Police find a still in a Maplewood apartment

Minneapolis Star and Sickle (Star and Tribune) ^ | December 11, 2006 | Herón Márquez Estrada

[dalereed]

I built one in Jr. High School 55 years ago.

Even brought it out of storage and cooked up a few batches with my father in law a few years ago.

[Oberon]

In this comparison, the homemade still is the most likely to blow things up.

Granted, but that's a far cry from "Homemade stills blow up. Period."

Clear now?

You don't appear to be, but I doubt I'll achieve any better than this, so let's just let it go.

[newguy357]

Sure, a large, homemade still producing commercial quantities may be at a higher risk of blowing up... My objection was to the alarmism inherent to the statement that we should all fear our neighbor's still. A still that is run by a person of average intelligence, producing quantities only sufficient for personal consumption is not a danger to surrounding neighbors.

[Al Gator]

Sure, neither is a methamphetamine lab. So why all the fuss?

[TNdandelion]

LOL I had a few great uncles that ran some 'shine back in the day. I only met one of them and I was just a small child. He wouldn't let us in the house so we all had a family picnic in his front yard. LOL

[mrsmith]

There was moonshine, moonshine to quench the Devil’s thirst
The law they swore they'd get him, but the Condo Association got him first...

[TNdandelion]

"She said they all kept telling each other to get off the porch when the house came around the next time."Too funny! You know you are too drunk when you have to hang on to the floor so you don't fall off!

[nomorelurker]

Thanks for the info on "jacking" always wondered if that was legal here. I have read/been told that it is very common for people in Europe to do that with wine. They even 2 stage it i.e. freeze the wine once pour off the unfrozen residue and freeze the residue once again pour off and strain and you have some stiff and crude brandy.

[Old Professer]

The most likely way to turn a still into a bomb is to burn the kettle dry and have the coil plug up at about the same time.

[elkfersupper]

Alcohol is legal.

It's still somewhat legal to buy.

It is no longer safe to consume it or transport it - anywhere.

[300magnum]

The most likely way to turn a still into a bomb is to burn the kettle dry and have the coil plug up at about the same time.

Yep, that happened to a friend of mine. Luckily he had gone into the house for a cold drink when it "went off like an A-bomb." It set most of his yard on fire. :-)

[Al Gator]

"The most likely way to turn a still into a bomb is to burn the kettle dry and have the coil plug up at about the same time"

Whoa! That would make a nice big bang.

The explosions I've "heard" about usually are caused by leaks in the expansion and cooling units. The vaporized ethanol escapes into a room (orderless, colorless) and then someone gets the big idea of turning on the vent fan to clear the room.

Either the sparks from the light switch or the sparks from the fan motor armature usually ignite the room.

Once the room goes bang, if the pressure vessel has any "pressurized" ethanol in it, well, Nice Big Bang.
Cya.

[Old Professer]

Never forget that the difference between a fire and an explosion (bomb) is containment.

[Al Gator]

Good point.

Just do your hooch cooking outside!

[newguy357]

Yea, that's the point.

[visualops]

lol great tagline

[Oberon]

corn whiskey PING!

[visualops]

I actually hate whiskey (the only time I ever got 86'd was after having some Jack Daniels...but that's another story). But, when I lived upstate NY my Italian neighbors made some serious homemade wine that had a real punch to it lol.