A Treatise on the Brewing of Beer

A Treatise on the Brewing of Beer

A Saving of Twenty per Cent. A TREATISE ON THE BREWING or BEER, WHEREIN 18 PROVED That 6ne Bufhel of Malt will produce a Gallon of Beer more than another Bufhel of an equal Strength, although both Malts be made of one Sort or Species of Barley. Improvements in the Brew-houfe, and Brewing Utenfils. Showing the caufe what makes hard and four Beer. Dire&ions for preventing Beer from becoming four or foxed, even if brewed in the warmeft Seafon. ALSO Dire€tions in what State to cleanfe the Beer, fo as to have it fine without ufing any art or device whatfoever; and for the Management of the Beer in the Cellar, Some Obfervations in the Choice of HOPS; Proving that they are ufeful after they have been ufed in brewing, The different Experiments are from Twenty Years Pra€tice, By E. HUGHES. {53 Some very ufeful and neceflary direftions to the Publican who retails Common Brewer's Beer. UXBRIDGE: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, AND SOLD BY T. LAKE. SOLD ALSO BY E. NEWBERY, ST. PAUL’S CHURCH YARD, LONDON, AND ALL BOOKSELLERS IN TOWN OR COUNTRY. 1796 “RAOL am Bea) PREFACE. Berore | prefumed to offer this {mall treatife to the public, the different modes and methods, here recommend, I have pros ved by different experiments, which I flatter myfelf will be found of utility, particularly to private families, efpecially farmers, be- — caufe their fervants have very little know- lege of brewing, their time being fo much employed in other bufinefs, and fo frequent- ly are they changing their employ that they are rendered incapable of being competent A 2 in iv. PREFACE. in brewing. I do not prefume to di€tate to thofe who are proficients ; but it muft be ac- knowleged that good malt is frequently marred in brewing by perfons who have very little or no knowlege of brewing, and I flat- ter myfelf that by a perufal of this treatife it will enable them to be more competent in making the beft of the malt intrufted to their care, to the greater fatisfa€tion and benefit of their employers. Waters having a great predominance in brewing, I have given dire€tions in the choice and improvement of them. The improvements in the brewing uten- fils will be attended with fome expence, but the utility arifing therefrom will foon make amends. PREFACE. Vv. I have taken the liberty to admonifh the retailer of common brewer’s beer, becaufe, from their inattention in managing the beer after it comes into their ftock or poffeffion, the blame, if any, is imputed to the brewer: but I am fully convinced to the contrary, from the almoft daily praétice of the com- mon brewer, and their malt being of the firft quality, as country brewers generally make their own malt, and that from the beft barley, together with the conveniency of their utenfils, enables them to have the ad- vantage of moft private families that brew their own beer; therefore it principally de- pends on the condué&t of the publican as to the quality of the beer, after it comes into his ftock. Ihave taken the liberty to give fome di- re&tions in the choice of malt, not that I mean lll i — as akan vi. PREFACE. mean to challenge the maltfter, or give him direftions in the management of his corn, except in the drying. I prefume if malt is not attended to on the kiln and perfeétly found dryed, it never will produce good and wholefome beer. E. HUGHES. a6th Aprit, 1796. . . . a To A TREATISE. —— On Waters. ‘Waters differ in their quality, that is to fay, in extraéting the goodnefs from the Malt; it is, therefore, very neceffary for every one who profeffes the brewing of Beer, to be well acquainted with the nature and quality of the Water he brews with; for as the quality of the water is, fo depends the brewing of beer. Iam fully perfuaded that waters fo differ in quality, they will B very ee Sena ae C2 ] very much add or diminifh the quantity and quality of the beer. Well Waters ought not to be ufed only in cafes of neceffity, when waters of a fofter _ quality cannot be procured: the well wa- ter fhould be pumped into tubs, or any con- venient veffel that is clean and fweet. It is a cuftom with many to fill the copper a day or two, and fometimes longer, before they begin the operation of brewing, but this I ftrongly forbid; for a liquid cannot be too fhort a time in the copper, except it is in a boiling ftate; my reafons for this I fhall point out in another part of this treatife, I would recommend frefh bran to be put into the well water whilft in the tubs, and now and then give it a ftir, this will caufe a fort of fermentation, and will likewife foften the water, The 2 i. . fF 3s J The time for keeping water in the tubs muft depend upon the feafon of the year: if in winter, or moderate cool weather, a