Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, first edition - Volume I, A-B.pdf/799

 BREWING. 667 in a lefler or greater degree; but there is a difference part of it of a hard<barley nature, and weigh heavier than even in what is called coak, the right fort being large that which is true malt. pit- coal charred or burnt in fome meafure to a cinder, till all the fulphur is confumed and evaporated, which is Of the Nature and life of Pale, Amber, and called choak ; and this, when it is truly made, is the Brown Malts. beft of all other fuels. But if there be but one cinder as -The pale malt is the and flackeft dried of any, big as an egg, not thoroughly cured, the fmoke of this and where it has had a floweft leifure fire, a fufficient time alone is capable of doing damage, which happens too often it on the kiln, and a due care taken of it, the by the negligence or avarice of the choak-maker : There lowed the grain will remain in its full quantity, and is another fort, by. fome wrongly called choak, and flour of produce a greater length of wort than the brown rightly named culm or Welch-coal, from Swanzey in thereby malt. It may be brewed either with fpring or Pembrokefhire, being of a hard ftony fubftance, in fmall high-dried well water. bits, refembling a fhinning coal, and will burn without common malt is that which is dried in a fmoke, and by its fulphureous effluvia call a moft excel- The amber-coloured degree, between the pale and the brown, arid is lent whitenefs on all the outward parts of the grainy bo- medium much in ufe, as being free of either extreme. Its dy: In Devonfflire their marble or grey fxre-ftone is very its tafte agreeable, and its nature burnt into lime with the ftrong fire that this culm makes, colour is pleafant, which makes it be preferred by many as the and both this and the chalked pit-coal afford a moderate wholefome, beft of malts ; this by fome is brewed either with hard or and certain fire to all malt that is dried by it. Straw is foft or a mixture of both. the next fweeteft fuel; but wood and fern are the worft. Thewaters, brown malt is the fooneft and higheft dried of any, Some put a peck or more of peafe, and malt them till it is fo hard, that it is difficult to bite fome of with five quarters of barley, to mellow the drink : itsevencorns This malt, by fome, is thought to ocBeans are ufed for the fame purpofe; but they do not cafion theafunder. gravel or ftone, and is by its fteely nature Ids come fo foon, nor mix fo conveniently with the malt, as nourilhing than the pale or amber malts, being very the pea. Barley is not fit to make malt of till it is fully mel- much impregnated with the fiery particles of the kiln, lowed and fweated in the mow, and the feafon of the and therefore its drink fooner becomes ftiarp and acid year is ready for it, without both which there can be no than that made from the pale or amber forts, if they are affurance of good malt. This untimely making of malt all fairly brewed: For this reafon the London brewers the Thames or, New River waters to brew often occafions bad ales and beers; for fuch malt retain- moftlymaltufewith, for the fake of its loft nature, whereby ing fome of its barley nature* or that the feafon of the itthisagrees with the harfli qualities of it better than any of year is not cold enough to admit of its natural working on the floor, is not capable of producing a true malt, the well or other hard forts, and makes a lufcious ale a little while, and abut-beer, or porter, that will keep but will caufe its drink to (link in the calk inftead of for growing fit for ufe, as not having its genuine malt nature very wdl five or fix months ; but after that time it ge; to cure and preferve it, which all good malts contribute nerally grows ftale, notwithftanding there be ten or twelve bufhels allowed to the hogftiead, and it be hopped ac» to as well as the hop. Mellilet, a moft ftinking weed that grows among bar- cordingly.and amber malts dried with coak or culm, obley, if not thoroughly cleaned from it before malting, tainPale a more clean, bright, pale colour, than if dried with makes the drink fo heady, that it is apt to intoxicate the any other fuel; becaufe there is not fmoak to darken and unwary by drinking a fmall quantity : Befides, it gives a fully their ficins or hulks, and give them an ill rtlafti,naufeous flavour to the liquor. which thofe malts have, more or lefs, that are dried with ftraw, wood, or fern, drc. The coak or Welch To know good from bad Malts. coal alfo makes more true and compleat malt than any fuel, becaufe its fire gives both a gentle and cerF1 rst, break the mak-corn acrofs between the teeth, in other tain heat, whereby the corns are in all their parts gra-i the middle, or at both ends, and if it tafteth mellow and dually, dried; and therefore of late thefe malts have fweet, has a round body, breaks foft, is full of flour all gained fuch a reputation, that great quantities have been its length, fmells well, and has a thin Ikin, then it isconfumed in moft parts, of the nation for their whole-t good Secondly, take a glafs near full of water, and fome and fweet fine tafte. put in fome malt ; if it fwims, it is right; but if any Nextnature to the coak-dried malt, the ftraw dried is the finks to the bottom, then it is not true malt, but fteely, and beft tafted : This, it muft be acknowledged, and retains fomewhat of its barley nature; this, however, fweeteft is fometimes- well malted, where the barley, wheat,; is not an infallible rule, becaufe, if a corn of malt is ftraw, convemencies, and the maker’s Ikill, are good; cracked, fplit, or broke, it will then take the water and as the fire of the ftraw is not fo regular-as the coak, fink ; but an allowance may be given for futh incidents,, but the malt is attended with more uncertainty in its making,; and ftill room enough to make a judgment. Thirdly, becaufe to keep it to a moderate and equalmalt that is truly made will not be hard and fteely, but heat, andit isalfodilficult expofes the malt in fome degree to the of fo mellow a nature, that, if forced againft a dry. board, it will mark, and caft a white colour almoft like tafte of the fmoak. chalk. Fourthly, malt that is not rightjy made will be Brown malts are dried with ftraw, wood, and fern;