| Degree of dryness. | Excise gauge without the bills. Volume of grain. | Excise gauge within the bills. Volume of grain. | Weight in pounds | |
| Barley | 80 | 1,56 | 1,59 | 376 |
| 100 | 1,62 | 1,63 | 306 | |
| 105 | 1,62 | 1,67 | 301 | |
| 110 | 1,65 | 1,71 | 296 | |
| 115 | 1,67 | 1,75 | 291 | |
| Malt | 119 | 1,68 | 1,79 | 286 |
| 124 | 1,71 | 1,83 | 281 | |
| 129 | 1,74 | 1,87 | 276 | |
| 134 | 1,77 | 1,91 | 271 | |
| 138 | 1,80 | 1,95 | 266 | |
| 143 | 1,83 | 2,00 | 261 | |
| 148 | 1,86 | 2,03 | 256 | |
| 152 | 1,89 | 2,07 | 251 | |
| 157 | 1,92 | 2,11 | 246 | |
| 162 | 1,95 | 2,15 | 241 | |
| 167 | 1,98 | 2,19 | 236 | |
| 171 | 2,01 | 2,23 | 231 | |
| 176 | 2,04 | 2,27 | 226 |
With a table thus constructed, it is very easy to reduce every grist to its proper volume of water. Suppose those of the brewings we have already mentioned; that of the small beer consists of 6 quarters of malt dried to 130 degrees, the proportion of which in the table is as 1,75 to 1.
| Quarter of malt. | Barrel of water. | Malt. | Water. |
| If 1,75 | 1 | 6 | 3,42. |
These six quarters of malt occupy therefore an equal volume with 3,42 barrels of water. A brown beer grist of 11 quarters dried to 130 degrees; the proportion of this in the table is as 1,74 to 1.
| Malt. | Water. | Malt. | Water. |
| If 1,74 | 1 | 11 | 6,32 |
The volume of these 11 quarters of malt is therefore the same with that of 6,32 barrels of water, and the whole being brought to one denomination, we are enabled to find the heat of the first mash; but the effervescence occasioned by the union of the malt and water must prevent this calculation being strictly true, the consideration of which shall take place hereafter.
The circumstances are different in the other mashes: the waters used for these, meet a grist already saturated, and the volume is increased beyond the quantity found for dry malt. The quantity to be allowed for this increase cannot be determined by our former calculations, and new trials are to be made, in order to fix upon the true proportion.
Gauging is undoubtedly the most certain method of proceeding in these researches; but even this becomes less sure, on account of the expansion, evaporation, effervescence, and other incidents already mentioned.—Our errors however cannot be very considerable, when we deduce our conclusions from numerous and sufficiently varied experiments.
The volume of the grist of pale malt was found, after the parting of the first extract, to be 15,41 inches, though the space occupied by the malt, when dry, was only 5,51 inches: and the volume of the brown grist, at the same period, was 22,36 inches, though the dry malt filled only a space of 8,21 inches. The proportion in both these cases, and in all those which I have tried, answers nearly to one third, so that the volume of the grist, in the second and all subsequent mashes, may be estimated at three times the bulk of the malt when dry, and this is sufficiently accurate for the operations of brewing, in which, for conveniency sake, the application of whole numbers should be effected.