week will not be too long; but if in fum- mer, two days will be fufficient. Spring or River Water is far preferable to Well Water, but river or fpring waters differ very much in their foftnefs, and that which will lather beft with foap is a con- vincing proof, and is to be prefered for brewing; for, Firft,—It will leave the grains dryer than well water of a harfher quality. Secondly,—-The beer will come to a quicker fermentation in the tun; and, Thirdly,—It will alfo fine itfelf much fooner in the cafk, than if brewed from well water, Be Rain . we, « ne of meme nena LA as seer mar ae “ee ween C4 ] Rain Water, fuch as runs off tiled roofs, is, undoubtedly, to be prefered before well or river water in brewing, being of a fimple and foft nature. There is one very great objeé& to the in- tereft of the brewer ;—Beer, brewed with rain or river water, will be ftronger than beer brewed with well water from an equal quantity of Malt, becaufe it will have a freer accefs to the Malt; and, as I {aid before, it will leave the grains mach dryer than well water, which is convincing, the dryer the grains are, the better will be the beer. Many perfons very much prefer Pond Waters, fuch that are frequently difturbed by horfes and other cattle, which generally caufes it to be in a thick muddy ftate; but the fediments of this thick muddy water muft C5 J muft be found prejudicial; for when the wort is emptied out of the cooling tubs into the working tun, or running from the cool- ers into the tun, a part of the fediment, from the foulnefs of the water, will follow the wort into the tun, confequently the yeaft will be in a foul ftate and cannot be of that utility in baking, as though the brewing had been from pure clean water. There is a great difficulty often happens in making beer come to a fermentation in the tun; this, I verily believe, is principal- ly owing to the hardnefs of the water it is brewed with, Some Obfervations on the Grinding of Malt. Much depends on the grinding of Malt. Many people give dire€tions to have their malt c 6 J malt ground fmall, having an idea that the water will mix itfelf with, and have a more free accefs to it, than when ground in a more coarfer ftate; but this idea is very er- roneous. Malt fhould be only broke in the Mill, that is, if poffible, every corn fhould be only bruifed; malt ground in this man- ner will difcharge the wort in a fine ftate throughout the whole. I have known many perfons negle& givin , orders for their malt till the day before they intend to brew; but malt fhould be ground four or five days, or a week would not be too long for brown malt, but great care muft be taken to keep it in a dry place. Malt, ground a reafonable time before it is ufed, lofes the heat which it receives in grinding, and reduces it to a faft and mel]. low . .w wre we owe owe == - . C7 ] low flate; it will receive the water more freely, and a greater quantity of wort may be made than if it was brewed immediately after it was ground. The beer will alfo work much better in the tun and in lefs time become fit for ufe than if brewed as foon as it comes from the mill. This is proved by good houfekeepers, who have their wheat ground two or three days before they ufe it; for by lofing the heat it receives from the mill in grinding, the flour will be lighter, and receive the yeaft and water more freely, than if ufed immediately from the mill. Brewing is generally left to the care of fervants, particularly in farm houfes, who frequently have at the fame time other bufi- nefs to perform, which caufes the brewing to be negleéted, particularly in its firft ftage. The mabh in this firft ftage determines the whole [. ese c 8 ] whole of the brewing, for the malt ought to be well mixed with the water, which will caufe fome time and labour; therefore the perfon employed in brewing fhould not, on that day, have any other bufinefs to perform, fo as to engrofs any time or attention from the brewing, for any part negleCted may mar the whole, which is too frequently the cafe. Improvement in the Mafh Tun. Math Tuns fhould have falfe bottoms, to take up as occafion may require ;—they fhould be about two inches clear of the fixed bottom, with holes therein, about a fixth part of an inch in diameter. The falfe bot- tom anfwers two good purpofes; Firft—You may be more expeditious in mathing, by having a free accefs to all parts of ee te C9 J of the mafh tun, which, with a tap vafe or fome fuch like inftrument being in the mafh tun, will impede the ftirring of the mafh, therefore fome part of the malt will not be mixed with the water. Secondly,—The falfe bottom will drain the grains dryer than the tap vafe, and in the fixed bottom there will be a fediment left, which, with one bottom only, would have paffed through the tap