32 BREWING. [No. 



strong beer) put it into the cask by means of a fun- 

 nel. It must be cold before you do this, or it will be 

 what the country-people call foxed ; that is to say, 

 have a rank and disagreeable taste. Now, as to the 

 cask, it must be sound and sweet. I thought, when 

 writing the former edition of this work, that the bell- 

 shaped were the best casks. I am now convinced 

 that that was an error. The bell-shaped, by con- 

 tracting the width of the top of the beer, as that top 

 descends, in consequence of the draft for use, certainly 

 prevents the head (which always gathers on beer as 

 soon as you begin to draw it off) from breaking and 

 mixing in amongst the beer. This is an advantage 

 in the bell-shape; but then the bell-shape, which pla- 

 ces the widest end of the cask uppermost, exposes 

 the cask to the admission of external air much more 

 than the other shape. This danger approaches from 

 the ends of the cask ; and, in the bell-shape, you 

 have the broadest end wholly exposed the moment 

 you have drawn out the first gallon of beer, which is 

 not the case with the casks of the common shape. 

 Directions are given, in the case of the bell-casks, 

 to put damp sand on the top to keep out the air. But, 

 it is very difficult to make this effectual ; and yet, if 

 you do not keep out the air, your beer will be flat ; 

 and when flat, it really is good for nothing but the 

 pigs. It is very difficult to Jill the bell-cask, which 

 you will easily see if you consider its shape, It must 

 be placed on the level with the greatest possible 

 truth, or there will be a space left ; and to place it 

 with such truth is, perhaps, as difficult a thing as a 

 mason or bricklayer ever had to perform. And yet, 

 if this be not done, there will be an empty space in 

 the cask, though it may, at the same time, run over. 

 With the common casks there are none of these dif- 

 ficulties. A common eye will see when it is well 

 placed ; and, at any rate, any little vacant space that 

 may be left is not at an end of the cask, and will, 

 without great carelessness, be so small as to be of no 

 consequence. We now come to the act of putting 

 in the beer. The cask should be placed on a stand 



