[clue-talk] Free as in Whiskey?

[David Rudder]

My thought was that pot stills would be easier to fabricate.  I'm not
very handy with a soldering iron, but if you are you'd be a great asset.
   I have the "Alaskan Bootlegger's Manual" , which describes some easy
to make pot stills.  This one is probably not great for volume, but very
clever:
http://www.happymountain.net/moonshine%20still.html

I imagine the 1st batch will really be nothing more than grain alcohol.
 It would take one run to get used to the equipment.  The choice of
grain would probably be based on price more than flavor.  I haven't
begun to price it out in enough detail to make comparisons.

My big hang-up right now is a place to do it.  My wife is more than
happy to have me sink a little cash into this, but not if we'll be
setting up a still in the backyard :)  We live in Wash Park and the
neighbors would get cranky.

Jed S. Baer wrote:
> On Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:33:04 -0600
> David Rudder wrote:
> 
>> It costs $1050/year to get a distiller's license in Colorado. 
>> The equipment, assuming we're using the pot stilling method, would come 
>> to another $500
>> Supplies would be another $200 or so
>> We'd need a place where they don't mind it smelling like rotting corn
> 
> Well, no comment on getting a license.
> 
> As for rotting corn, why not do a barley mash? For a first attempt, even
> use barley extract, available from any home-brew store. Do a double
> ferment, the first time with maybe a strong ale yeast, and then with
> champagne yeast. I don't know if there are any strains of yeast that can
> withstand a stronger alcohol level than champagne yeast.
> 
> While I understand some of the tradeoffs involved between using a pot vs.
> reflux still, if cost is your main objection to using a reflux still, a
> bit of ingenuity can still get you one for not a huge pile of money. I've
> heard of people using marbles for packing, for example. I would hope you
> have some sort of wooden vessel appropriate for aging. I guess the small
> volumes involved in home distillation make using an old wine cask
> impractical. I'm unsure of what would make a good substitute, though I've
> heard of people simply putting oak chips in glass jars.
> 
> I might be interested in playing around with this, but I can't throw any
> money at it. I am, however, plenty skilled at soldering copper pipe. I
> also lack transportation, except for my bike.
> 
> jed
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