Cheap Bundaberg Molasses

[Wozza]

That's about what I can get it for at Sydney Equestrian Centre. About a dollar a kilo. But it's a decent drive so I bought some in the local brew shop - at $2.40 a kilo...

Weight of 1 Liter Molasses is nearly 1.424 Kilogram, That's an awful lot to pay, at that rate your paying $2.40 for less than 1 litre. In a really bad time when molasses was scarce I payed $2 per L, mostly its 1$ per L or a bit less as long as I buy 200L at a time.

Tell me about it. But we're under lockdown at the moment so I can't drive to the Equestrian Centre to get the inexpensive stuff even if I wanted to do a three hour round trip. So I went with the expensive option so I could at least run a few trials with it over the next two or three weeks.

Actually, as it stands, I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to travel the couple of suburbs to the brew shop until this lockdown is over. The rules are somewhat vague.

[NZChris]

Nasty old stock feed grade makes the best Rum imo.

My 2016 Bundy is getting better, but still not as nice as rum from my nastiest batch of stockfood molasses rum. That particular batch of stockfood, (from Paraguay I was told), rum took a few years to get over a strong bagasse flavor, then it went through an overly strong coconut phase, but it was very drinkable last time I tried it.

[bluc]

I get coconut lots in mine too. Also dark fruit and caramels/toffee flavours.(and the usual oak vanillin and combos of all the above)
I like sampling early on up to 8 ish months. I seem to like the journey better then the destination.. I like it when it still has raw molasses flavour with nice esters..

I reakon at about 12mnths it changes completely to more like a Carribbean rum, like Appleton estate as an example.

[NZChris]

I wasn't impressed with new make Bundy rum, too much like Golden Syrup for me. I didn't bother taking a narrow cut for drinking as white dog as I often did when running stockfood molasses.

[NZChris]

Actually, as it stands, I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to travel the couple of suburbs to the brew shop until this lockdown is over. The rules are somewhat vague.

Call the brew shop first. If they are open, it might be ok. Considering that most of the rum I make isn't expected to come right for at least a couple of years, a few months wait for some good molasses seems insignificant.

[bluc]

I wasn't impressed with new make Bundy rum, too much like Golden Syrup for me. I didn't bother taking a narrow cut for drinking as white dog as I often did when running stockfood molasses.

+1 too refined i reakon.

[NZChris]

I wasn't impressed with new make Bundy rum, too much like Golden Syrup for me. I didn't bother taking a narrow cut for drinking as white dog as I often did when running stockfood molasses.

+1 too refined i reakon.

I don't know about that. Molasses isn't refined, it's a byproduct of refining, it's the waste product.

[Saltbush Bill]

But there are two grades, stockfeed/ animal feed has every drop of sugar that they can wring out of it gone ...around aboutish 48% sugar left....even with modern day techniques ......lots of impurities.
Food grade/ human consumption has higher sugar content and much cleaner ....so in a way it is more refined, pretty sure the Bundy food grade is over 50%. I think they are the only ones who market a food grade aimed at the food industry.

[bluc]

Yea refined prob not best word but sbb got what I meant. Food grade is the good stuff they skim off top higher sugar. Feed grade more manky.

[NZChris]

It's the sugar that is refined. At the mill, the more sugar that has been removed from the juice, the more concentrated are the byproducts in the molasses. It's those byproducts that give us the molasses flavors in our rums.

[NZChris]

The difference between stockfood and culinary might be more to do with sensory evaluation on the part of the suppliers and/or the sellers.

I've tasted stockfood molasses from one supplier and wondered if it was possible to make decent rum out of that crap, (I did, eventually), and I've dipped a finger into stockfood molasses from another supplier and bought twice as much as I had intended to because it was absolutely beautiful and was perfect for making nice rum.

[AlWorms]

Thats a great price, where are you getting that rate? I'm in the market for some rum molasses. cheapest ican find is around $2 a kg at farm shops.

