The American Practical Brewer and Tanner

J >> Joseph Coppinger >> The American Practical Brewer and Tanner

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_Strong Beer._

Brewed, November, 1810, the following materials. Heat of the air 50
degrees.

40 Bushels of Pale Malt.
20 Bushels of Amber Malt.
--
60
--
40 lb. of Hops, the best quality.

Cleansed 20 Barrels of Beer.

Rubbed, salted, and steeped the hops, as already directed, in a close
vessel, ran a sufficient quantity of boiling water on the mash tun for
the first mash, which was suffered to cool down to 165; mashed well for
nearly one hour, stood two hours; ran down smartly, boiled the first
wort one hour very hard, with about half the hops; mashed a second time
at about 185: took about half an hour in the operation, ran down
smartly after two hours' standing, got up this second mash smartly into
the copper, taking the necessary precaution of rincing the copper out
clean, for the reception of the second wort, which was boiled two hours
very hard, with the remainder of the hops; these two worts were run
together on the same cooler; after standing a few hours, were run on a
second cooler, and there suffered to remain till they came down to 65;
were then let into the tun, with two gallons of solid yest, by a large
plug hole in a few minutes so as to have scarcely suffered any
diminution of their heat; in twelve hours after, there was added two
gallons more of yest, roused the tun a second time, came on gradually,
and attenuated within 56 hours ten degrees, and so was cleansed at the
heat of 75, this beer was filled every two hours, for the first
twenty-four, and in a few days more became transparently fine; this
beer should have added to it, before sending out, four ounces of
steeped hops, and two ounces of ground rice to each barrel; the five
pounds of hops wanted for this operation is previously put to steep in
a clean tub with some of the beer. This beer, if thus brewed with good
materials, and treated as directed, will be found to give satisfaction.
During the winter half year, the fermenting tun should be always
covered; in summer, only partially so; the less strong beer is
attempted to be brewed in that season the better, as it will not keep,
necessity alone should compel the brewer to work, in this country,
during the summer months; and then at small beer only.

_Table Beer, English method of brewing it._

Take 8 bushels of Malt, and 6 lb. of Hops.

This quantity of materials should deliver four barrels of beer.

First liquor 161; mash the first time one hour.

Second liquor 170; mash the second time half an hour.

Third liquor 152; mash the third time twenty minutes.

Boil the three runnings together for two hours in a close covered
copper; three pints of good solid yest will be sufficient to pitch this
quantity, mixing it, before adding, with about one gallon of the wort,
then add this to the rest; a low attenuation for this kind of beer will
not answer, the specific gravity being too light, the fermentation
rarely exceeding 30 hours in the tun. It being generally wanted for
immediate use; it is pitched high, and worked quick. It is further
important to bung it down close as soon as it has done working. This
kind of beer may be securely and advantageously administered to fever
patients, instead of other drink: I have known it to be attended with
the happiest consequences.

_Unboiled beer, how Brewed._

The following process, I confess, I never myself tried, but, from the
manner it was spoken of by the party giving it, I would strongly
recommend a trial of it on a small scale, at first, until its
advantages and superiority was well ascertained over the old and long
established mode of boiling wort. Mash your full complement of malt, or
rather one third more, and that in the usual way, (suppose you are
brewing strong beer,) and while your mash stands, let your copper have
as much cold water run into it as will save it from burning; rouse your
fire, salt and rub your hops, as recommended in previous processes; let
their quantity be increased one third more than if brewed in the
ordinary way; and when got into your copper, cover close, and let these
hops simmer for two hours, _but not boil_; then run down your first
wort in sufficient quantity as, when added to the water and the extract
of the hops, will give you the length you contemplate; you will observe
the malt is increased to meet the quantity of water in the copper; but
this cannot be considered a loss, as the second mash will answer for
single ale, or good table beer; the hops in the same way. When you have
got your intended complement of strong wort in your copper, rouse it
well, cover close, and let your copper stand two hours more, keeping up
a moderate fire just enough to make it simmer _but not boil_; during
this time your second mash may be going on with water from your second
copper; this, as already stated, will make single ale, or good table
beer; if the latter, it may be boiled in the usual way, but not longer
than half an hour, on account of the increased quantity of hops; which
hops should be all retained in the copper after the first worts are run
off, by means of a strainer placed at the mouth of the cock hole; one
hour strong boiling will be sufficient for the succeeding wort, if
single ale be wanted; the remainder of the process for both worts is
the same as already directed for such quality of drinks. It was further
stated to me that unboiled beer will appear very turbid and unpromising
for some time after it is brewed, and will take three months at least
to come round; but that after that period it will improve rapidly, and
become transparently fine; when second worts are found too weak, they
may be assisted with good Muscovado sugar, of which eight pounds is
considered equivalent to one bushel of malt. In fact, pleasant beer
might be made from sugar alone, without any malt.

