182 BREWING. 
“ By the flow mode of eonduCling vegetation here re¬ 
commended, an actual and minute reparation of the parts 
takes place. The germination of the radicles and acrolpire 
carries off the cohefive properties of the barley, thereby 
Contributing to the preparation of the faccharine matter, 
which it has no tendency to extraCl or otherwife injure, 
but to increafc and meliorate, fo long as the acrofpire is 
confined within the hulks; and by how much it is wanting 
of the end of the .grain, by fo much does the malt fall 
fhort of perfection; and in proportion as it has advanced 
beyond, is that purpofe defeated. This is very evident 
to the moft common obfervation, on examining a kernel 
of malt in the different ftages of jts progrefs. When the 
acrofpire has (hot but half the length of the grain, the 
lower part*only is converted into that yellow faccharine 
flour we are folicitous about, whilfl the other half affords 
no other figns of it than the whole kernel did at its firfi 
germination. Let it advance to tivo-thirds of the length, 
and the lower end will not only have increafed its faccha¬ 
rine flavour, but will have proportionally extended its 
bulk, fo as to have left only a third part unmalted. This, 
or even lefs than this, is contended for by many maltfters, 
as a fufficient advance of the acrofpire, which they fay 
has done its bufinefs as fobn as it has paired the middle of 
the kernel. But we need feek no further for their con- 
viClion of error, than the examination here alluded to. 
Let the kernel be (lit down the middle, and tailed at either 
end, whilfl green ; or let the effects of medication be tried 
when it is dried off; when the former will be found to ex¬ 
hibit the appearances juft mentioned, the latter to difco- 
ver the unwrought parts of the grain, in a body of ftony 
hardnefs, which has no other effeCl in the mafh-tun than 
that of imbibing a large portion of the liquor, and contri¬ 
buting to the retention of thofe faccharine parts of the 
malt which are in cohtaCl with it; whence it is a rational 
inference, that three bufhels of malt, imperfeCl in this 
proportion, are but equal to two of that which is carried 
to its utmoft perfection. By this is meant the fartheft ad¬ 
vance of the acrofpire, when it is juft buriling from its 
confinement, before it; lias efleCled its enlargement. The 
kernel is then uniform in its internal appearance, and. of a 
rich fweetnefs in flavour, equal to any thing we can'con¬ 
ceive obtainable from imperfeCl vegetation. If the acro¬ 
fpire be (offered to proceed, the mealy fubftance melts into 
a liquid fweet, which loon paffes into the blade, and leaves 
the hufk entirely exhaufted. The fw'eet thus produced 
by the infant efforts of vegetation, and loft by its more 
powerful aClion, revives, and makes a fecond appearance 
in the ftem, but is then too much difperfed and altered in 
its form to anfwer any of the purpofes of art. Were we 
to inquire, by what means the .fame barley, with the fame 
treatment, produces unequal portions of the faccharine 
matter in different fituationsy we fhould perhaps find it prin¬ 
cipally owing to the different qualities of the water ufed 
in malting. Hard water is very unfit for every purpofe of 
vegetation, and foft will vary its effeCls according to the 
predominating qualities of its impregnations. Pure ele¬ 
mentary water is in itfelf fnppofed to be only the vehicle 
of the nutriment of plants, entering at the capillary tubes 
of the roots, riling into the body, and there difperfing its 
acquired virtues, perfpiring by innumerable fine pores at 
the furface, and thence evaporating, by the pared diftil- 
lation, into the open atmofphere, where it begins anew its 
round of collecting frefh properties, in order to its prepa¬ 
ration for frefh fervice. 
“This theory leads us to the confiderationof an attempt 
to increafe the natural quantity of the faccharum of malt 
by adventitious means ; but it mu ft be obferved ' on this 
occafion, that no addition to water will rife into the veffels 
of plants, but fuch as will pafs the filter; the pores of 
which appearing fomewhat fimilar to the fine drainers or 
abforbing veffels employed by nature in her nicer opera¬ 
tions, we, by analogy, conclude, that properties fo inti¬ 
mately blended with water as to pafs the one, will enter 
and unite with the economy of the other, and vice verfa. 
