II.] BREWING. 23 



induces the beer-selling gentry to supply their custom- 

 ers with stuff little better than poison, it is not very 

 uncharitable to suppose it possible for some maltsters 

 to yield to the temptations of the devil so far as to 

 play the trick above mentioned. To detect this trick, 

 and to discover what portion of the barley is in an 

 unmalted state, take a handful of the unground malt, 

 and put it into a bowl of cold water. Mix it about 

 with the water a little ; that is, let every grain be just 

 wet all over ; and whatever part of them sink are not 



food. If you have your malt ground, there is. not, as 

 know of,- any means of detection. Therefore, if your 

 brewing be considerable in amount, grind your own 

 malt, the means of doing which is very easy, and nei- 

 ther expensive nor troublesome, as will appear, when 

 I come to speak o flour. If the barley be well malted, 

 there is still a variety nrthe quality of the malt; that 

 is to say, a bushel of malt from fine, plump, heavy 

 barley, will be better than the same quantity from thin 

 and light barley. In this case, as in the case of wheat, 

 the weight is the criterion of the quality. Only bear 

 in mind, that as a bushel of wheat, weighing sixty- 

 two pounds, is better worth six shillings, than a bushel 

 weighing fifty-two is worth four shillings, so a bushel 

 of malt weighing forty-five pounds is better worth 

 nine shillings, than a bushel weighing thirty-five is 

 worth six shillings. In malt, therefore, as in every 

 thing else, the word cheap is a deception, unless the 

 quality be taken into view. But, bear in mind, that 

 in the case of unmalted barley, mixed with the malt, 

 the weight can be no rule ; for barley is heavier than 

 malt. 



No. II. 



BREWING BEER (continued.) 



38. As to using barley in the making of beer, I have 

 given it a full and fair trial twice over, and I would 

 recommend it to neither rich nor poor. The barley 

 produces strength, though nothing like the malt ; but 



