Make beer; it's safer (news brief)

[hemogoblin]

** Man making moonshine charged with arson **

Luis Manuel Orama says he just wanted to make a little homemade moonshine for Christmas.

But the Lee County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office says a wood-burning fire used in the fermentation process got out of control late Thursday, engulfing the outdoor still and spreading to his detached garage with three vehicles inside.

Orama, 52, was charged with second-degree arson and possession of a still to manufacture liquor. He told investigators he was making moonshine for Christmas.

Authorities said the fire caused about $50,000 in damage. No one was hurt.

Investigators later found several propane tanks behind the garage and empty jugs, hoses, a water system and three 55-gallon drums — one filled with a fermenting liquid.

( ... sounds like my garage a little, tho I am not into 55-gallon drums yet. Or moonshine.)

[Caffinehog]

Kinda dumb, especially since you can easily make alcohol at 20% with distillers yeast or even 24% with White Labs super high gravity yeast, and you don't need to distill at all.

6.5 gallon carboy = $20
18lbs sugar = $7
Distiller's yeast = $5
6.5 gallons of 40 proof alcohol without burning down your garage or breaking the law = priceless

[fretlessman71]

Yeah, but the best moonshine is 200 PROOF.... ;)

[tubetek]

Howdy all (& fretless)
Don't think it's possible to make 100% alcohol (200 proof). Lewiston and Everclear are 2 commercial examples of grain alcohol; each is in the 180-186 proof range.
Anyhoo, the best "moonshines" I've ever had were all in the 90-120 proof range.
BTW, having lived in Kentucky for the last 25 years and Virginia/Southern Maryland for the previous 24, I have experienced my share of JET FUELS as well as "Nectars O' The Gods"!!
Fret- Are you in KY.? Louisville Orchestra perhaps?
TT

[fretlessman71]

I'm in Nashville. Haven't had any real moonshine, but I know a self-titled "Arkansas Redneck" and he swears that he's had the real thing from someone on the LA border. He got it from a friend of a friend of a friend, and no one is talking about where this stuff is. He said that all you needed was about a 1/2 ounce of shine for your 12 oz. glass of cranberry juice and it was PERFECT for getting women to tumble right into your back seat! :D

Not staying in Nashville any longer than I have to... we're ready to move back home to CO (better people, better beer, better music, cleaner air, better scenery, etc...).

[brewmonkey]

200 Proof exists and in some places can be purchased at a liquor store. It will be called or labeled to have included the words "anhydrous ethyl alcohol".

Here is the MSDS for it.

http://www.aaper.com/aapermsds/7Ethyl%20200.pdf

[BeerBelly]

TubetekSouthern Maryland for the previous 24
WOOWOO Southern Maryland. I was born and raised in St Marys County, By God Capn'

So what part of Southern MD?


BrewMonkey "anhydrous ethyl alcohol"

Even us SMIB's (Southern Md InBreds) know better than to drink anything with an MSDS, as a rule of thumb. But Grandpa didnt write an MSDS.

BB