Theory and Practice of Brewing — Of Extraction, part 2

The medium of the malt’s dryness, and of the heat of the extracts, together with the value of the hops which are to make porter, is 148 degrees.

This, because precipitation has been found convenient and necessary for this drink, yet, when at the proper age, it has undergone this last operation, it is supposed to shew itself in its best form;

bright, well-tasted, and strong; that is, in such state as drink should be, which becomes spontaneously transparent, and is capable of preserving itself a long time, if from 148 degrees.

The value of the oils yielded by the hops (See page 180) is deducted, 4 degrees.

--- Will remain, 144 And by table (page 162) we find a must under the mean of 144 degrees should be formed with malt dried to 125 degrees, with this circumstance the elements of brewing porter will be as follows.

125 Malt’s dryness.

---- 148 Degrees, whole medium intended.

4 Value of hops.

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

For the first extract.

144 As before.

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

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

------- 125 Malt’s dryness.

158 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 constituent parts, to be added.

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

------- 125 Malt’s dryness.

168 Rule to discover the last heat.

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

Elements for brewing porter with malt dried to 125 degrees, and two degrees added to the first and to the last extracts, for what heat is lost at their parting from the malt, but this, independent of a farther allotment of this heat to the respective mashes.

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

of hops.

the extracts, malt’s mash.

mash.

dryness, and value of hops.

125 4 148 160 170 Whether any attempt to improve this liquor, by using malt of less dryness than 125 degrees, may ever be put in practice, is very uncertain; porter, if brewed with malts so low as 119 degrees, probably would succeed; for, in this case, the last mash, according to the foregoing rules, would be at the 174th degree, at which the spirit of the grain could not be dispersed, and probably the result would be, a more delicate, more strong, and more vinous liquor.

It may be observed, that 4 degrees are charged for the quantity of hops used; as this number corresponds to the quantity proper to form beer of this denomination.

A greater or a less proportion of hops is sometimes allowed to this drink, on account of its better, or inferior quality, of the necessity there may be to render it fit for use in a shorter time than that which is commonly allowed—from nine to twelve months, and, lastly, of old, stale, or otherwise defective drinks, blended, with new guiles.

In these cases, which cannot be too rare, the errors should be corrected only by the addition of hops, and no alteration be made, either in the dryness of the malts, or in the heat of the extracts.

The third mode of extraction is that which intends spontaneous transparency, but not a durable liquor.

Under this head is comprehended _common small beer_, soon to be drank.

Common small beer is supposed to be ready for use, in winter, from two to six weeks, and in the heat of summer, from one week to three.

Its strength is regulated by the different prices of malt and of hops; its chief intent is to quench thirst, and its most essential properties are, that in the winter it should be fine, and in the summer sound.

This liquor is chiefly used in and about great trading cities, such as London, where, for want of a sufficient quantity of cellar room, drinks cannot be stowed, which, by long and slow fermentations, would come to a greater degree of perfection.

The duration of this kind of liquor being short, and there being a necessity of brewing it in every season of the year, dividing it into very small quantities, easily affected in its conveyance by the external heat: generally neglected, and placed in repositories influenced by every change of air, the incidents attending it, and the methods for carrying on the process must be more uncertain, various, and complicated, than those of any other liquor made from malt.

The incidents attending this specie of malt liquor are so many, so short of existence, so contrary to one another, and often so different from what should be expected in the different periods of the year, that an attempt to guard, in a just proportion, against every one of them, and against what _may_ happen, and oftentimes does not, must be fruitless.

After many endeavours of this sort, which terminated in a doubtful success, we have found it most eligible to form these drinks in proportion to the principal circumstances constantly attending them, and the result was more fortunate, as, in general, the drink was able to maintain itself against that variety of temperature it met with in the places allotted to it.

In proportion as it is brewed, in a hot or in a cold season, we must employ every means, either to repel or to attract the acids circulating in the air; for this purpose, the degree of dryness in the malt, the quantity of hops, the heat of the extracts, and the degree of temperature the wort is suffered to ferment with, must vary as such seasons do.

