468 



BREWING. 



Brewing. c ipal utensils used in a brewery, we shall now pro- 

 ' ceed to some general observations on the different pro- 

 cesses of brewing, without reference to the numerous 

 varieties of beer, which are generally manufactured. 



CHAP. II. 



Account of the various Processes employed in 

 Brewing. 



Of malt. 



SECT. I. Of Malt. 



THE nature of the malt, as well as the quantity 

 used, has a most immediate influence upon the liquor 

 which is brewed from it. Malt is of three different 

 kinds, pale, brown, and amber ; names derived from 

 their different colours, which depend on the mode of 

 Pale malt, drying the malt upon the kiln. Pale malt is dried 

 with a slow fire, by degrees, and only just so far as 

 effectually to prevent the future vegetation of the 

 corn. Its colour does not materially distinguish it 

 from barley. The malt kiln is a building of the 

 figure of a large inverted pyramid, having a fire grate 

 in its vertex. The base of the pyramid is covered 

 by a floor, upon which the malt is spread to receive 

 the action of the fire beneath, the smoke and heat 

 of which pass through the floor : This floor is con- 

 structed of iron bars, supporting tiles, which have 

 large holes made nearly through them, from the lower 

 side, and then very small holes pricked quite through, 

 so as to form an earthen grating. In the modern 

 kilns, wire floors have been used, similar to sieves; 

 and hair cloth spread upon them, has been employ- 

 ed for pale malt. These admit the heat to act on all 

 the sides of every grain, and to dry it equally, with- 

 out parching the outside. The fuel, for pale malt, 

 is coke, made from Newcastle coals, which are 

 thought to contain sufficient sulphur to render the 

 malt of a light colour. Amber malt is, in all its 

 properties, intermediate between pale and brown malt, 

 which is rendered so, by being dried more rapidly, 

 and with greater heat, so that the outside, and part 

 of the flour, is in a measure charred. It is dried upon 

 tiles, or close wire floors, or in some places upon iron 

 plates punched full of holes, or upon cast iron plates. 

 Any kind of cokes are used for brown malt ; and wood 

 is sometimes employed towards the conclusion of the 

 drying, to make a quick fire, and blow up the malt. 

 In this state the malt is considerably expanded, 

 and will occupy a much greater space than before it 

 came to the kiln. 



The colour, and a great deal of the flavour of beer, 

 depend on the malt from which it is brewed. Pale 

 malt is used for fine, ales, and pale beer; amber 

 malt is used for brown ale and beer, and to mix 

 with pale for brewing porter ; and brown malt is us- 

 ed for porter ; but as the latter has lost part of its 

 profitable quality of yielding a strong and good wort, 

 many of the London brewers have adopted the plan 

 of brewing porter from mixtures of pale and amber, 

 or from pale malt only; and in such cases they make 

 up the flavour and colour of the Jiquor, by colouring 

 malt made from burnt sugar, of which we shall 

 speak in its proper place. 

 1 



Brown 

 malt. 



It is necessary, before the malt can be mashed 

 with the greatest effect, to grind it, that the outward ( 

 husk being broken, the water may penetrate into the 

 interior part of the grain. Every grain should be 

 divided, but not reduced to a fine flour ; for in that 

 state the action of the hot water tends to form a 

 tenacious viscid paste, by melting the gluten of such 

 parts of the flour as first come in contact with it, 

 and this envelopes the remainder of the malt, so as 

 to prevent the water from penetrating to extract the 

 fermentable matters ; and at the same time, the water 

 which enters into the composition of the paste, will 

 not leave the mash tun when the wort is let off, but 

 a great proportion remains with it ; so that malt low 

 ground (that is fine), will not produce a wort either 

 so strong, or so much in quantity, as when it is pro- 

 perly ground. The common method of grinding 

 malt, is between millstones, in the same manner as 

 flour, but the distance between the stones is made so 

 great as not to cut the grain very fine, while at the 

 same time they do not permit any of the smaller 

 grains to escape without being cut. In order to pre- 

 vent this, many of the London brewers have adopted 

 the method of using a screen, as shewn in Pl.LXXVII. 

 to allow the ground malt to pass through, while it 

 separates the uncut grains, which are broken by be- 

 ing introduced between a pair of iron rollers, similar 

 to those used for flattening iron or other metals. In 

 other works, the rollers are employed instead of the 

 millstones, and in this case it is impossible that any 

 grains can escape unbroken. The external husks are 

 thus rendered pervious to the water, and the violent 

 pressure of the rollers consolidates the flour con- 

 tained in the corn, so as to prevent the water from 

 saturating it quickly. This will take place in a 

 greater degree in pale than in brown malt ; for the 

 latter, from its high drying, becomes far more brittle 

 than malt which is pale. 



The millstones in common use, are of that kind 

 of stone, called Cullen stones; a pair of which, three 

 feet three inches diameter, will, with the power of 

 about four horses, grind about 12 quarters, of eight 

 bushels each, per hour. A pair of iron rollers, of 

 about 27 inches in length and 10 inches diameter, 

 will crush 13 quarters per hour, and require about 

 the same power as the millstones. Some breweries 

 have lately employed steel mills, of the same kind 

 with those used for grinding coffee, but on a larger 

 scale. A mill of this kind, of 10 or 12 inches 

 diameter, and performing about 150 revolutions 

 per minute, will grind six or eight quarters of malt 

 per hour, in a very perfect manner. It cuts the 

 grains in the same manner as the millstones ; but the 

 malt passing very quickly through the steel mill, the 

 divided parts of the corn are not rubbed to flour, as 

 in the millstones, by being so long under the action 

 of the machine. 



SECT. II. Of Mashing. 



The object of this process is to extract from the 

 malt all the saccharine matter, and a certain part of 

 farinaceous substance; on the due proportion of 

 which, the proper fermentation of the wort and 



Of m; 

 ing. 



