Cooley's Cyclopaedia of Practical Receipts Volume I Part 84

? Besides malt liquor, or BEER properly so called, a somewhat similar beverage, though of inferior quality, may be prepared from any vegetable substance rich in starch and sugar, as noticed in our article on BREWING.

Certain summer beverages also pa.s.s under the name; but in both the cases referred to, the name of the characteristic ingredient, or that of the vegetable employed, is always conjoined; as in pea-sh.e.l.l beer, potato-beer, ginger-beer, &c. Examples of some of these are given below:--

=Beer, Gin'ger.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA (-vizh'-) ZINGIB'ERIS, C.

ZINGIBERA'TA*, C. c.u.m ZINGIB'ERE* (-er-e), L. _Prep._ 1. Lump-sugar, 1 _lb._; good unbleached Jamaica ginger (well-bruised), 1 _oz._; cream of tartar, 3/4 _oz._ (or tartaric acid, 1/2 _oz._); 2 or 3 lemons (sliced); boiling water, 1 gall.; macerate, with frequent stirring, in a covered vessel, until barely lukewarm, then add of yeast, 1-1/2 or 2 _oz._ (about 2/3rds of a wine-gla.s.sful), and keep it in a moderately warm place, to excite a brisk fermentation; the next day rack or decant the liquor, and strain it through a jelly-bag or flannel; allow it to work for another day, or two, according to the weather; then skim it, again decant or strain, and put it into bottles, the corks of which should be 'wired'

down.

2. Good white sugar, 18 to 24 _lbs._; lemon-juice or lime-juice, 1 quart; finest Narbonne honey, 1 or 2 _lbs._; bruised Jamaica ginger, 1-1/2 _lb._; pure soft water (that has been boiled, and then allowed to settle), q. s. Boil the ginger in 3 _galls._ of the water for half an hour; then add the sugar, the juice, and the honey, with sufficient water (see _above_) to make the whole measure 18-1/4 _galls._, and strain the mixture as before. When the liquor has become almost cold, add the white of 1 egg, and 1/2 _fl. oz._ of essence of lemon, and strongly agitate the cask or vessel for about half an hour. After standing 3 to 6 days, according to the state of the weather, bottle it, and place the bottles on their sides in a cellar, just as is done with wine or beer. It will be ready for use in about 3 weeks, and will keep good for several months. If wanted for immediate use, about 1/2 pint of yeast may be added, as in formula 1; but then it will not keep so well, or be quite so transparent and free from deposit. The lemon juice and essence of lemon may be replaced, at will, by cream of tartar (in powder) or tartaric acid, 4 _oz._; and lemons (sliced) 1-1/2 to 2 doz.; added with the sugar, &c.; but the original formula is preferable.--_Prod._ 18 _galls._ = 24 doz. 1/2-pint bottles, or 30 doz.

ordinary sized ones.

3. EXTEMPORANEOUS:--_a._ Into each bottle put concentrated essence of ginger, 1 drop; simple syrup or capillaire, 1/2 _oz._ (or in lieu of them, syrup of ginger and simple syrup, of each a dessert-spoonful); and fill with aerated soda-water at the 'bottling machine,' in the usual way. Very superior.

_b._ Into each bottle put two or three lumps of sugar, fill them to the proper height with pure water, throw in (quickly) an effervescing ginger-beer powder, and instantly cork the bottle, and secure the cork with wire.

_Use._ As a cooling and refres.h.i.+ng drink in warm weather; and as a restorative after hard drink, fatigue, &c.

_Obs._ The products of all the above formulae, if well managed, are excellent; those of No. 2, and 3_a_., of the very finest description, much stronger and superior to nine tenths of that sold for the best in the shops. They are often called, by way of distinction, LIMO"NIATED GINGER-BEER, IMPERIAL G.-B., &c. Cheaper articles are made by omitting some of the ingredients, and particularly a portion of the sugar. The ginger-beer vended at 1_d._ and 2_d._ a bottle, with that known as GINGER POP, IMPE"RIAL POP, &c., are generally made with moist sugar (1/2 to 3/4 _lb._ to the _gall._), and merely flavoured with a little coa.r.s.e ginger.

No. 2, made with 2 _lbs._ of sugar to the _gall._ may be kept 2 years, if not bottled for six months, and well-stored; and with 3 _lbs._ to the _gall._, for 4 years, when it forms a splendid article (GINGER-CHAMPAGNE).

=Beer, Pine.= See, BEER SPRUCE.

=Beer, Spruce.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA (-vizh'-) ABI'ETIS, C. ABIETI'NA, C.

ABIET'ICA*, L. _Prep._ 1. Sugar, 1 _lb._; essence of spruce, 1/2 _oz._; boiling water, 1 _gall._; mix well, and when nearly cold, add of yeast 1/2 a wine-gla.s.sful; and the next day bottle like ginger-beer.

