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00:00My name is Mike Rowe, and this is my job.
00:06I explore the country looking for people who aren't afraid to get dirty.
00:10Okay, Chris.
00:11Yeah, that's actually great.
00:13Actually great.
00:14Hard-working men and women who earn an honest living.
00:17Ready?
00:18I'm ready.
00:20Doing the kinds of jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us.
00:25Why don't you just tell me right from the start what a pain in the neck this was?
00:28Now, get ready.
00:32Oh dear.
00:35To get dirty.
00:40Coming up on Dirty Jobs.
00:42Mind if I work with the hose here?
00:44Yeah, no problem.
00:46I get hosed in a major way.
00:49There you go.
00:51Good, good, good.
00:52As I distill the truth.
00:54Tastes pretty good.
00:54Got a whang to it.
00:55About making the classic alcoholic beverage, rum.
00:59Ho, ho, ho.
01:00And a bottle of.
01:00Oh, there you close it.
01:02Perfect.
01:03It's the official drink of lawless pirates.
01:07And dirty pirates too.
01:11Oh God.
01:30We're supposed to be out on a boat right now.
01:33Newport, Rhode Island.
01:34It's a nice place, but the Northeaster's coming down.
01:38The clouds, the rain.
01:39It's not going to work out for us.
01:41So the crew and I need to find a place to hold up for a while.
01:45A port in a storm, if you will.
01:48The question is, where can we go at 8 o'clock in the morning to take our refuge?
01:53I don't.
01:54Oh.
01:56Oh.
01:58Oh, that might work.
02:01Howdy.
02:03Hey.
02:03What's up?
02:04It looks like a bar.
02:06It is.
02:06It's a tasting counter.
02:08Tasting counter.
02:08We're sampling.
02:09I'm Mike.
02:10You're?
02:10I'm Brent.
02:11You're Brent?
02:11Derek.
02:12Derek.
02:13And you two own, where exactly am I?
02:15Is it Captain Two's or is it Newport Storm?
02:17Well, it's actually Coastal Extreme Brewing and Newport Distilling Company.
02:21And we make two things here.
02:23We make Newport Storm beer and we make Thomas Two rum.
02:25And Thomas Two, he was a famous sort of buccaneer or something, wasn't he?
02:29Right.
02:29He was the Rhode Island pirate.
02:31He was actually the second wealthy pirate of all time.
02:34Does that mean, so he was the seventh biggest second?
02:36Second.
02:36Number two.
02:37Who was number one?
02:38Who cares?
02:39That's a good point.
02:40Always a bridesmaid.
02:42All right.
02:42So you brew beer and you distill rum.
02:46Correct.
02:46Right.
02:46Here in Newport.
02:48And behind that glass is your, that is the distillery.
02:51Is that for the beer or is that for the rum?
02:52Those are the fermentation tanks for the beer and the distilleries on the other side.
02:56Yeah.
02:57I've done beer before on this show, but never rum.
03:00One of the neat things about the fact that we're a brewery and a distillery is that those
03:03same tanks that we ferment out our beer in is the same thing that we use to ferment
03:07out the molasses in that we're going to use to make our rum.
03:11So there's a synergy between the two operations, which is one of the reasons why we have a brewery
03:15and the distillery.
03:16Synergy.
03:17Synergy.
03:17It's like a Wall Street word, isn't it?
03:19Yeah.
03:19Right.
03:20I guess so.
03:21All right.
03:21So I want to say a couple of things to you guys before we get started.
03:25One.
03:26One is you're at a brewery and distillery and one of the traditions in a brewery and
03:31distillery is that you get to drink beer while you work.
03:33So I'm going to show you this.
03:35I'm going to show you this once and then you guys, when you want to do it, you have to
03:39do it yourself.
03:41The tradition of giving brewery workers unlimited free beer is called the Sternworth Privilege,
03:47and it's been around for hundreds of years.
03:50So today, in the interest of not violating this sacred custom, crew and I may occasionally
03:56take a sip or two of beer.
03:59But I can assure you, it will not affect the quality of the show.
04:10Now that I think it through, this whole little experiment could be, well, in the interest
04:16of shooting a show then.
04:17Take us back there to where the work is and let's begin.
04:19All right.
04:21Today, the work will focus on distilling some high quality Thomas II rum.
04:27So this is where it all happens.
04:28This is where it happens.
04:30So this is our still.
04:31It's a 105 gallon pot still.
04:35Wow.
04:36How old is this thing?
04:38It's four years old.
04:39We got it when we just started distilling.
04:40Really?
04:41So, yeah.
04:41Why does it look beat up?
04:42It just looks like it's, you know, circa, I don't know, last century.
04:47Oh, right.
04:47Yeah.
04:48Well, so the design is very traditional.
04:51In fact, like a lot of the Scotch whiskey distillers are using stills that were made over
04:56a hundred years ago.
04:57And it's not because they're too cheap to buy new stills.
05:00It's because that design imparts a certain flavor into the spirit.
05:04And so our still that we use here is a traditional pot still.
05:09But it really, you know, does a great job of making the rum that we want to make here and
05:12make it authentic.
05:13How does it work?
05:16Right.
05:17So distillation works on the principle that ethanol boils at a lower temperature in the water.
05:21Right.
05:21So what we do is we take our fermented wash, put it into the still, and then what we're going
05:26to do is heat it up.
05:27And the idea is that the ethanol will boil off and vaporize before the water.
05:32And so you end up with a much more highly concentrated alcohol vapor working its way up through the column.
05:37And then over to the right hand side where it condenses down into liquid form, which is the spirit.
05:43Comes out ultimately down here?
