Chapter III: Part 3

Foxing is a misfortune, or rather a Disease in Malt Drinks, occasioned by divers Means, as the Nastiness of the Utensils, putting the Worts too thick together in the Backs or Cooler, Brewing too often and soon one after another, and sometimes by bad Malts and Waters, and the Liquors taken in wrong Heats, being of such pernicious Consequence to the great Brewer in particular, that he sometimes cannot recover and bring his Matters into a right Order again under a Week or two, and is so hateful to him in its very Name, that it is a general Law among them to make all Servants that Name the word _Fox_ or _Foxing_, in the Brewhouse to pay Sixpence, which obliges them to call it _Reynards_; for when once the Drink is Tainted, it may be smelt at some Distance somewhat like a _Fox_; It chiefly happens in hot weather, and causes the Beer and Ale so Tainted to acquire a fulsome sickish taste, that will if it is receive'd in a great degree become Ropy like Treacle, and in some short time turn Sour. This I have known so to surprize my small Beer Customers, that they have asked the Drayman what was the matter: He to act in his Master's Interest tells them a Lye, and says it is the goodness of the Malt that causes that sweetish mawkish taste, and then would brag at Home how cleverly he came off. I have had it also in the Country more than once, and that by the idleness and ignorance of my Servant, who when a Tub has been rinced out only with fair Water, has set it by for a clean one but this won't do with a careful Master for I oblige him to clean the Tub with a Hand-brush, Ashes, or Sand every Brewing, and so that I cannot scrape any Dirt up under my Nail. However as the Cure of this Disease has baffled the Efforts of many, I have been tempted to endeavour the finding out a Remedy for the great Malignity, and shall deliver the best I know on this Score.

And here I shall mention the great Value of the Hop in preventing and curing the Fox in Malt Liquors. When the Wort is run into the Tub out of the mashing Vat, it is a very good way to throw some Hops directly into it before it is put into the Copper, and they will secure it against Sourness and Ropyness, that are the two Effects of fox'd Worts or Drinks, and is of such Power in this respect, that raw Worts may be kept some time, even, in hot weather, before they are boiled, and which is necessary; where there is a large Quantity of Malt used to a little Copper; but it is certain that the stronger Worts will keep longer with Hops than the smaller Sorts: So likewise if a Person has fewer Tubs than is wanting, and he is apprehensive his Worts will be Fox'd by too thick lying in the Coolers or working Tubs, then it will be a safe way to put some fresh Hops into such Tubs and work them with the Yeast as I have before hinted; or in case the Drink is already Foxed in the Fat or Tun, new Hops should be put in and work'd with it, and they will greatly fetch it again into a right Order; but then such Drink should be carefully taken clear off from its gross nasty Lee, which being mostly Tainted, would otherwise lye in the Barrel, corrupt and make it worse.

Some will sift quick Lime into foxed Drinks while they are working in the Tun or Vat, that its Fire and Salts may break the Cohesions of the Beer or Ale, and burn away the stench, that the Corruption would always cause; but then such Drink should by a Peg at the bottom of the Vat be drawn off as fine as possible, and the Dregs left behind.

There are many that do not conceive how their Drinks become Fox'd and Tainted for several Brewings together; but I have in Chapter VI, in my Second Book, made it appear, that the Taint is chiefly retain'd and lodged in the upright wooden Pins that fasten the Planks to the Joists, and how scalding Lye is a very efficacious Liquor to extirpate it out of the Utensils in a little time if rightly applied; and one other most powerful Ingredient that is now used by the greatest Artists for curing of the same.

CHAP. XIII

_Of fermenting and working of Beers and Ales, and the pernicious Practice of Beating in the Yeast detected_.

