My First proper SBB Molly Rum

[Dathhu]

Hope you can keep it warm enough ferrica, rum is more of a summer thing for me. I'm letting it go nuts here right now in the southern hemisphere.

Hope it works out well, I hope you have something ok for Christmas, but I hope you stash more away for a few more months. By summertime in the UK you should have some tasty rum hopefully.

[ferrica]

I hope so too Dathhu

My wash was/is very sedate compared to how yours took off. But just checked and she's gurgling away happily despite the cold Welsh weather.

Roll on.

[ferrica]

Checked Molly out last night. She's stopped bubbling at the airlock, opened her up and can still see/hear fizz. Will have a better look in daylight later today.

Roll-on

[ferrica]

Checked her out again this afternoon. Not bubbling through the airlock though fizzing inside like a dream.....I took an SG reading (see below) and had a little taster, fine obvious molasses taste, a little sour and a little sweet and a definite hint of alcohol. Fiddled with the bubbler and heater bungs and she was gurgling happily once more when I left. The SG readings (if nothing else) show that the wash density has dropped a lot in the last week. Happy Days.....

First day original SG

Today's SG

[Dathhu]

Looking good, mid 1.135ish starting? Almost 1.1 now?

Hopefully should drop a bit more yet.

Keep it warm it should come up okay.

Hope you're ready to deal with a thick wash like that though, keep temps low, hope you don't puke. If you do, back off the heat.

It'll make a good mess in your still if you aren't ready for it.

Don't ask me how I know

[ferrica]

Yes for def I'll be wary of the liabilities..... For starters, once she's finished brewing up I'll be leaving it stand to settle down for a day or two before I transfer to the still. And then do 2 separate 30l strips runs down to about 15 - 20% ABV each. My still is only about 50l capacity. I've got a sight glass so I can keep a beady eye on it throughout.

She's been going for 10 days. I'm going out to check it again today. I'm itching badly to get the gubbins into the keg and start steaming. But I'm going to to take my time and take heed of all the good advice from you fellas

Tally fkn Ho

[still_stirrin]

ferrica,

Like Dathhu cautioned, the fact that the measured specific gravity is still at 1.100 indicates that there is a lot of non-water and non-alcohol in the wash. And that likely will “gum up” in your boiler, possibly leading to a scorch.

Also, if my calculations are correct, with a measured OG=1.135 (way too high) and a terminal SG=1.100 (still too high), the alcohol potential is around 5%ABV. The low production could be due to the opening gravity being too high for the yeast, and I don’t mean the alcohol caused premature flocculation. I mean the osmotic pressure on the yeast cell walls caused the yeast to explode!

I believe you’ve made a common beginner’s mistake of thinking that simply because a yeast is advertised to tolerate a certain alcohol potential, that you could extract that much alcohol from your ferment. But the organism needs to have the proper environment to thrive to the point that it could reach such a potential. And your “thick” OG is NOT good for a healthy start.

Did you properly aerate the wash before pitching the yeast? Did you properly re-hydrate the (dry) yeast before pitching? Have you maintained the ambient temperature of the fermenter optimally for the yeast?

Unfortunately, successful brewing involves more than a simple stir and sprinkle. If it’s done/terminal now (at SG=1.100), I would consider dividing into 2 fermenters and adding some water to thin it a bit. You may see the yeast kick off again (hopefully). And for grins, you could even add a little sugar to the water, but don’t add a lot. I would add no more than a couple of pounds per 5 gallons of additional water added. This would add just a touch of food to re-energize “lazy” yeast and hopefully initiate some “budding”, or yeast reproduction.
ss

[Rrmuf]

Hi, I'm curious about this diagnosis because I also recently did 3 x 25l of SBB Molly wash and they all started abnormally high on the SG (~1.135) and all went FURIOUSLY when kept @28C for a couple days max, all ended up at a SG of ~1.05 and the ferment died. The first batch caused me great consternation and it tasted like what I thought it would taste like, and when I cleared it and stripped it down, it produced about 5l of low wines @ ~40%ABV. Ditto for the next two. I haven't done my spirit run yet so stay tuned, but I think my ferment went perfectly fine. I've heard others say don't trust the hydrometer readings, that they will be abnormally high. When I did the rough calculation on the expected yield based on the difference between OSG and FSG, it all seems to be pretty consistent.

The one thing I read in the above that would be cause for concern is the somewhat sweet taste.... in my case x3 it tasted absolutely devoid of sweetness.... but you could tell it came from molasses... if that makes any sense. BL: if it's at all sweet, it probably isn't done.

If you did go much above the recommended molasses / sugars then still-stirins suggestions would be the best way forward. Good luck.

[ferrica]

Hey still_stirrin

Thanks I appreciate the advice.