The success, in brewing common small beer, greatly depends on its fermentation being retarded or accelerated, in proportion to the heat of the air, and expansion being the principal effect of heat, was a wort of this sort suffered, in winter, to be so cold as 40 degrees, the air would, with difficulty, if at all, penetrate the must, or put it in action.

This slow fermentation would not permit the beer to be ready at the time required.

—For these reasons, brewers let down their worts, in that season, at 60 degrees, whereas, in summer, the air of the night is made use of to get them as cold as possible, by which means a part of them may be 12 degrees colder than the medium of the heat of the day, and the whole of the worts nearly 5 degrees, in the space of 24 hours.

The choice of the malt, as to its dryness and color, for brewing this liquor, should be varied in proportion to the several seasons, but custom requires it should be kept nearly to an uniform color.

For this reason, when the air is so cold as the lowest fermentable degree, a greater dryness than 119 degrees is required; but the dryness of malt forming only one part of the process, the proper medium directing the whole must be brought to its true degree, by the heat given to the extracts.

In the height of summer, malt dried to 130 degrees seems to be the best, as it unites the properties of speedy readiness, preservation, and transparency, and these several characters are, at that time, requisite in this liquor.

To come as near as possible to the inclination of the consumers, or to maintain as near as may be an uniform color, if in the hottest season malt dried to 130 is best for this purpose, the mean between this and 119, the first degree that constitutes malt, must answer nearest every intent, when the heat of the air is at 40 degrees.

Upon this footing, the following table will, from the proportion of these two extremes, shew the color of the grain for every season of the year.

Heat in the Malt’s Value of hops air.

dryness.

in degrees.

35 122 1 40 124 1 45 125 1 50 127 1 55 129 1-1/2 60 130 2 If common small beer was immediately to be used after being brewed and fermented, and it was free from the incidents, most of which we have just now enumerated, no hops would be required, and the medium degree of the whole process would be that of the lowest dried malt, 119, to be employed when the heat of the air was at its first fermentable degree, or 40, as, with adequate malts, this would make the liquor that would be ready in the least space, and, at the same time, yield its constituent parts; but if small beer was intended to be kept some short time, brewed without hops, and not liable to any accidents, and the process to be carried through, in a heat of air equal to the highest fermentable degree, or 80, in this case the governing medium for the whole process must be the utmost heat the grain is able to endure, where malt charrs, or 175 degrees.

As malt liquors are principally affected by heat, we will first proportion the medium heat, directive of each process, for every fermentable degree, without any regard had to any incident whatever, Fermentable Mean heats to govern degrees.

the processes.

40 119 45 126 50 133 55 140 60 147 65 154 70 161 75 168 80 175 Now the principal heats affecting common small beer, with regard to its duration, are the degree of heat under which the beer is at first fermented, that of the air when brewed, and when conveyed from place to place, and that of the cellar where it is deposited; let us, in regard to these heats, take the mean of the circumstances this drink is liable to, at the time when the air is at the first fermentable degree, and at the time when the season is hottest (taking for this the medium heat of the whole 24 hours.

) Having these two extremes, and making a fit allowance for the hops employed, we shall be able, from the above table, to fix the medium heat that should govern the several processes for making common small beer in every season of the year.

I observed, in page 183, that when the heat of the air is 40 degrees, brewers set the worts of common small beer to be fermented, at a heat of 60; add to this 10 degrees more heat, excited by the fermentable action, makes 70° The heat of the air we fixed for the first extreme, was the first fermentable heat, 40 In page 156, we said cellars in winter were generally ten degrees hotter than the air, but we observed, those employed for this use, were the worst of the kind, subjected to exterior impressions, or perhaps other defects, for which reason we here set this heat only at 46 ---- Divided by the number of circumstances 3 ) 156 ---- 52° is the mean of the principal incidents affecting small beer in this season, and, by the foregoing table, this degree indicates a medium to govern the whole process 136, to which must be added, for preservative effect bestowed by the hops used, 1 degree more, which makes it at this heat in the air 137 degrees.

