308 BEER 



muddy ana unpleasant ; whilst No. 2 had a fine fragrant aroma, a brisk, lively ap- 

 pearance, and was perfectly bright. On January 2nd, 1852, tho casks were again 

 examined; No. 1 had now lost 17'9 Ibs., and was bright, rich, and fine-flavoured; 

 whilst No. 2, though bright and pleasant, had contracted a little acidity, and was 

 becoming flat: it had lost, in all, 214 Ibs. 



Two similar experiments, made about the same time in another quarter, gave 

 almost exactly the same results ; and, consequently, there can be little doubt that, 

 where a quick sale and rapid consumption of beer can be ensured, the great object of 

 the brewer should be to convert as much of the dextrine of his wort into sugar as is 

 proportional to the rapidity of that consumption ; whereas, for beer intended to keep, 

 the opposite practice should be followed. 



The conversion of any given amount of the dextrine-wort into sugar may be effected 

 either by keeping up the temperature of the mash-tun, and prolonging the operation of 

 mashing ; or, which is better and simpler, by merely preserving the wort for a few 

 hours at a heat of 165 F., either in the underback or any other convenient vessel. 

 We have found from experiment that a wort which when run out from the mash-tun 

 had only 3 parts of sugar to 16 of dextrine, became by 10 hours' exposure to a heat 

 of 165 converted almost altogether into sugar, the proportions then being 17'8 of 

 sugar to 1 -2 of dextrine. 



A very important part of the duty of a brewer should therefore be, first, the deter- 

 mination of the relative amounts of dextrine and sugar required to suit the taste of his 

 customers, or the circumstances of tho market, and next, the continued careful ex- 

 amination of his wort, so as to ensure that these proportions are regularly maintained ; 

 for by no other plan is it possible to ensure that certainty of result and uniformity 

 of quality which are essential to the proper conducting of an expensive business 

 like browing. Far too little attention has hitherto been given to the fluctuating 

 qualities of beer-wort ; in warm weather, this wort should probably contain at least 

 twice as much dextrine as in winter ; yet this is the very period when, from the in- 

 creased temperature of the air and materials, the largest quantity of sugar must be 

 formed by those who mash tipon a fixed and unvarying principle. Hence the prone- 

 ness of the wort to ferment violently in summer is still further increased by the pre- 

 sence of an extra proportion of sugar ; whereas prudence would suggest, under such 

 circumstances, a predominance of dextrine, and seek to effect this purpose by a low 

 temperature in the mash-tun, and by shortening the period of mashing. As a general 

 /ule, in the management of wort, more sugar is requisite where small quantities are 

 brewed at a time, than where large operations are conducted, for the loss of heat is 

 relatively larger in small masses than in large ones ; and, from what has been stated, 

 it must be apparent, that, as the fermentation of dextrine is more easily checked by 

 cold than that of sugar, the beer brewed in trifling quantities could not preserve a 

 fermentative temperature, but would become chilled and dead from the excessive 

 radiation of heat, unless a principle existed in it capable of fermentation at the 

 most ordinary temperatures of this country. If, therefore, beer-wort consisting chiefly 

 of dextrine be fermented in very cold weather, or with an insufficiency of yeast, or if 

 tho temperature happen to rise too high, so as to destroy or impair the fermentative 

 power of the yeast, then a dull languid action will ensue, accompanied by what has 

 been called the viscous fermentation, and beer becomes permanently ropy, aud is 

 spoiled. 



Although, clearly, it would be impossible to lay down any specific rule for the 

 proper proportion of dextrine and sugar in beer- wort, yet there could be no difficulty 

 in each brewer determining for himself, and for the conditions of quantity, time of sale, 

 time of year, and other contingencies, the requisite ratio to be established in his own 

 case ; and, as we have shown, nothing can be simpler than the means proposed for 

 ascertaining the composition of wort, remembering that, though a dextrine-wort may 

 be thought to have a superior keeping property, it should be rather said that it is 

 slower in arriving at maturity, whereas a full saccharine wort can be fermented more 

 readily, is more under control, and the beer sooner becomes a brilliant and matured 

 beverage. 



The quantity of extract per barrel weight, which a quarter of malt yields to wort, 

 amounts to about 84 Ibs. The wort of the first extract is the strongest ; the second 

 contains, commonly, one-half the extract of the first ; and tho third, one-half of tho 

 second, according to circumstances. 



To measure the degrees of concentration of the worts drawn off from the tun, a 

 particular form of hydrometer, called a saccharometer, is employed, which indicates 

 tho number of pounds' weight of liquid contained in a barrel of 36 gallons imperial 

 measure. Now, as the barrel of water weighs 360 Ibs., the indication of the instrument, 

 when placed in any wort, shows by how many pounds a barrel of that wort is heavier 

 than a barrel of water ; thus, if the instrument sinks with its poise till the mark 10 is 



