Page:A Practical Treatise on Brewing (4th ed.).djvu/183

Rh the great Sir Humphry Davy admitted that he himself was a bad manipulator, and we have heard that upon one occasion, after having frequently tried an experiment and always failed, which he was quite certain must have succeeded if properly managed, he submitted the case, when accidentally in Edinburgh, to one of the chemists in that city. By him the experiment was immediately performed with success. Sir Humphry then remarked, that he had made more discoveries by his own bungling in manipulation, than in any other way; the failures having led to new results of a nature different from what he had anticipated.

Bad manipulation in brewing, although not likely to lead to any beneficial discoveries in that art, may be followed by equally bad effects, as in making chemical experiments. Many brewers, for instance, think it a matter of but little importance, should they be a few hours longer in making their extracts, at one time than at another. This, however, will frequently produce acidity in the worts, and consequently fretful or irregular fermentation. Others think that success in brewing depends wholly on the first taps or worts running brilliantly bright from the mash-tun, (a matter of no great importance,) and adopt measures for attaining that object, which are often very injurious.

Many other instances of carelessness and want of