When the mean heat of the whole 24 hours is 60 degrees, (see page 150) if, as in page 183, by the advantage of the evening and night to cool the wort, an abatement of 5 degrees is obtained, the whole of the heat is 55 degrees, add to this only 8 degrees more, because at this time the beer is divided, and put in casks long before the first fermentable act is compleated, and their real heat will be The medium heat of the air in the hottest season (page 150) 60 In page 156 we say, the heat of the cellars in summer time is generally 5 degrees colder than the exterior air, but these being the worst of the kind, may certainly be thought somewhat more exposed, though not so much affected in summer as in winter, when there are fewer culinary fires, for this reason we fix their heat at 56 --- Divided by the number of observations 3 ) 179 --- 59° is the mean of these incidents affecting the small beer at this season, and by the foregoing table it indicates a medium heat to govern the whole process 146 degrees, to which, if two degrees more be added, for the effect of the hops, (as experience teaches us six pounds of hops in summer scarcely are so powerful as three pounds in winter) it will give us for the mean of the heats drying the malt, those impressed in the extracts, together with the allowance made for the hops 148 degrees.

Spontaneous pellucidity is always expected in this drink, although the time allotted to gain this in general is much too short; to forward this intent as far as possible, without hazarding the soundness of the drink, in the computations to determine the heats of the first and last extracts, the whole number of constituent parts of malt or 10 degrees are employed.

Having premised these rules, the heats for the first and last extracts are to be found by like operations before made use of, an example of which we shall state; and knowing the mean heats required for two distinct distant processes, in proportion to these I shall form a table, for brewing this drink in every season of the year.

When the air is at 40, the degree of dryness fixed for malts to be used for common small beer is 124, the quantity of hops three pounds per quarter, the medium of their dryness and the heat of the extracts, together with the value of the hops added thereto, is 137 degrees.

124° Malt’s dryness.

137 Medium intended.

137 1 Value of hops.

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

---- For the first extract.

136 As before.

5 Half the number of the whole constituent degrees, to be deducted.

(See p. 168. ) ---- 131 ---- 124 Malt’s dryness.

138 Rule to discover the first heat.

--- 262 --- 131 As above.

For the last extract.

136 As before.

5 Half the number of the whole constituent degrees, to be added.

(See p. 168. ) --- 141 --- 124 Malt’s dryness.

158 Rule to discover the last heat.

--- 282 --- 141 As above.

--- The proof.

138 Heat of the first extract.

158 Heat of the last extract.

---- 296 ---- 148 Mean heat of extracts.

124 Malt’s dryness.

---- 272 ---- 136 Mean of Malt’s dryness and heat of extracts.

1 Value of hops.

---- 137 Medium intended, as above.

---- The elements for forming common small beer, when the heat of the air is at 40 degrees, independent of the proper division of this heat, adequate to each Mash.

Malt’s Value of Whole First Last dryness.

hops.

medium.

heat.

heat.

124 1 137 138 158 2 2 The medium of the heat lost in the mash ton, amounting to two degrees, is added to the heat of the first and last mash, in the following table.

A TABLE _of the elements for forming common small beer, at every degree of heat in the air, with the allowance of two degrees of heat, in the first and last extractions_.

Heat Malt’s Value of Medium heat First Last of air.

dryness.

hops.

of the heat.

heat.

processes.

35 122 1 135 138 158 40 124 1 137 140 160 45 125 1 140 145 165 50 127 1 143 149 169 55 129 1-1/2 146 152 172 60 130 2 148 154 174 From due observation of this table, it appears, how necessary it is for brewers to be acquainted, not only with the daily temperature of the air, but also with the medium heat of such spaces of time, wherein a drink like this is expected to preserve itself.

This I have estimated for every 14 days; (page 150) but as the event may not always exactly correspond with our expectations, an absolute perfection in this drink, as to its transparency and soundness, is not to be expected.

It greatly depends on the care and attention given to it, and on the temperature and quiescent state of the cellars it is placed in.

The first of these circumstances is often neglected, and the other hardly ever obtained, as the places, where common small beer is kept, are generally the worst of the kind.

