Moonshiners

[EE_]

I know you guys don't watch reality TV, but I thought this show was particularly good.
There's a Moonshiners marathon on Sunday the 9th that has all the shows, start to finish.
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=1.14298.26393.42610.x
They show the history of Popcorn Sutton, some good tips on making shine and a lot of good history of moonshining.
Banana brandy sells for $100 a gallon...not bad!

I like Son's of Guns too.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuUciIKohWE&feature=relmfu


Popcorn Sutton documentary
1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXkoc5-9a-Y
2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuh_z6DQ0-Y&feature=related
3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_90Nm8cVYJY&feature=related
4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAAehMnLaEU&feature=related
5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIMr1Jf51wM&feature=related
6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwYk-PLCCWw&feature=related
7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUcGBhG05JQ&feature=related
8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VkU4YLiZCE&feature=related
9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr9RT3g-XQU&feature=related
10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uC91uwxKiY&feature=related
11 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z98nFPQMtE&feature=related

[madfranks]

If I had the time to dedicate to a new hobby, making my own whiskey would be it. I am fascinated by the moonshine culture that rose up out of the prohibition era. For those who want to know why they call it moonshine, it's just whiskey but during prohibition the safest way to make it would be out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night, where your only light was the moon, so your neighbors and any authorities couldn't see you make it.

[midnight rambler]

I like Son's of Guns too.Not only is Will Hayden a fucking moron who thinks he is somebody* (the 'innovative' shit he 'comes up with' was accomplished by others decades ago), he's also a big time suck-up to the police state/culture of death - just another useful idiot, but the worst kind of useful idiot (since the full auto guns he makes can only be sold to LE and military, except for the occasional 'dealer sample' which are restricted to Class III dealers).

*follow the link in my sig, Hayden is the perfect example of someone who is too fucking stupid to comprehend how stupid he really is

[Errosion Of Accord]

Gotta agree with the rambler about Will Hayden. I heard him during a radio interview and have no respect for the guy at all.

[k-os]

Thanks EE_, I am going to check that series out. Sounds interesting and fun. Libertytree and I are going to try to make some shine one of these days.

[midnight rambler]

This fellow sells copper stills, but this page of his website is of particular interest - http://www.coppermoonshinestills.com/id53.html

[EE_]

I guess I'm fascinated with this stuff from having grown up under and around muscle cars.
I've always watched anything to do with cars and their history. Moonshine, stock car racing and muscle cars are pure Americana and from an era that can never be repeated anywhere in the world. It doesn't get any better.
I knew a few good ol' boys back then that were around the moonshine/racing business too.

History of stock car racing, moonshine, muscle cars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6rhSUF_Cjo

[Libertytree]

There ain't no trying about it, it's something I've done as recently as last year and have all the stuff to do it with. I just picked up 30lbs of sugar so some corn meal and yeast and a 5 gal carboy and we're in business :)

[Libertytree]

This fellow sells copper stills, but this page of his website is of particular interest - http://www.coppermoonshinestills.com/id53.html

I bought a copper still but making your own out of a stainless pressure cooker is a whole lot simpler and cheaper.

[EE_]

There ain't no trying about it, it's something I've done as recently as last year and have all the stuff to do it with. I just picked up 30lbs of sugar so some corn meal and yeast and a 5 gal carboy and we're in business :)

What kind of water would you use?
Popcorn says you can't use city water or water with too much lime in it.

[chad]

how hard is it to it to do it? could i do this out in my back woods? i don't know anything about making beer, etc.

[Libertytree]

This is exactly how I learned to do it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZP8OayErlc&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viaizr5GVdg&NR=1&feature=fvwp

[Libertytree]

What kind of water would you use?
Popcorn says you can't use city water or water with too much lime in it.

Water you buy from the store is about the safest unless you have filtered water.

[Old Herb Lady]

Turn it UP ! Copperhead Road
(wish I knew how to post it the right way....)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttitN75ESvY



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_cdlqN-Dgs

[gunDriller]

how hard is it to it to do it? could i do this out in my back woods? i don't know anything about making beer, etc.

beer = fermentation.

using special yeasts, you can get as high as 15% alcohol. (now THAT's beer ! ;) )

2 different things.

distillation = evaporating & condensing the fermented liquid, whether you do it with alcohol or water. of course, the ATF thinks they have the right to come down on you like a ton of bricks if you distill alcohol - even if you're making fuel for your car.

i have the impression that you need multiple loops (of copper tubing) & multiple evaporate-condense cycles to refine alcohol to higher levels, e.g. 40% like Vodka.


i wonder what it's called if you use pure sugar water as your feedstock for an alcoholic beverage. just yeast, champagne yeast, water, sugar - that gets you to 15%. if you took that an distilled it, what would it taste like - rum, techila, vodka, whiskey ?

i'm sure countries that grow sugarcane have a fermented distilled beverage that they drink that makes them go HOOYAH or OH VEY or whatever they say. what is that drink called though ?

[mightymanx]

look up reflux still

Much smaller footprint and much more efficent.

Not really hard to make in this day and age either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflux

[madfranks]

I bought a copper still but making your own out of a stainless pressure cooker is a whole lot simpler and cheaper.

I read somewhere that you don't want to use a steel still, but now I can't remember the reasons why... ???

[osoab]

Execellent book.

http://books.google.com/books?id=ExEMAAAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&l=220

The Alaskan bootlegger's bible (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=alaskan+bootlegger%27s+bible&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4548032688053187773&sa=X&ei=yk8HT47QMImvgwfcn5CjCA&ved=0CFEQ8wIwAg)

[Libertytree]

I read somewhere that you don't want to use a steel still, but now I can't remember the reasons why... ???

Not steel but stainless steel, also aluminum is a BIG no no.

[ximmy]

This guy is hilarious... I watched him before...


This is exactly how I learned to do it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZP8OayErlc&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viaizr5GVdg&NR=1&feature=fvwp

[chad]

Not steel but stainless steel, also aluminum is a BIG no no.

why, what do stainless and aluminum do? kill you?

[Libertytree]

why, what do stainless and aluminum do? kill you?

Stainless is the very best but aluminum imparts impurities when making shine.

[EE_]

Look at all these recipes

http://homedistiller.org/wash-grain2.htm