vafe, and a part of it accompanied the wort down into thetun. This will anfwer another good purpofe; for the fediment or fees not ac- companying the wort into the copper, it will want lefs boiling, as it will break fooner and fine itfelf. Note. Where the falfe bottom is used the tap muft {pend through a cock at the bot- tom of the tun. The holes in the falfe c bottom ~ o>. ok . = eT -——s rT oa 7 eee = co es 7 ; | [ w J bottom may be about three or four inches diftance from each other. Fail not to boil your water fix or eight minutes, then let it into the mafh tun; if time will permit, do not put your malt in for mafhing till the team has efcaped and you can fee your face in the water; but if time will not admit of this, add about one gallon of cold water to eighteen gallons of hot. Whilft you put your malt into the tun, Jet a perfon ftir it to prevent its clotting, then well mafh it, and Jet the mafh ftand two hours at leaft. The fecond mafh need not ftand fo long as the firft. If convenient, always make ufe of hot water for your {mall beer, for by boiling the water a few mi- nutes it will foften it, and will caufe it to have a more free accefs to the malt, and the wort will require lefs boiling. Bowling . . . - we Ee I CE Boiling of the Worts. Many brewers boil their worts from one to two hours; this is very much praétifed in private families;—a great part of the time | the wort is in a fimmering ftate the fire per- | haps is not attended to, the perfon who has the care of the brewing is, as I faid before, frequently employed in fome other bufinefs, therefore this very material part is negleéted: As foon as the wort is in the copper it fhould be made to boil as quick as poffible, and a brifk fire fhould be kept under the copper ‘to caufe the wort to boil as faft as poffible, for faft boiling will caufe the wort to break and fine itfelf much fooner than it would if kept in a flow boiling ftate. Thirty or forty minutes will be fufficient to boil ale, and one hour if ftrong beer. This quick c 2 boiling C wi J boiling will caufe a faving of one gallon in twenty, at leaft, which muft be acknowleged a great advantage, confidering the prefent high price of malt. I will prefume to fay there will be a faving in the wood or coal by boiling the wort, as is commonly faid, a gallop, when it rifes itfelf confiderably above the copper. The copper fhould have a curve made of wood, fixed round the brim, to prevent the wort from being fpilt when boiling; or the copper fhould be fo hung, with a fheet of lead fixed round the brim in a floping pofi- tion, that when the wort is haftily boiling, it would fall on the lead and immediately re- turn into the copper, therefore it would prevent the wort from wafting or boiling over. Cooling Cf 2 J Cooling of the Worts. As foon as the wort is out of the copper the next thing is to get the heat out as foon as poflible, and to get it in a ftate for fer- mentation. Moft private brewers, and.many viGtuallers, feparate their worts into tubs, bowls, pans, &c. for cooling; I have feen wort in no lefs than twelve or fixteen dif- ferent utenfils ; worts being of a fticky qua- lity, it muft be acknowleged that a lofs is fuftained by having the wort in fo many utenfils, and alfo very inconvenient to pour the wort from the tubs and pans into the working tun ; for in each of the before men- tioned utenfils will be a fediment, which too frequently follows the wort into the working tun, Now . » . . a eee oe ae ee eo eee Ue eee eee Cc “4 J Now to prevent the ufe of all thefe fmall _ utenfils, a brew-houfe, though ever fo {mall, © will admit of two coolers being ere€ted ; for two coolers will take up nearly the fame room in the brew-houle as if only one were to be eref&ted; for one cooler fhould be nearly underneath the other, fo that the fe- cond cooler may receive the wort from the firft, Care muft be taken in fixing the cool- ers, fo as to admit the working tun under- neath the coolers, to receive the wort: but this need not be confulted where there is a conveniency to convey the worts and work them in the cellar. Note. A vi€tualler is compelled by law not to alter the pofition of his coolers without giving notice to the excife officer;—now private families have the advantage ; they may have their coolers fixed in the brew- houfe Cc 35 J houfe, or to lay on treftles, and move them to any part, as occafion may require. The fize of the coolers muft fo correfpond with the quantity of malt brewed, that in warm weather the worts do not exceed two inches in depth in the coolers; for in fum- mer brewing the heat cannot too foon efcape from the worts; and this is the evil—not having a conveniency to feparate the worts in a thin ftate, the brewer has not been able to get the heat out,—he has let the wort down