Historical Document · 1773

The Complete English Brewer or, the Art and Mystery of Brewing in All its Various Branches

Author: Watkins
Year: 1773
Type: Historical Document

brewing

; THE COMPLETE ENGLISH BREWER; ‘OR, THE | ~ WHOLE ART ann MYSTERY, BREWING, ALL ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES. CONTAINING Plain and eafy Directions for Brewing aut Sorts of Malt Liquors in the greatef# Perfection, from the {malleft to the largeft Guantities. ALSO, InstRuctions for the Choice of Barter and Hops, and all other Ingredients and Utenfils ufed in Brewing. Together with the very beft Methods of CASKING, CELLARING, FINING, BOTTLING, CURING. _ : AND RECOVERING FAULTY orn DAMAGED LIQUORS. The whole made eafy to every Capacity, and calculated not only for the Ufe of Pusticans.in general, but Privare Famitigs in particular. . e . By GEORGE WATKINS, ’ Who has praétifed Brewing, in all ‘its Branches, upwards of ‘Thirty Years. | ~ LONDON: Printed for J. Cooke, at Shakefpear’s Head, it Pater-nofter Row, MoCcCLXXxIII. . 2 “4 By are ue PUBLIC ees! 7 ZOUMADI A OR, LENOX AND UNDBATLONS L nsTOr ee ee ge omen e PREFACE. \ HE fuperior excellence of malt- liquor above wine, in point ‘of wholefomenefs, and the confide- ration of its being a produét of our own kingdom, are reafons why every — _man who wifhes well to his fellow- creatures and his country, fhould promote, to the beft of his power, the eftimation and confumption of it. . The landed intereft in this kingdom | | a a = A: fe] } cannot but be affected very confider- ably by the quantity of malt-liquors for which there is a demand; and more now than at another time, be- caufe the diftillery is prevented from the free ufe of grain. Our heartyancef- tors knewno other wine, but that from corn or from the apple; and, if we AZ enquire iv PREFACE. enquire into their conftitutions, we fhall find them, I am apt to believe, better than our own. oe ..As evident as it‘is, ‘that the gene- ral intereft of our country is con- cerned in the queftion, whether our tables fhall be fupplied from the grain our own fields produce, or the vine- _yards of ‘ftrangérs, or our enemies ; yet all the pleading in the world will be ineffectual, fo long as wine is plea- fant, and beer lefs agreeable. There- fore he who would fupercede, in forne meafure, the ufe. of wine, by puting ‘‘malt-liquor in its place, muft truft ‘toa knowledge in the fubjéé, ‘not to arguments: the beft of thefe will be received with a deaf ear ; but the Teaft advance in the improvement of ‘the rival liquor will be fiire to have ‘itseffet. - a THAT ottr ‘maft-liquors may be greatly improved is certain; for ‘at . prefent ‘they are -generally made either * , refpeas, to 7 PREFACE. Vv either by ignorant or interefted peo- _ ple. Thofe who brew in the com- mon way in the country, for their own families, make but a coarfe li- quor; and as to the publick brew- ers, who regard the look and flavour of their drink, and nothing elfe, they put in ingredients which render it unwholefome. The art of brewing is not known in families, and is not’ practifed by brewers with that fimpli- city wercould with. Ita cared, there-. fore, to, the author, of this Tittle trea- tife, that if ae be ufeful:in many efore the private fa- mily the hefterrets which the brewers keep carefully to themlglves ; 3 “and ta lay down the certain Principles. oO this .caly Operation,: in .a way. that every. hodly, gy, HPS eftand hem A. good foafon, geod salts good hops, and q proper k find of ‘water, are the- ree with out, . which fine beer can never be- Pade: but thefe are all in the perfons power 7 A 3 who <a“ vi PREFACE. who brews ever fo fmall a quantity ; and with thefe, and cleanlinefs,. which is as neceflary in the brew- houfe as in the dairy, there will be’ no fear but that the, obfervance of the rules here laid down, will be re- warded with all the fuccefs that can’ be defired ;' and that every family - may have, with little trouble, and at a flight expence, that barley-wine, - as. Ceefar calls it, in.a degree of per- fection, that fhall put the breweries of the wine-cooper out of counte= nance.’ Thofe “who fet out amifs, have nothing to confider, but how to difguife faults, or recover imperfec- tions; and the common books of brewery abound with receipts to this purpofe.’ But it is always better to prevent evils than'to cure them; and no drink of the malt kind, will ever be fo good, ‘as ‘that’ which’ is made merely an only from that ingredient, ° With the hop aid water. “ to. * po, Upon 4 PREFACE. vii Upon the whole, whoever will fet about brewing, with the propor- tions of the ingredients we have di- © rected, with a careful hand, clean utenfils, and proper veffels, will be able, at leaft, to equal the drink he ‘meets with in the beft houfes; pro- - bably to exceed it: and, if he will _ be very heedful of the management of the hop, to boil it little, but fteep it well before-hand, he will find his drink fecure in the great ar- ticle of keeping. This manage- ment of the hop is one very great confideration : and we fhall clofe this prefatory admonition, with one more invariable rule, ‘which is, That whoever would have their {trong and _fmall beer both good, muft brew | them feparately, and not together. Ag THE ORR ROHR THE CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION - Pag. 1 ‘Of the Ingredients in Brewing 4 CHAP, I.) Of Water sg | CHAP. I, Of the Differences of Malt 4 Of chufing proper Barly for mehing “of Malt a ns <-) CHAP. iv. Of making the Barley into- Male” ¥2 CHAP. Vv. o the Hep . _ oa: a CHAP. x CONTENTS. CHAP. VI. The Purpofe of Brewing 21 _ CHAP. VIL. . The Principles of Brewing — 23 - CHAP. VIII. ‘The Utenfils for Brewing 28 CHAP. IX. — Of the Jeveral Operations 14, Brews ing 37 Of Mapbing 39 . Cc H A P. XI. of Hopping the Eiquor 8 | CHAP. XIL | Of Working. the Beer Co 4B CHAP, XU Of Brewing in general AF CHAP. SEA TDD CONTENTS. xi CHAP. XIV.’ The Praétice of Brewing i in fmall Fa- miltes -- 50 CHAP. XV. The: Method of Brewing the Jnsh ~ Strong Beer CHAP. XVI. Of Mafbing . 69 Cc WA Re VT The Cooling ny A: | CHA Pe XVII, The Working | B “CHAP. XIX. | Of alfiping ‘a'apeak. Fetméntation 89 CHAP. XX. of lowering a too violent Fermenta- tion J / ‘. 5 aa 2 94 CHAP. %ii CONTEN BS. CHAP. XXI. Of Cafking the Beer _ 100 CHAP. XXII. Of Brewing common Family-Ale 110 CHAP. XXII. Of Brewing Small-beer 18 - CHAP. XxIV, |. Of Brewing of Porter ° ‘122 Of the Ingredients in Porter ' 323 C H-A P: -XXVE To brew Porter in a private’ Fa= mily Getty 125 a _ -€ H- A Pe XXVII. Of the Confructiog of a great Brewe houfe Crem 14 SHA PB. xxvEL, Of the Difpofition of the Veffels I 37 vee CHAP. CONTENTS. xiii CHAP. XXIX. Of Dorchefter Beer — 146 The Method of Brewing | HSI CHA P. XXXI. ‘Of Oat Ale 161 CHAP.. Sx, The Brewing of Pale Home-brewed 167 CH AP. XXXiIII. Of the Time of Brewing 161 | CHUA P. ’XXXIV. ‘OF te peciliar Y Virtne of well-culti- “vated Hops: . . 177 _— ‘CHAP. XXXV. 7 - of the Right Soil for Hops . 178 CHAP. XXXVI. “Of the Plantation’ of Frees among CHAP. CHAP. XXXVII. Of the feveral Kinds of Hops 183 CHAP. XXXVIII. The Preparation of the Ground 187 CHAP. XXXIX. Of the Planting the Sets 1gt -CHAP. XL. " Of fixing the Poles in the. Ground 194. CHAP. XL. Of Gleaning the Ground 199 CHAP. -XLIB, Of managing the Luxuriant Growth 201 CHAP. XLIIL. Of Picking the Hops , 203 CHAP. /XLIV., . Of Drying the Hops 207 CHAP. CONTENTS. CH A-P.. XLV. Of Bagging the Hops CHAP. XLVI. Of Drefing the Ground — CHAP. XLVII. Of Selecting the beft Plants C H.A P... XLVI. Of Watering a Hop-Ground CHAP. XLIX. XV 210 212 214 218 Of the Building for a Hop-Ground CHAP. L. Of Cellarage + CHAP. LL Of Cafks and Bungs CHAP. Lil. — Of Bottling 219 223 227 229 CHAP. xi CONTENTS. CHAP. Lil Of Remedies for Faults in Malt-Li- quors to 232. on a a o S - THE z ° % \ THE ART and MYsTERy ~ OF . BREWING. CHoohoo$ootoogoogoohoosacho xy cfootoatootootodpoosoogooho INTRODUCTION. Te he making of good malt- Y T liquor remains a fecret in Fe * the hands of a few per- fons; and, notwithftanding the print- ing of many treatifes, the public are yet wholly unacquainted with it. The Art of Brewing has hitherto feemed, like the Art of Gardening, a thing which many pretended to B teach, 2 The Art and Myftery teach, but which none, except an accuftomed hand, could - practife with fuccefs. Perhaps the myftery _ in both cafes is on the eve of be- ing brought to light. Certainly, I perfuade myfelf, that, by my own experience, and by- carefully ob- ferving the practice ef fuch as brew well, I have informed myfelf of fe- veral leffer articles, which never were yet publifhed, but on which the fuccefs of the work entirely depnds: and‘ perhaps any one who- will follow the fame path, will do the public equal fervice in the other article. . Upon the ftrength of thefe obfer- vations, and the certaintyof fome practice, I hope to lay down, in a plainer manner than has hitherto been done, the general rules of brew- ing and to direct even the leaft parts of the operation in fuch a way that all fhall underftand them: fo that — every one fhall be able to brew good, wholefome and pleafant drink, — an of BREWING. 3 - and alfo to keep it in that order, without the addition. of hurtful in- gredients. - The old. writers are ail. very de- ficient on this head: for the art in their time was not. atrived at its perfection: and .among the mo- derns few have written on it with clearnefs. There is a great deal of practical knowledge in the writings of Exxis; but it is fo mixed with idle opinions, . that few of his rea- ders can. feparate. what’ is worth their notice: Mr. ComBrune de- ferves all the praife his patron has beftowed on him; byt’he. is philo- fophical more than practical: And the improvements ‘of the DusBiin Society are excellent; but the relate only to a part of the bufinefs. Therefore, notwithftanding all that has been dane, a plain, compleat{ _ and practical. treatife is..yet. want ing: and this, fupported