Misc data and adventures of a Tayopa treasure hunter

[uglymailman]

The secret of drinkin that shine is not to let it touch your lips or teeth. Throw it plumb to the back of the throat. That stuff will eat your teeth. I found a still while surveying. Just the boiler & tubing. That was about 1980 and it had been there for decades,maybe the 30's.

 

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[PROSPECTORMIKEL]

I had a guy on my crew that brought a quart jar of clear liquid to work one day. He kept telling us that it was shine...

At break we were standing around the wood stove thawing out, when he got it out and was going to heat up the fire.

I had to step in and stop him...

I finally agreed to let him pour a little bit into an empty pop can....

Not a BIG mistake, but a mistake nonetheless.

As soon as it entered the stove, it turned into a rocket without a guidance system, sounded like an angry jet that wanted nothing less than freedom!

I quickly turned the air intake and the damper down about three quarters of the max, it hit the exhaust damper just as I got it turned down, but was still trying to escape.

The stovepipe was turning red and everyone backed away and I was stuck holding the damper until it finally ran out of fuel.

I told him to get it off of the company grounds, so when lunch came around he sat in his car and downed about half of it, then decided to go visit his brother that was as in jail.

Needless to say, we didn’t see him for about a month after that...

His brother got out two days after the visit and hired on to keep his brother’s family fed til he was released.

Red neck family takes care of red neck family!

His last day on the job, he dropped a railroad tie on its edge and removed the end of his left index finger. He left his glove, with the finger tip in it.

I still remember the sick feeling that felt as he walked up the line shaking his fist and cussing and slinging blood everywhere!!

It’s a pretty good neighborhood...

#/80{>~

 

[audigger53]

I never had "Shine" that didn't have an after taste like kerosene. Even the ones that had fruit in it to try and absorb the impurities. Now Apple Cider is another story. LOL Had that while stationed at Bainbridge, MD back in 1964. Later had to strain it through the old nylon socks to remove the "Head". Amazing what young men will do to have a drink. LOL It did make good Apple Jack after being left out to freeze in a bucket.

 

[Shortfinger]

Nah, I got it good. My neighbor, Tom Turkey, up the hill from me, keeps a real close eye out for the Revenuers. And my neighbor on the other side is a Hatfield, who just happens to be the Real McCoy. His Feudshine will make you do the jitterbug backwards. Life is good.

WOW! What a change! From a sophisticated lady, sipping Zinfandel in the local winery, to a shine swilling hillbilly (or, as some of us prefer to be called, "mountaineer") in only a couple of months.........let's all raise our glasses to change. Shine for Dit, rum for me, Kahlua for Mackaydon, oirish for the good Don Jose, and whatever your poison for everybody else!

JB

 

[Ditlihi]

WOW! What a change! From a sophisticated lady, sipping Zinfandel in the local winery, to a shine swilling hillbilly (or, as some of us prefer to be called, "mountaineer") in only a couple of months.........let's all raise our glasses to change. Shine for Dit, rum for me, Kahlua for Mackaydon, oirish for the good Don Jose, and whatever your poison for everybody else!

JB

Change is a GOOD thing, JB.....but I've always been a hillbilly. Sometimes in a silk dress, others in a pair of snake chaps. Keeps life interesting.

Salud, my friend!

 

[Shortfinger]

I never had "Shine" that didn't have an after taste like kerosene. Even the ones that had fruit in it to try and absorb the impurities. Now Apple Cider is another story. LOL Had that while stationed at Bainbridge, MD back in 1964. Later had to strain it through the old nylon socks to remove the "Head". Amazing what young men will do to have a drink. LOL It did make good Apple Jack after being left out to freeze in a bucket.

At one time I had occasional access to some "shine" that had been put up in barrels in the 1920's, and had been aging for around 50+ years at the time I sampled it. The years that I was able to sample were 1924, 1927, and 1928. This was in the early 1980's when I tried them. No kerosene there, very smooth, and very strong, maybe 130/150 proof. So, shine doesn't have to be bad. It can age out to be excellent, but it takes some time, which most people don't give it.

JB

 

[Ditlihi]

Excellent advice, JB. I've been informed by the local expert ( surprisingly, an 89 year old woman ) that you never drink shine straight out of the still. She said it needs to age in a dark place for a minimum of 30 days, but best if aged in a charred oak barrel for a year or two at least. She also said you could speed up the aging process by pouring into an oak chip filled vat for a week, then strain it off and bottle it. She stated that by using chips you were exposing the shine to more of the oak by area, and that would speed up the process. But she personally preferred aging in the barrel for a more "mellow" flavor without a woody taste to cover its "personality".

I've had some of her barreled shine and it was very smooth, with a personality a lot like Muhammad Ali. Not sure I'd last more than a round in the ring with that one, lol.

 

[Shortfinger]

Change is a GOOD thing, JB.....but I've always been a hillbilly. Sometimes in a silk dress, others in a pair of snake chaps. Keeps life interesting.

Salud, my friend!

Change is mostly good. Not always, but usually. Many of my ancestors were "mountaineers". but I'm more of a combination of desert rat and beach bum. Keeps my life interesting, also.