2. Essence of spruce, 1/2 pint; pimento and ginger (bruised), of each 5 _oz._; hops, 1/2 _lb._; water, 3 galls.; boil the whole for 10 minutes, then add of moist sugar, 12 _lbs._ (or good treacle, 14 _lbs._); warm water, 11 _galls._; mix well, and, when only lukewarm, further add of yeast, 1 pint; after the liquid has fermented for about 24 hours, bottle it.

_Prop., Uses, &c._ Diuretic and antis...o...b..tic. Regarded by some persons as an agreeable 'summer-drink,' and often found useful during long sea-voyages. When made with lump-sugar it is called WHITE SPRUCE-BEER; when with moist sugar or treacle, BROWN SPRUCE-BEER. An inferior sort is made by using less sugar, or more water. If made with 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 _lb._ of lump-sugar per gall., and without yeast, in a similar manner to that described under GINGER-BEER (No. 2), it may be kept a twelvemonth or longer in a moderately cool place.

=Beer, Sugar.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA (-vizh'-) SAC'CHARI, L. From moist sugar (1 to 2 _lbs._ to the _gall._) and a little hops; as treacle-beer.

=Beer, Trea'cle= (tre'kl-). _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA Fae'CIS SAC'CHARI, &c., L.

_Prep._ 1. From treacle or mola.s.ses, 3/4 to 2 _lbs._ per _gall._ (according to the desired strength); hops, 1/4 to 3/4 _oz._; yeast, a table-spoonful; water, q. s.; treated as _below_.

2. Hops, 1-1/2 lb.; corianders, 1 _oz._; capsic.u.m-pods (cut small), 1/2 _oz._; water, 8 _galls._; boil for 10 or 15 minutes, and strain the 'liquor' through a coa.r.s.e sieve into a barrel containing treacle, 28 _lbs._; then throw back the hops, &c., into the copper, and reboil them, for 10 minutes, with a second 8 _galls._ of water, which must be strained into the barrel, as before; next 'rummage' the whole well with a stout stick, add of cold water 21 _galls._ (sufficient to make the whole measure 37 _galls._), and, after again mixing, stir in 1/2 a pint of good fresh yeast; lastly, let it remain for 24 hours in a moderately warm place, after which it may be put into the cellar, and in two or three days 'bottled,' or 'tapped' on 'draught.' In a week it will be fit to drink.

Very superior.--_Prod._ 1 barrel, or 36 gallons. For a stronger beer, 36 _lbs._, or even 1/2 _cwt._, of treacle, may be used. It will then keep good for a twelvemonth.

_Obs._ A wholesome drink; but one apt to prove laxative when taken in large quant.i.ties. See BREWING, BEER, GINGER, POWDERS, &c.

=BEERS.= (In _pharmacy_.) _Syn._ CEREVIS'Iae (-vizh'-e-e) MEDICA'Tae, L. The general nature and preparation of these articles have been already noticed.[127] They are little employed in this country. The ingredients should be so proportioned that from 1/4 to 1/2 a pint may form the proper dose. The following are examples:--

[Footnote 127: See ALES (Medicated).]

=Beer, Antis...o...b..'tic.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA ANTIs...o...b..'TICA, L.; SAPINETTE', Fr. _Prep._ 1. (P. Cod. 1839) Scurvy-gra.s.s and buds of the spruce-fir, of each 1 oz.; horse-radish root, 2 oz. (all fresh, and bruised or sliced); new ale or beer, 3-1/2 pints (say, 1/2 _gall._); macerate 4 days, press, and strain for use.

2. (Ph. Castr. Ruth. 1840.) Horse-radish (fresh), 4 _lbs._; juniper berries, 3 _lbs._; root of _calamus aromaticus_ and buds of _pinus abies_, of each 1 _lb._; ginger, 1 _oz._; syrup (of brown sugar), 6 _lbs._; beer, 120 _lbs._ (say, 12 _galls._); macerate 4 days, or until it ferments, then decant, strain, and add of cream of tartar, 1/2 _lb._; tincture of mustard (flour of mustard 2 _oz._, to proof spirit 12 _oz._), 5 _lbs._ (say, 1/2 _gall._). In scurvy, &c.

=Beer, Cincho'na.= _Syn._ A'GUE-BEER, BARK'-BEER; CEREVIS'IA CINCHO'Nae, &c., L. _Prep._ 1. Bruised cinchona-bark, 1 _oz._; proof spirit or brandy, 2 _oz._; mix; the next day add of new beer, 1 quart, and in 3 days decant or filter.--_Dose_, 2 or 3 wine-gla.s.sfuls.

