A Treatise on the Brewing of Beer Part 1

A Treatise on the Brewing of Beer.

by E. Hughes.

PREFACE.

The first edition of this treatise met with encouragement enough to flatter me that I had left no room to improve it: but, encouraged by the satisfaction my friends was pleased to express of its utility to the public, I have been induced to make every improvement I could collect.

Before I presumed to offer this small treatise to the public, the different modes and methods, here recommended, I have proved by different experiments, which I flatter myself will be found of utility, particularly to private families, especially farmers, because their servants have very little knowlege of brewing, their time being so much employed in other business, and so frequently are they changing their employ that they are rendered incapable of being competent in brewing.

I do not presume to dictate to those who are proficients; but it must be acknowleged that good malt is frequently marred in brewing by persons who have very little or no knowlege of brewing, and I flatter myself that by a perusal of this treatise it will enable them to be more competent in making the best of the malt intrusted to their care, to the greater satisfaction and benefit of their employers.

Waters having a great predominance in brewing, I have given directions in the choice and improvement of them.

The improvements in the brewing utensils will be attended with some expence, but the utility arising therefrom will soon make amends.

I have taken the liberty to admonish the retailer of common brewer's beer, because, from their inattention in managing the beer after it comes into their stock or possession, the blame, if any, is imputed to the brewer but I am fully convinced to the contrary, from the almost daily practice of the common brewer, and their malt being of the first quality, as country brewers generally make their own malt, and that from the best barley, together with the conveniency of their utensils, enables them to have the advantage of most private families that brew their own beer; therefore it princ.i.p.ally depends on the conduct of the publican as to the quality of the beer, after it comes into his stock, or possession.

I have taken the liberty to give some directions in the choice of malt, not that I mean to challenge the maltster, or give him directions in the management of his corn, except in the drying. I presume if malt is not attended to on the kiln and perfectly sound dried, it never will produce good and wholesome beer.

E. HUGHES.

Sep. 3, 1796.

A TREATISE.

_On Waters._

Waters differ in their quality, that is to say, in extracting the goodness from the Malt; it is, therefore, very necessary for every one who professes the brewing of Beer, to be well acquainted with the nature and quality of the Water he brews with; for as the quality of the water is, so depends the brewing of beer. I am fully persuaded that waters so differ in quality, they will very much add or diminish the quant.i.ty and quality of the beer.

Well Waters ought not to be used only in cases of necessity, when waters of a softer quality cannot be procured: the well water should be pumped into tubs, or any convenient vessel that is clean and sweet. It is a custom with many to fill the copper a day or two, and sometimes longer, before they begin the operation of brewing, but this I strongly forbid; for a liquid cannot be too short a time in the copper, except it is in a boiling state; my reasons for this I shall point out in another part of this treatise. I would recommend fresh bran to be put into the well water whilst in the tubs, and now and then give it a stir, this will cause a sort of fermentation, and will likewise soften the water.

The time for keeping water in the tubs must depend upon the season of the year: if in winter, or moderate cool weather, a week will not be too long; but if in summer, two days will be sufficient.

Spring or River Water is far preferable to Well Water, but river or spring waters differ very much in their softness, and that which will lather best with soap is a convincing proof, and is to be prefered for brewing; for,

First,--It will leave the grains dryer than well water of a harsher quality.

Secondly,--The beer will come to a quicker fermentation in the tun; and,

Thirdly,--It will also fine itself much sooner in the cask, than if brewed from well water.

Rain Water, such as runs off tiled roofs, is, undoubtedly, to be prefered before well or river water in brewing, being of a simple and soft nature.

There is one very great object to the interest of the brewer;--Beer, brewed with rain or river water, will be stronger than beer brewed with well water from an equal quant.i.ty of Malt, because it will have a freer access to the Malt; and, as I said before, it will leave the grains much dryer than well water, which is convincing, the dryer the grains are, the better will be the beer.

Many persons very much prefer Pond Waters, such that are frequently disturbed by horses and other cattle, which generally causes it to be in a thick muddy state; but the sediments of this thick muddy water must be found prejudicial; for when the wort is emptied out of the cooling tubs into the working tun, or running from the coolers into the tun, a part of the sediment, from the foulness of the water, will follow the wort into the tun, consequently the yeast will be in a foul state and cannot be of that utility in baking, as though the brewing had been from pure clean water.

There is a great difficulty often happens in making beer come to a fermentation in the tun; this, I verily believe, is princ.i.p.ally owing to the hardness of the water it is brewed with.

_Some Observations on the Grinding of Malt._

Much depends on the grinding of Malt. Many people give directions to have their malt ground small, having an idea that the water will mix itself with, and have a more free access to it, than when ground in a more coa.r.s.er state; but this idea is very erroneous. Malt should be only broke in the Mill, that is, if possible, every corn should be only bruised; malt ground in this manner will discharge the wort in a fine state throughout the whole brewing.

