Theory and Practice of Brewing — Of Extraction, part 1

_OF EXTRACTION.

_ Fire impressed on malt, either through air or water, it is true, has similar effects as to preservation, but the fact is not the same as to taste: the sweet, the burnt flavor, or the proportion of both, the malt originally had, sensibly appear in the extracts; but water heated to excess will not, in extracting pale malt, communicate to the worts an empyreumatic taste; whether this proceeds from some acid parts, still residing in the heated waters, which might help the attenuated oils to tend towards a sweet, or from other reasons, is not easily determinable; certain it is, the foundation of taste in malt liquors is in the malt itself.

The basis of all wines is a sweet: this circumstance for brewing beers agreeable to the palate must always be attended to.

Next to this, it is required that the liquor should possess all the strength, it can fittingly be made susceptible of.

Pale malt, as it retains the whole virtue of the grain, yields the strongest beers.

The finest oils being fittest for fermentation, malt dried by fierce heats, in a great measure loses these, and what remains are not only coarser oils, less miscible with water, but such as bring with them the impressed taste of fire.

To answer the purposes of taste, strength, and preservation, from what has been said it appears, that the extracting water must be of a heat superior to that which dried the malt; no other rule appears to direct in this, than to make choice of malt of such dryness, the delicacy of which has not been removed by fire, and such as will, at the same time, admit of a sufficient number of superior degrees of heat, to extract all its fermentable parts; that is (see page 124) malt whose dryness is nearly 19 degrees less than the mean of the drying and extracting heats applicable to the purpose intended.

As 119 degrees, the first heat forming pale malt, and at which it possesses the whole of its sweetness and virtues, may be said to be the lowest degree of dryness in the grain to form keeping beers with, so 138 degrees, above which the native whiteness of the grain is so subdued, as to remain but in a very small proportion, is the highest dried malt fit to be used for any purpose; from these premises the following table is formed, to shew the degree of dryness of malt, where taste and strength are equally consulted, to brew drinks capable of keeping themselves sound a long time, at any medium required.

The proper choice of malt I thought necessary to point out, previous to entering more at large on the subject of extraction.

This table, it must be observed, is in no wise directive for brewing common small beer, soon to be expended, that liquor depending on many other circumstances, of which notice will be taken immediately under that head.

A TABLE, _shewing the proper dryness of Malt, applicable to the mean of the drying and extracting heats under which keeping malt liquors should be formed_.

Mean degrees of dryness of malt Color of malt expressed and heat of extracts.

in degrees.

138 119 140 121 142 123 144 125 146 127 148 130 150 132 152 134 155 136 157 138 The subject to be resolved having been examined as to its dryness, we now come to the immediate matter for which this section was intended.

Extraction is a solution of part, or the whole, of a body, made by means of a menstruum.

In brewing, it is chiefly the mealy substance of the grain that is required to be resolved; fire and water combined are sufficient to perform this act.

Water properly is the receptacle of the parts dissolved, and fire the power, which conveys into it a greater or less proportion of them.

When all the parts necessary to form a vinous liquor are not employed, or when more than are required for this purpose are extracted, the liquors must vary in their constituent parts, and consequently be different in their effects.

This difference arises either from heat alone, or from the manner of applying it; and the properties of beers and ales will admit of as many varieties as may be supposed in the quantity of the heat, and in its application.

But as the useful differences are alone necessary to the brewer, they may be reduced to the four following modes of extraction.

First, that which is most perfect, and for which malt is chose of such dryness, in which it with certainty possesses the whole of its constituent parts, and the extracts are made with such heats, as to give the beer an opportunity to be improved by time, and to become of itself fine and transparent.

Secondly, that from which, in order to obtain every advantage of time, strength, and flavor, such extracts are produced as cannot become pellucid of themselves, but require precipitation.

Thirdly, that which is intended soon to become intense, where soundness and transparency are for some short time expected, but not always obtained, because brewed in every season of the year, and deprived of the advantages which age and better managements procure to the first.

