CASKS

The care and management of casks is an important affair in a large establishment. It is found that they last longest when stored either in a dry situation, or in one uniformly very moist. Continual variations from the one to the other speedily rot them. As soon as casks are emptied they should be bunged down quite air-tight, with as much care as if they were full, by which means they will be preserved both sweet and sound. Should any of the hoops become loose they should be immediately driven up tight, which will at once prevent the liability of their being lost or misplaced, as well as the casks fouling or becoming musty from the admi ion of air. For this purpose those out of use should be occasionally hauled over and examined. Numerous plans are adopted for CLEANING and PURIFYING CASKS , among which are the following:— 1. Wash them well out with oil of vitriol, diluted with an equal weight of water. 2. Wash them first with a little chloride of lime and warm water, and then with water soured with oil of vitriol. 3. Match them with sulphur, or with sulphur mixed with a little saltpetre. 4. Unhead them and whitewash them with fresh milk of lime, made pretty strong. This plan is commonly followed for brewers’ vats. 5. Remove the heads, and char the insides of the staves by the aid of a fire of shavings kindled within them. 6. A simpler, safer, and more effectual method of charring them than the last is to wash the dry casks out with strong oil of vitriol (sp. gr. 1·854). This not only purifies the surfaces of the staves, but penetrates into all the cracks, some of which might escape the action of the fire. 7. Steam has lately been applied to the insides of casks with great advantage. High-pre ure steam is driven in at the bung-hole, at the same time that the cask is violently agitated (a heavy chain having been previously put into it), until all the dirt and bad smell is removed. 8. A lye of pearlash or soda, mixed with milk of lime, as well as strong hot brine, and other similar liquors, have been adopted by some persons, and are highly spoken of. 9. The coopers boil the staves for gin casks in a strong lye of alum before placing them together, to prevent their colouring the spirit, but washing with oil of vitriol is a better plan. 10. Some persons fill musty casks with water and add 3 or 4 lbs. of coarsely powdered fresh burnt charcoal, and agitate well for a few days. 11. Wash with bisulphite of lime. Obs. In all the above proce es the greatest care must be taken to scald or soak and well rinse out the casks after the treatment described. See Brewing Utensils , Sporokton , Matches , .