Does my muck pit look ok

[NoHope]

I have a couple of questions firstly does my muck pit look ok it smells ok I have feed it with Yakut one small container and a small well cooked potato and a banana
And do I have to keep feeding it

[bluc]

Do the pits bubble like a ferment? I have not got round to it yet. Are you looking for a drinking or blending spirit? If the pits bubble like a ferment(albiet slower) i would add banana etc enough to keep some visual activity (strong pellicle bubbles of co2). Maybe hang the banana etc in a stocking for easy removal and to see how much is used up how fast..

Hard bit is knowing what acids produce what esters and to try to get the right ratio of the acids to get desired end flavour ....

Hard bit will be working

I have only tried one home brewed rum and is def something that I want to try ..

[bluc]

Btw dont taste the muck pit....i dont think stig has a squirting emoji :teasing-neener:

[The Stig]

.

[bluc]

Oh he does, there it is :laughing-rolling:

[harold01]

you guys are starting to make me feel Hungary now

[The Stig]

Oh he does, there it is :laughing-rolling:

I do have others but you really don’t want to see them :puke-huge:

[NoHope]

I use about 2 litres in a spirit run taking from the middle of the muck

[RC Al]

Fermenting, nah mine stopped doing that a long time ago..
Over winter the pectile disappeared.. its just black smelly s*** now..
Will use some next batch and see what happens lols

[howard]

neither of my muck pits have a pellicle any more, and haven't had one for some time.
i have kept feeding them yokult every so often.
one smells bad.
the other smells like something has died in it and the smell hangs around the workshop for a day after opening it.
the smell clings to your clothes.
i used a couple of litres from each last week on the spirit run.
had to wash out the column and boiler though, everything stunk.
i take the muck from a tap about 1/3rd the way up 20l pails and replace with old dunder.
the hearts cut tastes great (just dipped my finger in) and is being pre-oaked in a 7l stock pot before adding it to the back of my solera system, after taking a few bottles off the front end :smile:

[NoHope]

I checked it yesterday seems to be doing okay doesn’t have a bad smell one has a hint of pineapple and I have added a bottle of Yakut to each one checked the Ph was at 4.9 for both I don’t know what Ph it should be at

[indenial]

neither of my muck pits have a pellicle any more, and haven't had one for some time.
i have kept feeding them yokult every so often.
one smells bad.
the other smells like something has died in it and the smell hangs around the workshop for a day after opening it.
the smell clings to your clothes.
i used a couple of litres from each last week on the spirit run.
had to wash out the column and boiler though, everything stunk.
i take the muck from a tap about 1/3rd the way up 20l pails and replace with old dunder.
the hearts cut tastes great (just dipped my finger in) and is being pre-oaked in a 7l stock pot before adding it to the back of my solera system, after taking a few bottles off the front end :smile:

Howard, do you mess with the pH of you muck pits? Or just let them go where they may? I've only used boiled stored dunder thus far - nothing infected.

[howard]

neither of my muck pits have a pellicle any more, and haven't had one for some time.
i have kept feeding them yokult every so often.
one smells bad.
the other smells like something has died in it and the smell hangs around the workshop for a day after opening it.
the smell clings to your clothes.
i used a couple of litres from each last week on the spirit run.
had to wash out the column and boiler though, everything stunk.
i take the muck from a tap about 1/3rd the way up 20l pails and replace with old dunder.
the hearts cut tastes great (just dipped my finger in) and is being pre-oaked in a 7l stock pot before adding it to the back of my solera system, after taking a few bottles off the front end :smile:

Howard, do you mess with the pH of you muck pits? Or just let them go where they may? I've only used boiled stored dunder thus far - nothing infected.

i hang a hop sock in there with chicken grit, judging by the amount left, they have taken very very little over the last 2 years.
i did test the PH a couple of months ago, i think it was in the 4.6-4.9 range.
this pic is from about 20 months ago, both date back 2.5 years.
i keep hot fresh dunder in full cubes or partially full with a CO2 blanket to keep them non-infected for washes.
other dunder i keep in half full cubes, i leave to get infected and use them to top up the muck pits.
the 2 pails in the pic from november 2021 used to smell different then, one of pineapple and one just dunderish.

[NoHope]

Thanks for sharing your experience everything seems to be working fine in the muck pit but I still have another question this time about the “stuff” that I have collected from my stripping run I call it stuff as there are a lot of contradictory terms for what it is I collected it in a sterile bucket after it cooled down from a stripping run and sealed the container I am planning on using it in a new rum wash so would I have to boil it to sterilise it or can I simply use it in the wash and at what amounts should i be use in a 20 litre wash I’ve tried reading how to do this but don’t seem to find the answer I’m looking for Thanks

[bluc]

It is Dunder. You have sterile dunder(sealed) or used boiling to piggyback the next wash, infected dunder open and muck. Muck is the funkiest of the funky pits are outdoors and contain all sorts of funky stuff, heard of goats heads being added for flavour :puke-huge:

[NoHope]

Thanks Bluc i do use muck in the spirit run just want clarification about using the dunder in the ferment should i boil it before i use it

[howard]

Thanks Bluc i do use muck in the spirit run just want clarification about using the dunder in the ferment should i boil it before i use it

i think dunder is dunder, until it gets infected, then it's muck. :smile:
if my dunder shows no sign of infection, i have always used it unboiled in the ferment.
i have read of infected dunder/muck being used in the ferment after it has been boiled, but i've not tried that yet.
i've also heard of unboiled muck used in the ferment by some brave person (not me), without searching, maybe it was a few days into the ferment after the yeasties were established & ethanol had been produced. :think:

[NoHope]

Thanks for everyone’s input what I decided to do was I boiled the dunder 3 litres added to the fermenter and everything seems to be working well just have to wait to see how it will taste

[bluc]

You get stronger esterfecation if used "live" not dead.

[NoHope]

Ok so what you’re saying is next time don’t boil the dunder I’ll try that thanks