05:46Ultimately comes out down here.
05:47It's going to fill up this thing.
05:48We have these little alcohol meters that tells us how strong it is.
05:52And then it comes into this, out this spigot.
05:54And then we fill up these containers right here with our raw spirit.
06:02So the first thing we're going to do is hook up some hoses and get our distillation going.
06:09Let's hook up a hose.
06:10All right, my man.
06:11Where's the beer?
06:13Where'd the beer go?
06:15Just keep them handy, you know.
06:16I'll have one.
06:17Can I have one?
06:18Thanks.
06:19All right, hoses.
06:20Follow me.
06:21Through these red hoses, we'll be pumping the fermented molasses out of this stainless steel tank.
06:27Yeah, all right, so we're looking good.
06:29And into our copper still.
06:30Oh, there we go.
06:31So the wash is starting to come in right now.
06:33The fermented molasses is called the wash, and it contains about 6% alcohol.
06:38The next thing we've got to do is we've got to measure out some what's called anti-foam.
06:42It basically prevents foaming inside here.
06:45When the molasses wash boils, it can foam up and make the distillation more difficult.
06:51What is it, this anti-foam?
06:52It's a chemical that breaks the surface tension of bubbles.
06:59Good, good.
07:00Dump it in.
07:03So you can see we're filling up there.
07:05Yeah.
07:06Oh, now we're getting air through there, so we're going to close this.
07:10The fermenting tank is almost empty, but there's still some good alcohol-rich molasses sticking to the inside walls.
07:18So we'll wash it out with water.
07:20Can you send that over?
07:22What do you need to send?
07:23Oh, he's going to send some water.
07:25Can you, uh, can you send some water to rinse out the rest of the, uh, the wash there?
07:29Who's that guy?
07:30So that's Adam.
07:31That's one of our others.
07:32So Adam and I are the two that, um, do the distilling here.
07:35Uh-huh.
07:35Um, I am the head distiller and Adam's, um, the assistant distiller.
07:42Mike.
07:43Mike.
07:44I'm Adam.
07:44How are you?
07:45I'm good. How are you doing?
07:46I'm fine.
07:47Do you mind if I, uh, work with the hose here?
07:49Yeah, no problem.
07:51To rinse the remaining molasses off the sides of the tank, we're sending water through this hose up to a
07:57spray ball that hangs inside the fermenting tank.
08:00All right.
08:01So now water is going into the top.
08:03You're washing all of the stuff off the sides.
08:05There's still some CO2 and some wash in there.
08:07That's right.
08:07This whole water thing is just pushing it further and further toward the bottom.
08:11Uh-huh.
08:11So it can be sucked out of here more efficaciously.
08:14That's correct.
08:15Excellent.
08:16So, and now that the water stopped there, so we're going to disconnect here.
08:21Yep.
08:21But I will warn you, there's water in that pipe, so it's going to be coming down.
08:27Fair warning.
08:31There you go.
08:33Got it.
08:33Good.
08:34Good.
08:36Now we'll send the rest of the molasses wash from the fermenting tank into the still.
08:41Here we go.
08:42Perfect.
08:44All right.
08:44So we're going to fill this, we're going to fill this the rest of the way to about here.
08:47And then, um.
08:49115 gallons.
08:50105.
08:51Five.
08:51Um, and then once we've filled it up, then we will, uh, turn the steam on.
08:57Oh, there you can close it.
08:59Perfect.
09:01So close up this door.
09:03So make sure that gasket is seated.
09:05Looks like it's pretty well seated.
09:06All right.
09:07So what we're going to do is we're going to check the boiler.
09:09Yes.
09:09So this is our steam boiler.
09:11It gives us our pressure.
09:11So we are, we're at 13 to 15.
09:1413 to 15 what?
09:15PSI.
09:16Pounds or square inch.
09:17Okay.
09:17So now that we know that it's up to pressure, what we'll do is open up the steam valves
09:22on the still and get the distillation started.
09:24So the next job, again, and I don't want to, you know, make it too simple, but I have to
09:31go out there now and flip another lever.
09:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:33Right.
09:34So you're going to start with a small one?
09:35Small, well, naturally.
09:36You want to work your way up.
09:37Exactly, right.
09:38I just need a, just, just a quick little something.
09:40The crew and I put the age old Stern worth privilege to the test.
09:44And what do you know?
09:46It works.
09:47Free beer for everyone.
09:49So what we'll do is open up the small one first.
09:51Go ahead and crank it.
09:56It's coming alive.
09:57Oh, it gets hot immediately.
09:58Oh yeah?
09:59Hot immediately.
10:00Yeah.
10:00Yeah.
10:00You might not want to touch that anymore.
10:02I don't.
10:04I don't want to do that.
10:05In fact, you know what?
10:05To get, to get the pain.
10:07Painkiller.
10:08I just need a, I just need that's it.
10:10Mostly I just need the coolness on my hand now.
10:12But as long as I'm holding it, I mean, let me clap.
10:15There's a point in being rude.
10:18All right, so that's enough?
10:20No, keep going.
10:21Keep open.
10:22You're going to open that one all the way.
10:25Okay, that's all the way open.
10:26Now we're going to open this one up until you get to that red line.
10:28All right, well just let me take a rest for a second.
10:30Yeah, yeah.
10:30Just to, there's a certain cramping.
10:32Thank you throughout my whole right arm now.
10:36Coming up, the hard-working pirate in me fights to get the job done.
10:41What I'm going to do now is you're going to take a break.
10:44You're going to just rest up?
10:45No, I think you've been resting enough.
10:47Now we're going to start to work a little bit more.
10:49Unfortunately, some people around here just want to goof off on the job.
