Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-25
BERRY BEVERAGES.
Some Imstructi0ns as 10 the Method
II Preparing Them.

81 Preparing lMems
The want of good, wholesome and
cheap domestic beverage is very general
in the rural districts. There are numer-
ous factories in Germany, which, under
the name of artificial wine," introduce
beverages into the market which are in
tended to satisfy this want, and it is
rumored that there is plan on foot in
Los Angeles to build similar factory.
For the manufacture of good domestic
beverage, different serts of fruit, the
residuum of pressed grapes, wine lees,
berry fruits and dried grapes may be
used. In California currants and goose
berries yield every year good crop, and
even on small area of land they furnish
30 much fruit that, by adding
the necessary water and sugar,
. greater quantity of wine may
be produced. Strawberries, gooseber-
ries, black berries and cherries are par
ticulsrly qualified for strong and fne
wines. For the purpose of mashing the
berries and removing the stones the
fruits may be grated through sieves.
Then the mashed fruits are to be pressed
4, out or soaked in water. During the pro-
csss of mashing and pressing the great
est care is necessary to prevent the dis
solution of iron in the juice, as even
very insignificant particles of it will give
. bad taste to the wine and also bad,
muddy color. One of the greatest diff
culties in preparing berry wines is caused
by too slow and often incomplete fer
mentation. This is produced either by
the mash having been filed into barrel
smoked with sulphur, r by the eformstion
of acid of vinegar at the beginning of
the fermentation, or also by the berries
not containing sufficient nutritious mat
ter in proportion to the yeast necessary
for the fermentation of the sugar.
Fermentation will be greatly acceler-
ated by adding currants or raisins or
cristated currants to the mixture of Der.
ries or their juice with sugar water.
From one to two pounds of currants or
raisins may be added to ten liters or
eleven Kilograms of fruits. They must
be quickly washed with cold water, then
cut, added to the mixture of juice and
sugar water, aud left therein during fer
mentation. For one pound of rRisins
one and one-half liters of water more
may be added. The air is to be care.
fully excluded from the surface of fruits
left standing after having been
either lyed or washed, and also
during and after the process
of fermentation, else part OF the alco.
hol will turn into acetic acid, causing the
wine to remain muddy and Shiny aud to
receive a disagreeable taste. Besides
this, wine containing much acetic acid
does not agree with many persons. Gem
orally, but especially with fleshy or
Shiny fruits, such as gooseberries, whor-
tleberries, cherries, plums, etc., it is
quite to the purpose to submit the
mashed fruits, with an addition of a Ger.
tsin quantity of water and sugar, to the
process Of fermentation, but this requires
great precaution, for as soon as the fer
mentation commences the husks will get
on the surface and thus form a loose
mass into which the air will penetrate,
and in short time produce acid of vine-
gar.
For producing berry wines or red wine
on large scale, and when the wine fer
ments on the husks, the mash in q tub
may be covered with perforated tub
bottom and burdened with weights or
tightly fastened in order to prevent the
husks from rising, and then the whole
may be covered. In preparing berry
wine On small scale, but yet up to or
2 hectoliters, it is best to use vessels OF
stoneware for fermentation. On the
lower part of these vessels there is a
sink-bottom, and the mashed fruits con-
tanned in it are again covered with a
similar one, water is poured in the chan
mel on the upper part of the vessel and
the cover laid upon it. The border of
the latter must reach into the water and
entirely exclude the air. AS
soon as the fermentation has COM
menced the liquid is let off; it is
then replaced by sugar water, poured off
again after twelve hours; water is first
poured on it and then poured off again
after lapse of time. This is repeated
until the required quantity Of water is
spent. If correctly executed the husks
are so thoroughly washed that it is alto
gether useless to press them. In the
fluid collected in tub or bottle the cor
responding quantity of sugar not used
yet is dissolved. Wines of blackberries,
strawberries, sweet cherries, and other
fruits for which little water is used may
be left in these vessels until fermentation
is completed. For the fermentation OF
fluids, fermentation vessels in glass may
be used to advantage. Such air-tight
vessels have been tried repeatedly and
they have proved excellent.
CRIMES CALENDAR.