BREWING. 
3*3 
gravity with the beer, they remain, fufpended in, and in. 
corporated with, the body of it, an offence to the eye, and 
a naufea to the palate to the lateft period.” 
From this account it is evident that the drying of malt 
is an article of the ufmoft confequence. Concerning the 
proper degrees of heat to be employed for this purpofe, 
M. Combrune has related fome experiments made in an 
earthen pan, of about two feet diameter, and three inches 
deep, in which was put as much of the paleft malts, very 
unequally grown, as filled it on a level to the brim. This 
being placed over a little charcoal in a fmall Hove, and 
kept continually flirred from bottom to top, exhibited dif¬ 
ferent changes according to the degree of heat employed. 
On the whole he concludes, that “ true germinated malts 
are, charred in heats between 175 and -j8o degrees ; and 
that, as thefe correfpond to the degrees in which pure al¬ 
cohol, or the fineft fpirit of the grain itfelf, boils, or difen- 
gages itfelf therefrom, they may point out to us the reafon 
of barley being the fitted grain for the purpofes of brew¬ 
ing.” From thefe experiments, M. Combrune has con- 
ftrudded a table of the different degrees of the drynefs of 
malt, with the 'colour occafioned by the difference of heat. 
Thus malt expoled to 119 degrees is white ; to 124, crpam 
colour; 129, light yellow; 134, amber colour; 138, high 
amber; 143, pale brown ; 148, brown ; 152, high brown ; 
157, brown inclining to black ; 162, high brown fpeckled 
with black; 167, blackiflt brown with black fpecks; 171, 
colour of burnt coffee; 176, black. This account not 
only fhews us how to judge of the drynefs of malt from its 
colour, but alfo, when a grift is compofed of feveral forts 
of malt, what eff’edt the whole will have when blended 
together by extraddion. Experience proves, that the lefs 
heat we employ in drying malt, the fhorter time will be 
required before the beer which is brewed from it is fit to 
drink 
and this will be according to the follow 
DEG. 
DEG. 
DEG. 
124 
1 month. 
138 
6 months. 
152 1 
129 
3 months. 
143 
6 months. 
157 2 
134 
4 months. 
148 
10 months. 
16a 
years. 
The next confederation in brewing is the quality of the 
water to be employed ; and here foft water is univerfally 
allowed to be preferable to hard, both for the purpofes of 
mafliing and fermentation. Tranfparency is however more 
eafily obtained by the ufe of hard than foft water; firll, 
from its inaptitude to extract fuch an abundance of that 
light .mucilaginous matter, which, floating in the beer for 
a lorig time, occafions it to be turbid ; fecoridly, from its 
greater tendency to a ftate of quietude after the vinous fer¬ 
mentation is finifhed, by which thofe floating particles are 
more difpofed to fubfide ; and, laftly, from the mutual 
aggregation of the earthy particles of the water with thofe 
of the materials, which, by their greater, fpecific gravity 
thus aggregated, not only precipitate themfelves, but 
carry down alfo that lighter mucilage juft mentioned. For 
thefe reafons, hard water is not well adapted to the brew¬ 
ing of porter, or fuch beers as require a fulnefs of palate, 
as in the London brewery, and fome country fituations. 
The purity of water is determined by its lightnefs ; and 
in this refpedd, diftilled water only can claim any material 
degree of perfection. Raia Water is the 'pureft of all na¬ 
turally produced; but having once defcended to the fur- 
face ot the earth, it is liable to a variety of intermixtures 
unfavourable to the purpofes of brewing. With regard 
to others, though a matter of conliderable importance, no 
piecife rule can be laid down. Where there is liberty of 
choice, a preference ftiould doubtlefs be given to that 
water which, from natural purity, equally free from the 
bufterity of faline fubfta-nces and the ranknefs of vegetable 
putrefaction, has a foft fulnefs upon the palate, is totally 
flayotnlefs, inodorous, and colourlefs; whence it is the 
better prepared for the reception and retention of fuch qua- 
iities as the procefs of brewing is to communicate. 