10:53Is that anywhere?
11:03All right, I'm ready to turn this next one.
11:04All right, open it up.
11:06And like I said, just do it a little slower.
11:07And once it gets to that red line, you're good.
11:10All right, see now, see, all right, pay attention here.
11:12We're past the red line here.
11:14Yeah, is that bad?
11:14Yeah, yeah.
11:15You know, we're basically letting too much steam pressure into the jacket right now.
11:19So there's going to be an explosion?
11:20No, keep closing it down.
11:21Close it down.
11:21There you go.
11:22Now you're getting there.
11:23There have been four valves.
11:25Well, I've turned these twice now.
11:28And this whole thing needed to be closed.
11:29So I think maybe it's time just to sit down and, you know, wet the whistle.
11:35All right, so now that this is heating up, this is a bit of a waiting game right now.
11:40But while we wait, there's more grueling work to be done.
11:44All right, so yeah, let's disconnect this thing.
11:46There's probably going to be little drips coming out of there.
11:48So, you know, not as much as the water.
11:52Oh, there you go.
11:53So what we're going to do with that now is, uh, Adam, why don't you have them hook it up
11:57to the water, rinse it out?
12:00That's exhausting.
12:00So now we're going to run some water through this line to get any of that leftover solids that were
12:05left over behind from the big stainless steel thing.
12:08Stainless steel.
12:09What do you call it again?
12:10Well, that's our bright tank, but it's just a tank for fermentation.
12:13Bright tank?
12:13Bright tank, yeah.
12:14Like bright.
12:15Bright.
12:16It's like bright.
12:17It's very bright.
12:17Why do they call it that?
12:19Probably because when you do our beer stuff, we'll do it in there because it helps get that beer nice
12:23and bright and clear and looks good.
12:26Now, isn't it true that you just made all of that up, Adam?
12:28I just made that up.
12:29Huh.
12:29Isn't it true that really Samuel Bright invented that?
12:32Yeah.
12:32Back in 1794, I think?
12:35Yeah, it is.
12:35Not a lot of people know it, but he was related, Sam Bright was, to...
12:38To?
12:40Thomas, to.
12:41You made that up.
12:43That's true.
12:44But as long as we're lying to each other, which one was more interesting?
12:47Yours was.
12:48Yes.
12:49But mine was more practical.
12:50Common sense.
12:51When people hear practicality on TV, these days they turn the channel.
12:55When they hear a vague reference to a pirate, even though they know they're being lied to, they say things
13:00like,
13:00Honey, get in here, he's making crap up about a pirate.
13:04Oh, that's very trusting.
13:07So we got a nice bubble going on there, and we are starting to collect spirit.
13:12It's coming right out of there.
13:14Right now, we've got to grab one of these containers.
13:16So grab any one of those empty containers.
13:17How do you know they're empty?
13:19These are all the empty ones?
13:20Because you don't have a cap on them.
13:20Yep.
13:21That one works perfect.
13:22Grab that funnel.
13:24Oh, no.
13:25You're going to slide it out, because it's going to come out of the spigot.
13:28Oh, it's coming out of the spigot.
13:29Look at that.
13:29Just in the nick of time, man.
13:30Right.
13:31We just got it there.
13:31Wow.
13:32We were screwing around a little bit, but that's all right.
13:34But the timing was perfect.
13:35It was.
13:36So like I said before, the ethanol is boiling off first.
13:39And so what we've got right now is about an 83% alcohol liquid coming out of the spigot.
13:45That's what we've been sipping, the rum.
13:47Well, not necessarily.
13:47This is the rough spirit.
13:49So this is the spirit before it's gone through the second distillation.
13:51So if you just stick your finger in there, you can taste what we got.
13:56So a little sweetness, you know, tastes pretty good.
13:58Got a wang to it.
13:59We start at a high level, and then we're going to finish at around 25% alcohol.
14:03So it really drops throughout the day, or throughout the, you know, two hours of distilling.
14:09When we're done, this first distillation will average 55% alcohol.
14:15Oh, fantastic.
14:16Hey.
14:17I really love having somebody to work with me, man.
14:19That's great.
14:21All right.
14:22So what I'm going to do now is...
14:24Take a break.
14:25You're going to just rest up?
14:26No, I think we've been resting enough.
14:28Now we're going to start to work a little bit more.
14:30Okay.
14:31While the distillation continues for the next hour or two, I'll be helping Derek with the
14:35first step of making rum.
14:37Fermentation.
14:38So why don't you take that bucket and just toss it on the floor.
14:41We've sloped the floors for you, so anywhere you go.
14:43This just goes anywhere?
14:44That just goes anywhere.
14:45Anywhere at all?
14:45Anywhere at all.
14:47Oh!
14:49I swear.
14:51I said anywhere.
14:52So basically what's going to happen is we're going to have to add about 12 to 13 buckets
14:57full of yeast through that Manway door.
14:59Yes.
15:00And then we'll gear pump in the molasses.
15:01Yep.
15:02And then we'll bring the filtered water in.
15:04You ever seen yeast before?
15:05Yes.
15:06Oh, man.
15:07Boy, have I seen yeast.
15:11So, don't be afraid.
15:14To what?
15:15Try it out.
15:15Taste the yeast?
15:16Taste the yeast, man.
15:20It's not unpleasant.
15:21It's not unpleasant.
15:21You can actually make bread with it if you want.
15:23All right, so now you pick up that bucket.
15:24We're going to do this 12 times.
15:28And dump it in the Manway.
15:29Dump it in the Manway.
15:30Want me to hand it up to you?
15:31Yeah.