Fourthly, that where the advantages of strength and pellucidity are to be procured in a very short space.

These four modes of resolving the grain, being the fundamental elements on which almost every specie of drink is brewed, I must observe, the two first may be said to be an exact imitation of natural wines, in forming which, the principles we have laid down may fully be applied.

The third is the effect of necessity, by which we are deprived of that time nature directs for properly producing fermented liquors, and where we are subjected to many disadvantageous circumstances; to guard against the consequences of which, we must rely, in some measure, upon opinion formed from observation alone; and the fourth may be said to be art too precipitately carried on.

Before I treat of them separately, it is requisite to mention a few general rules applicable to all.

In the enquiry we made of the means which nature employs to form the juices of grapes, we found two remarkable circumstances: the first, a necessary lesser heat for the production of the fruit, and the second, a much greater for its maturation; the former useful to incline the must to fermentation, the latter to raise therein such oils as should maintain it for some time in a sound state.

But in all wines, an evenness of taste is requisite to affect the palate with an elegant sensation; and it may be observed, the autumn and spring heats being nearly equal; so the first juices of grapes are formed by almost, uniform impressions; the summer heats, though stronger, act upon the same principle; for though the grapes remain upon the vine some part of the autumn, perhaps in this space they gain little more than the juices prepared by the summer’s sun: from whence the tastes of wine are more simple than otherwise they would be.

Thus are we directed, that a first wort shall have the least share of heat of the whole brewing, and the last wort the greatest; intermediate worts; if any; must be proportioned to both, and if several mashes of extracts are made to compose a wort, these must be equal as to their heat, being careful at the same time to preserve to the process the medium heat which is to govern the whole.

By this means, we shall obtain our intended purpose;

and place into the drink one and the same smooth taste.

In the table[12] shewing the different effects produced in the grain by the different degrees of heat, the numbers, with respect to beers, express, not only the mean of the degrees of dryness the malt had, with those also of heat in the extracting liquors, but also is implied the power communicated by the hops, that is, it imparts to us, the idea of the whole combination.

As malt liquors are made with different views, so must the principles on which they are formed be varied.

Beers intended long to be kept, require more heat in their extracts, in order to produce such oils, or so many in quantity from the grain, as shall retard and delay the quick effects of fermentation; and malt liquors, which are soon to be brought into use, claim an opposite management.

This is imitating nature, for we have before observed[13], the hotter the autumnal, the vernal and maturating heats are, with more power do the wines resist the impressions of time and the air; and we traced the rule which governed this variety, by an enquiry into the number of degrees required to form the juices of grapes, and applied their number to discover the first and last heats they were impressed with.

In calculations to find out the heat to be given to water properly to resolve the malt, the same method must be followed, it being equally necessary here to employ only such a proportion of the number of degrees which constitute the whole of the fermentable principles in malt that are needful to the purpose we would answer.

We have said malts continue in possession of all their constituent parts from their first degree of dryness, 119 to 129. By age alone beers obtain spontaneous pellucidity, when urged in the whole of their process with a heat so great as 138 degrees, precipitation or art extends it to near 157 degrees, after which neither the acid parts furnished by the air, nor art avails: an obstinate foulness is the result; from whence it may be concluded, that at or beyond this heat, so great a part of the fermentable principles is dispersed, as what remains in the grain has not power sufficient to produce transparency.

The following table, founded on these principles, will hereafter be found directive to fix the first and last heats to be given to the extracts of malt.

A TABLE, _shewing the quantity of fermentable principles residing in malts at their several degrees of dryness, or, the number of constituent parts which form beers in proportion to their properties[14], specified in degrees, and to be used in calculations, made to ascertain the proper heats to be given to the first and last extracts of malt_.

Mean degrees of heat Constituent affecting malt.

parts.

119 10 124 9 129 8 134 7 138 7 143 6 148 5 152 5 157 4 162 3 167 2 171 1 175 0 Though beers and ales are divided into strong and small, this division regards only the proportion of the vehicle, and not that of the constituent parts.

