CHAP. XIX. Of the Strength and Age of Malt Liquors.
Whether they be Ales or strong Beers, it is certain that the midling sort is allowed by Physicians to be the most agreeable of any, especially to those of a sedentary Life, or those that are not occupied in such Business as promotes Perspiration enough to throw out and break the Viscidities of the stronger sorts; on which account the laborious Man has the advantage, whose Diet being poor and Body robust, the strength of such Liquors gives a Supply and better digests into Nourishment: But for the unactive Man a Hogshead of Ale which is made from six Bushels of Malt is sufficient for a Diluter of their Food, and will better assist their Constitution than the more strong sort, that would in such produce Obstructions and ill Humours; and therefore that Quantity for Ale, and ten Bushels for a Hogshead of strong Beer that should not be Tapp'd under nine Months, is the most healthful. And this I have experienc'd by enjoying such an Amber Liquor that has been truly brewed from good Malt, as to be of a Vinous Nature, that would permit of a hearty Dose over Night, and yet the next Morning leave a Person light, brisk and unconcern'd. This then is the true Nostrum of Brewing, and ought to be studied and endeavoured for by all those that can afford to follow the foregoing Rules, and then it will supply in a great measure those chargeable (and often adulterated tartarous arthritick) Wines. So likewise for small Beer, especially in a Farmer's Family where it is not of a Body enough, the Drinkers will be feeble in hot Weather and not be able to perform their Work, and will also bring on Distempers, besides the loss of time, and a great waste of such Beer that is generally much thrown away; because Drink is certainly a Nourisher of the Body, as well as Meats, and the more substantial they both are, the better will the Labourer go through his Work, especially at Harvest; and in large Families the Doctor's Bills have proved the Evil of this bad Oeconomy, and far surmounted the Charge of that Malt that would have kept the Servants in good Health, and preserved the Beer from such Waste as the smaller sort is liable to.
'Tis therefore that some prudent Farmers will brew their Ale and small Beer in March, by allowing of five or six Bushels of Malt, and two Pounds of Hops to the Hogshead of Ale, and a quarter of Malt and three Pounds of Hops to five Barrels of small Beer. Others there are, that will brew their Ale or strong Beer in October, and their small Beer a Month before it is wanted. Others will brew their Ale and small Beer in April, May and June; but this according to humour, and therefore I have hinted of the several Seasons for Brewing these Liquors: However in my Opinion, whether it be strong or small Drinks, they should be clear, smooth and not too small, if they are design'd for Profit and Health; for if they are otherwise, it will be a sad Evil to Harvest Men, because then they stand most in need of the greatest Balsamicks: To this end some of the softning Ingredients mentioned in the foregoing Receipts should be made use of to feed it accordingly, if these Drinks are brewed forward. And that this particular important Article in the Brewing Oeconomy may be better understood, I shall here recite Dr. Quincy's Opinion of Malt Liquors, viz. The Age of Malt Drinks makes them more or less wholsome, and seems to do somewhat the same as Hops; for those Liquors which are longest kept, are certainly the least viscid; Age by degrees breaking the viscid Parts, and rendering them smaller, makes them finer for Secretion; but this is always to be determined by their Strength, because in Proportion to that will they sooner or later come to their full Perfection and likewise their Decay, until the finer Spirits quite make their Escape, and the remainder becomes vapid and sour. By what therefore has been already said, it will appear that the older Drinks are the more healthful, so they be kept up to this Standard, but not beyond it. Some therefore are of Opinion, that strong Beer brewed in October should be Tapp'd at Midsummer, and that brewed in March at Christmas, as being most agreeable to the Seasons of the Year that follow such Brewings: For then they will both have part of a Summer and Winter to ripen and digest their several Bodies; and 'tis my humble Opinion, that where the Strength of the Beer, the Quantity of Hops, the boiling Fermentation and the Cask are all rightly managed, there Drink may be most excellent, and better at nine Months Age, than at nine Years, for Health and Pleasure of Body. But to be truly certain of the right Time, there should be first an Examination made by Pegging the Vessel to prove if such Drink is fine, the Hop sufficiently rotted, and it be mellow and well tasted.
