BREWING. 385 
ccive the water more freely, and a greater quantity of 
wort may be made than if brewed immediately after it is 
ground. The beer will alfo work better in the tun, and 
come in lefs time to be fit for life. This is evinced by 
thofe who have their w'heat ground two or three days be¬ 
fore they ufe it; for, by lofing the heat it acquires in grind¬ 
ing, the flour becomes lighter, and receives the yealt and 
water more freely than if ufed immediately from the null. 
So malt in a fimilar (late will give out its virtues more 
freely in the mafh-tnb. Mafli-tubs fhould have falfe bot¬ 
toms, to take out as occafion may require ; they fhould be 
about two inches clear of the fixed bottom, with holes a- 
bout a lixth part of an inch in diameter. The falfe bot¬ 
tom anfwers two good purpofes: firfl, it affords greater 
expedition in mathing, by giving a free accefs to all parts 
of'the mafh-tub,- which, with only a tap-vafe, or fuch like 
inftrument, will impede the ftirring of the malh, whereby 
fome part of the malt will not be mixed with the water. 
Secondly, the falfe bottom will drain the grains drier than 
the tap-vafe, and in the fixed bottom there w ill be a fe- 
diment left, which, with one bottom only, would have 
pafled through the tap, and accompanied the w r ort into 
the tub. It will alfo anfwer another good purpofe ; for, 
the fediment not accompanying the wort into the copper, 
it will require lefs boiling, lince it will break fooner, and 
fine itfelf.. Mr. Hughes then gives the following inftruc- 
tions for brewing : 
The water fhould boil fix or eight minutes before it is 
put into the mafh-tub ; but it mult not be put to the malt 
for malhing till the fleam has efcaped, and the water is 
become as fmooth as a mirror. Whilfl the malt is put 
into the tub, let a perfon Itir it to prevent its clotting ; 
then well malh it, and let the malh ftand two hours at 
lead. The fecond malh need not ftand fo long as the firft. 
Always make ufe of hot water for fmall beer; for by 
boiling the water a few minutes it will joften it, and will 
caufe it to have a more free accefs to the malt, and the 
wort will require lefs boiling. Many brewers boil their 
worts from one to two hours; this is very much praftifed 
in private families ; a great part of the time perhaps only 
in a (immering ftate. How'ever, as foon as the wort is in 
the copper, it fhould be made to boil as quick as poflible, 
with a brilk fire to keep it fo ; for faft boiling will caufe 
the wort to break and fine itfelf much fooner than if kept 
in a fimmering ftate. Thirty or forty minutes will be fuf- 
ficient to boil ale, and one hour for ftrong beer. This 
quick boiling will caufe a laving of one gallon in twenty, 
at leaft, and the beer will be ftronger. 
As foon as the wort is thus boiled off, the next thing is 
to get the heat out as foon as poflible, in order to fit it 
for a ftate of fermentation. The fize of the coolers fhould 
fo correfpond with the quantity of malt brewed, that in 
warm weather the worts do not exceed two inches in 
depth. In fummer brewing the heat cannot too quickly 
efcape from the worts ; for, not having a conveniency to 
feparate the worts in a thin ftate, the brewer is not per. 
haps able to get the heat out, he lets the wort down into 
the working-tub in a warm ftate, whence it becomes four, 
and unfit for drinking. For this reafon brewing in warm 
weather ought to be avoided as much as poflible. Be- 
fides, the coolers or tubs in warm weather being in a very 
dry ftate, and the worts being a long time cooling, at leaft 
one gallon in forty will exhauft itfelf by evaporation. At¬ 
tention mult alfo be paid to the beer while in the tub. It 
is a cuftom with many brewers to put their yeaft for that 
brewing into the tub at one time : but this practice is very 
erroneous; for, by adding the quantity of yeaft you in¬ 
tend to ufe at one time, it may caufe a fermentation too 
haftily, and then there is no remedy. You fhould feed 
your tub with yeaft by adding a little at a time, as occa¬ 
fion may require ; for by fo doing you will always be maf- 
ter of your beer, by having it in what ftate of fermenta¬ 
tion you pleafe ; as the quality of malts and waters differ, 
it will require more or lefs yeaft to ferment it, and by ad- 
Vol. HI. No. 137. 
ding the yeaft at different times, you will be enabled to 
form Inch a judgment as never to over-yeaft your tun. 