Suppofing the malt to have obtained its utmoft perfection, 
according to the criterion here inculcated ; to prevent its 
farther progrefs, and fecure it in that (late, we are to call 
in the alfiftance of a heat fufficient to deftroy the aClion of 
vegetation, by evaporating every particle of w'ater, and 
thence leaving it in a date of prefervation, fit for the pre- 
fent or future purpofe of the brewer. Thus having all its 
moifture extraCled, and being by the previous procefs de¬ 
prived of its cohefive property, the body of the grain is 
left a mere lump of flour, fo eafily divifible, that the hufk 
being taken off, a mark may be made with the kernel, as 
with a piece of foft chalk. The extraClible qualities of 
this flour are, a faccharum clofely united with a'large quan¬ 
tity of the farinaceous mucilage peculiar to bread-corn, 
and a fmall portion of oil enveloped by a fine-earthy fub¬ 
ftance, the whole readily yielding to the impreffion of wai¬ 
ter applied at different times and different degrees of heat, 
and each part predominating in proportion to the time and 
manner of its application. 
“ In the curing of malt, as nothing more is requifite 
than a total extrication of every aqueous particle; ,i'f we 
had in the feafon proper for malting, a folar heat fufficient 
to produce perfect drynefs, it were practicable to reduce 
beers nearly colourlefs; but that being wanting, and the 
force of cuftom having made it neceffary to give our beers 
various tinClures and qualities refulting'from fire, for the 
accommodation of various fades,'w.e are neceffifated to ap¬ 
ply fuch heats in the drying as fhall not only anfwer the 
purpofe of prefervation, but give the complexion and pro¬ 
perty required. To effeCl this with certainty and preci¬ 
sion, the introduction of the thermometer is neceffary; but 
the real advantages of its application are only to be known 
by experiment, on account of the different conftriiCtion of 
different kilns, the irregularity of the heat in different 
parts of the fame kiln, the depth of the malt, the diftance 
of the bulb of the thermometer from the floor, &c. for, 
though fimilar heats will produce fimilar effeCls in the 
fame fituation, yet is the difperlion of heat in every kiln 
fo irregular, that the medium fpot mud be found for the 
local fituation of the thermometer, ere a ftandard can be 
fixed for afeertaining effeCls upon the whole. That done, 
the feveral degrees neceffary for the purpofes of porter, 
amber, pale beers, &c. are eafily difeovered to the utmoft 
exaClnefs, and become the certain rule of future praCMce. 
“ Though cuftom has laid this arbitrary injunClion of 
variety in our malt liquors, it may not beamifs to intimate 
the Ioffes we often fuftain, and the inconveniences we com¬ 
bat, in obedience to her mandate. The further we ptir- 
fue the deeper tints of colour by an increafe of heat be¬ 
yond that which fimple prefervation requires, the more we 
injure the valuable qualities of the malt. It is well known 
that fcorched oils turn black, and that calcined fugar af- 
furnes the fame complexion. Similar effeCls are produ¬ 
cible in malts, in proportion to the increafe of heat, or 
the time of their continuing expofed to it. The parts of 
the whole being fo united by nature, an injury cannot be 
done to the one, without affieCling the other; accordingly 
we find, that fuch parts of the fubjeCl, as might have been 
feverally extfaCled for the purpofes of a more intimate 
union by fermentation, are, by great heat in curing, burnt 
and blended fo effectually together, that all diferimination- 
is loft; the unfermentable are CxtraCled with the ferment¬ 
able, the integrant with the condiment, to a very great 
lofs both of fpiritiiofity and tranfparency. In paler malts, 
the extracting liquor produces a Separation "which cannot 
be effeCled in brown, where the parts are fo incorporated, 
that, unlefs the brewer is very well acquainted with their 
feveral qualities and attachments, he will bring oyer, with 
the burnt mixture of faccharine and mucilaginous princi¬ 
ples, fuch an abundance of the fcorched oils, as no fer¬ 
mentation can attenuate, no precipitants remove; for, be¬ 
ing in themfelves impediments to the aClion of fermenta¬ 
tion, they leffen its efficacy ; and, being of the fame fpecific 
gravity 
