Alcohol Kills A Person’s Necessary Growing Pains

When I was in high school during the late 60s the drinking age was 18 years old in New York and New Jersey. Every one of my friends was a big drinker; some of them even drank in my neighborhood bar, in Craig's Meadows, just North of East Stroudsburg, PA and a hair South of Marshall's Creek.  The bar owner's sons were both in high school then too!   It was unbelievable how much booze these kids could consume. I witnessed kids drinking a case of beer in one night, others drinking pitchers of mixed drink, and still others drinking booze right out of a bottle.

 I myself would have a few beers occasionally, but my real drinking didn't start until I was about 25 years old. By the way the girls in high school used to go crazy for the guys who were called the big drinkers. It seemed like the prettiest girls were impressed with a guy who could drink a pitcher of beer without coming up for air. Drinking was common place in the late sixties. Then all of a sudden you would hear about a group of teenagers who were killed in an alcohol related car wreck.  Many of us made weekly runs over the border to Port Jervis, New York.  I used to take orders from my friends, tack on a small surcharge for my gas and time.  I would have my trunk loaded with all kinds of alcohol related beverages, and pray that I didn't get stopped going through the toll booth at the border.  One of my high school classmates was one of the casualties of the Rte. 209 Booze Cuise.  The person driving coming back from Port Jervis was drunk, and drove his car over a cliff.  The driver survived with only needing 54 stitches in his face, but his best friend died at the scene.  How do you live with that!?  I never actually drank when I made the Booze Cruise, because there was always at least one other person with me.  After the previously mentioned tragedy, everyone laid low for a while, and didn't drink or at least didn't drink and drive.

After one too many of these alcohol related accidents, the laws and the penalties got stiffer. The parents who had one of their children killed because of a drunk driver started to organize and formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The students who had their friends killed in accidents formed Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD). Police task forces were organized and were trained to identify people who were driving a car under the influence of alcohol. The word designated driver took on meaning. This was supposed to be the person who didnt drink at the party and could drive everyone else home who was drunk. It started to be less and less fashionable to be drunk at a party, and heavy drinking was starting to become taboo.

"I spent about 10 years of heavy drinking myself between the ages of 25 and 35. I decided to quit when my daughter Sarah was born, and so I stopped all alcohol consumption. This was probably the best thing that I ever did for my own health, and for the welfare of my kids. Sarah will be 17 soon if you do the math, I haven’t been a drinker for almost 17 years. Sarah even commented to me on more than one occasion, Dad I am so glad that you don't drink. She has been around some of her friends’ parents who are big drinkers and she has seen some behavior that she didn’t like. I felt very proud that I heard this from my daughter, until I discovered about 100 beer cans in the cellar of her house from a party that had gone on there about one week earlier. I started to wonder if she was going to take my place as the family lush. When I questioned her about the beer cans she said, Oh yeah, dad can you take them to your house to get rid of them? Mom doesn't want to put them out at the curb here because she thinks it might look bad. I said to her, You're damn right it looks bad, it'll look bad no matter where you put those cans. I asked her why she was drinking. She responded with, It helps you get loosened up. Loosened up for what? I said. She finished the dialog by saying, Dad I'm shy, and it makes it easier for me to have conversations with other people." Quoted from an anonymous blogger

The alcohol related problems that have occurred in society today, like people getting killed in auto accidents, or the health related issues like a rotten liver due to heavy drinking, are widely publicized by the media. Kids are told that they cant drink and drive. But it doesn’t stop them.

"I only have to go back to my daughter’s comment to find the reason why she was drinking: Dad I'm shy and it makes it easier for me to have a conversation with other people. Why is this comment she made so troubling to me? Because if the booze helps her with her shyness, then when will she ever develop the skills to talk to people without the booze?" Quoted from an anonymous blogger 

When young people make it a habit to drink in order to deal with problems they have socially, this causes their emotions to go dormant at the age that they started to drink, which then prevents them from maturing emotionally. Drinking becomes their social and emotional coping mechanism. These young people do not experience the natural growing pains that must be gone through where they learn how to interact with others on their own, without using the alcohol to help them. Natural growing pains that are part of the maturing process should not be avoided or salved by the use of alcohol because the alcohol will only retard maturity or cause it to never be developed.

