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Newbie Rum Run Question


Ijbrowning

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Hello all, I am trying to do rum for the first time with a very basic recipe (cane sugar and molasses). After pitching the yeast and sitting for 14 days, the S.G has only gone from 1.122 to 1.046. It's been a little chilly and the temp of the wash has only been between 74 and 77 deg. I pitched it with plenty of yeast and gave it some air initially.

I'm used to getting my washes down to 0.990 S.G. on the scale. Any thoughts on what could be wrong?

Thanks in advance

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Could be not enough nutrients or too high a starting gravity for the yeast you used. Or depending on how much molasses you used, that can add an obscuration effect to to the SG reading (molassess can have a lot of unfermentable sugars and solids)

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Your SG is way too high. Your temp is too low. Questions:

What nutrients did you use?

What was your starting pH and what was the pH when it crapped out?

What yeast are you using?

I tend to shoot for an SG of around 1060 and I go dry in 5 days.

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  • 3 weeks later...

This.

Your SG is way too high. Your temp is too low. Questions:

What nutrients did you use?

What was your starting pH and what was the pH when it crapped out?

What yeast are you using?

I tend to shoot for an SG of around 1060 and I go dry in 5 days.

Orignal BRIX: 16-21 (I prefer 18, this is ingredients and flavor profile specific)

Aka original SG: 1.065-1.087

Orignal pH: around 5.5

Was the yeast pitch pH & temp almost the same as the wash? Did you pitch enough?

Molasses source should be able to tell you about the content of ash, nitrogen, gums, etc of the raw ingredients used. Get a guide for rum fermentation, compare, it will tell you if you need nutrients or not, and if your molasses has too much of something and will always be a problem. Cheap molasses is often cheap for a reason.

Consider reading up on the role of bacterial fermentation (it happens even when you do not intend it to) and test in small batches by either reducing the pitched yeast, or delaying the pitched yeast, or letting the wash sit for a day or two after the yeast is mostly done. This can play a significant role in fatty acid creation and good and bad flavors in the finished product. In doing this, some of your tests will fail and smell bad, which you throw away and clean everything, then start over. You are experimenting with dunder pits (flask, carboy, etc), right?

If you haven't been doing precise calculations and running a spread sheet documenting everything you do, every time, start. Over time you will find it easier to resolve your own issues.

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  • 7 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Brewder pretty much lays it out, but I'd disagree on one note when others.

Rum fermentation does not have to be hot. I've fermented plenty of rums in the 70's. It largely depends on the yeast you use. Some yeast like it cooler then others. The idea that rum has to run hot is largely due to the idea that most rums come from hot climates.

Cheers,

Turtle

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  • 2 weeks later...

I agree it's not the temperature. Could be yeast health, PH, nutrients...You also started at a pretty high Brix it could have killed your yeast depending on the stain and thrown off your PH. I think that was your problem

Sounds like you will be ending up with a 10% yield so that's still not too bad all things considered.

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