We have stated already (p. 113) that nothing is allowed by law to enter into the composition of beer, but malt and hops.
The substances used by fraudulent brewers for adulterating beer, are chiefly the following:
Quassia, which gives to beer a bitter taste, is substituted for hops; but hops possesses a more agreeable aromatic flavour, and there is also reason to believe that they render beer less liable to spoil by keeping; a property which does not belong to quassia. It requires but little discrimination to distinguish very clearly the peculiar bitterness of quassia in adulterated porter. Vast quantities of the shavings of this wood are sold in a half-torrefied and ground state to disguise its obvious character, and to prevent its being recognised among the waste materials of the brewers. [Pg 132]Wormwood[59] has likewise been used by fraudulent brewers.
The adulterating of hops is prohibited by the Legislature.[60]
"If any person shall put any drug or ingredient whatever into hops to alter the colour or scent thereof, every person so offending, convicted by the oath of one witness before one justice of peace for the county or place where the offence was committed, shall forfeit 5l. for every hundred weight."
Beer rendered bitter by quassia never keeps well, unless it be kept in a place possessing a temperature considerably lower than the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere; and this is not well practicable in large establishments.
The use of boiling the wort of beer with hops, is partly to communicate a peculiar aromatic flavour which the hop contains, partly to cover the sweetness of undecomposed saccharine matter, and also to separate, by virtue of the gallic acid and [Pg 133]tannin it contains, a portion of a peculiar vegetable mucilage somewhat resembling gluten, which is still diffused through the beer. The compound thus produced, separates in small flakes like those of curdled soap; and by these means the beer is rendered less liable to spoil. For nothing contributes more to the conversion of beer, or any other vinous fluid, into vinegar, than mucilage. Hence, also, all full-bodied and clammy ales, abounding in mucilage, and which are generally ill fermented, do not keep as perfect ale ought to do. Quassia is, therefore, unfit as a substitute for hops; and even English hops are preferable to those imported from the Continent; for nitrate of silver and acetate of lead produce a more abundant precipitate from an infusion of English hops, than can be obtained from a like infusion by the same agents from foreign hops.
One of the qualities of good porter, is, that it should bear a fine frothy head, as it is technically termed: because professed judges of this beverage, would not pronounce the liquor excellent, although it possessed all other good qualities of porter, without this requisite.
To impart to porter this property of frothing when poured from one vessel into [Pg 134]another, or to produce what is also termed a cauliflower head, the mixture called beer-heading, composed of common green vitriol (sulphate of iron,) alum, and salt, is added. This addition to the beer is generally made by the publicans.[61] It is unnecessary to genuine beer, which of itself possesses the property of bearing a strong white froth, without these additions; and it is only in consequence of table beer being mixed with strong beer, that the frothing property of the porter is lost. From experiments I have tried on this subject, I have reason to believe that the sulphate of iron, added for that purpose, does not possess the power ascribed to it. But the publicans frequently, when they fine a butt of beer, by means of isinglass, adulterate the porter at the same time with table beer, together with a quantity of molasses and a small portion of extract of gentian root, to keep up the peculiar flavour of the porter; and it is to the molasses chiefly, which gives a [Pg 135]spissitude to the beer, that the frothing property must be ascribed; for, without it, the sulphate of iron does not produce the property of frothing in diluted beer.
Capsicum and grains of paradise, two highly acrid substances, are employed to give a pungent taste to weak insipid beer. Of late, a concentrated tincture of these articles, to be used for a similar purpose, and possessing a powerful effect, has appeared in the price-currents of brewers' druggists. Ginger root, coriander seed, and orange peels, are employed as flavouring substances chiefly by the ale brewers.
From these statements, and the seizures that have been made of illegal ingredients at various breweries, it is obvious that the adulterations of beer are not imaginary. It will be noticed, however, that some of the sophistications are comparatively harmless, whilst others are effected by substances deleterious to health.
The following list exhibits some of the unlawful substances seized at different breweries and at chemical laboratories.
[Pg 136]
List of Illegal Ingredients, seized from 1812 to 1818, at various Breweries and Brewers' Druggists.[62]
1812, July. Josiah Nibbs, at Tooting, Surrey.
Multum
84
lbs.
Cocculus indicus
12
Colouring
4
galls.
Honey
about
180
lbs.