I don't see any obvious mistakes I made though . I followed SBB's recipe (doubled) and method, even using a jetwash to aerate thoroughly as recommended. I used (hydrated) bakers yeast (Allinsons: Saccharomyces cerevisiae) My expectations for the ABV were/are about 7-8%. 10% would be great.

I have a suspended 200W heater (rated at 150 litres) with an external digital thermo control and LED display. That seems to be working fine showing a constant 29-31 C I've often checked the mix with another manual digital thermometer it and shows good comparisons to that.

I'm aware that the brew is taking a long time but am gonna sit it out for another 4-5 days at least. She's chugging n fizzin away merrily so my instinct is to leave her be. Not broke, don't fix (for now) I've taken on board what still_stirrin wrote above and may go that route if needed

Cheers gentlemen

[ferrica]

The one thing I read in the above that would be cause for concern is the somewhat sweet taste

The sweetness is still there Rrmuf but less so today. I remember when my last rum ferment (Lyles Treacle) finished it was dry and somewhat sour. So this mix has definitely a way to go.

I wonder could the sluggish ferment be anything to do with the low sugar content of my molasses brand (35%) I think SBB's molly was 45% or so. That's quite a lump of sugar missing from mine?

[Yummyrum]

I can’t explain why its taking so long . Following this topic , you’ve done everything correct and your measurements seen typical . If it’s still fizzing and still slightly sweet , let it keep going .
I had a similar experience with my last Shady sugar shine .
Everything seemed OK but it decided to take 3 weeks .

[ferrica]

TY Yummyrum.....

I also wondered about the quality of my local water. I checked online, household tapwater here is stated to be soft at 7.7 pH. I haven't checked the pH of this wash at all. Perhaps I should.....I used 10l of hot dunder from my previous Lyles run along with about 2l of the leftover yeast trub for nutrients.

I'm not overly worried though, I suspect, like you do, that she's just a lazy so n so lol.

Forza!

[Dougmatt]

If it’s sweet, it’s not done. My SBB starts around 1.110+ (I add water to get it here) and finishes below 1.050 Is the SG still dropping? I would Wait to run it until it’s not sweet anymore.

[ferrica]

Yes Dougmatt still bubbling and fizzin and the SG dropped a little overnight.

I'm going to resist checking her properly again until Tuesday by then she will have been brewing for 2 weeks. I'm sure (hoping) things will look more promising by then....

I would Wait to run it until it’s not sweet anymore

That's the plan I think...

[Dougmatt]

That's the plan I think...

Sounds like a good one to me. Keep it warm!

[ratdog01]

Hi Gents
With ref to the molasses it took me an age to find it in the UK in 25kg tubs but find it I did
from a catering company BAKO of london and south east look them up was a good price also do loads of other stuff for making a wash
not sure if you can buy direct from catering companies in the USA but worth a try

thanks
rd01

[ferrica]

hey ratdog1 thanks!

I looked Bako up and they do a huge range of interesting stuff. Did you buy 25kg from them? If so what was the price please? Do they deliver bulk nationwide?

Cheers

[Rrmuf]

.... if it's fizzing and there is change then it's perhaps just a bit pokey. 35% vs 45% sugar level I am sure would make a difference but I wouldn't think it would account for a huge difference.

[ferrica]

She's still going...fizzin away and dropped a bit of SG. She's not so sweet now almost sour and a definite alcohol component.

I'm leaving her sit until she's ready. I'm resigned to the fact that she's plain lazy and I'm in no real hurry now to get it in the pot.

It just occurred to me though that the slow ferment could be because the bottom of the wash bin is sitting on a cold floor? My heater is suspended in the top 1/3 of the wash. Perhaps it's too cool for this yeast down low? Next time if in similar environment I will dangle the heater deeper down nearer the bottom.........

For fun I made a little clip of the Fizz excuse the heavy breath lol

[ferrica]

I think I may have found a probable cause for the sluggish ferment of this wash.

I bought myself a cheap digital thermometer with a probe on a wire and dropped that into the bottom of the wash. It measured only 7-8 C down there and a steady gradient up to about 30 C as I rose it back to the top. It's a good bet that this has slowed down the bakers yeast I used by a good margin. Had a taster the wash is more sour-ish now but remains a little sweet.

I should have put the wash bin on my heater pad I think. Such is life lol. Hey but I'm not overly worried she's still gurgling through the airlock I'll wait it out as long s it takes.....

[Dathhu]

Don't know how easy they are to find in the UK, but an old fridge helped me a ton brewing beer and again now with wash/mash.

It doesn't even have to be a working one, but that does help during summer.

Basically it's an already built fermentation chamber, it'll hold latent heat and keep the overall temp more even, top to bottom. During summer, a temp controller makes it easy. Fridge cuts on for a bit, brings the heat down, then turns off.

If the fridge doesn't work, a couple frozen water bottles during the day, open at night depending on what you're brewing.

