Page:Art of Cookery 1774 edition.djvu/333

Rh CARE must be taken in the first place to have the malt clean; and after it is ground, it ought to stand four or five days.

For strong October, five quarters of malt to three hogsheads, and twenty-four pound of hops. This will afterwards make two hogsheads of good keeping small beer, allowing five pounds of hops to it.

For good middling beer, a quarter of malt makes a hogshead of ale, and one of small beer; or it will make three hogsheads of good small beer, allowing eight pounds of hots. This will keep all the year. Or it will make twenty gallons of strong ale, and two hogsheads of small beer that will keep all the year.

If you intend your ale to keep a great while, allow a pound of hops to every bushel; if to keep six months, five pounds to a hogshead; if for present drinking, three pounds to a hogshead, and the softest and clearest water you can get.

Observe the day before to have all your vessels very clean, and never use your tubs for any other use except to make wines.

Let your casks be very clean the day before with boiling water; and if your bung is big enough, scrub them well with a little birch broom or brush; but if they be bery bad, take out the heads, and let them be scrubbed clean with a hand-brush and sand and fullers-earth. Put on the heat again and scald them well, throw into the barrel a piece of unslacked lime, and stop the bung close.

The first copper of water, when it boils, pour into your mash-tub, and let it be cool enough to see your face in; then put in your malt, and let it be well mashed, have a copper of water boiling in the mean time, and when your malt is well washed, fill your mashing-tub, stir it well again, and cover it over with the sacks. Let it stand three hours, then set a broad shallow tub under the cock, let it run very softly, and if it is thick throw it up again till it runs fine, then throw a handful of hops in the under tub, and let the mash run into it, and fill your tubs till all is run off. Have water boiling in the copper, and lay as much more on as you have occasion for, allowing one third for boiling and waste. Let that stand an hour, boiling more water to fill the mash-tub for small beer; let the fire down a little, and put it into tubs enough to fill your mash. Let the second mash be run off, and fill your copper with the first wort; put in part of your hops, and make it boil quick. About an hour is long enough; when it is half boiled, throw in a handful of salt. Have a clean white wand and dip it into the copper, and if the wort feels clammy it is boiled enough; then slacken your fire, and take off