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"Hey, guys. I picked up some dried molasses at the feed store. I thought I could hydrate it and make some rum of it in my reflux still. I was wondering if any of you had tried this before with any luck. Obviously, it's animal feed grade. But i've made some darn good hooch before using sweet feed. That's bound to be full of this same molasses. Right? Any helpful hints? Warnings?Comments welcome.
Thanks."
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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It should ferment, however if you reflux you'll be disappointed...need to pot distill. Reflux strips out all flavors, best use plain sugar. Rule of thumb: flavor=pot distill; max abv = reflux distill.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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Well, I typically strip the packing from the column. So a good batch runs off at about 65-70% ABV instead of the everclear I can get by really refluxing. So I can retain some flavor in the hooch. Thanks for the input.
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"I vote with you on the bad rap the refluxers get for removing all flavor..now most of it Ok. Fully refluxed SF or Cornmeal still give a little kick in the teeth on the end game when compared to a tomater paste neutral. Sure it work the same with Rum. Less refluxing stronger flavor. It only seems reasonable. Kindly let us know how the powdered molasses works out. Originally Posted by: Swill-Billy  Well, I typically strip the packing from the column. So a good batch runs off at about 65-70% ABV instead of the everclear I can get by really refluxing. So I can retain some flavor in the hooch. Thanks for the input. "
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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I'll definitely update the thread when I run it off. Yeah, i'm liking my reflux still pretty well. Compact, efficient and easy to assemble/disassemble. One day i'd like to build a pot still and compare. I've been thinking lately about getting a shorter column to swap out with my 3' column. That's bound to bring the ABV down even further.
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On a 3' column would seem once you get rid of most of the packing and the water to the column you already own a pot still. My gizmo comes in two segments and the pot still section is prob around 2' feet or thereabouts. Forgot to measue it..kick kick. Yours should be close enough to a pot still for guv'ment work. Originally Posted by: Swill-Billy I'll definitely update the thread when I run it off. Yeah, i'm liking my reflux still pretty well. Compact, efficient and easy to assemble/disassemble. One day i'd like to build a pot still and compare. I've been thinking lately about getting a shorter column to swap out with my 3' column. That's bound to bring the ABV down even further.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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My still may be a little different design than yours. There's no water in the column. Just a 3' long column then a "dog-leg" condenser section off to the side with several feet of copper coil on the outside of the dog-leg. I'm actually considering shortening the column to more like 2' to de-tune it.
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Well I wouldnt want to go messing up a good still here. Lets us ponder a bit on this scenario. Sounds you got a bang up short barreled refluxer going on. I would tend to lean more toward a separate pot head (sic?) which could fit on your existing boiler..or if push come to shove get another boiler. Kegs are real hard to beat seems like I heard somewhere.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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I've been pondering the same thing this evening. I'm thinking about attaching a worm and flake stand on the end of my condenser section. Of course my existing condenser section would no longer be used for condensing. I'd just unplug it and rely on the flake stand for condensing. My parts list is looking pretty cheap and I could quickly go back to reflux if I didn't like it.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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" I'd just unplug it and rely on the flake stand for condensing."
Apology for my ignorance..what is a flake stand?
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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Just a 5-gal bucket with the coiled worm and cooling water running through it. Sorry.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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Gotcha...thought it was some sorta extraction chamber off the condenser
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Wow..glad yall clarified this flake stand deal. My mind was running wild. Only thing I could think was maybe that where a person put the bowl of Sugar Frosted flakes whilst running off a load on the breakfast meal time frame. It good to get it over with early since the Ruskies been sending all this hot weather. Course they good for supper too..lol. Hey Swill..since discussing this bizness with a fellow esteemed forum member I have come up with a brillant idear. Since you trying to train a refluxer to act like a pot still. Have you tried insulating the column? That should make it knock off a bunch of the reluxing nonsense. Coupled with a small bit of packing and some water control over the condenser it should be just what the doctor ordered so to speak. Dont tear up no perfectly good still..lol. Reflexic (sic?) from Lowes young man. It bubble wrap and tinfoil. Use duct tape the Super Tape is too pricey. Please try it and repoat back. Kindly dont make me come up there. Thanks. Or down there as the case may be...lol.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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Great minds think alike :). I've got an insulating jacket for the column I used on the last couple of runs. It has still been coming off at about 130-140 proof with no packing, though. Question....if I were to crank up the heat during cooking wouldn't that dilute it down to a lower proof? Instead of letting it drip at 180F maybe try 190F on the front end of the run? Just a thought. Thanks for the suggestions. We'll get there....
