The Manufacture of Cider and Perry - 2nd ed

The Manufacture of Cider and Perry - 2nd ed

THE MANUFACTURE OF CIDER AND PERRY 9 REDUCED TO RULES. SECOND uBiTI0k- . “4 4a SHERBORNE : “PRINTED FOR LONGMAN AND CO., LONDON; AND PENNY AND SON, SHERBORNE; BY HARKER AND PENNY, 1828, GAN 1941 AS Havine, throughout my life, been in the. constant practice of tracing the progress of that all-im- portant pracess,,fermentation, in a great variety of vegetable liquids, by the aid of instruments fitted for the purpose, I: have constantly found them as certain a guide in their application to the manufac- ture of Cider and Perry, as to all other vegetable extracts or decoc- _ tions ; and ag they have never yet, to my knowledge, been in use among the Manufacturers of Cider, I have, in the following treatise, en- “a2 or iv PREFACE. deavoured to give such directions as shall induce them toapply to un- erring guides, for pilotage through the intricacies of a process of na- “ture,the hidden operations of which these instruments immediately: de- tect and expose to view. For this purpose I have ventured on: the _ present title to my tre&tise, and: to assert that, on a careful perusal of it, such rules will be elicited, as cannot fail to circumscribe and point out the causes ‘of future fail- ure, in such ‘manner as to identify them, free from ‘the possibility of mistake, and thus to direct the ope- rator’s attention to the exact points really -réquited ‘for’ the improve- ment of a beverage little inferior to the juice of the grape, instéad of PREFACE. v allowing it to wander in the dark, in the manner it has done for ages, in search of improvements, with- out a hope of hitting on them but by the merest chance. As well might a navigator attempt to trace his path without a compass, as a manufacturer, engaged in the pre- paration of vinous liquors, endea- vour to conduct it properly without the aid of the thermometer arfd sace -charometer. I shall, therefore, in‘ the subsequent pages, make use of the clear and definite language . which these instruments enable me to speak, and endeavour to explain their use in such manner as may be readily understood. a3 doe we * we a 4 ua . ? wn we bee oa * -- ow. ees ro te “ — - o” nan os 9 ~— ne -. mo : one vr ef . . ta : oe * ” . D3" oe > hand . as ne . ome . ‘ . A ra a ' “PAE MANUFACTURE '’ CIDER AND PERRY. .. DHE juice of the apple is composed of water, sugar, mucilage, a ferment some- what of the nature of yeast, a small por- tion of colouring matter, and au acid, knewn Under the- name of inalic acid. - Apples ‘contaia «much larger: quan- tity-of' this acid than pears, and it is to be met with in: all fruéts containing ker- nels or. stones, ‘and'.in almost all the sweet’ fruits, and’ its--qitantity is con- stanily lewentiag: ‘ih ropostion as. the fruits. per. bury. af ». [tisithis seid whishsinjates the qua: Mity. of, all opirits distilled: fsdns liquors containing it. 5) 0 iat coe 8 THE MANUFACTURE OF Cider and Perry, when genuine, and in high perfection, are excellent vinous liquors, and are certainly far more wholesome than many others which are at present in higher estimation. When the must, or juice, is prepared from good fruit, well ground, and undergoes the exact degree af vinous fermentation.re- quisite ‘to .ite: perfection, the avid. and the sweet are se admirably biedded with the aquebus and spiritous . principles; and the wholéso:imbued: with the:grate: ful flaver ef the:sindsj.and>the agree- able sromatie bitter:28 tho kernels, thut it aésymied anew charkéter, gtows lively, sparkling, and exbilaeating:; wndowhen carsopletelyi mellpwetl Uy-time} the liquor becomes: at cage higtily delizious 40 the palate, and congenial to the constitu- tion, : siiperior ‘in! evény ‘respect te: rirost other Engiish ‘wiles; and age would 14 be pronounced by all competes fisdges, ’ CIDER. AND PERRY, 9 cwere it not: for the popular prejudice annexed to‘it.as a-cheap, hoine-brewed liquor, and..consequently within the reach of the valgar. This liquor can be made.to surpass some of the foreign wines occasionally imported, as much as it excels them in cheapness ; but it is not oftén that we, can meet with Cider or Perry of this superior quality, although it only requires an intimate ‘knowlédge of. the theory of the process of manufac- ture to; Accomplish it, without any ehaoge in the: fruit.at preseht in use; for pature. has Gone-every thing, and art al- inost nothing. | i - It is-very. imontfyinig, that, after the experience of: sp many ‘centuries, the art of :prepgritgithese) abeient British Liquots should efill :be:in its infancy ; tliat througheut the principal fruit dis. tricts, the practice: should’ still rest on the most vague and indeterminate prin- 10 = THE: MANUERACTURE. OF ciples; and that: the excellence of. the liquor should depend, gather ona lucky randqm hit, thanon good ménagement: yet such appears to. be really the case, even among the more experienced cider makers of Herefordshire and Glocester« shir | 7 Mr. Mershall, nha ‘exprendy. unders took a tour through ithese ceinnties; for the purpast of enquiry. on thie subject, informp:.us, that s¢artely ‘teo..