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What is a gallon of moonshine worth?
Published 12:15 pm Friday, October 10, 2014 Ngoc Vo – The Messenger An illegal moonshine production has been busted this morning in the wooded area near Gardner Bassett Road. The bust was conducted through investigative efforts by the Department of Conservation, and the Pike County Sheriff Department with the assistance of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, according to Sheriff Russell Thomas.
Thomas said 20 barrels were found, each of which produces approximately 7 gallons of finished products, totaling roughly between 140 and 150 gallons of illegal alcoholic beverage. “What we have here is a total disregard for the law,” Thomas said. “They know what to do and they know how to do it.” The moonshine was in the fermenting stage, around two days in with some further along according to its temperature, said the state police moonshine task force.
Some of the moonshine barrels were insulated, meaning that the producer started when the temperature was still low, then it got warmer, said the task force officer. According to Thomas, illegal moonshine making creates a good margin between production cost and selling price.
The producers did not pay any tax for the moonshine and had a decent size still that could run several times. The task force estimated the equipment and materials to make the moonshine around $2,000. The copper still is worth between $700 and $1,200. It costs around $8 per gallon for the sugar and wheat to make the moonshine.
The selling price is around $25 a gallon if sold in bulk, or $40 for retail price. “They can make as much as $10,000 a month,” the task force said. Producers make five to six gallons every seven days in the winter and 7 gallons every five days in warmer weather.
Thomas said illegal moonshine production is very dangerous because the still is run with propane. If there is a leak in the old cooper still, there is likely to be an explosion. Moreover, there is no safety or health inspection for such alcoholic beverage. The authority destroyed the barrels and took apart the still.
Further investigation will be conducted. According to Thomas, the last moonshine still they busted is on loan to the Pioneer Museum. This one will be loaned to the We Piddle Around Theater in Brundidge.
How much alcohol will a 5 gallon still make?
General Alcohol Yields – You can generally assume that your alcohol still will produce a final batch that is about 20% of the size of your copper still’s pot. For example, the average run in a 5 gallon still can be expected to produce about a gallon or a gallon and a half of moonshine.
How much moonshine does 1 gallon of mash make?
How Much Alcohol Can you Get From 5 gallons of Mash? – via GIPHY When asking questions like this it is important to keep in mind that your final result will vary depending on your starting alcohol and final proof. However, there are general guidelines that can be followed:
A 1 gallon run will yield 3-6 cups of alcohol A 5 gallon run will yield 1-2 gallons of alcohol A 8 gallon run will yield 1.5-3 gallons of alcohol A 10 gallon run will yield 2-4 gallons of alcohol
How much moonshine do I throw away?
How to Remove Methanol from Moonshine – One way a commercial distiller would determine the presence of methanol is to monitor still temperature, If anything is produced by the still before wash temperature reaches 174 degrees, it’s methanol. A commercial distiller will discard it.
Again, methanol boils at a lower temperature than ethanol and will concentrate at the beginning of distillation runs. Additionally, commercial distillers have determined that simply discarding a standard amount per batch, based on batch size, is enough to keep things safe. The rule of thumb is to discard 1/3 of a pint jar for every 5 gallons of wash being distilled.
How much initial product to discard:
1 gallon batch – discard the first 2/3 of a shot glass 5 gallon batch – discard the first 1/3 of a pint jar 10 gallon batch – discard the first 3/4 of a pint jar
Regardless of still temp, it’s a good idea to always follow this rule of thumb. Methanol or not, the first stuff to come off the still tastes and smells like rubbing alcohol. It’s by far the worst stuff in the entire production run and it isn’t going to impress anyone. Kyle Brown is the owner of Clawhammer Supply, a small scale distillation and brewing equipment company which he founded in 2009. His passion is teaching people about the many uses of distillation equipment as well as how to make beer at home. When he isn’t brewing beer or writing about it, you can find him at his local gym or on the running trail.
How many foreshots are in a gallon?
Foreshots – The first stuff that comes out of the still is the bad stuff. The foreshots contain methanol and other poisons that you don’t want in your product. Not only do foreshots contain very little ethanol, but they’re also the reason why you get that headache when you’re hungover.
- So this is what you want to collect—and then discard.
- You’ll collect the foreshots until your vapor temperature reaches about 175°F (80°C), and Rick recommends collecting at least 4 ounces per 5 gallons that you’re distilling.
- This would be at least 5.2 ounces for a 6.5 gallon batch, or 10.4 ounces for a 13 gallon run.
Again, this is what we recommend as a minimum to collect and discard. Someone else might say you can get away with collecting less, but we just don’t think it’s worth it.