The same means, as to the heat of the extracts, must be employed, to form small beers, capable of preserving themselves sound for some time, as are used to make strong drinks: for though a small liquor possesses more aqueous parts, the oils and salts of the malt are only more diluted, not altered in their proportions, and this causes but a very small difference in the duration of the liquor.

It now remains to apply these rules, deduced from the theory, to the several sorts of malt liquors, which answer to the four modes of extraction, just before laid down.

The first and most perfect is, when the malt is chosen of such dryness, and the extracts made with such heats, as give the beers an opportunity of being improved by time, and slow fermentations, to become spontaneously bright and transparent.

Under this head, may be comprehended all _pale keeping strong_, and all _pale keeping small_ beers.

From its name, regard must be had to the color of the malt, and such only used, as is dried the least, or by 119[15] degrees of heat.

The hops should likewise be pale, and their quantity used in proportion to the time the drink is intended to be kept; suppose, in this case, it is 10 months, 10lb.

of fine hops, for every quarter of malt, will be required.

The highest degree of heat, or rather the medium of the highest dryness in malt, with the mean heat of the several extractions, to admit of spontaneous pellucidity, we have seen in the foregoing table (page 124) to be 138 degrees, and this medium is chosen, as it answers not only the intent of long keeping, but of brightness also.

From the medium degree of the malt’s dryness, and of the heat of the extracts, to determine the heat of the first and the last extract, and the value in degrees of the quantity of hops to be used, for brewing pale strong and pale small beers, intended to be kept about ten months before they are used, and expected to become self-transparent.

119 Malt’s dryness.

—--- 138 Mean of malt’s dryness, heat of extracts, and value of hops.

3 Degrees, value of 10 lb.

of hops.

----- 135 Mean of malt’s dryness and heat of extracts.

For the first liquor.

135 As before.

3-1/2 Half the number of the constituent degrees, answerable to 138 degrees, the mean heat of the whole process, to be subtracted[16].

------- 131-1/2 Degrees governing the first extracts.

------- 119 Malt’s dryness.

144 First rule to discover the heat of the first extract.

------- 263 ------- 131-1/2 As above.

------- For the last liquor.

135 As before.

3-1/2 Half the number of the constituent degrees, to be ------- added, to find 138-1/2 The degrees governing the last extract.

------- 119 Malt’s dryness.

158 First rule to discover the heat of last mash.

------- 277 ------- 138-1/2 As above.

------- The elements for forming pale strong and pale small beers, intended to be kept, are therefore as follows: Malt’s Value of Whole First Last dryness.

hops.

medium.

heat.

heat.

119 3 138 144 158 2 2 heat lost at the time the extract separates from the grist.

The proof of this is as follows: 144 Heat of the first extract.

158 Heat of last extract.

------- 302 ------- 151 Mean heat of extracts.

119 Malt’s dryness.

------- 270 ------- 135 Mean heat of Malt’s dryness, and of heat of extracts.

3 Value of hops.

------- 138 Whole mean given as above.

------- It is necessary to add 2 degrees to the heat of every mash, such being the mean of 4 degrees, constantly lost in every extract, at the time they are separated from the grist, and exposed to the impressions of the air.

The second mode of extraction is, that, in which every advantage which can be procured from the corn, from art, and from time is expected;

this produces such drinks, as cannot become spontaneously pellucid, but require the help of precipitation.

The improvement, which every fermented liquor gains by long standing, is very considerable; the parts of the grain, which give spirit to the wine, being, by repeated fermentations, constantly attenuated, not only become more light and pungent, but more wholesome.

If, in order to give to beers more of the preservative quality, greater quantities of oils are extracted, in proportion to the salts, transparency cannot take place; but, when the heat employed for this purpose does not exceed certain limits, this defect may easily be remedied, and the drink be fined by precipitation; as time enables it to take up part of the very oils, which at first prevented its transparency, it will, by long standing, and by precipitation, become both brighter and stronger.