15:32Derek tells me that yeast cells are living, growing microorganisms.
15:36If you put the bucket in there, you're going in after it, and that's not going to be fun.
15:39No.
15:40I'm not going in.
15:42When we're done here, there'll be approximately 22 million yeast cells per milliliter of molasses.
15:48This process is called pitching.
15:51Pitch it like you've never pitched before.
15:53Now pitching.
15:55Derek and Luke.
15:57Batting third.
16:02Oh, jeez.
16:03Just my hand.
16:03Sorry about that.
16:05That'll probably fill it up.
16:09So now while you're there, we'll seal it up.
16:11Yep.
16:12So the yeast was safely locked inside the fermenter.
16:14But it was a mystery to me as to how we were going to get the alcohol out of it.
16:19Until I attended Adam's Quiz Show.
16:22What is alcohol made from?
16:24Don't tell me.
16:25It depends on the type of alcohol.
16:27Right, but in the most vague sense, what is alcohol made from?
16:31Dreams.
16:32Is it made from dreams or does it make dreams?
16:37No.
16:37I mean, no rose by any other name.
16:40Alcohol is made from, I mean, you know, are we talking about rum or beer?
16:46We're talking about alcohol.
16:47Uh-oh.
16:48And we can break it down even more.
16:50So many things.
16:51Okay, alcohol in the most basic sense is made from, uh, most basic sense, water.
17:00Um, not quite.
17:02So, okay.
17:02What is yeast?
17:03Yeast is a living organism.
17:05Yeast has to eat something.
17:06Yes.
17:06What does yeast eat?
17:08Yeast?
17:09Eats protein.
17:10No.
17:10No.
17:11Why no?
17:11Yeast eats, uh, dairy products?
17:16No, no, no.
17:17Bacon?
17:18No.
17:19What would...
17:19You want me to tell you?
17:21Sugar.
17:22Yeast eats sugar on a fundamental level, yeah.
17:24Fundamental level.
17:25Obviously.
17:25Yeast eats sugar.
17:26I didn't realize we were that fundamental.
17:28I know I should have said that, but I didn't.
17:31So, and then there's two byproducts from that.
17:33That's a lot.
17:34CO2.
17:35Mm-hmm.
17:35And love.
17:37Love, yes.
17:38Love slash alcohol.
17:41Ethyl alcohol and CO2.
17:43Are the byproducts.
17:44Are the byproducts of hungry yeast consuming a source of sugar.
17:48And what is that process called?
17:50Fermentation.
17:51There you go.
17:53I like being quizzed.
17:54So.
17:55That's how you make alcohol.
17:56But you gotta have your sugar source.
17:58So when we make rum, our sugar source is...
18:01That's molasses.
18:02There you go.
18:05Coming up.
18:07I go for the gold in the first annual pallet jack competition.
18:12Ah!
18:13Ah!
18:13Oh no, crooked.
18:14Ah!
18:15Will the Dirty Jobs team savor the sweet smell of success?
18:18That's sweet.
18:20Yeah, it is.
18:20Or get completely hosed?
18:22Yeah, that's gonna be hot when it splashes out.
18:24Oh, super hot.
18:25Yeah.
18:32Alright, so this is our molasses right here.
18:34What we need to do is we need to get this in position.
18:36So the way we do it is 3,000...
18:38Yeah.
18:38You grab that.
18:39Yeah, good luck with that.
18:403,000 pounds.
18:41So I know I can't lift it.
18:43We're gonna need something like that.
18:44So pallet jack goes underneath it, and then we jack it up,
18:47and then we're gonna bring it in position.
18:50Yeah, no, you're gonna wanna ram it in there.
18:53Don't ram it.
18:55There you go.
18:56There you go.
18:56Is that far enough?
18:57I'd get in a little further.
18:58A little bit further.
18:59You gotta slide in a little further.
19:00It's really hard to get it in.
19:02Ah!
19:08Honestly, at this point we laugh at a red brick.
19:10What difference does it make?
19:12Alright.
19:16Oh, no, crooked.
19:18It's really hard.
19:19This is a very tricky thing to steer.
19:21Yeah, I moved around all day yesterday.
19:23I moved around all day yesterday.
19:24I'm a jackie.
19:25Yeah.
19:28Oh, crap.
19:29I hit the edge.
19:30I'm gonna get it.
19:32It's easier if you just hold the handle all the way up.
19:35Oh, it is?
19:36Yeah.
19:36Oh, okay.
19:37Very helpful.
19:42That's not good.
19:42So it should really be in further than that?
19:44Yeah, here.
19:44Let me take a whack at it.
19:46Yeah, take a whack.
19:47Take it away.
19:54I believe it was elevated.
19:55Oh, yeah.
19:56It's tricky, huh?
19:57All right.
20:00It's a ton and a half of molasses, huh?
20:01Yep.
20:023,000 pounds.
20:03Well, this molasses move slow.
20:05Yeah.
20:08Well, I don't think it has to do with the molasses.
20:10Molasses is the dark, sticky byproduct of sugar production.
20:14It's what's left over after sugar cane juice is boiled and crystallized sugar is extracted.
20:23Molasses is over 50% sugar, but it also contains significant amounts of minerals and other trace elements, which contribute
20:30to the final flavor of the rum.
20:32All right.
20:33Right here, you can drop it.
20:36Whew.
20:38I am bushed.
20:43Go ahead and take it off.
20:44Perfect.
20:45Take a look.
20:46You can get a whiff of that.
20:49Yeah, just...
20:56That's sweet.
20:57Yeah, it is.
20:59And it's so thick and sticky, we need to use this gear pump to get the molasses out of the
21:03shipping container and into the fermenter.
