If beer or ale should at any time get ropy, as in other disorders, you must proportion the strength of your remedy to the degree of the disorder. But beer or ale is seldom known to be so ropy as cyder.
Take, for one hogshead, two pounds of common allum in one lump, if possible; put it into a clear fire, and burn it an hour, then pound it, and apply to the hogshead. Stir it well for half an hour. This will cut the rope in a day or two; then rack it and force it with the same stum forcing at is directed for beer that is not sweet, as in page 26. If the rope be but thin, one pound of allum will be sufficient. Hyssop will cut a thin rope in ale, but this always gives it a bad taste.
To make YEST, to ferment new BEER.
Many people that live at a distance from any town, are at a great loss, especially in the winter time, for yest to brew with; I shall therefore here give them directions to make an artificial yest that will answer the purpose altogether as well as the natural.
Take two quarts of small beer and one ounce of isinglass; boil them together five or six minutes; put it into a can or pail, and whisk it till it comes to the consistence of yest; let it stand an hour after, then put it to your wort in the same manner you were used to do the natural yest; this will be sufficient to ferment a hogshead.