Rum from Beet?
- Thread starter Coldfeet
- Start date
id read the laws on homebrewing spirits first before attempting to make some...
Rum is not often made from sugar beet because it is high in alkalies (salts) therefore the molasses would be high in salts aswell leaving a foul and bitter taste
Rum is not often made from sugar beet because it is high in alkalies (salts) therefore the molasses would be high in salts aswell leaving a foul and bitter taste
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Actually the molasses from beet is delicious. It would produce a delicious spirit if it wasn't illegal to do so without a licence.
it is nice but not in a rum recipe as the salts leak out to much a simple google search like the following shows my evidence and backs up my theory http://www.ministryofrum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=522
as for the legality's im 50% sure that you are allowed to distill anything under 20% and then use other means of flavoring to get the required taste for spirits in all you can brew any thing under 20% but anything over is illegal you could also apply for a refiners license which allows you to hold and distill 5l providing its for your own consumption you provide hm with recipes and what you made ect and they then do not charge you duty i think. correct me on this one if im wrong with supporting evidence !
If it has sugar, something can be distilled. I don't imagine the name of it would still be rum though.
Legalities are an entirely different question.
Legalities are an entirely different question.
Ah my evidence is not from google searches, just hands on experience of prpogating and growing the beet, extracting the sucrose and processing into sugar and molasses.
I've used as molasses in cake making, as a sugar base in brewing - all the things you would normally use it for.
Its essentially a by product of getting from this
16) Sugar Beet Tops cut by British Red, on Flickr
to this
39) Home grown, home refined sugar by British Red, on Flickr
You get left with this
33) Forming concentrated syrup by British Red, on Flickr
I appreciate that some fellah in America whose evidence appears to be that he lived near a sugar factory (!) thinks otherwise, but I can assure you there is nothing foul tasting about molasses made from beet. If you were to ferment it into a beer or country wine, as I have, it tastes rich, dark and earthy. Further concentration by distillation would remove any "salts" that were present since they would not evaporate and hence would not be present in the finished spirit. I've no idea whether what would be produced would legally be rum, but, as with most spirits, the quality of the original mash and the subsequent ageing and cask conditioning would, I feel, have far more to do with the quality of the end spirit, than the origin of the sucrose that the yeast consumed. In short, it makes nice booze, and if done properly, that booze would I am sure distil into something more than acceptable to drink
Its essentially a by product of getting from this
16) Sugar Beet Tops cut by British Red, on Flickrto this
39) Home grown, home refined sugar by British Red, on FlickrYou get left with this
33) Forming concentrated syrup by British Red, on FlickrI appreciate that some fellah in America whose evidence appears to be that he lived near a sugar factory (!) thinks otherwise, but I can assure you there is nothing foul tasting about molasses made from beet. If you were to ferment it into a beer or country wine, as I have, it tastes rich, dark and earthy. Further concentration by distillation would remove any "salts" that were present since they would not evaporate and hence would not be present in the finished spirit. I've no idea whether what would be produced would legally be rum, but, as with most spirits, the quality of the original mash and the subsequent ageing and cask conditioning would, I feel, have far more to do with the quality of the end spirit, than the origin of the sucrose that the yeast consumed. In short, it makes nice booze, and if done properly, that booze would I am sure distil into something more than acceptable to drink
There is a distillery at Dullingham near Newmarket which produces a very, very nice vodka from sugar beet.
http://englishvodkacompany.com/
No affiliation on my part, just a rather satisfied customer
http://englishvodkacompany.com/
No affiliation on my part, just a rather satisfied customer
By all means ferment it to make a beer or wine, but I wouldn't try distilling it. Five reasons:
1) It's illegal to do this in the UK
2) Home made stills do have a tendency to explode on occasions, if the pressure builds up too much. Anyone standing nearby will get sprayed with boiling and possibly flammable liquid and also the fragments of the still
3) Unless you really know what you are doing, you will accidentally produce methanol during the distillation process. When consumed it metabolises to formaldehyde which can attack the optic nerve and damage your sight.
4) You can get a legitimate bottle of vodka for not much money at the supermarket.
5) Building a still will be costly and you are unlikely to recoup your investment simply by producing hooch for your own personal consumption, yet it's illegal to sell it (and anyone with any sense wouldn't buy it anyway).
With all this in mind, why bother making your own? It's too risky and the gains are too small.
1) It's illegal to do this in the UK
2) Home made stills do have a tendency to explode on occasions, if the pressure builds up too much. Anyone standing nearby will get sprayed with boiling and possibly flammable liquid and also the fragments of the still
3) Unless you really know what you are doing, you will accidentally produce methanol during the distillation process. When consumed it metabolises to formaldehyde which can attack the optic nerve and damage your sight.
4) You can get a legitimate bottle of vodka for not much money at the supermarket.
