VARIATIONS AND RULES BOILING. 379 



hours, the weather being cool, the beer will have 

 worked sufficiently, and the yeast skimmed from it 

 will be very good for use. To be casked, filled up, 

 and treated with as much care as ale. 



Many years ago, I was in the habit of brewing 

 this keeping small beer, from the finest Herts white 

 malts, and the best hops. It was of the colour of 

 pale sherry, and in the heat of summer was more 

 agreeable than strong beer, indeed a most pleasant 

 beverage. I frequently bottled it with success. At 

 that time, Sir Edward Walpole, who had the strange 

 habit of drinking Port wine and small beer mixed, 

 equal parts, and could procure no good small beer in 

 London, importuned me much to procure him a sup- 

 ply of fine keeping small. 



VARIATIONS in practice, and RULES. Instead of 

 putting the boiling water at first into the mash-tun, 

 and leaving it covered up, by way of seasoning the 

 tun, as has been directed, some, for expedition sake, 

 and the saving of fuel, do not boil, but only heat the 

 water to the requisite degree of temperature, and 

 mash with it immediately. I know of no objection 

 to this practice. They say boiling exhausts the good 

 qualities of the water. Others shoot only half the 

 malt at first into the mash-tun, stirring it up, and 

 afterwards adding the remainder with the liquor ; but 

 so small a quantity as two or three bushels, poured 

 in at once leisurely, may be well separated and pre- 

 vented from balling, the operations of pouring and 

 stirring proceeding together. Some fancy that a 

 reserve of a few handfuls of malt, sprinkled over the 

 surface, will help to retain the steam. They next 



