MASHING.
When the liquor for the first mash is turned on the malt at too high a temperature, instead of producing an extract, it occasions a coagulation, forming a sort of thin paste, like thin batter, or starch when preparing for stiffening linen. This we call setting the goods, and little or no worts will be discharged.
This evil, although it never can be thoroughly cured, may sometimes be partially rectified, by sprinkling over the mash a quantity of colder, or even of cold liquor, so as to reduce the temperature. Since thermometers have been so generally introduced, setting the goods has not occurred so frequently. It is, however, of the utmost importance to take the first liquors at the proper temperatures, and for that purpose the following process will be found infallible.
Further Remarks on Mashing.
Since our first writing on this subject, a different, and, we are inclined to think, a more certain mode has been adopted to secure the proper temperature for making the best extract in the first mash; after which, as before stated, particular temperatures may be considered of very little importance.
Best Temperatures.
We now find that at the temperature of about 168° to 170° Fahrenheit, the diastase of the malt acts most powerfully in saccharising the starch contained in the malted or unmalted corn. If, therefore, we do not go above that temperature, we run no risk of setting the goods, let the temperature of the malt in the tun be what it may. What we have, therefore, to do, is to make in the first place, as stiff a mash as possible, with liquor at that temperature, that is, of 168° or 170°; we are thus certain that some part of the diastase must be acting upon the starch, thus preparing the whole mash for the extract being speedily formed by the after process. With powerful machinery, about one barrel and a half of liquor per quarter will be found sufficient for this first part of the process. Where oars, however, must be used, we would recommend that the liquor should, in the first place, be put into the tun, and brought to its proper temperature, of about 170° or some degrees lower. The malt should then be added, sack by sack, as quickly as possible, but at the same time taking care that the previous sack of malt be thoroughly mixed and wetted by the oars and rakes before any addition is made. If the mash becomes too thick for working, a little liquor may be added at any time, so as to make the mash manageable. Having thus prepared the malt in the tun in the best manner, for the extract being speedily performed, we must now turn on, from below the goods, liquor at a temperature of 185° to 195°, gradually increasing in temperature; letting it run, however, at first very slowly, so as to bring up the heat gradually, at the same time mashing during the whole process. In a very short time a complete change will be observed in the appearance of the mash. The extract, which before had a milky white appearance, will almost instantaneously become more transparent, and a fine thick frothy head will appear all over the tun. The extract is then thoroughly formed, and the quantity of liquor may be then proportioned to the quality of the intended beer: say for beer of very high gravities, not more in the whole than two barrels and a-half per quarter, but for beer of lower gravities, perhaps, even three barrels per quarter may be found most advantageous.
Having thus made sure of a proper extract, there can be no advantage in allowing the mash to stand very long before running off the worts. An hour and a-half at the utmost is quite enough. In imperfectly made malts, that is, malt not sufficiently grown on the floors, as shown by the spires not being well up the backs, it may be advisable to grind such lower or finer. It may be better also to commence mashing at a lower temperature of not less than 10°, say 160°, taking care, however, to bring up the heat before leaving off mashing, so as that the tap or worts may run off the tun at a heat of from 148° to 152° as usual.
No Time to be lost.
The great desideratum now is, to get through the remainder of the process as quickly as possible, so as to prevent the possibility of any unsoundness being acquired, by the worts lying too long anywhere before being got into the copper.
Having, we trust, sufficiently explained what we consider a correct mode of making the extract, we do not intend here to go on further with the process, as that can be easily learned by referring to any of the practical brewing tables at the end of this treatise.
As before stated, all we can further do is to wash out from the malt, in the best way we can, whatever extracts may be retained after running of the first tap. There are some who by turning over large quantities of water at very high temperatures, for the raw wort, think, and can, perhaps, show a little more gravity per quarter, as indicated by the saccharometer; but this additional gravity is not saccharine, but mucilage, or some other impurity, which they would be much better without.