Young people who drink become extremely one dimensional. They do not become interesting people. They don’t develop a wide variety of interests or hobbies. They have desire to hang around with anyone who seems different, so they really limit the kinds of things they talk about or do. They basically stay stuck where they are at the age they started drinking. This whole thing reminds me of a book I read by Robert Bly called The Sibling Society. This book talks about a society with no vertical vision. The only gaze that the people have is a horizontal one. This means that people can see only those who are in their immediate view.

As we now go through yet another generation of alcohol abuse it's time to realize what alcohol is really doing to our young people who have to learn how to be emotionally mature, but won’t if they continue to drink. We can't rely on the media to communicate this societal problem. The media without fail covers stories about stars who have alcohol and drug abuse related problems. What comes across to young people is that these stars enter a rehabilitation program for drug and alcohol addiction, and then they come out waving to the public looking perfectly cured. The only message that gets conveyed is that there are no really bad consequences to drinking.

"I think the thing that troubles me the most is the observations that I have made of my own life. At 25 years old I was a heavy drinker and I really didn’t know why I drank the way I did. Often I would go the refrigerator for a beer and ask myself the question, am I thirsty or depressed? I really didn’t have the answer then. I believe that I do now. The reality is I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. Social situations made me uncomfortable, a few drinks did the trick and I became more adept at holding conversations with other people and interacting in a group. When I was 35 years old my daughter Sarah was born and I made the decision to quit drinking so that she would never see the damaging effects of alcohol. My daughter started to drink for the same reason that I did which frightens me to no end. I guess I am going to have to go through some growing pains now at 53 years old, along with my daughter who is almost 17. I wish that I had been through this process 30 years ago. I wonder who will grow up first, my daughter or me. Time will tell. " Quoted from an anonymous blogger

This author's own personal experience involves my best high school buddy.  He always seemed as if he could hold his liquor better than anyone else.  After he graduated from college he moved away from the Poconos to Conneticut and we lost touch.  After several years of no contact, I came home from work one day and found a note from him in my mailbox with his phone number (before cell phones) in Stroudsburg.  I called him and made arrangements to meet him in Stroudsburg, had dinner at his house, met his fiance', and did much celebrating which included a lot of drinking.  I got pretty wasted, and slept overnight in their sleep sofa.  We started hanging around a lot between his place and my place in Harleysville, but no matter where we were, he always seemed to need to have alcohol (and now it was hard liquor -usually bourbon).

This went on for awhile, until one day I received a call from his fiance' asking me if I could come talk to her in private.  When we met, she told me that an intervention was in the making, and she wanted me to be a part of it.  Over about 6 weeks, we had several meetings with a professional interventionist, myself, and several family members.  At the end, we were given instructions on how everything would work.  Myself and my buddy's father went to his workplace, essentially kidnapped him, and told his boss what was happening.  After successfully getting him to the intervention, we all told him how his alcoholism was affecting him, us, and his relationships with other people.  At the end he agreed to go into rehab, but only if I would be the one to take him.  I successfully got him checked in, and things seemed to be going well, but at 14 days he checked himself out, called me, and told me he could complete his treatment on his own.  I told him, that was very unlikely, and if he was not going to complete his treatment, it would not be in my best interest to continue allowing him to be around myself and my children.  He fell over dead in his workplace parking lot at 49 years old.

Brew Pubs Today: The Revival Of A Proud American Tradition

Brew Pubs Today: The Revival Of A Proud American Tradition

Remember the one-on-every corner dimly lit brew pub or tavern, beer-soaked carpeting and Joe the Bartender, a long row of customers with their glasses of watery mass-produced beer, all staring at a flickering television? Versions of these drinking establishments certainly still exist but their heyday as the gathering place of choice is over. In fact this rather depressing era was only a hiatus in Americas rich brew pub history.

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In 1634 the Puritans licensed the first brew pub in New England with ale brewed on the premises. Their idea was to steer drinkers away from the higher alcohol content of rum and whiskey. During this period, they also passed legislation ensuring the quality of the product. This tradition of local beer brewing paired with brewing excellence continued until the time of prohibition in the 1920s. European immigrants were the driving force behind this tradition, not only in transporting time-honored recipes and methods, but also in flavoring the atmosphere of their taverns with the customs and decor of their home countries. The Dutch and the English, then the Germans in the 19th century brought the family atmosphere of the old world to their adopted land.