In keeping beers, every circumstance is assistant to form them so as to obtain elegance in taste, strength, and pellucidity, either spontaneously or by precipitation, but in common small beer; from the shortness of its duration; and from the many complicated incidents that occur; only the medium of the effect of these can be attended to;

which governing medium, in general, differs so much from those which form more exact fermentable proportions, that in these extracts, there cannot be expected that near resemblance to natural wines, which, under more favorable management, it is capable of.

The fourth mode of extraction is that, which, by conveying a heat, equal to what is practised for keeping pale strong, and keeping pale small beers, to the liquors commonly known by the names of _pale ale_, _amber_, or _twopenny_, the softest and richest taste malt can possibly yield, and which makes them resemble wines formed from grapes ripened by the hottest sun, though by artfully exciting periodical fermentations, they are, in a very short time, made to become transparent.

As wines have, in general, been named from the town or city, in the neighbourhood of which the grapes, from which they are made, are found growing, this has, though with less reason, been the case, with our numerous class of soft beers and ales.

These topical denominations can indeed constitute no real, at least no considerable difference, since the birth-place of any drink is the least of all distinctions, where the method of practice, the materials employed, and the heat of the climate, are nearly the same.

Ales are not required to keep a long time; so the hops bestowed on them, though they should always be of the finest color, and best quality, are proportionably fewer in the winter than in the summer.

The reason is, that the consumption made of this liquor in cold weather, is generally for purl[17], whereas, in summer, as it is longer on draught, it requires a more preservative quality.

The properties of this liquor are, that it should be pale; its strength and taste principally depend on the malt, and its transparency should be the effect of fermentation, accelerated by every means, which will not be hurtful to it.

Malt capable of yielding the strongest extracts, is such whose dryness does not exceed 120 degrees; and 138 we have seen to be the highest mean of the extracts, and of the dryness of the malt to admit of pellucidity, without precipitation; the hops used, being only so many as are necessary to resist the heat of the seasons the ale is brewed in, may in general be estimated in value, one degree; from these premises, the elements for brewing this drink, will be found by the same rules as before, where 10 degrees are supposed to be equal to the whole of the constituent parts, and the whole of these are employed to accelerate its coming to perfection.

120 Degrees of malt’s dryness.

---- 138 Degrees, whole medium intended.

1 Value of hops.

---- 137 Mean of malt’s dryness, and heat of extracts.

For the first extract.

137 As before.

5 Half the number of the whole constituent degrees to be deducted.

---- 132 Mean of malt’s dryness, and of the heat of first extract.

---- 120 Malt’s dryness.

144 Rule to discover the first heat.

---- 264 ---- 132 As above.

For the last extract.

137 As before.

5 Half the number of the whole constituent degrees to be added.

---- 142 Mean of malt’s dryness and of the heat of last extract.

---- 120 Malt’s dryness.

164 Rule to discover the last heat of last extract.

---- 284 ---- 142 As above.

The elements for brewing pale ale or amber, with the allowance of 2 degrees for the heats lost in the extracts.

Malt’s Value of Medium of Heat of Heat of dryness.

hops.

the whole.

first mash.

last mash.

120 1 138 146 166 The time this liquor is intended to be kept, should entirely be governed by the quantity of hops used therein; for this ale being required to become spontaneously fine, the medium of the whole, or 138 degrees, cannot be exceeded.

In and about London, and in some counties in England, these ales, by periodical fermentations, are made to become fine, sooner than naturally they would do, and often, in a shorter time than one week.

The means of doing this, by beating the yeast into the drink, as it is termed, has by some been greatly blamed, and thought to be an ill practice.

An opinion that the yeast dissolved in the drink, and thereby made it unwholesome, prevailed; and some brewers, erroneously led by this, and yet willing that their commodity should appear of equal strength with such as had undergone repeated fermentations, have been induced to add ingredients to their worts, if not of the most destructive nature, at least very unwholesome.

The plain truth is, that, by returning the elastic air in the fermenting ale, the effects of long keeping are greatly imitated, though with less advantage as to flavor and to strength; but as this case relates to fermentation, we shall have hereafter an opportunity of explaining it more at large.

