1918 Home Brewed Wines and Beers and Bartender's Guide

Home Brewed Wines, Beers, etc., cAnd Secrets of the Liquor Trade KHK

best for this, and ^rmusf be strictly avoided, pje.at care must be soluTely°cleL!'''lt should be thorough ly scalded with boiling water allowed to cool, and then examined touV^'^or musfy sm^eli;it shou^^ to i"Ulon ^.ir'water"^ Ir^" the llSI sulphur in the empty ban el is aHo recommended for "ftv, 'griit orM wYte^r al^d aUowld to soak for a short " When't°h'e liqu" r i-P-t into the cask fermentation will be cask should be filled ^e bung-hole, n'nH fSQ thp <5cum wotKs out, It snouid be kept filled up with ®e?w'" reserved for the purpose. It is well to put a dish or tray catch the scum while the wine is ^'oji^nilns vary with regard to stirring the wine while it is fermenting, but the majority of brewers seem to recom mend it, as it prevents a possiWe moldy crust from forming. On the other hand, if the wine is not stirred it is usually clearer in appearance when bottled. Any stirring should thin cane inserted in the^ bung-hole. When brandy or other spirit is used in the wine-making, it is best to add it when fermentation has almost sub sided. , . ... For the further clearing of the wine a little Isinglass is sometimes used, and this is also added when fermentation is over. It may be dissolved in a small portion of wine, and then poured in atj the bung-hole very gently so that it spreads over the surface of the liquid as much as possible. Or it may be tied into a muslin bag and attached to the bung. As soon as the wine has ceased to work, the bung-hole should be closed UP tjghtly. The cask must be kept lying on its side, and on no account upright, and it should be raised about

INTKODtJCTORT.

A generation or two ago every houae- v?lfe who prided herself on her cater ing ability had a choice of home-made wines and cordials In her cellar, and she was always able to offer her friends one or other of her special delicacies. Of late years, however, the custom of making wine at home has to a large extent died out, and to those living in towns without fruit gardens, and only a limited amount of space for storage purposes, the occupation is hardly a feasible one. To those with fruit and flower gar dens, however, the subject is well worthy of greater attention, and espe cially when there is a surplus of fruit to be disposed of, or where wild flowers and fruit are within easy reach. Home-made wines are particularly good and wholesome, and with a rea sonable amount of care their manufac ture is not difficult. The secret of suc cess lies in using good materials, in measuring accurately, in observing strict cleanliness in every detail, and in not trying to hurry the process. It is safer to boil all water used, and this shoud be cooled to a lukewarm temperature if yeast has to be added to it. All fruit should be perfectly sound and gathered on a dry sunny day. It should then be picked free from stalks, and washed or wiped ac cording to its kind. Flowers too must be gathered dry, and the sugar used should be of the pure cane variety, eith er loaf or granulated. When brewers' yeast is employed for the fermenting of the wine, it is not always easy to state the exact quan tity required, as it varies somewhat in strength. If there is any doubt as to its qu.aiity, it is always safer to use loss rather than more, or it may go on working until the wine is sour and spoiled. In cases where the yeast is spread on toast, this should be re moved at the stated time, and before the wine is poured into the cask. Com pressed yeast may be used when the brewers' is not obtainable. Before putting the Ingredients for wlne-maklng into a cask it is usual to give them a preliminary soaking in another vessel. A wooden tub is the