puchasing a 50Kg bag of sugar

Sugar, and all about sugar washes. Where the primary ingredient is sugar, and other things are just used as nutrients.

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stoker
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puchasing a 50Kg bag of sugar

Post by stoker »

did anyone ever have problems while purchasing a lot of sugar or other stuff needed for making a wash
(people asking questions,...)

stoker
-I have too much blood in my alcohol system-
Rocky_Creek
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Post by Rocky_Creek »

I buy 100 lbs at a time in wal-mart. Sometimes several weeks in a row. Nobody cares, or no one thinks people still makes whiskey.
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, and them's pretty good odds.
knuklehead
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Post by knuklehead »

No one cares what you are doing with all that sugar. I've been asked before "is this sugar for commercial use" in which case they wouldn't charge me tax on it but I said "nope, personal" and they leave it at that. Rocky Creek is right, most people think no one does this anymore but some people know exactly what you are doing. Go to the store and pick up a 100 lb bag of sugar and a gallon of bleach. Then stand in the check out line and see what kind of looks you will get. You might get a few smiles and nodes form some old timers that know exactly what you are doing :lol: . I have also keep an eye out when I have gone shopping, and you will notice someone else buying supplies for the same hobby and I'll pass them on a smile and a node. I know when I first started out I felt like I was buying a big bag of cocaine every time I went in to pick up sugar. Scared to death someone was going to ask me "you making moonshine?". In fact I have had my wife pick up supplies for me and she has been asked "your husband making moonshine or what the heck you want with all this sugar". She just respounded "excuse me" with a puzzled look on her face and the person that asked the question just said "I was just joking around, you see when people used to make moonshine they used a lot of sugar and bleach..........." as this person started to explain to my wife how moonshine was made. :lol:
Last edited by knuklehead on Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
... I say God bless you, I don't say bless you ... I am not the Lord, I can't do that ...
Dane Cook
stoker
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Post by stoker »

ok, I'll have go at it.

why do you need the bleach? to rinse your still? otherwise I think I know nothing about distilling :?
-I have too much blood in my alcohol system-
knuklehead
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Post by knuklehead »

The bleach is to sterilize. The still doesn't need to be sterilized since the heat and alcohol vapor will kill every living thing in it's path. The bleach is used to sterilize your fermenter, test cylinder, hydrometer etc. for starting a new batch.
... I say God bless you, I don't say bless you ... I am not the Lord, I can't do that ...
Dane Cook
Nichevo
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Post by Nichevo »

Lol, this is surreal, I just went to the store and bought (only!) 12kg of sugar and I had a brief moment of paranoia. I quickly realized that I was being incredibly silly. Then I started wondering what the owner of the store does with all the fruit that starts to go bad/doesn't sell...
Virginia Gentleman
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Post by Virginia Gentleman »

When I made my first (small) still I went to a hardware store I go to often to by 8 feet of copper tubing, and made up some story about needing to fix the ice maker line on my fridge (the folks there are chatty). "Yeah, you could do that" the guy said "or make some moonshine." I just grinned.
Lord preserve and protect us, we've been drinkin' whiskey 'fore breakfast.
rectifier
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Post by rectifier »

I remember asking about my first no-name $20 stainless pot at Sears. "Do you know what grade of stainless is this? Will it hold up well in an acid environment?" (btw, it did not)

they asked why I wanted to know... On the spot I said i was going to be making salsa in it (tomatoes/high acid...) Not a bad cover story i thought ;)
stoker
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Post by stoker »

I feel the same when I ask something at the drug store, stuff normal peolple would never buy (chemicals)

and leaving the metal recycler with a 90l boiler gave a strange feeling too
-I have too much blood in my alcohol system-
golden pond
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Post by golden pond »

Like Rocky Creek said, I usally buy it at Wal-Mart , 100 lbs. at the time, every now then maybe an older clerk might say something, I'd just say something about alot of canning going on. Most Wal-Marts are set up now so you can check your own selve out, I always go to Wal-Mart about five o'clock in the morning anyhow. One of my friends does it not so smart at times, he goes to a Sam's Club and buys a couple 100 lbs and then 5-10 lbs. of yeast at the same time, that is asking for questions for sure.
Never follow good whiskey with water, unless you're out of good whiskey!!!
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Tater
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Post by Tater »

Thats when ya go through the line mumbling about wifes bake sales :)
I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper
KatoFong
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Post by KatoFong »

The first still I made, I had to be shown where everything I needed was, so I had this pair of kids who worked at the hardware store running around with me getting supplies. Naturally, they asked questions. At first, one asked if I was building a meth lab. I told him no...then he said, "Making moonshine?" I just kind of grinned.

After a little while, I told them I was making a still to steam distill essential oils. Went into great detail about the making of essential oils...don't know how much of it was right and how much was just made up, but it convinced these two kids.

I'm somewhat more secretive about the whole subject now, but obviously not much. I mean, I'm on this board now.
Bujapat
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Post by Bujapat »

Never mind when buyin' 50 kgs sugar... In our country, most bee keepers feed their honey-bees with sugar during winter... They buy frequently more than 50 kgs sugar!
I know you live in Belgium...So do you know this shop in the northern side of the country : Brouwland?
If you don't, take a few minutes to have a look at their on line catalogus :
http://www.brouwland.com onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
It's a real paradise for wine and beer makers.... even moonshiners!
Otherwise, for still components like old beer kegs, I asked it to a beer seller (Isaid it was to make a rain water filter!) and he gave it to me for 0 €!
I think the reel problem with dicretion is when you've distilled some nice bourbon and you make it taste to (too) many friends!
stoker
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Post by stoker »

yes I know what brouwland is
it's located below Antwerp
but that's at the other side of the country. I've never been there

hey, it's a good idea to begin talking about bees!
-I have too much blood in my alcohol system-
stoker
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Post by stoker »

I bought a bag of sugar of 25 kg (€20) and cracked corn also 25 kg ( €9) without a problem
also a jug of distilled water, it costs almost nothing (€ 1 / 5 l)
-I have too much blood in my alcohol system-
Bujapat
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My last recipe

Post by Bujapat »

My last recipe for bourbon (or some moonshine like that) :

4,5 kg crushed corn
0,5 kg malt "whisky" (Brouwland)
2 kg sugar
40 g baker yeast (Colruyt)
30 g nutrients (Brouwland)

Boil the water, add corn, 30 minutes at 82°C, then, when at 63°C, add malt (crushed), try to hold T° for 2 hours, then let cool (20°C).

Separate liquid from grain and put the yeast in the liquid.

After fermantation, distill slowly, cut heads and tails...

I obtained 2,5 l of ±70% proof alcohol...

I diluted 400 ml alcohol with
250 ml decoction of oak chips (middle toasted)... (ask for recipe...)
80 ml caramel (home made... ask for recipe...)
40 ml maple syrup
To get ± 750 ml full taste moonshine... My wife loves it with Coca Cola!!!
I'm french speaking!

Boiler : 50 L (13 gal) beer keg, gas heated.
Reflux : 104 cm (41 inches) column 54 mm (2 inches) diameter withh SS scrubbers packing.
Potstill : 40 cm (15 inches) column 54 mm (2 inches) diameter without packing.
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