§: the professional artists az¢-ngeoed as to-the management of some of the most essens tial parts of thé :procese;. that palpable errors are committed as to-the. time and moaoner of gathering the. fruit, :in. lay- ing it up, in neglesting to separate the unsound, . dod: te. grind: properly the zinds and kernelé; ‘that.the: method of conducting.the vinous fermentation, the most essential part.of the operation, and which mampe the: future.-yalue:of ike “CIDER AND ‘PERRY. - 1 tiquor, is. by: no: means ascertained: While some proinotethe fermentationin a@ spacious’ open vat, others repress it by inclosing the liquor:in a bogshead, ot strive to prevent italtogether ; that no determinate point of temperature is re- garded; and that the use of the ‘ther- mometeris unknown, of neglected ; that they areas little: consistent in the time of racking off, and whether this ought to be.done only once, or five or six times repeated ; ‘that’ for fining’ down thé liquor, many have recourse to that odious article bullocks’ blood, when the intention might be much better answer- ed by whites of eggs, or isinglass ; and} finally, thet the capficious taste of par- ticular customers is generally consulted, rather teu the real excellence of the liquor, arid; consequently, that a very imperfect liquor is often vended, which tends to-reduce the price, to disgrace 12 THE MANUEACTURE OF the vender, and tobring the usé of Cider and Perry into disrepute. Theart of making vinous liquors is a curious chemical, process, and its success chiefly depends on a dexterous mapage- ment of the vinous fermentation; and this cannot be accomplished without proper instrumepts, any ‘more than a watch can be made without tools, Can we longer wonder, then, that so many errors should be committed by illiterate cider-makers, totally unversed in the first principles of the chemical art? . Some few,indeed, more enlightened than their brethren, and Jess bigotted to their own opinions, by dint of observation, strike out improvements, and ‘ produce a new thin liquor, of superior quality ; though, perhaps, far short of excellence, yet still sufficient to show what might possibly be accomplished by a series of new experiments,condueted on rational CIDER AND PERRY. 13 principles. This might lead to succes- sive improvements, till at length our English fruit liquors might be carried to a pitch of perfection hitherto unknown, by which the demand, both at home and abroad, would soon be enlarged, the prices augmented according to the quality, the value of estates increased, and the health and prosperity of these countries be proportionably advanced. This might also help to point out a method of correcting the imperfections of these liquors, and of meliorating those of a weak meagre quality, by safer and more effectual means than are now prac- tised ; and though nothing can fully compensate the defect of sunshine in maturing the saccharine juices in un- favourable seasons, yet probably such liquor might, without the dangerous method of boiling in a copper vessel, ad- mit of considerable improvement by the Bb 14 THE MANUEACTURE.OF addition of a portion of rich must, or of honey, sugar, or even molasses, added in due proportion previous ‘to: fermen- tation. In fact the Germans are known to meliorate their‘thin harsh wines, by an addition of concentratdd must, not by evaporation but -by freezing :* ‘this might possibly be done in England, if cider making should not: be finished be-- fore a hard frost sets in, but that is too - ~ uncertain to be relied on. _ It has been alteady stated that: the’ most important patt of the process con- sists in duly ordering the fermentation, - for it.is frequently to this alone that the various qualities.in the same sort of be- - yerage is to be-attributed, and its pro- gress cannot be traced without the con- * The juice, before any fermentation has com- . menced, is exposed to frost, which separates tke watery part in the shape of ice, and leaves the re- mainder much sicher, -° ~ tee. EO CIDER AND PERRY. 15 -stant use of the instruments already men- tioned. Fermentatién: may be called a natural process im as far as-it takes effect spon- taneously, whet favourable circum- stances are present. Butulthough com- menced by natire, it depends‘on art to regulate this,-.as-well as all ‘the other operations required for our subsistence and health: ‘it.is a continuation of che- mical decomposition on dead vegetable matter; which would proceed, if left to itself, until it-resolved thie mass into the different elements of which it is com- posed. As E‘meéan this work for popu- Jar information, IF shalt endéavour to divest it of-technical terms and figures as far as possible ; but I must still, how- ever, apprize my readers, that it will be quite impossible at ali times to render my meaningsuffitiently concise, without some terms: borrowed from chemistry. 