Rum conundrum

[midwest shinner]

Yeah rgreen, sometimes those molasses washes surprise ya and explode with activitiy(I usually find this within the first 48 hrs or so in a happy ferment) almost as bad as some grain mashes...In my experience a good rum wash would have some decent molasses(I get mine for $13.99 a gal at GFS, a bulk food/restaurant supply store), some panela for nutrients, added sugars and flavor(as if the black strap molasses doesnt have enough), maybe 25% Dunder or so, depending on its funkiness, quality water and bakers yeast. I have used cane sugar and brown sugar in place of some molasses before but I like a dark heavy rum. I want my white rum to taste black, if you get what I mean there. Have patience and you'll get there, always keep at it.

[Bagasso]

So Bagasso you think I just caused a CO2 bomb? Could explain why I have no more real action in the airlock.

If the sugar was dry then, yes, it would have been a release of CO2.

In any case, you should take a taste and if it is sweet then it has stalled.

[rgreen2002]

So Bagasso you think I just caused a CO2 bomb? Could explain why I have no more real action in the airlock.

If the sugar was dry then, yes, it would have been a release of CO2.

In any case, you should take a taste and if it is sweet then it has stalled.

Bagasso - I think that I got the CO2 explosion but I am bubbling again so who knows. I did have a taste and there is a little sweetness. I cant be sure it isn't the unfermentable sugar that I'm tasting. I think I'm just going to run it and see what happens...

Midwest - I think next time I'm going to look much closer at the molasses. This is frustrating for sure... FYI - its back bubbling again... most likely finishing off that new sugar. I am thinking I'm going to just run the sucker but I get the feeling this Frankenwash may be a good way to clean the new keg still coming up here shortly(since I cannot guarantee any quality). Not decided yet though since it might just be great with all the crazy tampering but I'm not holding my breath.

Thanks for the help though...always appreciated.

[midwest shinner]

Whatever you decide to do definitely take a taste of the wash and see if there's any sweetness left to it, if it is sweet you have a stalled wash. But you could still have distillable alcohol in there maybe just less than planned. Did you take a starting gravity with a hydrometer before pitching the yeast? If so you could check it again and figure out how much booze may be in there. Just a thought, as its a sad thing having to dump a wash, but loads of us have had it happen before.

[Grappa-Gringo]

So I made a rum and hazelnut mix... with a little simple syrup it turned out really nice... but, this is what happened. I filtered it not just once, but 5 different times because of this weird occurrence. If you look at the photo I added, there's a bunch of little "clouds" suspended in mid liquid. Can't really taste them...they are so fine it's crazy... I've shaken it, it clouds over and then by morning it separates and forms little suspended clouds. Has anyone ever seen this before???

[frunobulax]

It looks like fat or oil from the Hazelnuts.

[moosemilk]

It looks like fat or oil from the Hazelnuts.

+1 oil tends to come out of solution. If it bothers you, freeze and siphon or decant, it should form a glob after freezing and be easily separated.

Do an HD Google search for "fat washing".

[raketemensch]

I vote you embrace it, it looks kinda cool to me. Go all Goldschlager with it :]

[rgreen2002]

So I wanted to give a final follow up to this Rum Conundrum...
As you recall I ran into issues with this rum: was my dunder OK to use, the propionic acid issue, the "stalled" ferment, the "Mentos" explosion, etc..
Where we left off; I have 2-5 gallon pails of this rum that stopped fermenting at about 1.06. I was not sure if it was done so.... best thing to do is run it.

Stripping run in my pot gave a small molasses puke all over the basement floor when I turned my back on it for like a minute (this stuff is the gift that keeps on giving). This was followed by about 2 gallons of EtOH between 20-75% ABV. Totaled out at 2 gallons of 55% ABV.
I had to clean the hell out of the keg because even though I had racked the molasses twice (as well as you can rack a dark brown substance to "clear" it) there was rum mud all over the keg.
I ran a strip in my Bok the other day. I used the LM because I figured that if there is any way I'm getting anything useful out of this...its probably a neutral. I'm glad I did because this stuff lacks nothing in the flavor department. Gave me nearly 3 liters of average 95% ABV product and some fine tasting rum right off of the still. It's airing out right now and I cannot wait to see how this turns out,

So in the end... the rum was done at 1.06. No other sugar or anything else was needed. Based on the product I was tasting off of the still... I am definitely doing this one again, but will make some modifications (two words... F-ing bread yeast) and record the results.

