Part 3

41. There are two descriptions of persons whom I am desirous to see brewing their own beer; namely, _tradesmen_, and _labourers_ and _journeymen_. There must, therefore, be two _distinct scales_ treated of. In the former editions of this work, I spoke of a _machine_ for brewing, and stated the advantages of using it in a family of any considerable consumption of beer; but, while, from my desire to promote _private brewing_, I strongly recommended the _machine_, I stated that, "if any of my readers could point out any method by which we should be more likely to restore the practice of private brewing, and especially to the _cottage_, I should be greatly obliged to them to communicate it to me." Such communications have been made, and I am very happy to be able, in this new edition of my little work, to avail myself of them. There was, in the _Patent Machine_, always, an objection on account of the _expense_; for, even the machine for _one bushel of malt_ cost, at the reduced price, _eight pounds_; a sum far above the reach of _a cottager_, and even above that of a small tradesman. Its _convenience_, especially in _towns_, where room is so valuable, was an object of great importance; but there were _disadvantages_ attending it which, until after some experience, I did not ascertain. It will be remembered that the method by the brewing machine requires the malt to be put into _the cold water_, and for the water to make the malt _swim_, or, at least, to be in such proportion as to prevent the fire beneath from burning the malt. We found that our beer was _flat_, and that it did _not keep_. And this arose, I have every reason to believe, from this process. The malt should be put _into hot water_, and the water, at first, should be but just sufficient in quantity to _stir the malt in_, and _separate it well_. Nevertheless, when it is merely to make _small beer_; beer _not wanted to keep_; in such cases the brewing machine may be of use; and, as will be seen by-and-by, a moveable _boiler_ (which has nothing to do with the _patent_) may, in many cases, be of great convenience and utility.

42. The two _scales_ of which I have spoken above, are now to be spoken of; and, that I may explain my meaning the more clearly, I shall suppose, that, for the tradesman's family, it will be requisite to brew eighteen gallons of ale and thirty-six of small beer, to fill three casks of eighteen gallons each. It will be observed, of course, that, for larger quantities, larger utensils of all sorts will be wanted. I take this quantity as the one to give directions on. The utensils wanted here will be, FIRST, a _copper_ that will contain _forty gallons_, at least; for, though there be to be but thirty-six gallons of small beer, there must be space for the hops, and for the liquor that goes off in steam. SECOND, a _mashing-tub_ to contain sixty gallons; for the malt is to be in this along with the water. THIRD, an _underbuck_, or shallow tub to go under the mash-tub, for the wort to run into when drawn from the grains. FOURTH, a _tun-tub_, that will contain thirty gallons, to put the ale into to work, the mash-tub, as we shall see, serving as a tun-tub for the small beer. Besides these, a couple of _coolers_, shallow tubs, which may be the heads of wine buts, or some such things, about a foot deep; or if you have _four_ it may be as well, in order to effect the cooling more quickly.

