Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 83

=Beef, Spiced= (spist'). Salted beef when spices (usually black pepper and allspice) have been added to the salt, &c., used in curing it. See BEEF, COLLARED (_above_).

=Beef Tea.= An extract manufactured at Berlin, which contains the nutritive matter of the flesh in the highest state of potency. A pale blood-red(!) jelly, which will not keep long, and after a time pa.s.ses into a state of odorous putrefaction. (A. Buchner.)

=BEER= (bere). _Syn._ BIeRE, Fr.; BIER, D., Ger.; BIRRA, It.; CEREVI"SIA (-vizh'-'a), CERVI"SIA (Pliny), C. LUPULA'TA* (_i.e._ hopp'd or modern b.), VI'NUM ANGLIC'ANUM*, V. HORDEA'CEUM* (-sh'um), ZY'THUM* (or -THUS*; ?????, Gr.), &c., L.; BERE, BEERE, Sax.; BIR, W. An aqueous infusion of malted grain which, after being boiled with hops, has undergone the vinous fermentation; malt-liquor. The word BEER is now the common generic term for all fermented malt-liquors, and, indeed, for all other beverages prepared by a process of brewing. Whenever the term is used in a special sense, it is with a descriptive prefix, as, for example, spruce beer, ginger beer, &c.

_Hist._ Ale and wine are fabled to have been invented by Bacchus; the former, in Egypt, where the soil and climate would not permit of the cultivation of the grape. Herodotus ascribes the origin of the art of brewing to Isis, the wife of Osiris, and notices zythum ?????, a beer obtained from barley. Malt-liquor was undoubtedly employed as a beverage in the fifth century before Christ; and, probably, very much earlier.

Xenophon distinctly alludes to it in his famous retreat (B.C. 401).

Aristotle speaks of 'beer drunkenness,' and Theophrastus calls it 'barley-wine.' The Romans learned the art of brewing from the Egyptians, and gave the liquor thus made the appropriate name of cerevisia (quasi Cererisia), from its being the product of corn, the gift of Ceres. The most celebrated beer of ancient times was the _Pelus'ian pota'tion_, so named after a town at the mouth of the Nile where beer was prepared in great perfection. The use of beer was likewise known to the ancient Gauls and Germans, and probably also to most other ancient nations inhabiting the temperate zone. Pliny says "Zythum is made in Egypt, _ce'lia_ and _ce"ria_ in Spain, and many other sorts (of beer) in Gaul." In our own country, ale was early known and valued as a beverage. The art of its preparation appears to have been obtained either from the Romans or the Saxons. According to Verstegan, "This excellent and healthsome liquor, beere, anciently called ale, as of the Danes it yet is, was of the Germans invented and brought into use." Alehouses are mentioned in the laws of Ina, king of Wess.e.x (A.D. 680). Alebooths were regulated by law, A.D. 728.

By the beginning of the 13th century ale was drunk generally in England.

By a statute of James III, of Scotland, it was made a capital offence to mix wine with beer (A.D. 1482). In 1492, a licence was granted to a brewer at Greenwich to export 50 tons of that "ale" called "beer" or "bere;" the distinction between the two apparently being, that the latter was flavoured with wormwood or other bitters; whereas ale was not. Ale was originally made from barley-malt and yeast alone, and those who put in anything else were held to sophisticate the liquor. Hops were introduced A.D. 1524; and to this date modern, or hopp'd beer, may be traced.

By statute of James I the "ale" called "bere" was taxed, and "one quart of the best thereof" ordered to be sold for a penny (A.D. 1610). Alehouses were first licensed in 1621, and during the reign of Charles II were, together with all malt-liquor, placed under the control of the Excise (A.D. 1660). By the Statutes 1 & 4 Will. IV (1834), previous enactments respecting malt liquors and their sale were reduced to their present form.

Beer is now the common beverage in all European countries where the vine is not a subject of rustic husbandry.

_Qual._ Pure malt-liquor which has undergone sufficient fermentation is perhaps, when taken in moderation, one of the most wholesome beverages that can be drunk. Ale is the most nutritious variety, and, when moderately mature, is the one best adapted to the debilitated and delicate; but good porter, owing to being less rich in extractive and gummy matter, and from being slightly astringent from high-dried or scorched malt being used in its preparation, occasionally agrees better with bilious const.i.tutions and the dyspeptic. Much, however, depends on acquired taste and habit. The most wholesome, and perhaps the least exceptionable beverages obtained from malt, are those known as East-India, Scotch, and Bavarian ales, when honestly prepared and not highly 'bittered' with the hop, as is, unfortunately, now so general. A late writer has described good beer as nutritious, from the sugar and mucilage which it contains; exhilarating, from its spirit; and strengthening and narcotic, from its hops. Pereira says, "Beer is a thirst-quenching, refres.h.i.+ng, intoxicating, and slightly nutritious beverage." Its effects, when taken injudiciously, or in excess, for the most part resemble those of other intoxicating liquors--disease, misery, and crime; and these in direct proportion as it deviates from the true standard of purity and excellence.