21:06You can actually even already see it starting to move.
21:08See that little, almost like a little level there?
21:10I see it.
21:12This is going to fill up beyond that, right?
21:14Correct.
21:14It'll go all the way up toward the top.
21:16That's correct.
21:17But we're going to get a lot of good rum from that, right?
21:20Ho, ho, ho, and a bottle of.
21:22Do you know who wrote that?
21:23Where that came from?
21:26I don't know who wrote that.
21:29I'm not sure.
21:30Bruce Hornsby?
21:32All right, so if you recall, when we were over here before, in the beginning of the distillation, this was
21:38reading about 85%.
21:39Yes.
21:40It's dropped down to, oh, about 20%.
21:43Whoa.
21:43So stick your finger in there and taste that.
21:48Not nearly as boozy.
21:49Not nearly as boozy.
21:50Watered down.
21:50Watered down.
21:51Not really as tasty.
21:52Disappointing.
21:52Yeah, exactly.
21:53I don't care for that.
21:53So, right.
21:54So now it's time to stop using energy and wasting time.
21:57We do want to shut the distillation down.
21:59Yeah.
22:00We've actually collected three, or almost three of these containers now.
22:03This is the first one we collected, then this is the second one, and this is the third one.
22:08You'll hear it pull back.
22:09We're stopping the distillation since most of the alcohol from the molasses wash has been extracted.
22:14The small amount of alcohol that remains in the wash is just not cost effective to distill.
22:20You know, we started up around here.
22:22Yes.
22:23The fact that we're lower means that that's the alcohol that we've extracted from our wash.
22:28It evaporated, went through the still, condensed, and then we collected it down here.
22:32Of course.
22:32Of course.
22:33So, yeah.
22:33Yep.
22:34So, we've got our drain hose hooked up on the bottom here.
22:38And you see the end of it right over here.
22:40Yep.
22:41And so what we need to do now is we need to open up this valve right here.
22:45That's supposed to be doing that, right?
22:46Yeah.
22:46So it's called stillage or spent wash that is flowing down the drain right now.
22:53So this is the big rationale behind the sloped floor, obviously.
22:56The whole place functions as a drain.
22:58Right.
22:59So, you know, you're constantly, you're constantly using.
23:02Yeah, that's going to be hot when it's flashed on.
23:04Yeah.
23:04Oh, super hot.
23:05Yeah.
23:06Right.
23:06Well, it was boiling.
23:08It sure was.
23:08Yeah.
23:09Right.
23:09So that was a good move.
23:11I take it back if I could.
23:14Coming up.
23:15I'm going to get this thing looking like new.
23:16I do some actual work at the rum distillery while boss man Brent supervises.
23:22We've gone from safety first to safety third to safety is a factor.
23:25Safety is a factor.
23:30And later, I get a close-up look at some Thomas II rum.
23:34It burns.
23:35It's a barrel of fun out of the rum factory.
23:38Now, that's called a bung hole.
23:40Is that right?
23:40It's a bung hole.
23:41It is a bung hole.
23:42This is the bung and that is the bung hole.
23:44Yeah.
23:56So to be clear, I mean, all of this.
23:58Yeah.
23:59This whole process was designed to do nothing but get three of those containers out.
24:05Yeah.
24:05To extract those three containers.
24:07Yeah.
24:12This was 105 gallons?
24:14105 gallons.
24:15Yeah.
24:15And that's what?
24:16That's about 15 gallons.
24:18So basically, 105 gets you 15.
24:21So you're in a, what, 8 to 1 ratio or something like that.
24:24Yeah, yeah.
24:26We got the bulk of the material out of there now.
24:29Okay.
24:30Now, what this machine has installed to is what's called a clean-in-place unit.
24:34So that's a spray ball right there and we have spray balls all up in here.
24:38That's what this thing is on the right-hand side here.
24:41So what we're going to do now is we're going to send cold water throughout the entire still.
24:47So it's rinsing out.
24:48We've got water that's draining down in the hose.
24:51You can see behind you where we've drained the molasses.
24:53Yep.
24:54We're cooling the column down because we are going to do a second distillation.
25:02All right, so we are cooled down and rinsed there.
25:05You can close the valve.
25:12Other way.
25:13Oh.
25:14Jeez.
25:14So what we're going to do here is we're going to set you up with some glasses and some gloves.
25:18Good.
25:18What is it?
25:20Because, you know, safety is a factor when you're dealing with...
25:22Safety is a factor.
25:24When you're dealing with chemicals and stuff.
25:25We've gone from safety first to safety third, so safety is a factor.
25:28Safety is a factor.
25:29It is a factor.
25:33Why lavender?
25:34You know, because it makes it a little colorful in here, you know.
25:38Try to add a little color to the day.
25:40All right, so you want me to get in there.
25:42That's a new one.
25:43Yeah.
25:44I've been in many holes.
25:45It's good.
25:46Nice.
25:47So here's your scrubby pad.
25:49Thank you, Mr. Scrubby.
25:50And we're coming over the top here.
25:52Yeah.
25:53We went over the top a long time ago, Brent.
25:56I'm sure we did.
25:57Long time.
25:58So yeah, scrub away, my man.
26:04So dripping on your skin, no big deal?
26:07It's not a huge problem, but you just want to avoid it when you can.
26:10We're going to rinse off when you get out.
26:11All right.
26:13That's a tricky move right there.
26:14A little backward.
26:19You want me to wash the ball, too?
26:21That'd be great.
26:24I'm going to get this thing looking like new.
26:28Check out that pipe.
26:30Beautiful, right?
26:31That's beautiful.
26:31That is exactly how you do it.
