# any homeade whiskey brewers?



## jdgator

I'd love to know more about this delicious hobby. Plus it seems like a great way to entertain friends - give them a drink of my homemade stuff. 

How much do you brew? What are the starting costs like? How can you learn te craft of whiskey making?


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## SmokyMtnSmoke

Go here for all your needs. 
http://www.homedistiller.org/

You need to be aware that you can home brew beer and wine all you want in the US. BUT IT IS ILLEGAL to DISTILL any of it with out a permit.

Other good reads...

http://www.moonshine-still.com/

http://www.happymountain.net/

http://www.amazon.com/More-Mountain-Spirits-Continuing-Appalachians/dp/0914875035

http://www.coppermoonshinestills.com/


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## Black Crowes

Smoke is the man when it comes to spirits.


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## GADAWGS

My wife's cousin makes some that is awesome. Thought about it myself, but just dont drink that much to warrant doing it


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## Capt Quirk

I want to make my own Rum and Vodka, but them Revenuers are out to ruin your fun. But I do make some killer Kaluah.


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## bigkga69

you really think somebody's gonna tell you they run whiskey???  just goto www.brewhaus.com


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## The AmBASSaDEER

We need to have a gathering!!!


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## Wiskey_33

The AmBASSaDEER said:


> We need to have a gathering!!!



GOWD!

Gathering of Whiskey Drinkers.


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## The AmBASSaDEER

Wiskey_33 said:


> GOWD!
> 
> Gathering of Whiskey Drinkers.



Im in!


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## The AmBASSaDEER

Twenty five ought six said:


> Oh yeah.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Can we invite some folks from the Spiritual discussion forum?


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## EON

Often thought about it, may be what I'll be doing as a 2nd carrier after Obama's is finished.


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## hawgrider1200

*Distilled spirits*

Wrong information


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## wvdawg

The AmBASSaDEER said:


> We need to have a gathering!!!





Wiskey_33 said:


> GOWD!
> 
> Gathering of Whiskey Drinkers.






I probably wouldn't be interested . . .


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## Medicine Man

Any free sample's out there?


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## dbodkin

Nothing like drinking corn from a jar...


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## SmokyMtnSmoke

Name this device...:grin:









An over engineered version...


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## EON

That's one of the best thingamagig dohicky's I've seen in awhile. Man I miss the hills back home, I need to spend more time with some of you boys.


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## NCHillbilly

Where's the thumpin' keg on that contraption?


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## faceplate66

*homemade*

I make my own wine.  I use just about anything to flavor it, everything from frozen concentrate to blackberries.  You can make up to 50 gal a year in GA.  Now, I wouldn't be talkin about me, of course, BUT, I HEAR one can buy all necessary equipment with instructions on e-bay.  I HEAR, it taste pretty good.  I also HEAR, you can cook wine and get just the al-key-hall out of it and drink that too.  Of course, that is what I HEAR.


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## Capt Quirk

faceplate66 said:


> I HEAR, it taste pretty good.  I also HEAR, you can cook wine and get just the al-key-hall out of it and drink that too.  Of course, that is what I HEAR.


Isn't that Brandy?


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## hogmorton

When I was a kid, my great uncle had a still in his kitchen. I remember it was made from a pressure cooker with the copper tubing attached at the steam release on the lid. It seems that the coil was over the sink with a jar under the tubing in the second of the two sinks. The liquid was clear as water. Oh, the pot sat right on the stove beside the sink. People said that it was good stuff.


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## EON

Wher can you find copper pipe that size, I went to Ace and HD neither had anything that size.  I'v gotta try it, my grand daddy cooked it up and was pretty good from what I was told.


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## robertyb

I personally know of two Alcohol Tobacco Agents that read this board regularly as I introduced them to its swap and sell forum before I retired. Yep, from Revenue Dept. 

Be careful what you post in public.


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## packrat

*shine*

You ain't gonna get true proof (around 180) off a pot still unless you have a thump keg, or you can double it back in a regular pot still without a thump keg, for higher proof. You need to temper the 180 down with clean spring water. Only a fool would drink 180 sugar shine from the worm. I've known it to peel the hide outta the inside of your mouth and tonsils. I knew a smart aleck when we was growing up that was showing off and actually took a gulp outta a tin cup. He doubled over and 5 minutes later he was rolling like a marble. He had Laringitis for 2 days. I've seen it made all my life and after a couple of bouts with it, I found out that it isn't for me. I will not post the "how to" due to young folks doing it and harming themselves or others. If you want to know the basics buy the video "The Last One". It is a video about Popcorn Sutton who made shine in the Maggie Valley NC area for years. He was busted time and time again. He was finally sentenced to true time and he said that he would die before he served the govt. And that he did, he took his own life before going to jail.


