1st time rum ferment question

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Spowers2
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1st time rum ferment question

Post by Spowers2 »

My first time playing with molasses. In a clean bucket I added 9 Lbs. molasses, 5 gallons hot water, 4 Lbs. brown sugar, 2 cans coconut milk. Added a little nutrient and got the ph to about 5.0-5.4 (hard to tell from the molasses coloring) Then pitched some dady.

It went crazy and seems to be done 24 hours later, popped lid off bucket to check finished gravity (1.020) and it had a layer on top I've never seen before. It was like a dry, hard foam, light colored with chunks of what looked like sliced up water chestnut in it.. It covered the whole top of the mash.

I've done many mashes before and never seen anything like this, but, first time with molasses. I'm assuming it must be from the molasses.

From what I've read having nasty stuff is good for rum anyways but, just wanting some info from the pros! I've tried searching for info on this, but all I can find is info about dunder and infections. Is this an infection? By the way I used an agricultural molasses that comes in 3.5 gallon buckets, maybe something to do with it?

Thanks for any help!
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Dancing4dan
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Dancing4dan »

Lol. Please post a picture.
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NormandieStill
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by NormandieStill »

An infection that strong in 24 hours would seem unlikely. My bet is it's something to do with the coconut milk you poured in!

Keep checking the SG. You're looking for it to stop changing, not a specific target. Check it twice 48 hours apart and if you get the same reading then the yeasties are done working. *

Edit to add: * If your ferment was super slow, 48 hours might not be long enough to see a difference, but you said yours took off like a rocket so it should be fine
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Spowers2
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Spowers2 »

I wish I would have taken a picture, but, I already scooped it all out and threw it away.. Planning on running it over the weekend and just using this first batch as a way to get some dunder anyways..

If you imagine someone ate the top of a few dutch apple pies, and 1/2 a Lb. of water chestnuts and then threw up, that's what it looked like. Sorry for the description lol!
I found another post of someone getting similar results from this AG molasses, it must be the oil & additives in this junk...
Spowers2
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Spowers2 »

NormandieStill wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 9:34 pm An infection that strong in 24 hours would seem unlikely. My bet is it's something to do with the coconut milk you poured in!

Keep checking the SG. You're looking for it to stop changing, not a specific target. Check it twice 48 hours apart and if you get the same reading then the yeasties are done working. *

Edit to add: * If your ferment was super slow, 48 hours might not be long enough to see a difference, but you said yours took off like a rocket so it should be fine
I didn't even think about the coconut milk being a possibility, hmmm. I'll keep an eye on it. Pretty sure it's given all its going to anyways. Come to think of it, the coconut milk was very thick and dry coming out of the cans..
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NZChris
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by NZChris »

Run it, or age it a few days and run it.

Do your homework before you run it, not after. Internet advice ranges from stellar to newbie nonsense, so be careful.

The oil from the coconut might help with foaming, I usually use butter. If I want coconut in a rum, I use essence from the supermarket when bottling/blending, a trick I picked up from Jimbo.
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Spowers2 wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 8:06 pm It went crazy and seems to be done 24 hours later,
Doubt very much it was finished in 24 hours.
Spowers2 wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 8:06 pm it had a layer on top I've never seen before. It was like a dry, hard foam, light colored with chunks of what looked like sliced up water chestnut in it.. It covered the whole top of the mash.
Another reason to think its not done.

I'd loose the coconut milk, its not a product of the sugar industry.
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Chug
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Chug »

I use coconut milk a lot for cooking and to make drink syrups, and it’s tough to stop it from clumping at the best of times. Pretty sure the high fat content of the coconut milk reacted with the lower ph and probably starved out your yeast, and caused those chunks you see. You can run it but I doubt you’ll get much out of it.

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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Spowers2 »

Thank you all for the help & advise!
Just checked gravity again and no change, still at 1.020, which is fine. Like I said, this run is just do get a dunder anyways, if I get some alcohol that's a bonus!

In the future I will leave out the coconut milk! Just got the idea from George, so thought I'd give it a try..
I'll run this soon and then be ready to try to make some Buccaneer Bob's!

Thanks again!

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Edited post to remove unwanted name of a certain Youtube channel.
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Spowers2 wrote: Sat Feb 26, 2022 12:41 pm Just got the idea from George, so thought I'd give it a try.
Why am I not surprised, You will learn the correct ways of doing things here, watching that rubbish you will just learn a lot of bad habits and crazy ideas.
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NZChris
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by NZChris »

I wonder what other bad ideas he gave you. if you've been getting your running advice from him, that might be your next issue.
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by WRMJ397 »

Tisk, tisk, such harsh words about a very nice man.....if all of us totally depended on this site to instruct or help us, we'd just throw our hands up and quit, since all most of you elite distillers can do is look down your nose and laugh.....George has done more to attract "new" distillers to this craft than most any of the so called "help" on this site. Anyhow, I'm sure I'll get a finger shook at me.....for supporting a great guy, and yes I use a PID controller and yes I make damn fine Rum and Bourbon each and every time.