Hartshorn Shavings
14
Spanish Juice
46
Orange Powder
17
Ginger
56
Penalty 300l.
1813, June 13. Sarah Willis, at West Ham, Essex.
Cocculus indicus
1
lb.
Spanish Juice
12
Hartshorn Shavings
6
Orange Powder
1
Penalty 200l.
[Pg 137]August 3. Cratcherode Whiffing, Limehouse.
Grains of Paradise
44
lbs.
Quassia
10
Liquorice
64
Ginger
80
Caraway Seeds
40
Orange Powder
14
Copperas
4
Penalty 200l.
Nov. 25. Elizabeth Hasler, at Stratford.
Cocculus indicus
12
lbs.
Multum
26
Grains of Paradise
12
Spanish Juice
30
Orange Powder
3
Penalty 200l.
Dec. 14. John Abbott, at Canterbury, Kent.
Copperas, &c.
14
lbs.
Orange powder
2
Penalty 500l., and Crown's costs.
Proof of using drugs at various times.
1815, Feb. 15. Mantel and Cook, Castle-street,Bloomsbury-square.
Proof of mixing strong with table beer, and using colouring and other things.
Compromised for 300l.
[Pg 138]
1817. From Peter Stevenson, an old Servant to Dunnand Waller, St. John-street, brewers' druggists.
Cocculus Indicus Extract
6
lbs.
Multum
560
Capsicum
88
Copperas
310
Quassia
150
Colouring and Drugs
84
Mixed Drugs
240
Spanish Liquorice
420
Hartshorn Shavings
77
Liquorice Powder
175
Orange powder
126
Caraway Seeds
100
Ginger
110
Ginger Root
176
Condemned, not being claimed.
July 30. Luke Lyons, Shadwell.
Capsicum
1
lb
Liquorice Root Powder
2
Coriander Seed
2
Copperas
1
Orange Powder
8
Spanish Liquorice
1/2
Beer Colouring
24
galls
Not tried. (7th May, 1818.)
[Pg 139]Aug. 6. John Gray, at West Ham.
Multum
4
lbs.
Spanish Liquorice
21
Liquorice Root Powder
113
Ginger
116
Honey
11
Penalty, 300l., and costs; including mixing strong beer with table, and paying table-beer duty for strong beer, &c.
Numerous other seizures of illegal substances, made at breweries, might be advanced, were it necessary to enlarge this subject to a greater extent.
Mr. James West, from the excise office, being asked in the Committee of the House of Commons, appointed, 1819, to examine and report on the petition of several inhabitants of London, complaining of the high price and inferior quality of beer, produced the following seized articles:—"One bladder of honey, one bladder of extract of cocculus indicus, ground guinea pepper or capsicum, vitriol or copperas, orange powder, quassia, ground beer-heading, hard multum, another kind of multum or beer preparation, liquorice powder, and ground grains of paradise."
Witness being asked "Where did you seize these things?" Answer, "Some of them were seized from brewers, and some [Pg 140]of them from brewers' druggists, within these two years past." (May 8, 1818.)
Another fraud frequently committed, both by brewers and publicans, (as is evident from the Excise Report,) is the practice of adulterating strong beer with small beer—This fraud is prohibited by law, since both the revenue and the public suffer by it.[63] "The duty upon strong beer is ten shillings a barrel; and upon table beer it is two shillings. The revenue suffers, because a larger quantity of beer is sold as strong beer; that is, at a price exceeding the price of table beer, without the strong beer duty being paid. In the next place, the brewer suffers, because the retailer gets table or mild beer, and retails it as strong beer." The following are the words of the Act, prohibiting the brewers mixing table beer with strong beer.
"If any common brewer shall mix or suffer to be mixed any strong beer, or strong worts with table beer or table worts, or with water in any guile or fermenting tun after the declaration of the quantity of such guile shall have been made; or if he [Pg 141]shall at any time mix or suffer to be mixed strong beer or strong worts with table beer worts or with water, in any vat, cask, tub, measures or utensil, not being an entered guile or fermenting tun, he shall forfeit 200 pounds."[64]
With respect to the persons who commit this offence, Mr. Carr,[65] the Solicitor of the Excise, observes, that "they are generally brewers who carry on the double trade of brewing both strong and table beer. It is almost impossible to prevent them from mixing one with the other; and frauds of very great extent have been detected, and the parties punished for that offence. One brewer at Plymouth evaded duties to the amount of 32,000 pounds; and other brewers, who brew party guiles of beer, carrying on the two trades of ale and table beer brewers, where the trade is a victualling brewer, which is different from the common brewer, he being a person who sells only wholesale; the victualling brewer being a brewer and also a seller by retail."
