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Page 10 October 2016 The Catoctin Banner Newspaper www.TheCatoctinBanner.com Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com
Making Mountain Dew, White Lightning, Hooch, Moonshine
James Rada, Jr.
When the sale, production, Photo Courtesy of Thurmontimages.com still ever makes whiskey, because it
and transportation of alcohol was doesn’t have time to age.”
banned in the United States in 1919, Although these fellows seem to be clowning around, this was reportedly the largest still found by
citizens had to choose between authorities in Maryland. Police were unable to determine who owned the Blue Blazes. Moonshining produces distilled
becoming teetotalers or criminals. alcohol.
Many law-abiding citizens chose the worm, which was a long piece of set over a low fire. Since alcohol has
latter. 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch copper tubing, a lower boiling point than water, Some moonshiners weren’t
ran from the top of the boiler to the the alcohol evaporates while the too concerned with their quality
Since a person could get in cooling tub. The boiler lid was sealed water does not. The alcohol vapor of product and took shortcuts in
trouble buying a drink, people who with flour paste. The worm was travels up into the worm and moves making moonshine. Some of the
did it, didn’t talk about it. That coiled inside the cooling tub, with through the tubing. As it moves things that Prohibition moonshiners
didn’t mean that it wasn’t happening. the end coming out near the bottom. through the water-cooled tub, the did include:
Underground bars, or speakeasies, A small stream of water ran into the vapor condenses back into liquid
weren’t advertised. People knew tub to cool the coils. alcohol. What comes out at the end • Doubling the first run in mash
about them by word of mouth. of the worm is moonshine. instead of water.
You got in by knowing someone or Once the still is set up, here is the
knowing a password. Manufacturing recipe: a bushel of corn or grain; 50 This first run is called a • Using a 55 gal. steel drum instead
moved to stills hidden in the woods pounds of sugar; a couple cakes of “singling.” It is not pleasant to drink of a copper boiler.
or basements. yeast; and 35-50 gallons of water. and will leave a burning sensation in
your mouth and throat. • Letting the still run too long.
Moonshining (the illegal It is all mixed in a barrel and left • Put rubbing alcohol in the mash
manufacture or distribution of to ferment into corn mash. The barrel After the singling run, the still
alcohol) has been around since the is covered but it is not sealed like is emptied and cleaned. Then the when it was ready to run, which
Whiskey Rebellion in the 1790s. the boiler. As it ferments, the mash singling is poured into the boiler, would increase the amount of the
The Western Pennsylvanians, who becomes milky white. It is occasionally along with water, and the cooking run 2 to 1 in direct proportion
refused to pay the federal taxes on mixed. After the mash has fermented, process is done again. This is called to the amount of alcohol put in,
homemade liquor, were the country’s the grain will settle to the bottom, and “doubling,” and Bray calls it the one pint of 70 percent rubbing
first moonshiners. the mixture is said to be “worked off” best grade of moonshine. After this alcohol would make two pints of
and is ready for distilling. doubling run, you would probably 70 proof moonshine.
However, it wasn’t until the have about 10 gallons of moonshine. • Putting other materials in the mash
Prohibition era that moonshining In preparation for the distilling, to ferment, such as overripe fruit.
took off since the demand for the copper parts of the still are However, if you ever see old • Coloring moonshine with tobacco
liquor increased. With the profits cleaned with vinegar and salt to pictures of moonshine jugs with X’s juice or iodine instead of vanilla
increasing—a quart of moonshine remove any rust. on them, that represents the number to make it taste strong when it
could fetch $16 in Hagerstown of times run through; XXX isn’t wasn’t.
