Anyone have stories about distilling mishaps? Funny or not

speedfreaksteve · Post by **speedfreaksteve** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 8:32 am

Would be interesting to hear about any bad mistakes people have made or stories of people unexpectedly running into you with your still running.

I have one to tell. About 3 months ago I was running my still in the garage. Was doing a variation of UJSM. Like most garages my floor is graded slightly so that any water will flow out towards the driveway. On top of that, when I use my still with the electric burner it has to be in exactly the right place on top or else it is abit tippy.

So sure enough about an hour into it while I wasn't watching it the whole thing tipped over. Hot sticky liquid all over the garage floor.

I've spend over an hour cleaning it up and it's still sticky in most of the garage. Last time that I ever used the still in my garage.

Bujapat · Post by **Bujapat** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 2:34 pm

Have a look at this :
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... light=mist

junkyard dawg · Post by **junkyard dawg** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 11:10 am

I put a gallon of 120 proof in a big wine jug with some oak blocks and stoppered it tight and set it in an enclosed trailer that I store stuff in. Well, summertime in Texas is hot and inside that trailer even hotter, and alcohol expands when hot... expands a lot...

So, a couple weeks later I opened that trailer and was almost knocked down by the smell of alcohol... glass everywhere and little oak blocks... That trailer still smells good...

Back in '85 when I first tried distilling, my buddy and I had to leave our still when somepeople were walkin around in the woods where we set up. We didn't get the fire out I guess and about half an hour after we left, I saw smoke coming from the woods. We burned about a half acre, but managed to put the fire out ourselves. If it weren't for a horse trough nearby that we got water from it would have been much worse...

The Chemist · Post by **The Chemist** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 2:25 am

Well, I don't think it's exactly what you're after, but I DID blow up a distillation during a Grignard reaction in second year organic...

goose eye · Post by **goose eye** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 4:57 am

these boys had got there first kettle an had it shinein an took it out to set it up on a branch in the fall. they had walked back to roll the cider down - it was hid -an started rollin it back an you could see that shiny kettle once you toped the ridge- 200 yds-. first thang they did was hid everythang an
carry that kettle out an smuted it up before they brung it back. the
worst part there pa had tole em - it sure was shiney-. they heard him but they wont listenin.
so im tole

pintoshine · Post by **pintoshine** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 10:33 pm

Back in 92 I was in an apartment in Lexington Ky, USA. I was attending the University of Ky at the time working on my EE degree. I had a 30L jug of grape juice ready to go but I had to study for exams too. I had a friend come over and we were working on Fields and Waves.
I started the still which at that time I had a 20 liter stove top model. I was using an air cooled condenser with forced air cooling. I forgot to do two things on my boil up. I forgot to turn on the fan and I forgot to put a container under to output of the condenser.
I was cooking with gas.
The spirit came over at about 75% and needless to say there was a fire.
I grabbed a tin of flour and was dousing the fire the best I could. 75% alcohol is very hard to put out. It melted my box fan I was using and there was a lot of smoke from the plastic. At the time it wasn't funny. It scared my study partner to death. All he could say was "I thought you were joking when you said it was high proof, but that stuff is like rocket fuel!"
I never distilled in the apartment again.
I just drank a lot of half assed wine untill I moved to a house.

speedfreaksteve · Post by **speedfreaksteve** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:15 am

Unfortunately I have a new story.

Was going from my house to my cabin and figured I would do a spirit run of rye whiskey including a bunch of tails that I had saved up.

One of my 2 litre containers I didn't have a proper stopper on.

Needless to say I lost about a litre and a half of tails on the carpet in the back of my truck. This happened two weeks ago and my truck still smells like tails!
Now I have to wait till winter is over so that I can steam clean the carpet.

partsbill · Post by **partsbill** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:27 am

After making moon for @ a year, my wife finally got cold feet in the matter and began to worry about her losing her job if I got in trouble.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooo

I shut the whole system down.

Gave my 6 fermenters to my neighbor who makes wine.
Also gave him 60 gallons of mash to put in his garden
gave him 15 gallons of backset...garden also. Guess he's trying to grow some mighty fine tasting cucumbers next summer.

Also gave him 5 gallons of shine since my wife, being afraid of my other friends turning me in, didn't want me to distribute to many others.

Gave 9 more gallons to selected other people and kept 35-750ml bottles for myself; if I ever become a serious drinker.

Also got rid of my Jim Beam barrel I got from walmart that everyone here said was no good and used up. It helped to produce some very fine product. It went back to ashes as I lit it in the back yard, sat back, had a sip or 2, and watched it burn, with a tear going down my cheek.

Oh also took apart 2 fermenting cabinets along with all its wiring and heat lamps.

I'm gone..............FOR NOW..............but I'm forgetting

muckanic · Post by **muckanic** » Thu Feb 01, 2007 7:42 pm

="partsbill". After making moon for @ a year, my wife finally got cold feet in the matter and began to worry about her losing her job if I got in trouble.

I take it you performed some sort of cost-benefit analysis before making this decision?

partsbill · Post by **partsbill** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:13 am

muckanic wrote:
="partsbill". After making moon for @ a year, my wife finally got cold feet in the matter and began to worry about her losing her job if I got in trouble.
I take it you performed some sort of cost-benefit analysis before making this decision?

