Page:A Practical Treatise on Brewing (4th ed.).djvu/37

Rh quickly introduced. If a great current of heated air be constantly directed through the malt on the kiln no danger of acquiring colour need be apprehended. This current of heated air, however, should be admitted through open apertures, running longitudinally along the furnace fire, on the outside of the Welch lumps of fire-bricks. If, on the contrary, colour should be wanted, it is only necessary, just before taking the malt off the kiln, that all currents of air should be shut off or prevented, excepting from below the bottom of the furnace; a quick fire having been previously made and kept up, any colour may be very speedily acquired. Care, however, must be taken, during this process, by frequently turning on the kiln, to prevent the malt being burnt.

There is a prevailing error, that malt should be frequently turned on the kiln during the process of drying. A little consideration, however, will show the inaccuracy of this opinion. It has been already stated, that when the proper currents of heated air are introduced in drying, no colouring of the malt need be apprehended. We know that the portion of the malt nearest the covering of the kiln sometimes feels quite dry, while that on the top is quite damp; if, therefore, by turning, we throw this part of the malt upon the top and the wet to the bottom, the steam of the wet malt from below must pass through the drier malt on the top, thus creating