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Home-brewed
Beer
and
a
maker
of
misery
for
old
age.
And
he
could
scarce
find
adequate
vent
for
his
impatience
of
what
he
rightly
considered
the
everlasting
dawdling
about
with
the
slops
of
the
tea-tackle,
or
for
his
pity
for
the
labourer
who,
instead
of
cheerfully
and
vigor-
ously
doing
a
morning's
work
on
the
strength
of
a
breakfast
of
bread,
bacon,
and
beer,
has
to
force
his
tea-sodden
limbs
along
under
the
sweat
of
feebleness,
and
at
night
to
return
to
the
wretched
tea-kettle
once
more.
How
different,
says
Cobbett,
is
the
fate
of
that
man
who
has
made
his
wife
brew
beer
instead
of
making
tea
!
It
has
been
said
and
often
quoted
that
there
is
good
beer,
and
better
beer,
but
no
bad
beer.
The
present
writer's
experience
is
that
there
is
beer
so
bad
that
few
drinks
can
rival
it
for
disagreeableness
in
taste
and
effects
;
stuff
which
should
never
be
called
by
the
same
name
as
that
transparent,
brown
or
amber,
vinous
fluid,
"
bright
as
a
sunbeam,"
free
from
acidity,
flatness
and
insipidity,
which
alone
is
worthy
the
name
of
beer.
To
make
good
beer
requires
good
materials,
care,
cleanliness,
and
method.
Given
those,
failure
should
be
impossible.
The
water
should
be good,
soft
water
being
usually
to
be
preferred
;
the
malt
fresh
and
full
of
flour
;
the
hops
bright,
yellowish-green
in
colour,
with
a
pleasant
brisk
fragrance,
and
free
from
leaves
and
bits
of
stem
;
and
the
various
tubs,
boilers,
and
other
appliances
scrupulously
clean.
The
several
temperatures
should
be
taken
with
a
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