($225 in today’s dollars)—more The boiler is filled with mash to porn, it’s high-grade moonshine. • Using a 14 oz. bottle and selling
and more people were willing to within a few inches of the top and it for the same price as a 16 oz.
risk being arrested and became The original mash can be used up bottle.
moonshiners, rumrunners, and to three times by adding more sugar, Wayne Martin, a Thurmont
bootleggers. yeast, and water. resident whose grandfathers were
How to Make Moonshine moonshiners, said his Grandfather
This was all done without meters Henry used to speed up the “aging”
Kenny Bray was a Western and gauges to tell alcohol was no process by putting the kegs on hot
Maryland coal miner in the early longer coming out of the worm. The water pipes, which supposedly also
20th century. I have a copy of his way that moonshiners could tell a made the moonshine taste better.
unpublished memoir. It includes a run was done was that they would The Waynesboro Record Herald
section on moonshining and how it catch a teaspoon of moonshine out reported about a moonshiner who
is made. of the worm and throw it on the fire. took the ultimate shortcut. He sold
If it flashed, they kept cooking. If it three Waynesboro men three pints
First, you need a still, a tub, and a sizzled, they stopped. of moonshine for $2 a pint. It was a
source of running water. good deal that the men jumped at.
Bray’s grandfather used honey “Naturally, after they had it in their
The average still during the early instead of sugar and corn to make a possession, they wanted to sample the
decades of the 20th century was a good, smooth whiskey called, Honey liquor, and on doing so found that
14.5-gallon copper wash boiler. A Brandy. they had purchased muddy mountain
water with no more ‘kick’ than the
However, former Catoctin water which runs into the pipes in
Mountain Park Ranger Debra Mills homes of Waynesboro from the town
pointed out during a presentation at reservoir,” the newspaper reported.
the Thurmont Regional Library, “No
Thurmont Moonshining
Mills points out that Catoctin
Mountain was much more barren
during the Prohibition era, and the
people who lived on it were poor.
“Prohibition was probably a good
thing economically for people in this
area,” Mills said.
Having stills operating also gave
farmers a place to sell their crops.
Although corn was the most popular
grain for moonshine, Elmer Black said
in a 2015 interview that he only ever
knew of rye being raised to be sold to
the local moonshiners in the area.
…Continued on page 11
Making Mountain Dew, White Lightning, Hooch, Moonshine
James Rada, Jr.
When the sale, production, Photo Courtesy of Thurmontimages.com still ever makes whiskey, because it
and transportation of alcohol was doesn’t have time to age.”
banned in the United States in 1919, Although these fellows seem to be clowning around, this was reportedly the largest still found by
citizens had to choose between authorities in Maryland. Police were unable to determine who owned the Blue Blazes. Moonshining produces distilled
becoming teetotalers or criminals. alcohol.
Many law-abiding citizens chose the worm, which was a long piece of set over a low fire. Since alcohol has
latter. 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch copper tubing, a lower boiling point than water, Some moonshiners weren’t
ran from the top of the boiler to the the alcohol evaporates while the too concerned with their quality
Since a person could get in cooling tub. The boiler lid was sealed water does not. The alcohol vapor of product and took shortcuts in
trouble buying a drink, people who with flour paste. The worm was travels up into the worm and moves making moonshine. Some of the
did it, didn’t talk about it. That coiled inside the cooling tub, with through the tubing. As it moves things that Prohibition moonshiners
didn’t mean that it wasn’t happening. the end coming out near the bottom. through the water-cooled tub, the did include:
Underground bars, or speakeasies, A small stream of water ran into the vapor condenses back into liquid
weren’t advertised. People knew tub to cool the coils. alcohol. What comes out at the end • Doubling the first run in mash
about them by word of mouth. of the worm is moonshine. instead of water.
You got in by knowing someone or Once the still is set up, here is the
knowing a password. Manufacturing recipe: a bushel of corn or grain; 50 This first run is called a • Using a 55 gal. steel drum instead
moved to stills hidden in the woods pounds of sugar; a couple cakes of “singling.” It is not pleasant to drink of a copper boiler.
or basements. yeast; and 35-50 gallons of water. and will leave a burning sensation in
your mouth and throat. • Letting the still run too long.