This Subject in my Opinion has, long wanted a Satyrical Pen to shew the ill Effects of this unwholsome Method, which I suppose has been much discouraged and hindered hitherto, from the general use it has been under many Years, especially by the _Northern_ Brewers, who tho' much famed for their Knowledge in this Art, and have induced many others by their Example in the _Southern_ and other Parts to pursue their Method; yet I shall endeavour to prove them culpable of Male-practice, that beat in the Yeast, as some of them have done a Week together; and that Custom ought not to Authorize an ill Practice. _First_, I shall observe that Yeast is a very strong acid, that abounds with subtil spirituous Qualities, whose Particles being wrapped up in those that are viscid, are by a mixture with them in the Wort, brought into an intestine Motion, occasion'd by Particles of different Gravities; for as the spirituous Parts of the Wort will be continually striving to get up to the Surface, the glutinous adhesive ones of the Yeast will be as constant in retarding their assent, and so prevent their Escape; by which the spirituous Particles are set loose and free from their viscid Confinements, as may appear by the Froth on the Top, and to this end a moderate warmth hastens the Operation, as it assists in opening the viscidities in which some spirituous Parts may be entangled, and unbends the Spring of the included Air: The viscid Parts which are raised to the Top, not only on account of their own lightness, but by the continual efforts and occursions of the Spirits to get uppermost, shew when the ferment is at the highest, and prevent the finer Spirits making their escape; but if this intestine Operation is permitted to continue too long, a great deal will get away, and the remaining grow flat and vapid, as Dr. _Quincy_ well observes. Now tho' a small quantity of Yeast is necessary to break the Band of Corruption in the Wort, yet it is in itself of a poisonous Nature, as many other Acids are; for if a Plaister of thick Yeast be applied to the Wrist as some have done for an Ague, it will there raise little Pustules or Blisters in some degree like that Venomous! (As I have just reason in a particular Sense to call it) Ingredient _Cantharide_, which is one of the Shop Poisons. Here then I shall observe, that I have known several beat the Yeast into the Wort for a Week or more together to improve it, or in plainer terms to load the Wort with its weighty and strong spirituous Particles; and that for two Reasons, _First_, Because it will make the Liquor so heady, that five Bushels of Malt may be equal in strength to six, and that by the stupifying Narcotick Qualities of the Yeast; which mercenary subtilty and imposition has so prevailed to my Knowledge with the Vulgar and Ignorant, that it has caused many of them to return the next Day to the same Alehouse, as believing they had stronger and better Drink than others: But alas, how are such deceived that know no other than that it is the pure Product of the Malt, when at the same time they are driving Nails into their Coffins, by impregnating their Blood with the corrupt Qualities of this poisonous acid, as many of its Drinkers have proved, by suffering violent Head-achs, loss of Appetite, and other Inconveniencies the Day following, and sometimes longer, after a Debauch of such Liquor; who would not perhaps for a great reward swallow a Spoonful of thick Yeast by itself, and yet without any concern may receive for ought they know several, dissolved in the Vehicle of Ale, and then the corrosive Corpuscles of the Yeast being mix'd with the Ale, cannot fail (when forsaken in the Canals of the Body of their Vehicle) to do the same mischief as they would if taken by themselves undiluted, only with this difference, that they may in this Form be carried sometimes further in the animal Frame, and so discover their malignity in some of the inmost recesses thereof, which also is the very Case of malignant Waters, as a most learned Doctor observes.

_Secondly_, They alledge for beating the Yeast into Wort, that it gives it a fine tang or relish, or as they call it at _London_, it makes the Ale bite of the Yeast; but this flourish indeed is for no other reason than to further its Sale, and tho' it may be agreeable to some Bigots, to me it proves a discovery of the infection by its nauseous taste; however my surprize is lessen'd, when I remember the _Plymouth_ People, who are quite the reverse of them at _Dover_ and _Chatham_; for the first are so attach'd to their white thick Ale, that many have undone themselves by drinking it; nor is their humour much different as to the common Brewers brown Ale, who when the Customer wants a Hogshead, they immediately put in a Handful of Salt and another of Flower, and so bring it up, this is no sooner on the Stilling but often Tapp'd, that it may carry a Froth on the Top of the Pot, otherwise they despise it: The Salt commonly answered its End of causing the Tiplers to become dryer by the great Quantities they drank, that it farther excited by the biting pleasant stimulating quality the Salt strikes the Palate with. The Flower also had its seducing share by pleasing the Eye and Mouth with its mantling Froth, so that the Sailors that are often here in great Numbers used to consume many Hogsheads of this common Ale with much delight, as thinking it was intirely the pure Product of the Malt.

Their white Ale is a clear Wort made from pale Malt, and fermented with what they call ripening, which is a Composition, they say, of the Flower of Malt, Yeast and Whites of Eggs, a _Nostrum_ made and sold only by two or three in those Parts, but the Wort is brewed and the Ale vended by many of the Publicans; which is drank while it is fermenting in Earthen Steens, in such a thick manner as resembles butter'd Ale, and sold for Twopence Halfpenny the full Quart. It is often prescribed by Physicians to be drank by wet Nurses for the encrease of their Milk, and also as a prevalent Medicine for the Colick and Gravel. But the _Dover_ and _Chatham_ People won't drink their Butt-Beer, unless it is Aged, fine and strong.

_Of working and fermenting_ London _Stout Beer and Ale_.

In my Brewhouse at _London_, the Yeast at once was put into the Tun to work the Stout Beer and Ale with, as not having the Conveniency of doing otherwise, by reason the After-worts of small Beer comes into the same Backs or Coolers where the strong Worts had just been, by this means, and the shortness of time we have to ferment our strong Drinks, we cannot make Reserves of cold Worts to mix with and check the too forward working of those Liquors, for there we brewed three times a Week throughout the Year, as most of the great ones do in _London_, and some others five times. The strong Beer brewed for keeping is suffered to be Blood-warm in the Winter when the Yeast is put into it, that it may gradually work two Nights and a Day at least, for this won't admit of such a hasty Operation as the common brown Ale will, because if it is work'd too warm and hasty, such Beer won't keep near so long as that fermented cooler. The brown Ale has indeed its Yeast put into it in the Evening very warm, because they carry it away the very next Morning early to their Customers, who commonly draw it out in less than a Week's time. The Pale or Amber Ales are often kept near it, not quite a Week under a fermentation, for the better incorporating the Yeast with Wort, by beating it in several times for the foregoing Reasons.

_Of working or fermenting Drinks brewed by Private Families_.

