374 BOILING THE WORTS THE HOPS. 



or four gallons of warm liquor upon the bottom, 

 being probably about as much as will be wanted, 

 some brewers using cold water. Run the bottom 

 dry. About the quantity of worts required will then 

 be run off. 



BOILING THE WORTS. During the running off of 

 the second mash, is the time to put the first wort 

 into the copper. Add the hops after the rate of 

 lib. per bushel of malt for keeping beer, or about 

 three quarters of a pound (or sometimes less) per 

 bushel, the drink being for immediate spending. 

 Separate the hops minutely with the fingers, and 

 stir them up sufficiently in the copper. Some per- 

 sons are curious enough to make a previous infusion 

 of the hops for an hour or two, in boiling water, 

 pouring the infusion into the first wort, and leaving 

 the residue to be boiled in the second. Others 

 boil the hops in a bag, a bag of fresh hops to each 

 ale wort, the used bags serving for the small beer. 

 By this they think to avoid the acrid flavour and 

 quality of the hop, preserving only the pure aroma. 

 On that ground, I have lately boiled the hops but 

 half an hour in the ale wort. 



It is customary to BOIL the worts an hour, or 

 until they break, as the phrase is, which is deter- 

 mined by a basin-full taken out of the copper and 

 cooled, when, if boiled sufficiently, the wort will 

 break, or appear clear, with separate particles or 

 atoms floating on the surface. Some are of the 

 opinion that they profit by boiling their beer much 

 longer, in which I do not agree. Lade from the 

 copper into a cooler, over which the sieve is placed, 



