Rum Recipe Discussion

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Rum Recipe Discussion

Postby bundy » Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:12 pm

A huge thankyou to Andy for compiling this FAQ list from the 50 odd pages in this thread

Rum FAQ
This thread is getting long so I summarised the 56 pages into a FAQ. Hopefully it helps.

Fermentation
Should I add Nutrients to the wash?
Mac- molasses is deficient of some valuable nutrients. Only thing I really do different to the original is add DAP, citric to invert sugar, vitamin B pills and a little dog spit
adam89, satchy- “2 heaped teaspoons of tomato paste”
Overall some members prefer to not add any nurtients, while some do. Most common addition is Epsom salts, as molasses is low in magnesium, and DAP.

What yeast should I use.
l-o-o: RUM yeast such as EDV-496 is good because it's designed to handle this high specific gravity.
Most members use lowans, but some members like Ec1118 (but this yeast wont handle the higher 38C temperatures like lowans)

What temperature is best to ferment at?
Mac- The warmer & quicker (4 - 5 days @ around 30ish C) it ferments the more I enjoy my rum, the long slow ferments seem to lack complexity IMHO….
A conversation occurs later where Mac later says “38c is my preferred ferment temp for rum”
pochine- “38*C! Really? Would this not kill the yeast?”
Zak- I do my Rum around that too. its actually quite hard to keep it up to temp but if you do you get some nice Rummyness… 24 deg is too low for Rum .Around 35 deg is good .
SBB- Try and get some heat into it somehow 35C-38c is good for a quick ferment

How long will it take to ferment?
Mac- Mine is normally finished fermenting in under seven days, then I leave it for at least a few more days to settle, so yeah 2 weeks should be plenty…. Now the weather is a bit warmer it should ferment out in 5 to 7 days… It'll ferment slower in the cooler month
shornomovie- 3 days at 30deg
Experience from members suggests that fermentation will take as little as 2 days, and up to 10 days depending on nutrients, but more importantly, on temperature.

What’s the final gravity?
bundy- i am on 2nd generation rum wash, first one stopped at 1020 after 7 days, this one 1025 after 7 days, what I've been reading is its hard to get a final sg with molasses.
Mac- 1010 FG...... run it
kobold-it stopped at 1.02 sg
3draws- final sg 1062... I had a taste(bloody terrible) no sweetness at all.
It would appear that the final gravity is dependent on the molasses used. Some molasses has more unfermentables than other. Molasses is a fairly fast and violent fermenter. If it has stopped “fizzing,” tastes dry and it is not sticky then it has finished fermenting.

When starting 2nd generation do you need to put more yeast in after tipping the rest of the ingredients on to the slops left over from first wash?
Mac- No mate it should start bubbling in a few hours, as long as the liquid you put back in the fermenter is under 30c

How many generations?
Mac- You can keep going as many gens as you like, just keep an eye on your ph & adjust accordingly
sbb- (advice to 9th+ generation that is slowing down) Try cutting back on backset just a bit next ferment and see what happens.
Brendan- I've only heard previously where people have pushed washes to 7 gens, and then don't recommend any further as the yeast mutates and completely changes the flavour profile and possibly it's ability to perform properly
Special note: After subsequent generation the ph will drop, becoming more acidic.
Urrazeb- I try to keep my rums at around ph 4-5, if when you get your test kit if it is really low make sure to raise it over 2 gens as a spike in ph will shock the yeast and they won't like you after that.

Fermentation caution- Members have reported violent ferments, which leads to a messy clean-up.

Running
How much should I put in the boiler?
Mac- 35L is about right..... S.T.R.E.T.C.H......... to 40 but add a little cooking oil to be safe
Kimbo - 40lt mark in my 50lt keg
Matt S commented that “25L in a 30L boiler” leads to puking.
Newstilla- had a puke with 30L in a 50L boiler
geeps- 2/3 full in the boiler is a bit of a rule and you can add a cap full of olive oil to help on the puking side


Will this wash leave a residue in my boiler and column when I run it?
Kimbo- More than likely, i always wash my gear after every use anyway (its good practice)
kiwikeg- Ran my first molasses wash in my mates still today foamed like crazy and left a scuzzy ring round the boiler

How to run through a bubbler?
Mac- single runs and it comes off the still at 90 + %... 4 plates
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=2681

How to run with a pot still?
Collect all the low wines over the generations. General consensus is to collect down to 30-20%, water down to <40% for final spirit run. Instead of watering down to 40% with water, some (few) members add low wines to a finished wash for more flavour.