by eéxpes rierice, is what we here ptopofe to lay before the reader, ; Ba2 OF 4 The Art and Myfrery of the Ingredients in Brewing. Tz natural and. proper ingre- dients in malt-liquors are only three, Water, Matt, and Hops. Every one thinks he underftands thefe; and yet there are fuch diffe- rences in every one of them, that, without a much more ftrié atten- tion than is ufually paid to them, good drink cannot be brewed, unlefs by chance: and this will not hap- pen « once in fifty trials. Cc H A P. i. Of Water. | ATER may be diftinguithed into four kinds, SPRING, Ri- vER, RAIN, and Ponp; and what is. the worft in appearance often makes . the bef drink. . : No ‘water can. be. fouler than ; that of the THAMES; yet the clear. of BREWING. 8 ‘eft porter is brewed with it. Many- have faid no other but Thames water would make this fpecies of drink: but that is plainly an error; | for even in London there are por- ter-brewers ferved from the New River : however, none is better for it than that of the Thames: and in moft cafes the very pureft and fineft water is, for brewing, the worft Our forefathers brewed their {trong pale-October with WELL WATER; but the expence in malt was ve great, and the beer would have been whelefomer .and better if they had wed river-®ater. ‘The common foul water of large rivers, which differs little from that of ponds, would not have done; but the water of a clear rivulet beft of all. This may in fome meafure ferve as a direction to the brewer in ge=- neral terms ; and he will find it true, that very foft water, fuch as ‘rain-water, and that of ponds, and B 3 very 6 The Art and Myftery very hard, fuch as that of {prings and wells, are proper in but a few cafes: and that for high-coloured drink, river-water is the beft; and for the pale kinds, that of brooks or rivulets, with a. fwift current. He cannot always, have this exact choice, but he eauft come as near it as he can. - “CHAP. ae os: Of the Di ference of Malt. L L common: malt is made of barley,,and owes its diffeterice to the, manner of. making and of drying.’ ‘There are malts made. of wheat, of oats, and even of beans; but we are here fpeaking of the common kinds, which are all of barley. . Thefe. may be arranged un- der three heads; , the Brown, the Pare, and that middle kind which is called Amber. The malt with which. porter is brewed, is of the oo. brown of BREWING. 7 brown kind; and is higher dried than any other. It.is to be fold at the fame places with the reft, un- der the name of porter-malt: and, what is very particular, it, is made of an inferior kind of barley. ° The degree of fire with which it is dried Bives that agreeable tafte and co- our; and the art of the brewer, who thoroughly underftands his bu+ finefs, makes that peculiar drink from it; not the water or any other ingredient. Great dealers have op- portunities of great experience; and what they fee wrong in one brew- ing, they can make right in ano- ther. This is the whole fecret: what has been hitherto wanting, is the publifhing the refult of their expe- rience. The difference of the three malts - §s owing to the degree of fire, and the time allowed to dry them. The ‘pale malt. is dried very flow, and with a {mall fire; the brown is done quick ; and the amber is of’a mid- ™ B4 dle 8 The Art and Myffery dle quality; dried with a moderate degree of time and heat. In gene- ral, the brown malts are to be brewed with the fofteft waters, becaufe thefe heft take. out their ftrength and fla- vour: the pale malts fhould be brewed with {pring-water, to pre- ferve their fine colour; and the am- ber with a midling water, fuch as that of clear fmall rivers. | - Which ever kind of malt be ufed, it may be judged by thefe methods as to its goodnefs. 1. By its light- nefs, which may be thus known. Take a little of it in the hand, carefully confidering its weight in comparifon of barley; for, when made as it fhould be, it is much lighter than the barley: and the lighter it is, provided it be found, the better. 2. To judge of this more exactly, chufe out fome fine found and entire grains of the malt, and put them into a glafs of pump-wa- ter. If the malt be good, they will fwim on the furface. Barley finks mi of BREWING. | 9 in water; and if the malt be not well made, it will fink in the like manner. This is a trial of the fame nature with the firft, but more ac- curate. 