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68
THE FLOWING BOWL
that, securely bottled, it will keep its strength far
longer than any other fermented drink.
In
December 1889 some bottles of beer were found
walled up in a cellar at Burton-on-Trent; and
the records of the firm, as well as the shape of
the bottles, shewed that the beer had been brewed
nearly a hundred years before. It was as bright
as a sunbeam, and quite drinkable, but had lost
its bitterness, andassumed the character of sherry.
But old ale, like old brandy, is of little value to
the toper, in that it takes a veryminute quantity
toaccomplish in him the desired effect—oblivion.
"Audit" ales and "college" ditto require very
delicate handling of the jug ; and I have tasted
ancient beer in Allsopp's cellars in Burton, a
wine-glassful of which would probably have put
a coal-whipper on his back. It was the colour
of mahogany and oh ! so seductive.
Porter, as most people know, is a black beer,
brewed in much the same manner as the other
stuff, with roasted malt to give it colour ; whilst
stout is simply a superior kind of porter. As for
the lager beer of the Fatherland it is fermented
at avery low temperature, the fermentation being
longer delayed. Some years ago great stress was
laid on the German system of mashing called the
"thick mash," which consisted of boiling or
cooking a portion of the mash, and running it
back and remixing it with the portion left in the
tun ; but it is now found possible to brew the
finest lager beer with a slight modification of our
own mashing method.
The sons of Britannia for a considerable
period held aloof from this lager, which was
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