[ale] linux / moonshine project query

Christopher Bergeron christopher at bergeron.com
Mon Jan 1 14:39:27 EST 2007


James, the application for a small fuel production license is a 2 page 
document.  It's simpler to fill out than some tax forms.  As for the 
moonshine aspect, it is up to the producer to denature the alcohol, but 
as far as I know, they don't monitor it.  I just got a call about the 
status of my license from the ATF last week, so I have yet to find out 
the status from them.

Here's a link with more information about getting a license:
http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/id10.html

Unfortunately, the ATF application link is broken, but it's easy to find 
on the web.

Kind regards,
Chris Bergeron




James P. Kinney III wrote:
> On Sun, 2006-12-31 at 08:41 -0500, Philip James Smith wrote:
>   
>> Hi Ale-ers
>>
>> I am planning to make some moonshine. This is no joke. In the state of 
>> Georgia, it is legal to make a small amount at home.
>>     
>
> That will land you in jail. There is no provision for making _ANY_
> distilled spirits in _ANY_ quantity. Even if you are investigating a
> potential start-up commercial venture and just want to test a few recipe
> ideas you are required to have a federal license from BATF and more from
> Georgia. (I investigated doing just this about 6 months ago. The
> application paperwork stack from BATF is about 1/2" thick. Once I read
> through that, I decided against pursuing it further with Georgia.).
>
> At the current time, it is also illegal to distill any quantity of
> alcohol for making fuel with out a license and inspection that the
> distillation process creates denatured spirits.
>
> This is a line you do NOT want to cross.
>
> BATF has a long history of violence against illegal distilleries.
>   
>> In order to make moonshine, I need to distill a mash (a fermented 
>> corn/water/yeast mix), and to raise it to certain temperatures and to 
>> maintain the mash at those to separate the "unsafe" alcohols from the 
>> "safe" alcohols.
>>
>> It is pretty hard to maintain temp "by hand." How could I use linux to 
>> monitor and maintain temperature?
>>     
>
> The engineering of temperature control is well within the realm of a
> Linux application. You will need a thorough understanding of
> thermodynamics, specific heat capacities of all the proposed ingredients
> and a sizable collection of temperature monitoring devices.
>
> In my beer brewing (which _IS_ legal in small quantities - 200 gallons
> per year per adult in the household) I have been investigating using
> steam to maintain temperature. This will allow the transfer of heat to
> the mash tun without burning the bottom or adding much water (direct
> steam injection method). An alternate method I am also looking at in
> indirect steam injection. This method uses steam as the heat source but
> the steam  (and resulting condensate) are mechanically isolated from the
> mash tun contents. This allows for a constant water volume but requires
> either a pump to remove the condensate or a carefully crafted design to
> collect the liquid for post-mash removal.
>
> The calculations use only first order differential equations and a
> simple first order Taylor series approximation is plenty sufficient
> (HEY! I'm making beer here.  It's not rocket science :) for a looping
> calculation.
>
> But then, stirring a pot by hand and checking the temp every 2 minutes
> with a hand-held thermometer is much easier than building the rig ...
>   
>> All the best,
>> Phil Smith
>> Duluth, GA
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