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Thread: Ponkin' Moonshine

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    Default Ponkin' Moonshine

    I was reading a turn of the century treatise on the fine art of fermenting and distilling various farm crop products. I came across a section that mentioned you can actually still up pumpkins and get a yield comparable to potatoes.

    I believe the yield they mentioned was about 2-3 gallons per bushel. I am sure that commercially we have been able to increase that in the last 100 years, but I found that fairly interesting.

    I never heard of a pumpkin liquor, so I wanted to ask if anyone of you have heard tell, or even tried a spirit derived from pumpkins.

    For a farm pumpkins seem like a really nice product. You can use the seeds to press oil from. The oil having thousands of wonderful uses ranging from diesel fuel to cooking oil. The rind can be made into soup, or distilled with the byproducts being liquor as well as feed for your livestock.

    If TSHTF in a long term scenario I know that spirits would be a valuable trade commodity. Being able to produce it cleanly, readily, and regularly would be a boon to any self-sufficient venture. Oftentimes people forget that a spirit can double as antiseptic in case of injury, or as a preservative. It has many great uses.

    Just some thoughts.


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    I would think you can still any vegetable or fruit. The higher the sugar content the better so I understand.

    The guy that would know is Coot. Not that he's ever done that (you never know who's monitoring these places) but he's read a lot of stuff and if he WERE to make it I'll bet he would know what to use, how long to let it age (minutes or hours) and the proper method to dispose of, should you have to.
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    Well if this could some-how get launched into a discussion on the finer points between a single and double still I wouldn't mind learning for only academic purposes.

    I seen some still diagrams that are downright complicated and confusing. I was hoping someone could clear that up for me.

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    I just hope that isn't some patent pending problems that would limit the discussion. Some fellas are a bit closed lip thinking they might get out stilled.
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    A guy on another forum said he got a federal grant to build a still. For the production of alcohol as a fuel. I asked him what the difference between fuel alcohol and drinking alcohol was. He replied that he didn't add any sugar to the corn mash and after distilling he added a chemical to make unfit to drink. The stuff that makes it denatured. He got the plans, materials, and supplies from the web. Worth looking into? *shrug*
    Well why not?

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    Quote Originally Posted by tennecedar View Post
    A guy on another forum said he got a federal grant to build a still. For the production of alcohol as a fuel. I asked him what the difference between fuel alcohol and drinking alcohol was. He replied that he didn't add any sugar to the corn mash and after distilling he added a chemical to make unfit to drink. The stuff that makes it denatured. He got the plans, materials, and supplies from the web. Worth looking into? *shrug*
    Yep, that sounds right, although you really don't have to add sugar to your grain for drinking alcohol. All that matters is fermentation itself. Most likely people add sugar so that they can increase the alcohol content as the mash ferments, which would give you a higher yield when you run the still.

    I have done considerable research on the net, and the vast majority of articles and information provided are specifically for single still operation. From what I understand a double still will give you better purity, better quality end-product which is why I was interested in finding more data on double still.

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    Pumpkins - who would've thunk it. I know that cucumbers work well.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    I would think you can still any vegetable or fruit. The higher the sugar content the better so I understand. --That's my understanding too
    The guy that would know is Coot.--Yep, I'm waiting for Pop to weigh in on this one. Not that he's ever done that---goodness no! (you never know who's monitoring these places) but he's read a lot of stuff and if he WERE to make it I'll bet he would know what to use, how long to let it age (minutes or hours)---I've heard of that "aging" business before, I once let a batch set a whole ten days and I could find no discernible difference and the proper method to dispose of, should you have to.
    Oh yeah, and disposal services are something that I might be able to provide if you can't find a way to get rid of the stuff, yeah I could do that. You may also want to consult with quality control before taking any rash actions.
    some fella confronted me the other day and asked "What's your problem?" So I told him, "I don't have a problem I am a problem"

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    Quote Originally Posted by trax View Post
    Oh yeah, and disposal services are something that I might be able to provide if you can't find a way to get rid of the stuff, yeah I could do that. You may also want to consult with quality control before taking any rash actions.
    Aging is pointless if you don't add yeast!!!!

    It is the yeast that is going to produce your alcohol. Yeast eats sugar and makes alcohol as its by-product.

    In the art of brewing/distilling the adage should be "Cleanliness next to godliness" because contamination is usually the cause of lower yields and spoiled mash.