3. Chufe a fine grain of the malt, and draw it hard over an oak board, crofs-wife of the grain : if it be good malt, there will be a white line upon the board like a mark of chalk. : The fmell may after this be con- fulted ; for fometimes malt, though well dried, has a fcent from the fuel, or from foul water ufed in the fteeping. It fhould be per- feétly free from this; and if {weet, light, and anfwering to thefe feveral characters, we may be. affured it is in perfection, For the faKe of fuch as are in« clined to make: their’ own malt, I fhall here add: the-method of doing it, and the differences of the. grain from. which. it: is to-be made. - By . CHAP, 40 = The Art and Myftery , CHAP. IR |. Of cliufing proper Barley for making of Malt. JP ‘HE principal ingredient in ' brewing being the malt, and this being a preparation of barley, it is fit we begin with examining the nature of that grain; and the me~ thods of bringing it into the ftate of malt, 2 Gentlemen in the country, who- are. curious in their malt-liquor,. may bring it to the higheft poffible perfection, by beginning in this. manner at the very fource, ‘that is, with .a right choice of the grain: and the knowledge of the rules by which this is to be chofen, will alfo- be ufeful to. thofe who, not having thefe.opportunities, buy their malt in the ufual way: fince the fame cha- raters which diftinguith the excel- lence of that made at home, will ferve alfo as marks by which com-— mon of BREWING. ir mon purchafers may know the de- ~ gree of goodnefs in what is fold. We have two or three kinds of barley raifed in England; but the common long-eared fort is the beft and fitteft for making malt. The greater is the perfe@tion of the bar ley, the finet will be the malt. ‘The fineft and moft, perfect of this kind is fuch as has grown upon a light rich loam, and has been raifed from feéd obtained by exchange from a diftant farm, and different foil. The prime feed of fuch a crop: fhould be feleGted: for miaking of malt: it fhould be freth, heayy,. large, and perfectly found, and fuch as has fuffered. no accident from weg in the field, nor from dampnefs in: the mow. . . To the country-gentleman who tneanages fome of his own: landj. ‘there will be very little trouble,. and fio lofs, in thus chufing the beft of his produce for the fup-. ply of his cellar: and ‘thofe who sm B6. make 12 The Art and Myftery make -their own malt, and do not raife. the grain themfelves, fhould . ‘be careful to pick fuch as is here directed in the market. If there ' fhould be a trifle of. difference in © ' the price, it fhould never be grudged, for it is nothing in comparifon of the advantage it will be to the li- quors. We propofe to give the beft and moft perfect method of brew- ing, and would not have our inftruc- tions fail for want of a little care in the firft articles. . CHAP. Iv. Of making the Barley into Malt. r | “HE right kind of barley be- ing chofen, no care can be too great in the making it into malt. The firft operation is the covering it with water, to foak it in the ciftern ; for this purpofe the clear water of a running brook or fmall river fhould be chofen; or, if fuch cannot be . had, of BREWING. 13 had, pump-water muft be taken ; but then it muft ftand expofed to the air four and twenty hours be- fore it is ufed.. If muddy river- water, or porid-water, be employed. for fteeping the barley, it gets a taint which it will never afterwards re- caver. The firft impreffien upon the grain is made by the water wherein it is-fteeped; and, if this be foul or ill-tafted, the fame flavour will be communicated to the drink, what-_ ever other care is ufed. When the barley is thrown into the water, there fhould be two hands-breadth of water above it, for lefs will not foak it properly. The generality of the corn will fink ; but, after a gqod. ftisring, there will fome fwim on the furface :. thefe are bad grains. They fhould be fkimmed off: they. will ferve. poultry or the hogs, but they will never make good In this water: the barley is to lie about three days and nights. The - difference 14 The Art and Myfery difference of the barley will make a difference of twelve hours or more: ‘tm :this matter; for the bett {oaks fooneft. But about what is here named as the general flandard: to- know when it is foaked enough, take- up one corn from the middle of the: quantity, and hold ‘it fteadily be~ tween the fore-finger and thumb of the right-hand, by the two ends; prefs it gently, and the foftnefs will thew. whether it is enough. Hf it continues firm upon pteffing, arid the fhin does not break, it mutt lie lon— ger; if it-crufhes together, and feels mellow, and the {kin cracks, it is enough. Ht muft then be fuffered .to remain no longer in the water, for it would now begin to loofe part of its fweetneds. Ss - The grain being foaked. enough, the water is to be drawn’ leiurely from it. After this it is to be put into a hutch, and lie together thirty two hours: after this it is to. be turned thoroughly up once in fix - hours "of BREWING. . Ts hours on the floor: when it be- gins .to fpire, it muft be turned every four hours with great cares and muft be fpread thin in a kind of beds on the floor, to prevent its fpiring or fhooting too faft, but ftill in fuch thickneffes‘in the beds as will preferve moifture enough to make it continue fhooting in this gradual manner. When it is thot enough, it muft be turned once in two hours; and the root will then foon wither. After this it muft- be laid thicker; and turned now and then. The care is, that the root does not grow any more; nor the fpire