26:34We've done a good job there, and we can move on to the next step here.
26:38Does that mean getting out soon?
26:39Yeah, that means getting out right now.
26:41That's another way to get out of there.
26:44That's a bad angle.
26:45I'll have to leave another way.
26:46I suggest the way you went in.
26:49Okay.
26:50Perfect.
26:57All right, get all the skin that's exposed.
27:04Now, a citric acid solution has run through the copper still to get the insides sparkly clean.
27:10You just do what you have to with those gloves.
27:12I'll take care of this.
27:12Yeah, I'm working on it.
27:15Oh, yeah, so you're going to want to make that sealed there because it's gas there.
27:19Oh.
27:19You were too busy teasing me about my gloves.
27:21I was.
27:22Pay attention to what's going on there.
27:23Well, I didn't really know, in fairness, that there was a seal issue.
27:25Yeah.
27:26Here we go.
27:26So, it's centered up there, and you should be ready to go.
27:33Okay.
27:38After about four or five minutes, you'll notice that the copper gets a lot brighter,
27:43and that's indicative of your cleaning off that copper and making it more reactive.
27:51Anybody get credit for inventing the still?
27:54I don't think so.
27:55I mean, the one thing about, you know, making alcohol, whether it's brewing or distilling
28:03or, you know, winemaking, is that they've been doing it for literally thousands of years.
28:08You know?
28:09It may not be the oldest profession, but it might be the second oldest.
28:11It's up there.
28:16And check that out, my man.
28:18Holy smokes.
28:19Look at that.
28:21Clean as a penny.
28:22Exactly.
28:24In the 16th century, European navies shipped out with water and beer as liquid rations.
28:30LG spoiled the water and beer soured, so vessels in the Caribbean substituted a local liquid called Kill Devil.
28:35This byproduct of sugarcane became rum and an official ration on British Navy ships in 1655.
28:47Now it's time to take the three cylinders of distillant that we collected earlier and pour it into our squeaky
28:53clean still,
28:54along with the distillant from several other batches done on previous days.
28:59And we'll distill all this liquid a second time, boosting the alcohol content and removing any impurities.
29:06Oh.
29:08No, thank you.
29:09No, no, it's nothing really.
29:11This is great.
29:11It's an honor.
29:13All right.
29:14So we're going to close this door up and let's open the steam.
29:18Here comes the steam.
29:21Perfect.
29:21Oh, yeah.
29:22So any second this is going to start.
29:24Right.
29:24Like that second.
29:26Perfect.
29:27In this second distillation, this is where we're going to make the selection of the spirit that we're going to
29:33keep.
29:35There's three components.
29:36There's your heads, your hearts, and your tails.
29:39Your heads are the first stuff that come off the still, the hearts are the second stuff, and the tails
29:44are the last.
29:45The hearts are the only part of the distillation that we're going to be keeping.
29:51So the first liquid that comes out of the still is the heads.
29:55It contains impurities that'll boil off in about 20 to 30 minutes.
29:59To figure out when those impurities are gone, we take a sample every couple minutes.
30:04So what we're going to do is just take one of those glasses and just collect a little bit there.
30:11More?
30:11No, yeah, grab more.
30:16All right, now just set that up on here.
30:19And so that's our first sample.
30:22Seven minutes later.
30:23That's great.
30:24We take another sample.
30:25And seven minutes after that.
30:27So let's take our last sample here.
30:29Yep.
30:35So you can pull that off.
30:38When you're testing a spirit, if it has too much of these aldehydes in it, it'll actually make your eye
30:44tear.
30:44So when I'm testing it, I'll stick my eye right in there and keep it open and see if it
30:50actually tears up.
30:51It's the stuff that makes you blind, right?
30:54Yeah.
30:57It's not going to hurt you.
30:57In pure form, aldehydes can be harmful to humans.
31:01But here they're so diluted, they're not dangerous.
31:04Are you feeling a little bit on your eyeball?
31:06Yeah, it's annoying.
31:06Yeah, it's annoying.
31:07So that's got too much head.
31:09That's got too much head in it.
31:10Too much head.
31:11Aldehydes smell a little like green apples.
31:14And if there's too much in the rum, they can ruin the rum's flavor.
31:18Oh, I got even more.
31:19You got any more there?
31:20Maybe that eye's more sensitive.
31:22I can't tell.
31:23I can't see out of this one anymore.
31:24It's still in there.
31:25It's still in there.
31:29Yeah, it's still in there.
31:30All right.
31:31Third one.
31:35Oh, yeah.
31:37Oh, clearly.
31:38Yeah.
31:39Here.
31:52Absolutely.
31:53It burns.
31:54It burns.
31:55So we waited 12 more minutes.
31:58Then we collected yet another sample.
32:00And after careful eye testing and taste testing, Brent delivered his professional judgment.
32:06That one's actually pretty good.
32:08So we're going to dump one of these and we're going to turn this still up and we're going
32:11to start collecting our hearts.
32:12So that's going to run for the next couple hours.
32:16Oh.
32:16And we're going to be collecting our distillate.
32:20In a couple hours.
32:22For a couple hours.
32:24But we won't be standing around just watching the rum drip.
32:27There's still some important work to do in the barrel department.
32:31All right.
32:32So these are all the barrels.
32:34They're beautiful.
32:35That are all aging right here.
32:37They're all numbered.
32:38Uh-huh.
32:38And actually in this book right here, we have all the records.
32:44Um, of when we made each of them, when we did all the distillations for them.
32:49What we have to do today is there's three barrels.
32:53Why are they abbreviated BBL?
32:54That's just an abbreviation for barrel.
32:56Why?
