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The Big Rum Thread

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  • @Myles said: cold fermentation with a lager yeast Saflager S-23

    This is a Pastorianus and a bottom fermentor, I've been playing around with a duel fermentation. Using both the pastorianus and the cerevisiae (top fermenter) (RED STAR, pasteur Champagne). The ferment goes dry sooner and the finished product has nice brown sugar/panella notes. If you want to add floral notes try the EC-1118. Yeast selection has a huge impact on the finished product, just like in wine making.

  • @punkin said: Tails contamination will give that sort of cloudiness. Maybe cut to tails a bit sooner or run a touch slower.

    There's plenty of yeasts made specifically for rum, check out the EDV series from Llalemand, there's a couple of crackers in there.

    I thought also on tale contamination. Will look at that option, but I keep already less then 50 % of the total distilled product. Have still some EDV yeast, will try it out. Will try some other water for cutting. I run my Dash 1 @ 2-2.4 L/hour. Have defenatly to solve this because it looks ugly. As long as the bottle is closed there is no problem, but when in contact with air it becomes cloudy.

  • saved 5g of the last run for a back-set. had it sitting around in a 5g car boy with a water trap on it for a month or so. Never grew anything interesting. had a low pH and took some serious adjusting to get the wash up to 5. ferm is about 75% finished. went with EC-1118 and a couple differnt lagger yeast. The 1118 gives that little floral hint to the finished product. It will be interesting to see how it turns out with the back-set.

  • edited July 2013

    Recived my " Rum yeast " it is a turbo,but I am not going to be stressing it even close to what the max is,max is 20% and I will be taking it to 12-13%. My latest ferment is done with the Prestige whiskey yeast with AG,which has been my go to whiskey bugs,so it will be time to start comparisons after the next ferment is done. :-?

    Nvnorts backset has done well in my batches,(panella) I do 18 lbs/8.16 kg in a 6 gal/22.7l bucket and fill to a total of 5.5 gal/20.82 l and add water to make a 11 gal/41.64 total wash!

    It is what you make it!

  • Did you start sampling yet Bent?

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  • OH yea! Larry First batch I made is almost history(hit hard over the 4th) and very much enjoyed it,2nd batch is almost three weeks setting and from what I have tasted is just awesome with added backset in the ferment,added note, my mother really likes Panella over the sweetfeed. Another ? For all the rummies, concerning Dark rum has anyone figured a recipe for it that is acceptable,my bro was here over the holidays ( safety first) and was asking he does not read forums much due to time! He is getting married in Oct on my 50th b-day so we are going to party like a rock star,and wants to have most if not all of his reception supplied by the two of us and we are making different type and flavors to cover what the spirt drinkers may like,if they don't like,they can drink beer! :-c

    It is what you make it!

  • Pinto shines Fast Fermenter is a good recipe, but it won't be ready by Oct. Dark Rum Needs six -twelve months at least on oak in my opinion.

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  • Yes,kinda figuerd Punkin, but I do have a 5 gal/19l barrel of Sweetfeed that will have a year on it end of Sept,will not be as good as Pints or Panella may not even be close, but will try any way!

    Thanks for the info.

    It is what you make it!

  • Your sweetfeed will be fine i reckon, i've had reasonable drinking ujsm at 6-8 weeks on sticks, but dark rum just seems to take that much longer to loose the 'bourbon'taste from the oak and let the mollasses shine back through in my experience.

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  • Punkin, I'd second all that, but would add there there are dark-colored rums, which can be delicately flavored but nicely oak-aged, and there are dark-tasting rums, with the dark flavors coming from a strong blackstrap wash (best if oaked) and possibly from the addition of filtered, uncultured dunder, to taste.

    I guess some might consider the dark-tasting rums "crude" or "uncultured", but it's kinda nice to have your rum kick a little ass, from time to time.

    Zymurgy Bob, a simple potstiller

    my book, Making Fine Spirits

  • Please continue ZBob, Uncultured dunder?

    It is what you make it!

  • Bentstick,

    All I meant was dunder fresh out of the still and filtered, with no sugar and all that strong blackstrap kinda dry bitterness and flavor, and that's not undergone a few years of god-knows-what kind of critters growing in it (like my _**real **_dunder). In my sense, "cultured" would be like in "cultured buttermilk". Does that make sense?

    Zymurgy Bob, a simple potstiller

    my book, Making Fine Spirits

  • Yes sir,kind of thought that was the meaning,just double checking. Thank you

    It is what you make it!