_Strong Beer, of an excellent quality and flavour, brewed from the
extract of the Hop only, rejecting the substance._

This extract was obtained by the hot infusion, in a close covered
wooden vessel set to infuse the evening before brewing; in this process
one third more hops should be allowed; these hops need not be wasted,
as they will answer well for table beer, or single ale, brewed
according to the preceding processes; but, in either case, one hour's
strong boiling will answer for single ale, half an hour for table beer
will be sufficient, on account of the increased quantity of hops.

When you have got up your first wort in your copper, that you intend to
preserve with extract, boil the first half hour without it, and one
hour with it, very hard in both instances. It should have been
mentioned that, in preparing your first, or mashing liquor, two pounds
of rice is to be added to your water in the copper before boiling,
supposing the length of your brewing 20 barrels, or in that proportion.

Strong beer brewed with the extract alone, as here recommended, has
turned out remarkably well, and if the hops are good, will be found
more delicately flavoured than other beer; supposing the malt alike
good. Pitching, cleansing, and filling, to be conducted as already
recommended in preceding processes, with the tun close covered during
the fermentation.

_Table Beer._

Table beer, of a superior quality, may be brewed in the following
manner, a process well worth the attention of the brewer, the gentleman
and the farmer, whereby the beer is altogether prevented from working
out of the cask, and the fermentation conducted without any apparent
admission of the external air. I have made the scale for one barrel, in
order to make it more generally useful to the community at large;
however, the same proportions will answer for a greater or less
quantity, only proportioning the materials and utensils. Take one peck
of good malt ground, one pound of hops, put them in twenty gallons of
water, and boil them for half an hour, then run them into a hair cloth
bag, or sieve, so as to keep back the hops and malt from the wort,
which, when cooled down to 65 degrees by Fahrenheit's thermometer, add
to them 2 gallons of molasses, with one pint, or a little less, of good
yest, mix these with your wort, and put the whole into a clean barrel,
and fill it up with cold water to within four inches of the bung hole,
(this space is requisite to leave room for fermentation,) bung down
tight, and if brewed for family use, would recommend putting in the
cock at the same time, as it will prevent the necessity of disturbing
the cask afterwards; in one fortnight this beer might be drawn, and
will be found to improve to the last.

_Fermenting and Cleansing in the same Vessel._

The following recommendation to brewers is well worth their attention,
that is, to ferment their strong, or what they call their stock beer,
in the vat they propose to keep it in, until fit to turn out; this
practice will be found advantageous to the flavour and preserving
quality of such beer, as close fermentation has a decided preference
over what is termed open. One or more workers may be placed in the side
of such vat, a few inches above the surface of the enclosed liquor;
thus the head as it rises will have the opportunity of running off;
such fermentation should further be conducted coolly and slowly, the
pitching heat, in this case, should not exceed 60 degrees of
Fahrenheit, and the yest one third in quantity less than if applied in
open vessels, but the yest should be mixed with a double quantity of
the wort at 65, in a separate vessel before pitching. When vats are
wanting, the operation may be conducted in hogsheads or butts, allowing
a tin or wooden worker to each cask. In brewing small quantities of
strong beer, this contrivance supersedes the necessity of fermenting
tuns, or troughs, no small saving of expense, whilst it makes the beer
more spiritous and preserving. The annexed plate shows the form and
application of the worker, whether of tin or wood.

[Illustration:

A The cask in which the worker is placed.

B The spout of the worker, which takes off the yest.

C The plug at the angle of the worker to admit the pipe of a
tundish, in order to fill the cask as it works.]

