128 TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF 



exposed to too high a temperature. But since the wort 

 bacteria do not appear often to occur in water (at least not 

 in the samples examined by myself), the danger in this respect 

 will not be very great under ordinary brewery conditions. 

 As a rule, some wort bacteria from the previous fermentation 

 will be present with the yeast itself. These are unable to 

 develop during the vigorous fermentation in the fermenting 

 vessel, but they will multiply in the yeast vessels as soon as 

 the cooling is neglected. For this reason I am inclined to 

 the opinion that at this point there is, as a rule, greater 

 danger incidental to the yeast itself than to the water. At all 

 events, it is certain that too much care cannot be taken that 

 the yeast is kept at a low temperature during the intervals 

 when it is not active in the fermenting vessels. This is the 

 main point. That sterilised water may advantageously be 

 employed for treating the yeast need scarcely be mentioned, 

 although I am of opinion that, as a rule, this is not necessary. 



I have likewise paid no special regard to the malting, for 

 the reason that I am of opinion that this would be superfluous. 

 The barleycorns have on their surface a multitude of bacteria 

 and other micro-organisms before they come into contact 

 with the steep-water ; the few more or less due to ordinary 

 water will, therefore, in this case be of very little importance. 

 It is, indeed, mainly the moulds which are feared in the malt 

 house, and if these are present in the water they will also 

 develop in the flasks of beer and wort employed in the 

 analysis. 



Bacteriological analysis applied to water is still in a phase 

 of development, and has, indeed, as yet given no practical 

 results of any great importance ; still it certainly ought not 

 to be neglected. We must ot, however, forget that the 

 result of an analysis of a single sample has only a very limited 

 value, as it will only give us information with regard to the 

 water at the time when the sample was collected. The con- 

 dition of one and the same water is, however, subject to great 



