Put that thar moonshahn in a mason jar with a couple of pars in thar with em, fer about two years. And then put em in back of yer truck and drahv slow.
From observation at the wedding, I think that it seems best stored in the stomach. And from closer observation, a women's stomach seemed to be the choice of Hawk.
I un-dug a wooden crate in our basement with 20 mason jars of shine (Our basement was flooding with every heavy rain, and sand / silt had built-up a layer of 3 feet deep). It appeared to have been from the prohibition era, most of it was still good.
I go through a fifth of 'ever-clear' (it is 190 proof) about every couple weeks, it can be stored pretty much anywhere. When you remove the cap, it has a metal screen fitted onto the bottle as a flame arrester. So even if you were smoking with an open bottle in hand, the fumes might flame-up but the flames can not go inside in bottle.
I would not be concerned about storing shine, tight fitting lid is all you need.
I do have a vino-meter which measures alcohol content from 0 - 20 percent. I have a hydrometer that is specifically made for measuring alcohols from 20 percent to through 100 percent. If you are wondering how strong it is, you can aquire these types of instruments for your own use.
If you understand the 'proofing' system it is easy to tell if your shine is up to 'proof'. Light it. A beverage needs 50% alcohol before it will be flammable. If your shotglass full can be lit, then you know it is at least 50% or 100 proof. Keep in mind depending on what it came from, you may not always see the flame. So light it, and even if you dont see the flame, always test it first by passing your hand over the glass. I have seen men lose their beards from drinking something that was burning, but their did not see the flame. In theory you should not drink too much if it's proof is over 100 (at least unless your used to it). Some people find it dehydrating.
Drinking flaming drinks, can never safely be done with hair-oil in your hair, quickly sneek up on the glass from underneath, tilt your head back so the drink is poured into your mouth and the flames stay away from your eyebrows and facial hair, and exhale until the glass is put down.
I have a good question for you, I was asked last weekend, "why do sailors tend to drink so much"?
Jars -- always jars with a screw on cap, so it is sealed. Keep it in the dark and it will mature. (hmmmm -- I'm in the dark about a lot of things, and I haven't matured!) :D-->
I have a friend who kept his in jars in his garage under a pile of "junk" so his wife wouldn't find it, and when he "introduced" me to it, it was over 30 years old -- black as coffee, and smoother than water. :)--> :)--> :)-->
I apologize fer not givin ya directions on storing it Steve!
First off I want to tell ya ya was lucky even gettin' it cause we was havin such a good time at ya weddin' that I did'nt think any of it survived.
But seeing as how you and Chinny survived tha hooneymoon and didn't drink it then I owe you both a special congratulations and may have to see that ya got yer own special bottle for this yr's weenie roast!
Now, what I would recomend for that bottle is this. I'fn memory serves me correct,,,,I put it in a plastic water bottle! I would put it in the frezzer and save it to wash down the top layer of that beautiful wedding cake on ya first anniversary,,,,,and if'n ya don't have plenty of people around to help ya out then,,,,then save the rest for ya fifty year anniversary! Yer Friendly Tour Guide to tha Bourbin Regions of Tha Bluegrass State....Littlehawk!
Galen......I can see you need a trip to the bluegarass,,,,we don't measure proof around here,,, we just look out the window the next morning to see if'n we are in the right house or wether our truck is in the drive!
quote: Now, what I would recomend for that bottle is this. I'fn memory serves me correct,,,,I put it in a plastic water bottle! I would put it in the frezzer and save it to wash down the top layer of that beautiful wedding cake on ya first anniversary.
As usual -- I am wrong again! :(-->
I have to bow to the MASTER on this subject, and let it go at that. I have never heard of it frozen, and still remember the "first time", but if it can be frozen -- so be it!:)--> :)-->
What would YOU rather "master" -- pfal, or moonshine preservation??
High-proof moonshine will not freeze in an ordinary freezer. The freezing point of pure ethanol is -175 degrees Fahrenheit. A 50% water/ethanol mix (i.e., 100 proof liquors) freezes at -25 degrees F, and 80 proof liquors (40% ethanol) freeze at -10.
The remaining compounds in moonshine (assuming a corn mash base) will not be adversely affected by prolonged exposure to cold. It all depends on how "smooth" the moonshine tastes before it goes in the freezer. If it's at all harsh going down, storing it at room temperature for long periods will give some of the heavier fusel oils and higher alcohols (all nasty-tasting) time to decompose, mellowing the 'shine. If the distiller knew his stuff, and properly discarded the "heads" and "tails" of the distillate before they contaminated the product, the moonshine should be as smooth as any store-bought vodka.
