Capn Jimbo's Rum Project Forum

[Capn Jimbo]

Yeast are like women - constantly changing...


You now know the following:

1. Yeast is the basis of rum, or any spirit for that matter. Whatever flavors and aromas you love were born of the yeast, captured by the distillation and modified by aging. It is the most important aspect of rum making and the least talked about.

2. Although a few distillers use wild yeasts (think Jamaica), or recycled "starter" yeasts (again, think Jamaica), most use proprietary and protected strains of yeast. Unfortunately, many distillers use yeast which maximize conversion of sugars to alcohol (to perhaps 14% rather than the usual 8% or so - but - at the loss of complexity. Follow the money.

3. Yeast vary from wild yeasts already on the cane, to brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the most common), "top" fermenting yeasts that work at warmer temperatures, and "bottom" fermenting yeasts that work best in cooler temperatures.

4. Yeasts - like most bacteria - evolve, change and adapt very quickly, participate in wife, er gene swapping. Pure yeasts can merge with stray wild yeasts to create hybrids with new and unexpected fermentation results. Yeast even adapts to the cane juice or molasses being used, and may react differently if the source material is changed.

5. Although most distillers depend on good, old mostly standard brewer's yeast, a few used combinations of yeast used in various ways, and at varying times during the fermentation.

6. The most advance practitioners of fermentation are the brewers of beer who have developed literally thousands of different formulae for amazing and widely varying results.

Done.
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Go to Save Caribbean Rum Petition!

[Dai]

An interesting read.
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Rums I Like: ED 12, Matusalem GR15, Appleton 12, Ron De Jeremy.

[sailor22]

When 4 Roses was sold by Seagrams 4R retained the rights to 5 yeast strains. Each create specific flavors.

In conjunction with two mash bills (high Rye and low Rye) the 5 yeasts produce ten different products.

If your interested in what sort of impact yeast has do some comparison sipping of each of 4Roses 10 recipes. Since they use single floor aging the process is nearly identical for all of them.

Detailed descriptions of various flavor profiles are on their web site. Go here;
http://www.fourrosesbourbon.com/ten-unique-bourbon-recipes/