still? mash?

[jose bagge]

i'm trying to keep an ancient art alive- soldered me up a pretty decent looking still for personal use and experimentation based on some old timer's info and some web stuff. Can anybody fill me in on "mash"? Again, this is 100% personal use, small batch, totally legal, "artistic expression of good ol' americana" advice i'm lookin' for here.

 

[Anonymous-0]

if you have a permit from the ATF.... better do you homework before firing it up or not be talking about it in a online forum..

 

[Aaron Ford]

Amen to response #1, any form of home distillation of alcohol for drinking is not legal. There is a permit you can get to allow for a certain amount to be distilled for use as a motor fuel, but it must be made unsuitable for drinking. IE some form of poison or debilatating agent added. Isopropyl Alcohol, or rubbing alcohol, is ethyl alcohol, but it has a regurgitating additive to prevent it from being drank.

The idea has been pursued by many in the past, but most have come up against the same law.

I would hate to be locked up with all the murderers, rapists, and politicians for the sin of making shine... Just ain't worth it...

Just my $0,000.02 worth.

Aaron

 

[Anonymous-0]

Legal technicalities aside, what did you solder with? The wrong kind could make you wish you just went and bought some Jack.

 

[Sid]

It is pretty simple to do.
some info here

 

[GRJ]

I think you guys need to check things out before jumping to conclusions.Beer,wine & hootch are legal to make FOR YOUR OWN USE.Sell it and risk going to prison.

 

[landlord7012]

mjbrown has a good point. Wrong solder/tubing can kill you. Local boy killed himself years ago from lead poisoning. Make your own wine and beer which is legal in limited quantites. Spend the money you save on a bottle of "Gentleman Jack" - now that is some fine whiskey!

Jacklord

 

[newfarmer9]

I personally wouldn't even try to make my own...people have gone blind from doing this kind of thing. Just do a Google search to find out more.

 

[jose bagge]

no flux core...solder primarily on the exterior of the cooling tower...

 

[jose bagge]

Well....that's just incorrect. As long as it is for your personal use, it is absolutely legal

 

[jose bagge]

thanks, but......wrong.

 

[jose bagge]

Well, it's easy to see why this particular art form will no doubt die with this generation. With so many people thinking that home distilling for personal use is illegal ( which it is not), It would seem that few will be willing to share the family recipe.

So...can anyone tell me the best way to smuggle illegals across the border? JOKING!!!!!!

 

[JMS MN]

Google Lindsay Publications for their catalog= equipment, recipes, info.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I am pretty sure you can brew up to 200 gallons before you even need a permit. You can do whatever you want, drink it or drive it. If you use it for fuel you need to pay the road taxes for it but you get a great tax break at tax time for brewing your own fuel!

 

[DH in Carolina]

Don't know what size cooker you got but here's what I would do. Get a couple wooden wine or whiskey barrels and cut the top out of them. If the barrel staves are loose, fill the barrels with water for a week or two to swell the wood. Water is cheaper than your mash. I use peaches or apples to make my brew or brandy.
To use peaches you need to squeeze the seeds out of them. The only way I know to do this is by hand. It takes several bushels of peaches to fill a barrel. Add 30 lbs. cane sugar and about five or six packs of yeast mixed with warm water. Pour this into peaches and stir in. Cover barrel with cloth or screen to keep bees out. Set in sunny place for four to five weeks sturing once or twice a week. Pour into cooker and slowly bring to a boil sturing constantly to keep from sticking to cooker. If you burn the mash you have ruined your brandy. After mash comes to a good boil cap still and seal cracks with bran and water paste.
Continue to boil but don,t use too much heat. The first to come out the worm will be clear and about 110-115 proof. Continue to run until cloudy. This will be 55-60 proof. Blend high proof with low proof to get about 95-97 proof which is good brandy. Buy a proofing hydraometer to proof. One 55 gal. barrel will run around 6-8 gallons. Wish you were around Carolina and I would show you how. I am thinking of making a documentary of this art. Hope this helps. DH

 

[TomH in PA]

In the USA you need a permit to distill *any* alcohol, even for fuel. So you're either in another country or you're a troll.

There are lots of websites that have instructions for making moonshine or brandy, not sure why you couldn't find them. Type "moonshine recipe" into Google and get a quarter million hits.

 

[jose bagge]

Great help...and I'd be looking forward to a film , maybe with some back ground interviews with old timers from back in the day describing their equipment, methods, etc.