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## Medicine Man

robertyb said:


> I personally know of two Alcohol Tobacco Agents that read this board regularly as I introduced them to its swap and sell forum before I retired. Yep, from Revenue Dept.
> 
> Be careful what you post in public.



I would like to think they have more important things to worry about BUT who know's. I wouldn't post anything on the internet though.


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## EON

Man copper tubing is high.


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## The AmBASSaDEER

ttt


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## Twenty five ought six

> Wher can you find copper pipe that size, I went to Ace and HD neither had anything that size. I'v gotta try it, my grand daddy cooked it up and was pretty good from what I was told.



Big Box won't have it, or the reducers you need.

Need to go to a plumbing supply house (Hughes Supply)

Or so I've been told.

If  you are interested in boosting the proof without making a thumper box, research "reflux stills" or "fractionating stills".  Stainless steel wool can be your best friend.


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## mickbear

i wonder if someone could just apply for a alcohol fuel plant permit to be able to brew


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## littlerunner

*Alcohol Tobacco Agents*



robertyb said:


> I personally know of two Alcohol Tobacco Agents that read this board regularly as I introduced them to its swap and sell forum before I retired. Yep, from Revenue Dept.
> 
> Be careful what you post in public.



Sounds to me like them boys you introduced should be out collecting taxes instead of reading the board. With the economy the way it is why would they be concearned with a little liquor being made??


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## mickbear

robertyb said:


> I personally know of two Alcohol Tobacco Agents that read this board regularly as I introduced them to its swap and sell forum before I retired. Yep, from Revenue Dept.
> 
> Be careful what you post in public.


my father had a good friend with the rev. dept. --last name of Imes.he told me some great stories about chasing folks making liquor.


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## boneboy96

so all this copper tubing with the fittings on both ends is valuable?


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## Georgiadawgs78

If  you are interested in boosting the proof without making a thumper box, research "reflux stills" or "fractionating stills".  Stainless steel wool can be your best friend.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I have learned all about the distilling in organic chemistry. Same exact concept just a little bit bigger version of it. Steel wool wrapped around the distilling column can make a big difference. Pretty neat stuff. Ive seen stuff made out of tea pots pretty easily. Just need to record the temperature of the liquid your distilling to make sure its the right alcohol you want (ethanol I think if I recall correctly is the drinkable alcohol). When distilling things, what the temperature of the column should be just right below what ever is being distilled off. Once all the liquid of one kind is distilled off the temp will jump up to the next liquid in the apparatus and distill it all off until everything is gone. Supposively what I heard is the x's on the bottle is how many times the alcohol got distilled and with each distillation the proof of the alcohol also rises. Ive never made any but just thought it was interesting so I looked in to it


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## chiefsquirrel83

be careful some peeps on here will tell ya you goin ta he!!....nah...just kiddin....nothin better than homemade!!! wait till august...then ya get watermelon, peach, and muscadine!!!!!! oh my goodness...my late mawmaw....could tell ya about some home brew.....taste like candy...so much...when cold ya forget what ya drinkin!


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## redneck_billcollector

robertyb said:


> I personally know of two Alcohol Tobacco Agents that read this board regularly as I introduced them to its swap and sell forum before I retired. Yep, from Revenue Dept.
> 
> Be careful what you post in public.




That is definately one career I wouldn't be proud of or braggin' about.  There was a time in this state when folks would rather socialize with a skunk than a revenuer, I know alot of folks still feel that way. I ain't saying I am one of them, but.... Whiskey was invinted by monks and is gaelic for "God's water" or something along those lines, if a man wants to go about messing with that, well, I'm just saying the government should be worried about other things than some poor man trying to feed his family or someone making a lil corn liquor. 

Dang, the more I think about it, the more I am having to temper what I am saying.  Ain't no self respecting Georgia boy would ever pick that line of work.  Liquor kept food on my daddy's family table during the depression and they had run ins with carpet bagging revenuers coming down here.  To the day my granddaddy died he made corn liquor, the funniest thing was one of his biggest customers was a federal agent, heaven forbid, cause we know how all of them are fine up standing citizens. Course I can't type on here what I have always heard BATF stood for cause the editers will have a field day.  Those are the same folks that really made a mess back in the 90s and the ones that are gonna be coming after the guns one day in the near future.


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## lagrangedave

Redneck Billcollector, I like your thinking. Are we related ?


