Page:A Practical Treatise on Brewing (4th ed.).djvu/135

Rh rest assured, however, that if an unhealthy appearance takes place in any part of the process, it denotes either more than the common acidity in the worts, or acidity produced in the process of fermentation by electro-chemical action, or other causes. And, however healthy to appearance the fermentation may become, the beer, instead of being what is denominated “sound old,” will ﬂy off to an acid. This in a great measure accounts for the difficulty of procuring any really sound beer after it has attained a certain age. We have very often, on pointing out some very irregular appearances in certain stages of fermentation, been met by the remark,—“Oh! that is nothing; it will all be quite right before cleansing.” The beer, however, notwithstanding its healthy appearance, will always retain a mawkish, subacid flavour, very disagreeable to those who have accurate palates, and also highly prejudicial to the health of those who drink it.

Many brewers, however, rather than allow their own knowledge of their business to be called in question, will persist in this erroneous mode of working; trusting that their beer will be all consumed before any of the anticipated bad effects can take place. Such brewers obviously look more to their own profits than to the health of the consumers.

Some remarks on Spontaneous Fermentation will be found in the