[HardingM14]

Makeing Moonshine is supposed to be illigal. In the way thay do it for sale on the show. Yet, they are filiming it. Do not under stand that.

Probably because most are licensed distillers and they probably just distillers water out in the woods. Reality TV shows go out of their way to make drama and "excitement/danger" usually by faking stuff.

 

[Dflag]

I believe it is legal to ferment a small amount for personal consumption, and distill it.

Nope.

Duce is correct.

Federally illegal in the US to home distill alcohol.

🥃 U.S. Home Distilling Laws by State - BoozeMakers

 

[Honest Tom]

Duce is correct.

Federally illegal in the US to home distill alcohol.

🥃 U.S. Home Distilling Laws by State - BoozeMakers

Here's a link to the federal blurb: TTBGov - Penalties for Illegal Distilling

 

[Stew15948]

To clarify, fermenting beer (contains alcohol) for personal use is ok (with limits), distilling (liquor) not.

27 CFR § 25.205

Federal Register :: Request Access

 

[Mad Trapper]

Nope.

What are regulations? I'm ignorant of this but willing to learn.

 

[Mad Trapper]

And there's the rub isn't it. You actually have experience under laboratory conditions, which means instrumentation, standard conditions, precise record-keeping, and theoretical knowledge. You have done a public service in my opinion just by underscoring the complexity of the job at hand. Methanol is poison. Period. Its effects may be innocuous but cumulative.

I am all about people doing pretty much whatever they want but where public health is the bottom line, folks consuming poison thinking it's only really strong "white lightening," well I dunno.

Thank you.

Oh, here's everybody's favorite communist millionaire railing against the IRS and whiskey tax:

We used to need ethanol for chemistry, that was absolutely anhydrous and pure of other organics. We would reflux 95% ethanol (grain) over magnesium turnings and iodine crystals, under dry argon. The magnesium reacted with the water to make Mg(OH)2, the iodine reacted with any aldehydes or methyl ketones (acetone, acetaldehyde,....) in an iodoform reaction. The reaction mixture then fractionally distilled.

I remembered in Grad school another student distilling dandelion wine with chemistry equipment. I guess he was lucky no one found out about that. That was potent stuff, I can't remember what temperature it distilled at?

I was surprised at the laws against distilling at home. Now I know why the hillbillys hate the BATF and in general tell the government to KMA!

I guess you can still make applejack. That is freeze hard cider and the water fractionally crystalizes, you pour off the ethanol enriched liquid "Jack". The crystals/ice/slush are pure water. I'm not sure how enriched the Jack is but I'm sure it's temperature dependent. I made some last winter by accident, had a few bottles outside when temp went to -15 oF. Bottles didn't freeze/crack, just had water slush in them. A dry ice slurry in alcohol or acetone (-78 oC) might get good results?