Has anyone made a still?

Here's a link for making Pruno.

Pruno.... it's not just for inmates anymore!

http://www.blacktable.com/gillin030901.htm

 

hey, it says if you are 18 years old, you can produce your own beer. i didnt know that.

trey

 

A 12qt. Stainless cooker and a large stainless bowl from Wal-Mart makes the start of a good home still. The bowl has to fit snug over the top of the cooker. A 20ft coil of 1/2" stainless tubing coiled up in a 5gal. bucket will make a good condencer if you keep the bucket full of ice. Seal everything well using flour and water as a paste.
As far as What to cook, Fruit wines work best. Peaches are my favorite. Apples need a little more sugar. Do Not Use Yeast and you will not get that musty aftertaste. Corn must be ground, Soaked in water and cooked in the oven to make a "cake" that will ferment well.Corn also needs yeast to get started. Champaign yeast will get you another 3% alcohol out of your mash. At least that is what I have been told,as I have Never actually tried any of this crazy stuff myself and do not intend to at any time, Ever..........

 

I'll ask my students...It's all around here.. I get a free bottle every semester from some one..Some good stuff just be careful it can kill you...BS

 

Ive had the peach stuff and ya im retarded
Dave

 

I got some of that too, alondg with blackberry, strawberry, and peach.

 

I grew up in Southwest Arkansas (insert appropriate joke here) and to this day there are still people making 'shine.

The biggest thing I've always been told is not to use lead in soldering your copper lines. The lead will get in the shine and poison the drinker.

There was a recent special on CMT about shine and some of the makers in VW and NC. It also had the NASCAR tie in as well. Pretty cool show.

 

No, it says 18 year olds can produce beer if they're legally allowed to buy it in their state. If they can't legally buy it, they have to wait until they can to brew it.

 

I would never build a still larger than one gallon, or for distilling anything other than water or essences from flowers and herbs and such, because that would be illegal in my state. But if I did, I would probably build one of these reflux stills using an old beer keg - http://www.Moonshine-Still.com/index.htm. It seems to me that they could be configured to distill anything from sourmash whiskey to super-pure vodka or gin. I'd also keep in mind that your ferment is just as, if not more, important than the still apparatus itself, so I would probably start by learning to make fruit wine or something, which IS legal in my state.

Good luck, be safe, and keep us posted.

 

I bet Chromedrat will post a reply here soon. I know he likes the taste of corn liquor. At least thats what I've heard, I have no first hand knowledge about any corn squeezins that were brought to the KKOA show back in July.

 

i do not recall a single thing... and i doubt that giant pinching beetle recalls anything either...

 

Read the ATF link guys, its right there plain as day! Beer and wine IS LEGAL in the US to make as long as it is for personal use! Spirits are not legal to make. All the ATF is concerned with is taxes, if you sell it they are not getting their share. Despite what they would tell you that is ALL they are concerned about. They don't care about the poisonous stuff or people getting killed over it, its all about the almighty tax dollar.

 

Last quart of "White lightnin" I bought was in Ava, Mo. in the late 70's. The man told me to go easy on it or it would make me go blind.

My Uncle was a plumber and a well driller/ repairman. One day in the late 70's early 80's there was a story of an old lady and her still that the "man" had busted, on the front of our paper. My Uncle told me later that he had built and maintained it for her for several years.

Tommy Mc

 

This past summer, there were a couple stories in the Atlanta paper about an increase in the cases of lead poisoning showing up in Atlanta area hospitals. Turned out it was from moonshine. Between copper soldier in the joints of the stills, and running it through an old copper core radiator (with lead soldiered joints) the 'shine was leaching enough lead that the drinkers were getting lead poisoning. It wasn't a single group of guys and a common still between them, either. They didn't all know each other, it was just a noticed thing, and they traced it back to all of them being moonshine drinkers.

Moral of the story is obvious--use a new aluminum radiator, and stainless steel 3/8- or 1/2-inch fuel line!

Mmmmmmmm.... peach knock-you-on-your-ass brandy....
My wife likes the grape variety.
And the clear isn't bad when mixed with Mountain Dew.
Damn, I gotta go see my friend Bob...

-Brad