    I can't wait to see what Coot has to say too.

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    I can't wait to see what Coot has to say too.
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    I get home and read this Sacrilege concerning the nectar of the Gods being contaminated with "punkins"? Other vegetables, might as well drink water. You just need water, corn if you want something fancy, charred wood chips or just middlings(pig food), sugar.NOW. dump middlings, corn, dead cat into a #2 washtub, sugar & water, stir (don't stand downwind). Nice fire and stir while getting close to the boiling point. Cover with another tub that has a worm(1/4" copper tube) kinda twisted. The steam(if it don't blow up) goes thru the worm, condenses and you have the liquid. CAUTION don't lay under the end of the worm with your mouth open, it's HOT so let it run thru the charred wood, strain into a Mason jar to cool. At this point you may find a bug or two in the brew, don't worry about them they will never be more sterile. Shake and watch the beads form, if it takes close to a minute for them to break you got a decent brew. The acid test that I have posted before is tie up your best friend, put one drop of the "brew" on his forehead and if his tongue beats his brains out trying to get to it, it's just right. It can be aged, I have seen some aged for as much as three days before being consumed. Now in a survival situation without any of this fancy hardware take an old radiator and use for the worm, quick cooling and a little lead never hurt anyone. The "ole family" recipe is a little different but anything even,(gasp) punkins would work. I could get more detailed but it's time for me to get ready for church.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coot
    dump middlings, corn, dead cat into a #2 washtub
    Yeah, well, so much for all that cleanliness is next to Godliness crap.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    Yeah, well, so much for all that cleanliness is next to Godliness crap.
    Most of that was tongue in cheek, but well...cleanliness is good if you want a higher yield thats all.

    The part I don't see in Coot's post is the fermentation stage. Are you saying you just prep up and don't allow for fermentation before running your still? Your post seems very sequential, meaning not a lot of time delay between each step...

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    Senior Member Ole WV Coot's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by grundle View Post
    Most of that was tongue in cheek, but well...cleanliness is good if you want a higher yield thats all.

    The part I don't see in Coot's post is the fermentation stage. Are you saying you just prep up and don't allow for fermentation before running your still? Your post seems very sequential, meaning not a lot of time delay between each step...
    Since this part of the country is the main supplier you're talking about mixin' the mash, letting it work and then the mixture is vaporized and returned to a liquid thru condensation in the worm, therefore it is ready to go right out of the pipe, nice & clear. When you dodge the law sanitation isn't important and I have known men who used a radiator as a worm. This run was not for local consumption. Yeast is sometimes used if available, works faster but not necessary. For family reunions and as a gift to the sheriff corn mash or the hog feed is used along with sugar and yeast, doesn't take long to ferment and running the shine thru burnt hickory imparts a nice taste and is called of course "charred shine". The shaking and timing the bubbles breaking can tell a person familiar with either buying or making if and how much it has been "cut" or watered down. This is what I have heard over 50 yrs of sampling said brew which will make you bring back things you didn't steal and make your ugly cousin or the local livestock look kinda cute.
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    sampling said brew which will make you bring back things you didn't steal

    true story: Tequila made me do that once. Oh I had took it alright, just tried to give it back to the wrong person. (really it was only borrowing since it got returned eventually. nobody got fightin mad)
    Well why not?

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    reclinite automaton canid's Avatar
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    you can get a much higher yeild from pumpkinds that from potatoes, as pumpkins are naturally high in sugars. potatoes generally have to modifiedto break down the starches, and even yams/sweet potatoes would be a better bet without needing to use enzymes.
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    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Here is a resource for stills:

    http://www.moonshine-still.com/page2.htm
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    Here is the one I use all the time and one of the best www.milehidistilling.com
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    Quote Originally Posted by Smok View Post
    Here is the one I use all the time and one of the best www.milehidistilling.com
    That is interesting, so you use a reflux still. I have read that reflux will give you more pure alcohol, whereas a pot still will give you an alcohol that still has some flavour to it.

    Smok, can you comment on the flavour differences of different mash stock (i.e. grain, potato, or fruit) ? Do you perceive a noticeable difference in taste using the reflux still?

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    I was looking for a good image of the reflux still. They claim to have one, there's even an image there, but I'll be damned if I can find the still in that photo.
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