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WHY so little good Malt is made in England.--It is to little purpose to hope for the enjoyment of wholesome pleasant beer and ale, unless the malt is good it is brewed from; and such malt is more difficult to come by than most people imagine, which made an expert common brewer say, he believed there was hardly one malster in twenty that made true malt; and I am really of the same opinion, as thousands I am sure would be, if they had a knowledge of the many incidents and contrivances that hinder it. Incidents, I say, because when barley is mowed in several degrees of ripeness, as when some is full ripe, some half ripe, and some only begun ripening, it is then impossible to make good malt of such barley; the occasion of which is owing to a long dry season of weather, that directly succeeds the sowing of it; by which means thousands of acres of barley in some years are thus damaged, although this great damage may be very cheaply and easily prevented by liquoring the seed before it is sown, as I have, and intend in my future works further to shew, when I publish my treatise to be entituled New Discoveries in the Art of Agriculture. Secondly, another incident of damage is, when barley after it is mowed is rained on, so as to make it spire in the field. Thirdly, in the malt-house by wrong management in the cistern, floor or kiln; on the kiln, by drying brown malt too hastily, so as to cause the kernels to jump and snap, which is blowing of malt, to make the fewer kernels fll the bushel, and thus they are often dried to a bitterness; whereas to dry it leisurely as it ought to be, it should be ten hours on the kiln, instead of which many dry it in four hours time. The same fault is also committed by many malsters in making pale malts, who to save time, labour, and fewel, dry them in eight hours instead of sixteen; and to deceive the buyer will just crisp them without-side, when the inside is rawish: hence it is, that we have such great quantities of bad beer and ale. Fourthly, there are thousands of quarters of malt damaged every year by whools or wevils, bred by the rawness of pale malt. Many people find themselves sick after drinking, little thinking such sickness is occasioned by whools or wevils; but I say, wevilly malt will cause the beer to give its drinker a sickness, and when many of these stinking poisonous insects are among it, a very panick sickness indeed. The Londoners have no notion of this; and that in some country towns, where are several malt-kilns, they are never free from wevils all the year.

  To know good Malt.--It is known by smell and taste, by smelling, if it smells sweet; by taste, if the kernel bites mellow and tastes sweet; for if the kernels are hard throughout, it is a sign of bad malt.--See more of this, and many other curious serviceable matters in brewing, in my treatise intituled The London and Country Brewer, sold by Astley, at the Rose in Pater-Noster-Row, London.

  Hops.--The bright hops of the last year's growth are best, the older the worser. Hops ripe, when gather'd free of the damage of insects and rains, and if rightly kiln-dried, will (by rubbing them between the finger and thumb) feel oily, yield a delicate scent, and taste thoroughly bitter.

  Of Water for brewing.--The best water to brew with is a soft river, pond, or rain-water, because these make stronger drink than hungry hard well-water, and agree best with malt of any kind, in opening its body, whereby the beer or ale wort receives its strength the sooner, and more gradually than it does from an astringent, sharp, hard, well-water; insomuch that it is allowed by good judges, that one or two bushels of malt may be saved in eight, if brewed with a river or pond water. I knew a nobleman (whose well-water is a bracky, hard, chalky sort) say he could never have such good beer at his house, as the keeper of his park had at his lodge. The reason was, because the keeper brewed with a pond-water, that had much more strength in it than the well-water, and gave the drink a better relish; and if such pond-water should be (as sometimes it is in summer) stagnated and foul, it is only throwing some salt into the copper, and it will not only raise a filthy scum, but entirely cure the water. This and many other matters in brewing I have the more knowledge of, as I was executor to my uncle's will, a brewer in London; which engaged me a little while in that business.

  Of keeping brewing Utensils clean and sweet.--Without a roomly brewhouse, a sufficient number of tubs or other coolers, and without they are kept sweet and clean, there is no such thing as brewing right malt liquors. But if any taint of them is suspected, it may be cured at once by throwing scalding water into them, and upon that some bay-salt, which when dissolved, scrub and wash them well with a birch broom, or hard brush; and thus you will deliver yourself from that poisonous damage, called in great brewhouses the fox, which gives the drink a sickish nasty taste, and a very unwholesome quality.

