Love the channel and the whole idea with the rum line!! I missed my chance to get a bottle of baseline please consider making another batch! Thank you for the videos!
Love what you’re doing and the transparency. Surprised by the chemical analysis and its great that it’s improving with the use of dunder. Pretty design too!! Excited for what you do next
Another fun and interesting video. I would love see what the difference between muck vs just vinegar makes. From what I can tell muck is mostly dunder that aged til it turn into vinegar.
Muck is so mysterious... you're right that it's aged dunder, but, as I understand it, it also includes things like cane trash and lees. There might also be other agricultural waste added in as well. I think because of that, it's more complex than cane vinegar. It would be cool to see the direct impact that each of these variables has on a rum's flavors!
Awesome work. I'm hoping to open a craft distillery or join someone in about six years once I am retired. I don't want it to become work but like you enjoy the craft. Love your videos, keep em coming.
Thanks! That's awesome!! Opening a craft distillery is a ton of money and work, so I'd recommend trying to join one of your local craft distilleries. Where are you located?
@@beachdiggerdetecting5569 That sounds great! I grew up in the West Palm area, but I'm not too familiar with craft distilleries in Florida... are there any nearby that you like a lot?
Love seeing this Journey... Great product name, Awesome tasting notes.. I need to make more rum soon... Just a thought... Add Dunder Clap backset to previous dunder...
CONGRATS!! I hope it’s a smash hit! I wish I lived out there or at the very least knew someone who did as I’d love to try your rums. Keep up the amazing work (on YT as well; love the channel)!
Congrats on the new rum. One variable you may try in the future. Dig deep into tails. Bellow 15%-12% ABV off the still. There are sour notes way down there. I think a little of that mixed into the hearts cut makes the fruit notes really pop.
Yes deep into tails.. using a pot still my strip runs go all the way down to almost 0 ABV (off the still).. and on spirit runs I cut the tails off at about 40 ABV (off the still). Then keep the still running and collect tails down to about 5 (ABV off the still). After reusing generations of deep tails they become oily with ‘floaters’. Pot stills slur like music.
I love this! Everything about it! But as much as the thunderclap pun put a smile on my face, there has to be earthquake puns too. Funk line? Mucknitude? Dundershock?
Love your channel! Thanks. What are the recommendations for storing dunder? I'm guessing that since it should have very little (if any) sugar, that it should keep rather well even at room temperature, but I was wondering if there's a recommended storage procedure....
Thanks so much! I don't have a recommended storage procedure, however I can tell you how I store my dunder. At home, it stays in a bucket on my balcony with the lid on. I don't leave it open because I don't want flies/maggots getting in. At the distillery, it stays in an IBC tote with the cap on... again I'm just trying to prevent critters from getting in. There are going to be some small amounts of unfermented sugars left in the dunder among a lot of other things that microbes like. You'll notice that if you let your dunder sit for a few days/weeks, it starts to grow a pellicle. My dunder bucket at home even has some mold on top. Again, this is just how I store my dunder because I want to avoid bugs getting in it.
They certainly are hahaha it's a workout dumping in the buckets of dunder... it's even more of a workout getting the tote stirrer on and off the tote! That thing is heavy!
Very interesting this. I've made a few rum batches but not with dunder yet. Might happen soon, or maybe not. I don't have the possibility to test my distillate for congeners, it is way to costly unless you know a place that isn't in the hundreds of dollars? I would have expected that congeners and esters would have risen dramatically.. Hmm. A bit confused by this, how you are able to get less congeners from a basically "infected" fermentation. I think I have read somewhere that esters are way more telling of the distillates "richness", than fusel/congeners are. That's what's the magic with heavy rum distillates. Been out of the distilling game sometimes so my wording might be a bit off but I think you get what I'm going for.
I send my samples to White Labs and the test I get costs $165, which is not cheap. I think it's worth it for my batches. I agree that I expected the congeners to increase with the addition of dunder. The ester concentration did increase, however both rums are still very low ester rums. As I mentioned in my video, there are probably other compounds that weren't tested that are impacting the flavors and aromas. The most prominent ester in all spirits is ethyl acetate. Too much ethyl acetate can be off-putting, especially if it's not balanced by other flavor and aroma compounds. Because of that, I'm not sure that I would say that the ester concentration of a rum can indicate it's richness. Even though, of the various types of congeners, esters, especially medium chain esters, are generally more desirable than fusel alcohols. I think it's more complex than just focussing on esters though.
