Page:A Practical Treatise on Brewing (4th ed.).djvu/215

Rh hot water and a little chloride of lime (bleaching powder). By adhering strictly to the following directions, they will run less risk of their worts being tainted than when more time is occupied in the process.

The day previous to the commencement of brewing, examine all the utensils very carefully, and be sure that they have been thoroughly scalded and scrubbed. On the morning of the day on which you intend to brew, having nearly filled your boiler with water, make the water boil, and continue the boiling for some time. This may be done the day previously; the object being to soften the water, particularly when its principal impurity is owing to carbonate of lime. If the water is hard, or containing sulphate of lime, which curdles soap even when boiled, an alkali, such as sub-carbonate of potash, (salt of tartar,) or subcarbonate of soda, may be thrown into the water, the proportion of not more than one ounce to a barrel or thirty-six gallons: this will sufficiently soften such water.

Morning, 7 o’clock.—The water in the boiler being now at a temperature of 180° F., let run into your mash-tun one barrel and a-half, or about 7 gallons of water to each bushel of malt: stir this about until it acquires a temperature of 170°, then commence the gradual addition of your malt; taking care to mix it thoroughly with the water by means of oars and rakes, as it goes into the tun. When