Talking Legalisation Of Distilling & Malted Corn With Bearded & Bored 

Hey Jesse and all the fine folks that love hobby distilling! Just found out there is a petition on the White House page to legalize home distilling. I signed it and I hope you all do it too. petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/modify-or-remove-federal-restrictions-home-distilling-alcohol

Jessie, I'm in Texas as well. I brew, I distill, and I occasionally smoke. Never been to jail forever... ;) Brewing is of course legal. The other two are perfectly legal as long as you don't get caught. The absolute keys are to never be in possession of a FULL working still, never have anything on you that you can't swallow in two seconds, and never tell neighbors, boyfriends/girlfriends, etc about anything you don't want to see on legal documents. The last one is the biggest. Neighbors and booty calls can fall out with you much quicker than lifetime friends and family. Never give them any rocks to throw. Not saying it's OK to break the law, but IMO, if you aren't hurting anyone, the government can piss off. I have no moral issues with that line of thinking.

Thanks for highlighting this issue Jesse. Hope we can get some folks on board with changing this pointless law. Also, I couldn't help but smile like a goofball watching this. Good times:-) Hope you're going to start malting some corn soon.

I would love to see distilling legalized.

100% agree about home distilling being illegal in the US as a dumb thing and a holdover from ye olden days. It's all about taxes. I'd love to learn more about it and share that information with my viewers too, but alas, we can't do it. Great job guys.

Yeah go go boys and girls of America, write your congressman! It'll help everyone when the community in America can really kick off. Good luck, friends

I was just researching this in Arizona. It turns out you can possess a still, with two restrictions. One; you must register it with the States department of Alcohol - including a picture of the still (That brings up the chicken/egg issue. I take a picture of my still to get it registered but it's not registered so it's illegal...) Two; You may not sell the product. Give it to family and friends over 21 is cool. I'm still designing my still in my head. Jesse gives me some great ideas. Thanks for your videos.

This is what I've been looking for. Thanks guys

Thanks for sharing this. It is a major disappointment here in America. Some folks distill anyways but in my state they are risking a 12,000 dollar fine and 2 years in prison. Some of it comes from the tax that the states collect on spirits. Money money money. It has been a joy to watch what you can do in New Zealand keep up the good work!

That's really cool that you can malt popcorn! But a 50 lb bag of whole kernel corn can be purchased at the feed store (ace, tractor supply etc) for $8.

As long as you are not selling it, you should be legal doing whatever...

I've started to talking to my delegate and state senator and trying to get it legal to own a still in Virginia. Not even a water distiller can you have.

A Boy Howdy and a big old Who Ya to Ya; Jesse and Bearded! I too, am a law breaking home distiller in the states. I also happen to be blind. Hey, maybe I can play the blind card if the revenuers come a knocking at my door? Let’s not dwell on that one for now! I’m getting ready to set up an appointment with my state of Florida District Representative; to discuss possible state legislation making it legal to distill alcohol at home as a hobby. Or at the very least; make it legal to possess/own a still. As of right now; in the state of Florida it is not legal to even own a still for decoration purposes! I then want to talk to him about what he’d think about trying to pass federal legislation on this truly outstanding hobby of ours. Then once congress goes back home, give the same a try with my US congressmen and Senators. It’s high time it becomes legal to distill alcohol spirits at home; as a hobby. Any Americans reading this post, or those that subscribe to Still It or Bearded & Bored; we all need to get together and get off are arses, how’d you like that one Jesse? And make this happen! “We must hang together, or we will indeed; surely hang together”!

In South Africa its legal to make alcohol, its just illegal to sell or exchange it for something.

I brew beer. I make mead. I make wine. I would LOVE to get into distilling but the paperwork and fees feel overwhelming to me to even think about as a hobby. Really enjoying your videos! Keep em coming! :)

They can have my new still when they can pry it from my cold dead hands...in other news just subscribed and just finished building my new still and I did the vinegar run and the sacrificial run now I'm getting ready for the maiden voyage turning some rice wine into alcohol great information from you guys and I'm looking forward to this new hobby !! I'll raise a glass to you folks 😜

I’m with u guys on this chasing the craft of distilling.. jesses next time u in Texas u better come see me.lol I’m close to Denison Tx👍👍👍

I agree, legalize home distilling!! Like you said it doesn't make sense that we can make beer or wine at home but we can't take it one step further.

I live in Missouri. Apparently we have the laxest distilling laws! Hmm....

I love you guys! Keep up the good work. Oddly enough they sell all the distilling stuff you could ever want, it's even on Amazon. Weird huh?

Actually the liquor lobby was in favor of the bill, the congress just got distracted by BS. THere were enough cosponsors in both houses to pass the bill if only cosponsors had voted yes.

Its the same here in Australia . . . perfectly legal to purchase or own stills and their components, ingredients, flavourings etc but against the law to use them to manufacture alcohol for consumption. Our stills are apparently for water and oils only :(

I agree. I'm in talks with my senators and congressman to look at what legalizing craft brewing had done to grow the brewing industry as well as grow small businesses! Legalizing craft distillery would result in a like boom. It's anything but the old bathtub gin where unscrupulous gangsters would add methanol to grow their profit! Craft distilling would be creative and safe and give so many different tastes,much like the plethora of different beers, ciders and IPA's. Make craft distilling legal in the USA!! It's all about freedom!!

What is the regulation on Apple Jack where alcohol is separated by freezing the fermented cider and pouring off the alcohol?

Same in canada, i was so sad it just could not do it, i would have loved to distill some spirits :)

I think it should be legal in the u.s. If only for personal consumuption. Of course there would be so, so many people making horrible products. Shit in shit out as we say in the kitchen. I do wish we could distill but at the same time I'm glad we cannot at the moment.

I've been malting corn for sometime now and my experience is regular yellow corn does not malt well and the yield is low. I would never use feed corn since it typically has all sorts of trash and dead insects in it. Pop corn does the best and the yield is very high, besides, it's cheap.

1799 George Washington produced around 11,000 gallons of rye whiskey on his distillery on mount Vernon, Virginia. That's our first founding father, our very first president of the United States, our first moonshiner. Go George

My state law is that you can distill up to 200gal/person in your household annually. Unfortunately that doesn’t help when the feds come around. So weird that it’s legal to distill non-alcoholic beverages, and it’s also legal to brew beer or wine, but combining the two is illegal. Could one distill insanely large amounts of something like kombucha or “non-alcoholic” beverages to get the alcohol off?

Hey Jesse - Mate, I'm just starting out watching your channel. Not sure how far I'm going to go down the home distillation path yet, just weighing it all up right now and I've got a few other projects on the run like fermented chilli sauces, etc., but I was an avid home brewer about a decade ago and you have caught my interest. So a total noob question for you - due to the distillation process, can you afford to be a little bit more lax on the sterilisation aspect to the craft? I figure that seeing as all of this will be distilled out it should eliminate most of the nasties, but the thing I hated most about home brewing was keeping on top of the sterilisation. Blah, I will get through your library before I ask any more silly questions. Cheers mate; Simon

I want the t-shirt in THAT color! Where can I get it?

I think it should be like some states that have weed legal. Start it off like that and see how it goes. I know my state would never do it cause we have to many effed up laws here anyway.

from Missouri and been cooking for about 17 years

Is there a drawback to adding amylase to break down the starch?

We need to get it legal here in OZ too

Check out "Missouri Spirits Expedition " on Instagram to see what legal craft distilling can do. Missouri whiskey trail opens this summer.

Hey Jesse, you’ve probably fielded this before but do you do anything to your water profile to get what you are looking for? Are you starting with RO water or something else? I’d be really interested to hear your take on it.

What states are legal to distill in? Your friend said a couple but I don’t know any

I’m very fortunate to live in one of the few states where it’s legal. Not that that would change anything. 😉

Explode was not a good choice of words for what would happen if they allowed home distillation! The flash burns could make you go blind. lol

In order to legalize hobby distilling we need to first outlaw lobbyists. There's too much big corporate money against home distilling.

Here in Oregon we can make our own wine. We can brew our own beer. We can even grow our own weed, but it remains a FELONY to distill spirits. It is farking crazy....

All i want for Christmas...

I really wish it was legal here in the UK to distill spirits, such as shame I'd have to go underground if I wanted to try it

I agree! Flood your federal members of Congress and tell them this draconian law needs repealed!!

Just because of taxes.... the only reason its going to be hard to get passed

I dont love cocaine I just like the way it smells

Hands across the pond...

I dont hardly drink but maybe once or twice a year but if I could I would own a still and make my own alcohol I have alot of ideas in my head but can't act on them because jail is no fun in any manner of the idea

Unfortunately we may need to ‘bend’ the rules to get more ppl talking about distillation, and dispel the myths about it. A US federal ‘fuel alcohol permit’ is free to apply for, and allows you to distill ethanol “for use as fuel” and maybe a few pints go missing on occasion... oops.

If I lived out in a rural area I would still it

gets put on list

Question about Applejack, if you were to throw it in the still until you have removed the foreshots then kill it and freeze distill what's left could you not have the good parts of Applejack without the worry about a hangover from hell if you go a little overboard

"Land of the free"

It's legal in Tennessee, your license cost $1000 per year lol or is that ethanol. Shit who cares. Drinking some Bulleit Rye. Green label. WOW , those hill folk. Delicious

I''m assuming it's the operation an ownership of a still that's illegal....which leaves the option of freeze distilling open...

It would be great if it was legal, but other than feeling nice and comfy in your hobby, does it really stop anyone? (I'm in the US).

You don't know why?? TAX!!! Calculate the amount of tax beyond sales tax that is charged on a bottle of alcohol. The government has been collecting tax on alcohol since the revolutionary war here in the US

I think this morning there were only 700 and something signatures; out of the 100,000 that we need by June 23? I guess all of us Home Distillers are just too nervous about putting our name on anything? Well we need to get this done people! Get off your ass, and make it pass!

Poor, poor American crafters...

But we're the land of the free... right?

I dont give a shit of it's illegal or not I'm going to do it.

too much tax money...government wouldn't be happy...the billionaires y'know

It violates the 18/21 amendment

Your gonna go blind! Lol