OF CRAB CIDER. 79 



again racked, and kept till the proper season for 

 bottling. 



When Crab cider fines spontaneously, it is a much 

 more highly flavoured liquor than when fined by any 

 artificial mode ; every kind of fining seems to destroy 

 some portion of the richness and exquisite flavour of 

 this liquor : in every instance within my recollection, 

 J have found artificial fining injurious to the richness 

 and flavour of this cider. In its natural state, the 

 spontaneous fermentation of Crab cider well manufac- 

 tured, is never violent; but when fined by isinglass, 

 or the whites of eggs, I have generally perceived it 

 affected by a degree of fermentation difficult to check 

 without racking, which is often very injurious to the 

 flavour of the cider. 



I have now in bottles Crab cider made in 1810, 

 which never underwent a greater degree of fermenta- 

 tion than was sufficient to raise it out of the bung-hole, 

 by the enlarged volume of the liquor, and spontaneous- 

 ly fined itself after only one racking ; which exceeds 

 in vinous flavour, and in brightness, any cider I have 

 seen I have this year tasted Crab cider, manufactu- 

 red by a respectable dealer in cider in my neighbour- 

 hood, never artificially fined, but bottled late in May ; 

 with a small portion of cloudiness, caused by what is 

 ttsually called the blossom fermentation, which per- 