I mean such who Brew only for their own use, whether it be a private Family or a Victualler. In this Case be it for Stout Beers, or for any of the Ales; the way that is used in _Northamptonshire_, and by good Brewers elsewhere; is, to put some Yeast into a small quantity of warm Wort in a Hand-bowl, which for a little while swims on the Top, where it works out and leisurely mixes with the Wort, that is first quite cold in Summer, and almost so in Winter; for the cooler it is work'd the longer it will keep, too much Heat agitating the spirituous Particles into too quick a motion, whereby they spend themselves too fast, or fly away too soon, and then the Drink will certainly work into a blister'd Head that is never natural; but when it ferments by moderate degrees into a fine white curl'd Head, its Operation is then truly genuine, and plainly shews the right management of the Brewer. To one Hogshead of Beer, that is to be kept nine Months, I put a Quart of thick Yeast, and ferment it as cool as it will admit of, two Days together, in _October_ or _March_, and if I find it works too fast, I check it at leisure by stirring in some raw Wort with a Hand-bowl: So likewise in our Country Ales we take the very same method, because of having them keep some time, and this is so nicely observed by several, that I have seen them do the very same by their small Beer Wort; now by these several Additions of raw Wort, there are as often new Commotions raised in the Beer or Ale, which cannot but contribute to the rarefaction and comminution of the whole; but whether it is by these joining Principles of the Wort and Yeast, that the Drink is rendered smoother, or that the spirituous Parts are more entangled and kept from making their Escape, I can't determine; yet sure it is, that such small Liquors generally sparkle and knit out of the Barrel as others out of a Bottle, and is as pleasant Ale as ever I drank.

Others again for Butt or Stout Beer will, when they find it works up towards a thick Yeast, mix it once and beat it in again with the Hand-bowl or Jett; and when it has work'd up a second time in such a manner, they put it into the Vessel with the Yeast on the Top and the Sediments at Bottom, taking particular Care to have some more in a Tub near the Cask to fill it up as it works over, and when it has done working, leave it with a thick Head of Yeast on to preserve it.

But for Ale that is not to be kept very long, they Hop it accordingly, and beat the Yeast in every four or five Hours for two Days successively in the warm weather, and four in the Winter till the Yeast begins to work heavy and sticks to the hollow part of the Bowl, if turned down on the same, then they take all the Yeast off at Top and leave all the Dregs behind, putting only up the clear Drink, and when it is a little work'd in the Barrel, it will be fine in a few Days and ready for drinking. But this, last way of beating in the Yeast too long, I think I have sufficiently detected, and hope, as it is how declining, it will never revive again, and for which reason I have in my second Book encouraged all light fermentations, as the most natural for the Malt Liquor and the human Body.

_Of forwarding and retarding the fermentation of malt Liquors_.

In case Beer or Ale is backward in working, it is often practised to cast some Flower out of the Dusting Box, or with the Hand over the Top of the Drink, which will become a sort of Crust or Cover to help to keep the Cold out: Others will put in one or two Ounces of powder'd Ginger, which will so heat the Wort as to bring it forward: Others will take a Gallon Stone Bottle and fill it with boiling water, which being well Cork'd, is put into the working Tub, where it will communicate a gradual Heat for some time and forward the fermentation: Others will reserve some raw Wort, which they heat and mix with the rest, but then due Care must be taken that the Pot in which it is heated has no manner of Grease about it lest it impedes, instead of promoting the working, and for this reason some nice Brewers will not suffer a Candle too near the Wort, lest it drop into it. But for retarding and keeping back any Drink that is too much heated in working, the cold raw Wort, as I have said before, is the most proper of any thing to check it with, tho' I have known some to put one or more Pewter Dishes into it for that purpose, or it may be broke into several other Tubs, where by its shallow lying it will be taken off its Fury. Others again, to make Drink work that is backward, will take the whites of two Eggs and beat them up with half a Quartern of good Brandy, and put it either into the working Vat, or into the Cask, and it will quickly bring it forward if a warm Cloth is put over the Bung. Others will tye up Bran in a coarse thin Cloth and put it into the Vat, where by its spungy and flowery Nature and close Bulk it will absorp a quantity of the Drink, and breed a heat to forward its working. I know an Inn-keeper of a great Town in _Bucks_ that is so curious as to take off all the top Yeast first, and then by a Peg near the bottom of his working Tub, he draws off the Beer or Ale, so that the Dreggs are by this means left behind. This I must own is very right in Ales that are to be drank soon, but in Beers that are to lye nine or twelve Months in a Butt or other Cask, there certainly will be wanted some Feces or Sediment for the Beer to feed on, else it must consequently grow hungry, sharp and eager; and therefore if its own top and bottom are not put into a Cask with the Beer, some other Artificial Composition or Lee should supply its Place, that is wholsomer, and will better feed with such Drink than its own natural Settlement, and therefore I have here inserted several curious Receipts for answering this great End.

CHAP. XIV.

_Of an Artificial Lee for Stout or Stale Beer to feed on_.