Great video Robyn! Just to confirm, you used the stillage from Baseline stripping run in the fermentation, right? How was it stored until you used it and for how long? Did you decant the spent yeast and sludge from the sunder or stir it in before collecting?
Thanks! Yes, it was the baseline stillage! I kept it in a tote with the lid on. I kept all of the stillage, including the sludge at the bottom of the still. I also topped up the dunder tote with the stillage from dunderclap!
First time using Dunder. I was wondering if I would be further ahead to add the Dunder a little later in the fermentation using 40% Dunder. What are your thoughts?
I think that's a great idea! I haven't tried that just because it dilutes the wash, but I bet the results would be pretty similar without the risk of stalling the fermentation. Let me know how it goes if you try it! You could also add only 20% dunder at the beginning and then top it off with the remaining 20% later in the fermentation? If your main concern is stalling, that might work!
Love your videos, love you...!! Are you tasting the rums chilled or at room temperature... is there a difference ..? Do you think a video comparing both would be worth doing ? I was in an earthquake in Los Angeles in 1991, my first ever..!! Was terrifying, was still a kid living on the third floor of an apartment in Hollywood Boulevard and was sleeping on the floor... Was in Cyprus during the devasting earthquake in Turkiye in 2023, was sleeping on a bed and got thrown off it ... !!! now , every time a bus goes past my flat and it rumbles I have mini panic attacks... Find a way to export those rums love.. i can smell them from here...!!
Thank you! I hope one day my rums will be available outside of CA! Oh my gosh that must have been terrifying! I'm glad you were safe! Earthquakes are so scary!
For curiosity, how long did you leave your dunder (after baseline distillation) before you added it to your fermenter for dunderclap? i'm assuming that at some point it gets prohibitively difficult to curate enough dunder to make a lot of dundered-fermentation so is there a sweet spot for this?
Great question! The dunder sat for about 2.5 months before it was used in dunderclap’s fermentation. And there’s always going to be more dunder than what you need for a fermentation. For example, I had about 100 gals of dunder after distilling baseline. I only used 60 gals of dunder for dunderclap’s fermentation. So you don’t have to worry about running out of dunder!
@@RobynSmithPhD is there a way to tell if the dunder is ready? do you measure the pH, look at it under the microscope or is it more of a convenience thing
@@danielanthony1054 dunder is technically ready as soon as it comes out of the still! However if you’re able to let it sit for a handful of months, I’ve found that the flavors are better. Also the flavors improve with each generation. I wish I could say there’s a science to using dunder, but it’s more of an art!
I am a small batch home rum maker and currently running my batch 26 and I thank you for your other videos about turning dunder into muck.. interesting and very helpful. Now for some negative comments about your rum making: Don’t expect much from dunder that is only one generation. Why are you adding nutrients? Would seem pointless to add chemicals when blackstrap molasses already has everything required for active fermentation. Suggest premixing your yeast and use C70 yeast for rum making. Why 17 days for fermentation? Mine are done in 7 days. The label of you rum says pot distilled, however the still in your video is a column still and your high ABV of 79 is unlikely to have been possible with a pot still. Is ridiculous to attempt tasting at 75 ABV and even 49 ABV is too high. Suggest returning all your tails to your next spirit run, but be cautious about reusing the heads.
Thanks for the comment! I'll do my best to answer your questions and respond to your statements, however, you should try my rum before criticizing my production process. 1. I add nutrients because I have found that adding live dunder can stall my fermentations. When this has happened to me in the past, adding nutrients gets the fermentation going again. I add fewer nutrients than what is suggested and have found that it creates a happy fermentation. Also, I don't use black strap molasses as I much prefer the flavors that come from using baking grade molasses. 2. I wait until the fermentation shows no activity and is fermented out nearly dry. I'm not in a rush to distill, so I am happy with 17 days. Also, long-duration fermentations typically produce more complex rums. 3. My rum is pot distilled. There is no column on top, just sight glasses without any plates. 4. I am acclimated to tasting at 75% and 49% abv and everything in between. I prefer spirits at higher proofs, which is why I bottle them at both still strength and proofed down to 49% abv.
