Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with moonshine

nights on earth

yonation — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:08:09 -0800

if i were stranded on a desert island -- or to stray from the cliche, in a postapocalyptic abandoned mall -- how would i make booze? give me the best and easiest recipes for making alcohol on the sly, on the easy, quickly and with a macguyver-esque fetishism for utility. i mean, the world's ending in said location, and what else do you need?

Can this moonshine be saved?

Shoggoth — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:56:14 -0800

Is my moonshine safe to drink? While renting a house in Appalachia recently, I bought a quart of moonshine in a mason jar from one of the local neighbors. This is what I know:

The neighbor ("Bob") claims he bought it from a friend who has made it for years from corn.

Bob had clearly been sampling his product when he came by, and I watched him drink more.

Not knowing anything about moonshine, I drank a 2 oz. shot. It tasted great -- sweet and smooth.

A few of my friends also had shots with no ill effects. One of my friends drank 3 shots.

After the initial sampling, Bob left to get more to sell, so the quart I bought is unsampled. It looks and smells identical to what I sampled, however.

So after all this, a friend explained how moonshine can blind and kill you. Yikes! I had no idea. So should I drink this stuff or use it to clean drains?

If I didn't go blind with I was a teenager I'm probably safe now, right?

aspo — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:56:16 -0800

Where can I find good information about making hard alcohol at home? I live in a smallish apartment and would like to try my hand and making small batches of hard alcohol. I'm not too worried about legal issues (I'm not going to be selling anything and it would be very small scale), but I am worried about making a huge mess. I've never tried making beer before, it just seemed like too much work for the results, but for some reason making moonshine sounds like it could be fun. Has anyone tried it? Is there a good website for finding more information? At the very least where is a good source for parts/literature? My online searches have gone nowhere, but that could be because I'm not actually sure what the search for.

Can I drink it without dying?

kingjoeshmoe — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 10:28:36 -0800

Will the super-potent alcohol I bought in Mexico for $15 kill me if I try to drink it? More info and transcription of the entire label inside. It's 96% alcohol by volume (that's one of the parts of the label I can understand). It was being sold at numerous liquor stores and even pharmacies. What I don't understand is, how can such potent alcohol be so cheap? Is it safe to drink? Or am I gambling with my life here?

Note: I am *not* looking for people to tell me that alcohol that cheap can't be safe. I'm looking for actual information from people that know what it is, why it's so cheap, and who have drunk it and lived to tell about it (or knew those who didn't). Thanks!

Transcription:

96% Alc. Vol. G.L. a 15º C
Cont. Neto al envasar 1 L.

Alcohol Puro de Caña Etilico
***** "A G"

ALCOHOL ETILICO SIN DESNATURALIZAR PURO DE CAÑA

ENVASADO Y DISTRIBUIDO POR ALCOHOLES DE GUADALAJARA S.A. DE C.V.

PLANTA DE ENVASADO
AV. ARTESANOS No. 4618 TLAQUEPAQUE, JALISCO.
TELS. 3606-0952 3606-1002 3606-0950
R.F.C. AGU-960531 E10
REG No. 01509C3000 S.S.A.

PRODUCTO INFLAMABLE. EVITE EL CONTACTO CON LOS OJOS NO SO DEJE AL ALCANCE DE LOS NIÑOS. NO SE DEJE DESTAPADO

NO DEBE BEBERSE
PROHIBIDA SU VENTA A MENORES DE 18 AÑOS HECHO EN MEXICO.

Fermented applesauce good to eat?

breath — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 11:22:00 -0800

I've got a jar of organic applesauce that started smelling sour about two weeks after I bought it. Should I eat it? I know that it's possible to ferment your own alcoholic drinks in this way, but am I going to get wicked messed up/sick if it happened naturally? The total quantity is like 12 oz, so I'm not planning on going on a bender. Maybe having it on some waffles.