 

[jose bagge]

Tom, ol' buddy, if you want to know what old farmers know, you ask old farmers- and this is where I chose to ask 'em. I live BY THE GRACE OF GOD in Virginia, having left PA after my college years and never looking back- so I am definitely in this country, the USA. I stand over 6 feet tall, so assure you I am not a Troll.
While it is apparently illegal to distill whiskey in the US (as i learned from this post), it is NOT illegal to know how to do it nor to ask how to do it. So get off my a$$ and fix your damned turnpike

 

[DH in Carolina]

I learned from a old timer. This is about a lost art and there is a lot of work in it.
The reports of lead poison came from people making white liquor and selling it. These people did not drink their own liquor but were out to make a profit. When I get time I will email you and send you some more details. Have a good night DH

 

[Johnski]

The following is directly from the TTB.gov website.

Spirits

You cannot produce spirits for beverage purposes without paying taxes and without prior approval of paperwork to operate a distilled spirits plant. [See 26 U.S.C. 5601 & 5602 for some of the criminal penalties.] There are numerous requirements that must be met that make it impractical to produce spirits for personal or beverage use. Some of these requirements are paying special tax, filing an extensive application, filing a bond, providing adequate equipment to measure spirits, providing suitable tanks and pipelines, providing a separate building (other than a dwelling) and maintaining detailed records, and filing reports. All of these requirements are listed in 27 CFR Part 19.

Spirits may be produced for non-beverage purposes for fuel use only without payment of tax, but you also must file an application, receive TTB's approval, and follow requirements, such as construction, use, records and reports.
HTH, Jf

 

[jose bagge]

I stand corrected- beer, ok...wine-ok....distillates: no go!

 

[jose bagge]

Thanks- i had someone else shoot me some similar info. A damn shame-
TO ALL;
I stand corrected- this is apparently an illegal activity, regardless of quantities or intention!

 

[jose bagge]

i stand corrected....apparently, regardless of personal use or not- THIS IS ILLEGAL!

 

[Jim B. in OH]

I believe that it is only illegal if you are caught. jim

 

[sbin]

Hard to find anything that is legal anymore wihout paying some government type off.
With the price of copper a distillation device might be expensive.I am not much of a drinker but might spend some time to learn about such a noble trade.Grand dad was a Irish immigrant that provided for himself and family during prohibition it would be nie to carry on such a fine tradition.

 

[Tradititonal Farmer]

years ago as a teen I made good money toting 100lb bags of sugar to backwoods 'mini' ethanol plants.Nothing gets the mash 'cooking' in cold weather like a scoop of 100% natural chicken poop

 

[Hills of TN]

If you are a registered nnalert, you will be allowed to use the term "Undocumented Maker", instead of illegal producer. At least it seemed to work when they changed to Undocumented Worker instead of illegal alien. If the government tries to raid your home, just accuse them of "profiling".

Note: I would give you the Family Recipe, but when hard times come, we might have to go back into production and competition is frowned upon.

 

[Johnski]

Actually, It is legal if you are willing to jump through all of the hoops, do tons of paperwork, and make sure our dear Uncle Sam gets enough of your money. Oh Yeah, let's not forget the part about posting a bond... :>( Jf

 

[kuntryboy]

(quoted from post at 16:39:49 04/10/08) no flux core...solder primarily on the exterior of the cooling tower...

don't use any lead solder, use silver solder. then flush with water.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

Absolutely!

 

[TomH in PA]

Jose - Sorry about the grumpy response. This political season is polluting everyplace on the web, the tractor forums have been hijacked a few times so I've been arguably too sensitive about off-topic posts here.

There's a Country Talk forum on this site for the kind of discussion you are looking for,your question would be welcomed there and happily discussed there.

And speaking of the turnpike and politics, our (nnalert) governor is sending all the tax dollars back to Philadelphia where he came from; he's even floated the idea of privatizing the turnpike so he would have a couple billion more to spend. Long term consequences are the next guy's problem.

 

[buickanddeere]

Hope it's no lead solder. Otherwise you will be killing yourself with both the booze and heavy metal poisoning. Lead solder and high temps = lead in your booze.
Every now and again somebody tries using an automotive radiator and wonders why everybody is gradually getting sick.

 

[jose bagge]

Country talk is probably the right forum, but I can't make heads or tales out of how that post works! I get topics but no answers, answers but no topics- i can't figure out what the heck I'm reading!

I've always heard that "the Bucks go to Bucks County" in Pa...close enough to Philly i guess!

Have a great weekend!