@@RobynSmithPhD 1) where I live baking molasses (food grade) is black strap molasses and in appearance it looks the same as the rougher agricultural molasses (animal feed grade) which is also black strap molasses. I have access to two kinds of food grade molasses, small jars from the supermarket and large containers, used by bakers, from the refinery. They are identical except the supermarket jars have slightly, only just noticeable, more fermentable sugar. The animal feed grade has distinctly lower fermentable sugar. Are you saying that your molasses is not black, if you molasses is not black strap it is not molasses! 2) and after 17 days your ferment is only ‘nearly dry’ - not dry! 3) removing the plates from a column does not make a pot, your finished distil at 79 abv is unlikely from a true pot. 4) discerning taste at 70 abv - good luck.
I hope you get all the way to using muck in your ferments.. Had a muck bucket going for over a year, being outdoors in between -5c° to 30c° over the year, open bucket but with no possibility for flies to access the bucket. Didn't get to use, needed to move but that was some seriously foul shit in there.. That bucket was killed. Not going to use it for anything consumable.
Love the channel and the whole idea with the rum line!!
I missed my chance to get a bottle of baseline please consider making another batch! Thank you for the videos!
Thanks so much! There will be more baseline! Most likely at the beginning of next year!
Love what you’re doing and the transparency. Surprised by the chemical analysis and its great that it’s improving with the use of dunder. Pretty design too!! Excited for what you do next
Thanks so much! I'm excited to see the chemical analysis for all the batches to follow!
Loving the Chanel and following your recipes as closely as i can. Looking forward to it each time.
Thanks so much! Have you been making my recipes yourself? I'd love to hear how they're turning out!
I loved the photos! It's helpful to visualize so I can follow the story
I'm glad to hear that!
Another fun and interesting video. I would love see what the difference between muck vs just vinegar makes. From what I can tell muck is mostly dunder that aged til it turn into vinegar.
Muck is so mysterious... you're right that it's aged dunder, but, as I understand it, it also includes things like cane trash and lees. There might also be other agricultural waste added in as well. I think because of that, it's more complex than cane vinegar. It would be cool to see the direct impact that each of these variables has on a rum's flavors!
Awesome work. I'm hoping to open a craft distillery or join someone in about six years once I am retired. I don't want it to become work but like you enjoy the craft. Love your videos, keep em coming.
Thanks! That's awesome!! Opening a craft distillery is a ton of money and work, so I'd recommend trying to join one of your local craft distilleries. Where are you located?
Melbourne Florida area. Joining a local was an option i was seriously considering. I plan to start visiting others and poking around soon
@@beachdiggerdetecting5569 That sounds great! I grew up in the West Palm area, but I'm not too familiar with craft distilleries in Florida... are there any nearby that you like a lot?
Love seeing this Journey... Great product name, Awesome tasting notes.. I need to make more rum soon...
Just a thought... Add Dunder Clap backset to previous dunder...
Yes, dunderclap's dunder went right into my dunder pit! (which is actually just a tote)
CONGRATS!! I hope it’s a smash hit! I wish I lived out there or at the very least knew someone who did as I’d love to try your rums. Keep up the amazing work (on YT as well; love the channel)!
Thanks so much!!
Congrats on the new rum. One variable you may try in the future. Dig deep into tails. Bellow 15%-12% ABV off the still. There are sour notes way down there. I think a little of that mixed into the hearts cut makes the fruit notes really pop.
Thanks! I will definitely venture into that!
Yes deep into tails.. using a pot still my strip runs go all the way down to almost 0 ABV (off the still).. and on spirit runs I cut the tails off at about 40 ABV (off the still).
Then keep the still running and collect tails down to about 5 (ABV off the still).
After reusing generations of deep tails they become oily with ‘floaters’.
Pot stills slur like music.