2. (Mutis.) Cinchona, 4 _oz._; sugar, 2 _lbs._; boiling water, 5 _pints_; when lukewarm, ferment with a little yeast, as for ginger-beer.--_Dose_, 1 or 2 wine-gla.s.sfuls.

3. (Ph. Ferrara.) Bruised Peruvian bark, 1-1/2 _oz._; cinnamon, 2 _dr._; nutmeg (rasped), 7 _dr._; sugar, 25 _oz._; yeast, 2 _oz._; water, 5 _pints_; mix, ferment, decant, and strain, as before.--_Dose_, 3 or 4 wine-gla.s.sfuls. They are all administered during the intermission of ague.

=Beer, Pipsissewa.= _Syn._ CERVIS'IA CHIMAPH'ILE, &c., L. _Prep._ (Dr J.

Parrish.) Pipsissewa (_chimaphila umbellata_), 1/2 _lb._; water, 1 _gall._; boil, strain, add of sugar, 1 _lb._; powdered ginger, 1/4 _oz._; yeast, q. s.; and ferment, stain, and bottle, as for ginger-beer. In scrofulous affections; especially of the joints.--_Dose._ Half a tumblerful. It is a favorite remedy with some American pract.i.tioners.

=Beer, Sarsaparil'la.= _Syn._ LIS'BON DI'ET-BEER, SPAN'ISH JARAVE; CEREVIS'IA SAR'Zae, C. SARSAPARIL'Lae, INFU'SUM S. PARA'TUM FERMENTATIO'NE, &c., L. _Prep._ 1. Compound extract of sarsaparilla, 1-1/2 _oz._; hot water, 1 _pint_; dissolve, and when cold, add of good pale or East-India ale, 7 pints.

2. Sarsaparilla (sliced), 1 _lb._; guaiac.u.m-bark (bruised small), 1/4 _lb._; guaiac.u.m-wood (rasped), and liquorice root (sliced), of each 2 _oz._; aniseed (bruised), 1-1/2 _oz._; mezereon root-bark, 1 _oz._; cloves (cut small), 1/4 _oz._; moist sugar, 3-1/2 _lbs._; hot water (not boiling), 9 quarts; mix in a clean stone jar, and keep it in a moderately warm room (shaking it twice or thrice daily) until active fermentation sets in, then let it repose for about a week, when it will be fit for use.

_Obs._ It is said to be superior to the other preparations of sarsaparilla as an alterative or purifier of the blood, particularly in old affections.

That usually made has generally only one half the above quant.i.ty of sugar, for which treacle is often subst.i.tuted; but in either case it will not keep well; whereas, with proper caution, the products of the above formulae may be kept for one, or even two years. No yeast must be used.--_Dose._ A small tumblerful 3 or 4 times a day, or oftener.

=Beer, Stomach'ic.= _Syn._ MED'ICATED PURL; CEREVIS'IA STOMACH'ICA, L.

_Prep._ (Dr Quincy.) Centaury-tops and Roman wormwood, of each 4 handfuls; gentian root (bruised), 2 _oz._; the yellow peels of 6 Seville oranges; Spanish angelica-root and Winter's lard, of each (bruised) 1 _oz._; new ale, or beer, 3 quarts (say, 1 _gall._); digest for a few days, as before.

One or two wine-gla.s.sfuls early in the morning, and an hour before a meal.

=Beer, Sulphu"ric Acid.= _Syn._ SULPHURIC LEMONADE; CEREVISIA ACIDI SULPHU"RICI, C. ANTICOL'ICA, L. _Prep._ 1. Treacle beer, or other weak mild beer or ale, to which a little concentrated sulphuric acid has been added, in the proportion of about 1 dr. to every 8 or 10 pints; the whole being well agitated together, and allowed a few hours to settle.

2. Treacle, 14 _lbs._; bruised ginger, 1/2 lb.; coriander, 1/2 _oz._; capsic.u.m and cloves, of each 1/4 _oz._; water, 12-1/2 _galls._; yeast, 1 _pint_; proceed as for ginger-beer, and when the fermentation is nearly over, add of oil of vitriol, 1-1/2 _oz._ (diluted with 8 times its weight of water), and of bicarbonate of soda, 1-1/2 _oz._ (dissolved in a little water). It is fit to drink in 3 or 4 days.

_Uses, &c._ It is taken with great benefit by workers in lead, especially by those employed in white lead works; also in cases of lead colic, poisoning by lead or its salts, &c. A tumblerful twice or thrice daily. It is both harmless and wholesome.

=Beer, Tar.= _Syn._ CEREVIS'IA PI'CIS, C. P. LIQ'UIDae, L. _Prep._ (Duhamel.) Bran, 2 pints; tar, 1 pint; honey, 1/2 pint; water, 6 pints; mix, and gently simmer together for 3 hours; when lukewarm add of yeast, 1/2 pint; let it ferment for 36 hours, and strain. Pectoral, anti-asthmatic, anti-phthisic, &c.--_Dose._ One wine-gla.s.sful before each meal, in bronchial and chest diseases, and incipient consumption. See BEERS (In Pharmacy; _above_).

