mercredi 14 septembre 2016

Buying A Moonshine Still Intrigues Many Home Brewers

By Donna Bell


There are some people who love coffee. Others like trying different kinds of teas. Still others enjoy the taste of an occasional alcoholic beverage. If you are of legal age, you can purchase wines and beers in many different varieties and in a full range of prices. Over the past several years, more and more individuals have become intrigued with making their own personal beers and wines. Then there are those who love the idea of making whiskey in a moonshine still.

For some, moonshine connotes hillbillies in the mountains brewing their illegal beverage in homemade stills. In fact, the product came to the forefront of society when Prohibition laws went into effect in the nineteen twenties. Once Congress passed legislation banning the sale and consumption of liquor, bootleggers went into action. They knew there would be a huge market for the illegal substance. Also known as hooch, white lightning, and shine, the outlawed drink eventually became a source of great wealth for some famous Americans.

Today, purchasing stills is becoming more mainstream than ever. You can find them for sale online either new or used. Even the most popular auction websites have bidding going on for the equipment all the time. You can choose plans or kits if you want to make one yourself. The actual stills are not extremely expensive. They seem to range from three hundred to seven hundred dollars for a small one.

You don't even have to be interested in making alcohol to be intrigued by the equipment. Most are made of copper, and the best are nothing short of works of art. Many people shop for antique stills to decorate rooms in their homes. They are certainly great conversation pieces.

If you actually decide to try your hand at making the beverage, you should be able to entertain your imbibing guests with some facts about the brew. First of all, it is not aged. That is one of the reasons it is so easy to make, and one of the reasons for its popularity. When it is ready for consumption, it is somewhere in the vicinity of one hundred fifty to one hundred seventy proof.

Guests might also be interested to hear how the stuff is associated with the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. In the old days, sheriffs and tax revenuers were on the lookout for illegal stills, and the moonshiners knew it. They outfitted their cars with revved up engines so they could outrun the authorities. Eventually somebody thought up the idea of racing the cars around a track, and stock car racing was born.

The big question, when it comes to moonshine is, is it legal? The quick answer is, that in most states, it is illegal to make it at home. In some states, you can manufacture the liquor as long as you have all the licenses needed and pay the taxes required. Home brewed wine and beer is legal however, in most states. If you are caught making "hooch", you can face fines and felony charges.

Many people are willing to risk the dangers of making this toxic brew. Purchasing stills for personal use is not illegal. What you do with the still, is your business.




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