Q. How is carbonic acid gas produced by fermentation?
A. Malt and fruit both contain sugar; and sugar consists of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. In fermentation, a part of the carbon and oxygen of the sugar escape, in the form of carbonic acid gas.
Carbonic acid gas is a compound of carbon and oxygen, in the following proportions:—3 lbs. of carbon and 8 lbs. of oxygen will form 11 lbs. of carbonic acid gas. Now, 100 lbs. of white sugar contains 43 lbs. of carbon; 50 lbs. of oxygen; and 7 lbs. of hydrogen.
Q. How is al’cohol produced by fermentation?
A. The hydrogen of the sugar combines with the residue of the oxygen and carbon to form “al’cohol.”
Q. What is al’cohol?
A. Al’cohol is the spirit of wine or beer, obtained by fermentation.
(100 gallons of alcohol consist of 38 gallons of oxygen; 43-1/2 of carbon; 15 of hydrogen; and 3-1/2 of nitrogen.)
Q. Why is barley malted?
A. Because germination is produced by the artificial heat; and in germination the starch of the grain is converted into sugar.