[ale] linux / moonshine project query

[James P. Kinney III]

Hmmm. Gonna have to rethink some other projects now.

Making alcohol from stuff like sugar beets is really easy. 

Hmmm.....

On Mon, 2007-01-01 at 14:39 -0500, Christopher Bergeron wrote:
> James, the application for a small fuel production license is a 2 page 
> document.  It's simpler to fill out than some tax forms.  As for the 
> moonshine aspect, it is up to the producer to denature the alcohol, but 
> as far as I know, they don't monitor it.  I just got a call about the 
> status of my license from the ATF last week, so I have yet to find out 
> the status from them.
> 
> Here's a link with more information about getting a license:
> http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/id10.html
> 
> Unfortunately, the ATF application link is broken, but it's easy to find 
> on the web.
> 
> Kind regards,
> Chris Bergeron
> 
> 
> 
> 
> James P. Kinney III wrote:
> > On Sun, 2006-12-31 at 08:41 -0500, Philip James Smith wrote:
> >   
> >> Hi Ale-ers
> >>
> >> I am planning to make some moonshine. This is no joke. In the state of 
> >> Georgia, it is legal to make a small amount at home.
> >>     
> >
> > That will land you in jail. There is no provision for making _ANY_
> > distilled spirits in _ANY_ quantity. Even if you are investigating a
> > potential start-up commercial venture and just want to test a few recipe
> > ideas you are required to have a federal license from BATF and more from
> > Georgia. (I investigated doing just this about 6 months ago. The
> > application paperwork stack from BATF is about 1/2" thick. Once I read
> > through that, I decided against pursuing it further with Georgia.).
> >
> > At the current time, it is also illegal to distill any quantity of
> > alcohol for making fuel with out a license and inspection that the
> > distillation process creates denatured spirits.
> >
> > This is a line you do NOT want to cross.
> >
> > BATF has a long history of violence against illegal distilleries.
> >   
> >> In order to make moonshine, I need to distill a mash (a fermented 
> >> corn/water/yeast mix), and to raise it to certain temperatures and to 
> >> maintain the mash at those to separate the "unsafe" alcohols from the 
> >> "safe" alcohols.
> >>
> >> It is pretty hard to maintain temp "by hand." How could I use linux to 
> >> monitor and maintain temperature?
> >>     
> >
> > The engineering of temperature control is well within the realm of a
> > Linux application. You will need a thorough understanding of
> > thermodynamics, specific heat capacities of all the proposed ingredients
> > and a sizable collection of temperature monitoring devices.
> >
> > In my beer brewing (which _IS_ legal in small quantities - 200 gallons
> > per year per adult in the household) I have been investigating using
> > steam to maintain temperature. This will allow the transfer of heat to
> > the mash tun without burning the bottom or adding much water (direct
> > steam injection method). An alternate method I am also looking at in
> > indirect steam injection. This method uses steam as the heat source but
> > the steam  (and resulting condensate) are mechanically isolated from the
> > mash tun contents. This allows for a constant water volume but requires
> > either a pump to remove the condensate or a carefully crafted design to
> > collect the liquid for post-mash removal.
> >
> > The calculations use only first order differential equations and a
> > simple first order Taylor series approximation is plenty sufficient
> > (HEY! I'm making beer here.  It's not rocket science :) for a looping
> > calculation.
> >
> > But then, stirring a pot by hand and checking the temp every 2 minutes
> > with a hand-held thermometer is much easier than building the rig ...
> >   
> >> All the best,
> >> Phil Smith
> >> Duluth, GA
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >> http://www.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale
> >>     
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-- 
James P. Kinney III          
CEO & Director of Engineering 
Local Net Solutions,LLC        
770-493-8244                    
http://www.localnetsolutions.com

GPG ID: 829C6CA7 James P. Kinney III (M.S. Physics)
<jkinney at localnetsolutions.com>
Fingerprint = 3C9E 6366 54FC A3FE BA4D 0659 6190 ADC3 829C 6CA7
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