CHAP. XX. Of the Pleasure and Profit of Private Brewing, and the Charge of buying Malt Liquors.
Here I am to treat of the main Article of shewing the difference between brewing our own Ales and Beers, and buying them, which I doubt not will appear so plain and evident, as to convince any Reader, that many Persons may save well towards half in half, and have their Beer and Ale strong, fine and aged at their own Discretion: A satisfaction that is of no small weight, and the rather since I have now made known a Method of Brewing a Quantity of Malt with a little Copper and a few Tubs, a Secret that has long wanted Publication; for now a Person may Brew in a little Room, and that very safely by keeping his Wort from Foxing, as I have already explained, which by many has been thought impossible heretofore; and this Direction is the more Valuable as there are many Thousands who live in Cities and Towns, that have no more than a few Yards Square of Room to perform a private Brewing in. And as for the trouble, it is easy to account for by those who have time enough on their Hands, and would do nothing else if they had not done this: Or if a Man is paid half a Crown a Day for a Quantity accordingly: Or if a Servant can do this besides his other Work for the same Wages and Charge, I believe the following account will make it appear it is over-ballanc'd considerably, by what such a Person may save in this undertaking, besides the Pleasure of thoroughly knowing the several Ingredients and Cleanliness of the Brewer and Utensils. In several of the Northern Counties of England, where they have good Barley, Coak-dryed Malt, and the Drink brewed at Home, there are seldom any bad Ales or Beers, because they have the Knowledge in Brewing so well, that there are hardly any common Brewers amongst them: In the West indeed there are some few, but in the South and East Parts there are many; and now follows the Account, that I have Stated according to my own general Practice, viz.
A Calculation of the Charge and Profit of Brewing six Bushels of Malt for
a private Family.
£. s. d.
Six Bushels of Malt at 2s. 8d.
per Bushel, Barley being this )
Year 1733. sold for 14s. per ) 0 16 0
Quarter by the Farmer )
Hops one Pound 0 1 6
Yeast a Quart 0 0 4
Coals one Bushel, or if Wood or Furze 0 1 0
A Man's Wages a Day 0 2 6
——————
Total 1 1 4
Of these six Bushels of Malt I make one Hogshead of Ale and another of
Small Beer: But if I was to buy them of some common Brewers, the Charge
will be as follows, viz.
£ s. d.
One Hogshead of Ale containing 48 )
Gallons, at 6 d. per Gallon is ) 1 4 0
One Hogshead of Small Beer )
containing 54 Gallons, at 2 d. )
0 9 0 per Gallon is ) 0 9 0
___.____.____
1 13 0
___.____.____
Total Saved 0 11 8
By the above Account it plainly appears, that 11 s. and 8 d. is clearly gained in Brewing of six Bushels of Malt at our own House for a private Family, and yet I make the Charge fuller by 2 s. and 6 d. then it will happen with many, whose Conveniency by Servants, &c. may intirely take it off; besides the six Bushels of Grains that are currently sold for Three-pence the Bushel, which will make the Eleven and Eight-pence more by four Shillings, without reckoning any thing for yeast, that in the very cheapest time sells here for Four-pence the Quart, and many times there happens three Quarts from so much Drink; so that there may possibly be gained in all sixteen Shillings and Eight-pence: A fine Sum indeed in so small a Quantity of Malt. But here by course will arise a Question, whether this Ale is as good as that bought of some of the common Brewers at Six-pence a Gallon; I can't say all is; however I can aver this, that the Ale I brew in the Country from six Bushels of Malt for my Family, I think is generally full as good, if not better than any I ever sold at that Price in my London Brewhouse: And if I should say, that where the Malt, Water and Hops are right good, and the Brewer's Skill answerable to them, there might be a Hogshead of as good Ale and another of small Beer made from five Bushels as I desire to use for my Family, or for Harvest Men; It is no more than I have many times experienced, and 'tis the common length I made for that Purpose. And whoever makes use of true Pale and Amber Malts, and pursues the Directions of this Book, I doubt not but will have their Expectation fully answered in this last Quantity, and so save the great Expence of Excise that the common Brewers Drink is always clogg'd with, which is {blotted text} than five Shillings for Ale and Eighteen-pence per Barrel for Small Beer.