Is there such a thing as legal distilling, and if not, why have a distilling page when forum rules say no talk of said activities...?
Ah, so in other words, non-alcoholic distilling. Lame, I got excited. Lol
If you make a wine strength mead and don't let it age, I believe all the nasty flavors will come through the distilling process. (I haven't tried it, so I'm just speculating).
My mead is sitting right at 19.5% ABV, but is still very smooth and sweet. No off flavors (to my novice palete..) though I am sure aging could always help.
We had a policy for a long time of closing down any talk of distilling alcohol. That policy has changed. If you do it, you might be breaking laws - you'll have to determine that. But there's no law against talking about it, and that's how things stand here at HBT. I don't make the rules here, but I do like this one because I'm wholly in the Don't Tread on Me camp.
Might change tomorrow; it's a subject in flux at the moment.
Along those lines, we can discuss marijuana then? Its legal at a rec level in CO and med in HI, f***ing obama smoked pakalolo too. I dont use it but we can discuss it, right?
Well, this is a brewing forum, and it's been decreed that distilling discussion is inside the brewing circle.
WRT MJ, if you're discussing how to use it as an ingredient in the creation of beer or similar, that's inside the circle. Go for it. But starting a thread on growing it, smoking it out of a bong fashioned from a 4" Monola Blahnik pump, that stuff is outside the circle, and will be dunktanked to the bitbucket. Casual references are gonna be ignored of course.
Editing out my bad joke for posterity...yeah Ive seen it referenced for brewing and ppl seem to be sheepish about saying marijuana when referencing flavors
the hell is a 4" monola blahnik pump though
the hell is a 4" monola blahnik pump though
Yeah, but she doesnt watch that degenerate garbage.You married? Ask her (or him), or go watch a episode of Sex and the City.
Manolo Blahnik, it's a shoe. A ridiculously expensive, shoe.
I have done a couple batches of rum that turned out decent but unless doing it in a large scale it was not every cost effective. Beer is much more bang for your buck.To the original question: I think it is illegal to distill liquor without a license and tax stamp. But the feds are not coming to arrest you for making a few gallons of hooch. It's like the limits on homebrewing, nobody really cares how much you brew. If you are not selling it or flaunting it, it's okay.
I agree Eric. When I first started brewing, a friend asked when were we making whiskey. I told him that the learning curve was too steep on something that would take years to be ready. I brewed twice a month my first year, and it took all of that to learn to make craft quality beer. I would just be sampling my first batch of aged whiskey now.
I see people talk about homemade this and homemade that, but for me there is a point of severely diminishing returns.
I feel the same, Passedpawn. Fermenting my own booze, distilling (hypothetically, that is...), building a table, butchering an elk, working on a car or even just making dinner are all things that I can immerse myself in and enjoy the fruits of my labor when the project is finished. It's not about what I get out of it, how much I saved or made or what-have-you, its about the pride of making something for yourself and seeing what YOU accomplished afterwords. Something my generation (yes, I barely count as a Millennial..) rarely have the propensity to do.For me, it's not always about the returns. What return do you get when you climb a mountain? Many of these DIY things are just another attempt to understand how things work, how they are made, and to know that I can do it. I suspect that's true for many others on this forum.
For me, it's not always about the returns. What return do you get when you climb a mountain? Many of these DIY things are just another attempt to understand how things work, how they are made, and to know that I can do it. I suspect that's true for many others on this forum.
Something my generation (yes, I barely count as a Millennial..) rarely have the propensity to do.
. I agree with you, I love the learning and how it all works, and.there is a lot with distilling- making cuts, blending, aging and woods to use, different types of still for what you are making, but other than a few small batches here and there I will be putting my brewing time and money in beer. As for the mountains climbing analogy, I have not climbed a mountain but have made many ocean passages on sailboats and making a keg of beer or a bottle whiskey will never compare to land fall after a couple weeks at sea.I feel the same, Passedpawn. Fermenting my own booze, distilling (hypothetically, that is...), building a table, butchering an elk, working on a car or even just making dinner are all things that I can immerse myself in and enjoy the fruits of my labor when the project is finished. It's not about what I get out of it, how much I saved or made or what-have-you, its about the pride of making something for yourself and seeing what YOU accomplished afterwords. Something my generation (yes, I barely count as a Millennial..) rarely have the propensity to do.
For me, it's not always about the returns. What return do you get when you climb a mountain? Many of these DIY things are just another attempt to understand how things work, how they are made, and to know that I can do it. I suspect that's true for many others on this forum.
Well in that case, has anyone ever thought about distilling mead? I don't know how well that would work out, could be disgusting or delicious. Would the honey flavors/aromas still carry over? Or would you just end up with (in the case of my cinnamon elderberry mead) a mildly fruit tasting mouthwash..?
done right, you will end up with something more like authentic schnapps.. not the sugary watered down syrup you get in the store, but the true German clear, wonderful aroma 100+ proof stuff...
Do some fancy tweaks to your process, such as doing the unthinkable and adding fully drinkable, distilled mead to your next mead must and place in a still and boil the must (...gasp) and collect the alcohol vapors that hold the honey aromatics and then cool and pitch yeast into the now sterile must and add nutrients according to hightest's mead.xls sheet... when ferment is complete, add enough recovered alcohol to stop fermentation and back-sweeten...
I have a 3L oak barrel from Golden Oak Barrels that I age my mead in. I am getting ready to buy a 20L (5.25 gallons) here pretty quick for like $130. For my recipie, 3 or 4 months imparts a wonderful rich flavor. I highly recomend the brand to anyone who wants one ranging from 1L to 20L.I have 3-5 gal oak barrels once used from Balcones in Waco Tx.
I just pulled off a 5 gal traditional after 2 months and it's great, a 1 ltr barrel would only be good for 1 week or less tops and it depends on the char level, or toast level.
A new barrel with a new char and not been used for anything before I'd suspect it would over oak very quickly as opposed to a once used whiskey or rum barrel which would be slower reaction and more subtle taste.
Plus 1 litre is a tease if you're hosting but could get you an idea of what to expect from a larger barrel with more time.
5 gal barrel costs me 110$ from my lhbs and with meads I can get multiple uses but each one is extended a couple days to a week or more.
If you can make mead you can tear down a whiskey barrel and make new char.
I personally like the white oak cubes with a med toast over the barrel, it's easier to add oak verses remove.
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