Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

BEER-MAKING. 163 even to those smaller brewers that at one time may have used substitutes ; but as regards the large and well-known breweries, nothing but malt and hops—and sometimes sugar—is ever used. The price of hops varies greatly, according to the quality and amount of the crop. It may be as high as four shillings a pound, or as low as sixpence, the latter being about the present price. This value is not expected to fluctuate so much in the future, as the cold storage of hops is being introduced, it being found that at a tempera- ture of from 250 to 28° Fahrenheit they will keep for years. The price of malt is more stable, the average quotation being about forty shillings a quarter. Ale is known by three definitions according to its strength — mild, pale, and strong. Brown beer, when of similar strength to mild ale, is known as porter, and when equal to pale ale or bitter as stout. The quantity of hops used varies according to the quality and class of beer to be brewed. It may be as low as 6 lb. a barrel for mild ale, or as high as 18 lb. a barrel for strong ale. Beer-making commences with cleaning and crushing the malt, which is the chief ingredient and factor in beer- making. Malt may be pro- duced from any of the cereals by process of germination stopped at appropriate stages, but barley is the only grain which combines in itself all the requisites for the production of a perfect malt. The barley7 is, after being steeped in water to induce ger- mination, turned on floors to allow develop- ment of the acrospire and to prevent the undergrowth of rootlets; when the acrospire is two-thirds up the back of the grain the vegetation is arrested,and the barley allowed to wither previous to passing to the kiln for dry- ing. This is first effected at a low temperature to freely evaporate the moisture, but gradually rising to 200° Fahr. In the country the malt- ings are frequently an adjunct to the brewery, but in London the malt is delivered at the brewery in sacks. It is stored in bins of enormous capacity on the top floors, being conveyed there by machinery. From the bins it falls by gravitation through hoppers into the mills, to be cleaned from dust by being passed over revolving graded screens, and then crushed by rollers to the fineness desired for the malt liquor to be produced. It is also passed between magnets, which arrest any particles of metal which might be present. Below these mills the mash tuns are usually to be found, and here the malt is mixed with hot water. 1 hese tuns are simply circular (messrs. Barclay’s brewery). THE ACTUAL HEIGHT OF VAT IS TO THE TOP OF LADDER ; ABOVE IS SUPERSTRUCTURE TO CONFINE THE YEAST WHEN RISING. THE PIPES IN CENTRE ARE THE ATTEMPERATORS. vessels fitted with covers and certain inte- rior machinery. I hey also have facilities above for the introduction of the hot liquor or water and the malt, and below for strain- ing away the malt extract or wort. The interior machinery is two-fold, each used for the separate processes to which the malt is subjected. The first is called mash- ing, and continues for about two and a half hours, during which the malt is con- tinuously stirred by rotating rakes, thoroughly mixing it with the hot liquor, which will then contain a large proportion of malt extract, and is called wort. This, when at its proper density, is drawn off from the mash tun into vessels called “ under- backs,” from them pumped to the “ copper-