I love this! Everything about it! But as much as the thunderclap pun put a smile on my face, there has to be earthquake puns too. Funk line? Mucknitude? Dundershock?
Hahahaha I will take these all into consideration for future batches that will most certainly include dunder
Love your channel! Thanks. What are the recommendations for storing dunder? I'm guessing that since it should have very little (if any) sugar, that it should keep rather well even at room temperature, but I was wondering if there's a recommended storage procedure....
Thanks so much! I don't have a recommended storage procedure, however I can tell you how I store my dunder. At home, it stays in a bucket on my balcony with the lid on. I don't leave it open because I don't want flies/maggots getting in. At the distillery, it stays in an IBC tote with the cap on... again I'm just trying to prevent critters from getting in. There are going to be some small amounts of unfermented sugars left in the dunder among a lot of other things that microbes like. You'll notice that if you let your dunder sit for a few days/weeks, it starts to grow a pellicle. My dunder bucket at home even has some mold on top. Again, this is just how I store my dunder because I want to avoid bugs getting in it.
Those centered ports look back-breaking to pour into. To-bad you can’t get some with the port on the side. Thanks.
They certainly are hahaha it's a workout dumping in the buckets of dunder... it's even more of a workout getting the tote stirrer on and off the tote! That thing is heavy!
Very interesting this. I've made a few rum batches but not with dunder yet. Might happen soon, or maybe not.
I don't have the possibility to test my distillate for congeners, it is way to costly unless you know a place that isn't in the hundreds of dollars?
I would have expected that congeners and esters would have risen dramatically.. Hmm. A bit confused by this, how you are able to get less congeners from a basically "infected" fermentation.
I think I have read somewhere that esters are way more telling of the distillates "richness", than fusel/congeners are. That's what's the magic with heavy rum distillates.
Been out of the distilling game sometimes so my wording might be a bit off but I think you get what I'm going for.
I send my samples to White Labs and the test I get costs $165, which is not cheap. I think it's worth it for my batches. I agree that I expected the congeners to increase with the addition of dunder. The ester concentration did increase, however both rums are still very low ester rums. As I mentioned in my video, there are probably other compounds that weren't tested that are impacting the flavors and aromas. The most prominent ester in all spirits is ethyl acetate. Too much ethyl acetate can be off-putting, especially if it's not balanced by other flavor and aroma compounds. Because of that, I'm not sure that I would say that the ester concentration of a rum can indicate it's richness. Even though, of the various types of congeners, esters, especially medium chain esters, are generally more desirable than fusel alcohols. I think it's more complex than just focussing on esters though.
Great video Robyn! Just to confirm, you used the stillage from Baseline stripping run in the fermentation, right? How was it stored until you used it and for how long? Did you decant the spent yeast and sludge from the sunder or stir it in before collecting?
Thanks! Yes, it was the baseline stillage! I kept it in a tote with the lid on. I kept all of the stillage, including the sludge at the bottom of the still. I also topped up the dunder tote with the stillage from dunderclap!
First time using Dunder. I was wondering if I would be further ahead to add the Dunder a little later in the fermentation using 40% Dunder. What are your thoughts?
I think that's a great idea! I haven't tried that just because it dilutes the wash, but I bet the results would be pretty similar without the risk of stalling the fermentation. Let me know how it goes if you try it! You could also add only 20% dunder at the beginning and then top it off with the remaining 20% later in the fermentation? If your main concern is stalling, that might work!
I might try that 20% at the beginning and then the other 20% after it starts rolling pretty good.
Love your videos, love you...!! Are you tasting the rums chilled or at room temperature... is there a difference ..? Do you think a video comparing both would be worth doing ? I was in an earthquake in Los Angeles in 1991, my first ever..!! Was terrifying, was still a kid living on the third floor of an apartment in Hollywood Boulevard and was sleeping on the floor... Was in Cyprus during the devasting earthquake in Turkiye in 2023, was sleeping on a bed and got thrown off it ... !!! now , every time a bus goes past my flat and it rumbles I have mini panic attacks... Find a way to export those rums love.. i can smell them from here...!!
Thank you! I hope one day my rums will be available outside of CA!
