SECTION IX.
Of the Division of the Water for the respective Worts and Mashes, and of the Heat adequate to each of these.
Thatthe whole quantity of water, as well as that of heat required, ought not, in any brewing, at once to be applied to the grist, is obvious, both from reason, and from the example of nature, who, in forming the juice of the grape, divides the process, and increasing successively both the moisture and the heat, gives time to each degree to have its complete effect. A division of the water and heat to form malt liquors is equally necessary, but previous to this division the following general rules may be laid down.
The grist, if possible, is at no time to be left with less water than what will cover the malt, to put all its parts in action. In the first mashes for strong beer, an allowance is to be made for nearly as much water as the grist will imbibe; and, lastly, the whole quantity of water used in brewing should be divided, in a proportion analogous to that of the degrees of heat.
Processes for brewing are carried on either with one copper or with two. Though the first of these methods is almost out of use, it may be necessary to give an example or two of the division of the water used in thiscase, the doing which will point out the absurdity of this practice.
In brewing with one copper, scarcely more than three mashes can be made; otherwise the time taken up in boiling the worts, and preparing the subsequent waters for extraction, would be so long, as to cause the grist to lose great part of its heat, and, in warm weather, perhaps, to become sour. The whole water required might naturally be divided into three equal parts, was it not for the quantity at first imbibed by the grist; but as, in this way of brewing, the best management is to make the first wort of one mash, and the second wort of the other two, it will be found necessary to allow, for the first extracting water, four parts out of seven of the whole quantity required, and to divide the remainder equally for the other two mashes. Thus, if the whole quantity of water required was fifty-one barrels, the lengths of the extracting waters would be as follow:
The water imbibed and retained by the malt is allowed for in this computation, which will be found just to every purpose, for small beer brewed in one copper only.
But in strong beers and ales, with three mashes, whether brewed at one, two, or three worts, the case will be somewhat different, as care should always be taken toreserve for every mash a sufficient quantity of water to apply to the grist. For this reason, no greater proportion ought to be used in the first mash than that of three parts out of seven, as the volume of the malt is in a greater proportion to the quantity of water than in the preceding case. If, therefore, the whole quantity of water used was thirty-five barrels, the length of the liquors would be:
Employing only one copper, must from hence appear, and is allowed to be, bad management; for, in some part or other of the process, however well contrived, the business must stand still, and consequently the extracts be injured, by the air continually affecting them. The best and most usual practice, and that which here will be set in example, is to brew with two coppers. Other rules consequently are necessary to be observed, and I shall be more particular in the explanation of them.
To preserve order, and to convey our ideas in the clearest manner, we shall make use of the four modes of brewing we mentioned, in the fourth section.
The first of these, which implies keeping pale strong and keeping pale small beers to become spontaneously fine, are best brewed with two worts and four mashes, to allow for what is imbibed by the grist, and what is steamed away during the first part of the process, foursevenths of the whole of the water employed, and consequently a like proportion of the number of the degrees which constitute the difference between the first and last heats of the whole brewing, are required for the first wort, and the remainder to the last or second. The proportion as to the water is permanent, but having now only a division of heat in a progressive state, for the temperature to be given to the extracts, to put in practice the principles laid down in pages 64, 65; the first wort, however, composed of several mashes, must be of one uniform heat, though less than that of the second, whose extracts, though more powerful, must, notwithstanding, be of equal heat among themselves.
According to the rules laid down in section 8, the whole quantity of water requisite for a guile of keeping pale strong, or keeping pale small beer, is fifty-one barrels. In page 171, we found, including the heat lost at the time the extract separates from the grist, the first heat to form this process to be 144 degrees, and the last 158 degrees; the quantity of water, and the difference between these two degrees, are required to be divided in such proportions as are best applicable to the purpose we intend.
