Is it legal to make moonshine for personal use in California?

No, it is not legal to distill alcohol in California without a permit. However, several commercial distillers permits are available. Distilling alcohol

Distilling alcohol

Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard liquor.

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Liquor - Wikipedia

intended for human consumption, without a permit, is illegal in the State of California. Distilling alcohol for fuel, however, may in fact be legal.

Can I distill Alcohol at home in California?

While individuals of legal drinking age may produce wine or beer at home for personal or family use, Federal law strictly prohibits individuals from producing distilled spirits at home (see 26 United States Code (U.S.C.)

Can I make moonshine at home for personal use?

But federal law trumps state law, and to the feds, distilling at home for personal consumption is illegal, period. "If you distill without permits, you're looking at roughly a dozen felonies," says Tom Hogue, spokesman for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. "It's not something you want to be doing."

Are stills legal in California?

Though it is legal to own a still provided you have obtained a permit from the state authorities, a still being used to distill alcoholic beverages without a distiller's license, can be seized by the government and is considered to be illegal according to the ABC Act, California Code Section 25352.

How much is a distillery license in California?

Licensees will be required to pay an application fee of $600 and an annual renewal fee of $300 for the craft distiller's license.

Is It Legal? Making your own liquor

How do I start a small distillery?

Can I distill whiskey at home?

A person may not produce distilled spirits at home for personal use. Except as otherwise provided by law, distilled spirits may only be produced by a distilled spirits plant registered with TTB under the provisions of 26 U.S.C. 5171.

Can you distill alcohol at home?

Home made spirits and liqueurs are as easy to produce as any other home brewed drink. Using similar equipment to wine making you can produce high quality, high alcohol drinks which are almost indistinguishable from their commercial counterparts and at a fraction of the price.

Is it illegal to make your own alcohol?

Across the US and most parts of Europe, distilling is against the law. There are many reasons that governments choose to prevent its citizens from making their own alcohol. In fact, even buying or owning any type of still (the vessel used to distil spirits) is illegal in many countries.

What is illegal moonshine?

Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. Moonshine. Type.

How many gallons of alcohol can you make?

Today, federal rules say a household with two adults can brew up to 200 gallons of wine and the same amount of beer each year. (A few states have their own laws prohibiting the practice.) The 1978 law didn't legalize moonshining, though; you still can't brew spirits for private consumption.

Why is moonshine still illegal?

The law is meant to “collect taxes, including highly lucrative tariffs on imported distilled spirits and tobacco products.” Unfortunately, this also covered homemade spirits, and it's been illegal to make spirits in American homes ever since.

What percent alcohol is moonshine?

Moonshine usually has an ABV of 40% but can sometimes be as high as 60%-80% ABV. Alcohol content can be converted to proof by multiplying it by two. So, 40% ABV is 80-proof. The distilling process is the key to a spirit's alcohol content.

What proof is moonshine?

On average, a proof moonshine could range somewhere between 100 to 150 proof. When you convert that alcohol by volume, 150 proof is equivalent to 75% alcohol by volume.

Why is moonshine called moonshine?

The term “moonshine” comes from the fact that illegal spirits were made under the light of the moon. In every part of America, early moonshiners worked their stills at night to avoid detection from authorities. The United States started taxing liquors and spirits shortly after the American Revolution.

What is the easiest alcohol to make?

The easiest alcohol to make is probably mead. Making mead is very straight forward but it is not the fastest alcohol to make. If you want to make alcohol that you can enjoy fast, beer is probably the way to go for you. Wine and spirits generally have longer fermenting processes than beer.

What do I need to make moonshine?

How do you make a small batch of moonshine?

What temperature do you run moonshine?

The temperature that ethyl alcohol boils off at is 78C-82C and therefore if your still has a temperature gauge in the top of the condenser (usually in a rubber bung situated at the top) it should run between 78C-82C (with 78C being ideal).

Is making ethanol illegal?

It's perfectly legal to own a still, and you can even use it, as long as you're not making alcohol – so, you can make essential oils without a permit, or perfume, or distilled water. Making ethanol for fuel use at home is also legal, provided you obtain a permit from the TTB.

How much alcohol will a 10 gallon still produce?

A 8 gallon run will yield 1.5-3 gallons of alcohol. A 10 gallon run will yield 2-4 gallons of alcohol.

Can I make bourbon at home?

If you're wondering, “can bourbon be made at home?” the answer has two parts. If you have the proper equipment and ingredients at home, it is somewhat easy to create your own bourbon. However, distilling your own liquor is illegal in the United States without proper licensing.

How much whiskey can you make at home?

There are no size restrictions either – just as its not ok to brew whiskey in small batches with a still below 1 gallon in size (an urban legend, as we pointed out), there is no upper limit (a 13 gallon limit is another urban legend) as to the size of the still you buy – as long as you do not use it to manufacture ...