Panela goodness

[nerdybrewer]

All this brix talk...
I just checked my ferment, it's at 15 brix.
This one got cold and I wasn't able to warm it back up until a few days ago when I got my Ink Bird controller.
It's been at 75F for a couple days but apparently isn't doing anything.
I used the last of my yeast brick too.
Now I'm increasing the heat and I'll get more yeast and pitch it asap.
Is 45F cold enough to kill a rum ferment with bakers yeast?

[Oldvine Zin]

All this brix talk...
I just checked my ferment, it's at 15 brix.
This one got cold and I wasn't able to warm it back up until a few days ago when I got my Ink Bird controller.
It's been at 75F for a couple days but apparently isn't doing anything.
I used the last of my yeast brick too.
Now I'm increasing the heat and I'll get more yeast and pitch it asap.
Is 45F cold enough to kill a rum ferment with bakers yeast?

No they will just go to sleep and wake up happy when the temps get back up

OVZ

[Oldvine Zin]

No they will just go to sleep and wake up happy when the temps get back up

OVZ

Oh and living here in the PNW wish I could do the same

OVZ

[nerdybrewer]

My ferment should be 85F when I get home this afternoon, if I don't see any activity I'll pitch more yeast.

[Anode Effect]

After following this thread I bought 100#'s of panela. I couldn't be happier with the results! Great stuff.

[nerdybrewer]

After following this thread I bought 100#'s of panela. I couldn't be happier with the results! Great stuff.

Good, it likes to be warm!
Update on your progress please.

[nerdybrewer]

My ferment was warm and fizzy, just looked and it's doing good!
I'll take another look on Saturday - hopefully it's going to get done sometime!!

[Oldvine Zin]

The wash that I started a few days ago is done and run. This was the first time that I tried doing a 1.5 run, did 2 14 gal strip runs to get about 5 gal of low wines - added that to about 9 gal of fresh wash and did a spirit run, so far happy with the results.

The hefe wash is almost ready to run 1 month later

OVZ

[nerdybrewer]

The wash that I started a few days ago is done and run. This was the first time that I tried doing a 1.5 run, did 2 14 gal strip runs to get about 5 gal of low wines - added that to about 9 gal of fresh wash and did a spirit run, so far happy with the results.

The hefe wash is almost ready to run 1 month later

OVZ

I hope the hefe ends up being worth it.
I need a couple ferments to go as planned without equipment or power failure, gotta get some more barrels filled up around here!

[Oldvine Zin]

Pulled the plug and started doing strip runs on the hefe - smells good but I'll have to compare tastes after I do the spirit run.

OVZ

[nerdybrewer]

Slow yeast here, it's working but slowly.
It's down to 12 brix today.
It's been around 85F inside the fermenter since Tuesday night, I am going to pitch more yeast and another handful of oyster shells and see if this thing will kick into gear.
Any gear at all would be great!

[Jimbo]

OVZ, how did that hefe rum turn out?

Edit: disregard, I see below you just started stripping it. Let us know how the 'strips and spirit run taste. Curious if any clove or banana come across.

[nerdybrewer]

My Panela ferment had a layer of hot near the top but was colder near the bottom.
I took it's temperature in the top two inches and it read 90F.
After I stirred it all up the temperature read 74F.
I'm sure glad not every batch goes like this, I'm due for a nice easy 3 day ferment I believe.
Not this one though, it's determined to be as difficult as possible.
At this rate it's going to be next weekend before I can run it.

[nerdybrewer]

It was still reading warm enough this afternoon, looked and smelled good.
Brix still reading at 12.

What could be wrong?
Had a thought, hey when one device tells you something and it doesn't seem right get a second opinion.
Grabbed my hydrometer, scooped out a sample and read the gravity.
It's sitting at 1.010 - 12 brix just doesn't make sense.
I don't know why but this time I'm going with what the hydrometer reads.

There is definitely a problem with the design of my heating system in the fermenter.
The temperature probe is too close to the heater, I need to move it so it's at least 12" away.
I think I'll let it ferment out some more and then run it tomorrow.

[nerdybrewer]

Gravity was lower today at noon so I decided to run it while it was warm.
Well some of it anyway.
I filled the boiler and turned on the heat, and pretty soon it was putting out.
Collected 3.5 gallons and stopped there because it had dropped to about 30% and the last two half gallons had oils on the surface so I figured that was a good enough place to shut her down.
I've got more out there to run but I don't need to rush, no reason to as it will still be there tomorrow, and the next day too.
This batch really smells good, go figure all the trouble will be worth it in the end.