It is under this class, that the famous _Burton ale_ may be ranked, and, if I do not mistake, it will be found, that its qualities and intrinsic value will be the same, when judiciously brewed in London, or elsewhere, from whence it may be exported at much cheaper rates to Russia and other parts, than when it is increased in price by a long and chargeable land-carriage.

When drinks are made so strong as these generally are, only two mashes can take place, by which the whole virtue of the malt not being expended, small beer is made after these ales.

The purest and most essential parts of the grain being extracted, it is not to be expected, from an impoverished grist, that beers can be made to possess all their necessary constituent parts, or to keep so long, as where fresh malt is used; but the sort of small beer, which answers best to the brewer, and is most salubrious for the consumer, must be, by the addition of fresh hops, to form the remaining strength into keeping small beer, the greater quantity of hops necessary to be allowed, beside those boiled in the ale, is 2-1/4 pounds for every barrel intended to be made.

As much more water must be employed, for this small beer, besides its length, as will steam away in two hours boiling, and 1/8 of a barrel per quarter of malt, for waste.

The heat regulating the extract of small, will be found by the following rule.

138 Medium heat intended for keeping small beer.

2 Value of hops.

---- 136 Mean of malt’s dryness and heat of extract.

---- 120 Malt’s dryness.

152[18]Heat of the mash for keeping small after amber, one mash, and one wort.

---- 272 ---- 136 As above.

All the hops after these two brewings, as those added for the keeping small beer have been boiled but in one wort, are in value, for the next guile of beer, equal to 1/10 of fresh hops.

We should now put an end to this section, but, as other drinks are brewed besides those here particularly treated of, we shall just mention them, to shew how their different processes are reducible to the rules just laid down.

_Brown_ ale is a liquor, whose length is generally two barrels from one quarter of malt, and which is not intended for preservation.

It is heavy, thick, foggy, and therefore justly grown in disuse.

The hops used in this, differ in proportion to the heats of the season it is brewed in, but are generally nearly half the quantity of what is employed, at the same times, for common small beer.

The system it ought to be brewed upon is not different from that of this last liquor; the medium of the malt’s dryness, and heat of the extracts, are the same for each degree of heat in the air, and it requires the same management when under fermentation.

But though common pale small beer and brown ale are so much alike in their theory, yet, from the difference of the dryness of the malt, which, for brown ale, is constantly so high as 130 degrees, the practice will appear greatly different.

Small beer is made after this ale, by the same rules as that made after pale ale or amber; the malt must, in that case, be valued according to its original dryness, and the medium governing the process be the same as for small beer, and as if no extract had been taken from the grain.

No small beer brewed after ales can ever be equal in goodness to such as are brewed from entire grists; but that which is made after brown ale, from the grain being so highly dried, and nearly exhausted, is neither nourishing or fit to quench thirst.

_Brown stout_ is brewed with brown malt, as amber is with pale;

the system for brewing these liquors is the same, allowing for the difference in the dryness of the malt.

The overstrength of this drink has been the reason of its being discontinued, especially since porter or brown beer has been brought to a greater perfection.

—That which is brewed with an intent of being long kept, should be hopped in proportion to the time proposed, or the climate it is to be conveyed to.

_Old hock_ requires the same proportion of hops as are used in keeping pale strong, or keeping pale small beer; but more or less, according to the time it is intended to be kept before it becomes fit for use.

The length is about two barrels, from a quarter of the palest and best malt.

As spontaneous pellucidity is required, its whole medium must not exceed 138 degrees, for the drying and extracting heat.

The management of it, when fermenting, is under the same rules with keeping small beer, or those which are allowed a due time to become of themselves pellucid.

_Dorchester beers_, both strong and small, range under the same head.

They are brewed from barleys well germinated, but not dried to the denomination of malt.

The rule of the whole 138 degrees for the governing medium, must, even with this grain, be observed to form these drinks; but, from the slackness of the malt, and the quantities of salt and wheaten flour mixed with the liquor, when under fermentation, proceed its peculiar taste, its mantling, and its frothy property.

SECTION IV.