# A Practical Treatise on Brewing/Introduction

A
PRACTICAL TREATISE
ON
BREWING.
INTRODUCTION.
So many treatises on Brewing, both theoretical and practical, have already appeared, that the subject may very naturally be considered to have been exhausted. Some of these productions, however, are too homely; while others so abound with scientiﬁc technicalities, as to be altogether unintelligible to the general reader.
That Brewing is a chemical process, no one can deny, and of course, in every work on the subject, some chemical terms must be used. In the following pages, however, it is not intended to give any account of the production or nature of gases or other chemical agents, further than may be absolutely requisite to elucidate the subject. Nor is it intended to introduce a history of the origin of Beer, which must in a great measure be conjectural.
In most arts, such as dyeing, iron-making, calico-printing, glass-making, &c., great improvements have been introduced by the assistance of ​chemistry; while the art of Brewing, which may be considered equally important, has remained, to say the least, stationary. This may be easily accounted for. It is well known that many eminent chemists have turned their attention to this subject, and would no doubt have made as great improvements in it, as they have done in other arts, had they been furnished with the same advantages in regard to practical information. This, however, unfortunately has not been the case; for practical brewers, generally speaking, either from self-sufficiency, jealousy, or ignorance, are very unwilling to impart their real or supposed information to any one; but particularly to men of science, whose inquiries excite their jealousy. This in many instances, prompts them rather to mislead than to inform the inquirers.
Another obstacle to improvement is, that almost every brewer in the course of his practice, persuades himself that he has made some discovery, by which he can make his beer better than that of his neighbour. These nostrums, though often worse than useless to the possessors, might, if freely communicated to scientiﬁc inquirers, lead to some improvement; but they are invariably concealed, and thus the want of the combination of science with practice, throws insurmountable difficulties in the way of acquiring useful and accurate information. Had it been otherwise, there can be no doubt, that the ​Art of Brewing would have been long ago placed, by the assistance of chemistry, on a more scientiﬁc footing.
Having had occasion, in the course of a connection of more than forty years with the brewery, to work in premises very differently constructed, we have invariably found, that in each some cause existed which prevented uniformity in the process of fermentation; and until that cause, whatever it might be, was traced and removed, no regular system could be introduced. This sufficiently shows why brewers who go from one brewery to another, cannot arrive at the same successful results with regard to the quality of the beer, although they pursue precisely the same system, and even on some occasions employ the same materials as before. They are thus, from want of chemical knowledge, left completely in the dark, without the possibility of tracing causes and effects. This shows the absolute necessity of applying the discoveries of chemistry, as in other arts, to account for and rectify these anomalies, which without such aid cannot be effected.
The principal object of the following treatise is to trace the causes of these anomalies, and as far as possible to point out the means of removing or rectifying them; and on all occasions to advance only such opinions as are founded on principles strictly chemical and practical, without which, in ​the present improved mode of research, they can be but of little value; dogmas being now entirely exploded.
Many brewers are highly indignant when supposed not to be thoroughly acquainted with the art of brewing, in every department. We generally find, however, that they who exhibit the greatest self-conceit, are the most ignorant; trusting every thing to chance, and professedly paying no regard either to aromas or appearances of any kind. Strange to say, however, in some instances, such brewers succeed better than those who follow a more scientific system. This may be accounted for on principles which have no reference to any scientific knowledge of brewing. It is possible that their brew-houses may have been, by mere chance, so constructed, as to render their operations less liable to the electro-chemical fluctuations which are constantly going on in the earth and atmosphere, or which are caused by an injudicious mixture of metals connected with their gyle tuns or other utensils. When, however, the said brew-houses must be altered or enlarged as circumstances may require, how often do we find that the chance turns against them, and that by the introduction of different metals, in what is called the new and improved mode of constructing utensils, or from other causes, the quality of their beer is so much deteriorated as materially to injure the trade. It is ​then only that the self-sufficient brewer begins to discover, that his knowledge of brewing is only superficial, and his process dependent upon fortuitous circumstances, which nothing but a distinct knowledge of chemistry can enable him to comprehend.
It will, therefore, clearly appear, that when alterations are required in an old brew-house, or a new one has to be constructed, the greatest care must be taken to avoid, as far as possible, in the formation of the utensils all electro-chemical agency.
Should the following work be the means of drawing the attention of brewers in general, not only to the injurious effects of electro-chemical action, but also to other causes which prevent successful fermentations, and thus introduce a more scientific and a more uniformly certain system of brewing than has been hitherto established, the Author’s object will be accomplished.
It is impossible to describe in writing the different aromas and appearances, so as to make them intelligible, according to our own sentiments on the subject. We have, however, endeavoured to give as much information as possible, in plain, simple language, so as to suit every capacity: but it is only as they may occur in practice, that the different appearances and aromas, indicative of good or bad fermentations, can be described and ​pointed out; and no one should pretend to possess a thorough knowledge of brewing, until he can at once discover and rectify every thing which happens unfavourable to the desired result,—the production of good, sound, malt liquor.