Joseph Coppinger

“ Fermentation is the instrument or means which nature employs in the decomposition of vegetable and animal bodies, or reduction of them to their original elements, or first principles. Fermentation is, therefore, a spontaneous separation of the component parts of these bodies, and is one of those processes that is conducted by nature for their resolution, and the combination and fermentation of other bodies out of them; therefore, it is one of these operations in which nature is continually present, and going on before our eyes ”

“ The intelligent brewer may, by the assistance of these observations, form a most accurate rule for the regulation of his future conduct in the management of fermentation, according as his beer or ale is to be weak or strong, or for present use or long keeping; for the accomplishment of which, the use of the hydrometer and thermometer claim his peculiar attention, and will undoubtedly answer his expectations, when joined to the certainty he is now at, of knowing when he is, or is not, to expect the development of fixed air and additional spirit, by which he can govern himself accordingly. ”

“ It is obvious to very slight observation, that the day is not distant when the brewing trade in this country will, as in England, become an object of great national importance, highly deserving the protection and encouragement of our general government, by freeing its produce from all duty, and thereby affording further inducements to the speculating and enterprising capitalists of this country to embark their funds in a trade that, above all others, is the best calculated to make them a sure and profitable return. ”

“ Deep investigation may be thought not to be the object of our research; but we must always have two things in view in inquiries of this nature; indeed, in every pursuit of useful knowledge, where, like the present, it is connected with the first principles, to pursue the winding path of nature, through all her meanderings, up to the ultimate source of these elements, which are the instruments of her operations ”

“ Brewing, in every country, whose soil and climate are congenial to the production of the raw materials, should be ranked among the first objects of its domestic and political economy. If any person doubt the truth of this position, I have only to request him to cast an eye on England, where the brewing capital is estimated at more than fifteen millions sterling; and the gross annual revenue, arising from this capital, at seven million five hundred thousand pounds sterling, including the hop, malt, and extract duties. ”

“ The parts of the whole being so intimately united by nature, an injury cannot be done to the one without affecting the other; accordingly we find that such parts of the subject as might have been severally extracted for the purpose of a more intimate union by fermentation, are, by great heat in curing, burned and blended so effectually together, that all discrimination is lost—the unfermentable are extracted with the fermentable, the integrant with the constituent, to the very great loss of spirituosity and transparency. ”

“ Attenuation is the result of a due resolution of the fermentable matter produced by excited fermentation, which divides mucilages, resolves viscidities, breaks down cohesions, generates heat and motion, extricates the imprisoned gasses, and, by frequent commixture, promotes the action and re-action of the component particles on each other, and by continually exposing a fresh surface and opposition of matter, brings them within the sphere of each other's attraction. ”

“ In every brewing, or preparation of saccharine fluid for fermentation, the following phenomena occur: first, heat is either disengaged or fixed: secondly, an elastic fluid is either formed or absorbed in a nascent state: these two indisputable facts form the uniform and invariable phenomena of fermentation, and may be admitted as an established axiom, that the proportions, extrication, and action of heat, with the fermentation and fixation of elastic fluids, during the process, are the foundation of the vinous products of the fermenting fluid. ”

“ The tendency of the vinous process of fermentation is to evolve or disentangle the hydrogen of the fermenting fluid, and unite it, with the carbon and oxygen of the same fluid, into ardent spirit, wine, beer, or alcohol, which last is well known to be inflammable. ”

“ As soon as it is extinguished, cautiously add strong lime water by a little at a time, working the iron stirrer well all the time the water is adding, so as to mix and dilute it all alike to the consistence of treacle; before it sets in the boiler, which it would do, as the heat declined, in a manner that would give a great deal of trouble to dilute it after, and be imperfectly done then, it is easy to conceive this kind of work requires to be done in an open place, or out-house, to prevent accidents from fire. ”

“ He must begin with more accuracy at the mash tun than the malt distiller, as it is there he must not only regulate the strength, but, partially, the flavour and transparency of his malt wine. His object does not end with the malt distiller's, nor, like his, concentre in one focal point, the solution of the whole of the farina of the plant or grain employed, regardless of milkiness or transparency; he must carefully take the heats of his liquor, so as to solve and combine the qualities he has in view ”

“ This is so well known in England, that it is very rarely met with in the barley markets, and seldom, or ever, purchased by a brewer. The summer, or spring barley, always getting the preference, being the largest bodied grain, and, of course, the best suited to the purposes of making prime malt, the want of which, is frequently severely felt by the brewers of this country, from the impossibility they often find themselves in of procuring good barley, being obliged to use such as they can get, which, for the most part, is very ill suited to their purpose. ”

“ Hops must be dressed every year, as soon as the frost will permit; on this being well done depends, in a great measure, the success of the crop. It is thought by many to be the best method to manure the hop yard in the fall, and cover the hills entirely with the manure, asserting, with other advantages, that this prevents the frost from injuring plants during the winter. Hops had better be gathered before they are full ripe than remain till they are over ripe, for then they will lose their seed by the wind, or on being handled. ”

“ In the curing of malt, as nothing more is requisite than a total extrication of every watery particle, if we had in the season proper for malting a sun heat sufficient to produce perfect dryness, it were practicable to produce beer nearly colourless; but that being wanting, and the force of custom having made it necessary to give our beers various tinctures and qualities resulting from fire, for the accommodation of various tastes, we are necessitated to apply such heats in the drying as shall not only answer the purpose of preservation, but give the complexion and property required ”