_Another Method of fermenting Strong Beer that might be expected to
produce a pure and excellent liquor._

Mash, run down, and boil in the usual way, suffer your worts, after
drawing your fire, to remain on your copper two hours, doors and hatch
open. If in winter, the deeper your worts lie on the cooler the better;
when they have come down to the proper heat of pitching, give your yest
to them on the cooler, mixing it gently with the whole guile, and when
properly headed with yest, which will probably happen within
twenty-four hours, run off your worts gently into barrels, leaving your
top and bottom yest on the cooler undisturbed, till all the cooler is
cleared; but previous to running your worts into the barrels, put half
a pint of good solid yest into each, and when full, clap your tin
workers into the bung holes, and so let it finish its fermentation for
about a week longer, filling the casks occasionally as they work. When
done working, bung down or vat them; if you wish to add any kind of
flavouring substance to this beer, the best time to do it is at
commencing the second fermentation, experience teaching that all
fermented liquors should have such substances added to them during, or
at the commencement of their fermentation, which is preferable to
adding these substances in the boil; I mean spices, and delicate
flavouring substances.

_Process of Brewing Windsor Ale on a small scale._

Windsor ale is a very pale, light, agreeable ale, as fine as wine, and
unquestionably the best fermented of any malt liquor sent to the London
market.

Length drawn, three barrels per quarter of eight bushels, the malt
pale, with two pounds of hops of the first quality; heat of the first
liquor 182, two barrels of which is generally allowed to each quarter
of malt, for the first mash; one barrel per quarter for the second; the
same quantity for the third is as little liquor as can be dispensed
with in three mashings; for short liquor and stiff mashes are essential
to this quality of ale, in order to leave as little as possible in the
copper for evaporation on account of the short boiling. Mash quick, run
down quick, get your wort as fine as possible into your underbank; let
your first mash stand two hours, your second one hour and three
quarters. Give your second mashing liquor at 190; if you mash a third
time, give your liquor at 175; stand half an hour; these worts should
be pitched from 52 to 60, but not higher. The mode of doing so is also
different from the generality of other malt liquor; your yest should be
fresh, smooth, and solid. Begin yesting this ale a few barrels at a
time, and when that has caught, add the remainder gradually, in about
48 hours, or from that to 60. This guile of ale will assume a close
head of yest, which should be carefully skimmed off as fast as it forms
after the first skimming: by this is not meant the first or worty head
formed soon after the yest has taken, but the close yesty head already
mentioned, which usually takes the time stated, say from 48 to 60
hours, when no more yest rises, and the guile remains quite flat; you
will find the heat you pitched at, say 56, 58, or 60 degrees will by
this time have increased to 80, or even more, and the specific gravity
of the wort diminished from 26 or 27 pound per barrel, to six or seven
pound per barrel; this attenuation will give it all the pungency and
spirituosity it stands in need of. At this time your cleansing
operation commences; after which it will work but little in the casks.
It should be filled regularly every two or three hours, after
cleansing, for the first twenty-four. After it has done working, you
should immediately start it into an air-tight vat, with about one pound
of hops well rubbed to every three barrels of ale in your brewing; if
you use spent hops, such as has been boiled on the first mash, you may
use a greater quantity, say half a pound more to each three barrels of
beer, taking the precaution that they are become quite cool. This ale,
thus treated, will be found glass fine in the course of a fortnight,
and fit to be racked off into hogsheads or barrels. It will improve by
age both in flavour and quality. But it should not be boiled more than
fifteen minutes.

_Reading Beer, how made._

Reading beer is made in a town of that name about thirty miles distant
from London; the quality of its beer is much spoken of, the mode of
brewing it is stated to be as follows:

Scale of Brewing, suppose 22 Barrels.

80 Bushels of Pale Malt.
98 lb. of Hops.
3 lb. of Grains of Paradise, pounded or ground.
5 lb. of Coriander Seed, do.
14 lb. of the best brown Sugar.

