# moonshine making



## crazy guy at Treetop

I'm sure I'll get on a list for this one but whats you favorit way to make it or whats the best flavor?>


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## Nugefan




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## Woodscrew

I woke up the other night and thought I saw moon shine but realized it was just my girlfriend getting out of bed to go pee.


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## NCHillbilly

What's moonshine?


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## dbodkin

Google is your friend... Don't let the revenuers see ya'all


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## kalebelk

*shine*

corn, yeast, sugar, some time,  a still, and a good place to hide it.


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## 11P&YBOWHUNTER

Best time of year to make moonshine is when you boil sap for making Maple Syrup!!!


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## NCHillbilly

kalebelk said:


> corn, yeast, sugar, some time,  a still, and a good place to hide it.



Yeast and sugar? That's the kind of rotgut likker they sell to flatlanders. Real likker is made with sprouted corn malt.


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## Bow Only

Correct me if I am wrong, but it is not illegal to make moonshine, it is only illegal to sell it.


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## NCHillbilly

It is very illegal to make it too unless you have a federal license.


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## Bow Only

NCHillbilly said:


> It is very illegal to make it too unless you have a federal license.



We made it in Organic Chemistry lab.


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## Burl E.

It wasn't Moonshine(corn), but a couple of weeks ago I had a few sips of some banana brandy.
No, not apple or peach, it was banana. I was apprehensive at first, but it was quite tasty.


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## Georgia Hard Hunter

It is legal to make for personal consumption, There is a limit on how much you can have its aprox. a gallon and a half. Its only legal to sell if the government gets there cut (tax) (and all the government requirments on food preperation are met but thats a different thread altogether). Thats why it was the Department of Revenue that chased moonshiners, they wanted the tax money not the moonshine.


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## mickbear

http://www.homedistiller.org/---all the informtion you need.great forum there also


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## moPTop159

*Mickbear is right*

Check out the site he sends you to.  It's great!!
As I understand it it is not illegal to make under a certain limit in GA..  To make it you have to license your still even for personal consumption.  So you can make the drink but you can't have a still without a license.  Wanna learn sumpen cool Google "The Wiskey Rebellion".  Robert E. Lee's dad ran that OP that's why they thought he would be good for leading the union army against the south.  Guess they got that wrong.


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## dbodkin

The Wiskey Rebellion.. Now that's my neck of the woods...
Many ancestors made whiskey and I'll relate a few stories.

My G-G-G-G Grandfather William R. Hardy came up on orders to help put down the Wiskey Rebellion .  Seems he loved SW Pennsylvania and moved his family from Virginia to PA. Thats how the Hardy's maternal side ended up in PA.

Another maternal G----G Grandfather (Different Branch) William Richard Cottom a Revolutionary War Vet  was in a tavern along the Old PA Turnpike (US Rt 40) at the foothills Uniontown, PA.  The tavern keeper and hired help had trouble transporting a whiskey barrel to storage area down a flight of steps. The story goes that Wm Cottom a man a very large stature picked up the barrel and got partially down the steps lost footing and somehow an explosion  involved. Wm R. Cottom did not survive the accident. (http://home.xnet.com/~karens/Bryan/Cottom/cottom.html  )       Another notable was Wm R. Cottom carried an Indian musket ball in his right leg to his grave. He refused to allow doctors to remove it.

Had a Great Uncle lose a Jeep to the revenuers when they couldn't find his still...

Sorry dint mean a highjack... But shine is a beautiful thing...Lookup on Youtube as well...


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## SnakeWrangler

Its illegal to distill any spirt in the state of Georgia without a license, but you can have up to 1 or 3 gallons (not to sure on this part). If you are looking for a different taste try mollasses and brown sugar.


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## Redbow

Burl E. said:


> It wasn't Moonshine(corn), but a couple of weeks ago I had a few sips of some banana brandy.
> No, not apple or peach, it was banana. I was apprehensive at first, but it was quite tasty.



Banana Brandy was quite popular when I was growing up with some of the neighborhood men I knew...I haven't seen any Banana Brandy in a very long time now..


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## TNGIRL

Apple Pie is a fine tasting one as well. (not what some people call apple jack either, this is different)course that's TN lighting not GA.........


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## robertyb

Bow Only said:


> Correct me if I am wrong, but it is not illegal to make moonshine, it is only illegal to sell it.



You stand corrected. It is illegal to make and and is also illegal to posess the equipment to make it with. I was a Revenue Agent for 34 years.