“ Hops are sufficiently dried, when their inner stalks break short, and their leaves become crisp, and fall off easily. They will crackle a little when their seed is bursting, and then they should be removed from the kiln. Hops that are dried in the sun lose their rich flavour, and, if under cover, they are apt to ferment and change with the weather, and lose their strength; moderate fire preserves the colour and flavour of the hops, by evaporating the water, and retaining the oil of the hop. ”

“ Chemistry is as much the basis of the arts and manufactures, as mathematics is the fundamental principle of mechanics. In the process of brewing porter, ale, threepenny, &c., to be subsequently treated of, the practical minutia of fermentation and attenuation shall be circumstantially laid down in each, so as to account for, and distinguish the variety of flavour, &c., assignable to each cause effected by the different modes of treatment.
Hops, the best method of cultivating and raising them. ”

“ One part of hydrogen is sufficient to saturate and fix above five of carbon, and they require nearly sixteen parts of oxygen to complete their formation into alcohol, while the water of dilution undergoes a proportionate decomposition and recomposition, to assist the resolutions and combinations, and support the admirable equilibrium preserved by nature. ”

“ As things now are, either extreme can only be avoided by a more attentive advertence to the mode of cleansing, so as to prevent a predominant tendency to either by adopting the means proposed, or such other, on the same principles, as are equally likely to preserve the quality, increase the strength, promote transparency, and avoid acidity. I know it may be urged by the most able brewers, that a high and rapid fermentation in the cleansing is a principal cause of that flavour for which porter is distinguished; that this kind of fermentation leads to a more perfect attenuation ”

“ Supposing the malt to have obtained its utmost perfection, according to the criterion here inculcated, to prevent its further progress, and secure it in that state, we are to call in the assistance of a heat, sufficient to destroy the action of vegetation, by evaporating every particle of water, and thence leaving it in a state of preservation fit for the present or future purpose of the brewer. ”

“ Nor does the solution, or decomposition of metals by acids, the combustion of inflammable and vital air for the production of water, stand in need of external heat or fire, any more than the low combustion in which fermentation consists for the production of spirit, beer, or wine, than that generated by the self-operation of its own temperature; similar to this is the self-animating principle or power with which nature has endowed the animal body of generating its own heat by respiration. ”

“ This is much assisted by the agency of the atmosphere, which is the solvent and receptacle of ethereal products, whose affinity for them must be as great as it is perfect and immediate—which demonstrates the necessity of having air-tight vats. When we consider the composition of the atmosphere, and that it owes its formation and existence to this cause, and, thereby becomes the menstruum of all created matter, we may be better able to understand the composition and formation of vinous spirits, and, by closely copying the original, more successfully imitate nature. ”

“ Relying too much on malted grain in the operation of fermentation, we are presented with some of the most pleasing and instructive phenomena of nature; the resolutions and combinations that are formed during the process of the vinous and acetous stages of fermentation, are interesting, beyond comparison, to the brewer, malt and molasses distillers, vintager, cider and vinegar maker, &c. ”

“ Fair weather should always be chosen to gather hops and they should never be gathered when dew or moisture is on them, as it subjects them to mould. They should be dried as soon as possible after they are gathered; if not immediately, they must be spread on a floor to prevent their changing colour. The best mode of drying them is with a fire of charcoal and kiln, covered with hair cloth in the manner of a malt-kiln. [7] The fire should be steady and equal, and the hops gently stirred from time to time. ”

“ Ran the small beer into the hop back of the strong beer, and so on the coolers, thereby giving it a chance to lick up all the strong ale it met with in its progress to the tun, which it entered at 65 with three gallons of yest, and was cleansed within thirty-six hours. The quantity of beer here mentioned would be much improved by the addition of six or seven pounds of brown sugar or molasses; but if good table beer is wanted, it can be only obtained from whole grists of malt, and is well worth the difference of expense to those who can afford it, and appreciate quality. ”

“ It is found, by experience, that the soil and climate of the eastern states are more favourable to the growth of hops than Great Britain; they not being so subject to moist, foggy weather of long continuance, which is most injurious to hops; and the southern and middle states are still more favourable to the growth of hops than the eastern states, in point of flavour and strength. The State of New-York unites some advantages from either extreme of the union. ”

“ Cleanliness being as essential in the brewery as in the dairy, it is of the greatest importance, never to lose sight of it in every part of the operations, and particularly in selecting the ground and soil to place a brewery on. The situation to be preferred should be an elevated one, and the soil either sand or gravel, as it is of great importance in the preservation of beer that the cellars be dry and sufficiently ventilated by windows properly disposed. ”

“ It is a well-known fact in brewing, that the quicker and stronger the operation of boiling is performed, the better such beer will preserve, and the sooner it will become fine; although this opinion is combated by many, experience has proved it in my practice. I will suppose the copper you are about to set to contain two thousand gallons, the diameter of its bottom, five feet; let your fire blocks, if possible, be of soapstone, one for each side, and one for the end, of sufficient thickness and length, and full twelve inches deep, to the top of your sleepers ”

“ Muscovado, or raw sugar, with lime water, are the usual ingredients of this colouring matter. Another kind, of inferior quality, is prepared from molasses, boiled until it is considerably darker, bitter, and of a thicker consistence; and when judiciously made, at the close of the boiling, it is set on fire and suffered to burn five or six minutes, then it is extinguished, and cautiously diluted with water to the original consistence of treacle. The burning or setting on fire gives it the greater part of its flavour, which is an agreeable bitterness, and burns out the unassimilating oil. ”