Thanks to all who hung in there with me on this one. The results were so far phenomenal. Yummyrum - if you're still here I'm really interested in your all molasses recipe next so thanks for the recipe! http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 4#p7365724 if anyone is looking for it.

[Saltbush Bill]

Id put a little of that aside and put some toasted American oak in it, let it sit for 6 months a see what you think.

[Yummyrum]

The results were so far phenomenal. Yummyrum - if you're still here I'm really interested in your all molasses recipe next so thanks for the recipe! http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 4#p7365724 if anyone is looking for it.

Thanks rg ...but this fellow is one who really makes some dam fine Rum...he lives up the road from me ...kinda knows his stuff

Id put a little of that aside and put some toasted American oak in it, let it sit for 6 months a see what you think.

[rgreen2002]

Id put a little of that aside and put some toasted American oak in it, let it sit for 6 months a see what you think.

Done! 2 Quarts proofed down to 62% ABV and on oak.

[rgreen2002]

Yummyrum - what is your recipe for all molasses runs?

rgreen2002
its a work in progress but my last few were like this .....It makes 100 liters which I split into 2 50 liter washes

20 liters Feedstock Molasses
10 liters Dunder
70 liters water
heaped teaspoon of Epsom salts
teaspoon of DAP ( but I doubt it makes any real difference )
a cup of Bread yeast sprinkled on top

I generally heat the dunder and about 20 liters of water in a Big old pot and add the molasses while stirring , bring the lot up to about 80 degC ( to steralize the Dunder and Molasses .......not saying you need to ....its just me )
Then I split the hot stuff into my fermenters ......I have two 60 liter each .
I can then still lift them up to the fermenting shelf before I top them up to 50 liters each with cold water , add the Epsom salts and DAP , aerate with a paint stirrer in a drill , then add the yeast .( its usually at around 35 - 40 degC at pitching )

Start SG is usually around 1.100 and finishes dry at 1.050

There is no violent foam up , just a nice crousin then that gives way to the familiar fizzing coke .......its all over in around 36-48 hours

I used to add around 1/5 Dunder but I have backed off to 1/10 ........just seem to get a cleaner Rum which is already tasty enough due to the all molasses . ( we are fortunate that we live in a sugar growing region so Molasses is as cheap as sugar)

Trying new BOP idea.jpg

Splitting the pre mix.jpg

More Rum.jpg

These are some of my old Dunder Buckets , When I found the disgusting scoby growing in one I decided enough of this shit .....incidentally this is why I sterilize my washes

More Dunder.jpg

Dunder Resized.jpg

PICT0232.JPG

YM - well it took a little while... but I finally got around to your all molasses rum. I had to cut it back a bit and made enough for about a 10 gallon wash (I cheated just a little and threw in a little (1lb) Panela). It fermented out like crazy in a little over 3 days. I did a single run on my 2' bok and even at 95% - she has some great flavor (I can't seem to get lower with my bok no matter what I do... at least not without consequences). I'm letting it air out as we speak and I can't wait to get a taste of the final product!
Thanks again for the recipe and the direction!
Next time I might try all food grade molasses instead of feed.

[rgreen2002]

I sent Yummyrum a personal thank you but I thought everyone might want the info so I just wanted to give a follow up here:

It's been just about 4 months since this all MO rum experiment for me. I used these measurements found at this link and a feed grade molasses that I had a little trouble with (Propionic acid and such) but I got it to ferment OK: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 4#p7365724

Put it on oak chips for 2 months, then on a full oak spiral (american, medium char about 12" x 1") for the last 2 months. When it went into the jar it was pretty harsh. The chips did smooth it out a bit but nothing like the oak spiral.

I'm tasting it for the first time since coming off the still...the taste has improved so much I don't even know what to say about it! It is near perfect and if the next 2 months go as well as the last few... this will be an amazing rum. Many thanks for the recipe and the help along the way. I think I am going to try this one with either full food grade blackstrap or a mix of food grade and feed grade.