Barrels for the first Wort, and this deducted from 51,
The twenty-nine barrels, equally divided between the two first mashes, is fourteen barrels and a half for each; and the twenty-two barrels, equally divided between the two last mashes, is eleven barrels for each.
the proportion to be allotted to the first wort, and 6 degrees, the remainder, to the last, in a regular progressive state; the elements for this brewing would stand as under.
But more exactly, to imitate the fermented liquors formed by nature, our first wort, answering to the germinating part of her process must be of one uniform heat in the extracts, as must likewise our second wort: (See page 165) the mean, then, of the progressive heats of the first wort will be that which must be applied both to the first and second mashes, and the mean of the progressive heats of the second wort, that which must direct the third and fourth mashes; from whence are deduced
Elements for forming keeping pale strong and keeping pale small beers.
That this method of applying the heats to the mashes corresponds to the medium heat which is to govern the whole process, the circumstances required in page 165, the following operation will prove.
Admitting of the necessary variations in the medium heats which are to govern processes for different purposes, and of those in the number of degrees forming the constituent parts of the must, in proportion as the drinks are to be formed, either to become spontaneously fine, or made so by precipitation, or intended for a longer or shorter duration. This rule will be found universally true, when beers are brewed with two worts: but when, for the benefit of the drink, or on account of the smallness of the utensils, as is often the case, when the second mode of extraction is put in practice, we are obliged to carry on the process with three worts, these proportions must necessarily be altered, and the following have, in this case, been found most advantageous.
The first and second wort ought to have two thirds of the water; the first wort two thirds of this quantity, the second the remainder of this, and the third wort one third part of the whole.
Porter or brown beer is the sort of drink, in which this division is most commonly observed. Let the whole quantity of water to be used be that of the brewing, of which the elements have been laid down, (page 233) or 54 barrels.
Five degrees to be proportioned in the first wort, and these deducted from 7 degrees, the number allowed for the first and second wort, there remains two degrees for the second wort; and seven degrees deducted from ten, the whole difference, leaves three degrees, to be proportioned in the third and last wort.
A grist of eleven quarters of malt is too large, to admit of the water allowed for the first wort to be equally divided between the first and second mash; therefore, rather than use the whole 24 barrels in one mash, a sufficient quantity only must be applied to the first mash, both to work it, and to get as much of the extract to come down, as will save the bottom of the copper it is to be pumped into. By this management, there will be enough left to form the second extract with, or what by the brewers is termed the piece liquor. The exact quantity of water the first mash should have, might be referred to the following section, but the order we have laid down, will excuse our anticipating thereon.
It has been found, and will hereafter be proved, that a volume of eleven quarters of malt, dried to 130 degrees, is equal to 6,32 barrels of liquid measure, that malt in general requires twice its volume of water to wet it, and this quantity of water is retained after every tap is spent.
The elements of this brewing, as we have them (page 178) placed in a progressive state, will be as under, where the quantity of water allowed for the first wort isdivided into two mashes, according to the circumstances just now taken notice of, where the second wort is formed by one entire mash, and the water allotted for the third wort is separated equally into two parts, for the two last mashes, and when the ten degrees of heat, the difference between the first and last heats employed, are as near as possible proportioned to the lengths of the worts.
But, for the reasons alleged in page 236, they admit of the following variation.
Elements for brewing brown beer or porter.
And, if proved as before, the same correspondence will be found with the medium governing heat.
The third mode of extraction is intended for a drink which is soon to be ready for use, in which, in the coldest season of the year, transparency is expected, and, in the hottest months, soundness: to procure these intents, we have already shewn (page 191) it was necessary to varythe medium heats governing these several processes, in proportion as the seasons of the year differed as to heat and cold. Our present business is a proper division of the whole quantity of water necessary for brewing, into the respective worts and mashes, and to apply to each, the adequate degree of heat: one single example will suffice for the operation, and the whole variety this drink is subjected to, will be expressed in the table subjoined.