8B __f ‘¢ 16 THE MANUFACTURE OF Although chemists have divided fer- mentation into ¢hrae, and some into five different species, without any sufficient reason for so doing, I shall confine my- self at present to the vixous, or that concerned in the production of all kinds of liquors used as a beverage, particu- larly as applicable to Cider and Perry, in which the manufacturer is greatly in want of some rules to guide him; but thisappellation can scarcely be deserved by those who merely press the juicefrom the fruit, and put it into casks, leaving nature to perform nearly the whole pro- cess, and yet will venture to assumesome credit to- themselves, if they, by the merest chance, happen to have a plea- sant liquor. I must also say a few words to those who are prejudiced against what they call “ manufactured Cider,’ as if it were high treason to improve upon na- *CROER AND PERRY. — 17 dure; for the admixture of innocent ar- ticles-to entich the juice when too harsh, and‘ of biuret sugar® ‘for colouring whenitoo pale, is no€ more dissimilar thdt ‘that of the' various qualities of the apples theniselves; and as! well. might they object'to ‘all the different species of: British ‘wines, ‘becawsd! they are not solely the préduce’ ofthe fewit of which they bear the namie. 6 81 Many ‘persone feel a sottrot pride in penesting y recipe, ‘whicle they’ fatter * This i is made, by putting ugar into an irom or copper boiler, with a few spoonsful of water, and then boiling it until a suffocating odour arises, ‘and it becomes tite - BRAK ah bitter; and the sweetness. has: entirely dikappeared ; iat thie pe-. ried, beiljag weter ‘must de slowly added to it, - until it is sufficiently diluted, when it is to be re- served for use. One pint or quart of this coloure ing “(according” to the quantity of water added) will in géneril be sufficient’ “for Allogstoed ea the B 3 8 THE MANURACTDRE OF themselvea a4 an iniallible-psdventive or. cure of. all dineases.incidemt to Ahe liquor. of which J ag now. sppaking,; and al- though frequent faihunds ia its applica, tion might ‘haye tapght, sham its utter inutility, yet_.they,, haxe, ‘still. te learn. that, in all, opetations depending on the very delicate peoness of fermentation, no §xed on gememal rules can bedaid desyn. but those drawn from: first.iprgoiples; and dependant.eg the: judgment of the operator far applisation whep pequired 2 the grand art, in these cases, is to know how to take advantage: of circumstatces, for the most nginute will frequently have avery powerful influence; suchas change of temperature ia :the air, the local :situ~ ation of cellars; the state dnd even size of the uterisils,’ ‘the more or lé’s contact ef the Jigyor with the atmosphere, and. its aptitude 10 become fine or remain. turbid, &c. The operator’s skill is via CIDER AND PBRRY. 19 therefare.to be exerted to contrel those which are yreyoidable ; and this cannot bp acquired, but-hy a proper and jadi- cious theory; for, inits-absenca, no.one can depart in the Jeast:from the beaten tratk, without hazard of being: lost in difficulties —whe;i is at:sea. without & com- pass. - 4 have. been ‘ts pocticuler thet np one maybe led, to. expect any:directions in the style or manner af a coekery book, because: they: ‘will for ever be-tatally in- applicable:to the aubject,in question. - The assortment of fsmitlas doubtless some influence_on. the future product, where it can be:made, provided the iif, ferent -qualities.aze cormectly ascertain- ed ; hut as:no, sulés bene ever yet beam laid down for..it, 80:48:40 he, penfently understood, and. even. if, any existed, it woulld, be Nery. dificult. fe. commur nicate thein from: one-diftsicti tg. anc- 20 THE MANUFACTURE. OF ther, on account of -the almost infinite variety of the sdil of orchards, of the apple, and of the local names by which the ‘different vatieties are: known, «this part of the manufactare.cannot be sub- jected: to any useful directions, further than tRat a proportion of sweet and acid. fruit be used ; but such proportion -will, admit 6f « considerable ‘range, as the taste nay:in a great meabute be regu lated by the fermentation. . - In order to prove that the quality of the fruit, as ‘far'as the palate is con- cerned, is nét: se. various as may be supposed within the rangeof ‘Eaglish orcharding; let; atiy: person ‘visit the mouths of the dlfferest cider-presees. in. the propet season; and ascertaie whether or nbt he cai,’ by: his tatte; discover any: abpreciable:-disimilerity between the Various’ sorts:-of- apple-uice which’ is ruaning'thoveftdm: } believedisteneaic CIDER AND PERRY. 21 will be that “it is surprising such a uni- formity of taste, from the first process, should undergo so great a change by the time the liquor is fit for use ;?’