This Article, as it is of very great Importance in the curing of our malt Liquors, requires a particular regard to this last management of them, because in my Opinion the general misfortune of the Butt or keeping Beers drinking so hard and harsh, is partly owing to the nasty foul Feces that lye at the bottom of the Cask, compounded of the Sediments of Malt, Hops and Yeast, that are, all Clogg'd with gross rigid Salts, which by their long lying in the Butt or other Vessel, so tinctures the Beer as to make it partake of all their raw Natures: For such is the Feed, such is the Body, as may be perceived by Eels taken out of dirty Bottoms, that are sure to have a muddy taste, when the Silver sort that are catched in Gravelly or Sandy clear Rivers Eat sweet and fine: Nor can this ill property be a little in those Starting (as they call it in _London_) new thick Beers that were carry'd directly from my Brewhouse, and by a Leather Pipe or Spout conveyed into the Butt as they stood in the Cellar, which I shall further demonstrate by the Example of whole Wheat, that is, by many put into such Beer to feed and preserve it, as being reckoned a substantial Alcali; however it has been proved that such Wheat in about three Years time has eat into the very Wood of the Cask, and there Hony-comb'd it by making little hollow Cavities in the Staves. Others there are that will hang a Bag of Wheat in the Vessel that it mayn't touch the Bottom, but in both Cases the Wheat is discovered to absorp and collect the saline acid qualities of the Beer, Yeast and Hop, by which it is impregnated with their sharp qualities, as a Toast of Bread is put into Punch or Beer, whose alcalous hollow Nature will attract and make a Lodgment of the acid strong Particles in either, as is proved by eating the inebriating Toast, and therefore the _Frenchman_ says, the _English_ are right in putting a Toast into the Liquor, but are Fools for eating it: Hence it is that such whole Wheat is loaded with the qualities of the unwholsome Settlements or Grounds of the Beer, and becomes of such a corroding Nature, as to do this mischief; and for that reason, some in the _North_ will hang a Bag of the Flower of malted Oats, Wheat, Pease and Beans in the Vessels of Beer, as being a lighter and mellower Body than whole Wheat or its Flower, and more natural to the Liquor: But whether it be raw Wheat or Malted, it is supposed, after this receptacle has emitted its alcalous Properties to the Beer, and taken in all it can of the acid qualities thereof, that such Beer will by length of Age prey upon that again, and so communicate its pernicious Effects to the Body of Man, as Experience seems to justify by the many sad Examples that I have seen in the Destruction of several lusty Brewers Servants, who formerly scorn'd what they then called Flux Ale, to the preference of such corroding consuming Stale Beers; and therefore I have hereafter advised that such Butt or keeping Beers be Tapp'd at nine or twelve Months end at furthest, and then an Artificial Lee will have a due time allowed it to do good and not harm.

_An Excellent Composition for feeding Butts or keeping Beers with_.

Take a Quart of _French_ Brandy, or as much of _English_, that is free from any burnt Tang, or other ill taste, and is full Proof, to this put as much Wheat or Flower as will knead it into a Dough, put it in long pieces into the Bung Hole, as soon as the Beer has done working, or afterwards, and let it gently fall piece by piece to the bottom of the Butt, this will maintain the Drink in a mellow freshness, keep staleness off for some time, and cause it to be the stronger as it grows Aged.

ANOTHER.

Take one Pound of Treacle or Honey, one Pound of the Powder of dryed Oyster-shells or fat Chalk, mix them well and put it into a Butt, as soon as it has done working or some time after, and Bung it well, this will both fine and preserve the Beer in a soft, smooth Condition for a great while.

ANOTHER.

Take a Peck of Egg-shells and dry them in an Oven, break and mix them with two Pound of fat Chalk, and mix them with water wherein four Pounds of coarse Sugar has been boiled, and put it into the Butt as aforesaid.

_To fine and preserve Beers and Ales by boiling an Ingredient in the Wort_.

This most valuable way I frequently follow both for Ale, Butt-beer and Small Beer, and that is, in each Barrel Copper of Wort, I put in a Pottle, or two Quarts of whole Wheat as soon as I can, that it may soak before it boils, then I strain it thro' a Sieve, when I put the Wort in cooling Tubs, and if it is thought fit the same Wheat may be boiled in a second Copper: Thus there will be extracted a gluey Consistence, which being incorporated with the Wort by boiling, gives it a more thick and ponderous Body, and when in the Cask, soon makes a Sediment or Lee, as the Wort is more or less loaded with the weighty Particles of this fizy Body; but if such Wheat was first parched or baked in an Oven, it would do better, as being rather too raw as it comes from the Ear.

_Another Way_.

A Woman, who lived at _Leighton Buzzard_ in _Bedfordshire_, and had the best Ale in the Town, once told a Gentleman, she had Drink just done working in the Barrel, and before it was Bung'd would wager it was fine enough to Drink out of a Glass, in which it should maintain a little while a high Froth; and it was true, for the Ivory shavings that she boiled in her Wort, was the Cause of it, which an Acquaintance of mine accidentally had a View of as they lay spread over the Wort in the Copper; so will Hartshorn shavings do the same and better, both of them being great finers and preservers of malt Liquors against staleness and sourness, and are certainly of a very alcalous Nature. Or if they are put into a Cask when you Bung it down, it will be of service for that purpose; but these are dear in Comparison of the whole Wheat, which will in a great measure supply their Place, and after it is used, may be given to a poor Body, or to the Hog.

