This book is pretty excellent especially if your a beginner without alot of homebrew experience. It's a step by step on how to make your own cheap booze!

An experienced brewer will not agree with this writer on many things. The title is catchy byt only buy it when you have collect books like makin pure corn whiskey and the compleat distiller. Also moonshine has much accurate info in it

I consider this a must read if you are getting into the hobby of making beer, wine, mead, or whatever. Consider this the blue collar version of making alcoholic beverages. You don't need fancy equipment (but it helps), you don't need to compare your vintage to the floral scents of meadow flowers, you don't have to eat certain wines with certain foods - in fact, you can make wine/fermented beverages out of most anything - milk, in a garbage bag, etc - and this book covers most of these stories/recipes with humorous vigor. Very fun read, and it will get you experimenting with new wines.

I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 only because it is slightly disorganized could use another proofreading. These are not large detractors though, as the unpolished aspects of this books works well with how the author humorous, carefree approach to the art of making alcohol. Even if you never intend to make alcohol at home, the entertaining stories and ingenious alcohol-making contraptions described are worth the read.

Chapter 1 is a very basic introduction of basic fermentation process required to make all alcohols. Very light on science, but not glossing over anything important.

Chapter 2 details winemaking. This was my favorite chapter, as the author doesn't just stick with the basics, like grape wine, cider, and mead (honey wine). He details how just about anything that contains sugar/starches can be easily turned into wine, from straight sugar to tomatoes, to carrots, to milk. There is an extensive recipe list, all requiring very little money and equipment to make some very exotic "wines." Intermixed with the instruction is some great stories about milk wine bootlegging priests and what to do when you meet a bear in a blueberry patch. Great stuff!

Chapter 3 is dedicated to home brewing beer. Recipes for cheap, historical prohibition style beers are discussed as well as more conventional, high quality beers. Most of the brewing process is kept very simple and generic. While I liked this section for the prohibition recipes and exotics beers recipes like chicha, I would probably buy a more conventional home brewing book if you plan to get serious with home brewing. The methodology here seems more directed toward college students who want to brew at the lowest cost possible, or isolated people unable to get a conventional home brew kit in the mail. Not to take anything away from the authors methods- its just that most people don't do home brews out of necessity, but as a hobby.

Chapter 4 describes making your own home brewing equipment, as well as making your own malt. Like the previous chapter, this section is very interesting and is great for someone unable to get home brewing ingredients and equipment, or unable to afford them. However, very few of potential homebrewer's would go to the hassle of building a bottlecapper out of scraps of wood, when they are readily available for under $20. The section on making malt is very interesting, especially since this is a topic that most basic home brew books avoid.

Chapter 5 details basic whiskeys and many different distillation stills. The whiskey recipes themselves are traditional cheap bootleggers recipes. Real, aged whiskey is not describes, only prohibition liquor or high proof ethyl alcohol are mentioned. A variety of stills are described, from traditional pot stills, to simple stills made from modern kitchen gear like pressure cookers, crock pots, and tea kettles, to small portable stills made from a soldering iron. Enough information is given to create your own still, if that is legal where you live.

Chapter 6 is a simple chapter on making liqueurs from a base alcohol (vodka or your 'shine)and a variety of fruits, herbs, etc. This chapter is here for completeness, but does not contain anything unique like the previous chapters.

Overall, this book is perfect for diehard DIYers, cheapcollege students,people in remote parts of the world, or anybody who wants to make their own alcohol but doesn't want to get bogged down in the fun-killing science aspects. If you are thinking about making wine/beer/liquor but just aren't sure if you can handle it, this book is the perfect starting point.

everything you need to know to get started is right here. the tools and the ambition are up to you. the book is written in a very personal style and filled with lots of stories both personal and secondhand. recipies are great and simple. listen to this man's warnings he has a wealth of knowledge and experiences both good and bad. don't miss his whale photo on the first page.

