A Treatise on the Brewing of Beer

by E. Hughes

Particular attention should be paid to the cooling of the worts, by having coolers as before mentioned. You may let your worts down into the tun as quick or as slow as you please and as the season may require; in very cold weather it should go down into the tun from the cooler by a good stream, as the worts require to go down into the tun in a warm state, particularly when there is but a small quantity brewed. In summer brewing your worts will require to go down into the tun in a cold state; however it will be much the best for them to be cold than too warm, therefore you should set the cock or plug to discharge the worts from the coolers into the tun but slow and dribbling; for by going down slowly it will prevent a hasty fermentation, and consequently will have the good effect to prevent your tun of beer from being foxed; therefore it must be allowed to be convenient and necessary to have coolers erected, as the worts will go down into the tun in almost one regular degree of heat.

On the contrary, when worts are cooled in tubs, pans, &c. they are emptied into the working tun in different degrees of heat, one after another; perhaps in some of these cooling tubs or pans the worts are two or three inches in depth; in others, six or seven inches; therefore the worts will be of different degrees of heat, and by having part of the worts let down into the tun much warmer than those already down, and which, perhaps, are in a fermentation, those worts will, of course, cause a fermentation too hastily,—will frequently cause the tun of beer to be foxed, and will always be in a heavy state, for the yeast will not separate itself from the beer; this renders the coolers more necessary and convenient.

Attending the Working Tun.

Attention should be paid to the beer when in the tun. It is a custom with many brewers to put their yeast for that brewing into the tun at one time: I will prove that practice to be very erroneous; for by adding the quantity of yeast you intend to use at one time, may cause a fermentation too hastily, and then you have no remedy. You should feed your tun with yeast by adding a little at a time, as occasion may require, for by so doing you will always be master of your tun of beer, by having it in what state of fermentation you please; as the quality of malt and waters differ, it will require more or less yeast to ferment it, and by adding the yeast at different times you will be enabled to form such a judgment as never to over-yeast your tun. Every time you add more yeast you should stir your beer with a bowl or bucket.

Cleansing.

It is a practice with many people to keep their beer in the tun from four to six days; by that time the yeast will fall to the bottom of the tun, and the beer will be in a flat, dead state; it will always be heady beer, being kept so long before it is cleansed; it will not be inclined to work in the casks, nor will it drink with a pleasant, lively taste. There is no coming at any exact time, with respect to hours, when your beer will be ready to cleanse, therefore this must be done by attention, in frequently examining when your beer is at its full head of working, or what is commonly said, rather inclined to go back; when it is in that state it should be cleansed immediately. This, I say, should be attended to, notwithstanding it should happen at twelve o'clock at night; for this is the evil, by neglecting the proper time to cleanse your beer it will not be able to fine itself in the casks, and then some device must be used to fine it, which is too often injurious to the beer.

A very necessary Caution.

It is a common practice, when casks are scalded or cleansed, to expose them to the sun and wind to dry, and there leave them till the time of cleansing, then they are placed in the cellar, &c. and the beer immediately cleansed into them; when the sun, in warm weather, has penetrated through the wood and become so warm that you cannot conveniently lay your hand upon them; this is often done unthinkingly, but the casks being thus heated by the sun causes the beer to work too hastily; after all the care and pains before taken, it here receives a material injury, by having, as may be said, undergone a second fermentation, and will reduce its strength by working too hastily out of the casks, and very probably may be the cause of its not being soft and pleasant; however, care should be taken to get your casks perfectly dry, previous to the cleansing into them; in hot weather place them in the cellar, &c. some time before you have occasion to cleanse your beer into them.

Attention should be paid in keeping your casks filled up after cleansing, to enable the yeast to discharge itself from the beer, for by so doing there will be the greater probability of your beer being fine; if the casks are not kept filled up when working, the yeast cannot discharge itself from the beer, which, in change of weather, will be purging and hissing in the casks, and will cause it to be harsh and unpleasant; this is the principal cause why we have so many muddy ales. Attending your beer when working, by filling up the casks, will be found to be of the greatest utility, as you will have no occasion to use any device to fine your beer, which will only attend to adulteration.

Small Beer.