A quick method for detecting/removing the majority of toxic fusel oils is to pour a glass of the shine, then shake a good dose of black pepper onto the top of it. Wait five minutes or so, then if the pepper flecks have sunk to the bottom of the glass, the fusel oil content is high. You can drink it now, but make sure you discard the bit at the bottom with the pepper--don't drink it! (The pepper grains act like activated charcoal and soak the heavier/less dense fusel oils into themselves. This makes them heavier than the surrounding alcohol, and they sink.)
If it tastes like gasoline smells, throw it away.
The only other real danger to moonshine is if the distiller took a common shortcut with his still and used a car radiator as a flake stand (condensing column). Radiators work great in stills, and beat the old coiled-copper tube all to heck, but since the pipes are soldered together with lead solder, the lead leaches out of the solder under the heat of the ethanol vapor and contaminates the batch. There's no way to tell the lead content of moonshine without a lab, so let the imbiber beware!
quote: High-proof moonshine will not freeze in an ordinary freezer. The freezing point of pure ethanol is -175 degrees Fahrenheit. A 50% water/ethanol mix (i.e., 100 proof liquors) freezes at -25 degrees F, and 80 proof liquors (40% ethanol) freeze at -10.
Zix -- yer taking the fun out of it. :(--> :(--> :(-->
:D--> :D--> :D--> :D--> :D-->
Lordy, lordy -- You should have been on that "millionaire" show, and asked them the questions, to see how smart they were!!
Now -- a serious question -- What is the best way to store a banjo??!!
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Raf
Put that thar moonshahn in a mason jar with a couple of pars in thar with em, fer about two years. And then put em in back of yer truck and drahv slow.
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Pirate1974
Keep it away from any open flames.
:)-->
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pawtucket
From observation at the wedding, I think that it seems best stored in the stomach. And from closer observation, a women's stomach seemed to be the choice of Hawk.
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Grizzy
Storing shine??????????
-->
Must be a yankee...............
:D-->
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Tom Strange
Put it where ever you can easily get to it! (maybe the nightstand?)
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Raf
Baaaahahahahahahahahaha.
I'm a Yankee but they knew better than to leave the moonshahn in mah room.
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Steve!
Well, one person told me to keep it out of direct sunlight
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Tom Strange
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notinKansasanymore
Secretly.
Them revenooers maht be lookin' fer you, son.
If'n I wuz you, I'd keep mah shotgun handy an' Ol'Blue out on the front stoop.
O.K., seriously, it was just too cool for Hawk to give you that for a wedding present! Way to go, Hawk.
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Galen
I un-dug a wooden crate in our basement with 20 mason jars of shine (Our basement was flooding with every heavy rain, and sand / silt had built-up a layer of 3 feet deep). It appeared to have been from the prohibition era, most of it was still good.
I go through a fifth of 'ever-clear' (it is 190 proof) about every couple weeks, it can be stored pretty much anywhere. When you remove the cap, it has a metal screen fitted onto the bottle as a flame arrester. So even if you were smoking with an open bottle in hand, the fumes might flame-up but the flames can not go inside in bottle.
I would not be concerned about storing shine, tight fitting lid is all you need.
I do have a vino-meter which measures alcohol content from 0 - 20 percent. I have a hydrometer that is specifically made for measuring alcohols from 20 percent to through 100 percent. If you are wondering how strong it is, you can aquire these types of instruments for your own use.
If you understand the 'proofing' system it is easy to tell if your shine is up to 'proof'. Light it. A beverage needs 50% alcohol before it will be flammable. If your shotglass full can be lit, then you know it is at least 50% or 100 proof. Keep in mind depending on what it came from, you may not always see the flame. So light it, and even if you dont see the flame, always test it first by passing your hand over the glass. I have seen men lose their beards from drinking something that was burning, but their did not see the flame. In theory you should not drink too much if it's proof is over 100 (at least unless your used to it). Some people find it dehydrating.
Drinking flaming drinks, can never safely be done with hair-oil in your hair, quickly sneek up on the glass from underneath, tilt your head back so the drink is poured into your mouth and the flames stay away from your eyebrows and facial hair, and exhale until the glass is put down.
I have a good question for you, I was asked last weekend, "why do sailors tend to drink so much"?
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dmiller
FREEZE IT??????????
No no no no no no and NO!
-->
Jars -- always jars with a screw on cap, so it is sealed. Keep it in the dark and it will mature. (hmmmm -- I'm in the dark about a lot of things, and I haven't matured!)
:D-->
I have a friend who kept his in jars in his garage under a pile of "junk" so his wife wouldn't find it, and when he "introduced" me to it, it was over 30 years old -- black as coffee, and smoother than water.