[Pg 142]
"In the neighbourhood of London," Mr. Carr continues, "more particularly, I speak from having had great experience, from the informations and evidence which I have received, that the retailers carry on a most extensive fraud upon the public, in purchasing stale table beer, or the bottoms of casks. There are a class of men who go about and sell such beer at table-beer price to public victuallers, who mix it in their cellars. If they receive beer from their brewers which is mild, they purchase stale beer; and if they receive stale beer, they purchase common table beer for that purpose; and many of the prosecutions are against retailers for that offence." The following may serve in proof of this statement.
[Pg 143]
List of Brewers prosecuted and convicted from 1813 to 1819, for adulterating Strong Beer with Table Beer.[66]
Thomas Manton and another, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 300l.
Mark Morrell and another, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer, 20l. and costs.
Robert Jones and another, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 125l.
Robert Stroad, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, 200l. and costs.
William Cobbett, brewer, mixing strong and table beer, 100l. and costs.
Thomas Richard Withers, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, 75l. and costs.
John Cowel, brewer, for mixing table beer with strong, 50l. and costs.
John Mitchell, brewer, for mixing table beer with strong, absconded.
George Lloyd and another, brewers, for mixing table beer with strong, 25l. and costs.
James Edmunds and another, brewers, for mixing table beer with strong, for a long period, verdict 600l.
John Hoffman, brewer, for mixing strong [Pg 144]and table beer, and using molasses, 130l. and costs.
Samuel Langworth, brewer, for mixing strong with stale table beer, 10l. and costs.
Hannah Spencer, brewer, for mixing strong with stale table beer, verdict 150l.
Joseph Smith and others, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer.
Philip George, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 200l.
Joshua Row, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 400l.
John Drew, jun. and another, for mixing strong beer with table, 50l. and costs.
John Cape, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, 250l. and costs.
John Williams and another, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 200l.
The substances used by fraudulent brewers for adulterating beer, are chiefly the following:
Quassia, which gives to beer a bitter taste, is substituted for hops; but hops possesses a more agreeable aromatic flavour, and there is also reason to believe that they render beer less liable to spoil by keeping; a property which does not belong to quassia. It requires but little discrimination to distinguish very clearly the peculiar bitterness of quassia in adulterated porter. Vast quantities of the shavings of this wood are sold in a half-torrefied and ground state to disguise its obvious character, and to prevent its being recognised among the waste materials of the brewers. [Pg 132]Wormwood[59] has likewise been used by fraudulent brewers.
The adulterating of hops is prohibited by the Legislature.[60]
"If any person shall put any drug or ingredient whatever into hops to alter the colour or scent thereof, every person so offending, convicted by the oath of one witness before one justice of peace for the county or place where the offence was committed, shall forfeit 5l. for every hundred weight."
Beer rendered bitter by quassia never keeps well, unless it be kept in a place possessing a temperature considerably lower than the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere; and this is not well practicable in large establishments.
The use of boiling the wort of beer with hops, is partly to communicate a peculiar aromatic flavour which the hop contains, partly to cover the sweetness of undecomposed saccharine matter, and also to separate, by virtue of the gallic acid and [Pg 133]tannin it contains, a portion of a peculiar vegetable mucilage somewhat resembling gluten, which is still diffused through the beer. The compound thus produced, separates in small flakes like those of curdled soap; and by these means the beer is rendered less liable to spoil. For nothing contributes more to the conversion of beer, or any other vinous fluid, into vinegar, than mucilage. Hence, also, all full-bodied and clammy ales, abounding in mucilage, and which are generally ill fermented, do not keep as perfect ale ought to do. Quassia is, therefore, unfit as a substitute for hops; and even English hops are preferable to those imported from the Continent; for nitrate of silver and acetate of lead produce a more abundant precipitate from an infusion of English hops, than can be obtained from a like infusion by the same agents from foreign hops.
One of the qualities of good porter, is, that it should bear a fine frothy head, as it is technically termed: because professed judges of this beverage, would not pronounce the liquor excellent, although it possessed all other good qualities of porter, without this requisite.