—and this must be occasioned totally by the fer- mentation. It is however certain, that in particu- lar districts, there is a manifest want of 2 proper mixture of fruit; for in the islands of Guernsey and Jersey the sweet fruit abounds, and :it is partly on that account that the Cider made there- in wants the vinosity and smartness on the palate which distinguishes the Eng- lish Cider, and it does not keep so well. If the inhabitants of these islands were to plant a few of the Crab-Apple-Trees in their Orchards, their Cider would be considerably improved thereby. . The specific gravity ot any fluid is its weight compared with that of au equal bulk of water. Now the strength or in- 22 THE MANUFACTURE OF toxicating quality (and in a great mea- sure their pleasantness, when strength is -asubordinage consideration, ) depénds on their original epecific gravity, before the fermentation commences. This gravity, or weight, is gradually diminishing by She fermentative process; so that, when it is completely finished, some of them dittle exceed that of. water, and.foreign ~ wines, completely fermented, weigheven less, by which a considerable quantity of spirit is formed at the expence of the sweet quality, until at last'the latter totally disappears. Here then is a guide by which to meaaure the ‘progress of the fermentation, or the sweet-destroy- ing process ; and in the public breweries ao instrument has long been used for that pwrpose, called a Saccharometer, which is equally applicable to Cider. The scale of this instrument is formed on the difference of weight between a bar- CIDER AND PERRY. : 23 rel of water (thirty-six galtons) and a barrel of wott, and when applied to the juice of the apple immediately from the’ press, it generally iridicates it to weigh’ from eighteen to twenty-one pounds per barrel, aecording to the maturity of the: fruit, more than an equal bulk of water. This juice, if left to-itself, at the age of one or two years, becomes reduced to about two pounds only -heavier than: water—a strong, but by no means a pleasant beverage; and, indeed, in all the liquors "we drink, it is not so much - strength which is required as’ gratifica- tion of the palate ; for-the difficulty does ‘ not consist in making them strong, a- ' ture herself will generally do that with- | out any interferencé on our parts. i That no one may therefore be deceiv- ed, I think it proper to say, that who- ever is desirous to produce intoxication - by-Cider should take no steps to check - 24 THE MANUFACTURE OF its fermentation ; but those who are aware of the delightful beverage it is capable of making, and that a British Champagne, nearly approaching to the foreign, can be produced fromit, will be fully alive to the utility of art in con- troling the operations of nature. The fermentation of cider, then, should only proceed so far as to cause it to become brisk when bottled, or to produce a constant, but very slow, sup- ply of carbonic acid gas ;. for it is this gas, or air, to which all liquors owe their briskness, and a very small loss of weight will be sufficient to produce the neces- sary effect ; for if it were possible that there should be no loss (and therefore no fermentation) it would never effer- vesce in; bottles. ; Now, with the small instrument al- luded to above, floating in half a pint of the Cider, the progress of the fermenta- CIDER AND PERRY. ‘28 tion is ascertained in a moment, and with the greatest accuracy; and it will besides be of use to indicate the relative quantity of saccharum (or the ferment- able quality) in apples of different years’ growth:* Every person, I should there- fore hope, will readily understand the ‘great importance of making use of unerting puides in this important manu- fatture; and learn, that if chance, at any time, make good Cider, art will hake it better, Yn all fruits, and probably also in the edible roots, the pure juice is separated ‘from the ferment (ot that principle which -causes it to go-through the fermenta- ‘* [have found,such difference to amount to at least twenty per cent, and it surely is, there- ‘ fore, no ‘unimportant information to-receive, that - a stock of Cidér made in any particular year, ex- . ceeds in quality and strength that of anther year’ manwfacture hy: ee considerable.a proportion. Cc 26 THE MANUFACTURE OF _ tive process, like yeast or barm), by cel- lular membranes, which being broken by compression, or any external force, a mixture of the saccharum (or sweet © quality) an& the ferment takes place, on which a mutual action commences ; for the pure saccharine matter is absolutely ‘incapable of fermentation alone, were it possible to be separated in the state in which it exists in the apple, &c. Hence the cause of the fruit being inca- pable of preservation for any length of time, or of its speedily rotting, after re- ceiving a blow by falling from the tree, ” or otherwise ; and as nature has, in all the fruits, attached a proportionate quantity of the ferment in juxta-posi- tion to the saccharum (or fermentable principle) which they contain, this is the reason that they spontaneously form a vinous liquor, and, to point out the modes of obtaining a command over this a a CIDER AND PERRY. 