_To stop the Fret in Malt Liquors_.

Take a Quart of Black Cherry Brandy, and pour it in at the Bung-hole of the Hogshead and stop it close.

_To recover deadish Beer_.

When strong Drink grows flat, by the loss of its Spirits, take four or five Gallons out of a Hogshead, and boil it with five Pound of Honey, skim it, and when cold, put it to the rest, and stop it up close: This will make it pleasant, quick and strong.

_To make stale Beer drink new_.

Take the Herb _Horehound_ stamp it and strain it, then put a Spoonful of the juice (which is an extream good Pectoral) to a pitcher-full of Beer, let it stand covered about two Hours and drink it.

_To fine Malt Liquors_.

Take a pint of water, half an Ounce of unslack'd Lime, mix them well together, let it stand three Hours and the Lime will settle to the Bottom, and the water be as clear as Glass, pour the water from the Sediment, and put it into your Ale or Beer, mix it with half an Ounce of Ising-glass first cut small and boiled, and in five Hours time or less the Beer in the Barrel will settle and clear.

There are several other Compositions that may be used for this purpose, but none that I ever heard of will answer like those most Excellent Balls that Mr. _Ellis_ of _Little Gaddesden_ in _Hertfordshire_ has found out by his own Experience to be very great Refiners, Preservers and Relishers of Malt Liquors and Cyders, and will also recover damag'd Drinks, as I have mentioned in my Second Book, where I have given a further Account of some other things that will fine, colour and improve Malt Drinks: The Balls are sold at [missing text]

CHAP. XV.

_Of several pernicious Ingredients put into Malt Liquors to encrease their Strength_.

Malt Liquors, as well as several others, have long lain under the disreputation of being adulterated and greatly abused by avaricious and ill-principled People, to augment their Profits at the Expence of the precious Health of human Bodies, which, tho' the greatest Jewel in Life, is said to be too often lost by the Deceit of the Brewer, and the Intemperance of the Drinker: This undoubtedly was one, and I believe the greatest, of the Lord _Bacon's_ Reasons for saying, he thought not one _Englishman_ in a thousand died a natural Death. Nor is it indeed to be much wondered at, when, according to Report, several of the Publicans make it their Business to study and practise this Art, witness what I am afraid is too true, that some have made use of the _Coculus India_ Berry for making Drink heady, and saving the Expence of Malt; but as this is a violent Potion by its narcotick stupifying Quality, if taken in too large a degree, I hope this will be rather a prevention of its use than an invitation, it being so much of the nature of the deadly Nightshade, that it bears the same Character; and I am sure the latter is bad enough; for one of my Neighbour's Brothers was killed by eating its Berries that grow in some of our Hedges, and so neatly resembles the black Cherry, that the Boy took the wrong for the right.

There is another sinister Practice said to be frequently used by ill Persons to supply the full quantity of Malt, and that is _Coriander_ Seeds: This also is of a heady nature boiled in the Wort, one Pound of which will answer to a Bushel of Malt, as was ingenuously confess'd to me by a Gardener, who own'd he sold a great deal of it to Alehouse Brewers (for I don't suppose the great Brewer would be concern'd in any such Affair) for that purpose, purpose, at Ten-pence per Pound; but how wretchedly ignorant are those that make use of it, not knowing the way first to cure and prepare it for this and other mixtures, without which it is a dangerous thing, and will cause Sickness in the Drinkers of it. Others are said to make use of Lime-stones to fine and preserve the Drink; but to come off the fairest in such foul Artifices, it has been too much a general Practice to beat the Yeast so long into the Ale, that without doubt it has done great Prejudice to the Healths of many others besides the Person I have writ of in the Preface of my Second Book. For the sake then of Seller and Buyer, I have here offered several valuable Receipts for fining, preserving and mellowing Beers and Ales, in such a true healthful and beneficial manner, that from henceforth after the Perusal of this Book, and the knowledge of their worth are fully known, no Person, I hope, will be so sordidly obstinate as to have any thing to do with such unwholsome Ingredients; because these are not only of the cheapest sort, but will answer their End and Purpose; and the rather, since Malts are now only twenty Shillings per Quarter, and like to hold a low Price for Reasons that I could here assign.

I own, I formerly thought they were too valuable to expose to the Publick by reason of their Cheapness and great Virtues, as being most of them wholsomer than the Malt itself, which is but a corrupted Grain. But, as I hope they will do considerable Service in the World towards having clear salubrious and pleasant Malt Liquors in most private Families and Alehouses, I have my Satisfaction.

CHAP. XVI.

_Of the Cellar or Repository for keeping Beers and Ales_.