fhoot out at the oppofite end: but then there is. alfo danger of moul- dinefs from this: degree of damp. without growth; and this is equally to be avoided; the frequent: turning is the great article; and the werk- man muft take care to keep a clean '. When the malt. is made thus far without any accident, itis the com- cs mon 16. The Art and Myflery mon practice to lay it on the kiln ae | ence: but the true way is, to ga- ther it all up in one heap, and then let it lie twelve hours. After this it is to be turned; and this is to be. repeated every five hours, till it has been done four times. The male will be then ready for the kiln; on which it will be dried in a few hours. As foon as it is dry, it muft be removed from the kiln; and fpread thin, that it may:cool and harden at leifure. This compleats the malt, - and it is fit for ufe. . There is no great difficulty in the making it; but thofe- who do. not. chufe that trouble, will ftill find.the ufe of un- derftanding how it is-done ;. for up- on the right management. of. thefe feveral articles depends the. goodnefs of the malt that is- offered to fale; or upon the ill conduct. of fome of the articles its faults. - If: it has not - been fufficiently fteeped in the firft water, there will-be a hardnefs in the.whole grain; if bad. water has been. of BRewInc.. 49° been ufed, it will have a muddy {mell ; if it has been fuffered to fhoot from the point oppofite to the root, which is what the maltfters call acrofpiring, it will be poor, thin, light, and hufky: but if all the care -here directed has been taken, it will be tender, fweet, and mellow; and will have all the good characters we have given for the choice of malt. ; The time of. drying of malt varies according to the kind intended to be made, for the difference of co- lour depends on the drying quick or flow. For brown malt, four hours will be fufficient, becaufe of the brifknefs of the fire that is ufed. For amber malt, the fire being {maller, .there will require about feven hours: and for the pale malt, the fire being very weak, the time will amount to twelve. Thus, from the fame parcel, ei- ther of thefe kinds may be made only by the different degree of fire. CHAP a8 = «The Art and Myftery CHAP. V.- Of the Hop. HE next article is the choice of the hop; and in this there ‘ is as much care to be ufed as in either of the former. The found- nefs, the colour, and the {cent, are to determine this choice priticipally : but I have found-a great deal alfo to depend. upon the internal condi- tion. mo . : He that would brew good drink, mutt look at-no hops that have not the two preat requifites, of a good colour, -and fine flavour ; and, when thefe recommend them, he fhould tear one or two open, and examine the feeds. The leafy part of the hop is only a kind of fine fragrant cover-. ing for thefe; and the feeds have alfo. their value: thefe will be either per- fect or imperfe&t, or even wholly wanting within, according to the wo time: | of BREWING. 19 time at- which the hops were. ga- thered; and according to the care fed in drying them. . If the hop has been gathered too “young, the feeds will be {mall, fhri- yelled, and almoft taftelefs : if it has hung too long, or if it has been carelefsly cured, they will be fallen out. . When the hop has been gathered at a right degree of ripenefs, and has beeh ‘carefully dried, thefe feeds ‘will be found under the fcales in a confiderable-quantity, and they will be full, and. well-tafted. This isa gteat article in the value of the hop, though it has been miftaken by fome writers; and in general is little re~ garded, except.by the moft judi- cious. . - The newer :the hop is, always. the better. it will prove; for the fineft part of its flavour is loft in fome de~ gree. in keeping, though it be ever ‘fo carefully preferved. Older hops May make beer that will keep very ~ well ; . 20 The Art and Myftery well; but it will want the delicate flavour which the frefh ones give. The fame fine flavour may be alfo loft by over-boiling, though the hor has originally been ever fo good. This will be thewn hereafter. Upon the whole, the hop fhould be new, light, perfectly clean, free from any ill fmell, and fhould have its own fine fragrant flavour and agreeable bitter in perfeGion. . The difference in price between the beft and. the poorer kinds is not worthy to be confidered, when we recollect the vaft difference im - the beer. Having thus acquainted ourfelves with the nature and qualities of the feveral ingredients, we. are to confider the liquor that is propofed to: be made of them; and. the me- thods by which, according to thofe qualities, it-may be obtained in the greateft perfection. — CHAP. of BREWING. 