=BEES'WING.= The second or pseudo-crust so much admired in port and a few other wines, and which forms in them only when kept for some time after the first or true crust has formed. It consists of minute, glittering, floating particles or lamellae of tartar, purer, and freer from astringent matter, than that deposited in the first crust. See CRUST, WINES, &c.

=BEET= (bete). _Syn._ BE'TA, L.; BIET, D.; BETTE, Fr.; BEETE, MANGOLD, M.-KRAUT, Ger.; BIETOLA, It. The common name of plants of the genus 'beta,' and the nat. ord. Chenopodae (DC.). There are said to be only two distinct species cultivated--_beta vulgar'is_ and _b. horten'sis_--each of which occurs in several varieties; those of the first, and which we have chiefly to consider, producing a large fleshy root (BEET'-ROOT, MAN-GOLD-R.; RA'DIX BE'Tae, L.; BETTERAVE, Fr.; ROTHE RuBE, &c., Ger.), which is both sweet and succulent; those of the other, only succulent leaves. The varieties most useful, and now the most extensively cultivated in England, are of comparatively recent introduction; field-beet, the mangold-wurzel of the Germans, having been only brought under the notice of our agriculturists towards the end of the last century.

=Beet, Field.= See BEET, HYBRID (_below_).

=Beet, Hy'brid.= _Syn._ COMMON BEET, FIELD'-B.; BE'TA HY'BRIDA, B.

VULGAR"IS, H.; L.; BETTE COMMUNE, BETTERAVE C., RACINE D'ABONDANCE, R. DE DISETTE, &c., Fr.; MANGOLD, M.-WURZEL, MANGEL-W., &c., Ger. A variety of _beta vulgaris_ (Linn.), and that usually cultivated by English farmers.

Root red on the outside, white inside; chiefly grown as winter-food for cattle, being vastly superior to turnips. It has been used in Germany as a subst.i.tute for bread in times of scarcity. Leaves dressed and eaten like spinach.

=Beet, Red.= _Syn._ CU'LINARY BEET, GARDEN B., BEET'-RADISH, BEET'-RAVE, &c.; BE'TA RU'BRA, B. VULG"ARIS R., L.; BETTERAVE, &c., Fr.; ROTHE RuBE, &c., Ger. Root tender, well-flavoured, and of a rich red colour throughout, and hence much used in salads, pickles, and cookery; also made into a conserve, jam, or confection. The kinds most esteemed for salads are the small red and the yellowish-red varieties of Castelnaudari.

=Beet, Sea.= _Syn._ BE'TA MARIT'IMA, L. Said to be the best variety for dressing as spinach.

=Beet, White.= _Syn._ BE'TA AL'BA, B. VULGA"RIS A., B. CI'CLA, L.; BETTE BLANCHE, POIReE, &c., Fr. A sub-variety of the red beet. Root white, and hence preferred for making sugar; that with a purple crown being the most esteemed.

_Obs._ The preceding varieties of beet resemble each other in their general properties. They are all antis...o...b..tic, detergent, emollient, and nutritious; and their roots contain about 8% of sugar, which, by proper treatment, may be obtained from them of excellent quality. The grated root is sometimes used to dress blisters and foul ulcers. When sliced, and dried in a malt-kiln, a very palatable beer may be brewed with it. The leaves of each variety are dressed and eaten like spinach. The roots, for the table, after being carefully washed, are dressed whole--neither sc.r.a.ped nor cut--and, according to their size and age, require from 1 to 4 hours' simmering or baking. They are mostly served in slices, cold, intermingled with other winter salad vegetables. See BREWING, CATTLE, SALADS, SUGAR, &c. (also _ante_).

=BEET ROOT.= See BEET.

=BEE'TLE= (be'tl). _Syn._ SCAR'AB*, SCAR'ABEE* (-be); SCaRABae'US, L.; ESCARBOT, SCARABEe, Fr.; KaFER, Ger.; BETEL, Sax. In _zoology_, the common name of an extensive genus of insects (_scarabae'us_, Linn.), of numerous species. It is also popularly applied to all coleopterous insects, or such as have hard or sh.e.l.ly wing-cases, especially to those of a dark or obscure colour. The common pests of our kitchens and bas.e.m.e.nt floors which pa.s.s familiarly under the name of beetles, black beetles, or c.o.c.kroaches, belong to the order orthoptera, and not to the coleoptera or beetle tribe, as the name implies. See INSECTS, &c.

=Black Beetle=; Domes'tic beetle. See BLATTA, c.o.c.kROACH, &c.

=Blis'tering Beetle.= See CANTHARIDES.