1857 The Bordeaux wine and liquor dealers' guide

95

MANUFACTURING AND ADULTERATING LIQUORS.

to 12 months, or more, according to to the nature of the brewing, the liquor will have become fine, and sufficiently ripe for use. All the attention required during this interval, is to look occasionally to see that there is no leakage, and to open the vent holes, should any oozings appear between the staves of the casks. Vill. Fining.-It frequently happ~ns that malt liquor, especially porter, with all the care bestowed upon it in brewing, will not turn out sufficiently fine to meet the taste and eye of the consumer, in which case it is usually subjected to the operation of" c'lari– fying." For this purpose 1 oz. of isinglass is put into 1 quart of weak vinegar, or still better, hard beer, and when dissolved, a sufficient quantity ofgood beer may be added to make it measure one gallon. This mixture is called "fonings ;" 1 to 2 pints of which is the proper quantity for a barrel. The method of using it, is to put the finings into a bucket, and to gra9ually add some of the beer, until the bucket is three parts full, during which time it is violently agitated with a whisk, and this is continued until a good frothy head is raised upon it, when it is thrown into the barrel of beer, and the whole well rummaged up, by'means of a large stick shoved in at the bung– hole. In a few days the beer will usually become fine.

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