Of Brewing Beer

As the following is intended principally for the use of private
families, it will be necessary to begin with directions how to choose
good Malt; for which, see page 67.

Of the Brewing Vessels.

To a copper that holds 36 gallons, the mash-tub ought to be at least big
enough to contain six bushels of malt, and the copper of liquor, and
room for mashing or stirring it: The under back, coolers and working
tubs, may be rather fitted for the conveniency of the room, than to a
particular size; for if one vessel be not sufficient to hold your
liquor, you may take a second.

Of cleaning and sweetening Casks & Brewing Vessels.

If a cask, after the beer is drank out, be well stopt to keep out the
air, and the lees remaining in it till you want to use it again, you
will need only to scald it well, and take care of the hoops before you
fill it; but if air gets into a foul empty cask, it will contract an ill
scent in spight of scalding. A handful of bruised pepper boiled in the
water you scald with, will take out a little musty smell; but the surest
way is to take out the head of the cask, and let the cooper shave and
burn it a little, and then scald it for use; if you cannot conveniently
have a cooper to the cask, get some stone lime, and put about three
pound into a barrel, (and proportionally to smaller or bigger vessels)
and put to it about six gallons of cold water, bung it up, and shake it
about for some time, and afterwards scald it well; or for want of lime,
take a linen rag, and dip it in melted brimstone, and fasten one end to
the bung, and light the other, and let it hang on the cask. You must
give it a little air, else it will not burn; but keep in as much of the
sulphur as you can. Scald it afterwards, and you will find no ill smell.

If you have new casks, before you fill them, dig places in the earth,
and lay them half their depth with their bung holes downward, for a
week; and after well scalding them, you may venture to fill them.

Another way to proceed, if your brewing vessels are tinged with any ill
smell, is to take unflacked lime and water, and with an old broom scrub
the vessel whilst the water is hissing, with the lime; and afterwards
take all this lime and water away, and put fresh water into the vessel,
and throw some bay or common salt into each, and let it stand a day or
two; and when you come to brew, scald your vessels, throw into them a
little malt-dust or bran; and this will not only finish their
sweetening, but stop them from leaking.

But since there is so much trouble in getting vessels sweet after they
have been neglected, you ought to make all thorough clean after brewing,
and once a month to fill your vessels with fair water, and let it off
again in two or three days.

Next: Of Mashing Or Raking Your Liquors
Previous: To Make Rye Malt For Stilling

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