BE ER GOUT SUBSTITUTES FOR MALT. 315 



use, of beating in the yeast during a long time, calcu- 

 lated to render the drink stupifying and unwholesome. 

 He complains of the brewers in his time for adul- 

 terating their beer, malt being only twenty shillings 

 per quarter, and hops in proportion; they, how- 

 ever, drew only a hogshead from a quarter of malt 

 for their porter and entire butt beer; whereas, I 

 believe, our modern brewers seldom draw so little 

 as three or four barrels. The gout and rheumatism, 

 it seems, prevailed much among the cotemporary pub- 

 licans and beer tippling-sinners, for which diseases 

 I transcribe his almost infallible remedy. One ounce 

 of gum guiacum in powder, infused in a bottle of 

 rum, half a gill to be taken on going to bed, as a 

 perspirant ; to be repeated if needful. 



Ellis gives a variety of substitutes for malt, in 

 brewing beer, none of which are worth the paper 

 on which they are printed. There is no known sub- 

 stitute for malt and hops, all are equally deceptive 

 as to the real and efficient qualities of beer ; nor 

 can they be at all profitable, but as making a virtue 

 of necessity. These spurious beers have ever been 

 much in fashion on paper, if not in real use ; and 

 of late we have had a new edition, which first ap- 

 peared in * Ruffy's Farmers' Journal/ that justly 

 popular depository of all things curious, as well as 

 useful, in rural economy, and of ample miscella- 

 neous information, British and foreign, in which I 

 have had the honour, during a number of years 

 past, of occasionally contributing a column. The 

 new edition to which I refer, is, of beer from the 

 mangold, or beet, which a newspaper writer, in 