2r CHAP. VI. The Purpofe of Brewing. HAT we propofe in brew- ing is, to obtain an infu- . fion of the malted corn, impreg- nated with all its agreeable quali- ties; and not loaded with fuch parts’ of it as are unpleafant or unwhole- fome: to this we add flavour from © the hop;. and the fame ingredient gives it the quality of keeping. ; “What we expect and defire to ob- tain from the malt, is itsagreeable bal-" famic quality ; and from the hop its light bitternefs, and its delicate fla- uour. This was always the intent and purpofe of brewing; but it has: in general been attempted in an irte- gular. and-inyudicious. manner. By tong foaking in hot water, that is, by too long mafhing, we have been accuftomed to draw from the malt, befide its pure balfamic fpirit, its heavy 22. The Art and Myftery heavy earthy parts, which have over- . powered the others; and,. by boil- ing the hop a long time in the wort, we haye ‘been ufed to evaporate that -fine part, on which its high flavour . depends preferving- only its “heavy’. and difagreeable bitter. Thus, in- ftead ofa mild, light, cordial, and: halfamic liquor, fuch as is propofed to be made by brewing, we have had a heavy, heady, harth,. and au- ftere drink, which has brought on thofe very diforders: that. the other would have cured. _ Every art has its proper princi- . ples; and the better thefe are un- derftood, the more. fuecefsfully the art itfelf will be practifed.. We hope. to explain thofe of brewing in a clear and plain, as well ds certain man- ner ; and, upon that regular know- ledge of: the f fabjext, to direkt: the praGice, i9:2 manher: that all may. underftend,.and that will be certain to make the beft, the pleafanteft, and . of BREWING. 23 the wholefomeft liquors of the feve~ ral kinds and denominations... CHAP. VII. - The Principles of Brewing. E are to obtain the fineft and beft qualities of the malt: - now all the parts of plants give their fine qualities to water by a light in- fufion ; and, if tao much heat, or too much mafhing them together be ufed, the caarfer parts are alfo drawn ont, and thefe drown the finer: the liquor is no lange of the fame na- ture, tafte, or flavour; and the very intent of what we are about is loft, by overftraining the means. There cannot be a plainer inftance of this than we fee every day in teas we defire to make from this herb a plea-. fant, light, and-cordial liquor; .and for that purpofe we pour hot water upon the leaves: this, after f{tand- ing a very little time, produces what . swe 44 The Art and Myfery we defire; but if we boil the leaves in the water, or boil the liquor af- _ ter we have made it by infufion, either way we fpoil it: in boiling the clear liquor, all the light and pleafant part is- loft, and what re- mains is rough. and naufeous; and. if we boil the tea itfelf in the wa~ ter, we obtain a medicine not a plea- fant drink. If we only keep the leaves and the water too long toge- ther without boiling, and bruife and mafh them about, we obtain in the fame manner a heavy, coarfe, and dif- agreeable infufion, that has nothing of the pleafantnefsnor refrefhing qua- lity of tea propery made. ‘ Thefe are facts fo plain that no one ‘can conteft them: they may be all applied in the fame manner to an infufion of malt for the making of beer; and that with greater force. Malt is a vegetable fubftance as well as tea; and it will part with its qualities to hot water as freely as tea; nay more freely, becaufe of the _ preparation . -of BREWING. 25 preparation it has already undergone in making it into this form. It is therefore that boiling water is not required, nor is proper for it. In the fame manner the hop is a vege- table fubftance, that will give its agreeable flavour, and fine bitter, rea- dily to hot water, and needs not long boiling in it; nor indeed will bear it without damage. Some boil- ing it requires, becaufe the liquor . into which it is put is not thin and pure as water, but is already im- pregnated with the malt: but, for the reafons already given, the lefs boiling it has the better. As the malt will readily give its virtues and beft qualities to water, we fhould no more let it ftand too long in it; nor bruife and beat it about in it, than we fhould tea: and as the lefs boiling the hop has, the better the drink will be, we fhould ufe whatever methods will beft anfwer the purpofe of making it give its virtue by a little boiling. Cc — We 26 The Art and Myftery We know, if any plant, leaf, of flower, be firft fteeped or infufed in the water, and then boiled, a few minutes boiling will extract its vir~ tues as perfectly as an hour would» have done if it had been at once put into the water, and made to oil: therefore we fhould by all means foak or infufe the hop fome time in the wort before it is put with it into the copper. Upon thefe plain principles, which- are certain in themfelves, and which practice and experience confirm in this very article, it will ‘be eafy to make a great improvement in the article of brewing: for we fee b them that the malt fhould not be © left along time in the mafh-tub; but that the liquor on the contrary fhould be drawn off after about three hours, when it has taken up all the fine qualities of the ingredient ; and that swe fhould not beat it about in the math, becaufe that will make: the liquor coarfe. In the fame manner ‘ we -of BREWING. 