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## redneck_billcollector

You never know Lagrangedave, I have had family in this great state of ours since Oglethorpe came here, my momma's family were Scotts that came over after the "45" and settled in Ga.  Had kin that were tories and had to kinda move to East Florida for awhile and had kin that were partriots.  Most of my family has been in SOWEGA since the 1840s but I am sure some of them made up it that way at some point in time, heck, I know we married into a mess of folks up in Sevier County Tenn. back right before the war between the states, one of my kinfolk took part in the burning of Gatlinburg during the war (it was pretty much "dutch" a.k.a. german unionist  until it was burned and some folks were hanged, with Sevierville being secsessionist).

But even if we ain't kinfolk, its nice to make your aquaintence.


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## dominantpredator

I bet you we could have some good times with some of Willie's friends.


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## MustangMAtt30

littlerunner said:


> Sounds to me like them boys you introduced should be out collecting taxes instead of reading the board. With the economy the way it is why would they be concearned with a little liquor being made??



Somebody refresh my memory as to what happened to those revenuers that decided to climb up on old Rocky Top? 

I had some 'shine once, it put some hair on my young 19 year old chest.


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## chadf

can't beat good homemade whiskey or wine!


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## SmokyMtnSmoke

*"Revenuer Never come back from....."*

"...CopperHead Road"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc86_Weoye0

(embedding disabled)


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## MustangMAtt30

SmokyMtnSmoke said:


> "...CopperHead Road"
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc86_Weoye0
> 
> (embedding disabled)



That's a dang good song too!  Gives me chills when I hear it.


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## WALKER BOY 2

I no some people that make shine.


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## boneboy96

I know some people that drink shine!


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## longears

nothing like the sound of Thump Thump. My papa and father says it sounds like prosperitiy.


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## redneck_billcollector

I'll  tell yall what, I love good corn liquor, but I have other reasons for drinking it, which by the way it is my drink of choice, I would rather drink non-bonded liquor over bonded liquor any day of the week and twice on sunday, just cause I reckon ol' Uncle Whiskers gets enough of my money as it is, heck, at times his hands are so far in my pockets I reckon we aught to be married, or at least engaged.  

Ain't narry a thing wrong with making corn liquor, heck, 'twas monks, men of God, who invented hard spirits, so it can't be bad.  I have drank corn liquor made from Virginia down through Florida and over to LA, and by far the best I have ever had was made, in Lee County Ga., I been gettin' my corn from the same maker since the late 70's and still get it from him today.  I have made it before, but for some reason mine, or any others' I have partaken in sippin' just aint as smooth as his, burns blue as blue, beads real nice and mannnn oh man, is it smooth with a hint of apple taste, I actually just finished off my last lil bit bout an hour ago, hence my ramblin'.  Any corn drinkers down in this neck of the woods probably have a good idea who I am talkin' about...wink wink, nudge nudge (Monty Python quote for yall that didn't get it).

As for callin' it shine, down this way you mention that and old timers will look at ya like....  heck, the only time I ever heard it called shine was city folk or on t.v. in this neck woods it is called corn liquor or corn in a jar.  Here is a hint for yall that ain't never purchased it, first, if the maker won't pass your jar with ya, don't buy it, if it don't burn blue....well, you want it blue (used to put gun powder in it to test when ya burned it, I don't see folks do that any more).  Get your grand pa or someone from back during when Georgia was dry as the saharra to show ya how to bead liquor, that way you will know how strong it is when you shake and swirl.


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## EON

I am one of thoses people. 

Matter of back, I'm headin back home next wkn'd fir a little R&R and might just see if I can't find me some of that good ole bluegrass shine.


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## 308-MIKE

smokey,
thanks for giving out the info, i appreciate it. and that song by earle was baaad.


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## wvdawg

that steve earle song/video was awesome - thanks for sharing smokeymtnsmoke


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## 308-MIKE

I personally know of two Alcohol Tobacco Agents that read this board regularly as I introduced them to its swap and sell forum before I retired. Yep, from Revenue Dept. 




Well my name's John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
He﻿ headed up the holler with everything he had
It's before my time but I've been told
He never came back from Copperhead Road


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## cobra97

packrat said:


> If you want to know the basics buy the video "The Last One". It is a video about Popcorn Sutton who made shine in the Maggie Valley NC area for years. He was busted time and time again. He was finally sentenced to true time and he said that he would die before he served the govt. And that he did, he took his own life before going to jail.



Here is the GON post with Popcorn Sutton's obit.

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=320721&highlight=popcorn+sutton


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## Swamprat

Can somebody explain what a thumper box is....I think I know but want some good explainin.


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## Captain Backstrap

does anyone had the recipe for the "homebrew" ( homemade beer) like the ones our dad's and granddad's made in the barn???