It's certain by long Experience, that the Weather or Air has not only a Power or Influence in Brewings; but also after the Drink is in the Barrel, Hogshead or Butt, in Cellars or other Places, which is often the cause of forwarding or retarding the fineness of Malt Liquors; for if we brew in cold Weather, and the Drink is to stand in a Cellar of Clay, or where Springs rise, or Waters lye or pass through, such a Place by consequence will check the due working of the Drink, chill, flat, deaden and hinder it from becoming fine. So likewise if Beer or Ale is brewed in hot Weather and put into Chalky, Gravelly or Sandy Cellars, and especially if the Windows open to the South, South-East, or South-West, then it is very likely it will not keep long, but be muddy and stale: Therefore, to keep Beer in such a Cellar, it should be brewed in _October_, that the Drink may have time to cure itself before the hot Weather comes on; but in wettish or damp Cellars, 'tis best to Brew in _March_, that the Drink may have time to fine and settle before the Winter Weather is advanced. Now such Cellar Extremities should, if it could be done, be brought into a temperate State, for which purpose some have been so curious as to have double or treble Doors to their Cellar to keep the Air out, and then carefully shut the outward, before they enter the inward one, whereby it will be more secure from aerial Alterations; for in Cellars and Places, that are most exposed to such Seasons, Malt Liquors are frequently disturb'd and made unfit for a nice Drinker; therefore if a Cellar is kept dry and these Doors to it, it is reckoned warm in Winter and cool in Summer, but the best of Cellars are thought to be those in Chalks, Gravels or Sands, and particularly in Chalks, which are of a drying quality more than any other, and consequently dissipates Damps the most of all Earths, which makes it contribute much to the good keeping of the Drink; for all damp Cellars are prejudicial to the Preservation of Beers and Ales, and sooner bring on the rotting of the Casks and Hoops than the dry ones; Insomuch that in a chalky Cellar near me, their Ashen broad Hoops have lasted above thirty Years. Besides, in such inclosed Cellars and temperate Air, the Beers and Ales ripen more kindly, are better digested and softned, and drink smoother: But when the Air is in a disproportion by the Cellars letting in Heats and Colds, the Drink will grow Stale and be disturbed, sooner than when the Air is kept out. From hence it is, that in some Places their Malt Liquors are exceeding good, because they brew with Pale or Amber Malts, Chalky Water, and keep their Drinks in close Vaults or proper dry Cellars, which is of such Importance, that notwithstanding any Malt Liquor may be truly brewed, yet it may be spoiled in a bad Cellar that may cause such alternate Fermentations as to make it thick and sour, tho' it sometimes happens that after such Changes it fines itself again; and to prevent these Commotions of the Beer, some brew their pale Malt in _March_ and their brown in _October_, for that the pale Malt, having not so many fiery Particles in it as the brown, stands more in need of the Summer's Weather to ripen it, while the brown sort being more hard and dry is better able to defend itself against the Winter Colds that will help to smooth its harsh Particles; yet when they happen to be too violent, Horse-dung should be laid to the Windows as a Fortification against them; but if there were no Lights at all to a Cellar, it would be better.

Some are of Opinion, that _October_ is the best of all other Months to brew any sort of Malt in, by reason there are so many cold Months directly follow, that will digest the Drink and make it much excel that Brewed in _March_ because such Beer will not want that Care and Watching, as that brewed in _March_ absolutely requires, by often taking out and putting in the Vent-peg on Change of Weather; and if it is always left out, then it deadens and palls the Drink; yet if due Care is not taken in this respect, a Thunder or Stormy Night may marr all, by making the Drink ferment and burst the Cask; for which Reason, as Iron Hoops are most in Fashion at this time, they are certainly the greatest Security to the safety of the Drink thus exposed; and next to them is the Chesnut Hoop; both which will endure a shorter or longer time as the Cellar is more or less dry, and the Management attending them. The Iron Hoop generally begins to rust first at the Edges, and therefore should be rubbed off when opportunity offers, and be both kept from wet as much as possible; for 'tis Rust that eats the Iron Hoop in two sometimes in ten or twelve Years, when the Ashen and Chesnut in dry Cellars have lasted three times as long.

CHAP. XVII.

_Of Cleaning and Sweetening of Casks_.

In Case your Cask is a Butt, then with cold Water first rince out the Lees clean, and have ready, boiling or very hot Water, which put in, and with a long Stale and a little Birch fastened to its End, scrub the Bottom as well as you can. At the same time let there be provided another shorter Broom of about a Foot and a half long, that with one Hand may be so imployed in the upper and other Parts as to clean the Cask well: So in a Hogshead or other smaller Vessel, the one-handed short Broom may be used with Water, or with Water, Sand or Ashes, and be effectually cleaned; the outside of the Cask about the Bung-hole should be well washed, lest the Yeast, as it works over, carries some of its Filth with it.

But to sweeten a Barrel, Kilderkin, Firkin or Pin in the great Brewhouses, they put them over the Copper Hole for a Night together, that the Steam of the boiling Water or Wort may penetrate into the Wood; this Way is such a furious Searcher, that unless the Cask is new hooped just before, it will be apt to fall in pieces.

_Another Way_.

Take a Pottle, or more, of Stone Lime, and put it into the Cask; on this pour some Water and stop it up directly, shaking it well about.

