BEE 



BEE 



21 



should be thrown upon Ihe top, j 

 while it is heating ; to be taken 

 off when the water begins to boil. 

 If malt be used, throw it into the 

 mash tub. The design of thus cov- 

 ering the water is, to prevent the 

 best, moat subtil and volatile par- 

 ticles of the water from evapora- 

 ting, or going otf in steam. The 

 water, for the same reason, should 

 but just boil ; after which it should 

 not be left to cool gradualy, as the 

 evaporation would be too great : 

 But as much cold water should be 

 thrown in, and mixed with it in 

 the mash tub, as will bring it to the 

 right temper, perhaps about three 

 gallons to half a barrel. For the 

 malt should not be scalded, but 

 steeped in water, as warm as it can 

 be without scalding ; because the 

 scalding of the malt would rather 

 close up its pores, and prevent its 

 impregnating the water with its 

 virtue, so much as it will in a tepjd 

 menstruum. It will also render it 

 glutinous and adhesive, so that the 

 water will not have a free passage 

 through it. The cold water should 

 be put tirst into the mash, and the 

 hot after it. 



The mash-tub should have a 

 cock, or a tap and faucet, fixed in- 

 to its bottom, and the hole cover- 

 ed within with a little flat shaped 

 inverted basket, fastened with 

 nails, that it may not get out of 

 place by the mashing, and a close 

 straining cloth may be put over it, 

 and fastened in the same manner. 



The water being in the mash 

 tub, one person should put in the 

 malt by little and little, and anoth- 

 er should stir it about with a stick 



or paddle, that it may not remain 

 in lumps, or fail of being thorough- 

 ly wetted. This is all the stirring 

 that is needful. For too much 

 stirring would cause the malt to 

 thicken, so as not to give a free 

 passage to the water that is to pass 

 through it. 



Some of the last of the malt, in- 

 stead of being stirred into the wa- 

 ter, should be strewed loosely over 

 the surface, to serve as a coat for 

 the rest, and prevent the copious 

 passing away of the spirit in steams. 

 Besides, the tub should be closely 

 covered with sacks, or other cloths, 

 that none of the steam may escape. 

 In this situation it should stand for 

 two or three hours. Then with a 

 small stream draw offthe wort, up- 

 on a handful or two of hops, into 

 the back, which is placed under 

 the mash tub. Fill with water 

 again, and mash ; in half an hour 

 run it off; in the mean while be 

 pouring hot water into the mash as 

 it is running. It should be poured 

 in on that side of the tub which is 

 most distant from the cock, or so 

 that all the malt may be washed 

 with it as equally as possible. This 

 water may be almost or quite boil- 

 ing hot, as mixing it with that in 

 the tub will so cool it as to prevent 

 scalding. Continue thus to pour 

 in water and run it off, till you 

 have the quantity in the back 

 which you design for your strong 

 ale or beer. Then stop the cock, 

 and fill the grains with a sufficient 

 quantity of cold water, for small 

 beer, or it may be hot if the weath- 

 er is cold, so that there be no dan- 

 ger of souring. Let it stand, cov- 



