Moonshine, with the mods permission.

[Mike in Dayton]

My grandfather was a moonshiner in the 60's. I can remember "business" being transacted when I was a kid and visiting on the farm. He would never talk about it so I don't know how he made it or the details of the still. The story from my cousin was the still was hidden in a cave. I guess you did what you needed to do to keep food on the table.

On the Discovery Channel they are running a mini series on moonshine. They follow a moonshiner and what he has to do make the stuff, sell it, and keep hidden from the law. The TV story is a fabrication of course but I hope it is based on facts. They also show the enforcement side and what they have to do to shut down these illegal operations. Tonight is the final episode.

[Dale Seago]

Sounds a lot like early whisky production issues in Scotland. . .

[ohiopiper]

What you'd need to get started:

Right way:

Three sheets of copper, aproximately three by five foot. They should be the thickest you can bend by hand, so this will vary from person to person.

Eighteen feet of copper tubing, here you want something flexible, so don't get the biggest available.

hand tools, to include shovel, pick, hoe, hammer, at least four small C-clamps, mallet, drill, hack saw, string, pencil/grease pen, rivets and plenty of ground rye. Rye is your sealant.

Eight *WELL CLEANED OUT* fifty-five gallon drums or barrels. If you wouldn't eat out of, don't use it to make whiskey. Oak barrels are best because you don't have to worry about industrial chemical residue.

Five gallon bucket.

Ten gallon bucket

Eighty quart jars with lids

Ten bushels of non-hybrid white corn.

If you've got any money left, go buy a box of Wheaties. You'll need it tomorrow. Good thing Craigs' List wasn't around for these old timers. There would have been a lot of postings for "Copper for sale. Got to be an easier way to make a living".

Wrong way:

Go steal a heating oil tank, two fifty-five gallon oil drums and a car radiator. Rinse them quickly with a garden hose and call it good. You're not going to drink this slop anyway.

Get the jars and corn, then go steal some two inch irrigation tubing from a broke farmer. He's got bigger problems, anyway, losing a lot of his crop to the fellows who cut the middle out of a field and planted marijuana.

Keep a sharp eye out for people just like you who'd steal from you what you've stolen from others.

[auld argonian]

Interesting. With all the photo essays that the home-brew guys have done here, it's pretty obvious that it's easier and cheaper just to go buy a six-pack than to go through the machinations to crank out some beverage in your garage but its the do-it-yourself aspect that seems to be appealing.

The issue of legality has always been based on the ability of the state to collect taxes...sometimes the authorities have put out the story that the home-made stuff could be hazardous to your health but you'll notice that the guys who busted up the stills were Revenue Agents and not Health Inspectors.

Also interesting if you get a chance to watch the PBS special on Pollan's book The Botany Of Desire wherein they go on about the apple and the fact that this Great Nation Of Ours (the USA) virtually ran on hard cider from Colonial Times to the Civil War. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, no less.

Personally, I don't see the harm in describing the process...not like you're giving the instructions for making Meth and, face it, it's not like this information isn't around somewhere else on the internet. At least here you have participants who have an interest in the process as a historical topic.

Best

AA