Banned for Sharing a Free Tool: The Strange Gatekeeping of HomeDistiller.org …
Recently I created and shared a free calculator for Teddy’s Fast Fermenting Vodka (TFFV) – a tool designed to help hobby distillers correctly scale the recipe and estimate fermentation outcomes.
The calculator simply automates the ingredient ratios and yield calculations that most distillers already perform manually.
I shared the tool with the community in good faith.
What followed was unexpected.
Instead of constructive feedback, I was banned from HomeDistiller forum after posting a link to the calculator. The ban occurred without meaningful discussion of the tool itself, and I was subsequently unable to contact the moderators to understand or appeal the decision.
Because of this, I believe it is appropriate to document what happened and clarify the issues involved.
The Original Contribution
The calculator was created as a free resource for hobby distillers. It:
• performs recipe scaling
• estimates fermentation time
• calculates expected alcohol yield
• simplifies routine distilling math
The tool has:
• no paywall
• no signup requirement
• no advertising of any kind
• no hidden downloads
It is completely free and exists solely to perform calculations that help distillers avoid common mistakes.
Tools like this are common across brewing and distilling communities. Many hobbyists create calculators to simplify fermentation math and share them openly.
Then Banned from HomeDistiller
After posting the calculator link on the HomeDistiller forum, my account was banned by the moderators.
The justification given centered on the idea that external links are problematic because the site owner “has control” over the linked content and could theoretically change it later.
This reasoning raises several problems.
First, the same principle applies to every website on the internet.
Anyone who owns a website has control over its content. That includes:
• blogs
• research articles
• distilling calculators
• YouTube videos
• technical documentation
Forums themselves operate under the same principle – administrators can change content at any time.
If this logic were applied consistently, it would make linking to almost any external resource impossible.
No Technical Issues Were Identified
Notably, the calculator itself was never challenged on technical grounds.
No one demonstrated that:
• the calculations were incorrect
• the methodology was flawed
• the outputs were misleading
In other words, the function of the tool was never meaningfully criticized.
The objection focused entirely on the fact that the calculator existed outside the forum.
This is not a technical argument. It is a territorial one.
The Problem With the Ban Process
Being banned from an online community is not unusual in itself. Moderators have the right to enforce their rules.
However, what made this situation unusual was the lack of communication.
After the ban:
• I could not contact the moderators directly
• I could not clarify the issue
• I could not appeal the decision
This left no avenue for resolving what may simply have been a misunderstanding.
Healthy technical communities usually allow some form of dialogue before or after disciplinary actions, particularly when the issue involves a shared tool rather than abusive behavior.
Attempting to Contact the Admin
Since I had no way to contact the HomeDistiller administrators through the forum itself, I made a simple request elsewhere asking whether anyone could put me in contact with the site administrator so the issue could be discussed directly.
One person helpfully responded.
However, several negative comments quickly appeared afterward… presumably from the HomeDistiller moderators who I’d tried to contact.
These comments also engaged in systematic downvoting of every reply I made in the discussion.
While it is impossible to prove who was responsible, the pattern suggested that individuals closely associated with the forum were attempting to control the narrative rather than engage in open discussion.
A Pattern of Gatekeeping
The situation highlights a broader issue sometimes seen in long-standing hobbyist communities: gatekeeping behavior.
Gatekeeping tends to appear when a small group begins to treat a community resource as if it were private territory rather than a shared space for learning.
Typical signs include:
• hostility toward outside contributions
• suspicion of independently created tools
• refusal to engage with technical details
• dismissal of contributions as “self-promotion”
These patterns were clearly present in this case.
Instead of evaluating the usefulness of the calculator, the conversation shifted toward questioning whether it should exist within the community at all.
Why This Matters
The distilling community has historically thrived because people shared knowledge openly:
• recipes
• equipment designs
• fermentation techniques
• calculators and tools
Much of the collective knowledge used by hobbyists today exists because individuals were willing to publish their work and share it freely.
A calculator that simplifies common fermentation calculations – particularly one that is completely free and contains no advertising – fits squarely within that tradition.
Rejecting such contributions for territorial reasons does not protect the community – it discourages participation.
Final Thoughts
The AnnieGoose calculators were created to make distilling math easier for hobbyists.
They will remain freely available and open to anyone who finds them useful.
Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Technical feedback is welcome.
Suggestions for improvement are welcome.
What is less helpful – and ultimately less credible – is hostility toward contributors who share tools with the community.
Readers are encouraged to examine the calculator themselves and decide whether it is useful.
In the end, the value of a tool should be judged by the quality of its work – not by whether it originated inside or outside a particular forum.
- To see my discussion on Reddit, which seeded this article:, see: Permanently Banned from homedistiller.org … but why? I can’t even contact the admin.
- NB: Reddit has been great! Please don’t confuse their excellent r/firewater community with the grotty comments from the homedistiller.org people!
- My TFFV calculator, which caused all the fuss, can be viewed here.
- My Improved Birdwatchers TPW calculator is here.
If you’d like to add your own opinion, please drop a comment… either here, or especially on the Reddit where the whole polava occurred!
Leave a Reply