Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-06-27
VINEGAR MAKING.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MANUFACTURE
o. THE WHITE KIND,
Up to Cev~>in Point the Process Is just
the Same as In Making whisky--why
Uncle Sam Doesn't Allow "worms" to
lie Used In vinegar Factories.

the Same ~ In Making Whtsky--Why
Uncle Sam Doesn't Allow "wor,ns" 10
lie Used In Vinegar Factories.
Vinegar Is Of two or three different kinds
The most expensive is made from rod wine
and is OF deep purple color. 1t Is strong In
acid-so strong, indeed, that IL fairly bites
the tongue 1t costs about 40 cents gal
Ion. Then there Is the cider vinegar Of
farm fame, and it is the most popular VI
any for general household ustN 1t retails
at from IL TO Ia cents a gallon, and Il may
be said in passing that some disrcputahlc
concerns mako variety Of cider" vino
gar that is wholly guiltlcss of apples.
Great quantities Of white vino vinegar are
also made usually from corn and rye II
Is perfectly colorlcss, very sharp to tho
taste and is usually used for making pic
kles and condiments Of various kinds,
The process Of manufacturing this white
| vino vinegar is most interesting In the
first place, the manager starts out just as
IL he wero going Ia make genuine corn
whisky, but when he gets part way through
with tho work he suddenly switches OH,
and tho product Is vinegar. Tho corn and
rye come to the side of the factory In cars
and are elevated 10 the top floor where
they go into big bins, In the morning
when the superintendent gives the word u
! workman pulls the slide from n spout that
leads down through four stories and into
the top OF the cooler, y huge iron boiler
, holding 100 bushels Tho corn comes rat
Ting down, and II is soon boiling away
under n stcam pressure OF 60 pounds, At
the end of two hours II has been reduced
to mash--a we'll known whisky torm4-
and Is quite toothsoruc enough to tempt
any cow home from June pasture,
1t is now blown through pipe leading
up stairs to tho great mashtuhs holding
, 5000 gallons each. Here about 90 bushels
/ of malt, fresh from tho maltsters and
ground to u pulp In little mill on tho
next floor, is dumped in, and two awk
ward paddles begin to revolvc, churning
the mass until II looks like tho surface Of
gcyscr.
Tho cooking OF the corn separated tho
! starch, and the addition of the malt, to.
gcther with u temperature of l4S degrees,
turns the starch into sugar. At this period
Of tho process tho mash has really sugary
smell, like molasscs candy ON the back OF
tho kitchen stove After being beaten and
| churned for three or four hours cold water
is turned into n coil of pipes in tho bottom
| of tho hugo tub to cool the mash. In the
meantime some workmen have boon pro-
pairing tho yeast In littlo room at ono
side. Malt and rye arc boiled together In
u copper lined kettle holding 200 gallons,
and little of the Yeast Torment being add
cd tho plant begins to grow. When tho
process has gone far enough just tho right
proportion of tho yeast is taken and
"planted" In tho mash tub, where without
, moro ado 1t begins to mako itself folt
Now tho mash Is allowed to slide down
through pipe to tho fcrmonting tanks,
where it s2alos and bubbles away for ~
hours, hard ut work formentlng. Tho al
ooholic spirits are being slowly extracted
by the working of the sugar. Thus far
| the process has been almost identical with
whisky making
A busy chuggng link pump now sends
| the mash up stairs to the still---real whisky
stills, except in the use of worms" or
coils of pipo for collecting and condcnsing
tho alcoholic spirits. A worm" would DO
used in vinegar manufacture, but Uncle
sam is afraid that some day u very well
meaning charge Of corn might by some
mistake turn to whisky instead of vinegar
Uncle Sam always looks after such things
in prompt and busincsslike way.
Tho alcohol Is forced out of tho mash
and into the still by means of steam,
which rapidly vaporizcs it. Tho Pipe In
tho still Is surrounded by cold water, which
quickly condenscs the alcohol and collects
1t below In n receptacle. All tho rest Of
the mash" Stops, as IL il known to the
vinegar man and the whisky man--is car.
riod off to ono side, where 1t is stored up
ready to sell to the stock raiser for cattle
feed 1t contains all the corn except the
alcoholic parts, and IL therefore makes
very rich food.
| The spirits arc now pumped To tho gen
orators, tho only distinctive vinegar max
ing devices in the whole process. These
consist Of tall, cylindrical tanks made Of
white wood and bound with iron hoops
They extend from floor to ceiling, with an
appliance on top for allowing thJ alcohol
| to trckle In and u cock Mt the bottom
through which the vinegar may be drawn
| of
Several floors are covered with these gen
| orators as thick rs they can stand and the
visitor who goes among them Is compelled
| to snecze In Difference to the pronounced
acidity Of the atmosphere.
Tho tanks inside arc fillcd from top to
bottom with beach shavings--n nothing
more. When the alcohol drips in Mt tho
top, it spreads over tho shayings where
the air has ready nccess to IL. Tho oxygen
pounces upon 1t and changes 1t without
more ado into ascetic ncid, or vinegar, In
which condition it runs out ut the cock
and into trough that carries IL down TO
| the next floor into huge storage tank.
The shayings In the generators arc merely
for tho purpose of providing great
amount Of surface over which the spirits
must flow.
After having seasoned for time In the
tanks the vinegar Is pumped out into bar
rels, labeled and sent all over tho country
to the pickle manufacturers. Every bushcl
Of corn makes about four gallons Of white
wine vinegar, which sells all the way from
to 10 cents u gallon. Chicago Record.