The musts of malt generally produce two gallons of yeast from eight bushels of the grain, whereas, in the coldest fermentable weather, and for the speediest purpose, one gallon of yeast is sufficient to work this quantity of malt. Much elastic air still remains in beer, or wine from corn, after the first part of the fermentation is over; for the liquor, separated from the yeast above mentioned, is, at the time of this separation, neither flat, vapid, nor sour; but as yeast, the lees and flowers of malt liquors are of a weaker texture than those of grapes, all artificial fermentations should be carried on in the coolest and slowest manner possible: and beers, but more especially such as are brewed from high-dried, brown malts, (the heat of whose extracts approaches much nearer to that which dried the grain, than is the case in brewing pale malt) ought not to be racked from their lees, as it is frequently practised for natural wines, unless, on account of some defect, they are to be blended with fresh worts under a new fermentation.
As all ferments are liable to be tainted, great care ought to be taken in the choice of them, every imperfection in the ferment being readily communicated to the must. It would not, therefore, be an improper question to be determined by physicians, whether, in a time of sickness, the use of those which have been made in infected places ought to be permitted, and whether, at all times, a drink fermented in a pure and wholesome air is not preferable to that which is made among fogs, smoke, and nauseous stenches.[7]
Wines from corn are distinguished by two appellations, viz., those of ale and beer. As each of these liquors have suffered in character, either from prejudice or want of a sufficient enquiry, it may be proper to levy the objections made against their use, before we enquire into the means of forming them. The most certain sign of the wholesomeness of wines is transparency and lightness; yet some, which are rich, more especially ales, though perfectly fine, have been said to be viscid.—Transparency appears indeed in many wines, before the oils are attenuated to their highest perfection, and some viscidity may therefore be consistent with some degree of brightness. Where the power of the oils and the salts are equal, which is denoted by the transparency of the liquor, viscidity can only arise from the want of age: this cannot be said to be a defect in, but only misapplication of the liquor, by being used too soon.
That beers retain igneous or fiery particles, seems equally a mistake. Malt dried to keep, has undoubtedly its particles removed by fire, so far as the cohesion of them is thereby destroyed, otherwise it would not be in a fit state to preserve itself sound, or readily to be extracted. For this reason, when the grain comes in contact with the water, which is to resolve it, an effervescent heat is generated, which adds to the extracting power, and should be looked on by the brewer as an auxiliary help; but it is impossible that the malt, or the must, should ever inclose and confine the whole or part of fire employed to form them. Fire is of so subtile a nature, that its particles, when contained in a body, continually tend to fly off, and mix with the surrounding air; so that only an equal degree, with what is in the atmosphere, can be continued in the grain, or any liquor whatever, after it has been, for some time, exposed thereto.—Brown beers, made from malt more dried than any other, from experience, are found to be less heating than liquors brewed from pale malt; which probably arises from hence, that brown beers contain a less quantity of elastic air than pale beers, as pale malt liquors contain less than wines, produced from vegetables in their natural state: and as malt liquors contain their elastic air in bubbles of a weaker consistence than those made from the juices of the grape, the effect of beer, when taken in an over-abundant quantity, is neither of so long a continuance, nor so powerful as that of wine, supposing the quality and quantity of each to be equal. This may appear to some persons to be the effect of prejudice, yet it is but a justice due to the produce of my country, to add, that some physicians have given it as their opinion, that strong drinks from malt are less pernicious than those produced from grapes. As far as these gentlemen have, I hope I may advance, without being thought guilty of assuming too much, or countenancing debauch, by pointing out the wines that occasion the fewest disorders.
SECTION X.
OF THE NATURE OF BARLEY.
Barley is a spicated, oblong, ventricose seed, pointed at each end, and marked with a longitudinal furrow. The essential constitution of the parts, in all plants, says Dr. Grew, is the same: thus this seed, like those which have lobes, is furnished with radical vessels, which, having a correspondence with the whole body of the corn, are always ready, when moistened, to administer support to the plume of the embryo, usually called the acrospire. These radical vessels, at first, receive their nourishment from a great number of glandules dispersed almost every where in the grain, whose pulpous parts strain and refine this food, so as to fit it to enter the capillary tubes; and such an abundant provision is made for the nourishment of the infant plant, that the same author says, these glandules take up more than nine tenths of the seed.
Barley is sown about March, sooner or later, according to the season or soil that is to receive it, and generally housed from ten to twenty weeks after. Most plants, which so hastily perform the office of vegetation, are remarkable for having their vessels proportionably larger; and that these may be thus formed, the seed must contain a greater quantity of tenacious oils, in proportion to those seeds, whose vessels being smaller, require more time to perform their growth and come to maturity. This grain, as may be observed, grows and ripens with the lower degrees of natural heat; from whence, and from the largeness of the size of its absorbent vessels, it must receive a great portion of acid parts. It is said to be viscid, though, at the same time, a great cooler, water boiled with it being often drunk as such; and, however it be prepared, it never heats the body when unfermented.
From these circumstances, of its being viscous and replete with acids, it would at first appear to be a most unfit vegetable, from which vinous liquors, to be long kept, should be made; and, indeed, the extracts from it, in its original state, are not only clammy, but soon become sour.