364 BEER GOUT SUBSTITUTES FOR MALT. 



enough from possessing such a quantum of substance. 

 He deems the practice, then much in use, of beating 

 in the yeast during a long time, calculated to render 

 the drink stupifying and unwholesome. He com- 

 plains of the brewers in his time for adulterating 

 their beer, malt being only twenty shillings per 

 quarter, and hops in proportion ; they, however, 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, pre- 

 vailed much among the contemporary publicans 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," (since continued 

 in old Bell's Weekly Messenger,) that justly popular 

 depository of all things curious, as well as useful, in 

 rural economy, and of ample miscellaneous informa- 

 tion, British and foreign, in which I have had the 

 honour, during a number of years past, of occasionally 