43. You begin by filling the copper with water, and next by making the water _boil_. You then put into the mashing-tub water sufficient _to stir and separate the malt in_. But now let me say more particularly what this mashing-tub is. It is, you know, to contain _sixty gallons_. It is to be a little broader at top than at bottom, and not quite so deep as it is wide across the bottom. Into the middle of the bottom there is a hole about two inches over, to draw the wort off through. In this hole goes a stick, a foot or two longer than the tub is high. This stick is to be about two inches through, and _tapered_ for about eight inches upwards at the end that goes into the hole, which at last it fills up closely as a cork. Upon the hole, before any thing else be put into the tub, you lay a little bundle of _fine birch_, (heath or straw _may_ do,) about half the bulk of a birch broom, and well tied at both ends. This being laid over the hole (to keep back the grains as the wort goes out,) you put the tapered end of the stick down through into the hole, and thus _cork_ the hole up. You must then have something of weight sufficient to keep the birch steady at the bottom of the tub, with a hole through it to slip down the stick; otherwise when the stick is raised it will be apt to raise the birch with it, and when you are stirring the mash you would move it from its place. The best thing for this purpose will be a _leaden collar_ for the stick, with the hole in the collar plenty large enough, and it should weigh three or four pounds. The thing they use in some farm-houses is the iron box of a wheel. Any thing will do that will slide down the stick, and lie with weight enough on the birch to keep it from moving. Now, then, you are ready to begin brewing. I allow _two bushels_ of malt for the brewing I have supposed. You must now put into the mashing-tub as much boiling water as will be sufficient to _stir the malt in_ and _separate it well_. But here occur some of the nicest points of all; namely, the _degree of heat_ that the water is to be at, before you put in the malt. This heat is _one hundred and seventy degrees_ by the thermometer. If you have a thermometer, this is ascertained easily; but, without one, take this rule, by which so much good beer has been made in England for hundreds of years: when you can, by looking down into the tub, _see your face clearly in the water_, the water is become cool enough; and you must not put the malt in before. Now put in the malt and _stir it well in the water_. To perform this stirring, which is very necessary, you have a stick, somewhat bigger than a broom-stick, with two or three smaller sticks, eight or ten inches long, put through the lower end of it at about three or four inches asunder, and sticking out on each side of the long stick. These small cross sticks serve to search the malt and separate it well in the stirring or _mashing_. Thus, then, the _malt is in_; and in this state it should continue for about a quarter of an hour. In the mean while you will have filled up your copper, and made it _boil_; and now (at the end of the quarter of an hour) you put in boiling water sufficient to give you your eighteen gallons of _ale_. But, perhaps, you must have thirty gallons of water in the whole; for the grains will retain at least ten gallons of water; and it is better to have rather too much wort than too little. When your proper quantity of water is in, stir the malt again well. Cover the mashing-tub over with _sacks_, or something that will answer the same purpose; and there let the mash stand for _two hours_. When it has stood the two hours, you draw off the wort. And now, mind, the mashing-tub is placed on a _couple of stools_, or on something, that will enable you to put the _underbuck_ under it, so as to receive the wort as it comes out of the hole before-mentioned. When you have put the underbuck in its place, you let out the wort by pulling up the stick that corks the whole. But, observe, this stick (which goes six or eight inches through the hole) must be raised by degrees, and the wort must be let out _slowly_, in order to keep back the _sediment_. So that it is necessary to have something to _keep the stick up_ at the point where you are to raise it, and wish to fix it at for the time. To do this, the simplest, cheapest and best thing in the world is a _cleft stick_. Take a _rod_ of ash, hazel, birch, or almost any wood; let it be a foot or two longer than your mashing-tub is wide over the top; _split_ it, as if for making hoops; tie it round with a string at each end; lay it across your mashing-tub; pull it open in the middle, and let the upper part of the wort-stick through it, and when you raise that stick, by degrees as before directed, the cleft stick _will hold it up_ at whatever height you please.

44. When you have drawn off the _ale-wort_, you proceed to put into the mashing tub water for the _small beer_. But, I shall go on with my directions about the _ale_ till I have got it into the _cask_ and _cellar_; and shall then return to the small-beer.

45. As you draw off the ale-wort into the underbuck, you must lade it out of that into the tun-tub, for which work, as well as for various other purposes in the brewing, you must have a _bowl-dish_ with a handle to it. The underbuck will not hold the whole of the wort. It is, as before described, a shallow tub, to go _under_ the mashing-tub to draw off the wort into. Out of this underbuck you must lade the ale-wort into the _tun-tub_; and there it must remain till your _copper_ be emptied and ready to receive it.

46. The copper being empty, you put the wort into it, and put in after the wort, or before it, _a pound and a half of good hops_, well rubbed and separated as you put them in. You now make the copper boil, and keep it, with the lid off, at a good _brisk_ boil, for a _full hour_, and if it be an hour and a half it is none the worse.

