Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Now put in the malt, and stir it well in the water. In this state it should continue for about a quarter of an hour. In the meanwhile, fill up the copper and make it boil ; and then put in boiling water sufficient to give eighteen gallons of ale. "When the proper quantity of water is in, stir the malt again well, and cover the mashing-tub over MAL (403) MAL with sacks, and then let the mash stand for two hours ; then draw off the wort. The mashingtuh is placed on a couple of stools, so as to be able to put the underback under it to receive the wort as it comes out of the hole. When the underback is put in its place, let out the wort by pulling up the stick that corks the hole. But observe, this stick (which goes six or eight inches through the hole) must be raised by degrees, and the wort must be let out slowly in order to keep back the sediment ; so that it is necessary to have something to keep the stick up at the point where it is to be raised and fixed at for the time. To do this, the simplest thing is a stick across the mashing-tub. As the ale-wort is drawn off into the small underback, lade it out of that into the tun-tub ; put the wort into the copper, and add a pound and a half of good hops, well rubbed and separated as they are put in. Now make the copper boil, and keep it, with the lid off, at a good brisk boil for a full hour, or an hour and a haK. When the boiling is done, put the liquor into the coolers ; but strain out the hops in a small clothes-basket, or wicker basket. Now set the coolers in the most convenient place, in doors or out of doors. The next stage is the tim-tub, where the liquor is set to work. A great point is the degree of heat that the liquor is to be at when it is set to work. The proper heat is seventy degrees, so that a thermometer makes the matter sure. In the country they determine the degree of heat by merely putting a finger into the liquor. When cooled to the proper heat, put it into the tun-tub, and put in about half a pint of good yeast. But the yeast should first be put into half a gallon of the liquor and mixed well; stirring in with the yeast a handful of wheat or rye-flour. This mixture is then to be poured out clean into the tun-tub, and the mass of hquor agitated well, till the yeast be well mixed with the whole. "When the liquor is thus properly put into the tun-tub, and set a-working, cover over the top by laying a sack or two across it. The tun-tub should stand in a place neither too warm nor too cold : any cool place in summer, and any warm place in winter, and if the weather be very cold, some cloths or sacks should be put round the tun-tub while the beer is working. In about six or eight hours a frethy head will rise upon the liquor ; and it will keep rising, more or less slowly, for forty-eight hours. The best way is to take off the froth, at the end of about twenty-four hours, with a common skimmer, and in twelve hours take it off again, and so on, till the liquor has done working, and sends up no more yeast. Then it is beer ; and, when it is quite cold (for ah, or strong beer), put it into the cask by means of a funnel. It must be cold before this is done, or it will be foxed—that is, have a rank and disagreeable taste.