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## trial&error

robertyb said:


> You stand corrected. It is illegal to make and and is also illegal to posess the equipment to make it with. I was a Revenue Agent for 34 years.



can you point to a specific law?


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## trial&error

never mind I found it ga code title 3 chapter 4 (Distilled spirits) general provisions do not allow any head of household exemptions like chapter 5&6 does (malt beverages and wine).

However is it still distilled spirits if you make a high alcohol content beer, freeze, then pour alcohol out?


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## TNGIRL

Why worry with the legal problems....just go to your local liquor store and purchase the moonshine!!!! I found it in several states....GA, TN and KY too, 80 proof and 100 proof. you don't need alot if it's for sipping.........


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## Fro1911nut

There is some folks down towards Union Springs that are a small legally family operation that makes it and sale's it..

They taught us how to make it in WV State History Class in middle school lol


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## NCHillbilly

The federal laws trump all the state laws anyway, so it don't really matter what GA or NC or any other state has to say about it-and the federal laws make it clear that it's illegal to distill any amount of alchohol without a distillery license.


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## redneckacorn

Heck the illegality of it is what makes it so good and fun, oops, I better shut up...


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## Twenty five ought six

On the other hand, YOUR government encourages you to produce ethanol as an alternative fuel -- 




You say "to may to", I say "to mat to"

http://www.green-trust.org/EthanolUsaRegs.htm



> Alcohol may be used as fuel on the premises of the AFP.
> An AFP may use alcohol for fuel on the premises of the plant without rendering the alcohol unfit for beverage use.


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## Son

All my familys moonshiners went with the last generation. 

We had some good'uns too until they got caught. That was back in the days of dirt roads.


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## merican

Shines easy, some good smooth shine thats another story. This brings back alot of memories of my Pappa and Great grand daddy, when they passed away they still had mason jars in the fridge for sippin at night


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## Jason059

For the record, it  is illegal to make distilled spirits, liquor, of any kind, regardless of whether it is for resale or personal consumption. (I called the GA Dept. of Rev. to confirm.) You can make beer and wine, though. Its the proof or % of alcohol by volume that matters here.


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## grizzlyblake

Jason059 said:


> For the record, it  is illegal to make distilled spirits, liquor, of any kind, regardless of whether it is for resale or personal consumption. (I called the GA Dept. of Rev. to confirm.) You can make beer and wine, though. Its the proof or % of alcohol by volume that matters here.



I don't think that's correct. As I understand it, the actual ACT of distilling is what is illegal. I'm fairly certain that there are no limits on ABV of homemade beer or wine.

It's all about taxes folks. When you buy a $30 bottle of Jack Daniels you are paying about $15 in taxes.


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## Jason059

I am certain, and the percentage that makes the difference between "distilled spirits" and wine or beer is listed in the GA code section. You can find the info. for free here: 
http://www.lexis-nexis.com/hottopics/gacode/

Type in Title 3 or alcohol. You'll have to search, but anything over 21 % is "distilled spirits" and no amount of that is allowed for personal production and consumption. Only legal with a license and you have to store the liquor in a state approved facility. (If any amount of home made liquor was legal without licensing, we wouldn't be discussing any of this anyways! Cuz I'd be out back, cooking!)


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## Jason059

The limit, by the way, for homemade wine is 200 gallons a year. (Percentages vary, 14 and 21, something there about "dessert wine.") Didn't check for beer...


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## obsession

robertyb said:


> illegal to make and and is also illegal to posess the equipment to make it with.........Revenue



says it all....


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## forestrytech

*Pay attention here!!!!!!*

It is a FEDERAL crime to HAVE a distillery without a permit.....It is a FEDERAL crime to grind malt.....YOU will go to the FEDERAL PEN in Atlanta if they catch you with a still with an inch of dust in it if you don't have a permit for it!!!!!!    Take these words to heart.......Don't believe me....Call the ATF and ask anybody....even the secrateries....especially the secrateries!!!!! They know all of the laws too!!!!

YOU CAN NOT MAKE BRANDY WITHOUT A STILL!!!!


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## Migraman

forestrytech is absolutely correct.  Without a permit, you can't even grind malted corn.  And they WILL send you to big boy prison.  So don't do it.

However, I have heard some interesting tales that, based on the science, could be true.

A Russian friend said that, in the old days, they would ferment potatoes and build a fire under the mash (in a pot, of course).  then, they would hold a cold plate in the steam and drink the condensation.