into the working tun in a warm ftate, which has often brought on the fox, ina fhort time became four, and rendered unfit for drinking. I fhall point out one more improvement for cooling the worts more expeditioufly : In many brew-hoafes there is no conveni- ency, a eee oe ee wee ee aac semper 2 a) es Cc 6 J ency, when the worts come out of the cop- per, for the fteam to efcape out of the brew- houfe, but will continue for a time in a thick cloudy ftate, to the great detriment of the worts:—to remedy this, I would recommend flap fhutters to be erefted in as many parts of the brew-houfe as convenient, and the building will admit; the flap fhutters will permit the fteam to efcape and very rapidly cool. the worts. Thefe fhutters are as con- venient in the winter, or when the weather is moderately cool, for they are fo contrived that you may fet them to what centre you pleafe. From thefe improvements the brewing will be more expeditioufly performed, as the worts will, of courfe, from this conveniency, much fooner make way for the fmall beer, and totally prevent its being left in the cop- per c 7 ] per all night, which is too often praétifed, to the injury of thofe who drink it, as it will not be fine, but remain in a thick wey colour, which is owing to its being in the copper too long, and not being kept in a boiling ftate ; for if a copper has been in ufe twenty years it will at times fhew fymtoms of the verdi- greafe, which is a fufficient voucher that the wort cannot be too fhort a time in the cop- per, except when boiling. Coolers will laft many years without re- pairing; when, on the contrary, cooling tubs, &c. are frequently out of repair, and are as lumber, being of little or no ufe, ex- cept when ufed in brewing. From the before mentioned improvements you will always finifh your brewing before a late hour at night, which will enable you to D pay [ 8 J pay the more attention to the worts in the tuns, &c. Care fhould be taken to keép the brewing utenfils as clean and as fweet as thofe ufed ina dairy; for without cleanlinefs tis im- poffible to have your beer in a good and wholefome ftate. The copper fhould be cleaned after each brewing, as it will keep it bright; when it is ufed but feldom, and in wet or damp wea- ther, the verdigreafe will appear, but care fhould be taken to examine and clean it, previous to the water’s being put in for brewing. It often happens, where the mafh tun is not ufed for a working tun, the grains are left in the mafh tun till the next morning, they C 13 J they will then be in a four ftate; therefore the tun fhould be fcalded before the next brewing. If in very warm weather fome quick lime, that is, lime not flacked, will be neceffary, by adding fome water to dis- folve it to the fame confiftence as ufed for a white-wafh ; then with a mop or brufh wet the tun with the lime like unto white-wafh- ing; after the lime has been on about a day it may be wafhed off. Much care fhould be taken to keep the coolers and working tuns in a clean ftate, by frequently fcalding; it will be neceffary in warm weather to lime the coolers and working tuns;—this is an excellent remedy where the coolers and tuns are tinged with the fox, as alfo a preventative-again{ft that fulfome complaint. Experience will inform you D 2 [ 2 J you that the ufe of lime is excellent in clean- ing the utenfils. When you foak the coolers, &c. previous to brewing, add fome lime to the water, as it will fearch and purge the joints of the coolers and tubs, by cleaning them from dis- agreeable {mells. Particular attention fhould be paid to the cooling of the worts, by having coolers as before mentioned. You may let your worts down into the tun as quick or as flow as you pleafe and as the feafon may require ; in very cold weather it fhoald go down into the tun from the cooler by a good ftream, as the worts require to go down into the tun in a warm ftate, particularly when there is but a {mall quantity brewed. In fummer brewing your worts will require to go down into the tun C 2 J tun in a cold ftate; however it will be much the beft for them to be cold than too warm, therefore you fhould fet the cock or plug to difcharge the worts from the coolers into the tun but flow and dribbling; for by going down flowly it will prevent a hafty fermen- tation, and confequently will have the good effe&t to prevent your tun of beer from being foxed; therefore it muft be allowed to be convenient and neceffary to have coolers ere€ted, as the worts will go down into the tun in almoft one regular degree of heat. On the contrary, when worts are cooled in tubs, pans, &c. they are emptied into the working tun in different degrees of heat, one after another; perhaps in fome of thefe cooling tubs or pans the worts are two or three inches in depth; in