32:57There's only one B.
32:59Uh, right.
33:00Like why not put an R?
33:02Like B-R-L or B-R-R.
33:04I didn't create the convention, so I'm just a sheep.
33:09I'm just following the others.
33:11Just a sheep.
33:14Wow.
33:15That's all right.
33:16I applaud your camera.
33:17Right, yeah.
33:17You know, yeah.
33:18I ain't gonna lie to you.
33:19No, I mean, I know less than you, and that's sad for both of us.
33:22Yeah, it is, I guess.
33:24Right.
33:24B-B-L.
33:24All right, yeah.
33:25Okay.
33:25All right, so that's it.
33:26So, um, we've got barrel number 28 to test, we've got barrel number 65, and we've got barrel
33:32number 49.
33:32Why do you wish to test those?
33:34Because those are three that we identified with previous tests that might actually be ready for
33:39packaging.
33:41Each of these barrels contains 50 gallons of rum.
33:44Hold on, if you're gonna do that, I'm gonna watch you.
33:45Are you gonna come join me?
33:46Yeah.
33:49There's no chance of this whole routine falling down, right?
33:52Right, there's a chance of everything, right?
33:54Yeah.
33:55All right.
33:56All right, so what I do is I slowly put the wine thief in.
33:59Uh-huh.
34:00And if you put it in too fast, you tend to just get the spirit from the bottom of the
34:04barrel.
34:04During the aging process, the alcohol in the rum interacts with the wood in the oak barrels, imparting
34:11flavors to the rum.
34:13Different levels of alcohol impart different flavors, so Brent has determined their rum gets
34:18the best flavors at 54% alcohol.
34:21Now, that's called a, uh, a bung hole.
34:23Is that, is that our...
34:24It's a bung hole.
34:25It is a bung hole.
34:25This is the bung, and that is the bung hole.
34:27Yeah.
34:28The bungholio.
34:29What we're doing right here is we have six samples, two samples of three different barrels.
34:34Yes.
34:34Um, and what we're going to be doing is tasting each one of them and determining the flavors
34:40that we taste inside each of the rums, as well as whether or not any of them are fit,
34:45uh, to be packaged.
34:47The way this process starts for a distiller is you start with the aromas, and that's actually
34:52one of the reasons why these glasses are designed the way they are, because this bulb
34:55here allows the aromas to build up inside, and so when you smell the rum, you pick up more
35:03of the aromatic characteristics that come out of it.
35:06One of the things a lot of people don't realize is when you're, um, smelling spirits, it's
35:12always good to have your mouth open.
35:13Yeah.
35:14Ugh.
35:15It's hard to breathe with your mouth open.
35:16Ugh.
35:18Because your mouth is part of your smell, you know, because taste is integrated with it.
35:22Right.
35:22So what do you think you're smelling in there?
35:24Rum.
35:25Rum.
35:26This is rum, man.
35:27Yeah.
35:28Anything more, anything more specific?
35:32Vanilla.
35:34Exactly.
35:35I smell vanilla in here.
35:36One of the compounds in oak, um, that actually gets converted, uh, in the toasting process
35:42is called lignin, and it converts into a chemical compound called vanillin.
35:45And that's why a lot of these spirits have vanilla characteristics to them.
35:48Yeah.
35:51So now we're going to taste these.
35:59That tastes pretty good to me.
36:01Do we have much to do after this, by the way?
36:04Mm-hmm.
36:07Forty-nine needs a little more time.
36:10The butter has subsided, but it needs more spice and more caramel.
36:15Sixty-five, still quite buttery, you know, and young.
36:21For barrel number twenty-eight, we had significant amount of caramel flavor, good amount of vanilla
36:29and spice.
36:30It was well-rounded and ready to go.
36:33Coming up.
36:35I find the job of bottling rum really does suck.
36:39When you're the only guy who takes the job seriously.
36:41I know who cares.
36:42You.
36:43You're the guy who cares.
36:45Right?
36:46Right?
36:46Am I right?
36:47I'm the guy who cares.
36:48Yeah, he's the guy.
36:49All right.
36:55So what's happening is there's barrel twenty-eight, the barrel that we selected.
36:59Right.
37:00And they're siphoning it off into this holding tank.
37:04And then they're pumping it through the filter and then over to these drums.
37:13Right this way.
37:14Coming at you, Adam.
37:16During the aging process, the percentage of alcohol in the rum can change.
37:20So, the first thing we do is suck a sample out of this new batch and test the alcohol level.
37:31Right there to five hundred, almost.
37:33Yeah.
37:33Well, it's floating, so.
37:35Is that good?
37:35That's good.
37:36Okay.
37:38Right on the fat part of the sea.
37:39So that's about fifty-eight?
37:40Yeah, that's fifty-eight.
37:42Right there in the middle part of the sea.
37:43Now, the other thing we've got to factor in there, though, is the temperature difference.
37:47Is that right?
37:47That's correct.
37:48And so these hydrometers come equipped with a little thermometer in there and a little scale
37:53to correct that with.
37:54If you take a look right here.
37:57There.
37:57Well, on the left side is actual temperature in degrees Celsius.
38:01Uh-huh.
38:01And on the right side is the numbers that you'll have to correct the percentage by.
38:07Cool.
38:08This process, like so many others I've done, sounded pretty simple when we started.
38:13But now that we're actually doing the job, once again, things get complicated.
38:19Take off.
38:20So, that's good.
38:21That's good.
38:22Did you get that?
38:22We're determining the alcohol content in this barrel of rum based on two things.
38:29The first is a reading that you get on the hydrometer.
38:35Or, uh, alcoholometer.