47. When the boiling is done, put out your fire, and put the liquor into the _coolers_. But it must be put into the coolers _without the hops_. Therefore, in order to get the hops out of the liquor, you must have a _strainer_. The best for your purpose is a small _clothes-basket_, or any other wicker-basket. You set your coolers in the most convenient place. It may be in-doors or out of doors, as most convenient. You lay a couple of sticks across one of the coolers, and put the basket upon them. Put your liquor, hops and all, into the basket, which will _keep back the hops_. When you have got liquor enough in one cooler, you go to another with your sticks and basket, till you have got all your liquor out. If you find your liquor deeper in one cooler than the other, you can make an alteration in that respect, till you have the liquor so distributed as to cool equally fast in both, or all, the coolers.

48. The next stage of the liquor is in the _tun-tub_, where it is _set to work_. Now, a very great point is, the _degree of heat_ that the liquor is to be at when it is set to working. The proper heat is seventy degrees; so that a thermometer makes this matter sure. In the country they determine the degree of heat by merely putting a finger into the liquor. Seventy degrees is but _just warm_, a gentle _luke-warmth_. Nothing like _heat_. A little experience makes perfectness in such a matter. When at the proper heat, or nearly, (for the liquor will cool a little in being removed,) put it into the _tun-tub_. And now, before I speak of the act of setting the beer to work, I must describe this _tun-tub_, which I first mentioned in Paragraph 42. It is to hold _thirty gallons_, as you have seen; and nothing is better than an old _cask_ of that size, or somewhat larger, with the head taken out, or cut off. But, indeed, any tub of sufficient dimensions, and of about the same depth proportioned to the width as a cask or barrel has, will do for the purpose. Having put the liquor into the tun-tub, you put in the _yeast_. About _half a pint_ of good yeast is sufficient. This should first be put into a thing of some sort that will hold about a gallon of your liquor; the thing should then be nearly filled with liquor, and with a stick or spoon you should mix the yeast well with the liquor in this bowl, or other thing, and stir in along with the yeast a handful of _wheat or rye flour_. This mixture is then to be poured out clean into the tun-tub, and the whole mass of the liquor is then to be agitated well by lading up and pouring down again with your bowl-dish, till the yeast be well mixed with the liquor. Some people do the thing in another manner. They mix up the yeast and flour with some liquor (as just mentioned) taken out of the coolers; and then they set the little vessel that contains this mixture down _on the bottom of the tun-tub_; and, leaving it there, put the liquor out of the coolers into the tun-tub. Being placed at the bottom, and having the liquor poured on it, the mixture is, perhaps, more perfectly effected in this way than in any way. The _flour_ may not be necessary; but, as the country people use it, it is, doubtless, of some use; for their hereditary experience has not been for nothing. When your liquor is thus properly put into the tun-tub and set a working, cover over the top of the tub by laying across it a sack or two, or something that will answer the purpose.