_Another Way_.

Take a long Linnen Rag and dip it in melted Brimstone, light it at the end, and let it hang pendant with the upper part of the Rag fastened to the wooden Bung; this is a most quick sure Way, and will not only sweeten, but help to fine the Drink.

_Another_.

Or to make your Cask more pleasant, you may use the Vintners Way thus: Take four Ounces of Stone Brimstone, one Ounce of burnt Alum, and two Ounces of Brandy; melt all these in an Earthen Pan over hot Coals, and dip therein a piece of new Canvas, and instantly sprinkle thereon the Powders of Nutmegs, Cloves, Coriander and Anise-seeds: This Canvas set on fire, and let it burn hanging in the Cask fastened at the end with the wooden Bung, so that no Smoke comes out.

_For a Musty Cask_.

Boil some Pepper in water and fill the Cask with it scalding hot.

_For a very stinking Vessel_.

The last Remedy is the Coopers taking out one of the Heads of the Cask to scrape the inside, or new-shave the Staves, and is the surest way of all others, if it is fired afterwards within-side a small matter, as the Cooper knows how.

These several Methods may be made use of at Discretion, and will be of great Service where they are wanted. The sooner also a Remedy is applied, the better; else the Taint commonly encreases, as many have to their prejudice proved, who have made use of such Casks, in hopes the next Beer will overcome it; but when once a Cask is infected, it will be a long while, if ever, before it becomes sweet, if no Art is used. Many therefore of the careful sort, in case they han't a Convenience to fill their Vessel as soon as it is empty, will stop it close, to prevent the Air and preserve the Lees sound, which will greatly tend to the keeping of the Cask pure and sweet against the next Occasion.

_To prepare a new Vessel to keep Malt Liquors in_.

A new Vessel is most improperly used by some ignorant People for strong Drink after only once or twice scalding with Water, which is so wrong, that such Beer or Ale will not fail of tasting thereof for half, if not a whole Year afterwards; such is the Tang of the Oak and its Bark, as may be observed from the strong Scents of Tan-Yards, which the Bark is one cause of. To prevent then this Inconvenience, when your Brewing is over put up some Water scalding hot, and let it run throu' the Grains, then boil it and fill up the Cask, stop it well and let it stand till it is cold, do this twice, then take the Grounds of strong Drink and boil in it green Wallnut Leaves and new Hay or Wheat Straw, and put all into the Cask, that it be full and stop it close. After this, use it for small Beer half a Year together, and then it will be thoroughly sweet and fit for strong Drinks; or

_Another Way_.

Take a new Cask and dig a Hole in the Ground, in which it may lye half depth with the Bung downwards; let it remain a Week, and it will greatly help this or any stinking musty Cask. But besides these, I have writ of two other excellent Ways to sweeten musty or stinking Casks, in my Second Book of Brewing.

_Wine Casks_.

These, in my Opinion, are the cheapest of all others to furnish a Person readily with, as being many of them good Casks for Malt Liquors, because the Sack and White-Wine sorts are already season'd to Hand, and will greatly improve Beers and Ales that are put in them: But beware of the Rhenish Wine Cask for strong Drinks; for its Wood is so tinctured with this sharp Wine, that it will hardly ever be free of it, and therefore such Cask is best used for Small Beer: The Claret Cask will a great deal sooner be brought into a serviceable State for holding strong Drink, if it is two or three times scalded with Grounds of Barrels, and afterwards used for small Beer for some time. I have bought a Butt or Pipe for eight Shillings in _London_ with some Iron Hoops on it, a good Hogshead for the same, and the half Hogshead for five Shillings, the Carriage for a Butt by the Waggon thirty Miles is two Shillings and Sixpence, and the Hogshead Eighteen-pence: But, to cure a Claret Cask of its Colour and Taste, put a Peck of Stone-Lime into a Hogshead, and pour upon it three Pails of Water; bung immediately with a Wood-or Cork Bung, and shake it well about a quarter of an Hour, and let it stand a Day and Night and it will bring off the red Colour, and alter the Taste of the Cask very much. But of three several other excellent Methods for curing musty, stinking, new and other tainted Casks, I have writ of in my Account of Casks in my Second Book.

CHAP. XVIII.

_Of Bunging Casks and Carrying of Malt Liquors to some distance_.

