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MANUFACTURING AND .ADULTERATING LIQUORS.
53
barn or loft, to mellow or mature, during which time
a considerable portion of the mucilage is decomposed,
and alcohol and carbonic acid developed. The spoil–
ed apples should then be separated from the sound
ones, as they not onlyimpart a bad fiavor
to
the cider;
but prevent its spontaneous clarification. Unripe
apples should also be avoided, as they do not con–
tain sufficient sugar to undergo the vinous fermenta–
tion, while they contribute to render the liquor rough
• and acidulous. Sour and rough-tasted apples are
usually preferred by farmers for making cider, but
fruit abounding in sugar would be preferable, pro–
vided the same skill were exercised in the manu–
facture of cider as
in
the process of brewing malt
liquor.
The process of cider making is nearly the same in
all parts of the civilized world, and consists essentially
of collecting the fruit, the expression and fermen–
tation of the juice, and the storing and management
of the liquor. The apples are crushed or ground in
a mill; the liquor which runs off, is put into casks,
and should be allowed to ferment in the shade in an
airy situation at a temperature of 60° to 70° Fahr.
It must be carefully watched, and as soon as the
sediment has subsided, the cider must be racked off
into clean casks, and material for its preparation
should be added as follows :-
Digitized
by