This chapter should not be dismissed without reminding the brewery, of the gross imposition they submit to in purchasing hops. The tare which justice requires to be allowed in the sale of all packed merchandize, by the hop-factors is refused, who exact payment for the bagging, at the same price as for the commodity itself. If the consumption of hops, in England, is yearly 172,268 cwt. and these be packed one half in bags and the other half in pockets, taking the mean price of hops to be 3l. 14s. per cwt. in this case the consumers are defrauded at least of 39,834l. per annum; that, on a just regulation of this matter, the commodity itself would rise in price, there is not the least foundation for. The present practice of monopolizing hops, by much too frequent, is a farther reason to induce the brewery to exert the influence they ought to have with superior power, to obtain a right so justly due to them.

SECTION V.
OF THE LENGTHS NECESSARY TO FORM MALT-LIQUORS OF THE SEVERAL DENOMINATIONS.

By length, in the brewery, is understood the quantity of drink made from one quarter of malt. Beers and ales differ in this respect; and the particular strength allowed to every sort of drink, varies also somewhat, according to the prices of the materials. This increase or abatement is, however, never such as to make the profits certain or uniform; for the value of the grain being sometimes double of what it is at other times, a proportionable diminution in strength, can by no means take place.

It might be expected to find here tables determining the differences in strength and quality of each drink, in proportion to their prices, and the expences of the brewer. But this, for many reasons, would be inconvenient, and in some respects impracticable. He, who chuses to be at this trouble, ought not only to take into the account, the prices of malt and hops, but the hazards in the manufacturing them, those of leakage, of bad cellars, and of careless management, the frequent returns, attended with many losses, the wearing out of utensils, and especially of casks, which last article, engrosses at least one fifth of the brewer’s capital, the charges of servants, horses, and carriages, for the delivery of the drinks, the duties paid immediately to the government, without any security for the reimbursement, the large stock and credit necessary to carry on this trade, and many other incidents, hardly to be estimated with a sufficient accuracy, and never alike to every brewer. In general it appears, when malt and hops are sold at mean prices, the value of what is employed of these, is equal to the charge attending the manufacture, or of about half the value of the drinks. Hence this conclusion, sensibly felt by every honest trader, that, from change of circumstances, the reputation of the profits has outlived the reality of them, and that a trade, perhaps the most useful to the landed interest, to the government, and to the public, of any, seems distinguished from all, by greater hazards, and less encouragement.

But, in a treatise like this, where only the rules upon which true brewing is founded, are laid down, I would avoid any thing that might, though undesignedly, give handle to invidious reflections, and ill-timed controversies. I therefore content myself with setting down the latitudes of the lengths which should be made for drinks of every denomination.

Lengths of beers, according to the excise gauges, observed within the bills of mortality, or the Winchester measure.

Lengths of common small beer.╮
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╯		from one quarter of malt.
4¼ Barrels to 5¼,
Lengths of keeping small beer.
4¾ Barrels to 5½,
Lengths of amber, or pale ale.
1½ Barrel to 1¾,
Lengths of brown strong, or porter.
2¼ Barrels to 2¾,
Lengths of Burton ale.
1 Barrel to 1¼,