To impart to porter this property of frothing when poured from one vessel into [Pg 134]another, or to produce what is also termed a cauliflower head, the mixture called beer-heading, composed of common green vitriol (sulphate of iron,) alum, and salt, is added. This addition to the beer is generally made by the publicans.[61] It is unnecessary to genuine beer, which of itself possesses the property of bearing a strong white froth, without these additions; and it is only in consequence of table beer being mixed with strong beer, that the frothing property of the porter is lost. From experiments I have tried on this subject, I have reason to believe that the sulphate of iron, added for that purpose, does not possess the power ascribed to it. But the publicans frequently, when they fine a butt of beer, by means of isinglass, adulterate the porter at the same time with table beer, together with a quantity of molasses and a small portion of extract of gentian root, to keep up the peculiar flavour of the porter; and it is to the molasses chiefly, which gives a [Pg 135]spissitude to the beer, that the frothing property must be ascribed; for, without it, the sulphate of iron does not produce the property of frothing in diluted beer.
Capsicum and grains of paradise, two highly acrid substances, are employed to give a pungent taste to weak insipid beer. Of late, a concentrated tincture of these articles, to be used for a similar purpose, and possessing a powerful effect, has appeared in the price-currents of brewers' druggists. Ginger root, coriander seed, and orange peels, are employed as flavouring substances chiefly by the ale brewers.
From these statements, and the seizures that have been made of illegal ingredients at various breweries, it is obvious that the adulterations of beer are not imaginary. It will be noticed, however, that some of the sophistications are comparatively harmless, whilst others are effected by substances deleterious to health.
The following list exhibits some of the unlawful substances seized at different breweries and at chemical laboratories.
[Pg 136]
List of Illegal Ingredients, seized from 1812 to 1818, at various Breweries and Brewers' Druggists.[62]
1812, July. Josiah Nibbs, at Tooting, Surrey.
Multum
84
lbs.
Cocculus indicus
12
Colouring
4
galls.
Honey
about
180
lbs.
Hartshorn Shavings
14
Spanish Juice
46
Orange Powder
17
Ginger
56
Penalty 300l.
1813, June 13. Sarah Willis, at West Ham, Essex.
Cocculus indicus
1
lb.
Spanish Juice
12
Hartshorn Shavings
6
Orange Powder
1
Penalty 200l.
[Pg 137]August 3. Cratcherode Whiffing, Limehouse.
Grains of Paradise
44
lbs.
Quassia
10
Liquorice
64
Ginger
80
Caraway Seeds
40
Orange Powder
14
Copperas
4
Penalty 200l.
Nov. 25. Elizabeth Hasler, at Stratford.
Cocculus indicus
12
lbs.
Multum
26
Grains of Paradise
12
Spanish Juice
30
Orange Powder
3
Penalty 200l.
Dec. 14. John Abbott, at Canterbury, Kent.
Copperas, &c.
14
lbs.
Orange powder
2
Penalty 500l., and Crown's costs.
Proof of using drugs at various times.
1815, Feb. 15. Mantel and Cook, Castle-street,Bloomsbury-square.
Proof of mixing strong with table beer, and using colouring and other things.
Compromised for 300l.
[Pg 138]
1817. From Peter Stevenson, an old Servant to Dunnand Waller, St. John-street, brewers' druggists.
Cocculus Indicus Extract
6
lbs.
Multum
560
Capsicum
88
Copperas
310
Quassia
150
Colouring and Drugs
84
Mixed Drugs
240
Spanish Liquorice
420
Hartshorn Shavings
77
Liquorice Powder
175
Orange powder
126
Caraway Seeds
100
Ginger
110
Ginger Root
176
Condemned, not being claimed.
July 30. Luke Lyons, Shadwell.
Capsicum
1
lb
Liquorice Root Powder
2
Coriander Seed
2
Copperas
1
Orange Powder
8
Spanish Liquorice
1/2
Beer Colouring
24
galls
Not tried. (7th May, 1818.)
[Pg 139]Aug. 6. John Gray, at West Ham.
Multum
4
lbs.
Spanish Liquorice
21
Liquorice Root Powder
113
Ginger
116
Honey
11
Penalty, 300l., and costs; including mixing strong beer with table, and paying table-beer duty for strong beer, &c.
