1st. The use of corn and other meals, and of artificial glucose as substitutes for malted barley.
2nd. The use of sodium bicarbonate, to impart additional life to the beer, and the occasional use of common salt.
Concerning the alleged employment of artificial bitters in beer it should be stated, that a few years since, when a very marked increase occurred in the price of hops, other bitter preparations were advertised and offered for sale in the market; unfortunately, but little authentic data can be secured in regard to the extent of their use. At present, this form of adulteration has apparently been discontinued. It is worthy of notice, that the addition of hops to beer was originally considered a falsification, and was prohibited in England by legal enactments. In regard to the manufacture and sale of partially fermented beer, the question of the prevalence of this practice must be regarded as undetermined. No objection exists to the proper use of isinglass or other forms of gelatine for the clarification of beer.
Of 476 samples of beer tested by Dr. F. E. Engelhardt, of the New York State Board of Health, about one-quarter gave evidence of the use of malt substitutes in their manufacture, but no sample was conclusively shown to be adulterated with bitters other than hops.
The examination of beer properly includes an inspection of its physical characteristics, such as taste, colour, and transparency, the determination of the specific gravity, quantitative estimations of the proportions of alcohol, carbonic acid, extractive matter, sugar, organic acids, ash and phosphoric acid, and qualitative tests for the detection of the presence of artificial substitutes for malt and hops.
When of good quality, beer exhibits a bright and transparent colour, a faint but not disagreeable aroma, and a clean and slightly bitter taste. It should be free from any signs of viscosity, the appearance of which is usually an indication of the presence of unchanged yeast.
The specific gravity of beer is determined by first removing the excess of carbonic acid by repeatedly agitating the sample in a capacious glass flask, or by pouring it from one beaker into another several times, and then filling a specific gravity bottle with the liquid and allowing it to stand at rest until all air or gas bubbles have escaped; the weight of the bottle and its contents is now taken at 15°. In order to determine the proportion of alcohol present, 100 c.c. of the beer are introduced in a suitable flask which is connected with a Liebig’s condenser and subjected to distillation until about one-half of the quantity taken has passed over. The distillate is then made up to its original volume by the addition of water, and its density ascertained by means of the specific gravity bottle, from which the percentage of alcohol present (by weight and by volume) is readily obtained upon referring to the alcoholometric table on p. 144. The frothing of beer and the volatilisation of the free acids present are best obviated by the addition of a little tannic acid and baryta-water to the sample before the distillation. An indirect method for the determination of alcohol in beer is also frequently employed. It is accomplished by first ascertaining the density of the liquor, next removing the alcohol present by evaporation over the water-bath, subsequently adding sufficient water to restore the original volume and again taking the specific gravity of the product. The density of spirit of equal strength to the beer taken (X) is obtained by the formula, DD´ = X, in which D is the original gravity of the sample, and D´ the gravity of the de-alcoholised liquor when made up to its first volume. The following table (see p. [144]) from ‘Watts’ Dictionary of Chemistry’ gives the percentages of alcohol by volume and weight, corresponding to different densities at 15°.
The amount of carbonic acid is conveniently found by introducing 100 c.c. of the well-cooled beer into a rather large flask, provided with a delivery-tube which connects, first with a wash-bottle containing concentrated sulphuric acid, next with a U-tube, filled with fused calcium chloride. The latter is connected with a Liebig’s bulb containing a solution of potassium hydroxide, then with a U-tube containing solid potassium hydroxide, both of which have previously been tared. The flask is heated over a water-bath until the evolution of carbonic acid ceases, after which, the gas remaining in the apparatus is caused to traverse the potash bulb by drawing air through it. This is done by means of a tube attached to the flask and reaching below the surface of the beer. At its other extremity, it is drawn out to a fine point and connected with a small potash bulb (for the retention of atmospheric carbonic acid), by aid of a rubber tube, which permits of breaking the glass point before drawing air through the apparatus. The amount of carbonic acid present in the sample is ascertained by the increase of weight found in the larger potash bulb and U-tube.
