Rum Recipe Discussion

[andybear]

Hey all, I've got a question for the more experienced rum makers. I've made my first big wash (180 litre) and have run half through the still. Now that I've let air into the fermenter, how long have I got before it goes bad? My boiler is the standard 50 litre keg so I'll have another two runs left before I've used it all. That 100 litre boiler of macs is looking better everyday.

I've done that with an uj. What I did was throw 1/2 a kg or so of sugar syrup (so I didn't have to stir it in to dissolve) in to produce a bit more CO2 to refill the headspace on the barrel. I then left it for a few more weeks as I wasn't sure how long before I could get another crack at it. Tiny boiler was a nuisance.
However I used scrupulously clean transfer gear as well.

Great tip warra. Have you found that there is any more puking with the subsequent runs due to the extra sugar or is it all consumed by the yeast?

[vossy]

so ran my first one yesterday, followed everything for 2nd generation but still no activity this morning, might have been slightly higher than 30 when put back in. Should I just add some more yeast to get it started??
Cheers

[warramungas]

Hey all, I've got a question for the more experienced rum makers. I've made my first big wash (180 litre) and have run half through the still. Now that I've let air into the fermenter, how long have I got before it goes bad? My boiler is the standard 50 litre keg so I'll have another two runs left before I've used it all. That 100 litre boiler of macs is looking better everyday.

I've done that with an uj. What I did was throw 1/2 a kg or so of sugar syrup (so I didn't have to stir it in to dissolve) in to produce a bit more CO2 to refill the headspace on the barrel. I then left it for a few more weeks as I wasn't sure how long before I could get another crack at it. Tiny boiler was a nuisance.
However I used scrupulously clean transfer gear as well.

Great tip warra. Have you found that there is any more puking with the subsequent runs due to the extra sugar or is it all consumed by the yeast?

The yeast just starts chewing away mate. The foaming's from unfermentables from the molasses, not the sugar. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[rumsponge]

so ran my first one yesterday, followed everything for 2nd generation but still no activity this morning, might have been slightly higher than 30 when put back in. Should I just add some more yeast to get it started??

could be a pH thingy. did u add dunder ? how much ? I have re-activated rum yeast beds at up to 40C and it was fine, always started up within an hour or two.
If there is still no sign of life, add more yeast, but if you have the chance check pH before (should be 4-6, but with too much dunder added it can be significantly lower. in this case you have to raise it by adding base).

cheers rs

[vossy]

Thanks for the advice rumsponge, when i got home from work Tuesday afternoon is was fizzy away nicely and still is, I guess it was just taking its time to get restarted. Yes I added about 10L dunder back into it. For future reference what is the "base" your refer to??

[EziTasting]

Thanks for the advice rumsponge, when i got home from work Tuesday afternoon is was fizzy away nicely and still is, I guess it was just taking its time to get restarted. Yes I added about 10L dunder back into it. For future reference what is the "base" your refer to??

Bicarb or carbonate, can get from Coles/Woolies

[Doubleuj]

Most tend to use calcium carbonate, not bi-carb.
I think you can buy it from horse supply stores, turns out I've got it as decorative rocks in my garden

[vossy]

So as I only have a baby still, after I have done all my stripping runs what shall I pack my column with?
Ceramic Saddles
Copper Saddles
Stainless saddles
Copper mesh
Obviously want to keep the taste, but no sure what to use?

[Plumby]

Pack it with nothing you want all the flavour to come through and water in the PC only.
On a side note. Just curious as to how much you guys pay per litre for molasses. I can get it here for $1 per litre from a produce place in town here and they get it from the Bundaberg sugar refinery apparently.

[vossy]

I bought 17.2kg's for about $30.00 the other day so about $2.70/L.
If I don pack the column it wont really reflux then? correct so it would just be like doing a stripping run with stripped rum..correct?
Sorry for all the q's just trying to get it right.

[Plumby]

Yea man that's it you don't want any reflux so same as a strip run but just try to go a bit slower if you can pencil lead stream is the most you want.