Every time yeaft is added, the beer fhould be (lirred. 
It is a practice with fome people to keep their beer-in 
the tun feveral days ; by which" time the yeaft falls to the 
bottom, and the beer will be in a flat dead ftate, and not 
inclined to work in thecafks; nor will it drink with a 
pleafant lively tafte. There is no faying exactly with re- 
fpedl to hours when beer will be ready to cleanfe ; but 
when it is at its full head of working, or rather inclined 
to go back, it fhould be tunned immediately; otherwife 
it will not be able to fine itfelf in the cafks, and then fome 
device mull be ufed to fine it, which is too often injurious 
to the beer. Attention mult likewife be paid in keeping 
the cafks filled up after, tunning, to enable the yeaft to 
difcharge itfelf from the beer; for by fo doing there will 
be the greater probability of the beer being fine ; if the 
cafks are not kept filled up while working, the yeaft can¬ 
not be difcharged; fo that the beer, in change of weather, 
will be fermenting and hiding in the cafks, which will 
caufe it to be harfh and unpleafant; and is the principal 
caufe of muddy ales. Small beer ftyauld be let down into 
'the tun much warmer than ftrong; and, as foon as it 
flrews an inclination to work, it fhould be cleanfed ; it 
will then work well in the cafks, and wjll have a quick 
lively tafte. Small beer, not having a fufficient firength, 
cannot fupport a long fermentation ; and if it is worked 
cold, and left too long in the tun, it will drink flat and 
unpleafant. Put fome hops into your ale and fmall.beer 
cafks a few days before you want to tap them for ufe; 
even thofe hops that have already been ufed in brewing are 
ferviceable in fining the beer, and will not caufe it to be 
too bitter, and will prevent the fmall beer from becoming 
four. If you rack your beer, put fome hops previoufly 
into the cafks, wetting them firfl with fome of the fame 
beer. If it be required to haften beer for drinking, put 
the hops into the cafks when they are warm ; if the beer 
is for long llanding, put in the hops when they are cold, 
giving them a ftir to feparate them in the beer. Cafks 
fhould be ftooped when the beer is about two parts in 
three out; this fhould be done whilft the tap is fpending, 
for then it will not difturb the fediment ; and will pre¬ 
vent it from becoming flat and four. 
Many profefled brewers are particularly attached to the 
colour of the hops, that is, they are partial to thofe of a 
fine green colour; thefe are certainly to be preferred, if 
they were ripe when gathered. To prove their goodnefs, 
rub them between your fingers: if they are in full condi¬ 
tion they will flick to your fingers, will have a good ftrong 
fcent, and-the feeds will appear full and yellow. Brown 
fpots are frequently to be feen on hops; thefe are, in ge¬ 
neral, hops that came to a full ripenefs before they were 
gathered. High winds and rain frequently happen about 
the middle or latter end of the hop feafon, which will 
disfigure them in their colour in a few hours, fo that the 
colour is not at all times a criterion of their goodnefs. In 
the hop-countries mod planters keep thofe hops which are 
moft disfigured in their quality feparate and apart, when 
picking, from thofe of a brighter colour; thofe which are 
of an inferior colour are kept for their own ufe, and dif- 
pofed of to their neighbours, it being their opinion that 
they anfwer the purpofe in brewing nearly as well as thofe 
of a brighter colour, provided they are in full condition ; 
that is, if they are full of feeds; for in the feeds is the 
virtue and ftrength of the hop. The quantity of hops 
ufed in brewing is generally half a pound to a bufliel of 
malt, and fo in proportion to a greater quantity ; if mild 
ale, for prefent drinking, a fmaller quantity will do : but 
this muft be left to the difcretion of the brewer, or mailer 
of a family, as fome are more partial to the tafte of the 
hop than others. 
As to the quantity of beer each bufliel of malt fliould 
produce, it muft reft on. the option or oircutnftances of the 
brewer, or the head of a family. A bufhel of malt will 
5 F produce 
