Much very bad beer is made in families where there is no sparing of materials, for the want of management and economy; attention should be paid to the state of the utensils used, and all necessary preparations made the day before the brewing is commenced; let the water be heated in the copper the day before, that it may be well cleansed, also cleanse the casks, mash tubs, coolers, etc. When this is all done fill your copper, and have everything in readiness for the next morning; the quantity of malt for strong beer must be ten bushels to the hogshead, for ale nine bushels to the hogshead; the copper for making a hogshead of beer or ale, should contain full seventy gallons, because the hogshead of beer measure holds sixty-three gallons, and there should be the surplus measure allowed for the hops, and the working them about to advantage when the water boils, to prevent waste. With this copper, four boilings will afford two hogsheads of strong beer or table ale, or two of table beer. The malt should be ground four or five days before use, and be kept very clean. The ingredients being ready, the water must be made to boil quickly, which done, the copper fire must be then damped.

The malt having been previously put in the mashing tub, reserving half a bushel, as soon as the steam from the boiling water begins to subside, the water is poured upon it to wet the malt, so as to render it fit to be mashed, it should then remain covered over for a quarter of an hour, when more water is added, and it is mashed as before; let it stand for a few minutes, and then add the whole quantity of water, according as it is intended to have the beer more or less strong. Whilst the water is lading on, the mash must be kept stirring with a pole. When well mashed run the big end of the mash on through the middle of it to give it air, then put the spare half bushel of malt over the mash and cover the tub over with sacks to keep the steam and spirit of the malt in, and let it remain two hours; then let it run into the receiver and mash again for the second wort in the same manner as the first, excepting that the water must be cooler, and it must not stand more than half the time. Both these worts are mixed together, and the quantity of hops intended are added, when the liquor must be put into the copper, which being closely covered, let it boil gently for two hours, then let the liquor into the receiver and the hops be strained therefrom into the coolers.

When cool the yeast, which should be white and sweet, is added, and the liquor well stirred from the bottom with a wooden bowl, turning it topsy-turvy in the middle of each tub, which causes the beer to ferment; if it happens that in about two hours the fermentation is not favourable it has been checked, in which case put the mash-oar, etc, across the tubs, and cover them with sacks to encourage the fermentation, when the last thing at night and the first thing in the morning, should be the stirring them well up again. Be careful that the tubs be not too full to work over in the night. The next morning skim the greater part of the yeast off, and prepare to tun it. Let the casks be taken clean and warm into the cellars, which promotes the beer working; it is best to put a gallon of boiling water in. and tip it out again. Examine the cork and vent holes, and when the casks are filled reserve some spare beer, that as it works you may fill the casks up for the waste; as soon as full take two pounds of flour and beat it up smooth with some of the new beer in a pail with a wisp, and divide it between the two casks, keep it well stirred up from the bottom for a quarter of an hour.

The flour thus prepared, gives to the beer and ale a fine soft quality, and while under fermentation adds to its flavour. When this flour is put into the casks each should be stirred with a long stick for a few minutes, then put the tin scoop into the upper cork-hole for the beer to work through, and attend to it three or four times a day, particularly the last thing at night and the first thing in the morning, and when the fermentation is done working, which is usually in three or four days, clean the casks outside and put in the beer the hops saved in the pail, equally divided into both, stirring them about, this operation fines all beers; then bung them tight down with a piece of coarse linen under the bung, if done working, not else.

For small or table beer there must be a third mashing. Preserve a pail full of the strong beer to add to the small, let the water, when within a few minutes of boiling, be poured on the malt, keeping it mashed as before, then add the pail of strong and cover it over with sacks as before mentioned, with the mash-oar standing in the middle, and let it remain an hour. Then fill the copper with the liquor and let it boil for an hour gently; the same preparation of flour and beer should be added to the table beer.

For good strong beer or ale and of a fine flavour, there should be allowed one pound of hops for every bushel of malt. Hops that are good and free from adulteration, should be of a fine sweet smell, full of ripe seed of a clear pale yellow colour and clammy, which evinces their strength; such an article ameliorates and preserves all beer; the best hops are grown in Kent. The great secret of fining all beers to render them of a clear bright colour, is to take out three quarters of a pailful of the hops from the copper when they have boiled an hour, for this simple method is superior, and more congenial to all beer than all the arts that are practised. If, however, beer remains stubborn either from bad cellars, or bad hops, or bad management, then in order to make beer clear or fine, isinglass may be used, which may be thus prepared: if for fining a hogshead, take a quarter of a pound of isinglass, and put it into a quart of the liquor drawn from the casks, and let it simmer over a slow fire for half an hour in a clear vessel; pour this into a can of the beer, and put it into the cask stirring it with a long stick for a quarter of an hour, and six hours after bung the cask close down; it is a bad plan to put raw hops into beer, as they are apt to become musty.

Beers are frequently sick and out of condition; when this happens they should again be put into a new fermentation, then balls made of a pound of flour mixed with a sufficient quantity of treacle, will promote their briskness, this composition softens all beers to the greatest advantage.