Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Speccifically in bundaberg or gympie area? I've been making rum for years now and never had trouble. I used to pitch the yeast and it would be done in 5 days.

They dont ferment anywhere near as vigorous as they usually do and today i've had one fail to even start!!! Last three batches have finished at 1040, which is extremely high for me.

My recipe for 180L ferment:
20L molasses
16kg sugar
2x teaspoon craftbrewer yeast butrient

some lowans bakers yeast

I got some molasses from boylans in bundaberg about a month ago and some more at a feedstore in gympie. I have used heaps of molasses from boylans because my folks live up there so i get them to grab a few cubes full whenever they come to visit but i dont think i've used any from this season. Anyone finding this stuff to be of bad quality lately?

The only other thing that has changed is that I moved from St Lucia to West End. The water in st lucia tastes really bad so i assume it has more minerlas in it. My beer ferments have been just as vigorous however so i dont think its the water.

My wash pH was sitting around 3. When calcium carbonate wouldnt budge it i started adding sodium bicarb and managed to get it up to 4. It took 500g to get it there though. Bought a pH meter (using strips atm) so when that gets here ill probably use sodium hydroxide to bump it up a little more.

BOught some molasses from brookfield produce today to try one more batch but if it fails I think ill have to bust out the mash tun and just make bourbon till next cane season.

Its VERY frustrating. Never had a drama and now its failure after failure.,

Many guys have been having trouble lately, something has changed with the mollasses. Look for another source

I bought a bucket of 'Freemantle Molasses' that seems to go alright :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers guys, i've been doing my head in trying to get it to work.

So my next question is, anyone know of a good source of molasess near brisbane? I frequently go to byron bay so i can pick some up down that way too.

The gear I've been getting on the west coast ferments well, but running it is causing me huge problems.... 30L in a 50L boiler will still puke to the 3rd sight glass, so now I've gotta strip it all first :crying-blue:

Come to think of it I've noticed that as well Mac!! Never had a puke before and now every batch is doing it

Yeah I ran a 35l wash the other day.. Yielded a jar of fores, a jar of heads and ran out tails. No hearts :crying-blue:

It's not the mollases, I've had the same shit for ages, all in airtight buckets. I stuffed up somewhere along the way :angry-banghead:

Because i figured this wash is fucked anyway i've tried to correct the pH. 1kg sodium bicarb... still at pH 3. Added anoter kg of sodium carbonate... still at pH 3. Added a tablespoon of sodium hydroxide, up to 4.5. This molasses is seriously buffered.

It fizzes like crazy when adding the bicarb and washing soda

I have never had any luck making big pH adjustments late in the fermentation - it tends to sit the yeast on it's arse. Also yeast has a sodium toxicity limit and anything above 500 ppm isn't recommended. 500g of Bicarb in 180 litres takes you over 800 ppm so that isn't going to help much either.

If you mix Potassium Carbonate with Citric Acid you can make a Citrate Buffer with a controlling range between pH 3.0 and 6.2. You can add it at the start of the fermentation so you don't need to make adjustments later. Approximately 500g of each.

I was doing that for a while, but backset works just as well and is cheaper. I use about 40% backset and during fermentation the starting pH is around 4.5 dropping to 3.4 at 30 hours and then rising slightly. Backset has good buffering capacity which is why bourbon makers use it - corn washes lack buffering. Originally this had nothing to do with taste.

Also, molasses is a little low in nitrogen. It might be worth adding some urea or DAP.

Your ph rises slightly during fermentation? Mine consistently drops :think: no matter what the wash

I knew i was going ot reach sodium toxicity at some point, just didnt know when. The wash has fallen back to pH 3 and isnt fizzing anymore. I think its time to turf it and start again. What a waste of time :angry-banghead: This next molasses (different shop) better be better.

I have had problems with puking over the plates, hope the reflux packed section I have coming will serve a secondary role by putting it below the plates giving the still 500mm of extra head room. Maybe an inch of loose packed scubbies might act as a froth filter of sorts to knock it back down into the boiler.

I wouldn't recommend using urea, DAP would be the safer option.

Sam. wrote:I wouldn't recommend using urea, DAP would be the safer option.

:text-+1:

Not sure I like the thought of pissing in my wash :snooty:

:laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: 8-}

New cube of molasses is fermenting very nicely :) Its from brookfield produce in brisbane

Fermenting with urea causes the compound urethane to form, this compound causes cancer. It is a problem for wine but with distilling it becomes a very serious problem as the temps involved with distillation will cause this compound to form experdentually. Don't make a still out of lead pipe and seriously do not use urea in a ferment that is for distillation .

:text-+1:

Well said crow, he's been privately warned about our attitude towards safety also mate :handgestures-thumbupleft: