HEADING LENGTH MALT FININGS. 337 



alum and copperas, ground to a fine powder, which 

 gives to the porter its peculiarly fine frothy head. 



I have already observed on the innoxious qualities 

 of the ingredients used in the private brewing of 

 porter ; these are easily to be obtained of the grocer 

 and druggist of any county town, and the manufac- 

 turing labourer, accustomed to the flavour and qua- 

 lities of porter, if economically inclined, may supply 

 himself and family, his rib pulling with him, and 

 standing the fag. The drink will be fit for use 

 after seven days, but will have improved after 

 twenty-one. Mr. Child says, the brewers in his 

 day drew the length of FIVE barrels of porter from 

 a quarter of malt, which great length he seems to 

 have exceeded in his private recipe. A private 

 brewer may be more liberal at his own option. 



PORTER, it seems, must be brought forward, or 

 worked quicker than ale, and when in the cask, be 

 watched and air given, that they do not burst. 

 Child says, they use a mixture of pale and amber 

 MALT with the brown ; and he inclines to prefer the 

 use of amber entirely. A man's experimental choice 

 will best determine this. On account of the variety 

 of ingredients, and particularly of the essentia, this 

 beer requires FININGS, which are composed of isin- 

 glass, dissolved in perfectly fine stale beer, until it 

 becomes a thin, gluey consistence, like size. One 

 pint of finings is the usual allowance for a barrel of 

 beer, though occasionally two or three may be re- 

 quired ; or it may happen, in favourable weather 

 particularly, that little, or even none, be needed* 

 In general, stale beer not being at hand, a quantity 



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