Oaking/Aging?
Mac-American oak (charred) seems to give me the flavor I like
SBB- oak staves and give them a heavy toast
Lowandsey- Today I poured out some of this rum that I made around Easter and has been aging for 7 odd months now. My God it is so fuckin good.
unsub- I age mine with charred american oak dominoes for 3 months minumum, I find thats when the flavours really start getting good
backyardbrewer- Air/time/oak=win!
Urrazeb- I normally step the oaking, 75ish for a week, 65 for as long as I can hold off and water to 40 for bottle and ageing
Put some McRum down on some untoasted un charred French Oak I got from stevem109r last year. Been soaking @65% for about 4-5 months now...It was very slow to colour up...a paleish yellow and very little Oak flavour...until now. It has developed a quite unique flavour wouldn't say it tastes like rum,.....more a subtle Banana flavour

Amount of oak-
Bushy on dominos- 1 per 2 litres would be plenty
cols15- 7g per lt for 3-6mths on medium/heavy toasted oak @ 65%, then age another 6-12 before bottling

Ageing tips
Camikaze- Add a teaspoon of raw molasses to your aging hooch. I use a teaspoon per 1.5 litres. Tastes awesome on medium-toast american oak. Sediment will settle out but that gets filtered out when you cut after oaking. When adding raw molasses to your aging rum, don't shake it. It will resemble water fresh from Matilda Bay....minus the jellyfish.. Let it steep and leave it alone. Filter the shit out along with your oak
Davecuds- When i was over in Colombia recently i did a tour of the rum distillery there. They use a big plated still there and take off product around 90%. What i found interesting was that they put it into barrels at 80% with raisins to age
Andy- Sherry soaked oak, with about 70ml of sherry per litre makes a decent drop. I use cream or sweet sherry as I like that little sweetness.
Mac- About a day once a week I'll open the tops up to let mine breathe, sometimes less often if I forget
Homedistiller- Another simple trick is to use corks in your bottles, rather than screw-caps. This helps the spirits breath a little, and help its aging. Jack explains ... it's been a proven fact (discovered by rum distillers) for years- carbonic acid gasses formed in the mash, then carried over in the distillate, are capable of staying in solution, and causing a noticable sharpness - a period of "breathing" (typically 30 days) can allow this gas to escape.
Homedistiller- Honey: here they use a lot of this! As much as half a liter per 50 gal. cask (in top of the line rums) so don't spare it.

Other Notes
Dunderpits
kiwikeg- but what i am looking for detail about is using the cotents of a "dunderpit" ie intentionally aged dunder. i read that well aged dunder was a essentual ingrediant to a filthy rum but details on how to use are a bit lacking.
Lowndsey- from what I have read you want to get bacteria in it and the top goes moudly and you use the stuff underneath that. How exactly you do that i have never looked in to

Dominator- First run molasses is after the first boil and thus still contains quite a bit of sugar, about 75%. First molasses is like golden syrup, second run is after the second boil and has less sugar sugar and a more bitter taste, third run is what we call feed grade molasses (Americans call it Blackstrap) and has 50% sugar content.

Wedwards- Molasses measurement guide
1kg=0.66L
1gal=7kg
1L=1.5kg

ProTip- Don’t spill the molasses! Molasses is sticky shit to work with, and takes a hell of a lot of cleaning up.

most who have made this say something along the lines of "this is good shit." For those who say “but I don’t drink rum.” General consensus is that you will after this!!




This thread has been started for any one wishing to discuss the making of Rum. The original Tried and Proven recipe can be found in the Tried and Proven section of the forum or by clicking HERE
Last edited by Zak Griffin on Fri Dec 05, 2014 8:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Added FAQ
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Re: Rum

Postby MacStill » Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:18 pm

No mate it should start bubbling in a few hours, as long as the liquid you put back in the fermenter is under 30c
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Re: Rum

Postby bassb » Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:58 pm

Got to give this a go.Thanks . :D
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Re: Rum

Postby bundy » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:12 am

following recipe i pored contents from bucket in to fermenter at about 35deg, not thinking this would be to hot for yeast, this morning still no activity so put in some yeast 2 hours ago and within 30min we have lift of, would this still be called 2nd generation wash?
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Re: Rum

Postby MacStill » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:49 am

Yes bundy 2nd generation. :)

Next time you run it just pour about 5L of cool water back on top of the lees you have left in the fermenter to keep the yeast happy until your run is finished.

Cheers.
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Re: Rum

Postby Excisedodger » Fri Apr 08, 2011 2:19 pm

Just wondering Macstill, followed your rum molasses wash to the letter, as predicted fairly violent reaction at first, but after 2 days it appears to have stalled completely,no bubbles through the airlock and no pressure if I push the top of the fermenter down. Have I done something wrong, should I throw some more yeast in it? I'm in Darwin temp averages 24c -32c day in day out. Hydrometer reading 1025 after 3 days is this normal.?
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Re: Rum

Postby maheel » Fri Apr 08, 2011 3:48 pm

Excisedodger wrote:Just wondering Macstill, followed your rum molasses wash to the letter, as predicted fairly violent reaction at first, but after 2 days it appears to have stalled completely,no bubbles through the airlock and no pressure if I push the top of the fermenter down. Have I done something wrong, should I throw some more yeast in it? I'm in Darwin temp averages 24c -32c day in day out. Hydrometer reading 1025 after 3 days is this normal.?


