THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 317 



brewer can ascertain the quality of his malt and hops, apportion the 

 quantities, add or diminish heat, and supply the barm or ferment ; 

 but there he must stop, for unless the natural agents come to his 

 assistance, he is more or less embarrassed. 



Brewing, particularly that of private families, where but small 

 batches {gyles, as they are termed), are required — must be subject 

 to mutations, and he is fortunate who, out of three barrels brewed 

 at one time, and in the same vessels, shall have two turn out of a 

 precisely similar quality. 



We mention these circumstances, that any one who commences 

 brewing may not feel disheartened if he be not uniformly successful. 

 And while upon the subject of atmospheric influence (and to avoid 

 recurring to it), we shall say that October and February are the 

 two best seasons of the year. The former premises a duly abated 

 heat — that is, a temperature of about fifty or fifty-five degrees, as 

 the medium, and it secures the mellowing influence of the whole 

 winter, wherein the slow, progressive fermentation in the barrel is 

 perfected without serious interruption. February is a moist month, 

 generally ; and, whenever rain approaches or falls, with the wind 

 at the south-west, and rather lively, (the frequent concomitant 

 of the month), fermentation is always most energetic. 



Hence, though the winter be passed, February is propitious, 

 and speedily effects those processes whicb perfect the beer. The 

 cold, dry, north-easterly winds of March supervene, and protract 

 the final mellowing of the beer, whereas, if the brewing be deferred 

 till March, the weather, in ordinary cases, is inimical to the first 

 great fermentation; and the secondary fermentation in the barrel is 

 carried on too rapidly by the atmospheric influences of April, and 

 the sudden accessions of heat. The result is, a hard and acescent 

 fluid, very remote in its qualities from the mild, bland ale of October. 

 The people of Staffordshire, and the adjoining north-west countrie 

 where some of the best beers in the kingdom are brewed, used to 

 observe that March brewings were always leerish, by which term 

 they meant to express the hard flavour which ale of a great age 

 acquires, after having lost its sweetness. 



Having thus far noticed the first principles of the art, we must 

 regret that our limits do not permit us to describe minutely the 

 apparatus to be used. We therefore recommend that the reader 

 who is anxious to trace every step of the process, should peruse the 

 Treatise on Brewing, of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful 

 Kuowledge. Sixpence must be well laid out if but a valuable hint 

 concerning the construction of the copper, furnace, mash-tubs, 

 coolers, casks, funnels, sieves, etc, be obtained. 



All these must be possessed by every one who means to brew 

 even ten gallons of beer, and they would take ten pages to do them 

 ample justice. However, there is one species of vessel which we 

 deem it a duty to dwell upon, and this we shall allude to, after we 

 have said a few words upon malt and malting, and hops. 



To avoid prolixity, we presume, however, that our readers are 

 possessed of a copper capable of boiling fourteen gallons ; of three 

 cooling vessels, at the least, each of whicb will contain seven 



October. 