Your malt should be some days ground, and if exposed on an open loft,
after grinding, so much the better. Boil your first copper, run on your
mash tun till you have your complement, then occasionally rouse your
water with your mashing oars, or dashers, till you get it down to 175:
put your malt in slowly, for fear of setting; keep mashing all the
time, which should be continued full one hour, stand two hours, run
your worts, when you set tap, as fine as you can get them into your
underbank; this you will effect by drawing off successively five or six
buckets of the first run, and throwing them over your grains in the
mash tun; when you perceive they come off glass fine, lay by your
bucket. Give your second mashing liquor at 178 degrees, mash three
quarters of an hour, stand one hour. Give your third liquor at 158,
mash half an hour, stand one hour; boil your first copper of worts,
which should take the half of your three runs, one hour as hard as you
can; your second, two hours in the same way; run the two boilings into
one cooler, and pitch at 64, giving one gallon of solid smooth yest;
skim off the yest, as in the case of Windsor ale, until the attenuation
rises to 80 degrees, which will have advanced it, from the pitching
heat of 64, sixteen degrees. Before you commence the operation of
cleansing, mix one quarter of a pound of bay salt, with half a peck of
malted bean flour, scatter this mixture over the surface of your tun,
rouse well, cleanse, and fill in the usual way.

_Two-penny Amber Beer, as brewed in London._

This beer is in great demand, and large quantities of it consumed, and
is supposed more profitable to the brewer than any other species of
malt liquor, it being generally brewed, drank, and paid for within the
fortnight.

PROCESS.

200 Bushels of Pale Malt.
112 lb. of Hops.
20 lb. of Liquorice Ball
30 lb. of Molasses,
4 lb. of Grains of Paradise, ground.

Cleansed 81 Barrels.

Heat of first mashing liquor 169; mash one hour, stand two hours, run
down smartly; specific gravity of this wort 26 pound per barrel; second
mash 170, mash half an hour, stand one hour, run down as before;
specific gravity of this wort 11 pound and a half per barrel; third
mash 160, mash twenty minutes, stand half an hour; gravity six pound
per barrel; divide these three runnings into two boilings; boil the
first copper for three quarters of an hour, the second one hour, in
both cases as hard as possible; the hops and other ingredients should
be put in at the first boil, and so retained in the copper by means of
a strainer; pitch these worts at 64 degrees, giving two gallons of
solid yest at first, with two gallons more in twelve hours after:
remained in the tun about 60 hours, or until its attenuation reached 80
degrees; used over the surface of the tun, before cleansing, four pound
of ground ginger, half a pound of bay salt, and about half a peck of
wheaten flour, mixed all together, and scattered over the surface of
the tun; roused well, and cleansed 81 barrels. This quality of beer,
when brewed from good materials, and managed as directed, makes a
wholesome and a pleasant beverage; but, to do it justice, should have
more time allowed it for coming to perfection.

_London Ale, how brewed._

Ale is, of all other malt liquor, the most delicate, and will bear less
tampering with. It will therefore require your nicest care through
every part of the process. Transparency, pungency, and flavour, are
qualities that highly recommend this liquor, and should be particularly
aimed at by the brewer. Hard water is, by some, supposed to be more
favourable for making this kind of ale than soft.

Heat of the air 60 degrees.

200 Bushels of Pale Malt
206 lb. of Hops.
4 lb. of Grains of Paradise, pounded or ground.
4 lb. of Coriander Seed, do.
1 lb. of Orange Powder, do.

Cleansed 65 Barrels of Beer.

First mash 173, mashed one hour, stood one hour, ran down smartly;
specific gravity of this wort 32 pounds per barrel; the heat appears
more favourable for obtaining the whole sweet of the mash than the
preceding one by six pounds per barrel, an object well worth the
attention of the brewer; second mash 172, specific gravity of this wort
22 pounds per barrel; mashing, standing, &c., the same as in the
preceding process; boiled the first wort one hour; the second wort two
hours, very hard in both instances; pitched the tun at 62 degrees
giving two gallons of yest at first, and two gallons twelve hours
after.

Remained in the tun about 80 hours, or until it attenuated to 74, or
twelve degrees over the heat it was pitched at; used over the surface
of the tun, at cleansing, four pound of ground ginger, half a pound of
bay salt, with half a peck of wheat flour well mixed, roused the tun
well.

You should observe, in working amber beer, to cleanse with the sweets
on, but in ale you should work it low in order to get the sweets off.
This ale should be carefully filled as it works and closely attended to
until done working; then put into each cask, if of a large size, two
handfuls of spent hops, that have been previously cooled, and but a
short time boiled; then bung down, and it will be fit to send out.