27 -we fhould put the hops in a bag in- to the tub, which catches the li- quor as it runs from the mafh-fat ; and by this means they-will be fo well foaked, that a very little time will ferve for boiling them in the copper. Thefe two regulations will im- ‘prove our brewing in general in a very great degree; and, inftead of adding to the trouble or expence, will be a real faving of both. Whatfoever can abate the time of boiling the wort, will be doubly ufeful in the brewings of private families; becaufe their coppers be- ing {mall, the effe& of the boiling is much greater in the wafte of the liquor, and evaporation of its {piri- tuous part. In large coppers the eva- poration is much lefs in proportion in equal time, and therefore the beer fuffers lefs than in the {mall ; and this is one great reafon, though it be not ‘regarded, why the brewers can brew better beer with the-fame quantity ‘ef malt, than other perfons can for C2 - them- 28 The Art and Myftery themfelves. . Another. great reafon _ of their advantage is, that they brew the feveral kinds feparate: and in this it will be well worth the while _ of private families to imitate them ; for {mall beer which is made of the laft runnings after ftrong, is never nearly equal to what is made but with a moderate quantity of the frefh ingredients alone. | CHA P, VII. The Utenfils for Brewing. AVING given this general idea of the nature of the in- — gredients, and the principles of ma- _king beer, it will be proper that we now confider the vefiels and imple- ments with which it isto be per- formed. Thefe make what is called the furniture of the brew-houfe; . and, when they are underftood in every part, the particular directions or of BREWING. 29 for brewing will be plain, and fa- miliar to the reader. _ The convenience of water is firft to be confidered: and as it will be proper, if poffible, to have both kinds, there fhould be conveniencies accordingly, a pump for {pring wa-~ ter, and pipes for the river We fuppofe the perfon fituated where there are regular conveyances of water by common pipes, as the New River, Thames water, or the ' dike, in London; otherwife there muft be the expence of carriage of the river water: but in general the fpring-water may be had upon the fot ; and the nearer’ the well is to the brew-houfe the better. A ‘good leaden pump fhould be placed in the brew-houfe ; and there fhould bea pipe to it, from the pipes of foft water, which fhould run juft by the copper at a {mall height above it, and fhould have: a.cock to open directly into the copper. This’ will fave a vaft deal of trouble; and thus, oO, C 3 as 30 The Art and Myftery as it will be eafy to fill the copper with either -kind alone, or with a mixture of both, there will be al- ways the means of brewing any kind. of malt at pleafure; or indeed mix- tures of any two may be thus ma- naged as readily. If the defign be to brew high dried malt, the river-water from the cock is to be let. in alone; if pale malt is the kind to be ufed, the pump-water anfwers the purpofe- alone; or if amber malt, a mixture of the two. In the fame manner any mixture at pleafure of the pale and brown malts may be fuited with a proper water, by mixtures of the pump and river-water: and this we fhall affure the brewer, that although the.cuftom is to ufe‘one or other of thefe malts alone, the pleafanteft and beft drinks of all are to, be made by a mixture of the {everal kinds. Of this we fhall fpeak here- - after. The of BREWING. © 32 The copper muft be proportioned in fize to the quantity that wilk - ufually be brewed; and it will be convenient to have it larger, rather than {maller, than the expected ne- ceffity. It fhould be placed on an eminence, the floor being raifed for that purpofe where it ftands. The beft covering for the floor is that hard Dutch brick ufed for ovens and there fhould be a drain from one part, which opens into the com- mon fewer. By the means of this regulated height, all the following good purpofes will be anfwered. The fire will burn. brifker and bet- ter than if it lay lower; there will be no flop by wafte or fpilling, be- ‘caufe the defcent of the ground will carry all down immediately, and the drain will convey it away at once to . the fewer: then the brick-pavement will admit no wet to foak, fo that all will be dry about: the cop- per: finally, as the height favours a clear conveyance to the mafh-tubs C4 and 32 The Art and Myftery and coolers, there may be an arm carried from the copper to thefe, to let all the liquor out by a turn of a-cock, and fave the labour of lad- ling it, according to the old me- thod. The copper muft be {0 placed, that the fmoak fhall have an eafy and free current up the chimney ; and thus the brew-houfe will be al- ways fweet and dry, the whole bu- finefs will be carried on with plea- fure, and the mafter may look in from time to time without difguft. This is a very effential confideration ; _ for, however diligent and intelligent fervants are, there is no advantage like the eye of their matter. . If the copper cannot be placed high enough for an arm to run to the mafh- tubs and coolers, there fhould be a little brafs pump faftened to the infide. of the copper, by which the water or wort can be pumped into the veffels, through fmall troughs; for ' this is not a tenth part of the trou- ‘ble of the old way of ladling out ; and of BREWING. 