1914 Beverages de luxe

when this lias jiroceeded a certain length it is dried by the kiln, which, of course, stops further germination, and, wherein the original insoluble starch of the grain has, by Nature's own magic, been converted into soluble malt-sugar. If dried at a low temperature it is "Pale Malt," from which Pale Ale is brewed ; but if roasted at a greater heat it is partially carbonized, and becomes "Brown Malt," suitable for brewing Stout. This is the only reason for the ditl'erence in color between Ale and Stout. The brewer crushes the malt between heavy rollers to break the husk, and the malt-meal is then thoroughly mixed with warm water in the mashtun by a ferocious instrument called a "porcupine." The malt is finally e.xhausted by a huge overgrown watering pot, tei-med a sparger. It has long revolving arms, and as the water descends in a gentle shower it carries with it what remains soluble in the malt, and the "grains" only, corre- sponding with the tea-leaves in the pot, are left behind. The resulting liquor, now called "wort," is then strained olf and transferred into coppers, where it is boiled for several hours with the hops. After sufficient boiling the wort is rapidly cooled in refrig- erators containing long coils of pipes, through which a stream of cold water continually runs. The cooled wort is still not a bit like Beer. Even a tee-totaler might drink of this particularly nasty and mawkish fluid if he could bring himself to do so, for thus far it contains no alcohol this can be produced only by the agency of fermentation. Fermentation is started by inoculating the wort with pure yea.st. Yea.st is a vegetable organism, consisting of myriads of microscopic cells or globules, which rapidly multiply in the "wort" at the expense of certain of its constituents; and these minute cells are endowed with the marvelous power of elab- orating alcohol, or, in other words, of transforming the dull and lifeless wort into sparkling Ale. The newly-born Pale Ale is then racked into casks and stored away in vast quantities that certainly look sufficient to meet any demand, but which rapidly melt away as the thirsty season comes on. Beer reserved for export bottling is brewed from the choic- est materials. It is, indeed, an altogether superior quality, and is priced accordingly.