StillSmart

Started a molasses wash with 3/4 gallon (molasses 43% sugar) 6 lbs white cane sugar 3 pigs e1118 yeast and 23 liters of water. 1/4 teaspoon epsom salt. Started bubble immediately but hydrometer showed 1.100.how can I adjust this? Or can I?

Molasses wash will not give you a correct sg reading mate, to many unfermentables in it. Don't worry about doing readings, just wait till it stops bubbling, around 4~8 days depending on temps. I run mine pretty much straight away after bubbling finishes, some times.sooner if I'm thirsty lol.

Thanks googe:-)

Ed: Easiest way to bring the SG down a bit would be to add water. That much sugar and molasses will give a high reading to start. I will look forward to seeing what it comes down to. Was that reading taken before or after you pitched the yeast?

hmm kind of wondering what you did with the pigs?

I was kinda assuming he wanted a rum with more body in it. Three pigs in 23L does seem a lot though!

That rading was taken before pitching the yeast. It seems to be coming down nicely on its own chill, checked it today and its at 1020 and still bubbling away. Minime said that the sg would stay high but he runs it anyway. I think it will improve over the next few days. I'm in no hurry as I'm waiting for a pot from hillbilly stills to go with my new keg boiler. I found a guy in minden Nevada that makes custom keg boilers to specs for 295.00 us. Bottom drains,legs, two outlets on top for thermo and continuous run capabilities. Beautiful work can't wait to get it this week.:-) bye bye t500 lol

I wait until it stops bubbling, wait a day or two to settle and then run it.
Doing gravity readings on a molasses wash is like showering in a raincoat.......pointless. It will always read high due to the amount of suspended solids.
Work out your alcohol content on paper at the start and go from there. I ran mine at 10% theoretical and it usually finished in 3-4 days.

scarecrow

I pitched my very first molasses wash a few weeks ago and stripped it the other night. It was a total of 30lt and the output down to 20% ABV amounted to just 5.7lt

It was a bit of a blind run as I had no idea what to expect and couldn't rely on the gravity readings.

Anyway, it's in DJ's waiting for me to make more. So why am I posting this uninteresting drivel, well, I expected my boiler would be a bit of a mess but relatively easy to clean boy was I wrong

I spent two hours rinsing out and blasting the inside with steam and a power hose and water refused to run clean and black solids are still washing out of the tap.

There's nothing else for it I'm just going to have to get a separate boiler for making rum 'cause it's going to be a regular feature seeing as it's her favourite.

In the end a dose of Bicarb and a good boil sorted the prob.

AM

I ran mine through a t500 with half the ceramics removed and ended up with what I think is a nice product, being the newbie that I am. My clean up was easy I just removed all the packing and boiled it in some water and citric acid. Flushed the tower with boiling water and done.

The top of my still was easy too but the boiler was where all ther trouble waited for me. The element and the floor of the keg were worst affected

AM