Where the demand for a liquor is constant and considerable, but the quantity required not absolutely certain, it ought to be brewed in such manner that time may increase its merit, and precipitation render it almost immediately ready for use.

These circumstances distinguish this class of extraction, and justify the preference given to _porter_ or _brown_ beer, which comes under the mode we are now treating of.

Though transparency in beers is a sure sign of the salts and oils being in an exact proportion, it is in no wise a proof of the justness of taste: for strong salts acting on strong oils may produce pellucidity, but the delicacy and pungency of taste, depend on the finer oils and the choicest salts being wholly preserved, these best admitting of fermentation, and most perfectly becoming miscible with the liquor, the more volatile oils and salts of the grain if excluded, by the malt being too high dried, the consequence in the beer must be, an heavy and rancid taste.

The less dried the malts are, which are brewed for beers to be long kept, the hotter are the extracts required to be, but this greater heat being communicated to the grain through water, an element eight hundred times more dense than air, the finer parts of the corn, though acted upon by an heat which in air would disperse them, by this means are retained.

It appears, by the table (page 124) that drinks brewed from malts, affected by heats, whose medium is 148 degrees, and with twelve pounds of hops to every quarter of malt, require from 6 to 12 months with precipitation to become bright; this is the age generally appointed for brown beers to be drank at, and by the table, page 133, we find the proper malts where the medium heat of the whole process is 148 degrees, must be such as have been dried with 130 degrees to form this liquor, whose color as yet is expected to be full or brown, without being deprived of more valuable qualifications.

In the drink before examined, the number of degrees which constitute the properties of malt, affected by a mean heat of 138 or 7 degrees, were employed, they being intended to become, in time, spontaneously bright; but, as this quality in the present case is required only with the assistance of precipitation, the number 5, in the table, shewing the constituent parts remaining in the grain at every degree of dryness, (page 168) as this corresponds to the medium 148, is undoubtedly that which must answer our purpose, both as to the nature and to the time this liquor is in general made use of.

These conditions being premised, the proper degrees of the first and last extract for porter will be found by the same rules as were used before.

130 Degrees, malt’s dryness.

------- 148 Degrees, whole medium intended.

------- 4 Degrees, value of hops, fractions omitted.

------- 144 Mean of malt’s dryness and heat of extracts.

------- For the first extract.

144 As before.

2-1/2 Half the number of the constituent degrees to be deducted.

------- 141-1/2 Mean of malt’s dryness, and of the heat of the first extract.

------- 130 Malt’s Dryness.

153 Rule to discover the first heat.

------- 283 ------- 141-1/2 As above.

For the last extract.

144 As before.

2-1/2 Half the number of the constituent degrees to be added.

------- 146-1/2 Mean of malt’s dryness, and of the heat of the last extract.

------- 130 Malt’s dryness.

163 Rule to discover the last heat.

------- 293 ------- 146-1/2 As above.

The elements for brewing brown strong beers, with two degrees added to the first and last extracts, for what is lost at their parting from the malt, independent of its farther division into the respective mashes.

Malt’s Value of Medium heat of the First Last dryness.

hops.

extracts, malt’s heat.

heat.

heat.

dryness, and value of hops.

130 4 148 155 165 Brown beers, brewed with malt so low dried as 130 degrees, twenty years since, would have appeared very extraordinary, and most likely, at that time, when a heaviness and blackness in the drink formed its principal merit, would have been a sufficient reason to condemn the practice; but strength and elegance being now more attended to, have justified the brewer, in making porter, to employ malt of such degree of dryness, as he shall think will best answer these purposes.

As high liquors used to extract low dried malt will form a must capable to preserve itself equally a long time, as an adequate liquor used to high dried malt doth; and the first of these methods having greatly the advantage of the other in point of taste, as 130 degrees of dryness in malt is one, from its change of color, where part of its finer principles may be supposed to be evaporated.

It may not be amiss to enquire if there be not reasons why malt, less affected by fire, should be used for manufacturing this commodity.