More Info on MoonshineSimilar Undetermined MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
distinguish|moonlightOther uses Moonshine (meaning illicit distillation, also called white lightning , mountain dew , hooch , "Tennessee white whiskey", and Moonshine by country|many other names ) is an illegally produced distilled beverage . The word is believed to derive from early Moonrakers|English smugglers and illegal Appalachia n distillers who clandestinely (i.e., by the light of the moon) produced and distributed whiskey .Cite book| last = Ellison| first = Betty Boles| title = Illegal Odyssey: 200 Years of Kentucky Moonshine| publisher = Author House| year = 2003| location = IN| page = 1| url = http://books.google.com/books? id=A7th0RLsBNwC& lpg=PP1& dq=moonshine& pg=PA1#v=onepage& q=& f=false| isbn = 978-1-4107-8407-0Cite book| last = Kellner| first = Esther| title = Moonshine: its history and folklore| publisher = Bobbs-Merrill| year = 1971| location = IN| page = 5| url = http://books.google.com/books? id=zdrfAAAAMAAJ
Production
Moonshine is any distilled spirit made in an unlicensed still . As with all Distilled beverage|distilled spirits , yeast or naturally occurring bacteria (such as Zymomonas mobilis ) Ethanol fermentation|ferments a sugar source to produce Ethanol|alcohol ; the alcohol is then extracted through the process of distillation.
Because of its illegal nature, moonshine is rarely aged in barrels like proper whiskey , and it sometimes contains impurities and off flavors. The off flavors may come from improper mashing, fermentation and/or distillation, and unsuitable storage containers. In popular culture, moonshine is usually presented as being extremely strong and in North America is commonly associated with Appalachia and Atlantic Canada .
Moon-shining is usually done using small-scale stills. Typically, the still is built by the moonshine producer, thus avoiding the legal ramifications of obtaining a still commercially. The pot still is made of copper or stainless steel, and a water filled barrel with a copper tubing coil for a condenser, is the traditional type of still, being popular with early moonshine producers due to its simplicity and ease of construction. More efficient Reflux stills are available to the modern moonshiner, either self-built, assembled from a kit, or purchased fully assembled.
"Moonshine" and "Still Making Moonshine" are two documentaries that depict the life of a modern Appalachian moonshiner: the making of a three-stage still from sheets of copper, putting up corn mash, and running whiskey.cite web|url= http://www.highprooffilms.com/ |title=High Proof Films |publisher=High Proof Films |date= |accessdate=2012-05-14
Prevalence
Main|Moonshine by countryVarieties of moonshine are produced throughout the world.
Uses
Usually, illicit distillation is associated with the making of ethanol for drinking;cite web|url= http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/ht/ethanol.htm |title=Moonshining |publisher=Chemistry.about.com |date=2012-04-10 |accessdate=2012-05-14 however, it is also practiced for creating biofuel .cite web|url= http://www.rebelwolf.com/essn/ESSN-Oct2005.pdf |title=Biofuel-still design |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=2012-05-14
Safety
Poorly produced moonshine can be contaminated, mainly from materials used in construction of the still. Stills employing used automotive radiator s as a condenser are particularly dangerous; in some cases, glycol products from antifreeze (coolant)|antifreeze used in the radiator can appear as well. Radiators used as condensers also may contain lead at the connections to the plumbing. Both glycol and lead are poisonous and potentially deadly.
Although methanol is not produced in toxic amounts by fermentation of sugars from grain starches, http://www.moonshine-still.com/page7.htm Fiction and Fact, A Step By Step Guide, Moonshine-Still . contamination is still possible by unscrupulous distillers using cheap methanol to increase the apparent strength of the product. Moonshine can be made both more palatable and less damaging by discarding the "foreshot"—the first few ounces of alcohol that drip from the condenser. The foreshot contains most of the methanol, if any, from the mash. Methanol may be present because it vaporizes at a lower temperature than ethanol. The foreshot also typically contains small amounts of other undesirable compounds such as acetone and various aldehydes.
