puchasing a 50Kg bag of sugar

stoker · Post by **stoker** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 8:12 am

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

stoker

Rocky_Creek · Post by **Rocky_Creek** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 9:45 am

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.

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 11:07 am

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

. 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.

stoker · Post by **stoker** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:35 pm

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

knuklehead · Post by **knuklehead** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:04 pm

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.

Nichevo · Post by **Nichevo** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:09 pm

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 · Post by **Virginia Gentleman** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:09 pm

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.

rectifier · Post by **rectifier** » Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:58 pm

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 · Post by **stoker** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 12:38 am

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

Post by **golden pond** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:53 am

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.

Post by **Tater** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 8:50 am

Thats when ya go through the line mumbling about wifes bake sales

KatoFong · Post by **KatoFong** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 9:08 am

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 · Post by **Bujapat** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 10:30 am

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 · Post by **stoker** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 1:38 am

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!

stoker · Post by **stoker** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 8:39 am

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)

Bujapat · Post by **Bujapat** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 12:34 pm

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!!!