Philip Schidrowitz

“ In a sense, therefore, England may still claim pre-eminence as a beer-producing nation. Large as the per capita consumption in the United Kingdom may seem, it is considerably less than is the case in Bavaria, which stands at the head of the list with over 50 gallons, and in Belgium, which comes second with 47·7 gallons. In the city of Munich the consumption is actually over 70 gallons, that is to say, about 11/2 pints a day for every man, woman and child. ”

“ The Lowland Malts, again, are, as a class, less peated than the Highland Malls, and indeed, nowadays, in view of the growing taste for a more neutral class of beverage, there are some Lowland Malt distilleries which dispense with the use of peat altogether. Many of the Lowland Malts possess considerable body and flavour, but, on the whole, they are lighter and not so fine as those of the Highland variety. ”

“ American whiskies are almost invariably stored in very heavily charred ban-els, which, while it very appreciably affects the flavour, is necessary, inasmuch as it is doubtful whether it would be possible to mature these exceedingly heavy whiskies within a commercially reasonable time without the cleansing and purifying effect of the charcoal formed by the burning of the cask. Even with the aid of the charred cask, the average maturation time of the American pot-still whiskies is certainly two or three years longer than that of Scotch and Irish whiskies. ”

“ Old “brown brandies,” which are nowadays not in great demand, require more caramel and sugar than do the pale varieties. The preparation of the “liqueur,” as the mixed caramel and sugar syrup is termed, is an operation requiring much experience, and the methods employed are kept strictly secret. Fine “liqueur” is prepared with high-class brandy, and is stored a number of years prior to use. ”

“ For a period—from the middle ’seventies to the ’nineties of the 19th century—the cognac industry was, owing to the inroads of the phylloxera, threatened with almost total extinction, but after a lengthy series of experiments, a system of replanting and hybridizing, based on the characteristics of the soils of the various districts, was evolved, which effectually put a stop to the further progress of the disease. ”

“ It is probable that the average adult member of the British working classes consumes not less than two pints of beer daily. A reasonable calculation places the total proteids and carbohydrates consumed by the average worker at 140 and 400 grammes respectively. Taking the proteid content of the average beer at 0·4% and the carbohydrate content at 4%, a simple calculation shows that about 3% of the total proteid and 11% of the total carbohydrate food of the average worker will be consumed in the shape of beer. ”

“ Storage and Maturation.—Brandy is stored in specially selected oak casks, from which it extracts a certain quantity of colouring matter and tannin, &c. Commercial cognac brandies are generally blends of different growths and vintages, the blending being accomplished in large vats some little time prior to bottling. The necessary colouring and sweetening matter is added in the vat. In the case of pale brandies very little colouring and sweetening are added, the usual quantity being in the neighbourhood of 1/2 to 1%. ”

“ Thus in the case of Mild Ale No. 1 the excess of the original gravity over 1000 is 1055·13 − 1000 = 55·13. Dividing this by 3·86 we get 14·28, which indicates that the wort from which the beer was manufactured contained 14·28% of solids. In the trade the gravity of a beer (or rather of the wort from which it is derived) is generally expressed in pounds per barrel. This means the excess in weight of a barrel of the wort over the weight of a barrel of water. The weight of a barrel (36 gallons) of water is 360 ℔ ”

“ Country makes " is recognized in the trade. Broadly speaking, however, the differences between Irish whiskies are not due to class, but to individual variation. American Whisky. — There are two main varieties of American whisky, namely. Rye whisky, the predominant raw material in the manufacture of which is rye, and Bourbon or corn whisky, made mainly from Indian corn (maize) . Both varieties possess a much higher flavour and greater body than do the Scotch or Irish whiskies, due partly to the class of raw material employed, and partly to the method of distillation. ”

“ The general run of Irish pot-still whiskies are made with 30 to 50% of malted barley, the balance being rye, oats, unmalted barley and wheat. A few distilleries employ malted barley only, but the product so obtained —owing to the different methods employed and the absence of peat curing —is quite different from Scotch malt whisky. The Irish " grain " or " patent still " whiskies-are made in a manner practically identical
↑ The Islays give similar figures to the Highland Malts except that the Higher Alcohols and Furfurol are slightly higher. ”

“ A certain quantity of strong beer—such as heavy stouts and “stock” and “Scotch” ales—is still brewed nowadays, but it is not an increasing one. The demand is almost entirely for medium beers such as mild ale, light stout, and the better class of “bitter” beers, and light beers such as the light “family ales,” “dinner ales” and lager.
The general run of beers contain from 3 to 6% of alcohol and 4 to 7% of solids, the remainder being water and certain flavouring and preservative matters derived from the malt, hops and other materials employed in their manufacture. The solid, i.e. ”

“ The Highland Malts are produced (if we except a few distilleries on the islands in the west and north) in the district on the mainland lying north of an imaginary line drawn through Dundee on the east and Greenock on the west. ”

“ A " vat " is produced by blending a number of whiskies of the same style or type, for instance, ten or fifteen Highland Malts from different distilleries. The " vat " is allowed to mature before being blended with other types to form the final blend. The better class blends contain, as a general rule, 50 to 60% of Highland and Lowland Malts, 10 to 20% of Islays, andabout 20to40%of " grain " whisky. ”

“ The “Higher Alcohol” figures do not actually represent these substances, but indicate the relative coloration obtained with sulphuric acid when compared with an iso-butyl standard under certain conditions. ”

“ The manner of making this liquid is somewhat different in Gaul, Spain and other countries, and it is called by different names, but its nature and properties are everywhere the same. The people in Spain in particular brew this liquid so well that it will keep good a long time. ”