Can you really turn molasses and water into a drinkable wine?

You asked for it — so we made it.

In this episode of City Steading Brews, we ferment straight molasses using baker’s yeast, walk through gravity and pH testing, cold crashing, back-sweetening… and then give it an honest tasting review.

Spoiler: it does not taste like rum.

👉 Watch the full step-by-step experiment here:

What Is Molasses Wine?

Molasses wine is essentially a rum wash without distillation.

Rum starts with fermented sugarcane products (often molasses), but distillation refines and concentrates the flavors. In this case, we skip distillation entirely and bottle the fermented result.

That means whatever flavors fermentation creates… stay.

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Ingredients (1 Gallon Batch)

24 oz Molasses: https://amzn.to/4c5Gmeg

96 oz Water

1 package Bakers Corner Active Dry Yeast (or Fleischmann’s): https://amzn.to/3yO8SCZ

Additions

Back Sweeten with Brown Sugar to Specific Gravity of 1.028 (or sweetness of your choice)

Tools We Use

Star San: https://amzn.to/4bRAkOK

1 Gallon Carboy with Airlock: https://amzn.to/4aNnik9

Our Favorite Pitcher: https://amzn.to/4cb1dNr

Tiny Whisk: https://amzn.to/4ccaS6k

Stainless Steel Funnel: https://amzn.to/3x8BQwU

Thumb Saver Bung: https://amzn.to/3KASYP8

Hydrometer: https://amzn.to/3x8zsWY

Graduated Cylinder: https://amzn.to/4e6DMa1

Baster: https://amzn.to/4bP3luB

1/2 Baking Sheet: https://amzn.to/3yTuwWz

Auto Siphon: https://amzn.to/3Vxl1VJ

1 Gallon Wide Mouth Fermenter: https://amzn.to/4bLUDNw

Tiny 2 piece Airlock: https://amzn.to/3xiercl

Tasting Glasses: https://amzn.to/3KQBNJz

Spaddle: https://amzn.to/4bM43IQ

Glencairn Glasses: https://amzn.to/3VhWX87

Fun T-shirts: https://city-steading.com/product-category/t-shirts/