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18th Century Brewing

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THE LONDON and COUNTRY BREWER 1736

CHAP. X.

The Nature and Use of the Hop.

This Vegetable has suffered its degradation, and raised its Reputation on the most of any other. It formerly being thought an unwholsome Ingredient, and till of late a great breeder of the Stone in the Bladder, but now that falacious Notion is obviated by Dr.Quincy and others, who have proved that Malt Drink much tinctured by the Hop, is less prone to do that mischief, than Ale that has fewer boiled in it. Indeed when the Hop in a dear time is adulterated with water, in which Aloes, etc. have been infused, as was practised it is said about eight Years ago to make the old ones recover their bitterness and seem new, then they are to be looked on as unwholsome; but the pure new Hop is surely of a healthful Nature, composed of a spirituous flowery part, and a phlegmatick terrene part, and with the best of the Hops I can either make or mar the Brewing, for if the Hops are boiled in strong or small worts beyond their fine and pure Nature, the Liquor suffers, and will be tang'd with a noxious taste both ungrateful and unwholsome to the Stomach, and if boiled to a very great Excess, they will be apt to cause Reachings and disturb a weak Constitution. It is for these Reasons that I advise the boiling two Parcels of fresh Hops in each Copper of Ale-wort, and if there were three for keeping Beer, it would be so much the better for the taste, health of Body and longer Preservation of the Beer in a sound smooth Condition. And according to this, one of my Neighbours made a Bag like a Pillow-bear of the ordinary sixpenny yard Cloth, and boil'd his Hops in it half an Hour, then he took them out, and put in another Bag of the like quantity of fresh Hops and boiled them half an Hour more, by which means he had an opportunity of boiling both Wort and Hops their due time, sav'd himself the trouble of draining them thro' a Sieve, and secured the Seeds of the Hops at the same time from mixing with the Drink, afterwards he boiled the same Bags in his small Beer till he got the goodness of it out, but observe that the Bags were made bigger than what would just contain the Hops, otherwise it will be difficult to boil out their goodness. It's true, that here is a Charge encreased by the Consumption of a greater quantity of Hops than usual, but then how greatly will they answer the desired end of enjoying fine palated wholsome Drink, that in a cheap time will not amount to much if bought at the best Hand; and if we consider their after-use and benefit in small Beer, there is not any loss at all in their Quantity: But where it can be afforded, the very small Beer would be much improved if fresh Hops were also shifted in the boiling of this as well as the stronger worts, and then it would be neighbourly Charity to give them away to the poorer Person. Hence may appear the Hardship that many are under of being necessitated to drink of those Brewers Malt Liquors, who out of avarice boil their Hops to the last, that they may not lose any of their quintessence: Nay, I have known some of the little Victualling Brewers so stupendiously ignorant, that they have thought they acted the good Husband, when they have squeezed the Hops after they have been boiled to the last in small Beer, to get out all their goodness as they vainly imagin'd, which is so reverse to good management, that in my Opinion they had much better put some sort of Earth into the Drink, and it would prove more pleasant and wholsome. And why the small Beer should be in this manner (as I may justly call it) spoiled for want of the trifling Charge of a few fresh Hops, I am a little surprized at, since is the most general Liquor of Families and therefore as great Care is due to as any in its Brewing, to enjoy it in pure and wholsome Order.

After the Wort is cooled and put into the working Vat or Tub, some have thrown fresh Hops into it, and worked them with the Yeast, at the same time reserving a few Gallons of raw Wort to wash the Yeast thro' a Sieve to keep back the Hop. This is a good way when Hops enough have not been sufficiently boiled in the Wort, or to preserve it in the Coolers where it is laid thick, otherwise I think it needless.

When Hops have been dear, many have used the Seeds of Wormwood, the they buy in the London Seed Shops instead of them: Others Daucus or wild Carrot Seed, that grows in our common Fields, which many of the poor People in this Country gather and dry in their Houses against their wanting of them: Others that wholsome Herb Horehound, which indeed is a fine Bitter and grows on several of our Commons.

But before I conclude this Article, I shall take notice of a Country Bite, as I have already done of a London one, and that is, of an Arch Fellow that went about to Brew for People, and took his opportunity to save all the used Hops that were to be thrown away, these he washed clean, then would dry them in the Sun, or by the Fire, and sprinkle the juice of Horehound on them, which would give them such a greenish colour and bitterish taste, that with the help of the Screw-press he would sell them for new Hops.

Hops in themselves are known to be a subtil grateful Bitter, whose Particles are Active and Rigid, by which the viscid ramous parts of the Malt are much divided, that makes the Drink easy of Digestion in the Body; they also keep it from running into such Cohesions as would make it ropy, valid and sour, and therefore are not only of great use in boiled, but in raw worts to preserve them sound till they can be put into the Copper, and afterwards in the Tun while the Drink is working, as I have before hinted.

Here then I must observe, that the worser earthy part of the Hop is greatly the cause of that rough, harsh unpleasant taste, which accompany both Ales and Beers that have the Hops so long boiled in them as to tincture their worts with their, mischievous Effects; for notwithstanding the Malt, be ever so good, the Hops, if boiled too long in them, will be so predominant as to cause a nasty bad taste, and therefore I am in hopes our Malt Liquors in general will be in great Perfection, when Hops are made use of according to my Directions, and also that more Grounds will be planted with this most serviceable Vegetable than ever, that their Dearness may not be a disencouragement to this excellent Practice.

For I know an Alehouse-keeper and Brewer, who, to save the expence of Hops that were then two Shillings per Pound, use but a quartern instead of a Pound, the rest he supplied with Daucus Seeds; but to be more particular, in a Mug of this Person's Ale I discovered three several Impositions. First, He underboil'd his Wort to save its Consumption: Secondly, He boiled this Seed instead of the Hop; and Thirdly, He beat the Yeast in for some time to encrease the strength of the Drink; and all these in such a Legerdemain manner as gull'd and infatuated the ignorant Drinker to such a degree as not to suspect the Fraud, and that for these three Reasons: First, The underboil'd wort being of a more sweet taste than ordinary, was esteemed the Produce of a great allowance of Malt. Secondly, The Daucus Seed encreased their approbation by the fine Peach flavour or relish that it gives the Drink; and Thirdly, The Yeast was not so much as thought of, since they enjoyed a strong heady Liquor. These artificial Qualities, and I think I may say unnatural, has been so prevalent with the Vulgar, who were his chief Customers, that I have known this Victualler have more Trade for such Drink than his Neighours, who had much more wholsome at the same time; for the Daucus Seed tho' it is a Carminative, and has some other good Properties, yet in the unboil'd Wort it is not capable of doing the Office of the Hop, in breaking thro' the clammy parts of it; the Hop being full of subtil penetrating Qualities, a Strengthener of the Stomach, and makes the Drink agreeble, by opposing Obstructions of the Viscera, and particularly of the Liver and Kidneys, as the Learned maintain, which confutes the old Notion, that Hops are a Breeder of the Stone in the Bladder.

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