Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

I'm trying my first molasses based rum wash. 4 ltr of molasses, 2kg brown sugar, 400gm tomato paste, 1/2 tsp tartaric, 1/2 tsp Epson Salts. My question is do I need to boil this wash?

Hey you wont need to boil the wash at all

Just use hotwater out of the kettle to dissolve it

Have a read of the below thread

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=30

:text-+1:
What size wash are you making? If its 25-30litres the ratio is a bit high :D

Making a 25 litre wash. I was going on about 0.7kg of sugars per litre of malasses to give me a total of 4.8kg sugar in the wash. Is tha too high?

Sorry mate thats a good ratio :angry-banghead:
Not sure what what I was on about 8-}

Are you using feed molasses?

Yeah, using feed molasses and the woman there assured me it was just straight blackstrap molasses, no sulphur or added vitamins etc. I'll remove all the packing from my reflux still and run it through that. Hopefully I'll get some flavour out of it. If not, I guess a pot still will be the next project.

Why do use tomato paste in a rum wash ? are you after some special tomato flavoured rum ? TP is usually added as nutrient, but with molasses you dont need this. The simple macrum recipe will ferment out cleanly in 3-4 days (if you havent made a rum before, note that fermentation is quite violent).
cheers,rs

Plenty of people use a dollop of tomato paste in a rum wash, but yeah it's not needed.

Thanks Rumsponge. info noted for my next run. Cheers.

toadskin wrote:I'm trying my first molasses based rum wash. 4 ltr of molasses, 2kg brown sugar, 400gm tomato paste, 1/2 tsp tartaric, 1/2 tsp Epson Salts. My question is do I need to boil this wash?

Only reason to 'boil' the molasses is to clarify it, but then you only need to heat it to 80 Degrees C...

Boiling, I think dentures some of the sugars... don't quote me on this!

I've been clarifying my molasses of late because I like the improved smell during the ferment and the out coming Rum... but thats just my opinion and I've seen the ash that comes off that would otherwise go into our boiler... :hand:

So I have a mate that just scored a job at the sugar terminal at the port he's been there two days and I've already hit him up for molasses he reckons ppl eat it from the sample points but my question is would it b ok for rum and another question when boiling it to clarify could u do it in an old boiler or would the element just burn it and therefore just do it in a pot on the stove?

CyBaThUg wrote:So I have a mate that just scored a job at the sugar terminal at the port he's been there two days and I've already hit him up for molasses he reckons ppl eat it from the sample points but my question is would it b ok for rum and another question when boiling it to clarify could u do it in an old boiler or would the element just burn it and therefore just do it in a pot on the stove?

Clarifying molasses doesn't require boiling (seriously); it's a process designed to 'clean' lower grades of molasses from ash and other impurities like leaves and stuff.

So you'd mix the molasses 1:2 with water and then heat it up to 80*C for a while stirring the mixture. Then you take it off the heat and allow it to cool. Once cool, symphon the liquid off the top leaving the gunk behind at the bottom.
I do mine in a stock port on the stove not in a boiler. Once you've done it once you'll be glad your not using the boiler of your still!

All this is mute if you can get high grade molasses as that won't need clarifying... hope that helps

All you are doing by clarifying molassis is heating it up with the addition of water to make it watery so that the solids can drop to the bottom.
It is usually the solids and and unfermentable sugars that cause puking so clarified molassis is a good idea to minimise the chance of puking.

Cheers I just don't know what sort of grade it will b as it's coming straight from the sugar terminal

CyBaThUg wrote:Cheers I just don't know what sort of grade it will b as it's coming straight from the sugar terminal

You said they're eating it straight from sample points?!? I'd suggest it's pretty good stuff! The stock feed molasses I got I won't eat as it comes from the drum!! :puke-huge:

Ezi, Is your drum molasses made in good old Ozzy? It shouldnt have any impurities such as leaves or ash. The production of Blackstrap is a refined and re-processed part of sugar juice production. By the time the juice is boiled repeatably to get to the stage of blackstrap there isnt any crap left in it.

CyBaThug, If your mate can get some for you, that will be the tanker delivered molasses from the Burdekin and Ingham mills. Perfect for putting straight into your fermenters. It is pure sugar juice being pumped out. There is no additives or anything in it.
I use exactly that for mine, "cept my stuff comes out of a tap at the mill, before it even gets into a tanker :D
edit to add. Stock feed mollasses is usually exactly this stuff.

Cheers Phil

Undertaker wrote:Ezi, Is your drum molasses made in good old Ozzy? It shouldnt have any impurities such as leaves or ash. The production of Blackstrap is a refined and re-processed part of sugar juice production. ...

Cheers Phil

Good question! I bought it from the stock feeders in Perth. It wouldn't make sense to import lower grade molasses, would it?!?!?

I know it's quite acidic (stripped the crone of the pipe in using to get it out of the drum...

Cheers lads

EziTasting wrote:

Undertaker wrote:Ezi, Is your drum molasses made in good old Ozzy? It shouldnt have any impurities such as leaves or ash. The production of Blackstrap is a refined and re-processed part of sugar juice production. ...

Cheers Phil

Good question! I bought it from the stock feeders in Perth. It wouldn't make sense to import lower grade molasses, would it?!?!?

I know it's quite acidic (stripped the crone of the pipe in using to get it out of the drum...

Which stock feed place in Perth did you buy your molasses from? I bought 2 drums of absolute crap. the last 4 drums I bought a couple of hours south of perth and they were absolute gold. have not made any rum like it since. the good stuff was Thomas and redwood molasses I think.

as far as boiling molasses, I don't think there is any harm in bringing it to the boil. some premium molasses for distilling is said to be pasteurised. so held at a certain temp to kill bacteria. I am currently testing this theory with my shit molasses to see if boiling improves the flavour. The best rum I have made has been with boiled molasses in the clarification process. but it was good molasses to start with. I think everything we read on here needs to be tested as what one person believes is best may not actually be whats best for your taste. There have been a few things I have tested and am still not convinced that either way is better than the next. but that is what makes this hobby so interesting :D