27 operation, is the object of the present work. The Herefordshire mode of grinding, or rather pressing, the apple, has been much praised by a celebrated writer,and his reasons for it appear to deserve some consideration. The method there adopt- ed must first be explained :—The apple is ground in the manner adopted by tanners ; that is, by making an immense stone move round in a circle vertically, underneath which the apples are placed, which in its progress presses, rather than grinds, them toa pulp. During this process, in consequence of the pulp ly- ing all around the circumference of this circle, at a small depth exposing a great surface, the air of the atmosphere ap- pears to act on it very considerably, so as to change its colour in a great de- gree ; and, at the same. time, it is ob- . served, that the juice or pulp increases ; c 28 THE MANUFACTURE OF in -the richness of its favor, and be- comes more sweetened. Lut in the pre- sent mode of grinding and pressing the apple in Devonshire and Somerset, per- haps few improvements can be mmtro- - duced, (as sufficient exposure. to the at+ mosphere can at all times. be obtained, as will appeat in the sequel, ) except that ef passing the pulp between two rollers, set sufficiently close to crack the ker- nels, which will then afford a grateful flavor. But before I advaree beyond the cider-press, I must stop te remark — on a disease, formerly, perhaps, more commen than at present im the west of | England, called the Devonshire cholic. This was no doubt oceasioned: by lining the bed. of the press with sheet-lead, which any of the vegetable acids will attack and dissolve, in different propor- tions, when tn contaet with the air ; atid as any solution of lead, introduced into we CIDER AND PERRY. 29° the stomach, becomes a slow poison, it is not surprising that the native acid of the apple should be the means of con- veying it into theCider, made in any sort of utensil where it can come in contact with lead. I therefore hope that all Cider-makers will be scrupulously care- ‘ful to exclude this metal from every part of the apparatus they use.* It has already been mentioned that exposure of the pulp to the air appears to have a powerful effect in adding to its colour and sweetness; therefore, it is * Instances have been known of unprincipled persons using sugar of lead to enrich cider and — wine ; and although, in some instances, ignorance of its deleterious effects may be adduced as an excuse, I hére wish to take that away from every | person into-whose hands this work: may fall, by pronouncing sugar of lead, in every shape, to be a virulent poison, and every person using it for this purpose as the concealed murderer of his fellow creatures, . ms c 3 30 THE MANUFACTURE OF very probable that, before it is com- mitted to the press, if i{ were placed i in a large tub, and agitated by a stirrer for a considerable time, a, , great improye- ment in the quality. of the Cider. may, be the consequence ; and if the tempera- ture of the air during the season of. making should not exceed forty-five de- grees of the thermometer, the pulp may remain in this state many days, or even weeks, without fermenting, by which time the grateful bitter of the kernels would be completely extracted and i in- corporated with the liquor. | ‘We will now suppose the juice of the apple or pear pressed out and lying ready for future operations. In the space of a few days this. juice, will com- mence the. vinous fermentation, (and: if the weather be warm, in a few hours, ) which will proceed with more or less ra- pidity, from a variety of causes, until ‘CIDER AND PERRY: 3. the liquor. has lost alk its aweetnees, and it thep, buf not till then, becomes a completely intoxicating beverage. But in order to make 4 @ plegsont one, fit for. the tables of those, wha wish to em- ploy it merely as such, it ig essential that the fermentation should not pro- ceed so far asto destroy all its sweetness ; a portion of it must be retained for this purpose, and, the fermentative process arrested by.art at the proper poiat. It is true that in a very few. instances this. may not he negessary, arising, perhaps, from some peculiar quality of the apple, ot of the soil on. which if grows ;. but aa the juice, immediately a3,it rups from, the press, is in all cases nearly alike to the taste, and as no. instryments, nor: any chemical teat, have hitherto been invented, sufficiently accurate to, detect. the principle which. constitutes ‘the difference. in its fermentative. quality, 32 THE MANUFACTURE OF we have only one alternative—to check ' the fermentation by art; and any me- thod of arriving at a complete control of the process is alt that is necessary to produce a beverage pleasant to every variety of taste. As before observed, fermentation be- ' ing the only spirit-forming.process, (for ' the simple juice directly from the press has no intoxicating quality whatever, ) the more it is checked, the less strength ' the liquor possesses. - But it must be ‘repeated that “the strength in Cider or Perry is not the qua- ' lity which addstoits price: thisadvances aecording to its pleasantness on the pa- . late, without any réference whatever to- the quantity of spirit it contains, which ' is quite a secondary consideration, or rather no consideration at all, . ” The first object, therefore, is to se- parate the feculencies, or the floating CIDER AND: PERRY. 