Great Molasses for Rum

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Tortuga
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Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Tortuga »

When I finally decided to switch away from dark brown sugar and start using molasses like a grown up I noticed that all the molasses at the grocery store is unreasonably expensive. Luckily I have a restaurant supply shop and they had molasses by the 1 gallon jug (which is exactly how much I use for a 1 gallon batch).

The molasses is called Chef's Quality Golden A Unsulfured Molasses. I get a 1 gallon jug for under $14 and it creates some amazing smells while fermenting and I've made some very delicious product with it. The best part is that it ferments completely dry, which I haven't seen in anyone else's posts about using blackstrap. I was expecting about half of the sugars to be left behind as unfermentable but the hydrometer dropped to just below zero by the time it was done. I use a very basic yeast starter and it ferements fast and estery every time.

I've looked around other places and can't seem to find it available so I'm not sure if anyone else will be able to find it. But if you are able to come across it this is a great deal, easy to work with, and makes a very good product. I've had some great flavors leaving it white as well as with oaking.
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DFitz
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by DFitz »

Last I checked a 5 gal. pail of golden ran about $36. If your in or near a large city check with bakers or bakery's and find out where they get they're molasses from. They may even sell you a pail at a good price.
Tortuga
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Tortuga »

Wow that's an even better price. How does it ferment out? Have you compared golden to blackstrap? I'd be interested to know if there's something that I'm missing using the golden. It makes a great product so I'm very happy with it, but always looking to improve my game.
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Drunk-N-Smurf
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Drunk-N-Smurf »

I get mine from the farm supply. Unsulfered blackstrap, $26 for a 5gallon pail. i can't remember the sugar content off hand but it was a bit more than the cooking molasses, usually ferments out dry with bakers yeast.
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DFitz
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by DFitz »

Tortuga wrote:Wow that's an even better price. How does it ferment out? Have you compared golden to blackstrap? I'd be interested to know if there's something that I'm missing using the golden. It makes a great product so I'm very happy with it, but always looking to improve my game.
It's what's called golden (or bakers) molasses. It's the same so I imagine it'll ferment the same
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Dan P. »

DFitz wrote:
Tortuga wrote:Wow that's an even better price. How does it ferment out? Have you compared golden to blackstrap? I'd be interested to know if there's something that I'm missing using the golden. It makes a great product so I'm very happy with it, but always looking to improve my game.
It's what's called golden (or bakers) molasses. It's the same so I imagine it'll ferment the same
Are you sure you're not thinking of golden treacle?
Golden treacle (aka golden syrup) makes a good drop, but is definitely more toward the sugar/sugar cane end flavour wise, and benefits from the addition of black molasses/black treacle. Ferment as molasses, i.e. needs nutrients.
Or maybe there's a thing called golden molasses??
Tortuga
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Tortuga »

Ok this is now getting a bit confusing. I am using Unsulfured Golden Molasses. I haven't read about other people using that on here, I've only read about people using blackstrap. Whenever i read about people using blackstrap they always say that there is a bunch that doesn't ferment so it never ferments completely dry (unless using a bacteria to convert the unfermentables).

Drunk-n-smurf: are you saying that blackstrap ferments out completely dry without leaving any unfermentables behind? If so, does blackstrap give a stronger or different flavor than golden molasses?

I've been getting really good rum flavors from the golden and making some very good rum (much more flavorful than anything I've bought at the store). However, if I can make a deeper, stronger flavored rum using blackstrap and it's fully fermentable, then I'd be interested in giving it a try.

Thanks for the info
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Drunk-N-Smurf
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Drunk-N-Smurf »

Tortuga wrote:
Drunk-n-smurf: are you saying that blackstrap ferments out completely dry without leaving any unfermentables behind? If so, does blackstrap give a stronger or different flavor than golden molasses?
I don't know for sure if it does indeed leave unfermentables behind, my definition of "ferments dry" to me means, no sweet taste at all when done, hydrometer measuring .99 or less.

There has been a thread or two discussing math of getting your true reading but I can't for the life of me find it (was fairly recent)

I do know that when I ran my first run, I didn't finish fermenting completely and the wash didn't taste sweet, but the backset after the run did, but when I let it ferment out, my backset is very sour, no sweetness whatsoever.
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DAD300
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by DAD300 »

Powdered baker's mollasses

http://www.bulkfoods.com/wholesale-swee ... ounds.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

http://www.bulkfoods.com/sweeteners/535 ... sugar.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
molasses_powder.jpg
molasses_powder.jpg (1.99 KiB) Viewed 5895 times
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Drunk-N-Smurf
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Drunk-N-Smurf »

Just checked my molasses bucket.

Its simply labeled as sugarcane molasses, guaranteed analysis: sugars as invert=40% I get it for 26-28$(Depending on the location) for a 20kg pail.
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cantbuyathrill
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by cantbuyathrill »

DAD300 wrote:Powdered baker's mollasses

http://www.bulkfoods.com/wholesale-swee ... ounds.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

http://www.bulkfoods.com/sweeteners/535 ... sugar.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
molasses_powder.jpg
Don't buy or ship water...$5usd shipping over $75 order.
Thanks for posting that! Lot's of neat sugars to experiment with for brewing too, and the prices are reasonable as well.
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nerdybrewer
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by nerdybrewer »

Does anyone know how much dry powdered molassas is equal to one gallon liquid molasses?
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Stumpy Al
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Stumpy Al »

No I use 7lb of Molasses for my rum
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Stumpy Al »

Grandma's molasses unsulphured thats the best hands down
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nerdybrewer
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by nerdybrewer »

I used Grandma's on my first couple small batches.
Expensive, but yummy.
Next I bought gallons of blackstrap, still very tasty but also too expensive for bigger batches.
Finally found good preservative free blackstrap at my feed store.
Made a lot of rum, using dunder from previous batches and building my dunder store.
Now I won't do anything but feed molasses, several 35 gallon washes to fill an 8 gallon barrel with rum.
I need to start making more for next winter!
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http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52975

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Brutal
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Brutal »

DAD300 wrote:Powdered baker's mollasses

http://www.bulkfoods.com/wholesale-swee ... ounds.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

http://www.bulkfoods.com/sweeteners/535 ... sugar.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
molasses_powder.jpg
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Never thought of powdered before. I need some molasses and this looks like just the ticket Dad. Thanks.
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Pesty
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Pesty »

Stumpy Al wrote:Grandma's molasses unsulphured thats the best hands down
Hands down the best I've used but at 15 bucks a gallon when you buy 4 gallons I had to find a cheaper source.

Shipping the stuff is outta the question so I looked around town and found a wholesale bakers supply, they have every grade available from 1 gal to IBC tote.
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Re: Great Molasses for Rum

Post by Drunken Unicorn »

I've tried powdered molasses and I couldn't get it to work for me. Produced not great flavors and I had a hard time getting it to finish fermentation. I used to buy all my molasses from a local restaurant supply, it made a decent drop.

Now, I buy all my molasses from webstaurant. They sell in blackstrap and baking variety. The local feed shop has some black strap in the $23-24 range, but I'm not sure about it's quality.

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