I am sure this is of no small Consequence, however it may be esteemed as a light matter by some; for if this is not duly perform'd, all our Charge, Labour and Care will be lost; and therefore here I shall dissent from my _London_ Fashion, where I bung'd up my Ale with Pots of Clay only, or with Clay mix'd with Bay Salt, which is the better of the two, because this Salt will keep the Clay moist longer than in its Original State; and the Butt Beers and fine Ales were Bung'd with Cork drove in with a piece of Hop-Sack or Rag, which I think are all insipid, and the occasion of spoiling great Quantities of Drink, especially the small Beers; for when the Clay is dry, which is soon in Summer, there cannot be a regular Vent thro' it, and then the Drink from that time flattens and stales to the great loss in a Year to some Owners, and the Benefit of the Brewer; for then a fresh Cask must be Tapp'd to supply it, and the remaining part of the other throw'd away. Now, to prevent this great Inconvenience, my Bung-holes are not quite of the largest size of all, and yet big enough for the common wooden Iron Hoop'd Funnel used in some Brew-houses: In this I put in a turned piece of Ash or Sallow three Inches broad at Top, and two Inches and a half long, first putting in a double piece of dry brown Paper, that is so broad that an Inch or more may be out of it, after the wooden Bung is drove down with a Hammer pretty tight; this Paper must be furl'd or twisted round the Bung, and another loose piece upon and around that, with a little Yeast, and a small Peg put into the Bung, which is to be raised at Discretion when the Beer is drawing, or at other times to give it Vent if there should be occasion: Others will put some Coal or Wood Ashes wetted round this Bung, which will bind very hard, and prevent any Air getting into or out of the Cask; but this in time is apt to rot, and wear the Bung-hole by the Salt or Sulphur in the Ashes, and employing a Knife to scrape it afterwards. Yet, for keeping Beers, it's the best Security of all other ways whatsoever.

There is also a late Invention practised by a common Brewer in the Country that I am acquainted with, for the safe Carriage of Drink on Drays, to some distance without losing any of it, and that is in the Top Center of one of these Bungs, he puts in a wooden Funnel, whose Spout is about four Inches long, and less than half an Inch Diameter at Bottom; this is turned at Top into a concave Fashion like a hollow round Bowl, that will hold about a Pint, which is a constant Vent to the Cask, and yet hinders the Liquor from ascending no faster than the Bowl can receive, and return it again into the Barrel: I may say further, he has brought a Barrel two Miles, and it was then full, when it arrived at his Customers, because the Pint that was put into the Funnel, at setting out, was not at all lost when he took it off the Dray; this may be also made of Tin; and will serve from the Butt to the small Cask.

In the Butt there is a Cork-hole made about two Inches below the upper Head, and close under that a piece of Leather is nailed Spout-fashion, that jetts three Inches out, from which the Yeast works and falls into a Tub, and when the working is over the Cork is put closely in, for the Bung in the Head of the upright Cask is put in as soon as it is filled up with new Drink: Now when such a Cask is to be broach'd and a quick Draught is to follow, then it may be tapp'd at Bottom; but if otherwise, the Brass Cock ought to be first put in at the middle, and before the Drink sinks to that it should be Tapp'd at Bottom to prevent the breaking of the Head of Yeast, and its growing stale, flat and sour.

In some Places in the Country when they brew Ale or Beer to send to _London_ at a great Distance, they let it be a Year old before they Tap it, so that then it is perfectly fine; this they put into small Casks that have a Bung-hole only fit for a large Cork, and then they immediately put in a Role of Bean-flour first kneaded with Water or Drink, and baked in an Oven, which is all secured by pitching in the Cork, and so sent in the Waggon; the Bean-flour feeding and preserving the Body of the Drink all the way, without fretting or causing it to burst the Cask for want of Vent, and when Tapp'd will also make the Drink very brisk, because the Flour is in such a hard Consistence, that it won't dissolve in that time; but if a little does mix with the Ale or Beer, its heavy Parts will sooner fine than thicken the Drink and keep it mellow and lively to the last, if Air is kept out of the Barrel.

CHAP. XIX.

_Of the Strength and Age of Malt Liquors_.

Whether they be Ales or strong Beers, it is certain that the midling sort is allowed by Physicians to be the most agreeable of any, especially to those of a sedentary Life, or those that are not occupied in such Business as promotes Perspiration enough to throw out and break the Viscidities of the stronger sorts; on which account the laborious Man has the advantage, whose Diet being poor and Body robust, the strength of such Liquors gives a Supply and better digests into Nourishment: But for the unactive Man a Hogshead of Ale which is made from six Bushels of Malt is sufficient for a Diluter of their Food, and will better assist their Constitution than the more strong sort, that would in such produce Obstructions and ill Humours; and therefore that Quantity for Ale, and ten Bushels for a Hogshead of strong Beer that should not be Tapp'd under nine Months, is the most healthful. And this I have experienc'd by enjoying such an Amber Liquor that has been truly brewed from good Malt, as to be of a Vinous Nature, that would permit of a hearty Dose over Night, and yet the next Morning leave a Person light, brisk and unconcern'd. This then is the true Nostrum of Brewing, and ought to be studied and endeavoured for by all those that can afford to follow the foregoing Rules, and then it will supply in a great measure those chargeable (and often adulterated tartarous arthritick) Wines. So likewise for small Beer, especially in a Farmer's Family where it is not of a Body enough, the Drinkers will be feeble in hot Weather and not be able to perform their Work, and will also bring on Distempers, besides the loss of time, and a great waste of such Beer that is generally much thrown away; because Drink is certainly a Nourisher of the Body, as well as Meats, and the more substantial they both are, the better will the Labourer go through his Work, especially at Harvest; and in large Families the Doctor's Bills have proved the Evil of this bad Oeconomy, and far surmounted the Charge of that Malt that would have kept the Servants in good Health, and preserved the Beer from such Waste as the smaller sort is liable to.