33 foul parta of the juice therefrom, as soon as possible after it eomes from the press. 'Fhis may be accomplished, (in the smalt way) by filtering, or by add. ing some substance which will préevent the commeneement of the fermeatation, until these feculenties shall have sub» sided ; for after the operation has bee gun, they are kept. constantly floats ing and adding to its foree. The fermer mode is not ¢asily effected in quantities, beeause the feeulencies, abounding at first ia a sich juice, are continually choaking every sert of filter hitherto invented, but-there is one which may be. rendered useful for the purpose at dn advanced stage of the operations, as will then be described. Notwith- standing that I am anaieus to avoid every thing vbich may havethe appear- ance ef a puff, I must étill say that 1 know of ao bettes plan at present of 34 THE MANUFACTURE OF arresting the very commencement of the fermentation (and it is of much conse- quence to do it at this early period) than by the anti-ferment. Let a supply of this be added before any internal motion takes place in the juice—the gross fe- culencies will in the course ofa few days have subsided, and the subsequent ope- rations become much simplified. The common process of making Ci- der and Perry in Worcestershire is as follows :—After the liquor has remain- ed sometime in the fermenting vessel it is racked or drawn off from the lees, and put into fresh casks, The ordinary time for racking is before it has done hissing, or sometimes when it begins to emit fix- ed air in plenty. The only intention of the operation is to free the liquor from its feces, by a cock placed at a little distance from the bottom, after which the remainder is to be filtered through CIDER AND PERRY. 35 @ canvas or flannel bag ; this filtered liquor differs from the rest in having a _ higher colour, and having no longer any tendency to ferment, but, on the contrary, checking the fermentation of that which is racked off, and if it loses its brightness, it is no longer easily re- covered. A fresh fermentation usually commences after racking, and if it be- come violent, a fresh racking is neces- sary in order to check it, in consequence of which the same liquor will perhaps be racked off five or six times; but if only a small degree of fermentation takes — place, which is called fretting, it is ale lowed to remain in the same cask, though even here the degree of fermen- tation, which requires racking, is by no means determined among the makers ; the best manufacturers, however, repeat the rackings, until the liquor will lie quiet, or nearly so ; but as it is generally 36 THE MANUFACTURE OF found impracticable :to accomplish this by the ordinary method of fermentation, recourse must be had to fumigation -with.sulphur, which is called stamming the cask. For this fumigation it is _ uecéssary to have matches madeofthick linen cloth, about ten inches long, and an inch broad, thickly coated with -brimstone for about eight inches of their dength. The cask is then properly sea- soned, a small quantity of Cider put into it, andevery vent, except the bung-hole, tightly stopped ; a match kindled is -lowered down into the cask, and held by the undipped end until it be well Jighted, and the bung driven in, thus suspending the lighted match within ‘the cask. ‘Having burnt so'long as the -contained air will:supply the fire, the _ match dies, the bung is raised, the rem- nant of the match drawn.out, and the cask suffered to remain for two or three CIDER AND PERRY. $7 days before it is filled. The liquor retains a smell of the sulphureous acid, but this goes off in a short time, and. vo bad effect is ever observed to follow : for this troublesome and operose method the anti-ferment is a complete, instant, and most effectual substitute. . The fermentation, however, though effectually checked, will, after a certain lapse of time, praceed with different de- gtees of force (but, in all cases much slower than it would otherwise have done), according ta the fermentative quality of the produce of different or- chards, which appears to vary with the soil; end although, in some instances, this supply of anti-ferment may be suf- ficient without any more care being ber stowed on the Cider, still that is not ta be depended upon,.and a convenient mode of racking should be adopted, to remove