Hey Ed

what was your starting gravity ? i thought Molasses would have a fair amount of un-fermentable stuff and might push the FG a bit higher in the finsish but 1025 seems high?

i have 3l of molases and was going to do one of these this weekend for a trial

McStill are you recording gravity, and i don't mean how it seems to make you fall over after sucking on the end of your flute :lol:
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Re: Rum

Postby bundy » Fri Apr 08, 2011 4:13 pm

i am on 2nd generation rum wash, first one stopped at 1020 after 7 days, this one 1025 after 7 days, what I've been reading is its hard to get a final sg with molasses. correct me if I'm wrong as I'm sure you will lol.
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Re: Rum

Postby MacStill » Fri Apr 08, 2011 6:20 pm

Excisedodger,

Where did you get your molasses from?

It sounds to me like you might have got the stuff that has preservatives in it ?

Oh and welcome to our humble bar :mrgreen:

Cheers.
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Re: Rum

Postby Kimbo » Fri Apr 08, 2011 6:34 pm

"no bubbles through the airlock and no pressure if I push the top of the fermenter down."

Hi ED, and welcome,
it sounds like you have a problem with your seal :D
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Re: Rum

Postby Excisedodger » Fri Apr 08, 2011 7:47 pm

Re Molasses: I got it from the local stockfeed place here in Darwin they freight it up from Qld in those bulk pallet jobbies,I would not have thought it any different to the bulk stuff you buy in Qld $1.00 a litre. You could be right about the seal on the fermenter ,first time I have used that one it is a screw on 25 litre one ,anyway will leave it for a week and see how it goes. Thanks for your help. Do you do S.G readings at all McStill? I have not really bothered that much lately, it just been a matter of a couple of weeks run it through the still and magically alcohol comes out the other end,just did it with the molasses brew when it appeared not to be working.
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Re: Rum

Postby MacStill » Fri Apr 08, 2011 7:54 pm

I dont bother with SG or anything on molasses washes, and never had one fail, so cant be sure what your drama is.

Is your wash fizzy? or is it dead?
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Re: Rum

Postby Excisedodger » Sat Apr 09, 2011 11:24 pm

I think I may have overreacted, after such a violent start, I was worried about having to pay a carbon tax the amount of CO2 it was pumping out , I think it might just be a seal problem on the new screw top fermenter, seems to be plenty of life in the wash when I checked it. Thanks for your advice men,keen to see what the output is as I mainly make rum, I'm keen to stick with it.Certainly can't complain abou the tomatoe wash though,it is the ducks nuts.
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Re: Rum

Postby Excisedodger » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:56 pm

Just another quick question McStill, how long does the molasses wash generally take to ferment out?Shouold I leave it like the tomato wash about 2 weeks?
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Re: Rum

Postby MacStill » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:31 pm

Mine is normally finished fermenting in under seven days, then I leave it for at least a few more days to settle, so yeah 2 weeks should be plenty.

Make sure you leave plenty of head room in your boiler, bundy can explain to you why as he has first hand experience and good knowledge of this :lol: :lol: :mrgreen: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Rum

Postby bundy » Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:32 pm

i hate a smart ass lol :D
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Re: Rum

Postby bradsgonetrekkin » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:25 pm

I'm not really a big rum fan due to a few bad experiences on the bundy when I "just came of age"....
I do have a mate who I would classify as a rum pig, who loves his bundy big time!!
Taste wise, how does this rum compare to the commercial types?
Also, with the oaking, is french best for rum or does american work as good? :?:
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Re: Rum

Postby MacStill » Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:37 pm

I love this stuff but cant drink bundy rum anymore, the commercial rums all taste like heads n tails to me now :?

American oak (charred) seems to give me the flavor I like, but I guess that might just be a personal thing.

Cheers.
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Re: Rum

Postby SBB » Fri Oct 28, 2011 6:56 pm

Put 60L of this on a few days ago.....geeeeze doesnt it take off to begin with :o :o :shock: :shock: ....nearly had a sticky mess to clean up. Wondering how long it usually takes to ferment right out??.....its still bubbling quite well but a lot of the sweetness is gone already.
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Re: Rum

Postby MacStill » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:06 pm

Now the weather is a bit warmer it should ferment out in 5 to 7 days, you can run it straight away if you like too ;)
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