OF GREY BEER.
As many people are unacquainted with what is meant by Grey Beer, it may be necessary to describe its appearance. Most people, before drinking beer from a pewter-pot, blow off the frothy top, and if, on looking down, it appears quite black in the colour, they say it has a good face; on the contrary, if it exhibits a colour something like whey, it is pronounced to be Grey Beer, and is, of course, faulty. Grey Beer, when viewed in a glass by transmitted light, (that is, when looked through between the eye and the light,) may appear pretty bright, but never brilliant. When examined in the same way by reflected light, (that is, when the observer holds the glass before him with his back to the light,) its appearance will be grey or whey-coloured, and no good, judge will drink it.
Greyness undoubtedly at all times denotes an imperfection either in the materials used, or in some part of the brewing process, for which no after remedy has, as far as we know, been yet discovered, at least without destroying the beer. There can be little doubt, however, but that it proceeds from a portion of imperfect starch, or rather perhaps hordein, remaining undissolved in the beer, for the chemical tests which have been applied confirm this opinion. Another confirmatory proof is, that distillers’ wash (which is brewed principally from raw grain, with only a small portion of malt) is invariably of a greyish or whey colour after undergoing the process of fermentation. This arises no doubt from the imperfect action of the small quantity of diastase contained in the malt, on the excess of hordein contained in the raw grain. This being the case, there can be no doubt that ill-made malt, or the admixture of raw corn, will produce Grey Beer. An erroneous mode of making the extract will have the same effect.
If in the first mashing the temperature be not sufficiently brought up, so as to act properly upon the diastase, the extract must be imperfect. Should, on the contrary, the temperature be taken too high, the first tap will hang, that is, it will not drain clean off from the mash-tun. If taken much too high, the goods will set, as already explained. Many brewers think, that by using very high temperatures in the last mash or for return worts, they get a little additional extract from the malt. This, if it be so, can only proceed from the solution of a small portion of the hordein, which is always more or less left in the malt, according to its quality, and which, without these high heats, would not be acted upon. This additional extract, however, will be found at all times more detrimental than useful, and should. never therefore be attempted.
As any of the above-mentioned causes may produce Grey Beer, the greatest care and attention is absolutely necessary in making the extract. But if the rules as laid down in this treatise for mashing be strictly adhered to, none of the above mentioned errors are likely to take place, and the risk of having Grey Beer will consequently be greatly diminished.
Beer, when brewed from malt which has not had time to get cool after being taken off the kiln, very generally becomes grey.