Page 2 wants its taxes.

Exactly. Da man no gets da money.

Actually it was the 18th Amendment.  The excise tax which Washington enforced in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion was repealed in 1801.  Distilling your own was then fine until Prohibition, and after the repeal of same the excise tax regime was reinstated on all alcohol, not just spirits.

Nope.  Even beer was illegal to make from prohibition until 1978.

he would be fine, the dangerous (blinding ) occurs if you don't discard the first few ounces of the batch  and the last few (where the temperature is still warming/ cooling)  that is when methanol and other crap comes out of the still

For the same reason it's illegal to mint coins.  

Power.

I live less than 5 miles from the moonshine capitol of the world.  

I can go to WalMart on any given day and see an old pickup truck with a still in the back...

No, it's actually illegal to make.

I used to be an avid homebrewer.  While I had my favorite or "regular" brews I used to make, I liked trying to brew different styles.  I had a converted refrigerator and kegged all my brews and always had 3 different beers on tap in my basement.  Anyway, I thought I wanted to try brewing an "ice" beer and was told this was a strict no-no as it is considered a form of distillation.   Crash cooling to 31 - 32 degrees and skimming the final product of the ice layer(s) that form on the top.  (Water freezes before ethyl alcohol and skimming ice is a way to artificially increase the alcohol content of the brew).  IIRC there was a certain amount of beer/ale you were allowed to make a year that was for "personal consumption" before you needed to get permitted and taxed.....yea right....

It's one of those things (like making more than you're supposed to) that's illegal, and virtually impossible to enforce...unless you help the authorities out by being a moron about it.

 
This.

its a self correcting problem, if you are not sanitized, then you wont make beer.

ie you have to be sanitary when making beer.

Never ascribe to mal-intent what can be explained by incompetence.

TC

you are correct

and it's George Washington's fault..he went after those damn Scot-Irish moonshiners and it's been illegal since.
All over a tax stamp,,hmmm?

pay the tax man and it is ok

This.

I'm not allowed to, or I would.

I read somewhere, it was legal to make to use as fuel. Guess not.



This blog provides information for educational purposes only. All copper "moonshine"
distillers featured on the site are non-functional props. All recipes and "how to's" are theoretical. All scenarios are fictitious. No laws were broken during production of the material found on this site. Products sold are intended to be used in accordance with the proper licensing or permitting procedure of the respective jurisdiction of the user. Read our complete legal summary for more info.

January 11, 2013
Is Making Moonshine Legal?
Know Your Rights - Moonshine Laws
Unless the thought of digging ditches with chains around your ankles is appealing, you better read this article on the legalities of making moonshine very closely. There are federal and state laws regulating home distilling. To avoid trouble with the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and officials, you'll need to comply with federal and state laws, as well as any local laws. We'll summarize federal laws in this article, which are important to know. However, also be sure to check out laws regulating distillation for your state.

Federal Distillation Laws
Federal law states that it is legal to own a still of any size. It doesn't matter if you have a 1 gallon still or a 100 gallon still. According to the feds, it is legal to have a still for decoration, distilling water, distilling essential oils, etc. The still does not need to be registered with anyone and no permits are needed as long as it is being used for the aforementioned purposes. However, be advised it is illegal to distill alcohol without having either a "distilled spirits permit" or a "federal fuel alcohol permit." It does not matter if the alcohol is for personal use only, not for sale, etc.

A common misconception is that only stills 1 gallon and smaller are legal. This is not true. Actual law merely states that stills 1 gallon or less that are not being used to distill alcohol are not tracked by the TTB (see more on this below. It is perfectly legal to own a still larger than 1 gallon so long as it is not being used to distill alcohol or it is permitted to be used for distilling fuel alcohol or spirits.

Federal Distilled Spirits & Federal Fuel Alcohol Permit
If a person wishes to legally distill alcohol, they have two options. The first option is to obtain a Federal Distilled Spirits Permit. This is the permit that industry giants like Jack Daniels and Makers Mark distilleries possess, which makes it legal for them to distill and distribute to the public. As one might imagine, this permit is very difficult to get.

In short, unless you're opening a distillery with the intention of selling your product in liquor stores, don't even bother looking into getting a distilled spirits permit; it's way too expensive and complicated for a home distiller to obtain. Instead pursue a fuel alcohol permit (which we'll describe next).

Option two is a Federal Fuel Alcohol Permit (link below), which is free and easy to get. We've never heard of anyone being denied the permit and have never heard of anyone even being checked up on. Just be advised that the feds will expect that you're putting your alcohol in you lawnmower, and not drinking it!

Federal Fuel Alcohol Permit
Here's the link for the federal fuel alcohol permit: http://www.ttb.gov/forms/f511074.pdf If you happen to build a Clawhammer Supply moonshine still kit, you'll write "Clawhammer Supply" in the manufacturer line and your order number for the serial number (e.g. "6601"). List the type as a "pot still." The capacity is the size of boiler (i.e. 1 gallon, 5 gallon, 10 gallon, etc...).