JB

 

[Shortfinger]

Excellent advice, JB. I've been informed by the local expert ( surprisingly, an 89 year old woman ) that you never drink shine straight out of the still. She said it needs to age in a dark place for a minimum of 30 days, but best if aged in a charred oak barrel for a year or two at least. She also said you could speed up the aging process by pouring into an oak chip filled vat for a week, then strain it off and bottle it. She stated that by using chips you were exposing the shine to more of the oak by area, and that would speed up the process. But she personally preferred aging in the barrel for a more "mellow" flavor without a woody taste to cover its "personality".

I've had some of her barreled shine and it was very smooth, with a personality a lot like Muhammad Ali. Not sure I'd last more than a round in the ring with that one, lol.

Yeah, the first go round I had with the 1927, I had about 3 shots, sipped slowly over about 20 minutes (okay, maybe not so slowly, but still sipped). I had to use the hang-one-leg-over-and-put-a-foot-on the-floor method you mentioned earlier to stop the spinning. After that, I was a lot more careful about how much I had in how short a time.......so, if you can find some good, barreled shine, it can be as good or better than anything you can get commercially. But, most people don't want to wait long enough to do that, and they do lose a lot, depending on the length of time it is in the barrel. The friend I got mine from said that the barrels were usually only about 1/2 full or so when they were tapped. Of course, that was over a time period of over 50+ years.

JB

 

[uglymailman]

Usta be a guy that bought a product called Georgia Moon. It was 80 proof clear whiskey. Bonded stuff that came in a fruit jar. He'd buy a trunk load, put the jars in a washtub and soak the labels/bonding strip off. Load it up, drive 120 miles illegally across the Kansas state line to Fort Riley on payday. There he'd sell out to the soldiers, passing it off as moon shine.. Funny thing is, the fruit jar was 4/5's of a quart and was marked so on the bottom of the jar along w/80 proof.

 

[Simon1]

Sounds like I lead a sheltered life ! The closest I ever got to shine was Mountain Dew ? Help me out here Don Jose.

This was breakfast this morning.

 

[releventchair]

Whew....Upon thinking back and recalling the effects...
I'll stick with coffee today.

 

[Simon1]

Don Jose's sock coffee ?

 

[releventchair]

Don Jose's sock coffee ?
View attachment 1534168

Following a night of shine anymore/ nowadays....I'd suck the juice out of the sock and wear it on my head for a poultice.
All the while fearing death ,despite it not arriving soon enough. L.o.l..

 

[Ditlihi]

Following a night of shine anymore/ nowadays....I'd suck the juice out of the sock and wear it on my head for a poultice.
All the while fearing death ,despite it not arriving soon enough. L.o.l..

That's ok RC, I'll give you a lift home. You can ride in the sidecar.

Only thing is...I gotta warn ya there ain't no guardrails....





On second thought...maybe we should wait till spring. Our high today was 20°, it might be a little breezy.

 

[Oroblanco]

Don Jose's sock coffee ?
View attachment 1534168

I am stealing this, will be sending it to the inventor!

Please do continue,

 

[releventchair]

That's ok RC, I'll give you a lift home. You can ride in the sidecar.

Only thing is...I gotta warn ya there ain't no guardrails....


View attachment 1534192


On second thought...maybe we should wait till spring. Our high today was 20°, it might be a little breezy.


View attachment 1534193

It's 0 here at the moment. 20 won't be so bad....so why not? Just need a big enough helmet to get over the sock of grounds on my head.

I did learn in my former motor biking rare (after having to too much one year )winter rides to not sing ,or shout. Frosts up the face shield.
An acquaintance insisted that after 45 minutes the cold didn't matter anymore. (He was half right/ frozen/ less crazy by then anyway).
Also learned thinner oil is required for starting and shifting in the c,c,c,cold...

 

[Ditlihi]

It's 0 here at the moment. 20 won't be so bad....so why not? Just need a big enough helmet to get over the sock of grounds on my head.

I did learn in my former motor biking rare (after having to too much one year )winter rides to not sing ,or shout. Frosts up the face shield.
An acquaintance insisted that after 45 minutes the cold didn't matter anymore. (He was half right/ frozen/ less crazy by then anyway).
Also learned thinner oil is required for starting and shifting in the c,c,c,cold...

12° here at the moment....and you're right, enough kerosene in our blood and we won't mind. But there's not enough shine in North Carolina to get me on the Dragon's Tail in the snow. White lightnin' and white knuckles do not go together well....but come spring, and after a cup of Don Jose's sock coffee, you're on.

 

[releventchair]

12° here at the moment....and you're right, enough kerosene in our blood and we won't mind. But there's not enough shine in North Carolina to get me on the Dragon's Tail in the snow. White lightnin' and white knuckles do not go together well....but come spring, and after a cup of Don Jose's sock coffee, you're on.

Oh no! Friends ride that. Not enough duct tape to get me to drive it on a three wheeler. Let alone the ten times worse prospect of riding anything some one else drives....

 

[Simon1]

It's 0 here at the moment. 20 won't be so bad....so why not? Just need a big enough helmet to get over the sock of grounds on my head.

I did learn in my former motor biking rare (after having to too much one year )winter rides to not sing ,or shout. Frosts up the face shield.
An acquaintance insisted that after 45 minutes the cold didn't matter anymore. (He was half right/ frozen/ less crazy by then anyway).
Also learned thinner oil is required for starting and shifting in the c,c,c,cold...

===================================
I lived about twenty miles outside of the town I worked and one morning a fellow worker convinced me we should ride our bikes to work. It was about 15 degrees. I don't think I could have hugged my engine any harder in trying to capture all the heat I could get from it. Never did it again !