49. We now come to the _last stage_; the _cask_ or _barrel_. But I must first speak of the place for the tun-tub to stand in. The place should be such as to avoid too much warmth or cold. The air should, if possible, be at about 55 degrees. Any cool place in summer and any _warmish_ place in winter. If the weather be _very cold_, some cloths or sacks should be put round the tun-tub while the beer is working. In about six or eight hours, a _frothy_ head will rise upon the liquor; and it will keep rising, more or less slowly, for about forty-eight hours. But, the _length of time_ required for the working depends on various circumstances; so that no precise time can be fixed. The best way is, to take off the froth (which is indeed _yeast_) at the end of about twenty-four hours, with a common skimmer, and put it into a pan or vessel of some sort; then, in twelve hours' time, take it off again in the same way; and so on till the liquor has _done working_, and sends up no more yeast. Then it is _beer_; and when it is _quite cold_ (for _ale_ or _strong beer_) put it into the _cask_ by means of a _funnel_. It must be cold before you do this, or it will be what the country-people call _foxed_; that is to say, have a rank and disagreeable taste. Now, as to the _cask_, it must be _sound_ and _sweet_. I thought, when writing the former edition of this work, that the _bell-shaped_ were the best casks. I am now convinced that that was an error. The bell-shaped, by contracting the width of the top of the beer, as that top descends, in consequence of the draft for use, certainly prevents the _head_ (which always gathers on beer as soon as you begin to draw it off) from breaking and mixing in amongst the beer. This is an advantage in the bell-shape; but then the bell-shape, which places the widest end of the cask uppermost, exposes the cask to the admission of _external air_ much more than the other shape. This danger approaches from the _ends_ of the cask; and, in the bell-shape, you have the _broadest_ end wholly exposed the moment you have drawn out the first gallon of beer, which is not the case with the casks of the common shape. Directions are given, in the case of the bell-casks, to put _damp sand_ on the top to keep out the air. But, it is very difficult to make this effectual; and yet, if you do not keep out the air, your beer will be _flat_; and when flat, it really is good for nothing but the pigs. It is very difficult to _fill_ the bell-cask, which you will easily see if you consider its shape. It must be placed on the _level_ with the greatest possible _truth_, or there will be a space left; and to place it with such truth is, perhaps, as difficult a thing as a mason or bricklayer ever had to perform. And yet, if this be not done, there will be an _empty space_ in the cask, though it may, at the same time, run over. With the common casks there are none of these difficulties. A common eye will see when it is well placed; and, at any rate, any little vacant space that may be left is not at an _end_ of the cask, and will, without great carelessness, be so small as to be of no consequence. We now come to the act of putting in the beer. The cask should be placed on a stand with legs about a foot long. The cask, being round, must have a little wedge, or block, on each side to keep it steady. _Bricks_ do very well. Bring your beer down into the cellar in buckets, and pour it in through the funnel, until the cask be full. The cask should _lean a little on one side_, when you fill it; because the beer will _work again_ here, and send more yeast out of the bung-hole; and, if the cask were not a little on one side, the yeast would flow over both sides of the cask, and would not descend in _one stream_ into a pan, put underneath to receive it. Here the bell-cask is extremely inconvenient; for the yeast works up all _over the head_, and _cannot run off_, and makes a very nasty affair. This _alone_, to say nothing of the other disadvantages, would decide the question against the bell-casks. Something will _go off in this working_, which may continue for two or three days. When you put the beer in the cask, you should have a _gallon or two left_, to keep filling up with as the working produces emptiness. At last, when the working is completely over, _right_ the cask. That is to say, block it up to its level. Put in a handful of _fresh hops_. Fill the cask quite full. Put in the bung, with a bit of _coarse linen_ stuff round it; hammer it down tight; and, if you like, fill a coarse bag with sand, and lay it, well pressed down, over the bung.

50. As to the length of time that you are to keep the beer before you begin to use it, that must, in some measure, depend on taste. _Such beer_ as this _ale_ will keep almost any length of time. As to the mode of _tapping_, that is as easy almost as _drinking_. When the cask is _empty_, great care must be taken to cork it _tightly up_, so that no air get in; for, if it do, the cask is _moulded_, and when once moulded, it is _spoiled for ever_. It is never again fit to be used about beer. Before the cask be used again, the grounds must be poured out, and the cask cleaned by several times scalding; by putting in _stones_ (or a _chain_,) and rolling and shaking about till it be quite clean. Here again the round casks have the decided advantage; it being almost impossible to make the bell-casks thoroughly clean, without _taking the head out_, which is both troublesome and expensive; as it cannot be well done by any one but a _cooper_, who is not always at hand, and who, when he is, must be _paid_.

51. I have now done with the _ale_, and it remains for me to speak of the _small beer_. In Paragraph 47 (which now see) I left you drawing off the _ale-wort_, and with your copper full of boiling water. Thirty-six gallons of that boiling water are, as soon as you have got your ale-wort out, and have put down your mash-tub stick to close up the hole at the bottom; as soon as you have done this, thirty-six gallons of the boiling water are to go into the mashing-tub; the grains are to be well stirred up, as before; the mashing-tub is to be covered over again, as mentioned in Paragraph 43; and the mash is to stand in that state for _an hour_, and not two hours, as for the ale-wort.