Numerous other seizures of illegal substances, made at breweries, might be advanced, were it necessary to enlarge this subject to a greater extent.
Mr. James West, from the excise office, being asked in the Committee of the House of Commons, appointed, 1819, to examine and report on the petition of several inhabitants of London, complaining of the high price and inferior quality of beer, produced the following seized articles:—"One bladder of honey, one bladder of extract of cocculus indicus, ground guinea pepper or capsicum, vitriol or copperas, orange powder, quassia, ground beer-heading, hard multum, another kind of multum or beer preparation, liquorice powder, and ground grains of paradise."
Witness being asked "Where did you seize these things?" Answer, "Some of them were seized from brewers, and some [Pg 140]of them from brewers' druggists, within these two years past." (May 8, 1818.)
Another fraud frequently committed, both by brewers and publicans, (as is evident from the Excise Report,) is the practice of adulterating strong beer with small beer—This fraud is prohibited by law, since both the revenue and the public suffer by it.[63] "The duty upon strong beer is ten shillings a barrel; and upon table beer it is two shillings. The revenue suffers, because a larger quantity of beer is sold as strong beer; that is, at a price exceeding the price of table beer, without the strong beer duty being paid. In the next place, the brewer suffers, because the retailer gets table or mild beer, and retails it as strong beer." The following are the words of the Act, prohibiting the brewers mixing table beer with strong beer.
"If any common brewer shall mix or suffer to be mixed any strong beer, or strong worts with table beer or table worts, or with water in any guile or fermenting tun after the declaration of the quantity of such guile shall have been made; or if he [Pg 141]shall at any time mix or suffer to be mixed strong beer or strong worts with table beer worts or with water, in any vat, cask, tub, measures or utensil, not being an entered guile or fermenting tun, he shall forfeit 200 pounds."[64]
With respect to the persons who commit this offence, Mr. Carr,[65] the Solicitor of the Excise, observes, that "they are generally brewers who carry on the double trade of brewing both strong and table beer. It is almost impossible to prevent them from mixing one with the other; and frauds of very great extent have been detected, and the parties punished for that offence. One brewer at Plymouth evaded duties to the amount of 32,000 pounds; and other brewers, who brew party guiles of beer, carrying on the two trades of ale and table beer brewers, where the trade is a victualling brewer, which is different from the common brewer, he being a person who sells only wholesale; the victualling brewer being a brewer and also a seller by retail."
[Pg 142]
"In the neighbourhood of London," Mr. Carr continues, "more particularly, I speak from having had great experience, from the informations and evidence which I have received, that the retailers carry on a most extensive fraud upon the public, in purchasing stale table beer, or the bottoms of casks. There are a class of men who go about and sell such beer at table-beer price to public victuallers, who mix it in their cellars. If they receive beer from their brewers which is mild, they purchase stale beer; and if they receive stale beer, they purchase common table beer for that purpose; and many of the prosecutions are against retailers for that offence." The following may serve in proof of this statement.
[Pg 143]
List of Brewers prosecuted and convicted from 1813 to 1819, for adulterating Strong Beer with Table Beer.[66]
Thomas Manton and another, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 300l.
Mark Morrell and another, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer, 20l. and costs.
Robert Jones and another, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 125l.
Robert Stroad, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, 200l. and costs.
William Cobbett, brewer, mixing strong and table beer, 100l. and costs.
Thomas Richard Withers, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, 75l. and costs.
John Cowel, brewer, for mixing table beer with strong, 50l. and costs.
John Mitchell, brewer, for mixing table beer with strong, absconded.
George Lloyd and another, brewers, for mixing table beer with strong, 25l. and costs.
James Edmunds and another, brewers, for mixing table beer with strong, for a long period, verdict 600l.
John Hoffman, brewer, for mixing strong [Pg 144]and table beer, and using molasses, 130l. and costs.
Samuel Langworth, brewer, for mixing strong with stale table beer, 10l. and costs.
Hannah Spencer, brewer, for mixing strong with stale table beer, verdict 150l.
Joseph Smith and others, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer.
Philip George, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 200l.
Joshua Row, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 400l.
John Drew, jun. and another, for mixing strong beer with table, 50l. and costs.
John Cape, brewer, for mixing strong and table beer, 250l. and costs.
John Williams and another, brewers, for mixing strong and table beer, verdict 200l.
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