Homemade Rum

NOW we're getting some good ideas rollin'!!!

Thanks for the great ideas, guys!

You've got me thinking. I'm still gonna let this batch run its course, but I've got a better idea of how to do this next time.

Sacc, you said #1 or #2 buckets from a hardware store. Is that a size or type of plastic? Also, would you cap the bucket in between additions, or will fermentation be vigorous enough to maybe just cover with a bucket filter? (The bucket would be kept from jostling, so as long as crap can't fall in, it should be ok, right?)

bkov, I like the idea of starting with a clean beer yeast and then going to the champagne yeast later. That seems like a good way to keep the fermentation more controlled and slow in order to prevent fusel production.

jev, I wasn't actually thinking of using fruit. I have some blackberry FLAVORING that I was considering, or I thought about adding some vanilla beans. I'm not really a big wine fan, and this is intended to be more of an alcohol base for a mixed drink (i.e., rum 'n coke or something), but thanks for the idea!

Thanks everyone!!!

Ah yeah I use some of the extract flavoring in beer batches sometimes. Couldn't hurt to try it!

This has me thinking that you are making something like a Slo Gin....

MBM30075 said:

Sacc, you said #1 or #2 buckets from a hardware store. Is that a size or type of plastic?

Also, would you cap the bucket in between additions, or will fermentation be vigorous enough to maybe just cover with a bucket filter? (The bucket would be kept from jostling, so as long as crap can't fall in, it should be ok, right?)

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Type of plastic. #1 is PET, which is most commonly used for soda bottles. #2 is HDPE, which is most commonly used for milk jugs. These are the only two types of plastic that you can use for long term food storage. Others are prone to leaking chemicals into food over time. (See BPA scare)

You are correct. The must will be ok as long as a vigorous fermentation is going on, and you keep dust and bugs out of it.

Just wanted to let everyone know that this batch is still fermenting, albeit slowly. I've had it in a swamp bath for weeks now, so hopefully the fermentation temperatures have been low enough to avoid fusel alcohol production (maybe... fingers crossed).

Can't wait to rack it soon!

if your concoction turns out bad, and tasting too alcoholic, maybe you could try flavoring it with something. Since alcohol acts has a has a flavor enhancer you might be able to make something very interesting.

Or maybe mix it with some type of wine and making a fortified version of it.

I think you may also want to remember that good rum is aged for many many years.

So I checked the gravity reading a couple of weeks ago, and it was only down to about 1.150! Not working very quickly, huh?

Since then, I've taken it out of the swamp batch and let it ferment on my kitchen counter. It's still not going very quickly.

Is this a good thing?
A bad thing?
Should I pitch more yeast?

You probably should have pitched with a fairly large starter to have enough yeast cells to ferment in anything resembling a reasonable amount of time. As was stated earlier, yeast don't reproduce well under high osmotic pressures, and that stuff is really high. It will probably take quite awhile to ferment, if it doesn't stall repeatedly.

Well, I've got time. This is simply a "screwing around" batch, so no worries. At this point, would you re-pitch with more yeast?

Thanks!

If you're going to repitch, I'd draw off a cup of what you have, dilute it with a cup of water, and pitch the yeast in that. Put it in a small container and agitate frequently (make sure it gets plenty of oxygen so the yeast reproduces instead of producing alcohol) to get a really good starter going and then pitch that back into your mix...

Since there's so much fermentation left to go, would it be ok to simply POUR off a sample? I know you don't do this once fermentation is complete, but would it matter at this point?

Thanks!

I fully support what you are doing.

I don't think this is intended to be a "good" rum, but a very cost effective way in making a rum like mixer. I may be experimenting with something like this, especially with the concept of freeze distillation. I am sick of buying cheap booze for friends who just want alcohol in their pop.

Pour it off, siphon it off, use a wine thief, whatever, doesn't really matter at this point as long as everything is sterile.

So what happened with your rocket fuel? I'm doing the same thing myself,1 batch has 4# sugar per gal. of cider with 1118 yeast and the other has 5# sugar per gal. of cider. The first is at 1.058 about 14% abv,the second is at 1.152 about 5% abv and going very slow,to this i was planning to add Alcotec 48 turbo yeast. I do not care what everyone says, they do not distill the wash without filtering it first with activated carbon to get rid of the off flavors,i found most of my info on wine making sites from England.

any updates?

jevchance said:

Since you're thinking about flavoring your "rum" with fruit anyway, why not start out trying to make a high-gravity wine instead? There are numerous recipes I could point you to.

There's also fortified wines. Make yourself a high-gravity wine, then add brandy to strengthen and flavor.....

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Great suggestions! Whatever you're fermenting, it's the quality of the ingredients that will craft the quality of the drink. Like they say, "Garbage in, Garbage out". An alcoholic drink made only from sugar isn't going to taste like the sugar, it will taste like the alcohol product of yeast fermented sugar, not like a distilled product.

In 2008 I made a "Peach Port" by fermenting peaches and sugar with Lalvin EC-1118. At about SG 1.000 I began adding sugar every couple of days until about 20% ABV. Half the batch I bottled as is, the other half was fortified to about 24% with good brandy and lightly sweetened. I like the fortified batch a bit better because of the increased complexity. Both are an awesome drink now with wonderful peach flavor and a knock your socks off impact. I hope I can save a few bottles for 3-5 years but for sure I'll make more again next fall.

miloa said:

I do not care what everyone says, they do not distill the wash without filtering it first with activated carbon to get rid of the off flavors,i found most of my info on wine making sites from England.

