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Unfermentables and Ending Gravity


DSW

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Hi all, my washes consistently finish out between 1.03 and 1.02. They never go lower, but they taste dry. I've read differing opinions on whether the inability to go lower is a product of unfermentables in the molasses (some say yes some say no). Obviously I'd love to get lower. Thoughts.

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What potential alcohol? Using any nutrients? Temperature at the end within tolerable range of your yeast strain?

I use a natural unrefined sugar, no molasses, and nutrients to about 13% potential and I can get to 1.00 but I need to add a little heat towards the end as the temperature goes below my yeast's range. Depending on my schedule I sometimes distil it before it is 100% finished as it sometimes isn't worth the wait when I have my still sitting empty.

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1020 seems high. When the fermentation stops what is the pH and temp? Perhaps the temp as Skaa says drops too low or your pH is bottoming out. What's the TSAI of the molasses? What nutes are you using? Yeast?

I generally always have rum from molasses stop at 1000. Remember although there are solids in molasses that skew the gravity up, you're also producing ethanol with a SG of 0.787.

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Making molasses.

You have to remember that when it is heated up some of the sugars will caramelize. That turns some of the sugars from 1-4 & 1-6 into 1-3 & 1-5 bonds. So you basically lose those as being able to make anything with. Even with a GLUCO -am it will not help concert it.

When we do are sugar washes, when it is done it is below 1.00 sg.

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>> You have to remember that when it is heated up some of the sugars will caramelize.

Can you help me understand the above? Heated up when and to what temp?

Edit: Just looked at my candy thermometer -- sugar doesnt start to carmelize until well above 300 F. Im more confused than ever.

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Not when you cook or heat up your molasses wash. It happens when the molasses is being made.

I have no idea if you know or not but molasses is the JUNK left over after all the good sellable product is removed like "white table sugar". They boil and boil it. That is why it is called "black strap" is livestock food. Just look at the report on the type of molasses you are using. Notice the ash report the higher the ash content the more times it has be cooked. The first cook makes a super light golden product, and as each time it the factory tries to extract more sugar from the mix the darker it gets. The sugars get caramelized and are converted into different type of sugars.

Thats why I think molasses is super over priced for what you get. I don't use it be cause of the I can't get over the stink it has. But I have added it to the wash right before it goes in to the still to give the whole wash the taste and flavor like the whole thing was a molasses wash. Doing that you don't half to add very much to get the flavor you want.

Take care!!

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Ahh I see what you mean. We buy molasses after the first spin -- TSAI between 69 - 71%. The low grade, what you would call blackstrap is between 45 - 50% TSAI. I've never been able to get a molasses flavor from a cane sugar wash.

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