Roadmonkeytj Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) In a remote but fairly accessible area of the island, well off the beaten path. Bill Thompson gets ready to run a batch of a new berry mash. He hopes its sweeter flavor will be popular with the ladies. Just to be sure the men buy it though Bill has given it a catchy name. Yes sir "Pink Bloomer Dropper" is sure to be a hit! ... But you gotta keep the worm cold or she steams an makes for bad flavor so Bill has to stop prepping the mash to haul cold water out of the cool stream. ___________ OoC: so @Mesabi's build inspired me to make my own "small factory" So a simple blue mountain pot still came about then the scene surrounding it Comments and Criticism are welcome! Edited January 8, 2019 by Roadmonkeytj Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Dee Posted January 7, 2019 Nice still. I'm really liking the irregular base and all the palm trees, but I'm concerned with all the wildlife overhead, birds in particular... Overall an appropriately busy arrangement. 2 hours ago, Roadmonkeytj said: Yes sir "Pink Bloomer Dropper" is sure to be a hit! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Professor Thaum Posted January 7, 2019 Yeah !! I like this small factory... great idea for the pipe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bart Posted January 7, 2019 Well done, you got a nice pirate look. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maxim I Posted January 7, 2019 Booze! Sorry, that slipped my mind, it should be: trading opportunities! Great job on the elevation and vegetation! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Captain Dee said: Nice still. I'm really liking the irregular base and all the palm trees, but I'm concerned with all the wildlife overhead, birds in particular... Overall an appropriately busy arrangement. Thanks! In my personal experience wildlife makes for the best warning system! Usually the birds don't crap while the fires rolling... At least I was never pooped on nor my equipment unless I let it sit longer than a week. Leave a little grain out the birds don't crap where they eat unlike pigeons.... Funny enough I based this off my recipe for pink panty dropper... But back in the day they wore bloomers lol One thing that doesn't show well is there actually is berries under that trans pink disk! 4 hours ago, Professor Thaum said: Yeah !! I like this small factory... great idea for the pipe Thanks I was quite pleased with the look of the Lynth arm. Although I know it came in alot of colors (even trans orange) I'm not sure about brown 3 hours ago, Bart said: Well done, you got a nice pirate look. Arrrgh you be trying Shanghai my booze? Thanks. 3 hours ago, Maxim I said: Booze! Sorry, that slipped my mind, it should be: trading opportunities! Great job on the elevation and vegetation! I'm sure Bill could arrange a few crates for delivery. Leave 50DB at the old stump and come back in an hour. Warning if Bill sees any Signs of ambush he won't show. I'm quite satisfied with the elevation but I was worried the vegetation wouldn't Translate well so thanks! Edited January 7, 2019 by Roadmonkeytj Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gedren_y Posted January 7, 2019 The lad seems to 'ave learned some o' the Truachesh distillation method. Those best not be Owan berries he be usin', or he'll be in fer a world o' hurt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Laura Beinbrech Posted January 7, 2019 Nice, rustic still you got there, and I like how you used the Rock Raider drill bits in dark tan for the skirting on the palm trees. I also love the name for your batch, because it is so similar to the kind of thing that real moonshiners come up with: My great-grandfather lived up on the side of one of the mountains nearby during the prohibition era/Great Depression, so most of his neighbors ran moonshine back in the day, and he told me & my dad this story about how most of the 'shiners would keep pigs around to eat up any mash that spilled on the ground & that they'd hide the mash vats in the ground to keep the revenuers from detecting their operations. Well apparently one day a young pig managed to fall into one of the mash vats & drowned and the mash took all the bristles (hairs) off the poor pig. Well, mash ingredients were expensive, and since they were going to distill it anyways, they ran the batch through the still after fishing the pig out & bottled it up as "Ol' Pig-Bristle Whiskey". I guess their customers either didn't know (or didn't care) that the name was rather literal.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darnok Posted January 7, 2019 Nice one, good looking all around. Just hope you do not get hit by an earthquake! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted January 7, 2019 35 minutes ago, gedren_y said: The lad seems to 'ave learned some o' the Truachesh distillation method. Those best not be Owan berries he be usin', or he'll be in fer a world o' hurt. Haha ancients passed down methods and generations improved upon them... 13 minutes ago, Laura Takayama said: Nice, rustic still you got there, and I like how you used the Rock Raider drill bits in dark tan for the skirting on the palm trees. I also love the name for your batch, because it is so similar to the kind of thing that real moonshiners come up with: My great-grandfather lived up on the side of one of the mountains nearby during the prohibition era/Great Depression, so most of his neighbors ran moonshine back in the day, and he told me & my dad this story about how most of the 'shiners would keep pigs around to eat up any mash that spilled on the ground & that they'd hide the mash vats in the ground to keep the revenuers from detecting their operations. Well apparently one day a young pig managed to fall into one of the mash vats & drowned and the mash took all the bristles (hairs) off the poor pig. Well, mash ingredients were expensive, and since they were going to distill it anyways, they ran the batch through the still after fishing the pig out & bottled it up as "Ol' Pig-Bristle Whiskey". I guess their customers either didn't know (or didn't care) that the name was rather literal.... Laura this has alot of connection to me... I ran shine for a period of my life. "Pink Panty Dropper" is a actual simple recipe of mine ... You soak berries on neutral spirit for a week you then strain the fruit (don't smash it just let it drain) save the neutral for later (will be deep red if done right) soak the fruit all down with ample amounts of sugar. Let it sit for a couple days until syrup forms then press the fruit (in a fruit bag or pillowcase) extracting the "simple syrup" bottle and save for later. take the pressed fruit and soak it down in a super yeast sugar and water bring it just to a boil and let it cool before adding the yeast. Let that mash for 7-10 days run it like a brandy... Add your neutral and your syrup.. Cut with water for desired proof and flavor. Should be kept in a cool place so not to sour. If you want the specifics PM me. P. S. I love your story about "Ol' Pig-Bristle Whisky" I wonder if it even affected the flavor? A batch of mash has slot of money tied into it both in ingredients and future profit. I wish I was around during prohibition honestly I had a late neighbor that ran down the road from me and he used to tell some great stories like that as well. 21 minutes ago, Drunknok said: Nice one, good looking all around. Just hope you do not get hit by an earthquake! Thanks! An earthquake that magnitude is sure to shift tides in other ports as well! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kwatchi Posted January 7, 2019 8 hours ago, Roadmonkeytj said: So a simple blue mountain pot still came about then the scene surrounding it You know a surprising amount of information about illegal alcohol production. What do you do in life again? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted January 7, 2019 Just now, Kwatchi said: You know a surprising amount of information about illegal alcohol production. What do you do in life again? Currently... Industrial Maintenance .... Formerly ran an alternative beverage "distribution" haven't run any in over 5 years Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Laura Beinbrech Posted January 7, 2019 4 minutes ago, Roadmonkeytj said: Laura this has alot of connection to me... I ran shine for a period of my life. "Pink Panty Dropper" is a actual simple recipe of mine ... You soak berries on neutral spirit for a week you then strain the fruit (don't smash it just let it drain) save the neutral for later (will be deep red if done right) soak the fruit all down with ample amounts of sugar. Let it sit for a couple days until syrup forms then press the fruit (in a fruit bag or pillowcase) extracting the "simple syrup" bottle and save for later. take the pressed fruit and soak it down in a super yeast sugar and water bring it just to a boil and let it cool before adding the yeast. Let that mash for 7-10 days run it like a brandy... Add your neutral and your syrup.. Cut with water for desired proof and flavor. Should be kept in a cool place so not to sour. If you want the specifics PM me. P. S. I love your story about "Ol' Pig-Bristle Whisky" I wonder if it even affected the flavor? A batch of mash has slot of money tied into it both in ingredients and future profit. I wish I was around during prohibition honestly I had a late neighbor that ran down the road from me and he used to tell some great stories like that as well. Huh, that's interesting. You're the first person I met who actually ran moonshine that I know of. Ad for the specifics of the recipe, thanks, but no thanks: I work for the gubbermint, so running an unlicensed still would be detrimental to my career to say the least... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted January 7, 2019 4 minutes ago, Laura Takayama said: Huh, that's interesting. You're the first person I met who actually ran moonshine that I know of. Ad for the specifics of the recipe, thanks, but no thanks: I work for the gubbermint, so running an unlicensed still would be detrimental to my career to say the least... "purely for medicinal purposes" of course lol no worries ... I won't be passing my "skill" down but I don't want all my recipes to wither away lol. Guess that just shows where we've come as a country... I can name 5 I know(n) personally although I seem to have forgotten their names lol. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gedren_y Posted January 7, 2019 @Roadmonkeytj & @Laura Takayama, some 'shiners went legal a few years ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted January 7, 2019 1 minute ago, gedren_y said: @Roadmonkeytj & @Laura Takayama, some 'shiners went legal a few years ago. I looked into it... The issue is it can take up to 2 years before you can actually run. You have gather all the proper permits then set up then be inspected by three levels of "gubbermint" as Laura put it. The equipment you can get by using in the woods won't cut it with the Health department so more expensive measures need to be provisioned for. Then during this whole approval you have a building and equipment sitting not making any money but sucking you dry. And at the end of 2 years they can still deny you because someone holds a public "not in my backyard" meeting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Wolf Posted January 7, 2019 5 minutes ago, Roadmonkeytj said: I looked into it... The issue is it can take up to 2 years before you can actually run. You have gather all the proper permits then set up then be inspected by three levels of "gubbermint" as Laura put it. The equipment you can get by using in the woods won't cut it with the Health department so more expensive measures need to be provisioned for. Then during this whole approval you have a building and equipment sitting not making any money but sucking you dry. And at the end of 2 years they can still deny you because someone holds a public "not in my backyard" meeting. I'm finding this conversation fascinating. Out of curiosity, how do the economics of the above differ from the hundreds of microbreweries that have popped up everywhere? It seems they have made a go of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Laura Beinbrech Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) Yeah, I'm with @Roadmonkeytj on this one: I can, if I so desired, legally make beer or wine for private consumption (i.e. not allowed to sell it) without a license, but you still need, at the very least, a license for any distillery of any kind, and why go through all that trouble when I can just hit up the state store about once every 3-4 months (I drink occasionally, and not very much even then, so a fifth of Jägermeister can last me several months) & buy what I want & not deal with all the fuss & bother (and "friends" you barely know who have a bit of a drinking problem showing up all the time when word gets out that you're making homemade wine, like my parents found out when they made some homemade wine for like 2-3 years when I was a kid, which is one of the reasons they stopped doing it, and sure enough those "friends" who were always dropping by to "sample" the wine never showed up again when they found out my parents stopped making it, but I digress). Furthermore, being a member of the LGBT community (especially since I fall under the "T" part) who works for the government under the current administration means I already basically have a target painted on my back (if you get what I mean), and I don't want to do anything that would give them a valid excuse to fire me, because I kinda need this job... I mean how else am I supposed to fund my LEGO habit? So yeah, TL;DR version is: While making LEGO stills might be fun and all, getting into that kinda stuff in RL just isn't worth the hassle & red tape you gotta deal with.... Quote Out of curiosity, how do the economics of the above differ from the hundreds of microbreweries that have popped up everywhere? It seems they have made a go of it. Simple: The licensing process for microbreweries & wineries is about 100X simpler & requires far less paperwork than obtaining a distillery license, at least here in the US. Edited January 7, 2019 by Laura Takayama Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted January 8, 2019 @Capt Wolf Simple answer beer is legal wine is legal. Fill out a permit locally and be inspected once (not 4 times) by the state... No federal boys involved. It's like the difference of getting your drivers licence compared to being certified to drive the president around lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gedren_y Posted January 8, 2019 All I was saying was that if you can acquire exclusive rights to the formula, you could license its production with an already legal moonshine distillery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted January 8, 2019 10 minutes ago, gedren_y said: All I was saying was that if you can