All medical authorities agree in discountenancing the use of beer for infants and children. Water or milk with the child's meals are the best beverages for them.

_Var._ The numerous varieties of malt liquor met with in commerce may be resolved into two great cla.s.ses--ALE and PORTER. ALE of all kinds is brewed chiefly from pale malt, and is generally of a light amber colour.

PALE ALE is manufactured from the finest and lightest dried malt, and the choicest hops, the latter in excess. MILD ALE differs from pale ale in being sweeter, stronger, and almost free from the flavour of the hop.

BITTER ALE or BITTER BEER has, as a rule, less body than pale ale, and is more highly hopped. TABLE BEER is a weak liquor commonly containing three or four times the proportion of water usually present in ordinary beer or ale. PORTER differs from ale chiefly in its being artificially coloured by the use of roasted malt, which also imparts to it a peculiar bitter flavour. In point of strength it stands about midway between light and strong ales, although frequently brewed of a strength very slightly above that of table beer. STOUT, BROWN STOUT, &c., are simply richer or stronger descriptions of porter, and may be said to have nearly the same relation to the higher qualities of mild ale that porter holds with regard to pale ale or bitter beer. In London, PORTER is called BEER; and, indeed, in all parts of the kingdom, the prevailing beverage of this kind consumed by the ma.s.ses, of whatever cla.s.s, commonly goes by the name of beer.

The two great cla.s.ses of malt liquor above referred to, are, independently of mere differences of strength, excellence, and commercial value, practically subdivided into an almost infinite number of varieties. Every county, every town, and almost every brewer, is distinguished by the production of a different-flavoured beer, readily perceived, and highly appreciated by their respective votaries. These differences may be traced to--variations in the quant.i.ty and quality of the materials employed in their manufacture--the temperature of the water used for mas.h.i.+ng--the duration of the boiling--the temperature at which the fermentation is conducted, and the extent to which it is carried, together with numerous other circ.u.mstances, which, though usually of an accidental and uncertain character, are nevertheless sufficient to affect the flavour and quality of a brewing. Among these, those depending on the condition of the building, the locality, the apparatus, the water, the management, &c., are not the least important. In general, however, when the same quant.i.ty and quality of materials are employed, and the same time allowed for the maturation of the liquor, the chief causes of this diversity will be found to depend on the water used in the brewing, and the method followed in the preparation of the malt. Thus, Bavarian, Scotch, and Burton ales differ in style from other ales chiefly from being fermented at a lower temperature, and from the water employed in the brewing being that usually denominated 'hard,' whilst porter and stout differ from all these because they are brewed from a mixture of pale and roasted malt. It is from causes like these, though apparently trivial, that the many varieties of malt liquor met with, at the present day, originate.

The per-centage in English beers of malt extract (dextrin and sugar glucose) is least in bitter, and highest in the sweet ales. The hop extract (lupulin and hop resin) is in much smaller amount.

The alcohol varies considerably, as does also the free acidity.

The alb.u.minous matter in most beers does not average more than 05 per cent.

The salts, which consist of alkaline chlorides and phosphates, and some earthy phosphates, average 01 to 02 per cent. Ammoniacal salts are found in small quant.i.ties. Caramel and a.s.samar are found in the dark beers and porters. Carbonic acid is always more or less present. The average is 01 to 02 parts by weight per cent., or about 1-3/4 cubic inches per ounce.

Volatile and essential oils are also present.

PARKES says, "Adopting means numbers; one pint (20 oz.) of beer will contain--

Alcohol 1 ounce.

Extractive (dextrin), sugar, &c. 12 " (534 grains).

Free acid 25 grains.

Salts 13 "

The following beer a.n.a.lyses are given by Professor w.a.n.kLYN:

Ba.s.s's bottled bitter ale contains in 100 cubic centimetres:

53 grams of alcohol.

552 " organic residue.

036 " ash.

A sample of draught ale, costing 2d. per pint in London, contained in 100 cubic centimetres:

47 grams of alcohol.

58 " organic residue.

032 " ash.

A sample of London porter in 100 cubic centimetres contained:

33 grams of alcohol.

345 " organic residue.

030 " ash.