Post-prohibition, the traditions and style of immigrant brewing were disappearing. By the end of the 1970s only light lager was selling in any significant volume, driven by big business marketing campaigns. At that point there were only 44 breweries in the United States. Yet a movement was on the way that would reverse this trend.

In the 1970s people were traveling in great numbers. It was the in thing to do and Europe was the inexpensive destination. These travelers returned to America with a taste for real beer and an appreciation of quaffing in agreeable, charming surroundings. With a sneer of disapproval at the state of watering holes in their native land, many opened their own breweries and brew pubs in the European style. In 1982 U.S. legislation finally allowed food to be served in breweries and the brew pub was reborn.

Our brew pubs today represent a resurgence of tradition and ambience reminiscent of earlier times. As beer is once again brewed on the premises or in partnership with microbreweries, twinned with pubs in which to serve their products, brew pubs have taken new pride, not only in the beverages they create but also in the brew pub venue itself. No longer supplied by wholesalers of mass-produced products, these are generally owner-operated businesses with a reputation to protect.

The European beer garden was and is an oasis in working life, a neighborhood gathering focal point offering more than just a place to drink beer. This healthy, social atmosphere is reflected in the modern brew pub. Polished mirrors, exposed beams, glasses and bottles proudly displayed, revolving ceiling fans, and menus full of imaginative twists on traditional pub fare the modern brew pub is a showcase for the brewery's products.

If you find yourself in the position of a stranger in a strange town, dropping in to your neighborhood brew pub might be the answer. Here is a social setting ideal for meeting the locals, playing a game of darts and sampling fine quality beers, ales and ciders. If you are traveling with the family, by-pass the fast food chains and seek out the local brew pub. Many are family run and family friendly, reasonably priced with an emphasis on responsible enjoyment, and with food a cut above the cardboard box brigade. Operating as restaurants, brew pubs rarely have an age restriction.

Some of you may remember George Orwell's famous review of his favorite public house, The Moon under Water. Though completely fictional, he describes with affection the ten best qualities of the place, from the ornamental mirrors behind the bar to the sound of children's laughter. Says Mr. Orwell, If you are asked why you favour a particular public house, it would seem natural to put the beer first, but the thing that most appeals to me about The Moon under Water is what people call its atmosphere. Given the quality and ambience of today's brew pubs, I believe George would be pleased.

I’m Going To Pattaya’s Walking Street. Where Do I Go First?

I’m Going To Pattaya’s Walking Street. Where Do I Go First?

You have flown half way around the world and have survived the taxi ride from Bangkok to Pattaya. You checked in to your hotel room, took a nap and showered. You are ready to go out and party.

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You friends have told you that the place to go first is Walking Street. You have confirmed this at some of the Pattaya forums you visited before you left home. You are ready, but, where do you go first.

If it is still light out, you may want to start out with a bite of food at any of the street vendors or visit one of the many beer bars.

Just before the entrance of Walking Street, on the right or water side of the road, is a beer bar complex with about 20 bars. They are all very tiny rectangles with 5 to 15 girls inside of each one. Drinks are cheap, competition is ferocious, and the place is a lot of fun.

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There are other beet bars scattered about but not in such a large grouping. But, if you like it a little quieter and cheaper, then beer bars are for you.

If the sun has set and it is a bit darker out, it is time to check out the hostess bars. There are 3 or 4 of them on or near Walking Street and all are worth a look. The FLB Bar, Secrets, and Lennie’s come to mind. All are laid back and cater to the older gentleman. The music is good, prices are reasonable, and the girls are friendly.

Or, you can always go and visit one of the many go-go’s on Walking Street. There are any places to go to see eye candy. Be warned that the music will be louder, prices will be higher and the girls will be more expensive. Attitudes may reign or you may get lucky and find a good lady.

You will have many choices and opportunities on Walking Street. From beer bars to hostess bars to go-go’s, you will have the time of your life. Don't worry about you age or your looks, as long as you have enough money, you will have a great time.

Describing Walking Street is sort of like trying to explain Las Vegas to someone who has never been. You really have to experience it in person to get the full effect. It is hard to describe the sights, sounds and smells of Pattaya and Walking Street. You will just have to save your money, book your flight, and get to Pattaya and enjoy it for yourself.

Have a great time and be safe. Enjoy your Pattaya stay and experience the craziness of Walking Street.

