Moonshine is simply homemade whiskey. It has gained a cult following throughout parts of North America over the years. Usually, Moonshine is produced using very small-scale stills in remote areas of the country. This is because moonshine manufacturers want to avoid the legal hassle of getting a commercial still license. If someone regularly drinks Moonshine it is advisable they seek treatment for alcohol addiction for alcohol addiction.
Methods
Stills are made of copper or steel and a water filled barrel with copper tubing as a condenser. This type of still is popular because of its simplicity and history within the moonshining community. Today, there are many do-it-yourself still models available online. These new moonshine methods can be very dangerous. When fermenting yeast and sugar together methanol can become a byproduct and contaminate the moonshine with toxic levels of the gas.
Impurities
Moonshine is made palatable and safer by discarding what is known as "foreshot". Foreshot refers to the first few ounces of alcohol that drips from the condenser at the beginning of production. These first few drips contain most, if not all, of the methanol from the mash. It also contains trace amounts of other toxic compounds like acetone and aldehydes.
Risk
Another reason Moonshine production is dangerous is the ever present risk of an explosion. Any alcohol that is at least 80 proof, defined as being 40% alcohol by volume, can ignite. This is particularly true during the distillation process when vaporized alcohol can seep into the air if there is not good ventilation. Moonshine is also sometimes combined with lye or beading oil to increase its potency. This is extremely hazardous, however, as this poisonous mixture has been shown to cause blindness or even death.
Quality Control
The method moonshiners employ to test the worth of their batch is to pour a small amount onto a spoon and set it on fire. Safe moonshine will burn with a blue flame while a contaminated batch will burn yellow. Although this test does potentially reveal the presence of toxic lead, it does not uncover the potential presence of methanol which burns invisibly.
History
Moonshining was an established practice very early on in American history. After the American Revolution, the United States was struggling to pay for the expenses of a long war. The idea they came up with was to implement a new federal tax on liquor. Having just fought a war to get away from oppressive British taxes, the people were not very excited with this new tariff. Moonshining came about when people chose to start producing their own whiskey, disregarding the new federal tax. Fight your alcohol abuse.
Methods
Stills are made of copper or steel and a water filled barrel with copper tubing as a condenser. This type of still is popular because of its simplicity and history within the moonshining community. Today, there are many do-it-yourself still models available online. These new moonshine methods can be very dangerous. When fermenting yeast and sugar together methanol can become a byproduct and contaminate the moonshine with toxic levels of the gas.
Impurities
Moonshine is made palatable and safer by discarding what is known as "foreshot". Foreshot refers to the first few ounces of alcohol that drips from the condenser at the beginning of production. These first few drips contain most, if not all, of the methanol from the mash. It also contains trace amounts of other toxic compounds like acetone and aldehydes.
Risk
Another reason Moonshine production is dangerous is the ever present risk of an explosion. Any alcohol that is at least 80 proof, defined as being 40% alcohol by volume, can ignite. This is particularly true during the distillation process when vaporized alcohol can seep into the air if there is not good ventilation. Moonshine is also sometimes combined with lye or beading oil to increase its potency. This is extremely hazardous, however, as this poisonous mixture has been shown to cause blindness or even death.
Quality Control
The method moonshiners employ to test the worth of their batch is to pour a small amount onto a spoon and set it on fire. Safe moonshine will burn with a blue flame while a contaminated batch will burn yellow. Although this test does potentially reveal the presence of toxic lead, it does not uncover the potential presence of methanol which burns invisibly.
History
Moonshining was an established practice very early on in American history. After the American Revolution, the United States was struggling to pay for the expenses of a long war. The idea they came up with was to implement a new federal tax on liquor. Having just fought a war to get away from oppressive British taxes, the people were not very excited with this new tariff. Moonshining came about when people chose to start producing their own whiskey, disregarding the new federal tax. Fight your alcohol abuse.
About the Author:
During these times there was absolutely no talk of treatment for alcohol abuse as people had much bigger problems to worry about. Fight alcohol abuse.
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