acquire exclusive rights to the formula, you could license its production with an already legal moonshine distillery. Oh that's another mistake I won't make again. So basically big companies have a team of "chemists" you bring your stuff in good faith for them to try to which they like it but draw out contract negotiations for three month then come out with a oddly similar tasting product a month later ... To which you get no royalties because "it's not your original recipe". Plus they have a whole team of layers to get them off the hook. I actually really wanted to go legit however without a "network TV show" to get me there lol I just don't have the capitol required... Nor the legal team to chase down copyright infringements. So now it's just a little black book full of recipes and still plans drawn out to replicate in copper. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Dee Posted January 8, 2019 7 hours ago, Laura Takayama said: I also love the name for your batch, because it is so similar to the kind of thing that real moonshiners come up with: My great-grandfather lived up on the side of one of the mountains nearby during the prohibition era/Great Depression, so most of his neighbors ran moonshine back in the day, and he told me & my dad this story about how most of the 'shiners would keep pigs around to eat up any mash that spilled on the ground & that they'd hide the mash vats in the ground to keep the revenuers from detecting their operations. Well apparently one day a young pig managed to fall into one of the mash vats & drowned and the mash took all the bristles (hairs) off the poor pig. Well, mash ingredients were expensive, and since they were going to distill it anyways, they ran the batch through the still after fishing the pig out & bottled it up as "Ol' Pig-Bristle Whiskey". I guess their customers either didn't know (or didn't care) that the name was rather literal.... That sounds familiar. I live in the so-called "Moonshine Capitol of the World," which happens to be the home of the Great Moonshine Conspiracy of 1935 (look it up - hot stuff, lemme tell ya), one of several locations raided by the Feds and the state of Virginia during Operation Lightning Strike in the late 1990s, and the stomping grounds of the Bondurant brothers (featured in the kinda-true film "Lawless," from 2012). When I was in high school the resource officer (a deputy sheriff whom I'll call by his first name, Tim) told us a story from his grandpa's moonshine days. Way "back in the day," deputy Tim's grandpa and his buddy made 'shine like lots of people did then: just a small back-woods still, nothin' fancy. Their condenser fed into a barrel with a removable lid, and after they made a batch, they'd dip it out of the barrel with a big ladle and fill glass jars. They would liberally sample the goods while they were jarring it - hey, somebody gots to make sure it's drinkable, right? - and on one occasion, when they got to the bottom of the barrel they found a drowned raccoon. Apparently it had followed the scent in the night, climbed up and got its nose under the lid, fell in, and couldn't get back out. Tim's grandpa was of the opinion that it tasted a lot better going down than it did coming back up again. (I strongly suspect they sold what they'd already jarred - a little fermented raccoon never hurt nobody, right!) 6 hours ago, Capt Wolf said: I'm finding this conversation fascinating. Out of curiosity, how do the economics of the above differ from the hundreds of microbreweries that have popped up everywhere? It seems they have made a go of it. A neighbor of mine who goes by the nickname "Rooster" enquired about making legal moonshine about 20 years ago. Times have changed, but back then, the total tax bill (federal, state, & local) was about $32/gallon. He didn't go into business! (He has a colorful history. He once took a, how you say, "all-expense-paid vacation" after getting caught smuggling low-tax Virginia and North Carolina cigarettes into New York City, which is highly illegal. He took another "vacation" in the mid-90s for shooting his son's dog in an argument; his son reported him, and since he's a convicted felon he wasn't supposed to have a gun. He was also once "raided" by the DEA after a helicopter spotted his collection of several hundred small potted shrubs in the clearing in the woods behind his house. They thought they'd found the mother lode of Mary Jane, rolled up in force, and nabbed him while dozens of agents stormed the place. They came out shaking their heads, empty handed, and he just laughed at them. I still wonder what he was really up to with all those tiny shrubs - he used some of our farm equipment to mix a giant batch of stuff to plant them, and acted like he was Mr. Big Shrub Salesman - but I never had the nerve to ask! Maybe it was legitimate. Real nice guy anyway.) My family has farmed for generations. (Nope, never made no 'shine. Never.) Sometime in the late 80s/early 90s my dad went to the Helm's Farmers Exchange