Page:A Practical Treatise on Brewing (4th ed.).djvu/248

232 injuriously affected by electricity. If vats, therefore, can be constantly kept in a negative state, the beer will be much less liable to suffer from fret, than when subjected to every electrical change which may occur.

From Dr. Cumming’s remarks, it will be seen, that when worts or beer were placed in a state of positive electricity, they very rapidly went to decay, and got sour; but when placed in a negative vessel, they would keep for an indefinite length of time without undergoing any change. It was also found that when yeast was applied, the worts under positive electricity very rapidly got into a state of fermentation, and soon became acid; while in the other, or negative state, little or no fermentation took place, and that which did occur did not produce any acidity, a little frothy matter appeared upon the surface, unaccompanied by any other change. This accounts for the anomalies which take place in fermentation when the appearance of the atmosphere indicates thunder. It is a common observation that any man can brew in winter, and no doubt before the introduction of these metallic mains, &c., now in such common use in the brewery, much less difficulty was experienced in the process of fermentation in the winter months, because fewer electrical, changes take place at that season (having