[Oldvine Zin]

OK finished the hefe and glad to say I'm done with it, if anyone else want's to try their luck with hefe yeast and hopefully do better job good luck! I did 2 - 14 gal strip runs and seemed promising , started a 1.5 run with 4 gals of the strip run and 10 of fresh hefe wash. after fores was only collecting less than 60 abv to start and every jar up until tails had an lot of ethyl acetate funk . Not sure whats up with that yeast. --- did a combined run with the previous heads and tails and the new hefe heads and tails started at 70 abv and nice flavors through the whole run.
OVZ

[Snackson]

So you're saying I should attempt a hefe since the temp is right for it in my garage? I do have some hefe yeast that I harvested sitting in the kegerator right now.

Challenge accepted, going to get a starter going now to wake them yeast up!

[Oldvine Zin]

So you're saying I should attempt a hefe since the temp is right for it in my garage? I do have some hefe yeast that I harvested sitting in the kegerator right now.

Challenge accepted, going to get a starter going now to wake them yeast up!

I hope that you have better results.

OVZ

[Oldvine Zin]

Just dumped the 12 jars of the hefe down the drain Time to move on

OVZ

[nerdybrewer]

Just dumped the 12 jars of the hefe down the drain Time to move on

OVZ

Very sorry for your loss.
Sometimes you have to experiment to know what's good and what's not.

That said, Panela with bakers yeast is awesome!
I ran another 15 gallon stripping run today and it was sweet!
One more strip then I can do the spirit run.

[Oldvine Zin]

That said, Panela with bakers yeast is awesome!

OVZ

[Jimbo]

OVZ, what happened? Why did you dump the jars?

I was at Windy's last night and he has some batches of rum ready to go into a barrel. One was done with hefe yeast. He said it tastes no different, so he's just blending it with the rest. He tried stressing the yeast and fermenting warm also to get more esters, but alas, no notable difference.

[nerdybrewer]

Finished stripping today, got 9.5 gallons low wines out of 100# Panela.
I didn't strip too far into tails this time, last couple jars had some rum oils and got down to about 30% temperature adjusted.
Hopefully I can do the spirit run on the weekend and get another batch in the fermenter.
All that oak sitting empty in the shed, that's my incentive plan right there!

[Oldvine Zin]

OVZ, what happened? Why did you dump the jars?

Jimbo,
Every jar, and even late heads had a pronounced fingernail polish remover(ethyl acetate ) stench to them, maybe the yeast got too stressed? Anyway I'm done with that experiment for a while.

OVZ

[Jimbo]

Crap, sorry to hear that OVZ. Apologies if my comments inspired the failed experiment.

[Oldvine Zin]

Crap, sorry to hear that OVZ. Apologies if my comments inspired the failed experiment.

Crap is what I think the little yeasties did in my fermentor!
Your inspiration but my failed experiment - it's all good, I learned a lot.

OVZ

[yakattack]

Old vine. Do you have a reflux column? That can be seperated out pretty easily. Then run again without the offending fraction. Only time I dump completely is a scorch. Otherwise you can salvage it.

[Oldvine Zin]

That batch was a pita from the get go, I could of rerun it but at this point I was finished and didn't want to put anymore time into it.

OVZ

[Jimbo]

That batch was a pita from the get go, I could of rerun it but at this point I was finished and didn't want to put anymore time into it.

OVZ

LOL, Ive been there too bud. Comes a point where the self flagellation just has to stop.

[Badmotivator]

Report: Straight Panela vs. Panela Inocculated with Live Dunder

Batch 1: 20 lbs panela in 10 gal water
Batch 2: 20 lbs panela in 10 gal water + 2 gal live dunder added when potential alcohol read 2%

My live dunder is panela stillage to which I added:

• A handful of panela
• yeast to consume the oxygen
• Clostridium Butyricum probiotic tablets
• Lactobacillus (from live yogurt)
• Propionibacterium (from grated Emmentaler cheese)
• Acetobacter (from sourdough starter)
• a chunk of marble to prevent low pH

Both batches were distilled once with four plates. Both batches were in full reflux for one hour to promote esterification. Was there esterification? On Batch 2, hell yes!

Batch 1 was a pretty basic sugar wash story. Flavor was about what you'd expect... a little mild panela note here or there, a lot of sharpness and fusels and raw distillate character. Typical. A little hot, kind of raw, sort of boring.
Batch 2 (collected in 24 jars) had shocking estery pineapple flavors in jars 2-5, but 5 also tasted kinda pukey. Nice tasting hearts through jar 18. Jars 19-22 were cloudy tails. Jars 23 and 24 had very little tailsiness, but an interesting fatty round body so I kept them. My "take" was a little larger because of these jars. Maybe Batch 1 had them also but I didn't look for them. Whoops.

I am fully satisfied that a] Live dunder is worth doing, b] Arroyo was right about the fifth section (Fores-Heads-Hearts-Tails-Oils or whatever) and c] I'm going to need a lot more barrels.