Florida Cracker

Thanks guys. Those experiments were rudimentary at best but in searching the internet now on the subject, it comes up frequently. Really glad that you both got something out of it and are now upping the game. FC

Definitely following this. I started a thread on dunder or muck pit back in 2015 that went crazy on the StillDragon site; https://www.stilldragon.org/discussion/1041/the-big-dunder-pit-thread/p1 Of course my version was the Wild Wild West version where you kinda got what you got with little control over it. I sent some of the original dunder to a few here who asked for it and some of that original batch is still going strong. I'm very interested to see what a "controlled" dunder would produce. FC

Thanks guys.

5 runs in and I am going a different direction from here on. The new make is good and very drinkable but the fermentation time is a deal killer. I have one barrel full for aging and I think it will turn out nice. Anyone have a suggestion for a "Caribbean or Jamaican" style yeast? Gonna try a few more before I settle in on a workhorse. FC

Good on ya brother for offering to help. I'd be all over this like a duck on a junebug if I had the room. FC

Gonna second this post. I've been dealing with Larry for almost a decade off and on. Small purchases here and there and he still treats me like I spend thousands. Great quality products and 1st class service. FC

OK, here's what I know at this point: This yeast definitely ferments a LOT slower than what I am used to with Red Star. Even at 86-91F it takes 5-6 days VS 2-3. The end product is very nice if you have the time to wait. I've done 3 runs so far and I got quite a bit of aroma during the stripping and spirit runs. Fresh off of the still produced an extremely small amount of heads after an hour of reflux in the column. From there the hearts were very tasty and pretty far into the tails. Took my cuts according to Arroyo's "Heavy and light rums" advice. The light rum was very drinkable after about 3 weeks of slow proofing down to 40% and the heavy part went into a 5 gallon barrel for aging at 55%. As a note, I do a 1.5X distilling process where I add the strip from first run directly into the wash of the second and then run it. Hope this helps. FC

As an update, I fermented with this yeast at 86-91F and it took longer than my typical Red Star yeast but the ABV is north of 11%. I have stripped it but nothing more yet. I'll report on how that goes. So far I have gotten some interesting aromas. FC

Thanks guys. Jocko, just plain new make rum. No flavorings yet. Maybe eventually some toasted coconut. FC

For those of you who make white rum, how long do you air it out before bottling or flavoring it? FC

Anyone have any experience with this yeast? Just got some and was perplexed to see that the ideal fermentation temp is 68-77F. Seems awful cool for a Caribbean style rum ferment.

Hey Adam, how about some info on your mill? Looking sharp!

Well, I was just going to plant some to use to inoculate my fermented "dunder pit" . Hogs found it, dug it up and ate it. Surely don't need to bait them up around here, they are here anyway.

I will tell you this, if you are planning on planting sugar cane, make sure that wild hogs aren't in your area. Ask me how I know. FC

Diluting it won't hurt. I use 20% backset and haven't had a problem yet. Keep the wash relatively warm. If the ferment isn't raging after a few hours you might want to add more warm water (80-85F). I try to keep my brix under 20 but I admit I haven't checked it in years now that I have my system. Let us know how it does.

Olive oil.

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Indy, My process isn't very technical or difficult. I thin the molasses with the hot backset from the previous run, usually at a 50/50 ratio. Mix well and then put in a conical 55 gallon tank. I have added a spigot at the 2 gallon level that I use for taking off the "clarified" mixture. I only fill the tank to the 25 gallon mark for my runs but it could be totally filled. If filled all the way I would put the spigot at the 4 gallon mark minimum. I still get a little thick liquid at the spigot but most is pretty thin. The stuff I drain through the bottom drain is like a very thick milkshake. Although it probably isn't what most would consider clarified, it will remove most of the solids. I will let it sit for 2-3 days then rack off via the spigot.

Blackstrap and I do clarify. Amazing the amount of muck and ash that is removed.

Yes. The result was a little more funky than I like. It might calm down after time in a barrel but since I really like my results with the strip/spirit process I haven't ever put any down for aging.

Doesn't the spirit become "better" as the angels take their share, ie evaporation, oxygen contact, etc? I have always wondered if a half filled barrel would not produce a smoother spirit because of the increased contact with "air" and it's components. By refilling with water at some point, don't you limit the aging to some extent because of the lack of air in the barrel? Not sure of the regs but it would seem like the addition of anything would change the outcome.

Totally agree. I wonder why nobody has mentioned muck pit in this discussion so far? I use an "aged dunder" in my wash and it adds immense flavor. There is plenty of info on this subject as well. I strip my washes and then use a 4 plate StillDragon column still and get all of the rum flavor that I want. The benefit is that I have greater control over what goes into the barrel and it doesn't take 3 generations before it is very drinkable.

I add mine right before it goes into the boiler to strip. If you keep your still in full reflux for an hour or two you should get plenty of esterfication

What temp are you pitching at? pH? Brix?

I have been doing a long reflux, ala Arroyo, which greatly increases esterfication as well as greatly compressing heads. Also, tails are VERY evident when they come on and I don't save any of them. I run on 4 plates of ProCaps and once the tails come on there isn't anything I have found worth keeping. For some reason the mysterious "rum oils" found late in the tails just don't come across with my distillation process. Also to reiterate, I do a stripping run first. The reflux is done on the spirit run. If done on the first run, the outcome would be way different and that is probably where the good tails show up.