"He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine"
Copperhead Road
(Steve Earle)
Just wondering if anyone has had any knowing looks and/or hassle when they buy 6 feet of 3" copper pipe and a roll of soft tubing. Or when they go into a store and buy a tub of molasses, a 100 lb bag of sugar, a brick of yeast and nothing else. Or when you buy 25 copper pot scrubbers, "just how dirty is your house?".
Maybe most wouldn't notice, but it would be pretty obvious to me.
Me" i am looking for a food grade SS or copper covered heating element that has a bolt in fitting
Owner" what is the make and model of your appliance *as he gets the book about a foot thick from under the desk*
Me" umm no i am just making a boiler
Owner" hmm what do you need it for
Me" cant say because if i do you cant sell it to me
Owner" OWWW your makeing a Still no problem
*walks out back and brings in 3 low density 4 bolt elements*
Owner" you want 1500Watts 1800Watts or 2200Watts
some people in this worlds are really cool
Some people say its "FREE" but i say "there ant no free lunch" you get what you pay/work for help those that help them self first
25Lt old school SS keg as a pot with a prototype Ponu still head
The guy at the feedstore told me one time that people make whiskey from the bag of elbon rye I was picking up... I smiled and said 'really, I wonder how you do that...'
I bought the keg for my boiler at a swap meet (for $15!). As I'm carrying it over to stash it at the family booth a lady asks me what are you going to do with that? Before I can start to tell her I think it would make a great gas tank for a roadster pickup, my wife, who with the slightest encouragemennt would tell you most of her life's story, cheerily replies, "Oh he's going to make a moonshine still with it!" Acutely aware of the legality of my intended venture, I was dumbfounded and mortified as the lady, not missing a beat, begins to tell us that "We need to go talk to those guys over there. They used to make some of the best stuff around until they got busted... Some teenagers got ahold of some shine and got caught with it... Now their still is on display... It was so nicely built it would have been a shame to destroy it..." I probably should have tried talking to those guys but never did.
Just last week I tracked down a local farmer who was selling barley for animal feed at 16 cents a pound. I asked had it been treated with any chemicals and do you think I could sprout it, explaining I was doing some home brewing and wanted to make my own malt. He answered no chemicals and yes it'd probably sprout, though he hadn't tried. He then went on to start telling me about some "ole boys" he used to know up by Packwood that used to make moonshine and bring him some. "Doesn't know anybody that does that anymore. It's a dying art." He then went on to tell me about the "Old Hippy" down the road. Usually comes in for horse feed. "He's all excited about making ethanol for fuel and wanted him to teach him how, but he didn't know how. He'd have his own rig if he did..." Somewhere along the way I realized he probably had a pretty good idea what I was going to do with the barley and was sympathetic to the cause so I admitted I'd be condensing the alcohol a bit. I've got the feeling I could trade him a bit for barley if I wanted.
I don't tell many what I'm up to, but most I've talked to are keenly interested in at least sampling, with the exception of my mother. I love her dearly, but I get the feeling she's sure that the demons are going to rise from the jars and grab her by the throat.
I was checking out at sam's wholesale back in 87. I had 250lb sugar (5 bags) and 5, 1 lb bricks of active dry yeast. I was living in Huntsville AL at the time and between jobs. The nice old lady at the register winked and said "You must be having a bake sale down at the church!" I have used that line too much since.
If you buy from places that only sell in large quantities, then you'll never get even a passing glance. Find a restaurant supply place that sells to the public. They don't even sell bags smaller than 50lbs, and they're so used to seeing shoppers with much more, you'll never look out of place. If anyone ever asks, say you're splitting it with family, to share in the savings.
honestly has anyone ever been busted if not selling the stuff or had thier rig explode or just dumb luck having a cop see it while on unrelated business in thier home?
ill admit that even i use discression when buying obnoxiously large quantities of things and dont do it all together. but honestly
the average person dosent even realize that its possible to make your own much less be suspicious of someone buying copper and sugar.
ive had close friends over see my rig in my basement and never guessed that was it was. "so wheres the still" "oh you mean that pole thing with the hose?" "wheres the curly-Q thing?"
but id really be interested to know if anyone has ever heard of people getting busted without selling or by accident
Ordered two 1" stainles gate valves at the local engineering supply place yesterday (where i'm well known) and got the comment...'for a still eh?'. 'What do you mean still?' was the reply....
