Of Charring the Worts..

It has also been observed, that when the worts are thus charred, the fermentations are very much inclined to get fretful at certain stages, thus endangering the quality of the beer. We have ourselves lately seen this effect produced, but immediately afterwards remedied by withdrawing the pressure. We are not at present prepared to say what may be the chemical causes of the above-mentioned fretful fermentations perhaps the charring of the worts may so alter the nature of their component parts as to produce this effect.

But fermentations, generally speaking, are so apt to be influenced, by what, to many, would appear such trifling or even improbable causes, that they who have had an opportunity of seeing and tracing all their different anomalies, in their various stages, can alone find out and apply the necessary remedies.

Long or Short Boiling.

It must now be apparent that we are not advocates for long boiling, excepting as above stated, for the purpose of giving strength to the wort by evaporation. Long boiling can only be necessary when no raw wort is taken, to enable us to turn a greater quantity of liquor over the malt for the purpose of extract. As, however, a considerable portion of this additional liquor must be evaporated

from the copper for the purpose of acquiring strength, perhaps the additional expense of coals and wear and tear may counterbalance any profit, which we may think we have derived from the little additional extract, we have thus gained from the malt.

We have had occasion to brew a good deal of beer for the Indian market, and we never on any occasion boiled the first worts more than one hour, or the second worts more than an hour and a-half. In the Appendix will be found the reports received from Calcutta respecting some of it, which will show that notwithstanding the shortness of the boilings, the beer turned out well.

On the tendency of Worts to get tainted in the Coolers; its Causes and Preventives.

Worts are much more liable to get tainted in the coolers, when the weather is thick and hazy, than when it is clear and windy. The cause of this, however, so far as we know, has not as yet been scientifically accounted for. There can be no doubt, however, that it proceeds from the steam, which, instead of rising and being dissipated as in windy weather, becomes condensed in hazy weather, and by then falling on the worts in a liquid state, it produces acidity, or foxyness, as it is technically called.

It has been already stated, that condensed steam

is injurious, in every stage of the process of brewing, and particularly so in the cooling of the worts. Steam, as has been lately discovered, under certain circumstances, is perhaps the most powerful positive electric yet known, and therefore by falling on the worts on the coolers in a condensed state, may produce acidity.

Our opinion is, that little good can be effected by cooling the worts much below the temperature of the atmosphere at the time, (in winter we must, of course, watch to prevent their getting too low,) unless, as in Bavaria, the tun-rooms can also be kept at an equally low temperature. The reason of this is obvious; if the temperature of the tun-room be the same as the atmosphere, the worts will also rise to that temperature, without gaining a regular progressive attenuation, unless checked by regulators, which we would rather dispense with at all times if possible.-See article, Regulators.

Now, as it is the steam hanging on the worts which prevents their cooling, if that can be blown away or dissipated, they will soon arrive at a sufficiently low temperature, perhaps a degree or two below that of the atmosphere. Fans or blowers will do this effectually, and also keep the worts in a state of constant motion, which is also a great preservative; and if a portion of the hop dreg has been allowed to pass over along with them into the coolers, there will then be but little danger of their

F

becoming tainted in cooling at any time.-See article on Hop Dreg.

It was believed by many brewers, that worts ought never to be stirred on the coolers at all; but as this old and erroneous opinion appears now to be pretty nearly abandoned, it is needless to say any thing more on the subject.

We are told that some brewers have now acquired such faith in refrigerators, as to think that they may dispense with coolers almost entirely. We strongly fear, however, that before the end of the first summer, they will have reason to repent of this over confidence, and lose more by the deterioration of their beer than the first cost of new coolers. -See article on Refrigerators.

CALCULATING LENGTHS AND

GRAVITIES.

FROM the erroneous mode generally practised of calculating the gravities of the taps or raw worts, as they are generally termed, a very great discrepancy appears betwixt what is called the raw and boiled gravity, or, in other words, the gravities shown

by the taps, and the actual or real gravities in the gyle-tun.

It is now an ascertained fact, that little or no saccharine matter evaporates with the steam in boiling, and consequently the gravities of the taps, if properly taken, ought exactly to coincide with the gravities in the gyle-tun, making allowance only for what may be retained by the hops in the last wort.

We all know that the gravities of the taps, or worts running from the mash-tun, vary considerably, according to the times at which the samples may be taken; thus leading to erroneous conclusions. The only accurate mode, therefore, of calculating the gravities of the unboiled worts, must be by taking samples from the under-back after being thoroughly roused, or better, from the copper when. the worts are therein collected, and after about ten minutes' boiling.

The common practice is even then to calculate the gravity as when reduced to a temperature of 60°, without making any deduction for the decrease in quantity necessary to reduce the worts to that temperature, by evaporation and condensation. We thus calculate a gravity (taking in what is retained by the hops) of at least ten per cent. more than we actually have making all the difference between the (so denominated) raw and boiled gravities.

The Excise, when taking the dip of hot worts in the coolers, always allowed ten per cent. for eva