[vossy]

so basically one I have have 4 or 5 stripping runs I am just mixing all them together and running it through again as slow as possible? Would using the stainless steel rings be ok in the packing (to help increase ABV) or will it strip flavour as well?

[TasSpirits]

so basically one I have have 4 or 5 stripping runs I am just mixing all them together and running it through again as slow as possible? Would using the stainless steel rings be ok in the packing (to help increase ABV) or will it strip flavour as well?

Leave it unpacked mate, if you start with a 40% charge your abv will be high anyway, add all your strip runs together, making sure its 40% or below. Take you foreshots off as slow as possible(2-3 drops per second) and try for a toothpick sized stream once you start collecting heads. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[vossy]

Sweet best i better getting building a heating element controller then to keep it slow and steady.

[Ripas]

Im having troubles getting my 2nd gens going - I have restarted from scratch three times and no joy :(

I have read this thread and cant find an answer.

On my current attempt I:

[*] Put down standard rum wash took four days to finish but left for seven days to settle. Used lowans yeast. Used rain water. Used stock feed molasses.
[*] Ran wash through stripping run - no problems with this
[*] Added 3kg molasses, 3kg sugar, 10 litres hot water into new 2nd cleaned fermenter. Topped up to 23 litres with cool water. Temp around 35 degrees C
[*] Poured remaining slops from 1st ferment into 2nd cleaned fermenter
[*] I did not add dunder from the boiler - I did this as I thought my previous gens failed due to ph issues - doing it this way with no dunder at this stage should in theory negate the ph issue
[*] So, the second gen wash (molasses, sugar, water, 1st gen yeast bed) has been sitting for 24 hours with no activity

Please, any advice welcomed. It cant be a dunder issue at this stage - my plan is to add 2 litres of dunder to the wash once fermentaion starts.

Should I pitch new yeast to get things started?

[EziTasting]

Ripas,
Do you have any way of testing your pH of the new ferment?
I can't really see anything you've done wrong so now it's a matter of eliminating certain things...

Ph, to my mind, that has been my main stumbling block but it's usually brought on by use of Dunder, not the lees... :think:

[bluc]

Im having troubles getting my 2nd gens going - I have restarted from scratch three times and no joy :(

I have read this thread and cant find an answer.

On my current attempt I:

[*] Put down standard rum wash took four days to finish but left for seven days to settle. Used lowans yeast. Used rain water. Used stock feed molasses.
[*] Ran wash through stripping run - no problems with this
[*] Added 3kg molasses, 3kg sugar, 10 litres hot water into new 2nd cleaned fermenter. Topped up to 23 litres with cool water. Temp around 35 degrees C
[*] Poured remaining slops from 1st ferment into 2nd cleaned fermenter
[*] I did not add dunder from the boiler - I did this as I thought my previous gens failed due to ph issues - doing it this way with no dunder at this stage should in theory negate the ph issue
[*] So, the second gen wash (molasses, sugar, water, 1st gen yeast bed) has been sitting for 24 hours with no activity

Please, any advice welcomed. It cant be a dunder issue at this stage - my plan is to add 2 litres of dunder to the wash once fermentaion starts.

Should I pitch new yeast to get things started?

strange I would have said ph issue to much dunder or hot water onto yeast bed seems you did neither of these :-B :think: have you tried repitching yeast? I should have read last bit. Try pitching fresh yeast but no idea why the yeast bed failed on 2nd gen..

[EziTasting]

Good point, bluc.

What was your pitching temp?

[rumdidlydum]

Are you going by the air lock? Thinking its not fermenting? :think:
Its very comon to think its not fermenting, but in fact the lid isn’t sealed properly so the air lock doesn't buble. :D

[Plumby]

I dont use a lid anymore for that reason. Just a bit of gladwrap over the top and use the rubber seal out of the lid to hold it on. You can see what's going on and the gladwrap domes up during fermentation, when it drops down and goes all soft and flaccid I know its done.