Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, first edition - Volume I, A-B.pdf/803

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XXX (671) XXX

BREW put into the copper, and afterwards in the tun, while the drink is working. Here then it muft be obferved, that the earthy part of the hop is the caufe of that rough, harfh, unpleafant tafle which accompany both ales and beers that have the hops fo long boiled in them, as to tin&ure their worts with their mifchievous effe&s; for, notwithstanding the malt be ever fo good, the hops, if boiled too long in them,, will be fo predominant as to caufe a bad tafte. Of boiling Malt-liquors. Althou’Gh it has been formerly faid, that an hour and a half is requisite for boiling of Oftober beer, and an hour for ales and fmall beer ; yet it is to be obferved, that an exadt time is not altogether a certain rule in this cafe , for, when loofe hops are boiled in the wort fo long till they all fink, their feeds will arife and fall down again ; the wort alfo will be curdled, and broken into fmall particles if examined in a hand-bowl, but afterwards into larger, as big as great pins heads, and will appear clean and fine at the top. This is fo much a rule with fome, that they regard' not time, but this Sign, to fhew when the wort is boiled enough ; and this will happen fooner or later, according to the nature of tbej>arley, and its being well malted; for, if it comes off chalks or gravels, it generally has the good property of breaking or curdling Soon; but, if off tough clays, then it is longer, which, by fome perfons, is not a little va hied, becaufe it faves time in boiling, and confequently the confumption of the wort. It is alfo to be obferved, that pale malt-worts will not break fo foon in the copper as the brown forts; but, when either of their worts boil, it ftiould be to the purpofe, for then they will break, fooner, and Wafte lefs, than if they are kept fimmering, . and will likewife work more kindly in the tun, drink fmoother,. and keep longer. Now all malt-worts may be fpoiled by too little or too much boiling: If too little, then the drink will.always tafie raw, mawkifh, and be unwholefome in the flomach, where, inftead of helping to dilute, and digeft our food, it will caufe obllrudions, cholics, head-achs,. and other difeafes: Befides,-all fuch under-boiled drinks are cer^tainly expofed to ftalenefs and fournefs, much fooner than thofe that have had their full time in the copper. And if they are boiled too long, they will then thicken and nbt come out of the copper line and in a right condition. which will caufe it never to be right clear in the barrel. But to be more particular, no ale-wdrts, boiled lefs than an hour, can be good; becaufe, in an hour’s time, they cannot acquire a thicknefs of body any ways detrimental to them; and, in lefs than an hour, the ramous vifcid parts of the ale cannot be fufhciently broke and divided, fo as to prevent its running.into cohefions, ropir nefs, and fournefs; becaufe in ales there are .not hopsenough allowed to do this, which good boiling muft in a great meafure fupply,-or elfe fuch drink can never be good; for then its cohefive parts being not thoroughly broke and comminuted by time and boiling, remain hard.

I N G. 671 and in a good meafure indigeftible in the ftomach : How ignorant then are thofe people, who, in tippling of fuch liquor, can praife it for excellent good ale, only becaufe its tafte is fweetifh, (which is the nature of fuch raw drinks)^ believing it to be the pure effedt of the genuine malt, and not perceiving the brewer’s avarice and cunning, to fave the confumption of his wort by fhortnefs of boiling, tho’ to the great prejudice of the drinker’s health ? In boiling, both time and the curdling or breaking of the wort fhould be confulted ; for if a perfon was to boil the wort an hour, and then take it out of the copper before it was rightly broke, it would be wrong management, and the drink would not be fine and wholefome; and if it Ihould boil an hour and a half, or two hours, without regarding when its particles are in a right order, then it may be too thick; fo that due care muft be had to the two extremes, to obtain it in its due order; therefore, in Odtober and keeping beers, an hour and a quarter’s good boiling is commonly fufficient to have a thorough cured drink; for generally in that time it will break and boil enough ; becaufe in this there is a double fecurity by length of boiling, and a quantity of hops fhifted ; but in the new way there is only a fingle one, and that is by a double or treble allowance of frefh hops boiled only half an hour in the wort; and for this practice a reafon is afligned, that the hops, being endowed with difeutient apertive qualities, will, by them and their great quantity, fupply the defedt of underboiling the wort; and that a farther conveniency is here enjoyed by having only the fine, wholefome, ftrong, floury, fpirituous parts of the hop in the drink, exclufiye of the phlegmetic, earthy parts which would be extradhed, if the hops were to be boiled above half an hour; and therefore there are many now that are fo attached to this new method, that they will not brew ale or beer any other way, thinking, that if hops are boiled above thirty minutes, the wort will exhibit fome of their bad qualities. The allowance of hops for ale or beer cannot be exadfly adjufted without coming to particulars, becaufe the proportion fhould be according to the nature and quality of the male, the feafomof the year it is brewed in, and the length of time it is to be kept. For ftrong brown ale brewed in-ally-of the winter^ months, and boiled an hour, one pound “is but barely fufficient for a hogffiead, if it be tapped in three weeks or a month. If for pale aie brewed at that time, and for that age; one pound and a quarter pf hops; but if thefe ales are brewed in any of the .fummer months, there ihould be more hops-allowed i For Odlober or March brown beer, a hogffiead made; from eleven buffiels of malt, boiled an hour and a quarter, to be kept nine months, three pounds and a half ought to be boiled in fuch drink at the Jeaft. For O&ober or March pale beer, made from fourteen buffiels, boiled,an hour and a quarter, and kept twelve months, fix pounds ought to be allowed to a hogfhead of luch drink, and more if the Imps are flufted in two bags, and lefs time given the wort to baiL. Of