I've been brewing for over a year now and I have quite a few books in my brewing library. This book has very quickly become my favorite. The author is like the MacGyver of homebrewing. If you've got some duct-tape a paper clip and balloon ... you've got beer. Ok, that might be a little stretch, but there are some seriously good ideas in this book - especially the dehydrator idea for malting grain.

Now, I know that some people want every brewing book to be a college textbook. This is not that. If you really want something like that purchase New Brewing Lager Beer: The Most Comprehensive Book for Home and Microbrewers. However, if you're like me and you just want to relax, have fun, and make some really great beer, then this book is probably for you!

I have purchased many beer and wine making books over the past 8 years. This book shares a favored spot on the shelf with Charlie Papazion's "The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing" and Terry Garey's "The joy of Home Winemaking." This book is plain language how to successfully enjoy making beer & wine without getting lost in pages of jargon that would only be useful to a chemist. The author stays true to his word when he states that Grandma did not need to know the chemistry of bread to make great bread and the same is true for making alcohol. It answers the fundamental question of how beer, wine, and cider were made before all of the specialties stores. Which makes it also a keeper in any survivalist library also?

Without a doubt this book is the best book to have for anyone making homemade alcoholic drinks. This book has some history, a lot of humor and tons of recipes. You get recipes for wines and more wines, beers and more beers, hopless beer, corn beer,and of course moonshine. Instructions are clear and many alternatives to expensive homebrew store items are given.

This is a great book for brewers, wine-makers and wannabee bootleggers at any skill level. If you have never made any of this stuff before, it will tell you all you need to know. If you are an expert, some of the recipes and rough and ready techniques will interest you. The anecdotes amuse, and I recommend the book highly.

This book serves as a good introduction to making just about anything with alcohol that is drinkable. Not every concept is legal in the U.S. (hence, distillation and moon shining). I used the recipes in this book to make my first batch of wine, which turned out excellent.

All recipes and instructions are "do it yourself on a budget". If you take an interest in beer brewing or wine making, you will likely want to buy some of the components at a shop. However, this book tells how to build everything yourself.

This book is entertaining. It is loaded with stories and recipes. There is also a section on How-To's.

If you ever thought of making your own booze or you're just curious about it this book is for you. Chock full of recipes and plans to make your own still this book is a must for not only connoisseurs of homemade hooch but for anyone who interested in the history of bootlegging.

This is a good primer for the fledgling wine maker, we bougth two copies, one for our U-Pick Vineyard library, one to loan out.

brutonvineyard.com

The book guides the reader through a process of making spirits starting from sugar water wine to distilling. The wine and beer portion of the book is written better than the distillation portion. I am still seeking an understanding of how modern distillers use reflux distilleries to make burbons. It is clear that the author has a deep abiding love for the topic and that makes the book as fun as it is educational

great book for the beginer in making beer, wine or shine! gives lots of ideas. new ones on a stills, right down to the el-cheapo kind. easy to follow detailed instructions,along with warnings. reasons why you do somethings and to help out even the expert wine and beer maker!! great book

very good book, i really liked the part on the wine, and the all the different types of stills. That was the best party the beer part was ok, not the best. but if you would like to read about beer get a book on Homebrew. I really like the books and it was very simple too. thanks for the info

This book is a perfect book for anyone who is looking to start homebrewing. They give you a step by step process on how to make anything from pruno wine to honey wine to lager beers, whiskey, moonshine you name it. Also a great educational book on how the process of brewing began. Highly recommended read.

I found this book great! It took the mystery out of homebrew and wine making. The cost of the book is well worth the money you would save if you are serious about making your own. The first project I did was to make wine and I did not need to special order anything to get started. I had everything I needed already. It was all found in my kitchen. The book tells you how to get started on the cheap and how to avoid the rip offs of home brewing. It has been one of the best do it yourself books I have purchased.