Absolutely! I had dodged all the common complaints. I dont want you to get caught, get in trouble, get arrested, get put in jail, all of which would happen to me. yet when she "said" she was worried about her job, I couldn't dodge that. I would risk all the others(for the thrill), yet couldn't convince her of not losing her "ONLY" job she's ever had. Working for an ophthalmic surgeon for 30 years(she's 52).

stoker · Post by **stoker** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:37 am

you removed everything that has something to do with distilling, except your still?!
you can consider brewing beer, it's legal, and also fun.

partsbill · Post by **partsbill** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:06 am

stoker wrote:you removed everything that has something to do with distilling, except your still?!
you can consider brewing beer, it's legal, and also fun.

See, I didn't want to quit. just did it to please her. Didn't think I would miss it as much as I still do. BTW, cut the simple potstill I had up in several pieces.

I started this whole adventure after looking up a cookie recipe with molassas. Molassas, then to rum, then here. I don't drink much at all, but I NEED an interesting hobby to occupy the mind. Distilling fulfilled it. As far as the beer, I drank @ 1-6-pack last year....maybe. maybe 3 glasses of wine. Probably 3 gallon of distilled alcohol. Kinda like coming out of professional sports and going back to intramural college sports(moonshine to beer/wine). Out of the probably 75-80 gallons of 100 proof I made last year, I drank 3 gallons. most of the rest was given away except for a few people who were generous enough to donate to me to keep making it.

Maybe (hopefully) she'll tire of me sitting around, doing little until the next adventure arises, and suggest to start a still once again.

I keep editing this:

Some of my past hobbies. Check these out:
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2227481 ... 1309ZVMXtc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

speedfreaksteve · Post by **speedfreaksteve** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 7:43 am

Has there been many arrests for that in NC in recent years?

I would think that in most places as long as it's a small operation for personal consumption they would be pretty hardpressed to give you more than a fine. But I guess the embarassment to your wife if an arrest for moonshining shows up in the local paper is a worse punishment.

partsbill · Post by **partsbill** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:15 pm

speedfreaksteve wrote:Has there been many arrests for that in NC in recent years?

I would think that in most places as long as it's a small operation for personal consumption they would be pretty hardpressed to give you more than a fine. But I guess the embarassment to your wife if an arrest for moonshining shows up in the local paper is a worse punishment.

I think the embarassment thing is what she is afraid of.

mtnwalker2 · Post by **mtnwalker2** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:52 pm

Partsbill, Why not give your neighbor, or one of your other "Partners in crime" your still as well. You would have fun adviseing and coaching them, and no more than you drink, enjoy a libation from a legally labeled bottle (?), that you know is of good quality. A single bottle, partially full, of vodka or other in your house, isn't going to get you arrested. Just stay away from the distilling process, to be safe.

My Sympathies!

partsbill · Post by **partsbill** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:13 am

I may actually have that in the future. One of my taste testers has built a house across the street from me and will probably move in during the summer. While that would satisfy my quest for great alcohol, I can't stay at his house forever. I need to be doing something at home to keep my mind and body busy.

When I was hardcore into my stillin; from generous donations from my friends, I had:

2-30 gal trashcans with mash fermenting in custom heated cabinets
3-9 5-gallon plastic water bottles full of fermented mash
1 simple little 24l potstill running hard
@3 liters of 60% every 2.5 hours( 1 a nite)
On the weekend, I would run it almost non-stop for 2 days.

Some of it I cleaned up for clear shine at 115 proof, most went into my $35 Jim Bean barrel from Walmart.

I'm hopeful to start up once again soon. The natives are getting restless

jake · Post by **jake** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:51 am

back about1989 or 1990 a buddy had two partly full coors beer balls. I had made one or two runs at that time. not much experence; and i thoght why not? foam running out the end of my worm put and end to that real quick.
God bless my wife; while dating 14 years ago she saw my still and ask WHAT IS THAT? my reply" The less you know. The less you can testify about!" she married me any way
Good luck Partsbill !!!!

partsbill · Post by **partsbill** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:50 am

Now this is funny. Went round and round with my wife and up comes my son last weekend. Now this is actually my step son who while growing up(he 21 now) could do absolutely no wrong. Trouble in school, trouble with the law(speeding tickets and traffic violations.....many)trouble at home; YET, he could still do no wrong in the eyes of momma. Comes up to my wife, says theirs no good reason why I can't make a little alcohol since I'm rather good at it and thoroughly enjoy it. And then the clincher....since he's now 21 and enjoys a little every now and then from what I make, HE might get into trouble if he wants some and has to get it elsewhere. And all this with no coaching from me at all!! She did a complete 180, went out and bought me 30 lbs of sugar and said if I want to make some....have at it. Woo Hoo !!!!!!

jake · Post by **jake** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 2:06 pm

now you can rebuild better than ever WOO HOO for you!
keep us posted.

possum · Post by **possum** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:07 pm

Glad thats working out for you partsbill

Home Distiller

Anyone have stories about distilling mishaps? Funny or not

Anyone have stories about distilling mishaps? Funny or not

funny story

EUREKA!!!!