BEER!

[tt3]

Hey boys, I just got my issue of BYO (Brew Your Own) in the mail less then an hour ago. If you've thought about brewing, considered brewing, just started, been brewing for years or maybe figured you'd see what the fuss was all about, I'd highly recommend picking yourself up the latest issue. Along with the regular magazine (one I dig and trust) there is A Special Supplement to Brew Your Own, the beginners guide to homebrewing. on the flip side is the equivalent to home wine making. I just got a chance to page through it, not really read it, but I notice a lot of content from the magazine over the years, so its gotta be good.
Now, having said all this, it'll probably be a week or two before its out in retail, and who knows if the supplemental comes with it, but it doesn't hurt to look.
I've seen them for sale both at local homebrew stores and at Barnes and Noble or whatever big chain bookstore you've got near you. If all else fails check out the website www.byo.com
No, no affiliation to byo on my part, I just really dig their product. If you frequent the NBforum too (Mike) the editior of byo posts regulary on there too.
Just thought I'd share, can ya tell I'm excited? I get some HUGE reading material for the weekend! WHOOOOHOOOOOOOOO
:supz: :partyman:

[mjknapp]

I subscribed to byo, and got one magazine, and have never got one since, maybe it doesnt come out very often, and I will have one in the mailbox soon. But I will check it out as soon as I can get my hands on one. My wife mentioned wine making to me, and asked if I could do it, I told her yes, but we havent talked about it since.

[tt3]

They only come every other month or so... 8 in a year I think. If you don't get it in the next week, email them or call them, they're good folk and will get it straightened out. I still haven't gotten a chance to read through it.

Louis, unfortunately, its illegal in the U.S. to distill liqour unless you are licensed to.
Having said that, I'd also hypothetically be interested in hypothetically creating a still, only hypothetically speaking of course. A quick glance at any Chemistry book tells you ethenol boils at ~174degF, a little copper coil and some stopcocks with perhaps an inline thermometer ...
Of course you'd have the fusal alcohols and other nasties at the begining and end of the stilling, which would have to be dumped
ehem, um, I mean, I don't know anything about it, sorry, but it would be cool to chat about the hypothetical situtions where alcohol can be distilled! ;)

[tt3]

Ya know, hypothetically, I might have heard or read about an outfit from Canada called still spirits with a very similar website, that sells stills for use on the stove top. I might actually have seen one, appearing quite a bit like a pressure cooker with a really tall hat. I might have heard that the website is devided for Canadians and their southern neighbors, and will only sell the product in the U.S. for use distilling essential oils.
It looked like a sweet little rig, but came with a heafty price tag for something that would be able to distill any real volume.

Experimentally and hypothetically, playing with the physics behind extraction of the alcohols, I think hitting the temp right would be the easiest... Like the good ol' boys used to do.
GW wouldn't go for it, simply because there isn't any taxation on it by the goverment.
Speaking of government, they have a different definition of distillation than a scientist. They consider doing anything that would increase the alcohol in the end result to be distilling, so if you were to hypothetically put some wine in the deep freeze and take out the ice chunks that form, they consider that distilling too. (ever hear of applejack? :twisted: )

[tt3]

No kidding, huh?
The biggest argument against home distilling is the chance for fire, and the possibility of poisoning from the "bad" alcohols. The real reason that I don't think it will pass is the money issue. Its a taxed item, and taxed heavily. There probably wouldn't be much loss in revenue, since only a few folks would try it with success to repeat, if that makes sense.
Oh and the poisoning issue was more from prohibition era spiking the juice to make it more potent...
I'll have to keep an eye for it in the news, thanks for bringing it up!

[mjknapp]

Beer--------BLAH!!!!!!!


I drank to much yesterday and last night watching the games, dont want to think or talk about beer.......lol


Great football games though, Eagles tore up the Giants, this city is going to go crazy over the eagles again this year, and if they get beat again, they definitely will go crazy.