"A large number of a.n.a.lyses recently made show that in the various cla.s.ses of malt liquor sold in London there is a variation in the amount of alcohol contents from 387 to 841 per cent. of absolute alcohol by weight, these two extremes corresponding to 98 and 218 fluid ounces of absolute alcohol in the pint of beer. The amount of extract varies from 216 to 1332 per cent. by weight, or from 73 to 277 ounces per pint of beer, as will be seen from the accompanying table.

----------------------+---------+----------------------+---------+-------+------------------------ Per-centage of Con. vols., per pint.

---------------------- Original Malt, ------------------------ Kind of Malt Liquor. Specific Alcohol Extract Acetic Gravity per Alcohol, Extract Acid, Gravity. Acid. of Wort. barrel. fl. oz. ounces. grains.

----------------------+---------+-------+-------+------+---------+-------+--------+-------+------- Burton ale (Allsopp's) 104038 825 1332 32 112163 450 216 277 2912 Ba.s.s's barley wine 103231 841 1175 23 111478 425 218 242 2077 Edinburgh ale 100663 441 358 19 104838 177 112 72 1673 Guinness's stout 101551 681 617 24 107806 288 174 125 2132 Truman, Hanbury, & Co.'s porter 101316 402 512 24 105133 190 103 101 2127 Whitbread's porter 101404 428 515 18 105411 200 109 103 1597 h.o.a.re's porter 101299 418 504 18 105242 194 106 103 1595 Perry's ale 100648 387 365 14 104582 169 098 073 797 ----------------------+---------+-------+-------+------+---------+-------+--------+-------+-------

"The relative proportions of alcohol and extract in beer will also have some influence on its fitness in a medical point of view for certain persons; and in some instances thin dry beer, that has had the fermentation carried so far as to reduce the amount of extract to a minimum, may be very preferable to beer containing a larger amount of extract. In this respect some samples of the Prestonpans' beer are remarkable for the small proportion of extract they contain.

"In regard to the nutritive value of beer, over and above the stimulant and tonic actions due to the alcohol and to the bitter principle of the hop, it is worth notice that a pint of pale ale contains from 1/2 an ounce to an ounce of solid extract, while mild and old ale contain from 1-1/10 to 2-3/4 ounces in the pint.

"The amount of free acid in British beer appears to be uniformly larger than in the Viennese and Bavarian beer recently introduced here, and sometimes it is very much larger. This free acid is represented in the tables as acetic acid; but there is reason to believe that beer probably contains lactic acid or other fixed acids, together with a substance a.n.a.logous to glucic acid, which, according to Graham, Hoffmann, and Redwood, appears to be produced in the fermentation of beer wort, as practised in this country.

"There appears to be great differences in the quality of beer sold by publicans at a given price. Thus, for instance, the variation in the pale ale sold at fourpence per pint is from 408 to 710 per cent. of alcohol, and from 322 to 753 per cent. of extract; in the mild ale sold at twopence per pint it is from 443 to 562 per cent. of alcohol, and from 501 to 556 per cent. of extract; and in old ale sold at fourpence per pint it is from 620 to 831 per cent. of alcohol, and from 456 to 62 per cent. of extract. These differences represent respectively 158, 27, and 49 bushels of malt per barrel of beer. From the great alcoholic strength of some kinds of old ale they partake more of the nature of wine than of beer, in the usual sense of this term. They are, in fact, quite equal in that respect to most of the cheaper wine imported from the Continent, while in flavour and general character old ale, such as that brewed at Burton-on-Trent and in Scotland, is far superior to any wine of the kind referred to, which can be sold here at a price even double that of the best old ale. This kind of ale, however, is but rarely sold by publicans."--Dr PAUL.

_Materials, Manuf., &c._ See MALT, HOPS, BREWING, &c.

_Purity._ The leading characteristics of good beer are transparency, a fine colour, an agreeable semi-vinous flavour, and the property of remaining for several hours exposed in a gla.s.s or cup without becoming 'flat' or insipid. If the materials used were good, if the brewing was skilfully conducted, if the liquor has been carefully stowed in perfectly sweet casks or vessels, in a suitable cellar, for a sufficient time, and has not been tampered with, this will almost always be the case. Hence colour, transparency, and flavour, and the power of resisting exposure, are tests of the purity and quality of beer, which should not be lightly treated. There are none more simple and effectual; and, together with a good 'palate,' and a close observance of its effects on the head and on the stomach, will readily distinguish pure and wholesome beer from 'doctored' and inferior liquor. If, therefore, we find a sample of beer possessing the above qualities and in good condition, and on testing it for its alcohol and saccharine matter, find these substances in such quant.i.ties as fairly to represent the amount of malt which should have been used in the brewing of such a liquor, we may, in the absence of proof to the contrary, infer it to be pure; because the object for which adulteration is practised--the saving of malt and hops--did not exist in this case. To demonstrate the purity of beer requires an elaborate and troublesome a.n.a.lysis, which can only be performed by those accustomed to chemical operations. Good and pure beer should contain nothing but what exists in the malt, the hops, and the water, from which it is brewed, or which is produced from them in the processes of 'mas.h.i.+ng,'

'fermentation,' and 'maturation.'

