BERRIES OF AVIGNON.
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the palm, of the hand. If the beer has been well brewed, its aptitude to become brightwill be soon shown by the mixture getting thick and curdy ; a bright portion will gener-ally show itself at the bottom or middle ; after which the finings will gradually mount tothe top, taking up all the impurities along with them, till the whole becomes brilliant.Some have said that the finings should carry the impurities down to the bottom; butthis, according to Mr. Black,* takes place only with stubborn beer, which would not be-come thoroughly bright with any quantity of finings which could be introduced. Finingshave usually a specific gravity of from 1-010 to 1-016, and, when added to beer in a fitcondition for fining, invariably go to the top, and not to the bottom. In fining beer ina barrel laid on its side, if the finings do not make their appearance at the bung-hole,the beer will not become bright. The isinglass must not be dissolved with heat, nor inhot water.
Beer brewed from imperfectly malted grain, or from a mixture of malt and raw corn,gives a fermentation quite different in flavor from that of beer from sound malt. Thenose is, in fact, llie best guide to the experienced brewer for ascertaining whether hisprocess is going on well or ill.
Ropiness is a morbid state of beer, which is best remedied, according to Mr. Black, byputting the beer into a vat with a false bottom, and adding, per barrel, 4 or 5 pounds ofhops, taken gradually away after the first boilings of the worts; and to them may beadded about half a pound per barrel of mustard-seed. Rouse the beer as the hops aregradually introduced, and, in some months, the ropiness will be perfectly cured. Thebeer should be drawn off from below the false bottom.
For theoretical views, see Fermentation ; and for wort-cooling apparatus, see Refri-gerator .
BEET-ROOT SUGAR. See Sugar.
BELL-METAL, an alloy of copper and tin. See Copper.
BEN OIL. See Oil of Ben.
BENGAL STRIPES. Ginghams; a kind of cotton cloth woven with coloredstripes.
BENJAMIN or BENZOIN. ( Benjoin , Fr.; Benzoe, Germ.) A species of resin usedchiefly in perfumery. It is extracted by incision from the trunk and branches of the sly-rax benzoin, which grows in Java, Sumatra , Santa Fe, and in the kingdom of Siam. Theplant belongs to the deeandria monogynia of Linnseus, and the natural family of the ebe-naceas. It hardens readily in the air, and comes to us in brittle masses, whose fracturepresents a mixture of red, brown, and white grains of various sizes, which, when white,and of a certain shape, have been called amygdaloid, from their resemblance to almonds.The sorted benzoin is, on the other hand, very impure.
The fracture of benzoin is conchoidal, and its lustre greasy : its specific gravity variesfrom 1-063 to 1-092. It has an agreeable smell, somawhat like vanilla, which is mostmanifest when it is ground. It enters into fusion at a gentle heat, and then exhales awhite smoke, which may be condensed into the acicular crystals of benzoic acid, of whichit contains 18 parts in the hundred. Stoltze recommends the following process for ex-tracting the acid. The resin is to be dissolved in 3 parts of alcohol, the solution is to beintroduced into a retort, and a solution of carbonate of soda dissolved in dilute alcohol is tobe gradually added to it, till the free acid be neutralized; and then a bulk of water equalto double the weight of the benzoin is to be poured in. The alcohol being drawn oiF bydistillation, the remaining liquor contains the acid, and the resin floating upon it may beskimmed oif and washed, when its weight will be found to amount to about 80 per cent,of the raw material. The benzoin contains traces of a volatile oil, and a substance solu-ble in water, at least through the agency of carbonate of potash. Ether does not dissolvebenzoin completely. The fat and volatile oils dissolve very little of it.
Unverdorben has found in benzoin, besides benzoic acid, and a little volatile oil, no lessthan three different kinds of resin, none of which has, however, been turned as yet toany use in the arts.
Benzoin is of great use in perfumery, as it enters into a number of preparations; amongwhich may be mentioned fumigating pastilles, fumigating cloves (called also nails), youdrea la marechale, &c. The alcoholic tincture, mixed with water, forms virginal milk.Benzoin enters also into the composition of certain varnishes employed for snufl-boxesand walking-sticks, in order to give these objects an agreeable smell when they becomeheated in the hand. It is likewise added to the spirituous solution of isinglass withwhich the best court plaster is made.
BERLIN BLUE. Prussian blue . See Blue.
BERRIES OF AVIGNON , and. •Persian Berries. Ifiraines d'Avignon, F r - jGelbbeeren, Germ.) A yellowish dye-drug, the fruit of the rhamnus infeetorms, a plant
Treatise on Brewing, 8vo, p. 68.