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The wash is distilled first and them carbon filtered, or maybe they do it differently in England.

BTW, when fermenting a wash there are many different compounds produced by the yeast. The undesireable compounds are removed during distillation and referred to as the "heads and tails". The heads contain the nitrogenous substances, aldehydes, and esters while the tails contain the higher alcohols and furfurol, all of which taste just plain nasty.

Any updates on this? I'm curious to see how it turned out. If it's bad, I highly suggest just putting it somewhere and forgetting about it for a while. Let us know though.

Thanks.

Depending on how this is progressing.... it may be worthwhile for Mr. OP to head over to the Mead forum and read all the stickies...... The diet he is trying to feed the yeast really isn't that far away from Mead.... with regards to high sugar/low nutrient....

Personally, I wouldn't have started with that high of an OG with EC-1118.... or even Champagne yeast.... you usually gotta work your way up.

But... If it's still fermenting... I would let it run.... old fashioned Honey + Water Show Mead is famous for taking years to totally ferment and condition if you aren't careful..... This may not be too different...

Thanks

John

I think he drank it and -- well, he's "unresponsive."

Just went through the thread due to curiosity, and while I am not particularly interested in making a high alcohol brew myself, I do have something to add... I have seen a piece of homebrewing equipment called a "carbon snake." Basically, it consists of a valve and large hose that is stuffed with some sort of distillers' carbon. You "filter" your brew through it as it is gravity racked to a new vessel. This is intended to remove unwanted odours/flavours, as well as some of the less desirable byproducts of the fermentation process. There is one at my LHBS for about $15. I have no idea if this thing works or not, but it might be worth a try. Another option MIGHT be to simply run your brew through a Brita carbon filter. Like I said, I am just assuming this would help in removing some of the less desirable byproducts, I have never done it before.

One more suggestion if you are trying to impart flavour to it:

Liquor Quik Essences

updates?

poke. how did thi work for you?

From what i can tell, the OP has not posted anything anywhere on HBT in 2.5 years. I don't think any updates will be forthcoming.

Is there a reason no one has made 'sugar wash' and aged it on chips of some sort. By aged, I mean years. I know the wash itself is pretty disgusting but after all, maybe a little molasses/oak flavor would age well in it and provide a drinkable "rum" of sorts...

JLem said:

From what i can tell, the OP has not posted anything anywhere on HBT in 2.5 years. I don't think any updates will be forthcoming.

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He probably said "screw it", bought some copper, and joined one of the "unspeakable home-brew" forums.

I can say from experience that this is a horrible idea. After 15% abv, the Bacardi plant wont even touch the stuff to do some "refining" because of the horrible, nasty flavors yeast make after a certain alcohol threshold. Muchless drinking it straight from the fermenter bucket. Stick to beer, wine, and commercial liquors if you want to make kaluha or irish creme, and leave the hard stuff to the guys with 250,000 dollar permits.

CodyA said:

and leave the hard stuff to the guys with 250,000 dollar permits.

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A permit in louisiana is like $50 for personal consumption.

Countryboy73 said:

A permit in louisiana is like $50 for personal consumption.

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For distillation?

Countryboy73 said:

A permit in louisiana is like $50 for personal consumption.

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There is no way this is true.

pickles said:

There is no way this is true.

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It is not true. Distilled spirits are a federally controlled substance. It is in no way legal or practical to make it for personal use. Don't believe your neighbor or your Uncle Bob that says otherwise.

It is also against the rules for us to discuss it here. This is a wine forum.

novalou said:

It is not true. Distilled spirits are a federally controlled substance. It is in no way legal or practical to make it for personal use. Don't believe your neighbor or your Uncle Bob that says otherwise.

It is also against the rules for us to discuss it here. This is a wine forum.

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For distillation, even for fuel, you need a federal permit. You may/will also need a local permit.

And it's true that forum rules specifically prohibit talk of distillation. There are other forums out there for that.

Keep it about wine, please. Thanks.

pickles said:

There is no way this is true.

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It is actually $50 for a wine producer permit and the bond is $100 in Louisiana. I know because I am getting to apply for one for a small home based winery I am considering doing.

toddrod said:

It is actually $50 for a wine producer permit and the bond is $100 in Louisiana. I know because I am getting to apply for one for a small home based winery I am considering doing.

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Ask about the federal permit, you'll need that too.

As specified before, it's against the rules to discuss distillation.

toddrod said:

It is actually $50 for a wine producer permit and the bond is $100 in Louisiana. I know because I am getting to apply for one for a small home based winery I am considering doing.

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Winery, I have to read next time...

toddrod said:

It is actually $50 for a wine producer permit and the bond is $100 in Louisiana. I know because I am getting to apply for one for a small home based winery I am considering doing.

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You need a permit just to make wine for personal consumption in CA?!

toddrod said:

It is actually $50 for a wine producer permit and the bond is $100 in Louisiana. I know because I am getting to apply for one for a small home based winery I am considering doing.

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Ok... How does this relate to making rum??

I make alot of homemade rum out of simply bread sugar and maple syrup, sometimes I use apples