II."] BREWING. 31 



with the yeast a handful of wheat or rye flour. This 

 mixture is then to be poured out clean into the tun- 

 tub, and the whole mass of the liquor is then to be 

 agitated well by lading up and pouring down again 

 with your bowl-dish, till the yeast be well mixed with 

 the liquor. Some people do the thing in another 

 manner. They mix up the yeast and flour with 

 some liquor (as just mentioned) taken out of the 

 coolers ; and then they set the little vessel that con- 

 tains this mixture down on the bottom, of the tun-tub ; 

 and, leaving it there, put the liquor out of the coolers 

 into the tun-tub. Being placed at the bottom, and 

 having the liquor poured on it, the mixture is, per- 

 haps, more perfectly effected in this way than in any 

 way. The flour may not be necessary ; but, as the 

 country people use it, it is, doubtless, of some use ; 

 for their hereditary experience has not been for no- 

 thing. When your liquor is thus properly put into 

 the tun-tub and set a working, cover over the top of 

 the tub by laving across it a sack or two, or some- 

 thing that will answer the purpose. 



49. We now come to the last stage ; the cask or 

 barrel. But I must first speak of the place for the 

 tun-tub to stand in. The place should be such as 

 to avoid too much warmth or cold. The air should, 

 if possible, be at about 55 degrees. Any cool place 

 in summer and any warmish place in winter. If the 

 weather be very cold, some cloths or sacks should be 

 put round the tun-tub while the beer is working. In 

 about six or eight hours, a frothy head will rise upon 

 the liquor; and it will keep rising, more or less slow- 

 ly, for about forty-eight hours. But, the length of 

 time required for the working depends on various cir- 

 cumstances; so that no precise time can be fixed. 

 The best way is, to take off the froth (which is in- 

 deed yeast) at the end of about twenty-four hours, 

 with a common skimmer, arid put it into a pan or 

 vessel of some sort ; then, in twelve hours' time, 

 take it off again in the s^ime way; and so on till the 

 liquor has done working, and sends up no more yeast. 

 Then it is beer ; and when it is quite cold (for ale or 



