Rum Trouble...any suggestions?

Billy Joe Jim Bob · Post by **Billy Joe Jim Bob** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:04 am

Hi Everybody: I decided to try rum using 1 gal molasses, 10# cane sugar, 1 Tbsp Distillers yeast and water to fill 6 gal bucket. It started slow and just fizzled out. 2 weeks later, the mash is sweet smelling, I don't think it went bad, so I pitched 5 gm of EC1118 to jump start the ferment. 2 days later: Nothing. I tried adding tomato paste to feed the yeasties: nothing. I checked the ph and it is 4.0. My ambient fermentation temperature is 72 degrees. I tried to run some through my pot still and came up with very low ABV- around 35% on the first run, then 60% on the second run. It dosent smell or taste bad, but it dosent taste good either. I definitly have enough sugar, nutrients, yeast and time, so I don't know what could be wrong. I just think it's stuck. Any suggestions?...BJJB

Post by **theholymackerel** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:26 am

I suggest usin' a HUGE yeast starter... proof about 5 to 10 pac's of yeast and pitch 'em all in when ya know they're workin'.

canadianmoonshiner · Post by **canadianmoonshiner** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:43 am

I use 18 lb molasses (60% sugars), 9 lb yellow sugar, 4-1/2 lb white sugar in 17 gal. water. My yeast starter is a quart of the above wash, a quart of warm water and 1/4 pound fleishman's quick yeast. I let the starter grow for 30-45 minutes then pitch it. With a small water fountain pump immersed in the fermenter, its done in 10 days; 20+ days without.

BJJB, it looks like your wash would ferment to about 23% abv if it could. I know lots of people will say distiller's yeast can handle this, but molasses has lots of dissolved solids that make your wash thicker than a plain sugar wash. If this is your first try at a molasses wash, try thinning it out with water (I suggest adding your sugars to 10-12 gallons), see how it goes & with each wash after that, add more sugar or less water until you find the point where it gets stuck near the end or just takes too long. Use more yeast and be sure to rehydrate it in a diluted & oxygen-rich sample of your wash.

Billy Joe Jim Bob · Post by **Billy Joe Jim Bob** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:56 am

Hi Guys: Thanks, I'll try the more Yeast route. I'll toss some more in and use my new-fangled oxygenator thingie I just got. ...BJJB

canadianmoonshiner · Post by **canadianmoonshiner** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:02 pm

BJJB, remember that using an aerator will give the yeast the oxygen it needs to reproduce but it needs to switch to an anaerobic (no oxygen) phase to create alcohol. Otherwise it will forget about going to work making what you want & just have babies. Just like we'd all do if we drank too much

Billy Joe Jim Bob · Post by **Billy Joe Jim Bob** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 4:47 am

Hi Guys: I tried the "more yeast" route and I'm dissapointed to report: Nothing! I mixed 1/2 cup Crosby Distillers yeast and 1/4 cup Fleischmans yeast with 1.5 liters warm water. Got the yeast started (1/2 hour) and pitched to my 3 six gallon fermenters, stirred well and let 'er rip. 2 Days later: Nada! I am truely at a loss. Could the ph be off? it's at 4.0, what is optimum ph for rum mash? Some fermentation has occured, because I got a small amount of spirits from the first run, but it's way lower than I anticipated. I can't read gravity or proof due to the suspended solids in the wash, so I tried adding 5 pounds more sugar to one of the fermenters, but still, the same results. Got me swingin'....BJJB

Rocky_Creek · Post by **Rocky_Creek** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 4:52 am

Dilute.

Uncle Remus · Post by **Uncle Remus** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:46 am

What kind of molassis did you use in the first place? Just wondering if it may have been a sulfured feed molassis....if it was it might explain why it doesn't want to ferment.

Billy Joe Jim Bob · Post by **Billy Joe Jim Bob** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 8:29 am

Hi Guys: I used restaurant grade molasses, it was definitly unsulphured. I was reading somehere that optimum ph for molasses rums was 5.3 to 5.7ph. Could this be the problem? If so how can I raise the base without screwing up the taste of the finished product?...BJJB

possum · Post by **possum** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 4:40 pm

actually, 5.3-5.7 range is acid.

7= absoloutely nutral de-ionized distilled water, @3.0 is lemon juice.

lye and other bases are somewhere between 7.1 --- 14 depending on thier concentration.

by the way, stuff with a pH of 2 is 10X as acidic as pH 3. The scale is exponential like the earthquake(richter scale)

I use citrus juice and sourmashing with my rum with great results .

Good luck BBJB

Billy Joe Jim Bob · Post by **Billy Joe Jim Bob** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:53 am

Thanks Possum: Do you think it's possible the wash was too acedic? Anyway I ran it Saturday, and out of 6 gals mash, I got 1/2 gal of 50 proof rum that I hope improves with age. I can't quite describe the taste, other than not real good. This being my first try at rum, I 'll have to write this one off and try again. I think I got spoiled by running turbo's all winter. We'll see what happens next time, thank for your input....BJJB

copperhead · Post by **copperhead** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 5:12 pm

what kind of mollasses are you useing i use feed store 2 gal molasses 20lb sugar about four tbl spoons distillers yeast never had any problam sometimes its goes a littel slow but never had one to stop. got one going now been goin week and half should finish next week do you heat your sugar and molasses togeather I always heat it about 45min al most to a boil.that is about 14gal wash try 1/4 cup lemon juice in it mite help ph.

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