A Moonshine Still Can Have Many Different Uses

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.

You can buy a still online very easily. They are offered new and used and come in a wide variety of sizes and prices. If you want to build one yourself, you can purchase kits and plans for a nominal fee. Even the most respectable websites, where people buy everything from video games to cars, have stills for sale. A person looking for stills for personal use can find high quality equipment for three to seven hundred dollars.

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.

The connection between NASCAR and "hooch" is real. During the early years of the twentieth century, moonshiners outran the law in cars that were designed for speed. At some point, it was decided that it would be fun to run these cars on tracks and sell tickets to the public. This was the birth of stock car racing.

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.

Making alcohol for personal use can be a really fun hobby. If you decide to venture into the world of moonshine production, just be careful the "revenuers" don't find out.




About the Author: