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18th Century Brewing

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THE LONDON and COUNTRY BREWER 1736

CHAP. XVII.

Of Cleaning and Sweetening of Casks.

In Case your Cask is a Butt, then with cold Water first rince out the Lees clean, and have ready, boiling or very hot Water, which put in, and with a long Stale and a little Birch fastened to its End, scrub the Bottom as well as you can. At the same time let there be provided another shorter Broom of about a Foot and a half long, that with one Hand may be so imployed in the upper and other Parts as to clean the Cask well: So in a Hogshead or other smaller Vessel, the one-handed short Broom may be used with Water, or with Water, Sand or Ashes, and be effectually cleaned; the outside of the Cask about the Bung-hole should be well washed, lest the Yeast, as it works over, carries some of its Filth with it.

But to sweeten a Barrel, Kilderkin, Firkin or Pin in the great Brewhouses, they put them over the Copper Hole for a Night together, that the Steam of the boiling Water or Wort may penetrate into the Wood; this Way is such a furious Searcher, that unless the Cask is new hooped just before, it will be apt to fall in pieces.

Another Way.

Take a Pottle, or more, of Stone Lime, and put it into the Cask; on this pour some Water and stop it up directly, shaking it well about.

Another Way.

Take a long Linnen Rag and dip it in melted Brimstone, light it at the end, and let it hang pendant with the upper part of the Rag fastened to the wooden Bung; this is a most quick sure Way, and will not only sweeten, but help to fine the Drink.

Another.

Or to make your Cask more pleasant, you may use the Vintners Way thus: Take four Ounces of Stone Brimstone, one Ounce of burnt Alum, and two Ounces of Brandy; melt all these in an Earthen Pan over hot Coals, and dip therein a piece of new Canvas, and instantly sprinkle thereon the Powders of Nutmegs, Cloves, Coriander and Anise-seeds: This Canvas set on fire, and let it burn hanging in the Cask fastened at the end with the wooden Bung, so that no Smoke comes out.

For a Musty Cask.

Boil some Pepper in water and fill the Cask with it scalding hot.

For a very stinking Vessel.

The last Remedy is the Coopers taking out one of the Heads of the Cask to scrape the inside, or new-shave the Staves, and is the surest way of all others, if it is fired afterwards within-side a small matter, as the Cooper knows how.

These several Methods may be made use of at Discretion, and will be of great Service where they are wanted. The sooner also a Remedy is applied, the better; else the Taint commonly encreases, as many have to their prejudice proved, who have made use of such Casks, in hopes the next Beer will overcome it; but when once a Cask is infected, it will be a long while, if ever, before it becomes sweet, if no Art is used. Many therefore of the careful sort, in case they han't a Convenience to fill their Vessel as soon as it is empty, will stop it close, to prevent the Air and preserve the Lees sound, which will greatly tend to the keeping of the Cask pure and sweet against the next Occasion.

To prepare a new Vessel to keep Malt Liquors in.

A new Vessel is most improperly used by some ignorant People for strong Drink after only once or twice scalding with Water, which is so wrong, that such Beer or Ale will not fail of tasting thereof for half, if not a whole Year afterwards; such is the Tang of the Oak and its Bark, as may be observed from the strong Scents of Tan-Yards, which the Bark is one cause of. To prevent then this Inconvenience, when your Brewing is over put up some Water scalding hot, and let it run throu' the Grains, then boil it and fill up the Cask, stop it well and let it stand till it is cold, do this twice, then take the Grounds of strong Drink and boil in it green Wallnut Leaves and new Hay or Wheat Straw, and put all into the Cask, that it be full and stop it close. After this, use it for small Beer half a Year together, and then it will be thoroughly sweet and fit for strong Drinks; or

Another Way.

Take a new Cask and dig a Hole in the Ground, in which it may lye half depth with the Bung downwards; let it remain a Week, and it will greatly help this or any stinking musty Cask. But besides these, I have writ of two other excellent Ways to sweeten musty or stinking Casks, in my Second Book of Brewing.

Wine Casks.

These, in my Opinion, are the cheapest of all others to furnish a Person readily with, as being many of them good Casks for Malt Liquors, because the Sack and White-Wine sorts are already season'd to Hand, and will greatly improve Beers and Ales that are put in them: But beware of the Rhenish Wine Cask for strong Drinks; for its Wood is so tinctured with this sharp Wine, that it will hardly ever be free of it, and therefore such Cask is best used for Small Beer: The Claret Cask will a great deal sooner be brought into a serviceable State for holding strong Drink, if it is two or three times scalded with Grounds of Barrels, and afterwards used for small Beer for some time. I have bought a Butt or Pipe for eight Shillings in _London_ with some Iron Hoops on it, a good Hogshead for the same, and the half Hogshead for five Shillings, the Carriage for a Butt by the Waggon thirty Miles is two Shillings and Sixpence, and the Hogshead Eighteen-pence: But, to cure a Claret Cask of its Colour and Taste, put a Peck of Stone-Lime into a Hogshead, and pour upon it three Pails of Water; bung immediately with a Wood-or Cork Bung, and shake it well about a quarter of an Hour, and let it stand a Day and Night and it will bring off the red Colour, and alter the Taste of the Cask very much. But of three several other excellent Methods for curing musty, stinking, new and other tainted Casks, I have writ of in my Account of Casks in my Second Book.

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