others, fix or feven inches; therefore the worts will be of differ- ent 4 & 3 . . f 4 4 1 C 2 | ent degrees of heat, and by having part of the worts let down into the tun much warm- er than thofe already down, and which, per- haps, are in a fermentation, thofe worts will, of courfe, caufe a fermentation too haftily, —will frequently caufe the tun of beer to be » foxed, and will always be in a heavy ftate, for the yeaft will not feparate itfelf from the beer; this renders the coolers more neceflary and convenient. Attending the Working Tun. Attention fhould be paid to the beer when in thetun. It is a cuftom with many brew- ers to put their yeaft for that brewing into _ the tun at one time: I will prove that prac- tice to be very erroneous, for by adding the quantity of yeaft you intend to ufe at one time, * « iy ve « . [ 23 J time, may caufe a fermentation too haftily, and then you have noremedy. You fhould feed your tun with yeaft by adding a little at a time, as occafion may require, for by fo doing you will always be mafter of your tun of beer, by having it in what ftate of fer- mentation you pleafe, as the quality of malt and waters differ, it will require more or lefs yeaft to ferment it, and by adding the yeaft at different times you will be ena- bled to form fuch a judgment as never to over-yeaft your tun. Every time you add more yeaft you fhould ftir your beer with a bowl or bucket. Cleanfing. It is a practice with many people to keep their beer in the tun from four to fix days; by [C 24 J by that time the yeaft will fall to the bottom of the tun, and the beer will be in a flat, dead ftate; it will always be headdy beer, being kept fo long before it is cleanfed; it will not be inclined to work in the cafks, nor will it drink with a pleafant, lively tafte. There is no coming at any exact time, with refpe&t to hours, when your beer will be ready to cleanfe, therefore this muft be done by attention, in frequently examining when your beer is at its full head of working, or what is commonly faid, rather inclined to go back; when it is in that ftate it fhould be cleanfed immediately. This, I fay, fhould be attended to, notwithftanding it fhould happen at twelve o’clock at night; for this is the evil, by negle&ting the proper time to cleanfe your beer it will not be able to fine itfelf in the cafks, and then fome de- vice muft be ufed to fine it, which is too often injurious to the beer. 1 A C 235 J A very neceffary Caution. It is a common prattice, when cafks are fcalded or cleanfed, to expofe them to the fun and wind to dry, and there leave them till the time of cleanfing, then they are placed in the cellar, &c. and the beer im- mediately cleanfed into them; when the fun, in warm weather, has penetrated through the wood and become fo warm that you can- not conveniently lay your hand upon them; this is often done unthinkingly, but the cafks being thus heated by the fun caufes the beer to work too haftily; after all the care and pains before taken, it here receives a mate- rial injury, by having, as may be faid, un- dergone a fecond fermentation, and will re- duce its ftrength by working too haftily out of the cafks, and very probably may be the E caufe [ 6 | caule of its not being foft and pleafant; how- ever, care fhould be taken to get your cafks perfeétly dry, previous to the cleanfing into them; in hot weather place them in the cel- lar, &c. fome time before you have occafion to cleanfe your beer into them. Attention fhould be paid in keeping your cafks filled up after cleanfing, to enable the yeaft to difcharge itfelf from the beer, for by fo doing there will be the greater probability of your beer being fine; if the cafks are not kept filled up when working, the yeaft can- not difcharge itfelf from the beer, which, in change of weather, will be purging and hifs- ing in the cafks, and will caufe it to be harfh and unpleafant; this is the principal caufe why we have fo many muddy ales. Attend- ing your beer when working, by filling up the cafks, will be found to be of the greateft utility, C 2 J utility, as you will have no occafion to ufe any device to fine your beer, which will only attend to adulteration. Small Beer. As I faid before, fmall beer is too fre- quently negleéted, becaufe the mafter or miftrefs of a family drink but a fmall quan- tity of it, I verily believe there would be lefs good fmall beer confumed in a family of fervants and workmen, than if it were infe- rior and bad in its quality. It may be - thought ftrange by adding the name of good to {mall beer, but it muft be acknowleged that there is a great difparity in the quality of ales, and why not in {mall beer; on the one had, it certainly depends on what length you draw from your quantity of malt. E 2 Small [ 8 ] Small beer fhould