warehouse outside the town of Rocky Mount (the county seat) to buy some rye to plant a fall cover crop. Dude manning the warehouse calls his boss in Rocky Mount - their store was immediately next to the courthouse -- and my dad overheard him say, "There's a fella down here wants to buy some rye to plant - we got any of that kind?" His boss said, "sell him some", so dad follows this guy through a warehouse packed floor-to-ceiling with one-gallon plastic jugs - thousands of 'em. They opened a container packed full of pallets of rye and an electric grinder that was grinding so fine, it made powdered dust. Dad loaded some bags, went on his way and planted his rye. The Helms brothers were raided and had all their assets seized in the aforementioned "Operation Lightning Strike" including nearly 10 thousand one-gallon jugs and a sizeable quantity of sugar. Ramsey, one of the brothers, shot and killed himself shortly thereafter, before it went to trial. I could tell more stories, but I'm already hijacking this man's topic! Apologies. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted January 8, 2019 1 hour ago, Captain Dee said: I could tell more stories, but I'm already hijacking this man's topic! Apologies. No worries I love to hear em! Lol My favorite is my late Neighbor Mr. Pitts. He told of the time he got picked up... Now before I continue let me explain something about Mr. Pitts. His biggest customers were the Supreme Court judge, The common wealth attorney, the county prosecutor, the head of county board. Now he made good rye whisky charcoal mellowed even. This man had tunnels from his barn and house and two other out buildings. And you couldnt step more than four foot from a gun of some kind in any given room of his home if you knew where to look ... Now back to the story. I'll tell it as it was told to me best I can recall: So one day the county sheriff pulls up and I (Mr. Pitts) says "can I help you Sheriff" ... Never called Don by his name always addressed him as Sheriff. Well turns out Don had a warrant and claims that he found "a still on my property" ... well he hadn't found my my still my still was back over yonder (points towards the rear of his property), but the found the one I wanted them to find used to keep it over yonder fence( points to the front of his property)... Never ran a drop through it but it was a still all the less. So they loaded me up took me up to the courthouse booked me. Bout an hour or so later I'm being released. I was back home before they even finished loadin it. Back then they wouldn't just bust it up because you could rebuild it so they'd take it away or blow it up with a bit of dynamite if it was too big for a truck. I went down there by Don and watched them load it up... Even told the boys to be careful with that part there it's heavy when they loaded the pot. Well later that week they run my name in the paper "for the illegal production of moonshine" (he pulled out a framed yellowed chunk of old news paper from his desk next to him that was the police blotter) I tell us it was the best thing they could done... Hell my business tripped after that cause now everybody knew I made the stuff (he pauses to take a swig and laugh). The best part though was them judges and attorney's the was all looking at each other like who told (laughs even harder). ______ That was my fondest shine story told by Mr Pitts. He quit making shine in 2006 when his wife past (last year of her life she was real sickly) she made him promise that when she passes away that he can't sell no more... He asked her why and she simply told him "because I won't be round to keep your megablocks out trouble! " He had told me on a prior visit that he could see the house from the still and if she would hang a red blouse on the clothes line it meant someone was coming down the lane (the nearest neighbor aside from me was 1 1/4 mile down the road either way) he said "she always wore blue or white never red so if I seen that hanging on the line I was to take the long way back to the house" ..... Now mind you I've got stories of my own but none like back in the heyday of shiners Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gedren_y Posted January 8, 2019 All these stories. Good fodder for the Sea Rats. 'Shiners in the US are mostly of Scottish and Irish descent. It's a good thing I made the Truachesh a pre-Roman Celtic type of people. Uisge is the proper Gaelic term for whiskey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roadmonkeytj Posted January 8, 2019 @gedren_y you'll notice I spell it Whisk_y quite often the scots believed (some still do) that their whisky was superior to Irish whiskey. I'm not Scottish by any means (Cherokee, German descent as most of my family is from western TN and Southern KY and three generations back Germany) I was taught good whisky has no e in it lol. But I learned the skill while living in Southern Alabama and improved over the next several years... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
