Page:A Practical Treatise on Brewing (4th ed.).djvu/134

118, their fully attenuated wash will bear the litmus test as well as sound beer. When fully attenuated, however, they always find that the sooner they can be brought to the still, the better will be the produce in spirits. It sometimes happens, from accidents or other causes, that their wash cannot be distilled at the proper time, and thus by their being kept too long in the fermenting backs, although kept as much secluded from the atmosphere as possible, acidification begins to supervene, which is indicated immediately by an increase of specific gravity, and the produce in spirits will then be proportionally less and less, according to the time the wash may be thus exposed to atmospheric fluctuations. These few observations are only made in confirmation of what has been above stated; but as this is merely a treatise on brewing, we shall not at present enter further upon the subject, although distillers, from similar causes, are just as likely to be unsuccessful in their fermentations as brewers.

It happens sometimes in long fermentations, that although the heads on the worts assume in certain stages very unhealthy appearances, they afterwards, even spontaneously, become more vigorous and healthy; and this the inexperienced brewer assumes as a certain indication that all is right. He may