You would have to be pretty desperate for that but it was in the USSR.

If one were to get a license and follow through (the pricing and paperwork make that an unlikely event unless you are rich and veeeery bored), distilling is an art that you just don't figure out in a day.  The basics are:  alcohol boils at +/- 173 degrees, water boils at 212.  Heat fermented mash (yes, you can use sugar, water and yeast but, why?  Plums are cheap) in a pot that has a pipe to route the steam through a cooling coil (silver solder, not lead!) and, if done properly, alcohol comes out of the pipe.  The first and last bits (foreshots and tails) are weak and contain some nasty oils.  The middle part is what you want.  That's distilling 101.  

You learn the rest by fermenting Tang under a radiator in your prison cell while you wonder which gang to join so you aren't sold for two packs of smokes.

Read "Chasing the White Dog".  Or Foxfire 1.  Don't break the law.


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## Twenty five ought six

forestrytech said:


> YOU CAN NOT MAKE BRANDY WITHOUT A STILL!!!!



Actually you can.  Quite tasty too.


The Amish and Mennonites do it all the time.


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## Migraman

I guess you could freeze distill Brandy but wouldn't it be applejack at that point (30% or so)?


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## Twenty five ought six

Migraman said:


> I guess you could freeze distill Brandy but wouldn't it be applejack at that point (30% or so)?



And then you freeze it again.

Those God fearing Amish do it all the time, and it some kind of smoooooooth.  Never measured the final proof, but let's just say that when I was conducting my research, I was staying at the home of friends in Lancaster County.


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## Migraman

Hmmmmm..  Sounds like a trip to PA would be worthwhile..


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## turkey foot

*Moonshine*

If my Daddy was still alive, he could say which moonshine tasted the best.


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## hikingthehills

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## SSGN_Doc

Sad but true.  Brewing beer or fermenting wine for personnal use limits you to 200 gallons.

Distilling spirits is just plain illegal with no stipulation for personal use.

Ethanol may be distilled for use as fuel, but the still must be registered and in compliance with federal laws.

Too bad.  After visiting a few countries in the Mediterranean I found it interesting to sample Italian, Greek, and Turkish hootch.  Italian lemocello, greek Raki, ouzo, and Tsikoudia in Crete each had some unique characteristics.  

Would have been nice to try to distill some of those recipies.

The Tsikoudia from Crete seemed very resourceful.  They used the left over grape mash after pressing grapes for wine.  Get all the alcohol you can out of the vineyard.  Some varieties had honey added, or a honey and cinamon blend to add flavor.  Some were smooth, and others harsh.  Made me appreciate the effect of craftsmanship in the process of distilling.


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## Cottonboy

the distilation process turns illegal once heat is added to the mixture you are (brewing)..


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## kc65

hard to find good clean corn liquor, used to sip the liquor and follow it up with a shot of dillpickle juice, half pint of shine and a jar of vlassic and u get tore up from the floor up. anybody else had it that way?


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## Freebornman

All this legal talk is the reason the Scotch-Irish folk that moved to the Mountains made Corn Liqour in the first place, taxes.  They were sick of paying taxes to the Crown, and the same reason the Hill folk made it during Prohibition, so they would not have to pay the Revenuers.
The whole point of a good jar that beads just right, and gives you that burn and bite, is that it is buckin the system.  Real good corn from a jar is better than any store bought whiskey, and add some peaches or plums and get them soaked just right, whooooooo dogggiie.  But I am just guessing, and no that aint wood smoke you smell coming from my creek!


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## tllewis

All i know is, my head don't hurt at all today. I was afraid i ate one too many peaches last night. lol


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## missalot

best flavor i have tasted is lemon drop ..mmm mmm good ,also peach,my older sis and her husband have there own winery ,they make any flavor you can think of even make it with hot peppers,its hot with a kick ,but his moonshine is awsome ,you can put some in your hand and lite it and the flame turns blue..good stuff..


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## dax

Reflux column still - that baby will crank out some high % alcohol.  Don't know how I know that, though!


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## graveleye

I wonder... if it might be time to bully our politicians into changing the law about personal distilling. I say we've already got enough of the government on our backs and maybe it's time to shake some of it off.


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## boneboy96

graveleye said:


> I wonder... if it might be time to bully our politicians into changing the law about personal distilling. I say we've already got enough of the government on our backs and maybe it's time to shake some of it off.



I agree...since you cannot buy liquor on Sundays, you should at least be able to distill some on Sundays!