  A good plain Way to brew a Hogshead of October or March stout Beer.--There are many ways of doing this; but the plain common way is this I am going to direct, I will suppose a hogshead of strong beer was to be brewed.--In the first place, I would see if my malt was not eat at the end of the kernels by wevils, that it was sweet, and bit mellow; then I would have it only just broke, and that's all, between the two stones of a mill, or else only bruised between two rollers of the shape of a mill that flats tobacco-leaves, or the plat that our country people weave for making straw-hats: Then having my soft water boiled a minute or two, I would put it into the mash tub, there to stand till I could see my face in it, or just bear my finger in it; then to put my ground malt directly into it by degrees, stirring it all the while it is running leisurely into the tub; when all is in, I would mash the whole for about twenty-five minutes, then cover it with a bushel of malt that I left out on purpose, and leave it so for two or three hours; at the end of which, I would turn the cock to let the wort run out, and return it back on the malt till it run fine upon some rubbed hops. When I had my full quantity, or rather before, I would be putting it into the copper with hops, and boil all as fast as I could, till the wort breaks into particles as big as lice; then I would take all out of the copper as fast as I could, for then it is boiled full enough, and better than if the wort and hops were boiled longer. But to be more nice, I would put my hops in a large canvas bag or fine meshed net, to be boiled in the wort only thirty minutes at most, but the wort should be boiled on longer, till it breaks as aforesaid; for by boiling the hops so little a while, the drink will be impregnated with only the fine spiritous, flowery, wholesome bitter of the hops, free of that nasty-tasted earthy unwholesome quality that is in all hops whatsoever, and which would be extracted if the wort was to boil much longer. As to the quantity of malt and hops to brew a hogshead of strong beer from, it is as a person thinks fit; for from ten to sixteen bushels or more of any sort of malt, a hogshead of good beer may be brewed; and as to the quantity of hops, they may be used from four to ten pounds or more. Be sure to lay your wort thin in the cooling tubs or backs, for if it is laid thick, it will be very apt to fox; and when almost cold, take about a gallon, and mix some yeast with it in a pan, tub, or pail; do this in time, that it may be incorporated with the rest of the wort before it is cold, and when it has work'd into a curled head turn it, but never beat the yeast into it above once or twice at most, before you put it into the cask.--Others brew by lading over boiling water after the first mash is over, and this from time to time without stirring the malt, till all the strong wort is got off; which is a good way, but is too tedious for some people's patience.--Others work their strong wort in a cask, and will not put any yeast into it before it is all in it, thinking the spirits will not waste here during the fermentation, as when openly work'd in a tub.--Ale is to be brewed in the same manner, only with less malt and fewer hops; and if a person has a mind to brew an ale that is excellent for the gout or gravel, he may put some treacle into the copper when he puts in his malt wort to boil; this opens the pores, and promotes perspiration, to the great relief of the body. N. B. If your first hot water is not too hot when the malt is put to it, you need not fear a miscarriage in the brewing afterwards.

NOtwithstanding I have done my endeavour, in my aforesaid brewing-treatise, to detect this pernicious practice, yet I find to my surprise it increases, especially in the country, as it brings the greater profit to the brewer, who by this means can save two bushels of malt in eight. For if one brews eight bushels of malt and does not beat the yeast in above once or twice at most, his drink shall be no stronger than the same quantity brewed from six bushels, if the yeast is beaten in near or quite a week together, as many do in winter time; because by this the malt liquor is so impregnated with the sulphureous and saline spirit of the yeast (which is of a poisonous nature) that a quart of such yeasty ale has fuddled a very stout man: Which inebriating quality tempts the ignorant to spend their money, lose their time, ruin their health, and bring their family to the parish. Besides which, it greatly lessens the consumption of barley and malt, and consequently the king's duty. Now to prevent this horrid practice, if the excise officer was to make a narrow inspection, and find yeast beaten into any strong beer or ale above twice, it should by a strict law be made very penal.