Now, I use DADY yeast and yeast nutrient to complete my rum ferments. If the ferment stalls I will re-add nutrient or a can of tomato paste to kick it back off. However, I have not had any bad luck so far with my ferments....1 gallon of Grandmas unsulfured molasses, and 5 lbs of sugar in the raw...I am on my 4th generation of dunder, and can't wait to complete the next batch. I don't use blackstrap molassess for any of my washes.

Good luck and ease up on o'll George. :)

Sorry, I make 6.5 gallon batches.
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Sporacle »

WRMJ397 wrote: Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:59 pm all of us totally depended on this site to instruct or help us, we'd just throw our hands up and quit, since all most of you elite distillers can do is look down your nose and laugh.....
Never happened in my few years on here, nothing but help from the experienced members :thumbup:
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Bradster68
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Bradster68 »

WRMJ397 wrote: Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:59 pm Tisk, tisk, such harsh words about a very nice man.....if all of us totally depended on this site to instruct or help us, we'd just throw our hands up and quit, since all most of you elite distillers can do is look down your nose and laugh.....George has done more to attract "new" distillers to this craft than most any of the so called "help" on this site. Anyhow, I'm sure I'll get a finger shook at me.....for supporting a great guy, and yes I use a PID controller and yes I make damn fine Rum and Bourbon each and every time.

Now, I use DADY yeast and yeast nutrient to complete my rum ferments. If the ferment stalls I will re-add nutrient or a can of tomato paste to kick it back off. However, I have not had any bad luck so far with my ferments....1 gallon of Grandmas unsulfured molasses, and 5 lbs of sugar in the raw...I am on my 4th generation of dunder, and can't wait to complete the next batch. I don't use blackstrap molassess for any of my washes.

Good luck and ease up on o'll George. :)

Sorry, I make 6.5 gallon batches.
Are u George?
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by The Baker »

Being nice does not mean you are knowledgable.
And that is a general thought, not about anyone in particular.

And in a similar vein, I would rather a grumpy, expert doctor than a really nice inexpert one.
The thought comes to mind because I will see my cancer specialist again tomorrow for a half-yearly check
to see if, hopefully, there is now still no sign of it.

and, off topic, last time I saw him I said, 'Congratulations'.
And he said, 'Oh, is that about my second wedding?'
And I said, 'Well actually it was about you becoming a professor'...

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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Sporacle »

The Baker wrote: Sun Sep 25, 2022 9:20 pm The thought comes to mind because I will see my cancer specialist again tomorrow for a half-yearly check
to see if, hopefully, there is now still no sign of it.
I know its off topic, but old mate went there first by mentioning "he who can't be named"
Good luck with the tests Geoff and hope you get the all clear mate :thumbup:
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by The Baker »

Thanks, Sporacle.

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NZChris
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by NZChris »

WRMJ397 wrote: Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:59 pm Tisk, tisk, such harsh words about a very nice man....
If you take the time to have a look around the forum, you will find that some of the folk that criticize YouTubers have products aging from well before your YT mate bought his first still, a POS out of China that was already warned against on this forum.

Don't mistake enthusiasm and video making skills for knowledge. BTW, if you read the rules linked to near the bottom of the page, you will find that you are not permitted to link to his videos. See rule l. There are good reasons for this.

If you do know how to use a PID to run rum, I suggest that you start a new thread on the subject and explain, exactly, how to do it, without referring to where you learned your method.
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Re: 1st time rum ferment question

Post by Saltbush Bill »

WRMJ397 wrote: Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:59 pm G........ has done more to attract "new" distillers to this craft than most any of the so called "help" on this site.
I'm calling BS on that , the mans a menace to the hobby ......Hes caused the members and mods of this and other forums countless hours trying to sort out the problems that his "fans" bring here with them.
He didn't win his place in the names and businesses contained within Rule L of the forum by luck. There is good reason that its there.
It would probably be wise not to mention the name again.
If you haven't already read the forum Rules , now would be a good time....here is the link.
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NZChris wrote: Sun Sep 25, 2022 9:51 pm If you do know how to use a PID to run rum, I suggest that you start a new thread on the subject and explain, exactly, how to do it
:thumbup:
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