5) Building a still will be costly and you are unlikely to recoup your investment simply by producing hooch for your own personal consumption, yet it's illegal to sell it (and anyone with any sense wouldn't buy it anyway).
With all this in mind, why bother making your own? It's too risky and the gains are too small.
You cannot produce methanol by distilling - worst case you can concentrate methanol that is already present if you don't pay attention to disposing of headings and tailings, but you absolutely cannot produce methanol.
Not a valid point but america was pretty much built on illegal distilleries during the prohibition they still do it over there making enough money to survive on without getting blown up all the time although its still illegal they still do it .... and i don't live in america im in the flat land of Norfolk although your not the first on here to say i live in america.
The point im trying to make is that molasses is not foul tasting until it is used to make rum in my own opinion. if you do go down the route of trying bear in mind it is a spirit and is illegal to make it so don't get caught and weather it turns out nice at the end or not can be called rum remains to be seen or tasted im not looking for a full blown argument also its ethanol produced at the final stages of distilling that you need to discard. it is risky there is a chance of blowing your still up or what ever your brewing or fermenting in and there is a bigger chance of getting arrested or fined if you distill liquor while im not encouraging illegal activity as this is against forum rules im not saying dont give it a try either !
The point im trying to make is that molasses is not foul tasting until it is used to make rum in my own opinion. if you do go down the route of trying bear in mind it is a spirit and is illegal to make it so don't get caught and weather it turns out nice at the end or not can be called rum remains to be seen or tasted im not looking for a full blown argument also its ethanol produced at the final stages of distilling that you need to discard. it is risky there is a chance of blowing your still up or what ever your brewing or fermenting in and there is a bigger chance of getting arrested or fined if you distill liquor while im not encouraging illegal activity as this is against forum rules im not saying dont give it a try either !
Poitín or potcheen what ever you want to call it, has been made using beet sugar for hundreds of years ,so in my opinion I don't see why I could not be used for making rum
Ps....( I may ,or, may not ) have family who have made this and have been drinking it for years and none of them are blind
pps....... it's nice with peaches or apricots .....not that I have ever had it you understand
Ps....( I may ,or, may not
) have family who have made this and have been drinking it for years and none of them are blind pps....... it's nice with peaches or apricots .....not that I have ever had it you understand
......and if you're very luck and get some bitterly cold dry clear nights, and the bucket gets mistakenly left outside the back door, just mind and lift out the ice
M
M
I agree with British Red regarding methanol...
Also, I think the risk of explosions are rather low (at least if you do not destill 40+ alcohol). But better safe, than sorry I guess.
As for destilling beets...well, I have really no idea. Never tasted.
Also, I think the risk of explosions are rather low (at least if you do not destill 40+ alcohol). But better safe, than sorry I guess.
As for destilling beets...well, I have really no idea. Never tasted.
I didn't think you did
However "Dood" on the forum that you linked to who made the points about living near a sugar factory does in fact live in Orange County California
For me, I have no desire to make rum - its far from my favourite spirit
I did grow up in a household though where all sorts of interesting chemistry was encouraged (my father has a doctorate in the subject and lectured on it ). Back in those days a proper , laboratory glassware still using fractional distillation columns rather than simple thump keg and copper condenser was part of practical hands on chemistry for students so, thankfully, I know a little about the subject. I really cannot see any chemical basis for sugar beet making any different type of ethanol than sugar cane - and indeed many places do use sugar beet as the basis for "legally" distilled spirits and it tastes just fine
To a degree - although the "tailings" (final distillate) is a matter of taste. The "headings" (first distillate) will bring over any methanol which is a more dangerous material. If the wash / mash was well made though, it is a tiny amount.
Most of the "sends you blind" type moonshine did so because the final product was both poorly distilled and adulterated with industrial alcohols.
In the round though, I do agree that whomping up a still is potentially dangerous (naked flames an alcohol vapour are a dodgy combination). You wouldn't catch me doing it. I like my whisky legal, non chill filtered and aged for 20 years in bourbon then port casks
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I didn't think you did
However "Dood" on the forum that you linked to who made the points about living near a sugar factory does in fact live in Orange County California
im with you sorry forgot i linked another forum !
......and if you're very luck and get some bitterly cold dry clear nights, and the bucket gets mistakenly left outside the back door, just mind and lift out the ice
M
That^
My mother has a book on distillation and one of the techniques involves freezing the alcohol, putting the ice through a blender and the alcohol (after the first seven % by volume which you throw away if I remember right) is the first bit to thaw.
Also in that book I remember reading a recipe (fairly industrial quantities as it was for a hundred gallons) where one of the ingredients of demerara rum was for a small amount of sulphuric acid!!!
I have my grandfathers fractionating collumn and Leibig condencer hanging up in my shed, I guess he used to make some kind of hooch at some point. Never used it myself but I'm keeping it as its the only thing I have that he owned.
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