Page:A Practical Treatise on Brewing (4th ed.).djvu/139

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Brewing in summer has always been considered a very uncertain process: and both brewers and distillers find it impossible to carry on their operations during that season so successfully as in winter. The generally received opinion is, that the state of the atmosphere in summer, prevents fermentation from going on so successfully as in winter.

This, however, we do not admit. If the fermenting tuns be properly placed, and the worts are as sound when fermentation begins as they are in winter, along with sound yeast, the fermentation, with a properly regulated temperature, will go on equally well. The worts, however, owing to the state of the atmosphere, are more liable to get tainted during the process of brewing in summer, than they are in winter; and as already stated, the least additional acidity in the worts will always produce irregular fermentations. It is, therefore, the difficulty of preserving worts in summer, so as to go sound into the gyle-tun, on which the uncertainty in fermentation during that season depends; and not the interference of the atmosphere with the process of fermentation.

Art, by means of fans, refrigerators and regulators, has now enabled us to overcome, in a great measure, the difficulties formerly experienced.