West Bengal has a thriving moonshine industry, and a methanol-tainted batch killed 143 people in December 2011.cite web|last=Magnier|first=Mark|title=Bootleg liquor laced with methanol kills 143 people in India|url= http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1102369--bootleg-liquor-laced-with-methanol-kills-143-people-in-india|publisher=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=16 May 2012
Alcohol concentrations above about 50% alcohol by volume are flammable and therefore dangerous to handle. This is especially true during the distilling process in which vaporized alcohol can accumulate in the air if there is not enough ventilation.
Mixtures
Moonshine has sometimes been mixed with an adulterant (e.g. methanol , lye , or beading oil ) with the intent of increasing its apparent alcohol content. Moonshine that has been adulterated in this way will form bubbles on its surface.Citation needed|date=August 2011 Large bubbles with a short duration would indicate a higher alcohol content. This practice has sometimes resulted in a Toxicity|toxic mixture that can cause blindness or death. Although poisoning incidents are rare, particularly in developed nations, they are a cause for concern about the safety of moonshine.
Moonshine may be flavored with fruit or bark . The mash may be cooked with birch bark to achieve a mint-like flavor. Fruit flavoring may be added to the product before bottling.
Tests
A common folk test for the quality of moonshine was to pour a small quantity of it into a spoon and set it on fire. The theory was that a safe distillate burns with a blue flame, but a tainted distillate burns with a yellow flame. Practitioners of this simple test also held that if a radiator coil had been used as a condenser, then there would be lead in the distillate, which would give a reddish flame. This led to the mnemonic , "Lead burns red and makes you dead."cite web |url= http://www.skylarkmedicalclinic.com/Moonshine.htm| title=Moonshine | accessdate=2008-07-23|publisher=Skylark Medical Clinic Although the flame test will show the presence of lead and fusel alcohol|fusel oils , it will not reveal the presence of methanol, which burns with an invisible flame. http://www.methanol.org/contentIndex.cfm? section=methanolFoundation& title=Amf_99needs Methanol Institutedead link|date=May 2012
The traditional test used by British sailors involved gunpowder to " Alcohol proof|prove " that their brandy was not watered down (contained at least 57% Alcohol by volume|ABV .)
See also
Bathtub gin
Bootleggers and Baptists
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
"Moonshine!" History, current trends, and how-to by Matthew Rowley (2007) ISBN 978-1-57990-648-1
"Minnesota 13" Stearns County's 'Wet Wild Prohibition Days by Elaine Davis (2007) ISBN 978-0-9798017-0-9
Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw’s Adventures in Moonshine by Max Watman (2010) ISBN 978-1-4391-7024-3
"Moonshine -- Blue Ridge Style; An Exhibition Produced by the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum of Ferrum College". Exhibition catalog, 2008, 14pp. www.blueridgeinstitute.org, www.ferrum.edu, and Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Déantús an Phoitín ( Poteen Making ), by MacDara Ó Curraidhín , is a one-hour documentary film on the origins of the craft.
External links
http://www.ibiblio.org/moonshine/ North Carolina Moonshine& nbsp;– Historical information, images, music, and film excerpts
http://historyofalcoholanddrugs.typepad.com/alcohol_and_drugs_history/moonshine/index.html Moonshine news page& nbsp;– Alcohol and Drugs History Society
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp? id=h-2580 Georgia Moonshine& nbsp;– History and folk traditions in Georgia, USA
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10556048 Moonshine 'tempts new generation'& nbsp;– BBC on distilling illegal liquor in the 21 century.
http://www.howtomakemoonshine.ca/moonshine-names-nicknames/ Moonshine Nicknames Common names used for describing Moonshine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=TywPjx3VHeM Moonshine Franklin Co Virginia Moonshine Still from the past - Video