Note, if you're not planning to use your still for alcohol you do not need to get a permit or register the still with the federal government. Federal rules state that stills only need to be reported / registered if the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau asks the manufacturer to do so (more on this below). Though, again, if you are using it to distill alcohol, you will want to get a federal fuel alcohol permit (or a spirit distillers permit, if that's what you're using it for).

State Distillation Laws


http://www.clawhammersupply.com/blogs/moonshine-still-blog/7155304-is-making-moonshine-legal

I don't know much about distilling but I'm pretty sure it's methanol that's poisonous.

There was a tax imposed on western Pennsylvania alcohol sales to "pay for the rebellion."

We are STILL paying that tax today!

With a permit. And it carries the same problems as getting an FFL at your home address, when you're really only interested in it as a hobby.

You're inviting the man into your life big time, and it's still illegal as fuck to actually drink your product.

In part correct.

If not done correctly, it can be a deadly poison. Lots of people died during prohibition due to it.

I found and post some info.

Another example of bullshit we shouldn't be tolerating.

taxes,



get a license and make all you want

No different than buying a "water pipe for tobacco use only."  Don't get caught.

 

Wrong

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2010/02/the_chemists_war.html



I never knew a moonshiner who wasn't more than willing to drink his own product first.  



 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdwUpxkfSJw

Stealing from the collective is counterrevolutionary, Comrade!

Hey, that chemical engineer can't possibly make safe alcohol without the government looking over his shoulder! That is not safe!















(thats what we call a joke, son)

You know what they called the enforcement guys after Prohibition?  Revenuers.

Not law enforcement, tax collectors.

 
Only run you about $500k to step into the arena.

Government can't tax it.

So one Saturday morning I pop into the local home brew shop.   The places around here are Brew 'N Grow.  They cater to home beer/wine hobbyist as well as people who want to grow their garden in the attic or basement....for some reason.  So half the store is home brew and the rest is hydroponics, giant sodium lights and the gear you need for your indoor garden.  So when you go there and talk to an employee you either get the hardcore home brewer or the hardcore grower.  So this morning I get a hard core grower.  And just that morning he must have been eating the shit out of some premo purple beefsteak tomatos.  Needless to say he had his greens for the morning.    SO I ask him, where they have the Hydrometers.  He shows me the one version he has, designed for beer.  It doesnt quite have the scale I needed for wine.  Then this guy who is clearly really into growing basil year round goes tells me how I am looking for illegal paraphernalia for distilling alcohol. Selling and owning that sort of equipment is illegal yadda yadda.    Funny to be read the riot act from a guy like this.  Lulz.  

Because making moonshine is directly correlated to inbreeding.

Can you say, 'Government eugenics program?'

Tax revenue!  Whiskey Rebellion was the first tax rebellion here. George Washington was not happy.

The Man needs to collect his taxes citizen...

Now pick up that can!

I know at LEAST 5 who make their own, I don't know about permits/licenses, but all of them are pretty open about making their own.
I know they don't sell any, I have been around many times when others asked.

Because while government is a necessary evil, they often branch out of their own accord into unnecessary evil. Usually for money or raw power.

My grandfather made tons of home-made wine over the 50 years he was here in America.  That never went afoul.  He also made 'moonshine' (probably 180 proof, give or take) from boiling the grape pressings leftover after, and that went fine as well.

People have been making hard alcohol on their own for centuries, but all of a sudden it's now "not safe" to do so?  

1. My opinion: This stems from the fear-mongering and controlling interests that prevailed in the USA during the 1900's.  We weren't a 'free' people then - only 'free' to be controlled and told what to do by special interests.  We remain that way today, and gladly allow lobbyists access to our elected lawmakers.


2. The fears of people using abandoned car parts ... Criminy, when is that going to stop?  Sure, a very few may still do it, but since we aren't buying or trusting alcohol from people we don't know and trust, it really doesn't affect the population as a whole. Anyone chancing home-made brews from unknown sources has the same mental capacity as those drug users who chance using another druggy's needle.  Their problems and losses are not my concern.


3. Blindness?  Just don't drink a lot of the heavy stuff.  I've heard that even the purest stuff can make you temporarily blind if you treat it like it's only 80 proof

I always wondered how they knew how much to throw away.

So you're saying it's the same thing as making beer then ? Many do it- Few make it good

With a thermometer.

 

As usual....it's always about the money



Also BIG distillerys and brewerys hate competition

and lobbied to eliminate the "recreationalists"



And not to mention...."it's for your safety"

So just like brewing beer.

If wackin' off hasn't taken my sight yet, then I'm not afraid of a little firewater.

You can make it for you own consumption.  When you sell it your cheating Sam out of his taxes and he don't like that.  If you go legal and start paying taxes on the moonshine it's perfectly legal...

It's legal to have a still.   You can run it all day long to distill water.

It's when you start using it to distill liquor that the goverment gets their panties in a twist.