be let down into the tun much warmer than ale; and as foon as it fhews an inclination to work it fhould be cleanfed; it will then work well in the cafks, and will have a quick, lively tafte. Small beer, not having a fufficient ftrength, can- not fupport a long fermentation in the tun: for if it is worked cold, and left too long in the tun, it will drink flat and unpleafant. Now, as I faid before, there will be no more good {mall beer confumed in a family, than if it were ever so bad; for when a workman or fervant has occafion for a pot of fmall beer, if bad, he will, perhaps, drink a part of it, and throw the remainder away, and, very likely, carelefsly leave the cock dropping, in order to get rid of fuch a bad commodity the fooner. Now, on the other hand, if the {mall beer was good, the con- fumers [ 29 | fumers would take care to leave the cock, &c. fecure, well knowing they fhould not have a better fubftitute. Cleanlinefs in the Cellar. Care fhould be taken to keep the cellar clean, (efpecially thofe who are fituated near the fouth afpe&; or fhallow, where the fun has any power,) by fcraping the yeaft from the bung-holes of the cafks, elfe in warm weather it will fmell offenfive, and infe&s will breed therein, which muft be injurious to the beer, if the bung-holes are open. The dropping of the cock, tap tubs, &c. will caufe fulfome {mells in the cellar, which frequently require to be wafhed down; for wafhing and cleaning your cellar often, will keep [ 30 J keep. your beer in a cool ftate, and will be the means of preventing mild ale from be- coming ftale. Put fome hops into your ale and {mall beer cafks a few days before you want to tap them for ufe; even thofe hops that have already been ufed in brewing will be found ferviceable in fining your beer, and will not caufe it to bé too bitter, but will prevent your {mall beer from becoming four. Not- withftanding their being ufed in brewing, they will be found by experience to be very ferviceable for the purpofe before mentioned. Another advantage will arife, they will ferve the ufe of frefh hops, which, when dear, will be found to be a confiderable faving. Note. They are recommended for beer that is for prefent drinking, as they cannot be expected C 31 J expeéted to be fufficient for beer intended for a long ftanding. Another advantage will be found when a length of ale is brewed, and no {mall beer made, the hops will then be found of greater utility, as they will contain the fame quality as the ale they were brewed with; confe- quently the ale and {mall beer they are put into will receive a greater advantage there- from, This may not feem confiftent, as mild ales and {mall beer feldom have any hops put into the cafks; but when a cafk of beer is a confiderable time at tap, it will certainly want fomething to feed on; this is one caufe why {mall beer generally turns four when it is nearly out; now by ufing the before men- tioned hops it will be found to be a confi- derable a ee = _ Cc 32 | derable remedy to prevent both mild ales and {mall beer from being hard and unplea- fant. The reader will obferve, thefe hops hav- ing performed their duty, they are of no ex- penfe, only the trouble of putting them into the cafks. The {mall beer muft derive a confiderable advantage from thofe hops when a guile of ale was only brewed from them. Take care to put them into the cafks as foon as they are cold, for by being too long expofed to the air they will lofe their virtue, I fhould not have faid fo much concerning fmall beer, but the price of malt is fo con- fiderably advanced, to what it was formerly, that {mall beer is become an expenfive arti- cle, where there is a numerous family. If . ae. _.- . - . Cc 33 J If you obferve the before mentioned di- re€tions you will not have your fmall beer fo unpleafant, particularly when your cafk is nearly out The moft wholefome {mall beer is made from an intire guile of fmall, for then you have the whole of the fpirit and fweetnefs of the malt; it will keep better and drink much frefher than if it were to be made from the goods after a length of ale. If you rack your beer, fail not to put fome hops into the cafks, wetting them firft with fome of the fame beer, or rather wet the hops with fome wort when brewing. If you want to haften your beer for drinking, put the hops into the cafks when they are warm; if your beer is for a long ftanding, put the hops , [ 34 J hops in your cafks when they are cold, giv- ing them a ftir to feparate them in the beer. Take care not to be under the neceffity of tapping your ale or {mall beer before it has a€tually done working, for by fo doing you will prevent it from becoming fine: new beer may be claffed with new bread; for the newer you draw your beer the more there will be confumed; new beer