If your distilling, it's a bit more forgiving to temp swings than brewing beer, but I've managed to put out some pretty reasonable lagers during 40+ heatwaves with just some ice bricks. Kept it down to 12C or so.

Inversely, during winter, closing the door kept the ferment at a nice 20C for ales most of the time. If it needed it, a hot water bottle perked it back up a bit or opening the door to let a bit of heat out.

If you want to get really fancy, dual thermostat with both heat and cooling...

[Dathhu]

Makes cold crashing simple too...

[Dathhu]

Otherwise, blankets, cardboard boxes etc around the fermenter to help hold a steady temp. Sometimes low tech just works nicely.

[Yummyrum]

I think I may have found a probable cause for the sluggish ferment of this wash.

I bought myself a cheap digital thermometer with a probe on a wire and dropped that into the bottom of the wash. It measured only 7-8 C down there and a steady gradient up to about 30 C as I rose it back to the top. It's a good bet that this has slowed down the bakers yeast I used by a good margin. Had a taster the wash is more sour-ish now but remains a little sweet.

I should have put the wash bin on my heater pad I think. Such is life lol. Hey but I'm not overly worried she's still gurgling through the airlock I'll wait it out as long s it takes.....

Thats some good info ferrica ….. and probably explains well what happened .
I gotta say I had no idea that such a temp gradient could happen in a fermenter .

Your future proofing plan sounds on the money .

[ferrica]

Hey thanks lads.....

I have considered a fermentation chamber. It would be easy to get hold of an old working fridge here but I'd rather knock something up out of timber and insulation board I have plenty of both lying about. That will be a nice little New Year project for me though.

I did wrap the bin in some insulation but it's obviously not enough. Perhaps a little pump to circulate and distribute/warm the total wash would have helped or even simply hanging the heater deeper into the bin.

Rolling on

[ferrica]

She's still going, dropped a few notches of SG and still fizzin and bubbling (albeit slowly) at the airlock. It's been 3 fuggin weeks lol.....

[ferrica]

Looks like the wash has finished....Still a very slight sweetness but no fizz at all anymore. I have no idea of the final wash ABV but will be stripping it tomorrow maybe or definitely on Boxing Day Monday.

My boiler is only 50l so will split the wash and run it down to about 15-20% at the parrot. I'll then do a slow pot-still spirit run next week. Fingers crossed will get a reasonable output.

I'm going to knock up a tidy heated fermentation cabinet for my next wash attempt. There's supposed to be a big freeze arriving in my part of the world (South Wales UK) at the beginning of January so am planning ahead to take that into account, it's a steep learning curve for me but I'm enjoying it. Thanks too to all you chaps for the advice....

KoT

[still_stirrin]

… My boiler is only 50l so will split the wash and run it down to about 15-20% at the parrot… I'll then do a slow pot-still spirit run next week. Fingers crossed will get a reasonable output.

I typically “dig deeper”… I mean, collect until the proof at the spout is between 5% - 10%. If you stop stripping at 20%ABV at the spout, you’ll be leaving a little good alcohol in the boiler.

Another good way to measure a good stripping run is to collect the low wines into a single vessel with the average collection at 30%ABV +/- a point or 2. Remember, this is just the stripping run, where you separate the alcohol from a lot of the water.
ss

[Twisted Brick]

I typically “dig deeper”… I mean, collect until the proof at the spout is between 5% - 10%. If you stop stripping at 20%ABV at the spout, you’ll be leaving a little good alcohol in the boiler.

Another good way to measure a good stripping run is to collect the low wines into a single vessel with the average collection at 30%ABV +/- a point or 2. Remember, this is just the stripping run, where you separate the alcohol from a lot of the water.
ss

+1

Not just for the improved alcohol yield, but by stripping down to 5 - 10%, the overall ABV of the spirit run is lowered a bit, reducing the amount of water needed to proof down to drinking strength, thus preserving more of your hard-earned spirit flavor.

[welly]

Joining in on this post. I've just put down my first SBB molly rum this evening.

6L of dunder/backset with 10L molasses, vitamin B tablet, about 80g dry active yeast that I rehydrated that went massively foamy within 10 minutes and topped up to 33L of water. OG (which I realise is possibly not that accurate with molasses) came to 1.090 which I think the yeast should be able to handle.

We'll leave it there for a few weeks and see what it does! Smells great though, looking forward to seeing what it turns into when I get it into the still. Hopefully this will be the first (actually second) generation of many rums to come. The dunder came from my black treacle and brown cane sugar TPW I did a month or so ago.

I've been ageing that on a few of oak staves and it's actually tasting pretty good! Resisting the temptation to bottle it and drink it. I want to see what it's doing in 3-6 months. It was more or less a test batch to practice making cuts as I'd only done one batch before on my still and that was a sacrificial wash. So I was amazed it tasted of anything. This one I'm particularly looking forward to tasting as I keep reading good things about SBB's molly rum.

Will post progress here!