I have known many persons neglect giving orders for their malt till the day before they intend to brew; but malt should be ground four or five days, or a week would not be too long for brown malt, but great care must be taken to keep it in a dry place.

Malt, ground a reasonable time before it is used, loses the heat which it receives in grinding, and reduces it to a soft and mellow state; it will receive the water more freely, and a greater quant.i.ty of wort may be made than if it was brewed immediately after it was ground. The beer will also work much better in the tun and in less time become fit for use than if brewed as soon as it comes from the mill. This is proved by good housekeepers, who have their wheat ground two or three days before they use it; for by losing the heat it receives from the mill in grinding, the flour will be lighter, and receive the yeast and water more freely, than if used immediately from the mill.

Brewing is generally left to the care of servants, particularly in farm houses, who frequently have at the same time other business to perform, which too frequently causes the brewing to be neglected, particularly in its first stage. The mash in this first stage determines the whole of the brewing, for the malt ought to be well mixed up with the water, which will cause some time and labour; therefore the person employed in brewing should not, on that day, have any other business to perform, so as to engross any time or attention from the brewing, for any part neglected may mar the whole, which is too frequently the case.

_Improvements in the Mash Tun._

Mash Tuns should have false bottoms, to take up as occasion may require;--they should be about two inches clear of the fixed bottom, with holes therein, about a sixth part of an inch in diameter. The false bottom answers two good purposes;

First,--You may be more expeditious in mashing, by having a free access to all parts of the mash tun, which, with a tap vase or some such like instrument being in the mash tun, will impede the stirring of the mash, therefore some part of the malt will not be mixed with the water.

Secondly,--The false bottom will drain the grains dryer than the tap vase, and in the fixed bottom there will be a sediment left, which, with one bottom only, would have pa.s.sed through the tap vase, and a part of it accompanied the wort down into the tun. This will answer another good purpose; for the sediment not accompanying the wort into the copper, it will want less boiling, as it will break sooner and fine itself.

_Note._ Where the false bottom is used the tap must spend through a c.o.c.k at the bottom of the tun. The holes in the false bottom may be about three or four inches distance from each other.

Fail not to boil your water six or eight minutes, then let it into the mash tun; if time will permit, do not put your malt in for mashing till the steam has escaped and you can see your face in the water; but if time will not admit of this, add about one gallon of cold water to eighteen gallons of hot. Whilst you put your malt into the tun, let a person stir it to prevent its clotting, then well mash it, and let the mash stand two hours at least. The second mash need not stand so long as the first. If convenient, always make use of hot water for your small beer, for by boiling the water a few minutes it will soften it, and will cause it to have a more free access to the malt, and the wort will require less boiling.

_Boiling of the Worts._

Many brewers boil their worts from one to two hours; this is very much practised in private families;--a great part of the time the wort is in a simmering state the fire perhaps is not attended to, the person who has the care of the brewing is, as I said before, frequently employed in some other business, therefore this very material part is neglected: As soon as the wort is in the copper it should be made to boil as quick as possible, and a brisk fire should be kept under the copper to cause the wort to boil as fast as possible, for fast boiling will cause the wort to break and fine itself much sooner than it would if kept in a slow boiling state. Thirty or forty minutes will be sufficient to boil ale, and one hour if strong beer. This quick boiling will cause a saving of one gallon in twenty, at least, which must be acknowleged a _great advantage_, considering the present high price of malt.

I will presume to say there will be a saving in the wood or coal by boiling the wort, as is commonly said, a gallop, when it rises itself considerably above the copper.

The copper should have a curve made of wood, fixed round the brim, to prevent the wort from being spilt when boiling; or the copper should be so hung, with a sheet of lead fixed round the brim in a sloping position, that when the wort is hastily boiling, it would fall on the lead and immediately return into the copper, therefore it would prevent the wort from wasting or boiling over.

_Cooling of the Worts._

As soon as the wort is out of the copper the next thing is to get the heat out as soon as possible, and to get it in a state for fermentation. Most private brewers, and many victuallers, separate their worts into tubs, bowls, pans, &c. for cooling; I have seen wort in no less than twelve or sixteen different utensils; worts being of a sticky quality, it must be acknowleged that a loss is sustained by having the wort in so many utensils, and also very inconvenient to pour the wort from the tubs and pans into the working tun; for in each of the before mentioned utensils will be a sediment, which too frequently follows the wort into the working tun.

Now to prevent the use of all these small utensils, a brew-house, though ever so small, will admit of two coolers being erected; for two coolers will take up nearly the same room in the brew-house as if only one were to be erected; for one cooler should be nearly underneath the other, so that the second cooler may receive the wort from the first.

Care must be taken in fixing the coolers, so as to admit the working tun underneath the coolers, to receive the wort: but this need not be consulted where there is a conveniency to convey the worts and work them in the cellar.

_Note._ A victualler is compelled by law not to alter the position of his coolers without giving notice to the excise officer;--now private families have the advantage,--they may have their coolers fixed in the brew-house, or to lay on trestles, and move them to any part, as occasion may require.