Part 1 (1/2)

The London and Country Brewer

by Anonymous

THE PREFACE

The many Inhabitants of Cities and Towns, as well as Travellers, that have for a long tireat Prejudices from unwholsome and unpleasant Beers and Ales, by the badness of Malts, underboiling the Worts, redients, the unskilfulness of the Brewer, and the great Expense that Fa'd with a heavy Excise, has , Wherein I have endeavour'd to set in sight the es of Body and Purse thatMalt Liquors, which are of the greatest Iree our Nourishoodness depends very evity of the Body

This bad Econoht on such a Disrepute, and eneral so odious, that many have been constrain'd, either to be at an Expence for better Drinks than their Pockets could afford, or take up with a Toast and Water to avoid the too justly apprehended ill Consequences of Drinking such Ales and Beers

Wherefore I have given an Account of Brewing Beers and Ales after several Methods; and also several curious Receipts for feeding, fining and preserving Malt Liquors, that are most of them wholsoainst the Charge, which I thought was the ready way to supplant the use of those unwholsoredients that have been made too free with by some ill principled People meerly for their own Profit, tho' at the Expence of the Drinker's Health

_I hope I have adjusted that long wanted Method of giving a due Standard both to the Hop and Wort, which never was yet (as I know of) rightly ascertain'd in Print before, tho' the want of it I aood Drinks, as is at this time very evident in 'd the Nostru valued himent when the Worts are boiled to a true Crisis; aWorts reat Loss of the Owner, and without this Knowledge a Brewer ht to be free from that can; and therefore I have endeavor'd to explode the old Hour-glass way of Brewing, by reason of the several Uncertainties that attend such Methods and the hazard of spoiling both Malt and Drink; for in short where a Brewing is perfor Water, there is no occasion for the Watch or Hour-glass to boil the Wort by, which is best known by the Eye, as I have both in this and my second Book made appear

I have here observed that necessary Caution, which is perfectly requisite in the Choice of good and the Manageh Importance, as the Use of this Vehicle is unavoidable in Brewing, and therefore requires a strict Inspection into its Nature; and this I have been the reat Quantities of unwholsome Waters used not only by Necessity, but by a mistaken Choice

So also I have confuted the old received Opinion lately published by an Es are the best Methods in Brewing; an Error of dangerous Consequence to all those who brew by Ladings over of the hot Water on the Malt

The great Difficulty and what has hitherto proved an I their own Drinks, I think, I have in some measure removed, and made it plainly appear how a Quantity of Malt Liquor may be Brewed in a little Rooe by Foxing or other Taint

The Benefit of Brewing entire Guile small Beer from fresh Malt, and the ill Effects of thatBeer or Ale; I have here exposed, for the sake of the Health and Pleasure of those thatof the for Treatise is read over and thoroughly considered, I doubt not but an ordinary Capacity will be in soood and bad Malt Liquors as a Drinker, and have such a Knowledge in Brewing that forreat Hopes theseour Malt Liquors in most Places; and that htful and profitable Practice of Brewing their own Drinks, and thereby not only save almost half in half of Expence, but enjoy such as has passed thro' its regular Digestions, and is truly pleasant, fine, strong and healthful

I Question not but this Book will ainst the Introduction of new Improvements, or that their Interests will be hereby eclipsed in time; To such I say I do not write, because I have little hopes to reforue of the great Benefits that will accrue by the following Methods, I have here plainly made known, and of those in my Second Book that I have almost finished and hope to publish in a little ti Water or Wort, and several other Ways that will be of considerable Service to the World_

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CHAP I

Of the Nature of the Barley-Corn, and of the proper Soils and Manures for the Improvement thereof

This Grain is well known to excel all others forof Malts that produce those fine British Liquors, Beer and Ale, which no other Nation can equalize; But as this Excellency cannot be obtain'd unless the several Ingredients are in a perfect State and Order, and these also attended with a right judgment; I shall here endeavour to treat on their several particulars, and first of Soils