38:36Or the alcoholometer, if you prefer a made-up word.
38:39It's on the side of the thing.
38:41Doesn't mean it's not made up.
38:43Somebody somewhere is laughing their butt off.
38:45Somebody made something, huh?
38:46Yeah.
38:46And then you, uh, account for the temperature of the liquid in your test, uh, say it.
38:53Test.
38:54Test two?
38:55Well, our graduated cylinder.
38:57That.
38:57Graduated cylinder.
38:58And then you make an adjustment based on some magical scale on sort of the thing.
39:03Not really magical, but when you're dealing with alcohol, it's magical.
39:06It's magical.
39:07It's, it's, this whole day has been a vanishing act.
39:09Yeah.
39:09Okay.
39:10So that number was 57.
39:11Let's remember that.
39:12I got it.
39:12Just like the ketchup.
39:1557 varieties.
39:16Oh, yeah.
39:16Heinz 57.
39:17So this rum is 57% alcohol.
39:20A little too strong for Thomas II.
39:23A rum designed to be slowly sipped, unmixed.
39:27So, we'll be diluting the rum in these two barrels to 42% alcohol.
39:32A level that perfectly balances the heat of the alcohol with the flavor of the rum.
39:37How much water do we add?
39:38Well, that takes a little math.
39:40Where do you do your math?
39:41Do the math over here on the laptop.
39:42So, 22 and a half at 57.
39:45Right.
39:45At 42%.
39:46That's 30 and a half gallons.
39:48So one gets eight gallons.
39:50The other gets eight, nine, ten, eleven and a quarter?
39:57Ten and a quarter.
39:588.75.
39:59Crap.
40:00What?
40:00Yeah.
40:01Sorry, man.
40:04That is precisely correct.
40:05You know what?
40:06It'd be, I'd be much more impressed with this if the numbers eight and 8.75 appeared.
40:11Right.
40:12Well, actually, we don't, the 8.75 we don't really care about because those barrels are marked in total volume.
40:18So the number we really care about is this 33.25 because we're going to fill it up to the
40:2333.25.
40:24So who cares about the 8 set?
40:25You're just going to put it in there until it says 33.25.
40:28I know who cares.
40:28You.
40:28You're the guy who cares.
40:31Right?
40:31Right?
40:32Am I right?
40:33I'm the guy who cares.
40:34Yeah, he's the guy.
40:34I'm the guy.
40:35Who cares?
40:35That guy.
40:36This guy cares.
40:37I care.
40:40We want to go up to, well...
40:43Right about there.
40:43And you want to use your filtered water, no doubt.
40:46Exactly.
40:48Ready?
40:49Ready.
40:50Okay, it's coming.
40:54Really close.
40:55I'd stop, in fact.
40:58Whoa.
40:59Big change.
41:00Big change.
41:01Hopefully not too big.
41:02I'd say 44.
41:03Okay.
41:04And if you check your temperature there, there you go, too.
41:07Perfect.
41:08So that's that one.
41:09The alcohol level of the rum in the mixing barrels is now exactly 42%, just the right strength
41:15for sipping.
41:16Now it's time to bottle the rum.
41:19So this looks like the kind of apparatus that would allow an enterprising batch of guys
41:23to fill six bottles at once.
41:25Exactly.
41:26As usual, we use only the most advanced scientific equipment to get the flow of the rum going
41:32into the fancy bottling machines.
41:34Delicious.
41:37Every year, Newport Distilling produces 24,000 bottles of Thomas II rum.
41:42And every batch they make sells out before you can say, Thomas II.
41:47It's only sold in the state of Rhode Island.
41:50So if you want a taste of these exclusive spirits, you need to sail your pirate ship to Newport.
41:58All right.
41:58So people have to know that their bottle of rum hasn't been opened.
42:02Yes.
42:02So you've got to seal it somehow.
42:03You need to seal.
42:04So we have our fancy-dancy deep fryer that we melt wax in.
42:11Be careful.
42:12The wax is hot.
42:15It's not a disaster, but it's not perfect.
42:17Each one of them is unique.
42:18That's right.
42:19Right, like snowflakes.
42:20We're making snowflakes here.
42:21You don't need to see us put all these in all of the boxes and do all that, but this
42:25is a pretty nice way to say goodbye, I think.
42:28Really fun, Brent.
42:30Thank you, Adam.
42:32Derek, much obliged.
42:33We'll see you all in the tasting room.
42:35Excellent.
42:35Go ahead.
42:37What do I have to do to make it perfectly and abundantly clear that we are running out
42:41of ideas for dirty jobs?
42:43I mean, as you know, I'm not beyond begging, so here I am again on my knees begging you
42:49to go to discovery.com forward slash dirty jobs.
42:53Give me an idea for my next dirty, filthy, disgusting adventure.
42:57I'll be eternally grateful and better yet, gainfully employed.
43:02True or false, George Washington, father of our country, was a teetotaler.
43:07False.
43:08You mean whiskey.
43:09He is all about his stuff.
43:11I'm going to go with that guy.
43:12I'm going to send a big one of the fillers.
43:13False?
43:14False.
43:15Whiskey man.
43:16The answer is false.
43:17Not only did George Washington drink, but he, along with Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin,
43:21enjoyed brewing and distilling their own alcoholic beverage.
43:24The colonial army supplied its troops with a daily ration of four ounces of either rum
43:29or whiskey every day.
43:31Four ounces?
43:31And I believe more beer.
43:33As of the increase in the water level, I'm after the end of the month.
43:33I'm after the length of my body and I'm after the end of the month.
43:33I'm after this.
43:33I'm after this.
43:33While I don't know the same thing.
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