the char Cider from its lees as D 8 THE MANUFACTURE OF fast as the latter form. 1 shall there- fore now proceed to give instructions for racking. In France the following plan is adopt- éd for the purpose with that delicate -wine Claret. The casks are arranged side by side, and the one last inthe row. isempty. A connéction is then made between this ‘and a full one adjoining it, by tapping them both with -wood pipes, or faucets, connected together with a leather pipe. Thus » communi- cation is formed between both casks, and the wine in one of them immediate- ly flows into the other, until it arrives at the same level in both, when of course its further progress ceages. They then put the wooden spout, or nozzle, ofa bellows, made for the purpose conically to fit tightly into the bung-hole of any cask, and by working the same, the whole of the wine is forced into the other cask, wY CIDER AND PERRY. 39 in a quiet stream, without much agita- dion, which this wine in racking should not undergo; and of course, as the tap- holes are rather-above the bettom of each cask, the lees are left behind, and are then taken out and put into strain- ing bags. When the cask which con- tained the wine is thus emptied and cleared out, the next is then transfer- xed to it in the same manner, and so in succession throughout the whole line. Now the only difference. to be made in applying this plan to Cider or Perry, is that these liquors should be racked with some degree of agitation (after they Jeave the cask), instead of being done quietly like claret. This may besufficient- ly effected by carrying the leather pipe, ‘attached to the cask to be racked into the bung-hole of the other; and then, by woking the bellows, the whole of the Cider will be forced nto it, it, and by fall- D 40 THE MANUFACTURE OF ing from the top to the bottom thereof, the agitation will He sufficient to expel the fixed air (carbonic acid gas) which it contains, (without impoverishing the Cider, as by the common method of racking exposed to the air,) and thereby ‘causing it to deposit more quickly the feculencies which the fixed air has al- ways a tendency to keep floating. But now, after the gross lee has separated, and the Cider ‘or Perry be- ‘come comparatively fine, is the time to make use of filtering bags with great advantage, and the floating lee, whieh promotes and protracts the fermenta- tation, will then be left in them. The ‘arrangement of apparatas in Fig. 1st.* ‘both for the purposes of: racking and ‘filtering at the same time, is therefore proposed for trial, as ‘superior to any other, although rather more complex, * See Plate, —_ — _ CIDER AND PERRY. - 41 and I have great reason to suppose that it will be perfectly effectual ; but as the filtering part.itself is the subject of a patent,.it cannot be used without leave of the patentee, fram whom the bags can at any time be obtained, by address- ing. as directed in the explanation of the plate. - Tam now arrived at the most import- ant part of this treatise, that of mak- ing use, of some definite language with respect to which the fermentation may be allowed to proceed, and at what period it ought to, be arrested, and I can only speak that which all ‘will under- stand when they employ a Saccharome- ter,* and I must entreat those gentle- men who may have some influence among * I have prepared an instrument of the kind for the use of Cider-makers, which will be offered at a cheap rate, and may be had of: the venders of the ant ferment, witli directions for its use. D 42, THE MANUFACTURE OF their neighbours, to encourage the in- troduction of “ rule and compass”’ into so important a manufacture, as much as possible ; for all directions without its assistance must be- most vague, and generally useless. . - Gider or Perry isin the state in which it is generally preferred by private fami- lies, and in which it obtains the best price, when the number of degrees of. the apple-juice, as indicated by the instru- ment immediately as it runs from the press, is reduced by the progress of the fermentation one quarter only, or at most one third ; that is, if the original specific gravity should be 54 by the saccharome- ter, the fermentation should not reduce it lower than to the 36th or 40th de- gree, beyond which it should be pre- vented going by the means already pointed out, which will generally be found effectual if well attended to, when the Cider-maker’s compass, the saccha- rometer, shall indieate the weight or gravity to be sinking too fast. Daily trials should therefore be regularly made with it whilst the least hissing noise is heard in the Cider or Perry, and the loss of weight regularly noted, which, if it proceeds too rapidly, is then suf- ficient notice that one of the modes of racking already explained must be re- sorted to. By these means a complete control of the process will-be obtain- ed; but to those who are determined to pay no attention. to it, these directions are not