StillSmart

I made a Rum wash of molasses and brown sugar it is now at .990 sg so I assume that fermentation is complete. My question is this how clear should the wash be mine is a dark amber with no visible solids is it ready to run through my T500? I, planning on running it tomorrow with only copper in the stack. Suggestions???

I'd recommend racking off to a clean fermenter. When you've siphoned off about half the wash collect about 500ml from the flow from the siphon, in a clear glass container, this will show just how clear it really is and whether it is actually ready for stripping

Hopefully some of our Rum distillers will chip in some more specific advice

AM

As long as it has been de-gassed and allowed to sit a few days, it is ready to run. With the molasses etc it will never really clear. But it will get darker as the yeast settles to the bottom which is the real goal of clearing.

Chuck

With rum just degas it leave it a day or 3 and do the stripping run. I don't bother racking it off.

Make sure the wash is finished though - I find it has loads of tiny bubbles suspended in it, even putting a sick in to stir can make it spew a few gallons of wash out the fermenter.

Use the hot dunder (what's left in the boiler) to melt the next lot of molasses.

I find using about 10L of dunder in a 50L wash is about as high as I can go without the wash slowing right down.

As I just rack from the fermenter into the boiler, I leave a few inches of the yeast bed and solids in the bottom of the fermenter, I just scoop a pint of this stuff out before adding the hot dunder and molasses for the next wash.

Then top up with lukewarm water to its 50L @ 30-32oC then blast it with an air pump to get some oxygen into the wash and pitch the jar. (or just give it a good stir)

Every other wash I add some vitamin B and a teaspoon of epsom, and a little nitrogen fertiliser. The stuff in the bottom of the fermenter that you pour the hot dunder onto seems to provide plenty of protein to keep the yeast happy.

I find I can keep reusing the same yeast for many generations.

More molasses and less sugar provides a more flavoursome rum. I don't use any sugar these days, but my molasses has a high sugar %.

Definitely let it settle for a few days after observing no further signs of fermentation in the airlock. Rack directly into the boiler and try not to transfer any sediment. Then degas the wash before proceeding with the run.

I don't mean to be awkward but if you rack directly to the boiler how do you degas the wash?

AM

aidanmac wrote:I don't mean to be awkward but if you rack directly to the boiler how do you degas the wash?

AM

....with a mix-stirrer attached to a drill while being careful to not foul the heating element.

aidanmac wrote:I don't mean to be awkward but if you rack directly to the boiler how do you degas the wash?

AM

Depends upon your boiler I guess,my lid comes off and I can stir.
Guess you are buggered if you use a keg.
Robert.

Edited to say that my element is concealed.

I think for most people, degassing is something you do to get the wash to clear before you put it in your boiler.

If you're degassing in the boiler then the suspended solids are going in there too and will get burned on the element or element covering and create off-tastes and possibly damage the boiler too

Degass after racking to a secondary fermenter, you know it makes sense

AM

aidanmac wrote:I think for most people, degassing is something you do to get the wash to clear before you put it in your boiler.

If you're degassing in the boiler then the suspended solids are going in there too and will get burned on the element or element covering and create off-tastes and possibly damage the boiler too

Degass after racking to a secondary fermenter, you know it makes sense

AM

My past experience in making rum involved three days of fermentation plus four days of settling. I was on a seven day schedule to allow for clearing, stripping, use of dunder and fermenting the next batch on the yeast cake. The four days of clearing allowed much of the bakers yeast and other solids to settle and protected the yeast cake for use on day seven.

As for the heating element, there was no issue. I recall strip running at about 900W. I am using an old Still Spirits boiler. As an aside, I modified the lid by silver soldering a 2" ferrule.

Degassing is done to remove CO2 from the boiler prior to running as one measure to prevent puking in addition to a silicone-based conditioner or vegetable oil.

That said, for anyone who prefers to mitigate even further yeast, yours is a sound approach. And is one I would definitely use for a neutral spirit.

aidanmac wrote:I don't mean to be awkward but if you rack directly to the boiler how do you degas the wash?

AM

I degas it in the fermenter, I stir it with a paint mixer the day it is done fermenting and blast it with an air stone to drive off the co2, give it a quick stir the next day, and run it the next day.

Rum wash can be very foamy, i add some melted butter to the boiler to keep that under control, but if I haven't degassed properly then it will still puke. so I make sure I degass.

I agree, its for puking. I don't like using dunder, I have got my rum just were I like it now, not to sweet and smooth as a babies bum!. I save up lees and a little of the wash left from racking into the boiler, I put 2l lees, 1kg white sugar,2kg raw sugar,2l molasses.