The general practice to brew common small beer, and which is best, is to form it with two worts and four mashes, and, in this case, as was before practised for keeping pale beers, in order to allow for the water at first absorbed by the grist; four sevenths of the whole quantity is required for the first wort, and the remainder for the second wort, dividing these quantities again into equal parts, for their respective mashes. As a speedy spontaneous pellucidity is expected in every season of the year, and as every means for producing this without affecting the soundness of the drink, must be put in practice, the whole number of constituent parts are not only applied, but likewise the progressive heats suffered to take place: for here, through necessity, we are compelled to forsake the rules nature pointed out, (as in pages 64, 65); the reasons why are obvious; this drink receives no benefit by the slow progress nature recommends, and therefore very little by the impressions of time.
In page 232, we found the whole quantity of water to be used for the brewing there specified, fifty-one barrels, and in page 191, we find when the heat of the air is at 60, the first heat is 154, the last 174 degrees.
The twenty-nine barrels, divided into the first and second mashes, will be fourteen barrels and a half for each; and the twenty-two barrels, equally divided between the third and fourth mashes, is eleven barrels each.
The last heat for this brewing of common small beer is (see page 191)
to be proportioned in the first wort, and 8 degrees, the remainder of the 20, to the second wort, in a regular progressive state: the elements for this brewing are:
The quantity of water used for brewing small beer is in proportion to the largeness of the grist, and the price of the grain; this admitting of almost an endless variety, it is needless to pursue it: but the dryness of the malt, the value of the hops, the medium governing the processes, and the heat of the extracts being fixed, and constant degrees of heat in proportion to that of the air, I have constructed the following table, which will be found useful to the practitioner in every season of the year.
The last business of this section is to divide the quantity of water requisite to brew pale ales or amber, and to apply to such divisions their necessary degrees of heat. This liquor is rather an effort of art, than an exact imitation of nature, as in it the greatest transparency, joined to the greatest strength, is expected in a very short time. To obtain these ends, the whole number of the constituent properties of malt and two mashes only are employed. In the first, in order to favor its pellucidity, the lowest adequate extracting degree must be used; and in the second, to cause the malt to yield the whole of its necessary parts, the highest fitting heat must be applied; the whole of the process is, nevertheless, subjected to the governing medium heat of 138 degrees, the highest which admits of voluntary brightness. But where a drink is formed with two mashes only, and boiled off in one entire wort, to keep the due proportion between the quantity of water used, and the heat required in the extracts, and at the same time to allot the proper quantity for what is imbibed by the grist, the most convenient division found, will be three-fifths of the whole quantity of water to be applied to the first mash, and the remaining two-fifths to the other. I know to this, custom may be objected, that the first mash for amber should be a stiff one, in order the better to retain the heat; but this, in the division here proposed, may equally be obtained by a proper allowance made in theattemperating of the water, without affecting the proportion of the heats required, as otherwise must be the case.
From 8 quarters of malt to make 13 barrels of fine ale.
the lowest heat being required in the first extract, and the highest in the last, according to page 194; for the 16 barrels it will be 144, and for the 10 barrels it will contain 164 degrees.
But as the heat of the air occasions a difference in the quantities of hops to be used, and as from hence the extracts are somewhat varied: it has been judged convenient to add the following table:
A TABLEof the elements for forming pale ale or amber, at every degree of heat in the air, with the allowance of two degrees of heat, in the first and last extractions.
In summer time, it is sometimes thought better to brew this drink with malts more dried; for conveniency sake, I here insert two examples.
For the management of small beer made after amber, see page 197.
Thus having shewn how to ascertain the quantities of the malt, the hops, the water, and the heat to be used, and to proportion them to each other, as the good or bad properties of beers arise from the extracts, and fireis the governing agent, we must now seek the means to administer the right portion of heat, and so to temper the water that is to form the extracts, as not to be disappointed of our intentions. In the calculations made for this purpose, not only the water in the copper, but the value and effect of the grist, as to heat and cold, must be considered.