:)--> 
:)--> 
:)-->
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dmiller
And yes -- it is always better warm. You can add it to anything then, but is best "straight up".
Freezing it.
-->
Now THAT is ALCOHOL ABUSE!
:D--> 
:D--> 
:D-->
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dmiller
Griz -- Nothing wrong with a "little money in the bank".
:)--> 
:)-->
"Liquid Assets" -- don't cha know!
;)--> 
;)-->
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Littlehawk
I apologize fer not givin ya directions on storing it Steve!
First off I want to tell ya ya was lucky even gettin' it cause we was havin such a good time at ya weddin' that I did'nt think any of it survived.
But seeing as how you and Chinny survived tha hooneymoon and didn't drink it then I owe you both a special congratulations and may have to see that ya got yer own special bottle for this yr's weenie roast!
Now, what I would recomend for that bottle is this. I'fn memory serves me correct,,,,I put it in a plastic water bottle! I would put it in the frezzer and save it to wash down the top layer of that beautiful wedding cake on ya first anniversary,,,,,and if'n ya don't have plenty of people around to help ya out then,,,,then save the rest for ya fifty year anniversary! Yer Friendly Tour Guide to tha Bourbin Regions of Tha Bluegrass State....Littlehawk!
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Littlehawk
Galen......I can see you need a trip to the bluegarass,,,,we don't measure proof around here,,, we just look out the window the next morning to see if'n we are in the right house or wether our truck is in the drive!
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Littlehawk
Steve....it'll keep justfine in the frezzer,,,,it just don't last long around here in the summer,,,cuse it makes a nice evening slushie wif sweet tea!
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dmiller
As usual -- I am wrong again!
:(-->
I have to bow to the MASTER on this subject, and let it go at that. I have never heard of it frozen, and still remember the "first time", but if it can be frozen -- so be it!
:)--> 
:)-->
What would YOU rather "master" -- pfal, or moonshine preservation??
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Raf
I think mastery of moonshine preservation will leave you closer to God.
After I don't know how many years of moonshine preservation, Littlehawk seems a much nicer person to hang with than the average PFAL master.
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dmiller
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Zixar
High-proof moonshine will not freeze in an ordinary freezer. The freezing point of pure ethanol is -175 degrees Fahrenheit. A 50% water/ethanol mix (i.e., 100 proof liquors) freezes at -25 degrees F, and 80 proof liquors (40% ethanol) freeze at -10.
The remaining compounds in moonshine (assuming a corn mash base) will not be adversely affected by prolonged exposure to cold. It all depends on how "smooth" the moonshine tastes before it goes in the freezer. If it's at all harsh going down, storing it at room temperature for long periods will give some of the heavier fusel oils and higher alcohols (all nasty-tasting) time to decompose, mellowing the 'shine. If the distiller knew his stuff, and properly discarded the "heads" and "tails" of the distillate before they contaminated the product, the moonshine should be as smooth as any store-bought vodka.
A quick method for detecting/removing the majority of toxic fusel oils is to pour a glass of the shine, then shake a good dose of black pepper onto the top of it. Wait five minutes or so, then if the pepper flecks have sunk to the bottom of the glass, the fusel oil content is high. You can drink it now, but make sure you discard the bit at the bottom with the pepper--don't drink it! (The pepper grains act like activated charcoal and soak the heavier/less dense fusel oils into themselves. This makes them heavier than the surrounding alcohol, and they sink.)
If it tastes like gasoline smells, throw it away.
The only other real danger to moonshine is if the distiller took a common shortcut with his still and used a car radiator as a flake stand (condensing column). Radiators work great in stills, and beat the old coiled-copper tube all to heck, but since the pipes are soldered together with lead solder, the lead leaches out of the solder under the heat of the ethanol vapor and contaminates the batch. There's no way to tell the lead content of moonshine without a lab, so let the imbiber beware!
Now I have to go practice my banjo...
;)-->
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sadie
Steve, try pouring some of your shine into another jar with some stemmed sweet cherries.
Chinson, the longer the cherries saturate with the moonshine the more fun Steve and you will have when you eat them.
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Cindy!
I'm storing it on toppa the fridge til Stevey gets home!
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dmiller
Zix -- yer taking the fun out of it.
:(--> 
:(--> 
:(-->
Lordy, lordy -- You should have been on that "millionaire" show, and asked them the questions, to see how smart they were!!
Now -- a serious question -- What is the best way to store a banjo??!!
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dmiller
Cindy! -- is it out of reach of the Cindy!ettes?? (chinettes)?
:D-->
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