HomeDistiller.ORG?

Oh my!!! Just came across this. I'm entranced. Anyone else familiar with this website?

http://www.homedistiller.org

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2007-04-04 10:51 ]

I hope that I don't get this thread shut down/deleted by mentioning this, but yeah, I was under the impression that any form of home distilling in the U.S. is a federal crime. I found this out by trying to look up some local micro distilling clubs that would be similar to home beer and wine type clubs.

Now, it wouldn't be a crime if you had the proper paperwork/approval from the feds. Or were distilling in New Zealand. So that being said... hey, how about that distilling website? Looks like I have some good reading material to delve into.

Oh yeah! I'm not advocating that anyone actually make any of this stuff!! I'm just talking about the fascinating reading.

It give perspective into Vic's and Don's thoughts on their creation of secret liqueurs.

I think it must depend on amounts and what you do with it. Didn't everyone make a still in High School Chemistry? We did. At first it produced a drop or two at a time and the teacher only knew about that. Then we discovered that if you got the temperature right, the booze just poured out. We never let the teacher see that happen...

If you want to see how distilling was done back in the good ole days (and these systems were pretty close to the size of home systems), there are reprinted books available here:

http://www.raudins.com/BrewBooks/default.htm

Interesting info to be sure.... Just be aware that running a still in your house (and if the Feds get wind of it) will result in a seizure and forfeiture of any and all property that the still is on. IE, if you were to do it in your house, they could take it, and if you were to just do in on land that you owned, they could take that too, and anything on it (such as a house). Draconian as far as I'm concerned...

And I only recently found out that ANY form of raising the alcohol content is a federal crime. This includes freeze distilling, which is the way Apple Jack is made. Hard cider partially frozen and then having the ice strained out. Completely illegal.

While it would be fun to distill on your own, I personally don't think it is worth the risk.

Chris

What about making liquers? http://homedistiller.org/liqueurs.htm

You aren't raising the alcohol content with that. Still iffy?