addressed. As for the methad so often advised, of completely closing the cask for the purpose of attempting te check the fer- mentation, so that no vent whatever be allowed in it, I consider it of no fur. ther use than to cause leakages in old casks, with the risk of forcing out their 44 THE MANUFACTURE OF heads, to which all persous are exposed who adopt the plan. - It is. almest useless to repeat the se twice Aold tele’ .of guarding.all fer; mented liquors:as much‘as possible from changes of temperature, because vaults or cellars ynderground, are not always obtainshle s: 5: it.ig therefore sufficient, to advise that a:chpice be quiade, where heat ‘or cold are, least likely. to penetrate. Whatever may be the accumulation of lees or bottoms, they should remain until the, next season.in a cloge-cask, se- cured. from the ajr ; they may. then be put into a common sack bag, and placed _onthe top of the apple- pulp im the press, svhen al} .the Cider will be separated and mix with the npw, without any in- jury to. it, provided the bottoms are free ‘from acidity,, : The Cider which. is pressed out from the'lees containg a much greater quan- , t CIDER AND PERRY. 4 tity of spirit than that from wheace the lees were deposited. The practice of fining Cider or Perry by isinglass is exposetl to very grave ob- jections. There is a recy principle in the juice which gives the liquor that smeck on the palate which is s0 much _ admired: this principle is what is call- ed the astringent one (similar to that in port wire), and is composed of the sub- stance denominated “‘tannin’’ in che- mistry. Now isinglass will immediately unite with it, and they both tegether form an. insoluble compound, and sink to the bottom, to: the great loss of a powerful preservative prineiple in the liquor, and also a. great impoverishment in the taste. Ifa greater degeoe of. tightness be ' required than will be obtained by the preceding operations, the mode adopted for fining Wines in France will in all 46 THE MANUFACTURE probability ‘be ‘found equally effectual for Cider and Perry. A cask of any kind. is filled fall ofbeech shavings, such as may be procured from the saddletrae- makers ; the Oider or Petry must thea be.added to fiil nll the interstices, and:in the course of a fortnight or three weeks it will become perfectly transparent, and may be drawn off; to give place toa fresh supply ; ‘but care ..must ‘be taken that the shavings ‘be xever uncovered: by ‘the. liquor: but:fer the smallest postible ‘space of time whilst drawing off, and they should be well scalded with. boiling swater before. they are’ fisst used, after- ‘wards they. scarcely ever decay, or want ‘changing, for any numberof years, al- though they should once a year be taken out.and. well’ washed. ©... . eet “Rp CIDER-WINE. ': *” Many trials have beén made by Cider- growers to improve the quality of their aiticle by boiling the juice immediately as it comes from the press, and some have even attempted the same thing af- ter the fermentation. Now, in the for- mer ‘case, boiling evaporates nothing but watery particles, and in the latter it dissipates ‘its spirit or strength. Merely heating the apple-juice up to the boiling temperature lias no doubt a great tendency to check the fermenta- tion ; and if the boiling be continued until one quarter or one half the bulk _ is evaporated, the remainder becomes proportionally stronger, and more near- ly resembling the consistency of the 48 - CIDER-WINE. juice of the grape in the wine countries ; and if a liquor resembling wine is in-. tended to be made, this is one mode of doing it, provided the evaporation could be accomplished without imparting an unpleasant taste ; but this has never yet been done; for copper vessels will in- variably give it, and iron is inadmissi- ble, as that metal has a tendency to turn the colour black. The method of making Cider-Wine, which I'am now about to propose, will obviate these difficulties. We will suppose the maker has some . old Cider in his possession, which has thoroughly undergone the vinous fer- mentation, so that no sweetness remains in it: this, if sound, would, by distilla- tion, produce about seven gallons ‘and One quarter, old wine measure, of proof spirit, (the strength of foreign brandy,) per hogshead of sixty-three gallons. apres 8 & . WGA tee spuded of Gadeandking:, let fialgmolbdpshewd) dmdhirtd-cbe! gallons, prdventeldcien Fig. 2, sullicioubly large tb ‘Llewandoubiquitachdilpig gently. This Héierbalep keen bwot isdn; don iq this wasethwiligadr thérsih eill de thrown aba yuaftdd thesopteatipa:: Wien fitted tly abskbpresadtedyinto:it fall-dizodsbags- need spat Afty-four: gxilpas: of :apple- juiind, invevediatedy' froui tle! prdss, that - Sides’ asphee inctlge cask svdiicient to weseive: tind) dxtiaigetions. of! liquor; ~put this clad moar thd: boiler, so that the ipige (A seliedd dexdend ito! the-daottorh odhtwebf j.0gow iligtita Jiseunder the ‘Hoies'and whke ithe liqupr boi