It is now, we believe, universally admitted, that mashing or making the extract, is a strictly chemical process; the more closely, then, we adhere to chemical rules, the better we are likely to succeed. Many, however, are of opinion, that if a trifling extra gravity per quarter can be obtained, no matter by what means, so much additional profit will be gained. This will be found to be fallacious, and not founded on fact. A foreign projector, many years ago, supposed that by a mixture of sulphuric acid in the worts, the extract would be greatly increased, on the same principle as that of the converting starch into sugar by a similar application; this, however, was found to be a total failure, as several parties discovered to their loss. We understand that other projectors are again attempting to introduce the same fallacy, but the absurdity of this practice in brewing has now become so well known as to render it unworthy of further notice.
Another party, having adopted an erroneous and unfounded opinion respecting the immense power of the action of the substance called Diastase, in making the extract in the mash-tun, has pretended that, by some new invention of his own, he can by these means make very extraordinary extracts, far superior in every respect to those which can be produced in any other way. (See separate article on “Diastase.”)
Upon examination we can discover no benefit to be derived from this process, as it occupies a great deal of unnecessary time, and incurs a considerable expense in machinery, as can be easily proved. From the immense time occupied in the first mash, we can only suppose that some similar method to that mentioned in the preceding article must be requisite in making the extract; so that no advantage can possibly be gained by it, but the contrary, as it only in other respects creates delay.
Another equally useless process is that of drenching the malt with great additional quantities of water, at high temperatures, after it has been already exhausted, for the purpose of squeezing, if possible, a little more extract out of it, the parties thereby conceiving that they gain considerable advantages over their less scientific neighbours. Any additional extract gained, or rather supposed to be gained, by this process does more harm than good; it is only robbing the cows, and answers no other earthly purpose.
Beer, when brewed with such raw worts, although it may show a little additional fallacious gravity by the saccharometer, will taste much weaker, and sooner go to decay, than that of less apparent gravity, in which these extraordinary raw worts have not been used.
On the Use of Hot or Cold Water in the last Mashings.
There is perhaps no profession in which effects are more generally attributed to wrong causes, than in that of brewing: any deviation, therefore, from old usages would be considered dangerous, and should the brewing turn out in any way different from others, the deviation would be considered as the cause of it.
Many brewers are consequently averse to use cold water in their last mashings, having an idea that it tends to create acidity in the worts, as well as to cause other injurious effects. It has been before stated that the great desideratum in the process of making the extract (or mashing) is to avoid delay, particularly in warm weather. The shorter time, therefore, occupied in that process, the less risk we run of the worts getting tainted from their hanging about anywhere between the mash-tun and the copper.
Where there is only one copper, a considerable time is often occupied in getting up the water to what may be considered a sufficient heat for the last mashings, and, consequently, the first worts must be kept hanging about in the underback or elsewhere, until this be effected.
This hanging about of the worts is often the cause of acidity, which, although it may be corrected to a certain extent, can never afterwards be altogether remedied. From having often had only one copper to work with in the same premises, and seeing the great delay and also expense incurred in bringing up the head, I was induced to try the effect of using cold water instead of hot in the last mashings. Having, upon full investigation, ascertained, in the first place, that this caused no detriment in any way to the worts, I determined to try the same method more generally, and have now come to the conclusion that, when the first mash has been scientifically and thoroughly made, and a second mash of sufficiently hot water has been used, all that remains of the extract will be washed out better with cold water, say not above the temperature of the atmosphere in mild weather, than in any other manner whatever. I also find that there is no more risk of acidity, and I am inclined to think rather less, than when high temperatures are employed for that purpose. The moderately cold water will fully extract any beneficial saccharine matter that may remain in the malt, without producing the injurious effects before mentioned, by the drenching of the grains with over high temperatures. This last mash, or mashings, however, should be sparged or sprinkled over the malt like a shower of rain, and should be got into the copper with as little delay as possible.