_Adulteration._ Until the year 1862 nothing was allowed to enter into the composition of beer but malt and hops; and the Act 56 Geo. III, cap. 58, imposes a penalty of 200 on any "brewer, dealer, or retailer of beer,"

who "shall receive, or have in his possession, or use, or mix with, or put into any worts or beer any mola.s.ses, honey, liquorice, vitriol, qua.s.sia, cocculus indicus, grains of paradise, Guinea-pepper, or opium, or any extract or preparation of these substances, for, or as a subst.i.tute for, malt or hops;" and a further penalty of 500 on any "druggist, or vender of, or dealer in drugs, or chemist, or other person whatever," who shall "sell, send, or deliver to any licensed brewer," &c., any of the above materials. However, by the Act 25 Vic., cap. 22, s. 20, so much of the above is repealed as relates to hops. This Act provides that--

"On and after the 16th Sept., 1862, so much of an Act pa.s.sed in the 56th year of the reign of King George the Third, cap. 58, and of an Act pa.s.sed in the 7th and 8th years of the reign of King George the Fourth, cap. 52, and of any other Act relating to the revenue of excise, as imposes any excise penalty upon any brewer of, or dealer in, or retailer of beer, for receiving into, or having in his possession, or using or mixing with any worts or beer, any article for, or as a subst.i.tute for hops, or as prohibits the sale of any such article to the said persons, shall be, and is hereby repealed: provided always, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to extend to repeal any such penalty or prohibition so far as regards any article which may be used as a subst.i.tute for malt, notwithstanding that it may be also a subst.i.tute for hops."

Prior to this an Act (10 Vic., c. 5) had been pa.s.sed allowing brewers to use sugar under certain restrictions.

As the law now stands, a brewer may use hops, qua.s.sia, wormwood, gentian, or any other simple bitter; but he is forbidden to use any subst.i.tute for malt, such as unmalted grain, sugar in a liquid state, mola.s.ses, or any substance which would give pungency or intoxicating properties to the beer, such as cocculus indicus, grains of paradise, tobacco, &c. It is a well-known and authenticated fact, that beer is commonly and sometimes dangerously adulterated. The cupidity of fraudulent brewers and publicans frequently induces them to introduce other ingredients than malt and bitters into their liquors, with a view of giving them a false appearance and strength. Thus, to give pungency--capsic.u.m, grains of paradise, ginger, &c., have been added; to give intoxicating properties--opium, cocculus indicus, tobacco, &c.; as a subst.i.tute for malt--mola.s.ses, treacle, colouring, honey, &c.; to impart a false appearance of age--sulphuric acid, alum, green vitriol, glycerin, mustard, &c.; to remove acidity--pearlash, soda, chalk, &c.; and to impart a frothy head--alum, foots, table-salt, &c.

The publicans generally 'reduce' their strong beer with water (which they call 'liquor'), and add treacle, together with a mixture of copperas, salt, and alum (termed 'heading'), to make it bear a frothy head. The cheap beer sold in many of the low taverns of London is made by dividing the contents of two b.u.t.ts between three b.u.t.ts, filling them up with water, and adding a bladder of porter-extract (technically termed 'P. E,') to each. This 'P. E,' is a mixture of powdered cocculus, Spanish juice, caramel, capsic.u.m, &c., boiled up with treacle and water to the consistence of a thin extract, and then put into bullocks' bladders.

_Exam., Tests, &c._ The a.n.a.lysis of beer, both qualitative and quant.i.tative, as already noticed, is a matter of considerable difficulty.

We shall therefore defer its consideration until we come to the article PORTER, as that description of beer, on account of its colour, is not only the one most difficult to examine, but also the one most frequently adulterated. See ALE, BREWING, HOPS, MALT, PORTER, &c.

=Beer, Am'ber.= _Syn._ AMBER. A liquor, formerly much drank in London, brewed from a mixture of 3 parts of amber malt, and 1 part of pale malt, with about 6 _lbs._ of hops to the quarter. It was generally 'tapped'

within a few days after it had done 'working,' and was chiefly used mixed with bitters, or made into 'PURL,'

=Beer, Wheat'en=, Wheat'-malt Beer. See MUM.