I buy grain from the seed graders, where they're aware of what i do. I get sugar from people who work at places that don't ask questions and it's dropped at my house in big bags...same with mollasses..Everything else (not that there's much) comes from online, industrial suppliers that think they're dealing with a brew shop where possible.
eternalfrost wrote:honestly has anyone ever been busted if not selling the stuff or had thier rig explode or just dumb luck having a cop see it while on unrelated business in thier home?
ill admit that even i use discression when buying obnoxiously large quantities of things and dont do it all together. but honestly
the average person dosent even realize that its possible to make your own much less be suspicious of someone buying copper and sugar.
ive had close friends over see my rig in my basement and never guessed that was it was. "so wheres the still" "oh you mean that pole thing with the hose?" "wheres the curly-Q thing?"
but id really be interested to know if anyone has ever heard of people getting busted without selling or by accident
Yep there was a fella busted few miles from me .Had a shed fire. 3 of the volunteer firemen were also dept sheriffs who called in the feds .
tater wrote:
Yep there was a fella busted few miles from me .Had a shed fire. 3 of the volunteer firemen were also dept sheriffs who called in the feds .
again an accident. i mean along the lines of what this thread is poking at. authorities knocking on your door with a warrant (or even just knocking period) due to behaviors like strange purchases.
especially since everything has legitimate daily uses. much more legitimate then buying ANYTHING in a hydroponics store for your 'tomatoes'
ill grant that its possible. but i really dont see it as realistic if your just tinkering in your home and not distributing etc.
Just my point, I wondered what the level of paranoia/risk is in the ole US of A? The cute "busted" stories are great too.
I'm a Canuck, so we have a much higher tolerance for illegal, but harmless activities. There is a bill still pending to decriminalize pot, but there has been significant backlash from our friends south of the border.
I had a break in. I called the cops but forgot that I had a pot of herbs sitting on the window sill.
The man made a report for insurance, then told me that he would have to take the plant with him. No charges, and on his way out he said I was overwatering it and it needed more nitrogen.
True story
AFAIK, there are NO dry areas in Canada, unlike y'all.
Keep the stories coming. Curious minds want to know.
that's called "due dilligence" and because it's in his face (he saw it) he has to confiscate it.
Numerous 57L kegs, some propane, one 220v electric with stilldragon controller. Keggle for all-Grain, two pot still tops for whisky, a 3" reflux with deflag for vodka. Coming up, a 4" perf plate column. Life is short, make whisky and drag race!
Buy my grain and molasses from a feed store, the clerk is a gal I've known for 35+ years. Use 3 different places to buy copper bits. Mom's too busy to can anymore and sent me all her jars. Skip around a bit to get sugar. All in all I just act like it's no big deal, and the young cashiers are clueless anyway.
It is the very things that we think we know, that keep us from learning what we should know.
Valved Reflux, 3"x54" Bok 'mini', 2 liebig based pots and the 'Blockhead' 60K btu propane heat
I buy copper fittings and copper tubing (cut to length) from a plumbing/pipefitting place that does commercial plumbing (they use larger sizes than household plumbers). When I first walked in with a list, the lady at the desk asked if it was for an art project since there is a rather large artist section in the nearby city and, well, just look at me. I told her I specialize in garden and fish pond fountains. No problems...happy to help.
I'm not concerned when I buy supplies- but I never know what to tell the guy at the homebrew shop!
I went to buy some bottles and corks, and he asked me what I was bottling. "Uhm... stuff." was my answer. I'm not sure if he saw through it, or just thinks i'm weird. I'm sure all legit customers can go on and on about their projects.
"Get your shine on."
brewmaker1 wrote:This ain't Playboy. You have to actually read the articles in here.
Our local homebrew shop is part of a micro-brewery, they are starting to carry more and more distilling type items. (distiller's yeast, turbos and carbon filters to name a few that have been added in the past few months) The owner had an idea that I was distilling and started asking me about different products that he was bringing in.
It is the very things that we think we know, that keep us from learning what we should know.
