right amount of flavor to make it good to me. It is good stuff but can be overpowering.

Other more experienced distillers have had threads describing how flavor carries through on high proof runs. Just because you are at or close to azeo does not mean you will strip all the flavor out of a wash. This flavor mellowed and carried over nicely.

[Misflt]

It sitting around aging in glass until you ran it again probably helped it mature too. It always takes 3-6 weeks of aging for fresh run likker to reach its best flavor profile when white, or raw. Good to know the flavors still carry over at higher purity. I plan to try some panella soon.

[shinendine]

Anyone heard from Sugar Daddy lately? Contact info? Looking to get some more Panela. PMed him, no response yet.

[warp1]

Ferment should be done sometime mid-week. How long do you have to let settle before running? Not sure how clear it will ever get...so figured I would ask.

[Prairiepiss]

A couple days should be fine after fermentation is done.

[Hound Dog]

Mine got about as clear as coffee.

[warp1]

Thanks guys...I'll just transfer it to a secondary and give it 2 days

[shadylane]

Seems like I will be close enough then. I usually just float the hydrometer in the barrel instead of taking samples. Seems to work OK.

That's my way.