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Yeppers..thinking the hotter temps sure make it run faster and weaker..mo flavorful etc. Should work that way anyway. Im also thinking you are coming off at some good ABV for a real clean pot run with a thumper maybe. Little higher than it would go on a tulip bulb looking deal. My only pot run..not counting clowning around on the refluxer..come in at 120. Mi Amigo gets about what your getting on his pot thumper combo. Maybe you are getting 1.5 distills per cycle. That would be pretty kewlish.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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SB, I got some mollasses from a feed store and wanted to try it. As I was used to making Birdwatcher neutral I decided to run it reflux and see if I could replicate it with a cheaper sugar source.
It came off smelling real strong like rum, too strong for me and everyone else, but had a heavy rum flavor except when mixed. The abv held up nicely, started around 75% and held there for 4 pints from a 5 gallon run. But the smell was too offensive and it had a sharp finish, so I decided to re-run it in pot mode.
The potstill mode ran much weaker (64%) and fell rapidly to 47%, making 4 pints. This time the smell was much more what you'd expect rum to smell like and it had a much smoother finish. I cut it to 40% and soaked a qt in charred oak chips. Its not Bacardi, but pretty damm close.
I was expecting, from what I've read here, for it to have NO flavor or smell when run in reflux, but I was wrong. The flavor was drinkable if mixed, but the flavor was off-putting if sipped.
I did learn it was a chore to clean from all my utensils, fermentor, pot, and everything else that touched the molasses, so I am not in a hurry to make more, until I run out.
Farmin
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Originally Posted by: Farmin in the woods SB, I got some mollasses from a feed store and wanted to try it. As I was used to making Birdwatcher neutral I decided to run it reflux and see if I could replicate it with a cheaper sugar source. Hey Farmin, can you post your recipe? Originally Posted by: Farmin in the woods It came off smelling real strong like rum, too strong for me and everyone else, but had a heavy rum flavor except when mixed. The abv held up nicely, started around 75% and held there for 4 pints from a 5 gallon run. But the smell was too offensive and it had a sharp finish, so I decided to re-run it in pot mode. So you poured your distillate back in the wash and then re-ran it in pot-mode? I've heard of re-running the distillate diluted in water, but this is the first time I (assume) one has put the distillate back in the wash. Still, I guess it's the same as running from the get-go. Originally Posted by: Farmin in the woods I did learn it was a chore to clean from all my utensils, fermentor, pot, and everything else that touched the molasses, so I am not in a hurry to make more, until I run out. What was the bad part about the molasses? What did it leave behind? It's only half fermentable, so I suppose it did leave something behind, but I didn't think it would be that bad.
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Thinking the best adjective I ever heard to describe feed store molasses is..ITS NASTY..lol. Knew right then I did not care to own any.
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Rank: Junior Member Groups: Registered
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I started my molasses mash yesterday evening. 10lbs dried molasses, 2lbs white sugar and 5 gals of water. It was thick as a brick. I can see what farmin's talking about with the utensils being sticky. Nevertheless, it had a SG of 1.11 and an alcohol potential of about 14.5%. So i pitched my yeast, lemon juice, nutrient and airlocked it. This evening's it's working like hell. Pretty cool. It has a super strong smell coming from the airlock vent. As hard as it's been for me to get a decent fermenting mash this year I'm pretty tickled. We'll see how long it lasts, though. Good info above.
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Wow..thats a wad of fermentables there. Not sure how the molasses count on the comparison to sugar side of the scale but bet that will be some strong stuff. Forget now what kinda yeast you using? Wondering if the dehydration process might clean that stuff up a bit. Be sure an repoat back with your findings. Yall may turn me back into a Rummy..lol.
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