The next thing to be confidered is the proper degree of 
. heat' to be employed in making the infufion ; and here it 
is evident, that, though this mud be very material to the 
fuccefs of the operation, it is extremely difficult, perhaps 
impollible, to fix upon a precife ftandard that fhall at all 
times fully anfwer the purpofe. On this fubjedl Mr, 
Richardfon fays, “ The quality of the fa,ccharine part of 
malt refembles that of common fugar, to which it is prac¬ 
ticable to reduce it; and its characteriftical properties are 
entirely owing to its intimate connexion with t]ie other 
parts of the malt, from which fuch diftinguifning. flavours 
of beers are derived as are not the immediate re'lult of the 
hop. Were it no.t for thefe properties, the brewer might 
adopt the ufe of fugar, molaffes, honey, or the fweet of 
any vegetable, to equal advantage ; which cannot now be 
done, unlefs an eligible fuccedaneum be found to anfwer 
that purpofe. As we are at prefent circumftanced, a fearch 
on the other fide would turn more to the brewer’s account. 
We have in malt a fuperabundance of the groffer princi¬ 
ples ; and would government permit the introduction of 
a foreign addition to the faccharine, which is too deficient, 
many valuable improvements might be made from it; as 
we could, by a judicious application of fuch adventitious 
principle, produce a fecond and third woft, of quality 
very little inferior to the firff. But in thefe experiments 
a very particular attention would be necellary to the fol- 
vent powers of the water at different degrees of heat, and 
to the inquiry how far a menftruum faturated with one 
principle may be capable of diffolving another. Such a 
conlideration is the more neceffary on this occafion to di- 
redt us clear of two extremes equally diiagreeable ; the 
firft is, that of applying the menftruum pure, and at fuch 
a heat as to bring off an over proportion of the oleaginous 
and earthy principles, which would occafion in the beer, 
thus wanting its natural ffiare of faccliarum, a harflinels 
and aufterity which fcarcely any time the brewer could 
allow’ would be able to diftipate ; the other is, that of 
previoully loading the menftruum with the adopted fweet 
in fuch abundance as to deftroy its folvent force upon the 
charadderiftical qualities we wiffi to unite with it, and 
thereby leave it a mere folution of fugar. The requifite 
mean is that of confidering what portion of the faccharine 
quality has been extraCfed in the firft wort, according to 
the quantity of water, and degree of heat applied; and 
then to make fuch a previous addition of artificial fweet 
as will juft ferve to counterbalance the deficiency, and af- 
fimilate with that portion of the remaining principles we 
are taught to expedd will be extracted with the fucceeding 
wort. From the nature of the conftituent principles of 
malt, it is eafy to conceive, that ,the former, or faccharine 
or mucilaginous parts, yield mod readily to the impreflion 
of water, and that at fo low a degree of heat as would have 
no viflble effedd upon the latter. If therefore we are to 
have a certain proportion of every part, it is a rational .in¬ 
ference,' tliat the means of obtaining it reft in a judicious 
variation, of the extracting heat according to the feveral 
proportions required. 
11 A low degree of heat, adding principally upon the 
faccharum, produces a wort replete with a rich foft fweet, 
fully impregnated with its attendant mucilage, and in quan¬ 
tity much exceeding that obtainable from increafed heat ; 
which, by*its more powerful infinuation into the body of 
the malt adding upon all the parts together, extradfs a con- 
fiderabie portion of the oleaginous and earthy principles!, 
but falls fliort in foftnefs, fulnefs, fweetnefs, and quantity. 
This is occafioned by the coagulating property of the mu¬ 
cilage, which, partaking of the nature of flour, has a ten¬ 
dency to run into pafte in proportion to the increafe of 
heat applied ; by which means it not only locks up a con- 
fiderable part of the faccharum contained therein, but re¬ 
tains with it a proportionate quantity of the extradding li¬ 
quor, which would otherwife have drawn out the impri- 
foned fweet, thence leflening both the quantity and qua¬ 
lity of the worts. And this liaS fometimes been known to 
have had fo powerful an effedd, as to have occafioned the 
fetting of the goods, or the uniting the whole into a pafiy 
ffiafs; for, though heat increafes the folvent' powers of 
3 water 