is not fo fatis- fying as it is when come to a more mature age. Beware, left you forget to pay attention to your beer which is at tap; for, “as the eye of the mafter maketh his horfe fat,” fo the head of a family, now and then giving a look into his cellar, may be the caufe of beer drinking more agreeable to his palate, by C 35 J by taking care the vent-holes are kept clofely Ropped, and the cocks fecure. Do not fail to ftoop your cafk when the beer is about two parts in three out; this fhould be done whilft the tap is {pending, for then you will not difturb the fediment. By ftooping the cafk when the beer is about two parts in three out will prevent it from becoming flat and four; when, on the other hand, it is too frequently to be obferved when a perfon is drawing a pot of beer, the ftream is impeded; for the beer, being fo nearly out, will not run till it is ftooped, Now before this, the cock difcharging the beer but flowly, the air is admitted into the cafk, which caufes the beer to drink flat, and, perhaps, turn four: therefore this will enforce the neceflity of ftooping your cafk before it be fo nearly out. ¥2 This [ 36 J This is a fault with many publicans, not paying attention to their cellars; even many of thofe who brew their own beer are ne- gle&tful, notwithftanding their own intereft and credit is concerned. Tis not uncom- mon for the vent-peg, and even the bung, to be left out of thofe cafks which are aétually on draught. Publicans, who retail common brewer’s beer, and negleét their cellars, have this excufe, if their cuftomers find fault with the beer, by faying “tis fuch beer as my brewer fends me,” fo it may be; but let a publican be ferved with beer of the firft qua- lity, it entirely depends on the management of the retailer thereof, whether the beer fhall be of a good or bad quality. This is proved by perfons in the fame town, each being ferved with beer from one and the fame EC 37 J fame brew-houfe; there will be generally a -difparity in the quality after it comes into the ftock of the refpeétive retailers thereof, which proves it to be the good or bad ma- nagement in the cellar. I am convinced I fhall not offend the attentive publican by what I have faid re- {pe@ting the cellar; but fhould this fall into the hands of the znattentive, it may offend; but that I will excufe, if, by the reading of this, he fhould be convinced.of his error, and pay more attention to his cellar; that he may be enabled to draw a pot of beer to pleafe thofe ufeful and valuable men, the labourer and the mechanic; and where they ufed to drink but one pot of beer with him, they may, from finding his ale much better than ufual, perhaps, drink two. On On the drying and qualities of Malt. I fhall here give a few obfervations on malt, which was my principal reafon for in- troducing this work to the public, well knowing that many who profefs the art of brewing have very little knowlege of the nature and quality of the malt and hops they brew with. Malt is dried with coke, coal, wood, furze, and ftraw. The beft and fweeteft malt is dryed with coke, or welch coal; becaufe the coke, or coal, gives a regular and gradual heat. Malt dryed with coke, or coal, will be ofa bright, clean colour, becaufe the fire is free from {moak. It is alfo to be obferved that malt dryed with coal, or coke, is gene- rally C[ 39 | rally well cured, that is, found dryed, be- caufe the coke or coal fire is fierce and ftrong. If malt is dryed with a wood fire it greatly depends on the wood being houfed in a dry feafon; for if the wood is dry it will produce a clear fire, free from fmoak, and the malt will be of a bright colour; but if the wood is wet and fugged, the fire will not be fierce, but will be fmoaky, and will certainly caufe the malt to be of a dull colour; and the beer brewed from fuch malt will confequent- ly have afmoaky tafte: therefore it depends on the attention of the maltfter, in houfing his wood in good order, for without that at- tention he cannot ferve his cuftomers with good, bright, well cured malt. I have feen vefy fine malt dryed with firaw, it being lefs fubje&t to fmoak than malt — [ 40 J malt dryed with wood; but this mode of drying is very tedious, becaufe a perfon muft always attend the fire. In thofe coun- tries where it is ftraw-dryed, wood and coal is dear, therefore ftraw is ufed as a fubftitute for coal, &c. However, if care be taken, malt may be well cured with a ftraw or wood fire, but not to equal welch coal, or coke, becaufe the fire may always be kept up fo as to produce a regular heat. Fuel being much dearer than formerly many maltfters are too fparing of their fire; and here arifes the principal caufe why we have fo much bad beer; for if malt is not well cured, that is, found dryed, it will not produce