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## hawgrider1200

grain hops yeast and sugar


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## hawgrider1200

U know there are unscrupulous folks that will run shine from stills made with an automobile radiator. Got enough lead in that alchohol to kill ya.


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## redneck_billcollector

hawgrider1200 said:


> U know there are unscrupulous folks that will run shine from stills made with an automobile radiator. Got enough lead in that alchohol to kill ya.



That is one of the reasons you get your liquor from someone who drinks their own stuff.  Once you find a good supplier you don't go looking to see if the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence.


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## Twenty five ought six

Swamprat said:


> Can somebody explain what a thumper box is....I think I know but want some good explainin.



I'm not much for drawing or I would draw you a picture.

It's a box (or barrel), at the end of tube from the still.

The box is filled with mash.

As the mash in the still cooks, the steam goes up into the mash in the thumper, and condenses on the mash.  That mash has to become supersaturated with alcohol, and then the steam is redistilled and  passes out of the thumper into the worm.  The thumper also catches any mash "puked" by the still.

The mash is warmed up, so it takes less cooking before it begins to distill.

Result is a more potent alcohol from one firing.







Here's a picture.


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## EON

So is the thumper box filled with water? Or is it heated?  

I don't quite understand that piece of it.


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## hawgrider1200

*don't use too much heat*



Twenty five ought six said:


> I'm not much for drawing or I would draw you a picture.
> 
> It's a box (or barrel), at the end of tube from the still.
> 
> The box is filled with mash.
> 
> As the mash in the still cooks, the steam goes up into the mash in the thumper, and condenses on the mash.  That mash has to become supersaturated with alcohol, and then the steam is redistilled and  passes out of the thumper into the worm.  The thumper also catches any mash "puked" by the still.
> 
> The mash is warmed up, so it takes less cooking before it begins to distill.
> 
> Result is a more potent alcohol from one firing.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's a picture.



Won't puke if u don't get too hot. u have to heat to just at the evaporation temp for alcohol.


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## Twenty five ought six

EON said:


> So is the thumper box filled with water? Or is it heated?
> 
> I don't quite understand that piece of it.



The thumper can be empty to just catch the "puke", or you can put mash in it.

If you put mash in it, the mash will condense the incoming vapors (steam), increasing the alcoholic content of that batch of mash.  When the mash in the  thumper is heated by the steam to the distillation temp of alcohol, the vapor will go out the outflow pipe to the worm, and distill.

Then the alcohol enriched mash is run through the still, into another batch of mash in the thumper and the process repeats.  You can even save the first batch of mash, and use it for the last run through the thumper, and redistill it with no mash in the thumper.

It's a way of double distilling the alcohol without running  the "squeezins' through the still twice (the source of the term "doubling").  It also conserves energy and saves time, because the mash in the thumper is already heated to near distillation temp.  It's also supposed to increase efficiency by letting you get more alcohol from a batch of mash.


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## The AmBASSaDEER

Wiskey_33 said:


> GOWD!
> 
> Gathering of Whiskey Drinkers.



Bout that time!


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## Capt Quirk

Just curious, but after the distilling, is there any use for the leftover mash?


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## grizzlyblake

Put it in the yard for the animals to eat. They LOVE it.


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## wildbill1943

Capt Quirk said:


> Just curious, but after the distilling, is there any use for the leftover mash?



 Feed it to the hogs...they will love it.


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## scoggins

SmokyMtnSmoke said:


> Name this device...:grin:
> 
> IT IS WHAT IT IS :}


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## scoggins

Capt Quirk said:


> Just curious, but after the distilling, is there any use for the leftover mash?



Hog bait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## specialk

redneck_billcollector said:


> I have drank corn liquor made from Virginia down through Florida and over to LA, and by far the best I have ever had was made, in Lee County Ga., .



i admit i'm not as much of a shine connoisseur as you, but i have drank shine from many different stills up and down the eastern states.  the best i've ever drank came from and still comes from franklin co. virginia, moonshine capital of the world.  had a sample over the xmas hoilday that tickled my toes!!


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## collardncornbread

My Great Grandaddy was one of the last civil war vets. Lived to be well over 100 years.When ask what made him live so long and healthy. He replied. home grown honey, a little homemade Corn likker every day, and lookin at young girls. Once I met "Popcorn" At a get-to-gether. Even he had knew of my great granpappy. Both of them said good homemade wouldn't hurt you, But that store bought stuff, has chemicals in it to make it faster, so they can sell it quicker.------I really cant say, Because Grandpap died when I was young. Nobody ever talked about his recipie.


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