98 



RACKING OFF. 



The drawing of the limpid cider from between the top and bottom 

 lees is, to the Frenchman, the critical operation of cider making. 

 Its correct attainment has a value easily realized b} T one who has gone 

 through the troubles incident to the use of filters. If the vessel used 

 for first fermentation is properly furnished with a spigot, the cider 

 may be drawn into wooden vessels and poured through a wooden fun- 

 nel into a properly prepared cask near by. This is very commonly 

 the practice among the small French farmers. Or it may be drawn 

 into a larger wooden vessel and pumped to the cask prepared for it in 

 the adjoining room or building for further fermentation. This is a 

 very common practice in factories in France and England. 



In case the casks are unprovided with spigots, one must siphon the 

 liquor out or draw it off with a pump. Both of these methods are 

 objectionable, because one must in either case insert a hose at the bung 

 through the top lees, which operation more or less disturbs the cider, 

 and, if the cider runs directly into the cask provided for second fer- 

 mentation, it is impossible to observe the character of the liquor as 

 it passes, and therefore difficult to rack it off properly. The sole 

 object of racking off is to free the liquor from lees and the super- 

 abundance of yeast cells so that the secondary fermentation may pro- 

 gress quietly. If a portion of the lees and the deposited yeast is 

 carried over, the operation has resulted in little good and a second 

 more or less violent fermenation may supervene. In fact, this second 

 fermentation may be very dangerous if albuminous substances have 

 been carried over or if one allows the lees to enter the cask into which 

 the cider is drawn. 



AVOIDANCE OF CONTACT WITH AIR. 



An important precaution mentioned by several well-posted makers, 

 but which was scarcely observed at all, was that, in racking off, the 

 cider ought not to come in contact with the air any more than can pos- 

 sibly be avoided. The reason for this is that the liquor at this stage is 

 saturated with carbonic acid gas, which is the greatest safeguard against 

 the growth of mal -organisms; hence, if it can be drawn directly into 

 the receptacle provided for second fermentation without loss of the 

 gas or direct contact with the air, much has been gained in regard to 

 the safety of the further processes. This can be readily accomplished 

 wherever the factory is constructed so that the fermentation room is 

 over the finishing or final storeroom. When one is ready to rack off, 

 a hose connection should be made with the spigot, or by siphon if casks 

 are not provided with spigots, and the hose should run directly into 

 the receptacle in the room below. If this is done it will be necessary 

 to introduce near the spigot or siphon a section of glass tube, so that 

 the operator may constantly observe the character of the liquor as it 



