Page:A Practical Treatise on Brewing (4th ed.).djvu/116

100 management during some part of the process in brewing, or from positive electro-chemical action, which invariably produces acidity. I should here mention that negative electricity, although it prevents acidity, retards fermentation. In the ﬁrst place, then, in order to have sound and untainted worts, the greatest cleanliness must be preserved in every stage of the process. First, the mash-tun and under-back should be thoroughly cleaned out, as soon as possible after brewing, the coolers the same. The wort pumps also should be strictly attended to, so that no portion of the worts of a former brewing can possibly be left in them. Very injurious effects are often produced from want of attention to this. Any unnecessary delay in the process of brewing may cause taint or faintness, from the taps being too long in being pumped into the copper. Under the article boiling, charring or carbonizing the worts by high pressure boiling in the copper, is mentioned as another cause of fretful fermentation.—(See cooling the Worts as another cause.) In short, such apparently triﬂing circumstances often produce such unsoundness, as to prevent the possibility of enumerating them. (For electro-chemical action see Electricity and Want of Uniformity in Beer.)

We are now prepared, however, to assert and