(I'm in NZ)
We have a local manufacturer of stock feed pellets. They buy tonnes in from a supplier about an hours drive from me. I take in 20l plastic water cubes and they fill them for me - so I'l not paying for the container every time.

I know a few farmers too, and they'd let me have it for their price, but the pellet factory is easy.

[ELF179]

Hey AlWorms. Keen to know your molasses supplier. Have a daughter in Kamo who we will visit once the Auckland blockade is lifted.
We're in Taupo so can't do much at the moment.
Elf179

[AlWorms]

Hey AlWorms. Keen to know your molasses supplier. Have a daughter in Kamo who we will visit once the Auckland blockade is lifted.
We're in Taupo so can't do much at the moment.
Elf179

Ringrose Stockfoods, Factory Lane, Hikurangi

They buy it in bulk from another supplier further north, but I suspect they only sell it by the tonne, and you have to buy a lot of tonnes at once... I'd like to "have" to do that

You need to take along 20L containers with Lids. I use the water carriers from Bunnings ($20?), amongst a few used ones I've scavenged, I have 5 or 6. The bunnings ones are a light opaque blue, and they can easily see how full they're getting.
Their fill pipe fits quite tight in the hole, so drill a 6 or 8mm hole in a high spot to vent the air. After strapping them securely in your car(!), put some duct tape over the hole.

Also, somewhat loosen the tape for storage - you don't want the containers exploding in your garage etc

[The Baker]

You need to take along 20L containers with Lids.

I have used (free) containers that have had (highly alkaline) cleaning products in them.
From a bakery (we had one) or a food business or a dairy farm or...

Rinse with weak vinegar (acid) solution FIRST to neutralise alkali and make it safe.
Rinse a coupla times with water.
Rinse a coupla times again with a weak vinegar (acid) solution to neutralise any alkali.
Sit in the sun for a bit.
Rinse once again with each...
Take off the "POISON" label!

They have either blue or black lids. The black lids are normal but the blue ones have a little hole and a pressure release.
Doesn't solve the filling situation but there would be no explosions.
You could make a bigger hole as an air release for filling and use a cork or a wooden bung hole filler thingie...

Geoff

[ELF179]

Thanks AlWorms, I have a few large buckets with lids that contained Honey, Golden syrup. A carry-over from the bulk food shop we owned a few years back. Probably 20lt. possibly bigger.

Just waiting for free passage through Auckland.https://homedistiller.org/forum/posting ... 01&t=81299#

[T-Boon]

Just waiting for free passage through Auckland.https://homedistiller.org/forum/posting ... 01&t=81299#

Hey, Check your PM's. I have closer option for you.

[ELF179]

T-boon just checked my PMs
.Nothing there.

[T-Boon]

T-boon just checked my PMs
.Nothing there.

OK, just tried again.

[LWTCS]

But there are two grades, stockfeed/ animal feed has every drop of sugar that they can wring out of it gone ...around aboutish 48% sugar left....even with modern day techniques ......lots of impurities.
Food grade/ human consumption has higher sugar content and much cleaner ....so in a way it is more refined, pretty sure the Bundy food grade is over 50%. I think they are the only ones who market a food grade aimed at the food industry.

48% definitely puts a copper penny dollop on your tongue.
That some pretty efficient extraction.

[dylkensebben]

Hi All,

For anyone after cheap food grade molasses in Australia, hit up Bidfood (formally Bidvest).

Just picked up a 14kg cube for just shy of $25, much better than the $50 the home brew shop wanted to charge.

Don't know if all of them will stock it, but to my mind for an unsulphered, food grade product, 55% sugar, it seems like a bloody good deal to me

Dan

Can you buy from BidFood as general public (not a business)? I'm checking out their website and it seems geared towards wholesale to businesses.

[The Baker]

Interesting.
My son still has a food business "in his name" after selling the bakery...

Geoff