Cachaca - cane spirit

[chill]

I am surprised that Thai Whiskey (rum actually) ranks up that high.

Chuck

[Cherry Yidaki]

Rum John - do you maintain and employ the murky hideousness of a dunder pit as part of your operations? Has it eaten any dogs or small children?

[RumJohn]

No dunder pit these days. Space is a major consideration.

A new cachaca due to be released:
http://www.interdubs.com/r/walrus/?al=DHQepo&an=H0cvlp
Not a bad ad.

[Easydrinker]

I spent this evening using 12 907g cans of Lyles GS to finally get some wash going.
1/10th RJ's usual size brew;it hardened the fingers up to somewhere to where they were when I worked in a pro kitchen,washing out those cans with boiling water.....
Threw in 200g Allinson yeast,much cheaper than the GS,thought of using more...
Gave it a teaspoon of DAP 30 mins later as an after-thought,maybe not needed as by then it was Rocking and Rolling.Now regretting it as the wash is starting to climb out of the bucket....
pH was 5.2.OSG 1.072.
So looking forward to trying this finished product.
Like or loathe it will be one to tick off the list.
I am expecting 9 or 10 litres at 40%,at under £25 plus electricity and my time,not bad methinks.
Robert.

[RumJohn]

Attn: Robert

I will look forward to following your progress. Making cachaca with GS is more expensive than a typical sugar wash but I anticipate you will enjoy the final product. Most of my cachaca I age on American white oak that is lightly toasted. I distill twice (strip then spirit)with the column wide open and no packing. I want the flavour and characteristics to come across.

Mine is great straight but any rum type cocktail will work fine.

[Easydrinker]

Hey RJ,
A couple of questions,if you would be so kind?
This brew has almost finished fermenting already,maybe because I threw in more yeast than you do normally?,it's now below 1.010 and fizzing fast.
My intention is to wait for lack of activity,rack off to another vessel,leave to settle a while and strip.
First question,do you wait until a clear wash to strip?
Second Q,what length of time do you age on wood,after an airing period,do you use? I know I can and will experiment,including nuking,in my impatience,to taste the end product.
And mine is a pot-still,an odd one for sure,but the flavour gets through...
Thanks in advance,
Robert.

[RumJohn]

Attn: Robert
First question,do you wait until a clear wash to strip?
Second Q,what length of time do you age on wood,after an airing period,do you use? I know I can and will experiment,including nuking,in my impatience,to taste the end product.
And mine is a pot-still,an odd one for sure,but the flavour gets through...

1st: The wash will not be clear as in like water. I do give the tank a few days to settle. You don't want to have any yeast in your boiler. But to be honest, some does get through. Keep it to a minimum.

2nd:Age as long as you can. I like to let the product rest and breath for a month before adding wood and then I leave product on wood until its gone. I have cachaca still on wood at 18 months. I store in 50L milk cans and make over 100 L at a time which gives me some room to work. Minimum time will depend on how much wood surface area is exposed to product.

Let your wash sit around for a while. The SG might drop to below 0.995 or more and if its done then settling will be taking place. No rush.

Pot still will be just fine. On the off chance you have some non fermented sugars left over keep your heat to a minimum.Just enough to get the job done.

I doubt if you used too much yeast. There is a lot of flexibility in the amount you can use. In a nice balanced wash the yeast will reproduce until an equilibrium is reached and the process flips from aerobic to anaerobic.

[Jolly John]

Would unrefined sugar be a suitable replacement for golden syrup?

[RumJohn]

Attn: JollyJohn

Unrefined sugar will give you a rum - but not a cachaca. America classifies cachaca as a rum, but manufacturers of cane spirit say "no". I claim it is a cousin of rum but is not rum.

A new company is making "Rio Rum" which is a cachaca. The name may have something to do with where it is made. But I have not found out where yet.

Give it a try. I would imagine you will be pleased with the results. Using GS is not the cheapest ingredient but will give you something that not too many people have had.

I was given a bottle of Marula yesterday. It came from Africa. Like tequila I cant make it here.

[Jolly John]

OK, you have got me intrigued. I'm going to make a pot still attachment for my keg, could do with one anyway for beer stripping, and give Cachaca a try. I suppose I could run it through the boka, at a faster rate, and collect the heads and tails in small jars, to blend in afterwards.

[Easydrinker]

Just a quick update.
Just racked the wash into clean vessel,after 8 days;from 1.072 to 0.094,looks like 11% ish to me.
Lovely dark wash,the suprise being the lees,-sat on the bottom of the fermenter like concrete.
A couple of days and I'll do a strip.
Robert.

[RumJohn]

Attn: EasyD

Sounds like you are right on track.

Push the still a bit while doing the stripping run and spirit run. You want flavour to come across. Don't try and maximize your return. Keep it clean and whatever you cut out you can add to another spirit run later.

[Easydrinker]

Roger,Wilco,and all the other bygone RFC speak.
It may have been RAF by the time of radio?
Thanks for your input RJ,
Robert.

[Easydrinker]

OK,tonight saw the spirit run happen.
Managed my usual and fell asleep before the end of the tails.
Awoke to The Rocky Horror Picture Show blasting out from the TV,at 3am.
All the good stuff sitting in sequentially numbered bottles for evaluation.
Couldn't resist testing something from the middle of the run as I wait for "Let's do the Time Warp.."
I rather like it,very different in taste to a granulated sugar wash,a few days and I'll make some cuts,and stow some away to age on wood.
I think I will be back to this wash again.
It seems to have yielded less drinkable spirit than I expected,but this was always about quality,not quantity,and I will keep the heads,and small amount of tails (oops) separate from others,in anticipation of more GS washes.
Thanks RJ
Robert.

[RumJohn]

And now make a caipirinha.