INDUSTRIES 



the brewery, was so satisfied with their 

 efficiency that he read a paper before the 

 Society of Arts strongly recommending Jucke's 

 furnaces for general use. For this he received 

 a letter of thanks from Lord Palmerston, the 

 Home Secretary, who also referred to his 

 paper in reply to a deputation which waited 

 upon him in reference to the smoke nuisance. 9 

 Whilst the wort is in the coppers the hops are 

 added, the whole being boiled under a slight 

 pressure. The storage-room for hops is an 

 apartment 200 ft. long by 50 ft. broad, and 

 darkened to keep away the light from the 

 delicate hops, of which some 3,000 pockets 

 are kept ready for use. 



When the wort has boiled the necessary 

 time it runs into the hop-back to settle. 

 The ale hop-back is a square vessel with a 

 copper lining and gun-metal plates at the 

 bottom to retain the hops when the wort is 

 drawn off into the coolers. The porter hop- 

 back is of similar construction. The cooling 

 is hastened by refrigerators in the room be- 

 neath, these refrigerators being supplied with 

 water which has come from two ice machines. 

 The next process is that of fermentation, 

 which is carried on in a splendid room below, 

 the floor of which is constructed entirely of 

 slate. It is known as the ' Havelock Room,' 

 having been built at the time of the Indian 

 Mutiny, and is shaped like the letter |_ with 

 dimensions of 2 10 ft. and 132 ft. Here are 

 contained fermenting vessels of slate and wood, 

 each provided with a copper parachute for 

 skimming yeast, communicating with the 

 yeast tanks below. Each of the vessels holds 

 from 1 20 to 190 barrels and contains an attem- 

 porator to raise or lower the temperature of the 

 gyle at pleasure. This contrivance consists 

 of a series of pipes fixed within the tun and 

 having its inlet and outlet on the outside ; by 

 this means it is possible to run hot or cold 

 water through the pipes at any hour. The 

 object of the natural process which we know 

 as fermentation is to convert the saccharine 

 matter into alcohol, this requiring the most 

 careful attention on the brewer's part. To 

 obtain a quick and regular fermentation yeast, 

 or barm as it is sometimes called, is employed, 

 and this must be perfectly fresh and healthy. 

 The appearance of a ' gyle ' of beer in the 

 earlier stages of fermentation is very beautiful. 10 

 At first the surface is covered with a thick 

 white foam which within a few hours curls 

 itself into a variety of fantastic shapes. As 

 the froth rises higher it presents the appearance 

 of jagged rocks of snowy whiteness. Then 



' Barnard, Noted Breweries, \, 192. 

 10 Ency. Brit. (ed. 9), iv, 275. 



the froth becomes viscid and the whole 

 surface subsides. The operation of cleansing 

 next follows, and consists of removing the 

 yeast from the beer in order to stop the fer- 

 mentation. This is performed in another 

 large apartment called 'King's College,' which 

 contains ten cleansing batches holding together 

 3,000 barrels, all fitted with copper para- 

 chutes. A series of cleansing batches each 

 measuring 1 8 ft. by 1 1 ft. is also fitted up in 

 ' Long Acre.' This was once a long street, 

 dividing two extensive blocks of buildings, 

 extending nearly a sixth of a mile, which was 

 roofed and inclosed at each end by the firm 

 many years ago, and is now the longest build- 

 ing in the brewery. 



On the ground floor is a spacious room 

 paved with stone containing a large number 

 of shallow yeast tanks or batches. These 

 receive the yeast from the copper parachutes 

 above, and are kept cool by means of a false 

 bottom in each vessel, through which a 

 stream of cold water is constantly running. 

 The extent of the cellars in the basement is 

 enormous. They are divided off into great 

 main avenues which appear of endless length, 

 and these are intersected by others branching 

 in all directions. 



The main brewhouse, in which most of the 

 operations which we have described above are 

 carried on, is a fine structure. A glance at its 

 fine roof, the spacious galleries which surround 

 it, and the massive columns which support its 

 various stages, shows how successful the archi- 

 tect has been in producing so excellent a 

 combination of utility and beauty. The vat- 

 houses and racking rooms open out of one 

 another and occupy an area of i^ acres. 

 One of the largest of these storehouses was 

 first opened on the gth of November 1841, 

 when the workmen had a dinner in honour of 

 the event. Whilst they sat at table word was 

 brought that an heir was born to the English 

 throne, whereupon the largest vat was named 

 the ' Prince of Wales,' its name with the date 

 being painted on it. On a visit which he 

 paid to the brewery, the Prince (his late Ma- 

 jesty King Edward VII) drank a glass of stout 

 from this vat, whose age was identical with his 

 own. To reach the top of these huge vats 

 metal staircases are fixed to the wall in cer- 

 tain places ; the view from above is remark- 

 able, and affords an idea which no words can 

 describe of the vast capacity of these gigantic 

 receptacles. 



Space does not permit to speak of the 

 cooperage, sign-writing, and many other 

 departments which are on a similar extensive 

 scale, the firm having from a very early period 

 made all the wooden vessels and utensils 



171 