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## mickbear

dax said:


> Reflux column still - that baby will crank out some high % alcohol.  Don't know how I know that, though!


somebody one time said you could use marbels or copper scowering pads in the column. dont know but


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## Twenty five ought six

mickbear said:


> somebody one time said you could use marbels or copper scowering pads in the column. dont know but



Those are used in the reflux still Dax refers to.  There are several mediums you can use.  

What the marbles and copper do is set up a continuous re-distillation process with the column, so that the end product is nearly pure  alcohol.  The reflux process will remove most of the "character" of the mash, and you end up with a neutral spirit akin to vodka.

That's why all whiskey and brandy makers use pot stills, and if they want to improve the quality, double or triple distill the product.


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## tv_racin_fan

Freebornman said:


> All this legal talk is the reason the Scotch-Irish folk that moved to the Mountains made Corn Liqour in the first place, taxes. They were sick of paying taxes to the Crown, and the same reason the Hill folk made it during Prohibition, so they would not have to pay the Revenuers.
> The whole point of a good jar that beads just right, and gives you that burn and bite, is that it is buckin the system. Real good corn from a jar is better than any store bought whiskey, and add some peaches or plums and get them soaked just right, whooooooo dogggiie. But I am just guessing, and no that aint wood smoke you smell coming from my creek!


 
According to my research it tweren't all about taxes. Research the whiskey rebellion and you find that those people rebelled because the tax was enacted. They had been making whiskeyt for quite some time already. I understand that a horse could carry two bushells of corn down from the hills or two 18 gallon kegs (might be wrong on the keg size). Whiskey was easy to sell or trade to just about anyone for just about anything while the corn was not so easy to sell or trade. Think about the value of the keg of whiskey as compared to the bushell of corn and it turns out it was allbout economics and the taxes came in later...

My mom tells it my dad was kind of a fuddy duddy until they went to his home to visit his folk where he suddenly was taking her out dancing and out making love by the lake and all sorts of awesome fun stuff. Turns out much later she learned the reason daddy took her out and did all sorts of stuff was to keep her from finding out that grand dad made and sold shine. Supposedly some of the best in that part of North Carolina. It does make sense since his brother was a heck of a mechanic and was well known for buildin and drivin. When I was young I can recall visiting his family and having people come by and convinced his brother to take their hot rods to the local drag strip and racin. He had a room full of trophies, I don't recall him ever losing a race he shoulda won and I recall him winning several times against better cars due to driving skill. I understood he ran a "Gasser" that someone else owned for some time and last I knew he still owned a 1973 Fury III with 426 hemi, line lock, slicks and some other goodies. Can't say I ever saw that car out of the yard... His brother still races last I heard and claims to own a mustang with a 350 chevy engine that is so fast he wont run on a track longer than 1/8 mile...


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## albridges

Make peach wine. It's good has one heck of a kick!


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## sqhunter

Twenty five ought six said:


> On the other hand, YOUR government encourages you to produce ethanol as an alternative fuel --
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You say "to may to", I say "to mat to"
> 
> http://www.green-trust.org/EthanolUsaRegs.htm



Yep, but I also read where folks were getting taken to court for not paying fuel taxes on homemade ethanol.  You can bet the gubment gonna get theirs!


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## Chum

I had some pineapple "shine" about a year ago that was sooooo smooth...and as soon as it went down it'd make your mind twist.  We decided to make a few pina colada's with a bit of it, for the ladies, that were out of this world.  The gentleman who brought it kept saying "Ya'lls better be careful...you'll find yourself outside eatin grass before to long..."  He was right!~


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## CAL

This is a recipe and elderly man gave to me to make 5 gal.of mash.

2  qt.yellow corn.
2 qt.yellow corn meal.
4 to 5 lbs. sugar.
Put first run back and add water,add 4 to 5 lbs. sugar.

In the winter time,put mash container in the ground(I guess this is for warmth).

Now, what do some of you folks think about this recipe?I haven't tried this as yet,don't drink anyway.I have a friend with a 3 gal copper still I bought at the flea mkt.years ago.Want to crank it up and see what happens!


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## walkinboss01

I saw a really cool show on PBS the other night about moonshiners. I believe it was called "The last one". If you can find it check it out.


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## packrat

*Wining & Shining*

"The Alaskan Bootlegger's Bible"
that's all I know and all that you will ever need to know.

http://www.happymountain.net/index.html


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## rubicon_in_ga

Add my name to that list.... ;-)


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## benafrye

yum.


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