  • so my thoughts on using "Dunder" back set as a part of the wash. Gives the product alot more of the darker flavors. GF likes the added flavors over the straight panella I like how light the straight panella is. Big difference.

  • edited September 2013

    Yesterday I ran a molasses ferment I had 2 months standing here, unopend. In great condition, no mold on it, dark, dark dark. A stronger smell ... maybe. Exited i started distilling. To my supprise the vapor temp on top of the boiler rose till 87.5-88° C, so no so much alcohol in it. It must have escaped during those 2 months. Also more tails then normal. I made already the cuts, tomorrow on am. oak medium + and will keep on a side for 6-12 months.

    Today I made a molasses wash:

    • 80 L total
    • 23 L molasses
    • 20 dunder heated till 70°C
    • 37 L water
    • 200 gr bakers yeast.

    I did't even heat the molasses for dilluting, no clarifying, no yeast nutes ... really basic. Started bubbling after 1.5 hours and is bubbling nice now.

    I made already one wash this way because I did't know better and it resulted in one of my bests products. I read a few times that for flavoured rum they use long ferments.

    I will compare them with wahes with DAP, pasteurisation molasses, clarifying ... one by one.

    M-

  • I let a glass with my rum sit for a few days and i'm amazed with the amount of "stuff" that settled at the bottom. Also a white ring at the level before evaporating. Punkin mentioned already to many tails. I let my wash sit for a couple of days after fermenting. Now i read that clearing the wash to another vessel removes the CO2 and that will improve a lot the clearing. Could this be a solution ?

  • Just found out that I don't have that problem with rhum made from pure cane juice

  • There is likely less solids as the juice is not at all rendered down like molasses would be. How fast are you collecting? Does your plates remain in better condition after the cane juice beer compared to a molasses beer?

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  • Collecting slow, 2.4 L/hour with a Dash 1 @ 92.5-93°. My plates are much more scaled with molasses. That's why I'm doing test for clarifying. It is definatly helping for scaling. When I don't clarify I get scale till my 3th plate after 1 80L run. I wonder how thinghs are with pot distilling. Do they get all this salts in their product ? I think once in liquid form it will be difficult to filter it out. Today I will rack a finished wash in another vessel and see how much solids I still find in the second vessel after 24 hours

  • Have any of you tried adding fermented wash into your product? I am sure I have seen references to this but can't remember where. Might be in one of my books, but they are a long way from here.

  • Yes Myles. Refridgeration for a measure of time can help clarify for a nicer looking beer. A spoon full of beer and a spoon full of panela syrup is a real nice touch added.

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  • I tried it with molasses, fermented wash and dunder as per Buccaneer Bob recipe. I colours nice but i don't like it loosens its clarity All my better rums (50$ and up) I bought still have their clarity

  • Filter afterwards? Trying to come with a "cracken style rum" ;)

    It is what you make it!

  • Anyone made white rum ie taken a dark rum wash & run it through a boka, VM 4 plater with packed extension?

    How did it turn out? I have heard that it can still be quite strong and that you can cut it back with neutral if desired.

    Going to put down 2 rum washes today & push 1 through the hybrid dash1 :) will leave the other on oak as the dark rum stocks are getting low - should have done it a while back, but too many other projects :(

  • Yep, used to be favourite drink mixed with juice and lemonade. I made a regular rum wash without backset and took it off from the VM at 95+% .

    Watered back down to 51% and mixed up as above it's a top drop and pretty rum like. i've never tried bacardi, but used to give it to a mates missus who was a bacardi drinker and she went right off the bacardi :))

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  • lol, I made a good 9L @ 95% this weekend...., no backset, stripped then spirit run.

  • Has anyone tried boiling(simmering) there wash before allowing it to cool to pitching temps this may /may not alleviate the salt/ solids build up also has anyone tried using a yeast that can handle a very high fermentation temp to try and get as much phenols out of the yeast as possible just a thought as most rums are made in very hot /humid climates I'm just thinking out of the square as I would love to make a rum but access to primary ingredients Are an issue

  • edited October 2013

    I have seen a good doco on the Bacardi factory I think it was on discovery There rum is very scientific but it all comes down to the guy smelling / nosing the product to blend no one can automate that!

  • edited October 2013

    That doco is impressive. Baccardi has lots of $ to throw at any particular part of their operation. They say all the right things and yet they are far from my favorite. It will take a lot to even consider putting them back on my radar.

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  • never really had Bacardi but it is a very refined spirit, when a company is that big it has to become a brand and just become what it is

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