good and wholefome beer. Malt may appear to be of a fine amber colour, and this may be done by making a ftrong Cc 4 J ftrong fire a few minutes before the kiln is fhifted, therefore the colour is not at all times a rule for its being well dryed. No malt fhould be ufed till it has been off the kiln a month, at leaft; at the end of that time, if the malt bites quick and crifp, you may conclude it is well dryed. It will be very neceflary, when you give orders for a brewing of malt, to requeft your maltfter to fend the malt well dryed; this caution may induce him to pay more atten- tion in the drying of his malt. When a brewing of malt is ordered by private families, perhaps no order is given refpe€ting any particular fort, that is to fay, whether pale, amber, or brown, for thefe are the three forts of malt; but many retail maltfters in the country have but one fort of c malt seme : r L 42 | malt, and, in fa&, one fort is fufficient, pros vided care is taken to dry their malt found, of a fine amber colour. Now [I again repeat that the principal rea- fon of our having fo much hard and four beer, is owing to the malt being under dry- ed; for malt is the fundamental article in brewing. If a guile.of beer is made from un- der dryed malt it will not be of a fine bright colour, and an extra boiling of the worts will not have the defired effe&t: then you are under the necefflity of ufing finings and other noftrums, which are only temporary, for no other ingredients whatever can be fo benefi- cial to beer as malt and hops, and if thofe | two commodities are in a good and genuine ftate, you will not have occafion to feek for any other art or device whatever. Another confiderable advantage will arife, for each bufhel | C 43 J bufhel of foand dryed malt will produce a gallon of wort more than flack or under dryed malt; this is proved by brewing two forts of malt, that is, malt perfeétly dryed will difcharge the wort freely, and the grains will be dry and light; when, on the other hand, if a brewing of beer is made from un- der dryed malt, the grains will be clammy and heavy, owing to the raw ftate of the malt, therefore a part of the wort cannot difcharge itfelf, which is a fufficient voucher that the perfeétly dryed malt will produce a greater quantity of wort of an equal degree of ftrength, I hinted before that malt fhould not be brewed till it has been off the kiln a month; but if malt is fix or feven months old it will be the better, becaufe it will become mellow, and Se an ain : C 4 J and your beer will be much fofter and better than if ufed immediately from the kiln. Between michaelmas and chriftmas the retail maltfter’s {tock of old malt generally lies in a {mall compafs, and will be flack; I fhould at this feafon recommend part old and part new, for the one will help the other. On Hops. Many profeffed brewers are particularly attached to the colour of the hops, that is, they are partial to thofe of a fine green co- lour; thefe are certainly to be prefered, if they were ripe when gathered:—to prove their goodnefs, rub them between your fin- gers, if they are in full condition they will flick [ 4 J ftick to your fingers, will have a good ftrong {cent, and the feeds will appear full and yel- low, Brown fpots are frequently to be feen on hops; thefeare, in general, hops that came to a full ripenefs before they were gathered. High winds and rain frequently happen about the middle or latter end of the hop feafon, which will disfigure them in their colour in a few hours, fo that the colour is not at all times to direé& you as to their good- nels, In the hop countries moft hop-planters keep thofe hops which are moft disfigured in their quality feparate and apart, when pick- ing, from thofe of a brighter colour; thofe which are of an inferior colour are kept for their own ufe, and difpofed of to their neigh- bours, a war C 46 | bours, it being their opinion that they an- fwer the purpofe in brewing nearly as well as thofe of a brighter colour, provided they are in full condition, that is if they are full of feeds; for in the feeds is the virtue and ftrength of the hop. The quantity of hops ufed in brewing is generally half a pound to a buthel of malt, and fo in proportion to a greater quantity ; if mild ale, for prefent drinking, a leffer quantity will do; but this muft be left to the difcretion of the brewer, or mafter of a fa- mily, as fome are more partial to the tafte of the hop than others. As to the quantity of beer each bufhel of malt fhould produce, it muft reft on the op- tion or circumftances of the brewer, or the head of a family, A bufhel of malt will pro- duce oan _ ae i epee C 47 J duce ten gallons of good ale; but the greater the quantity of malt, brewed at one time, the better will be your beer. THE END.