Boerhaave, Shaw, Macquer, and most of the great masters in chymistry are far from limiting that name to the liquors produced from the juice of the grape: they extend it to all fermented vegetable juices, which, on distillation, yield an ardent spirit, and look on the strength and faculty wine has to cherish nature, and preserve itself, to be in proportion to the quantity it possesses of this liquid, generally termed spirit of wine. This, when thoroughly pure and dephlegmated, is one and the same, whatever different vegetable it is produced from. Barley wines possess the same spiritous principle, which is the preservative part of the most valuable foreign wines, with a power of being brewed superior or inferior to them in quality, and the other constituent parts of beer, beside this ardent spirit, will not, I believe, be esteemed less wholesome than those which make up the whole of grape wine.
The reasons why Great Britain hath not hitherto furnished foreign nations with this part of her product, but more especially her seamen, are obvious. Our mariners, when at home, do not dislike beer, either as to their palates, or its effects on their constitution; but when abroad, spiritous liquors, or new wines, often the product of an enemy’s country, are substituted in lieu thereof. The disuse of beers, on these occasions, has been owing to the uncertainty of the principles on which they were brewed; the maintaining them sound in long voyages and in hot climates, could not sufficiently be depended upon; and it has been supposed they could not be procured at so easy a rate as wines, brandies, or rums, purchased abroad. The first of these objections, the author hopes, by this work, to remove; and, were all the duties to be allowed on what would be brewed for this purpose, our seamen might be furnished with beer stronger than Spanish wine, and at a less expence, the mean price of malt and hops being taken for seven years. It is true that, in times of peace, the seamen in his Majesty’s service are not very numerous, but the number of those then employed by merchants is considerable. I should not have presumed to mention this, but on account of the encouragement given to the exportation of corn, and to many manufactures of British growth or British labor. It is computed that, in England and Wales, are brewed three millions five hundred thousand quarters of malt yearly, for which purpose upwards of one hundred and fifty thousand weight of hops are used. The improvement of the brewery might become a means of increasing the consumption of the growth of our country, viz. of barley, to more than one hundred thousand quarters, and of hops to between fourteen and fifteen thousand weight annually.
Whether this be an object deserving the attention of the legislative power, or of the landed interest, and what might be the proper means to put it successfully in practice, are considerations which do not belong to this place; it being sufficient here to point out, how universally beneficial it is to establish the art of brewing on true and invariable principles.
This being the first attempt, that has been made, to reduce this art to rules and principles, the Author hopes he has a just claim to the indulgence of the public, for any errors he unwillingly may have adopted; far from believing that there is no room left for future improvements, he recommends it to those, who, blessed with superior talents and more leisure than himself, may be inclined to try their skill in the same field, to watch closely the steps of Nature; after the strictest enquiry made, it will be found, the success of brewing beers and ales wholly depends on a true imitation of the wines she forms.
This second edition, it may be observed, in many respects, differs considerably from the first. I have endeavoured to convert to use every advice, every opinion I received, and having put these to the test of farther practice, flatter myself it will be found improved.
A COPY OF DOCTOR SHAW’S LETTER.
ON PERUSING THE ESSAY BEFORE MENTIONED.
Dear Sir,