Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-07-05
VINEGAR MAKING.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MANUFACTURE
OF THE WHITE KIND.

Up to n Certain Point the Process Is just
the ssme as In Making whisky-why
Uncle Sam Doesn't Allow "Worms" to
BE Used In Vinegar Factories.
Vinegar Is of two or three different kinds.
The most expensive is made from red wine
and is Of deep purple color. 1t is strong in
acid-so strong, indeed, that it fairly bites
the tongue. 1t costs about 40 cents u gal
lon. Then there is the cider vinegar of
farm fame, and it is the most popular Of
any for general household use. 1t retails
at from II to 16 cents n gallon, and it may
be said in passing that some disreputablo
concerns make variety Of "cidcr" vine
gar that is wholly guiltless Of apples.
Great quantities Of white wine vinegar are
also made, ususlly from corn and rye. 1t
is perfectly colorlcss, very sharp to tho
taste and is usually used for making pic
klos and condiments of various kinds.
The process Of manufacturing this white
wine vinegar is most interesting In the
first place, the manager starts out just as
If he were going to make genuine corn
whisky, but when he gets part way through
with the work he suddenly switches off,
and tho product is vinegar. The corn and
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and arc elevated to the top floor, where
they go into big bins. In the morning,
whom the superintendent gives the word, a
workman pulls the slide from spout that
leads down through four stories and into
the top Of the cooler, huge iron boiler
holding 100 bushels. The corn comes rat
Ting down, and 1t is soon boiling away
under u steam pressure Of go pounds. At
the end Of two hours it has been reduced
to mash-a well known whisky term
and is quito toothsome enough to tempt
any COW home from June pasture.
1t Is now blown through pipe leading
up stairs to the great mashtubs holding
5000 gallons each. Hero about so bushels
Of malt, fresh from the maltstcrs and
ground to pulp In little mill on the
next floor, is dumped in, and two awk-
ward paddles begin to rcvolve, churnina
the mass until it looks like tho surface of
geyscr.
The cooking Of the corn separated tho
starch and tho addition Of the malt, to-
gethCr with temperature Of 14S degrees,
turns the starch into sugar. At this period
Of the process the mash has really sugary
smell, like molasses candy on the back Of
the kitchen stove After being beaten and
churncd for three or four hours cold water
is turned into coil of pipes in the bottom
of the hugo tub to cool the mash In the
meantime some workmon have been pre-
pairing tho yeast in a little room at one
side. Malt and rye are boiled together in
copper lined kettle holding 200 gallons,
and little Of the yeast ferment being add
ed the plant begins to grow. When the
process has gone far enough, just the right
proportion Of tho yeast is taken and
'planted" in the mash tub, where without
more ado it begins to make itself felt.
Now the mash Is allowed to slide down
through a pipe to the fermenting tanks,
where it sizzles and bubbles away for 72
hours, hard at work fermenting. The al
coholio spirits are being slowly extracted
by the working" of the sugar. Thus far
the process has been almost identical with
whisky making.
A busy chugging link pump now sends
the mash up stairs to the still-real whisky
stills, except In tho use of "wor1ns" or
coils of pipe for collecting and condcnsing
the alcoholic spirits. A worm" would be
used in vinegar manufacture but Uncle
Sam is afraid that some day very well
meaning charge Of corn might by some
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 vaporizos it. The pipo in
the still is surrounded by cold water, which
quickly condonses the alcohol and collects
1t below in a receptacle. All the rest of
the mash-"slops, as 1t is known to the
vinegar man and the whisky man-is car
rled off to one 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 1t therefore makes
very rich food.
The spirits are now pumped TO the gen.
orators the 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 the alcohol
to trickle in and cock at the bottom
through which the vinegar may be drawn
of.
Several floors are covered with these gen.
orators as thick as they can stand, and the
visitor who goes among them is compelled
to sneeze in Difference to the pronounced
aoidity of the atmosphere.
The tanks inside arc filled from top to
bottom with beach shavings-nothing
more. When the alcohol drips in at the
top, 1t spreads over the shavings, where
the air has ready access to it. The oxygen
pounces upon it and changes 1t without
more ado into ascetic acid, or vinegar, in
which condition it runs out at the cock
and into trough that carries it down to
the next floor into huge storage tank.
The shavings in the generators are merely
for the purpose of providing a great
amount of surface over which the spirits
must flow.
After having seasoned for a time in the
tanks the vinegar is pumped out into bar
rels, labeled and sent all over the country
to the pickle manufacturers. Every bushel
of corn makes about four gallons of white
wine vinegar, which sells all the way from
to 10 cents q gallon.-Chicago Record.