off, whatever be the quality of the liquor. The beer, as soon as it is tolerably clear, should be racked off into perfectly clean and sweet casks; and, when managed in this manner, will remain a long time in a state of perfection.
9. Of fining the Liquor. As the excellency of all fermented liquors depends, in a great measure, on their transparency, it often becomes necessary to resort to artificial means, in order to bring them to this state of perfection, if the process of fermentation has been mismanaged. Thus, a solution of isin-glass in stale beer, is used to fine and precipitate other beers: but, as this method has proved ineffectual in brown beers, we are informed by Mr. Combrune, that brewers "sometimes put one pound of oil of vitriol into one butt, though four ounces should never be exceeded in that quantity." On this subject we refer the reader to p. 239 of our work.
10. Of the distempers of Malt Liquors. Among the distempers incident to beer, one, which has been found most difficult to cure, is that of its appearing ropy. A bunch of hyssop put into the cask will, however, effectually remedy this evil.—A satisfactory account of the different methods of recovering flat, tart, or sour beer, having been already given in this Encyclopædia, p. 240 and 241, it would be superfluous to repeat it in this place.
It deserves to be remarked, that brown beer, made from well-dried malt, is, in the opinion of Mr. Combrune, less heating than pale beer, brewed from slack-dried malt. If extracts from pale malt be made with very hot water, they will keep sound for a long time; but those obtained from brown malt, with too cold water, will frequently turn sour.
Having thus afforded an analytical view of this important subject, we shall conclude it with an account of the latest patents, which have been granted to those who have contributed, or attempted to improve, the Art of Brewing.
In March, 1788, Mr. W. Ker, of Kerfield, Tweedale, received the King's patent for his improvement in brewing ale, beer, porter, and other malt liquors, so as to save a considerable portion of hops, to produce the liquors of a superior flavour and quality, and render them less liable to become acid or putrid. The steam which arises from the boiling copper, is known to be strongly impregnated with the essential oil of the hops, in which their flavour consists. Instead, therefore, of allowing it to escape and evaporate, as it does in the common mode of brewing, Mr. Ker contrives to preserve and condense it, by means of a winding-pipe fixed to the copper, similar to the worm of a still, or by a straight pipe passing through cold water, or any other cooling medium. The oil and water, thus obtained, are returned into the worts, when boiled; or the oil, after being separated from the water, along with which it had been exhaled, is returned into the worts after they are boiled; and the watery part, which, after the oil is separated, still continues impregnated with the aromatic taste and bitter of the hop, is returned into the next copper or boiling vessel, and so on, from one copper or boiling vessel into another. By this process, a considerable part of the hop and flavour, which is lost in the ordinary mode of brewing, is preserved; the flavour of the liquor