This Grain I annually sow in ht totherefroenerally comes off reddish at both ends, and sometimes all over, with a thick skin and tuff nature, sorows in, and therefore not so valuable as that of contrary qualities, nor are the black blewish Marly Clays of the Vale much better, but Loams are, and Gravels better than them, as all the Chalks are better then Gravels; on these two last Soils the Barley acquires a whitish Body, a thin skin, a short plump kernel, and a (unreadable) flohich occasions those, fine pale and anal froravelly Grounds about those Places; for it is certain there is as much difference in Barley as in Wheat or other Grain, from the sort it corow in the marly vale Earths, Peas in Sands, and Barley in Gravels and Chalks, &c For our Mother Earth, as it is destinated to the service of Man in the production of Vegetables, is corow therein And since Providence has been pleased to allow Man this great privilege for the imployment of his skill and labour to ie; it certainly behoves us to acquaint ourselves with its several natures, and how to adapt an agreeable Grain and Manure to their natural Soil, as being the very foundation of enjoying good and bad Malts This is obvious by parallel Deductions from Turneps sown on rank clayey loas that render therow on Gravels, Sands and Chalky Loams under the assistance of the Fold, or Soot, Lis, &c are sweet (unreadable) and pleasant 'Tis the saes, Garden-beans and all other culinary Ware, that coreat quantities of London and other rank Dungs which are not near so pure, sweet and wholsoin mould and other healthy Earths and Manures

There is likewise another reason that has brought a disreputation on so of one and the same piece of Ground, whereby its spirituous, nitrous and sulphureous qualities are exhausted and worn out, by the constant attraction of its best juices for the nutris are often incorporated with such Earths, whereby they beconated with four, adulterated, unwholsorows therein, as to render it incapable ofsuch pure and sweet Malts, as that which is sown in the open Chan-fields, whose Earths are constantly rested every third Year called the Fallow-season, in order to discharge their crude, phlegs that the Plough gives them part of a Winter and one whole Suh, clotty loose parts of the Ground, and by degrees brings thement of those saline benefits that arise from the Earths, and afterwards fall down, and redound so row therein, as being the essence and spring of Life to all things that have root, and tho' they are first exhaled by the Sun in vapour from the Earth as the spirit or breath thereof, yet is it return'd again in Snows, Hails, Dews, etc more than in Rains, by which the surface of the Globe is saturated; froetables, and enters into all those productions as food, and nourishment, which the Creation supplies

Here thenSeed-barley in a liquor lately invented, that inates and loads it with Nitre and other Salts that are the nearest of all others to the true and original Spirit or Salt of the Earth, and therefore in a great measure supplies the want thereof both in inclosure and open Field; for even in this last it is sometimes very scarce, and in but small quantities, especially after a hot dry Summer and mild Winter, when little or no Snows have fell to cover the Earth and keep this Spirit in; by which and great Frosts it is often much encreased and then shews itself in the warmth of well Waters, that are often seen to wreak in the cold Seasons Now since all Vegetables more or less partake of those qualities that the Soil and Manures abound with in which they grow; I therefore infer that all Barley so imbibed, improves its productions by the ascension of those saline spirituous particles that are thus lodged in the Seed when put into the Ground, and are part of the nourishment the After-Crop enjoys; and for this reason I doubt not, but when tiot the ascendant of prejudice, the whole Nation will come into the practice of the invaluable Receipt published in two Books, entituled, Chiltern and Vale Far Explained, and, The Practical Farmer; both writ by William Ellis of Little Gaddesden near Hempstead in Hertfordshi+re, not only for Barley, but other Grains

But notwithstanding Barley ht Soil with a proper Manure; and improved by the liquor of this Receipt, yet this Grainmown too soon, which may afterwards be discovered by its shrivelled and lean body that never will ood Malt; or if it is mown at a proper time, and if it be housed damp, or wettish, it will be apt to heat and ood Malt, because it will not spire, nor coularly on the floor as that which was inned dry

Again, I have known one part of a Barley-crop alreen at Harvest, another part ripe, and another part between both, tho' it was all sown at once, occasion'd by the several situations of the Seed in the Ground, and the succeeding Droughts The deepest ca and was ripe soonest, the next succeeded; but the upperrew not at all, and the rest was green at Harvest Now these irregularities are greatly prevented and cured by the application of the ingredients mentioned in the Receipt, which infuses such a moisture into the body of the Seed, as with the help of a little Rain and the rohen others are ruined for want of the assistance of such steeping

Barley like other Grain will also degenerate, and become rank, lean and small bodied, if the same Seed is sown too often in the Soil; 'tis therefore that the best Fare the Seed every time, but take due care to have it off a contrary Soil that they sow it in to; this hbourhood every Year buy their Barley-seed in the Vale of Ailsbury, that grew there on the black clayey marly Loams, to sow in Chalks, Gravels, &c Others every second Year will go from hence to Fullharows there on Sandy-ground; both which Methods are great I or hty and white Barley- corn, is in all respects much kinder than the lean flinty Sorts