Alcoholometric Table for Beer, etc.
| Volume | Weight | Specific Gravity. |
| per cent. | per cent. | |
| 1·0 | 0·80 | 0·99850 |
| 1·1 | 0·88 | 0·99835 |
| 1·2 | 0·96 | 0·99820 |
| 1·3 | 1·04 | 0·99805 |
| 1·4 | 1·12 | 0·99790 |
| 1·5 | 1·20 | 0·99775 |
| 1·6 | 1·28 | 0·99760 |
| 1·7 | 1·36 | 0·99745 |
| 1·8 | 1·44 | 0·99730 |
| 1·9 | 1·52 | 0·99715 |
| 2·0 | 1·60 | 0·99700 |
| 2·1 | 1·68 | 0·99686 |
| 2·2 | 1·76 | 0·99672 |
| 2·3 | 1·84 | 0·99658 |
| 2·4 | 1·92 | 0·99644 |
| 2·5 | 2·00 | 0·99630 |
| 2·6 | 2·08 | 0·99616 |
| 2·7 | 2·16 | 0·99602 |
| 2·8 | 2·24 | 0·99588 |
| 2·9 | 2·32 | 0·99574 |
| 3·0 | 2·40 | 0·99560 |
| 3·1 | 2·48 | 0·99546 |
| 3·2 | 2·56 | 0·99532 |
| 3·3 | 2·64 | 0·99518 |
| 3·4 | 2·72 | 0·99504 |
| 3·5 | 2·80 | 0·99490 |
| 3·6 | 2·88 | 0·99476 |
| 3·7 | 2·96 | 0·99462 |
| 3·8 | 3·04 | 0·99448 |
| 3·9 | 3·12 | 0·99434 |
| 4·0 | 3·20 | 0·99420 |
| 4·1 | 3·28 | 0·99406 |
| 4·2 | 3·36 | 0·99392 |
| 4·3 | 3·44 | 0·99378 |
| 4·4 | 3·52 | 0·99364 |
| 4·5 | 3·60 | 0·99350 |
| 4·6 | 3·68 | 0·99336 |
| 4·7 | 3·76 | 0·99322 |
| 4·8 | 3·84 | 0·99308 |
| 4·9 | 3·92 | 0·99294 |
| 5·0 | 4·00 | 0·99280 |
| 5·1 | 4·08 | 0·99267 |
| 5·2 | 4·16 | 0·99254 |
| 5·3 | 4·24 | 0·99241 |
| 5·4 | 4·32 | 0·99228 |
| 5·5 | 4·40 | 0·99215 |
| 5·6 | 4·48 | 0·99202 |
| 5·7 | 4·56 | 0·99189 |
| 5·8 | 4·64 | 0·99176 |
| 5·9 | 4·72 | 0·99163 |
| 6·0 | 4·81 | 0·99150 |
| 6·1 | 4·89 | 0·99137 |
| 6·2 | 4·97 | 0·99124 |
| 6·3 | 5·05 | 0·99111 |
| 6·4 | 5·13 | 0·99098 |
| 6·5 | 5·21 | 0·99085 |
| 6·6 | 5·30 | 0·99072 |
| 6·7 | 5·38 | 0·99059 |
| 6·8 | 5·46 | 0·99046 |
| 6·9 | 5·54 | 0·99033 |
| 7·0 | 5·62 | 0·99020 |
| 7·1 | 5·70 | 0·99008 |
| 7·2 | 5·78 | 0·98996 |
| 7·3 | 5·86 | 0·98984 |
| 7·4 | 5·94 | 0·98972 |
| 7·5 | 6·02 | 0·98960 |
| 7·6 | 6·11 | 0·98949 |
| 7·7 | 6·19 | 0·98936 |
| 7·8 | 6·27 | 0·98924 |
| 7·9 | 6·35 | 0·98912 |
| 8·0 | 6·43 | 0·98900 |