Anybody watch "Moonshiners" on the Discovery Channel?

[DJlaysitup]

Back when my Mom and Pop bought an older house back in Southern Illinois for me and my brother to grow up in Dad went up in the attic and found copper pots and tubes that he knew were the makings of an old moonshine still.  They used to talk about it at family get togethers and I was an "all-ears" kinda kid.  I was surprised at how all the "oldtimers" knew how moonshine stills worked.  I guess it was because they lived through prohibition.

 

Anyway - I get a kick out of the reality show "Moonshiners"...it's mostly Bull Stuff as all the reality shows are but they do give out a bit of info along the way (like alcohol turns into vapor at 172 degrees while water does at 212).

 

Fun to watch.  I have about 2/3rds of the equipment to run my own small still - but am not sure I really want to do it.  I think one would have to live out in the country to be relatively comfortable about making "shine", even just for fun.

 

I hope to give it a try someday though, since it doesn't seem to be that hard.  Get a big pot and mix up some cornmeal, sugar, water, and a few pinches of yeast...let it ferment for a week or so...get the temperature right in your still where the alcohol vapors off before the water - then re-condense it through some copper tubing.  The folks from Georgia Southern were drinking moonshine at the Georgia State game I went to....it would be a dangerous hobby though since you can just buy 100 proof vodka at the liquor store (basically the same thing).

 

...and apparently making moonshine is technically against the law.

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Edited February 4, 2015 by DJlaysitup

[capstone21]

 

...and apparently making moonshine is technically against the law.

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I was going to point that out :)