Moonshining (the illegal It is all mixed in a barrel and left • Put rubbing alcohol in the mash
manufacture or distribution of to ferment into corn mash. The barrel After the singling run, the still
alcohol) has been around since the is covered but it is not sealed like is emptied and cleaned. Then the when it was ready to run, which
Whiskey Rebellion in the 1790s. the boiler. As it ferments, the mash singling is poured into the boiler, would increase the amount of the
The Western Pennsylvanians, who becomes milky white. It is occasionally along with water, and the cooking run 2 to 1 in direct proportion
refused to pay the federal taxes on mixed. After the mash has fermented, process is done again. This is called to the amount of alcohol put in,
homemade liquor, were the country’s the grain will settle to the bottom, and “doubling,” and Bray calls it the one pint of 70 percent rubbing
first moonshiners. the mixture is said to be “worked off” best grade of moonshine. After this alcohol would make two pints of
and is ready for distilling. doubling run, you would probably 70 proof moonshine.
However, it wasn’t until the have about 10 gallons of moonshine. • Putting other materials in the mash
Prohibition era that moonshining In preparation for the distilling, to ferment, such as overripe fruit.
took off since the demand for the copper parts of the still are However, if you ever see old • Coloring moonshine with tobacco
liquor increased. With the profits cleaned with vinegar and salt to pictures of moonshine jugs with X’s juice or iodine instead of vanilla
increasing—a quart of moonshine remove any rust. on them, that represents the number to make it taste strong when it
could fetch $16 in Hagerstown of times run through; XXX isn’t wasn’t.
($225 in today’s dollars)—more The boiler is filled with mash to porn, it’s high-grade moonshine. • Using a 14 oz. bottle and selling
and more people were willing to within a few inches of the top and it for the same price as a 16 oz.
risk being arrested and became The original mash can be used up bottle.
moonshiners, rumrunners, and to three times by adding more sugar, Wayne Martin, a Thurmont
bootleggers. yeast, and water. resident whose grandfathers were
How to Make Moonshine moonshiners, said his Grandfather
This was all done without meters Henry used to speed up the “aging”
Kenny Bray was a Western and gauges to tell alcohol was no process by putting the kegs on hot
Maryland coal miner in the early longer coming out of the worm. The water pipes, which supposedly also
20th century. I have a copy of his way that moonshiners could tell a made the moonshine taste better.
unpublished memoir. It includes a run was done was that they would The Waynesboro Record Herald
section on moonshining and how it catch a teaspoon of moonshine out reported about a moonshiner who
is made. of the worm and throw it on the fire. took the ultimate shortcut. He sold
If it flashed, they kept cooking. If it three Waynesboro men three pints
First, you need a still, a tub, and a sizzled, they stopped. of moonshine for $2 a pint. It was a
source of running water. good deal that the men jumped at.
Bray’s grandfather used honey “Naturally, after they had it in their
The average still during the early instead of sugar and corn to make a possession, they wanted to sample the
decades of the 20th century was a good, smooth whiskey called, Honey liquor, and on doing so found that
14.5-gallon copper wash boiler. A Brandy. they had purchased muddy mountain
water with no more ‘kick’ than the
However, former Catoctin water which runs into the pipes in
Mountain Park Ranger Debra Mills homes of Waynesboro from the town
pointed out during a presentation at reservoir,” the newspaper reported.
the Thurmont Regional Library, “No
Thurmont Moonshining
Mills points out that Catoctin
Mountain was much more barren
during the Prohibition era, and the
people who lived on it were poor.
“Prohibition was probably a good
thing economically for people in this
area,” Mills said.
Having stills operating also gave
farmers a place to sell their crops.
Although corn was the most popular
grain for moonshine, Elmer Black said
in a 2015 interview that he only ever
knew of rye being raised to be sold to
the local moonshiners in the area.
…Continued on page 11