Valved Reflux, 3"x54" Bok 'mini', 2 liebig based pots and the 'Blockhead' 60K btu propane heat
just out of curiosity, anyone have any legal knowledge on what to do if someone ever WERE to show up at your door with a warrent. or having an authority figure stumble upon it by accident?
My friend John, a mile a way or so, ordered a PDA-1 out of Canada. He had the feds show up at his house asking what it was for. He told them "I've got well water and it is for water purification" and they left.
I guess it was the customs people who flagged it. This is a rather out of the ordinary situation though. I've shipped many pots with no issues yet and all for decorations of course.
went looking for beer kegs at the scrap yard with the stepdad yesterday, he's deaf in one ear and half deaf in the other and has a booming voice, when asked what we wanted to do with the keg, he says "WERE MAKIN A WHISKEY STILL" so loud everyone in the yard can hear.
I told him " thats reall not the sort of thing you ought to announce."
on a side note, I ordered Enzymes and had them shipped to his house so they couldn't be traced to me.
Most supplies I buy aside from sugar can be used for making beer ,hlt ,boiler ,mash tun, fermenters ,malt ,grains and copper for wort chillers. The hippie health food shop thinks I make lots of rye bread the rye grain and bread yeast.The produce store thinks I keep chooks (cracked corn)and malt barley and other grains to make beer.The supermarket must think I have a real sweet tooth or bake alot of sweet stuff.most of the 15 year old check out chicks dont know what day it is anyway.most supplies and equipment can be explained away as beer or wine stuff.
I know I'm firing up an old thread, but my post fits here and I couldn't find anything more recent about it.
What do you tell your friends you are serving them? I'm not planning to share with everyone, but I get cautious even with close friends. It is easy for someone to slip up and tell their friends about a great night they had sipping home made spirits... Not sure if I'm being over-cautious, but I feel like me sharing with 3 guys could become 20 people knowing about it far too easily.
jeepkidd wrote:I know I'm firing up an old thread, but my post fits here and I couldn't find anything more recent about it.
What do you tell your friends you are serving them? I'm not planning to share with everyone, but I get cautious even with close friends. It is easy for someone to slip up and tell their friends about a great night they had sipping home made spirits... Not sure if I'm being over-cautious, but I feel like me sharing with 3 guys could become 20 people knowing about it far too easily.
If you can't trust everyone enough to tell the truth, don't serve your own spirits at all... Or only to a select few who you can trust and don't get it in front of everyone else... You could potentially get into more trouble by unknowingly serving someone moonshine... That's my take on it anyway...
When I first went to the local feed store to buy a bucket of molasses the woman said, "Ahhhh my old man used to make rum too. Here you go". And away I went. Most folk couldn't give a toss. They are in business to screw money from people, nothing else. Try walking out saying 'never mind, I'll get it elsewhere' and see how quickly they will cooperate. Money is a very powerful lever!!
Simple potstiller. Slow, single run.
(50 litre, propane heated pot still. Coil in bucket condenser - No thermometer, No carbon) The Reading Lounge AND the Rules We Live By should be compulsory reading
Went to box store with wife last weekend sugar on sale (cane) 10# bag $3.50 a bag bought 10 bags a guy walks by and sez sugarhead ummmm call me hands me a number And tells me There r better ways. Wife looks at me like what the hell just happened go figure I belive there are more pepole into this hobby than we relize. what ya think.
went into the local plumbing place to get a couple T pieces and some caps, and a couple meters microbore for the new condenser.
the guy has seen me a couple times before ordering odds and ends, but thought nothing of it.
it's not til he's at the end of the shopping list, slaps the coil on the counter, and he pauses, with a quizzical look.
"ahh. i see what yer buildin. wasnt obvious till i put the copper line down!"
i went a little bit quiet, and came up with some bullshit about how my brother is a tattoo artist, and needs distilled water in large quantities for the autoclave. as such, these things are true.
the quizzical look comes back.
"bollocks. if thats true, tell him that the booze you can make will be much better for sterilizing than steam. thirteen quid please!"
turns out hes a regular in my sister's pub. he told her the story about the monster skinhead who came in for still bits, and all she can say is "yeah. thats me brother!"
on the upside, i now get 10% trade discount on anything i want!
j
It's much easier to cut a bit off than weld a bit on...
folks only know what you tell them