33° and it anf{wers alfo better, becaufe of the greater regularity of the heat. - The mafh-tub fhould be large. Suppofe the copper to hold a hogf- -head, the mafh-tub fhould be big enough to math a quarter of malt with convenience. It fhould be round, and not over deep; and over its bottom there fhould be laid a falfe bottom, which may ferve as a _ ftrainer; when, by opening a cafk placed below it, the wort is drawn -off into the receiver. The receiver fhould alfo be a round tub, fhallower than the math- tub, and lined throughout bottom -and fides with thin milled lead. This is a vaft advantage to the brew- ing, for the lead is eafily kept per- fectly clean, and is incapable of get- ting any bad fcent or tafte, as will fometimes happen to wood in fpite of the beft care. The.cold nature of the lead ferves alfo to cool the liquor the more quickly, which is a great article in this veffel. The C 5 mafh- 34 ~The Art and Myftery math-tub is to be placed fo high as to leave room for this to move under it, becaufe that will give the conve- nience of letting out the wort from the mafh-tub into it, and of con- veying it back again eafily into the copper. The beft method of doing this is by a {mall pump kept for that purpofe. This hand-pump mutt be fo high as to throw the li- quor into the copper; and by this means here is the whole matter of conveying the water into the mafh- tub, the wort into the receiver, and thence back again into the copper again, without the common trou- blefome and wafteful method of lad- ling it by bowls from one veffel to. another. . , -_ There fhould be two coolers, or: backs as they are ufually called; and, to proportion them to a copper of a hogfhead, they fhould be each ten. feet long, and five feet wide in the clear, their depth very little. They fhould be lined with milled ‘lead a Lo = of BREWING. 35 the receiver, and placed againft the wall as near as may be to the cop- per, one at two feet from the ground, and the other two feet above that. ~The working-veffel or tun fhould ~ be placed at fome {mall diftance from: the coolers, and fhould be of a fquare fhape, and lined throughout with the fame milled lead as the others ;. and the whole fhould be fo difpofed, if poffible, that the cellar may: be near, and be fo much lower than this working-tun, that the beer can be conveyed by a cock and a pipe out of that veffel into the cafks. Thefe thould: be made fo {mooth — on the infide, that no fur or foul- nefs can ftick to them: but of this we fhall treat hereafter. Our pre- fent bufinefs is in the brew-houfe; . and it is neceflary to underftand this perfeCtly before we meddle with the affair of the cellar. There muft be in the brew-houfe an oar to ftir the malt in the mafh, bowls and other {mall utenfils for examining the li- quor, 35 The Art and Myftery quor, and a pipe lined with lead for conveying the liquor or wort from one of the veffels to another. This ‘pipe fhould be made .of folid good timber, and fhould be five inches diameter in the clear. By this full fize it will never wafte any of the liquor by ftoppage; or by over-hafty pumping bubble out at the top, as pipes of {maller bore are very apt to do, when managed ever fo little amifs. This is the compleat furniture of a brew-houfe. It may be contrived at lefs expence; but what is here fet down will not be any great price; and, when the veffels are once made in this manner, the bufinefs is done, not only for the owner’s life, but for feveral generations. ‘The com- mon veffels are frequently out of order: thefe which are lined with _ Tead are fubje@ to fcarce any acci- dents. The beft fort of lead for doing them, is that of four pound _ to the foot; and every common work- man of BREWING. 37 -man will know how to manage the bufinefs. | Common tubs may ferve in the place of thefe to thofe who diflike this expence; and even a part of ‘thefe may perhaps be fpared, ac- cording to the neweft method of brewing, which is that of workin ‘the beer only in the cafk. This will be the fubjeé&t of a chapter in the fucceeding part of this treatife. CHAP. IX. Of the feveral Operations in Brewing. Ts E courfe:of the malt-liquor in the common way of brew- ing is this: from the pump or cock: the water is delivered to the copper; from thence it is let in to the mafh-tub, when it is impregnated - with the virtue and ftrength of the malt; thence it is let into the re- ceiver, where it runs pure from the - malt; and from this it is pumped into 38 The Art and Myftery: into t