Oh my gosh that must have been terrifying! I'm glad you were safe! Earthquakes are so scary!
For curiosity, how long did you leave your dunder (after baseline distillation) before you added it to your fermenter for dunderclap?
i'm assuming that at some point it gets prohibitively difficult to curate enough dunder to make a lot of dundered-fermentation so is there a sweet spot for this?
Great question! The dunder sat for about 2.5 months before it was used in dunderclap’s fermentation. And there’s always going to be more dunder than what you need for a fermentation. For example, I had about 100 gals of dunder after distilling baseline. I only used 60 gals of dunder for dunderclap’s fermentation. So you don’t have to worry about running out of dunder!
@@RobynSmithPhD is there a way to tell if the dunder is ready? do you measure the pH, look at it under the microscope or is it more of a convenience thing
@@danielanthony1054 dunder is technically ready as soon as it comes out of the still! However if you’re able to let it sit for a handful of months, I’ve found that the flavors are better. Also the flavors improve with each generation. I wish I could say there’s a science to using dunder, but it’s more of an art!
The micro microphone kills me 😅 reminds of Will Ferrell skit on SNL with super tiny cell phones !
Hahaha now I wish my tiny mic was a tiny flip phone
The Zoolander Cell Phone
I am a small batch home rum maker and currently running my batch 26 and I thank you for your other videos about turning dunder into muck.. interesting and very helpful.
Now for some negative comments about your rum making:
Don’t expect much from dunder that is only one generation.
Why are you adding nutrients? Would seem pointless to add chemicals when blackstrap molasses already has everything required for active fermentation.
Suggest premixing your yeast and use C70 yeast for rum making.
Why 17 days for fermentation? Mine are done in 7 days.
The label of you rum says pot distilled, however the still in your video is a column still and your high ABV of 79 is unlikely to have been possible with a pot still.
Is ridiculous to attempt tasting at 75 ABV and even 49 ABV is too high.
Suggest returning all your tails to your next spirit run, but be cautious about reusing the heads.
Thanks for the comment! I'll do my best to answer your questions and respond to your statements, however, you should try my rum before criticizing my production process.
1. I add nutrients because I have found that adding live dunder can stall my fermentations. When this has happened to me in the past, adding nutrients gets the fermentation going again. I add fewer nutrients than what is suggested and have found that it creates a happy fermentation. Also, I don't use black strap molasses as I much prefer the flavors that come from using baking grade molasses.
2. I wait until the fermentation shows no activity and is fermented out nearly dry. I'm not in a rush to distill, so I am happy with 17 days. Also, long-duration fermentations typically produce more complex rums.
3. My rum is pot distilled. There is no column on top, just sight glasses without any plates.
4. I am acclimated to tasting at 75% and 49% abv and everything in between. I prefer spirits at higher proofs, which is why I bottle them at both still strength and proofed down to 49% abv.
@@RobynSmithPhD
1) where I live baking molasses (food grade) is black strap molasses and in appearance it looks the same as the rougher agricultural molasses (animal feed grade) which is also black strap molasses.
I have access to two kinds of food grade molasses, small jars from the supermarket and large containers, used by bakers, from the refinery. They are identical except the supermarket jars have slightly, only just noticeable, more fermentable sugar.
The animal feed grade has distinctly lower fermentable sugar.
Are you saying that your molasses is not black, if you molasses is not black strap it is not molasses!
2) and after 17 days your ferment is only ‘nearly dry’ - not dry!
3) removing the plates from a column does not make a pot, your finished distil at 79 abv is unlikely from a true pot.
4) discerning taste at 70 abv - good luck.
We come from a land down Dunder
Twilight of the dunder god
Dunder Kiss '65
Dunder pressure
Hahaha I love these!
I like you lots!
Thanks so much!
I hope you get all the way to using muck in your ferments.. Had a muck bucket going for over a year, being outdoors in between -5c° to 30c° over the year, open bucket but with no possibility for flies to access the bucket.
Didn't get to use, needed to move but that was some seriously foul shit in there.. That bucket was killed. Not going to use it for anything consumable.
How did you prevent flies from getting in? What did it smell and look like? What did you add into your muck bucket? I plan to play around with muck!