302 QUALITIES OF THE HOP SUBSTITUTES. 



still continues, celebrated for the finest malt, and 

 there is, at present, more malt made at Ware than 

 at any former period. There is no doubt, I believe, 

 of the superior quality, and also cheapness, of wheat 

 malt, at a certain comparative rate, with the malt of 

 barley. 



The HOP, formerly held injurious to health, has 

 long been proved an indispensable ingredient for the 

 preservation of beer, and equally conducive to its 

 salubrity. The qualities of the hop, that is to say, 

 of that part of the plant which is used, are opening, 

 diuretic, and discutient, and held by the old physi- 

 cians to be effective in removing obstructions in the 

 liver, kidneys, and lower bowels. The ancient no- 

 tion has, indeed, been fully and practically disproved, 

 that the hop in beer renders it productive of nephri- 

 tic complaints (gravel and stone). In all probability, 

 such effect ought rather to be attributed to the 

 hardness or impurity of the water used in brewing ; 

 since, with all due respect for modern medical 

 science, the incontestible fact remains, that in those 

 districts where beer, from necessity, is generally 

 brewed with well, or hard water, the inhabitants 

 are most subject to the above diseases. 



Formerly, in dear seasons, many substitutes have 

 been used for the hop, or in addition to it, worm- 

 wood, sweet flag (calamus aromaticus), horehound, 

 broom, and various bitter herbs. The hop, or husk 

 of the plant, must be pure and unmixed with any 

 other of its parts. Its moist, adhesive feel, and 

 aromatic scent, are well known. It requires prac- 

 tical skill to judge of the age, colour, and condition 