_Windsor Ale, brewed on a large Scale._

This ale has experienced so great a demand in London and its vicinity
for a few years back, as materially to affect the London pale beer
brewery; it is a liquor better calculated for winter than the summer
season. The London brewers have been induced to brew on the same
principle, and in many instances they exceed the original. Here follows
the London process for brewing this kind of beer, which, I apprehend,
will be well worth the American brewers' imitation, as good ale is a
species of malt liquor rarely met with in this country.

200 Bushels of Pale Malt.
224 lb. of Hops.
40 lb of Honey.
4 lb. of Coriander Seed, ground.
2 lb. of the Grains of Paradise, ground.

65 Barrels Cleansed.

Procure your hops of the best quality, rub them in one or more large
tubs, pour cold water on them in sufficient quantity to wet them all
over, and so let them infuse till the next day, which should be the day
on which you brew. When your first copper has just boiled, run a
sufficient quantity of water into your mash tun for your first mash;
and when this has cooled down to 176 degrees, run in your malt slowly,
and mash well for one hour and a quarter; after which, let your mash
tun stand two hours, run down smartly and fine; keep your mash tun
close covered from the time you have done mashing till you begin to set
tap; give your second mashing liquor at 186, mash one hour, stand one
hour, run down as before; give your third liquor for the last mash at
160, mash one hour, stand one hour run down as before; divide these
three worts into two parts, boil your first copper one hour, putting in
your ingredients with your hops, save the 40 pounds of honey, which
should be reserved to be put into the copper a few minutes before
striking off; rouse your copper well at the time of putting in the
honey, and continue the same till run off, otherwise, it will pitch to
the bottom of the copper, and likely be the cause of burning; your
second worts should boil two hours on the same hops and ingredients,
which should be retained in the copper by a strainer, pitch your tun at
62 degrees, giving two gallons of good yest at first, and two gallons
more in twelve hours after; let your fermenting heat rise to 80
degrees; thus your attenuation will have gained 18 degrees, which will
probably cause your guile to remain in the tun from 60 to 80 hours. Use
salt and bean meal flour as directed in the preceding process, and in
the same proportion, before cleansing; fill, &c., as already directed.

_Welsh Ale, how brewed._

This it a luscious and richly flavoured ale, much liked, but very heady.

PROCESS.

72 Bushels of Pale Malt.
70 lb. of Hops.
20 lb. of best brown Sugar.
2 lb. of Grains of Paradise, ground.

Heat of the first mashing liquor 175, mash one hour and a half, putting
in your malt very gradually, and mash uncommonly well, and let it stand
two hours; second liquor at 190, mash one hour, and stand two more; run
down as before, boil these two runs together for one hour and a half,
putting in your hops, &c., save the sugar, which is to be put in but a
few minutes before striking off, at which time the rousing of the
copper should commence, and so continue until the worts are nearly run
off. Small beer may be brewed, in the usual way, after both these
worts, in which case, cold water will answer full as well as hot; pitch
your strong worts at 62, with a small proportion of good yest, and let
your fermenting heat rise to 80; thus your attenuation will proceed 18
degrees; cleanse with salt and bean flour as already directed, but in
suitable proportion in point of quantity to your malt, fill in the
usual way, and when nearly done working, use fine ale to top with,
before you bung down, putting into each barrel one large handful of
scalded hops, that have been previously cooled down.

_Wirtemberg Ale._

BREWED AS FOLLOWS:

128 Bushels of Pale Malt.
32 Bushels of Amber Malt.
---
160 Bushels of Malt.
---
188 lb. of Hops.
28 lb. of Honey.
20 lb. of Sugar.
4 lb. of Hartshorn Shavings.
4 lb. of Coriander Seed, ground.
1 lb. of Caraway Seed, ground.

Cleansed 50 Barrels of Ale.

Give your first mashing liquor at 172, mash for one hour and a half,
stand two hours, run down fine, but smartly.

Second mashing liquor 180, mash one hour, stand two hours, run down as
before; get up your two worts; put in, with your hops, the other
ingredients, save the honey and sugar, which is to be put into your
copper but a few minutes before striking off, rousing your copper while
any wort remains in it. This ale should be boiled hard for one hour and
a half; pitch your tun at 62, raise your fermenting heat to 80, which
will generally rise in the course of 70 hours. Give of good solid yest
four gallons, two gallons at first, and two gallons more in twelve
hours after, rouse your tun each time.

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