52. When the small beer mash has stood its hour, draw it off as in Paragraph 47, and put it into the tun-tub as you did the ale-wort.

53. By this time your copper will be _empty_ again, by putting your ale-liquor to cool, as mentioned in Paragraph 47. And you now put the small beer wort _into the copper_, with the hops that you used before, and with _half a pound of fresh hops_ added to them; and this liquor you boil briskly for _an hour_.

54. By this time you will have taken the grains and the sediment clean out of the mashing-tub, and taken out the bunch of birch twigs, and made all clean. Now put in the birch twigs again, and put down your stick as before. Lay your two or three sticks across the mashing-tub, put your basket on them, and take your liquor from the copper (putting the fire out first) and pour it into the mashing-tub through the basket. Take the basket away, throw the hops to the dunghill, and leave the small beer liquid _to cool in the mashing-tub_.

55. Here it is to remain to be _set to working_ as mentioned for the ale, in Paragraph 48; only, in this case, you will want _more yeast in proportion_; and should have for your thirty-six gallons of small beer, three half pints of good yeast.

56. Proceed, as to all the rest of the business, as with the ale, only, in the case of the small beer, it should be put into the cask, not _quite cold_, but a _little warm_; or else it will not work at all in the barrel, which it ought to do. It will not work so strongly or so long as the ale; and may be put in the barrel much sooner; in general the next day after it is brewed.

57. All the utensils should be well cleaned and put away as soon as they are done with; the _little_ things as well as the great things; for it is _loss of time_ to make new ones. And, now, let us see the _expense_ of these utensils. The copper, _new_, 5_l._; the mashing-tub, _new_, 30_s._; the tun-tub, not new, 5_s._; the underbuck and three coolers, not new, 20_s._ The whole cost is 7_l._ 10_s._ which is ten shillings less than the _one bushel machine_. I am now in a farm-house, where the _same set_ of utensils has been used for _forty years_; and the owner tells me, that, with the same use, they may last for _forty years longer_. The machine will not, I think, last _four years_, if in any thing like regular use. It is of sheet-iron, _tinned on the inside_, and this tin _rusts_ exceedingly, and is not to be kept clean without such _rubbing_ as must soon take off the tin. The great advantage of the machine is, that it can be _removed_. You can brew without a _brew-house_.--You can set the boiler up against any fire-place, or any window. You can brew under a cart-shed, and even out of doors. But all this may be done with _these utensils_, if your _copper_ be moveable. Make the boiler of _copper_, and not of sheet-iron, and fix it on a stand with a fire-place and stove-pipe; and then you have the whole to brew out of doors with as well as in-doors, which is a very great convenience.

58. Now with regard to the _other_ scale of brewing, little need be said; because, all the principles being the same, the utensils only are to be proportioned to the _quantity_. If only one sort of beer be to be brewed at a time, all the difference is, that, in order to extract the whole of the goodness of the malt, the mashing ought to be at _twice_. The two worts are then put together, and then you boil them together with the hops.

59. A Correspondent at _Morpeth_ says, the whole of the utensils used by him are a twenty-gallon _pot_, a mashing-tub, that also answers for a tun-tub, and a shallow tub for a cooler; and that these are plenty for a person who is any thing of a contriver. This is very true; and these things will cost no more, perhaps, than _forty shillings_. A nine gallon cask of beer can be brewed very well with such utensils. Indeed, it is what used to be done by almost every labouring man in the kingdom, until the high price of malt and comparatively low price of wages rendered the people too poor and miserable to be able to brew at all. A Correspondent at Bristol has obligingly sent me the model of utensils for _brewing on a small scale_; but as they consist chiefly of _brittle ware_, I am of opinion that they would not so well answer the purpose.