I bought this book because it was recomended everywhere I looked. I was looking for information on distilling ethanol. It is loaded with much more information. It is a guide for people trying to manufacture beer, wine, spirits and liquours. It is a great reference and the writer is funny and very knowledgeable. The only downside is that some of the diagrams and photos are dated. They are black and white. They are ok and the book is great. If you are ever stuck in the woods with a book... This is it. If you are looking to make any alchoholic drink from scratch. This is a great start. Also has a ton of recipes to make your favorite liquors from scratch. (Baileys irish cream and Kahlua) Many More. Highly recomended.

Well, yes, I guess it is, but as we all know, making alcohol is illegal. So, I haven't actually tried any of the recipes. They do, however, look good and I'm tempted. :)

The way this book is written is fantastic and makes for a fun read. The book is incredibly informative without being a complete bore or reading like an owners manual. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested in doing it yourself!

Great informantion and a fun read. Even if you don't bootleg, the read is worth it. Very funny!

I wanted to like this bokk and I have used it's content many times over and it works. I was a bit dissapointed in the fact the book refers to something like "You can easily make your own yest culture to save money and we will show you how later in the book" forget it you will never find it.
When it comes to recipes on beer even how to malt and make your own gear it is great. For the wine section a lot of very interesting receipes there. For the moonshine, well let's put it like that, there is very few receipes on moonshine, there is a lot of still ideas and they are a good starting point. If you want to just give it a try you should search for "the amazing still" on google and built that first, it takes you 5 minutes to set up and dismantled to no incriminating parts in two minutes, There is little about carbonizing but instead they go the distill 4 times approach, which might be good but it is very time consuming so the most common approach which is carbonizing is not covered at all. So all in all it is a good book on the subject but is lacking a bit information to be a bible really.

this is a good resource for a beginner beer or wine maker,,, but is very light on construction and operation of a still for "ethanol".

This is absolutely the best homebrew, winemaking, and distilling book I've ever read. You can easily tell that the writer has many years of practical experience, from living in remote parts of Alaska, where making your own is the difference between have and have not.

The recipes are simple, cheap, and natural. You'll save so much money and time. I highly, highly recommend this book.

What a great book - easy to read but very informative. While I would recommend reading Papazian for beer, the wine and liquor sections are very useful. Unfortunately, primarily covers "thin mash" liquors, which are made with sugar, and is a bit lacking on all-grain. Still, it helps you learn the procedures and concepts behind brewing and distillation from which you can experiment. Contains many recipes for beer, wine, whisky. A good read and introduction to distillation.

On a lark, my wife purchased for me a home brewing kit. Wanting to learn more about the subject, I decided to do some reading. The book's title is what brought me to it, but the content is what kept me reading it. It is funny and practical. It is by no means the decisive authority on home-brew, but its all around nature from real-life experiences makes it a good read. Despite the name, most of the book focuses on home beer and wine making (both legal) with just a little devoted to the theory and possible practical side of home distilling (illegal in the U.S.). As I continue to try out new things in home brewing, I find myself referring back to this book time and time again. If you have a few hours free one afternoon, and are every slightly interested in the subject, I suggest this as a great place to start.

i found the book informitive , helpfull and funny.i am sure some microbrew snobs wont like this book, but who cares?its not for them.this book is for brewers having fun with out alot of extra fluff.i have recomended this book to several friends.

i found the book informitive , helpfull and funny.i am sure some microbrew snobs wont like this book, but who cares?its not for them.this book is for brewers having fun with out alot of extra fluff.i have recomended this book to several friends.

Thanks for an entertaining and educational book. Can't remember who I
lent my first copy to but missed it so bad that I bought another. I've
made several things mentioned in the book and friends brag on them all.
At 2000 NC State Fair my white Scuppernong wine took 2nd place. It was
the first competition I ever entered.

Thanks to Leon

Doug Williams

The Alaskan Bootlegger's Bible contains lots of helpful information about how to make your own wines, beers, flavored liquers - just about anything involving brewing your own alcoholic beverages. It is loaded with recipes and step-by-step processes that take you from the planning stages through the bottling stage. It also addresses all of your equipment needs for producing various types of beverages, including a section that details how to make a lot of your equipment. It also addresses some practical and safety considerations, which I have not seen in other publications.
I do have one serious complaint about the book. The binding on mine was terrible. The book fell apart the first time I opened it. I'm keeping it, though. I figure I will put it in a binder of some type.

The Alaskan Bootlegger's Bible contains lots of helpful information about how to make your own wines, beers, flavored liquers - just about anything involving brewing your own alcoholic beverages. It is loaded with recipes and step-by-step processes that take you from the planning stages through the bottling stage. It also addresses all of your equipment needs for producing various types of beverages, including a section that details how to make a lot of your equipment. It also addresses some practical and safety considerations, which I have not seen in other publications.
I do have one serious complaint about the book. The binding on mine was terrible. The book fell apart the first time I opened it. I'm keeping it, though. I figure I will put it in a binder of some type.

Easy to understand,detailed,and has excellent diagrams. some intersting folklore/anecdotes re: Alaska,and the life there. author emaphsizes that this is strictly just for academic purposes,and that practical use is illeagal. loads of recipes, for liqeurs,liquors,wines,and beers. great detail re: malting process,and managing your mash.

WE HAVE ALREADY LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS BOOK. I AM FROM ALASKA AND IT REALLY BRINGS BACK SOME MEMORIES. THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD RECIPES THAT ARE EASY TO MAKE AT HOME. GREAT BOOK TO HAVE IN A LIBRARY FOR LIQUOR MAKING.

WOW!!!! This is the most cohesive, down to earth, easy to understand, book on alcohol fabrication that I've ever read or even heard of. I poured over the vast section of brew manuals in Powells (portland) and this is still the best one around. Kania is a goldmine of information, who not only knows how, but knows why! Packed full of prohibition facts and tips from past masters, if you're looking for an advanced "cookbook" or are just starting out, this will rock your world!

I bought this book in part beause of reviews that I read online. This book can decide if it wants to be a very broad overview of distilling and brewing, or if it wants to get into detail. The style is fun, but if you don't have ADD you will not be able to follow it. The are some simple and glaring errors in the text which makes me suspicious of the other information presented. If you get a chance to read it for free then go for it. Just don't pay for this book.

This book is a really enjoyable and fun book to read. Those who are into distilling alcohol may not know how easy it is to get a legal permit to distill alcohol legally at home. One book where the author actually got his permit to make alcohol, and tells how he did it is the book titled "Forget The Gas Pumps--Make Your Own Fuel" by Jim Wortham. Jim Wortham also goes into his own experience running his car on Moonshine.

If you're looking for a more step by step approach this isn't the best, but i think it's way closer than other "home-brewing" books ive read.

This book is full of information, but not what it sounds like when reading the review. It has some recipes for beer and wine, but the one I tried failed. If you wish to build a still this is the book for you. But if you wish to make simple wines and drinks, this is not what you want.

This book is in its 6th printing, yet misspellings, misplaced words, and lack of punctuation abound. I'd love to give this book a good rating for content, but the absolute abundance of errors that any competent editor should find had me cringing on almost every page.

The chapters contain a lot of interesting information, particularly for the new brewer, but it's hard to get around how poorly edited this book is.

You won't find a better book on the subject of easy-at-home brewing and distilling.

Having had an interest in home brewing and distilling for a few years now, I am surpised I hadn't heard of this book sooner.

A must buy.

This book is 100% packed full of interesting brews, lore, and info. My first brew got 'staggering' reviews. Definitely a great book for the hobbiest. If there was only one book on making beer, wine, cider, etc., this would have to be it! Thanks again 'Muktuk Kania'!

This is the first reference I purchased about a year ago when I began thinking about making my own booze and it's been invaluable. I can see down the road wanting something more technical and detailed, but this really captures the heart of making booze out of whatever you can. The processes are explained in a very folksy way that should make sense to anyone, but offers enough instruction to use as a how-to guide when making batches of whatever. This book is for people that just want to make booze, not for people looking for a glorified manual to their high-end brewing or winemaking kit.