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Beer Brewing in Alaska

The Alaskan brewing company is the oldest operating brewery in Alaska, with their amber beer being their most popular brand. They produce two other brands as well, pale ale and Alaskan frontier amber. If you enjoy fresh amber beer, Alaskan brewing is what you want.

As you may already know, brewing beer in Alaska is very hard to do. The coastal community of Juneau doesn’t have road connections to the lower 48 states, so everything arrives and leaves by water or air, with weather always having the final say.

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In 1986, the Alaskan brewing company became the 67th brewery to operate in the United States and the only one to operate in Alaska. Since that time, Alaskan brewery has received more than 30 major medals and awards, including the best beer in the nation award during the 1988 Great American Beer Festival.

The popularity of their beers has led to a great amount of efforts to keep up with the demand from consumers. They also hold the unofficial record for the production on a 10 barrel brewing system, which produces an amazing 42 batches a week.

The Alaskan Brewery offers several different styles of brew as well, which are listed below:

1. Amber – This is the company’s flagship beer, based on a turn of the century recipe that was used to quench the thirst of the miners during the Gold Rush era. It provides a smooth, malty, rich taste that goes well with meals – or friends.

2. Pale – Pale is fresh, crips, and inviting. Alaskan pale is great with crab, pawns, and salads. The floral aroma of the hops is derived from dry hopping the tanks during the entire fermentation process.

Alaskan Amber Ale   

Category Amber Ale 

Recipe Type All Grain 

 

Fermentables

 1.5 Lbs Munich Malt 

8.75 Lbs Pilsener Malt (2-Row) 

 

Hops

 0.5 Oz Mt Hood Hops 

0.75 Oz Spalter Spalt 

 

Yeast Wyeast 1007 

Procedure Single Step infusion mash at 152 degrees F. Used Mt Hood hops for bittering added 60 minutes before end of boil. Spalter Spalt hops added 15 minutes before end of boil.  

3. Stout – The oatmeal style beer of stout doesn’t have the harshness of other stouts. Great with chocolate and hearty meals, stout is also ideal to enjoy while walking in the snow.

4. ESB – If you like hops, the infusion of hops in this delight will amaze your nose while the refreshing cascade hops will provide a wonderful crispness to both the flavor and the finish. This beer is great with spicy food, wild game, and other wintery food.

5. Smoked porter – Very exclusive, Alaskan smoked porter has a world class reputation for its excellence. Brewed in the fall, this beer is ideal for storing in the cellar for later enjoyment.

6. Winter ale – This tender brew of spruce trees has been used for brewing in Alaska since the late 1700s.

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To Beer, or Not to Beer? That is the Question!

To Beer, or Not to Beer?  That is the Question!

The word “beer” is often used as a generic noun used to describe a cold refreshing beverage. For example, “Hiya Mike, let’s go for a beer.” However, beer lovers around the world will heartily agree that there’s nothing generic about beer.

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When it comes to types of beer, there are many, many options to choose from. It’s impossible to say which type is best, because they all have very different characteristics. You’d be surprised at how a pilsner can differ from a porter, or how a stout stands out from a cider.

The names given to different styles of beer generally reflect individual characteristics of the product, such as where it originated. Most beers, particularly those sold commercially, are processed using traditional methods.

Different types of beer have unique qualities like appearance, taste, origin and aroma. There are several styles that make up the world’ most common types of beer:

Styles of beer have a lot to do with how they taste, what they look like, how they smell and of course where they are made. Some common choices include these:

* Lager: Some of the most popular types of beer are lagers. These include American styles including basic lager, all-malt lager, light lager, double pilsner, malt liquor and low-alcohol or “light” beers. Popular international choices include Czech, European, Japanese and German lagers.

B.W. Lager  

Category Lager Amber

Recipe Type All Grain

Tastes great, but low alcohol according to the measurements. Nice amber lager.  

Fermentables

 7 lbs cracked lager malt

5 lbs amber dry malt extract

 

Hops

 2 oz Talisman leaf hops

.5 oz Hallertauer leaf hops

1 oz Willamette hops pellets

 

Other

 1 tsp gypsum

2500 mg ascorbic acid

1 tsp Irish moss

 

Yeast Red Star lager yeast  

Procedure Add grain to 2-1/2 gallons of 170 degree water giving an initial heat of 155 degrees and a pH of 5.3. Maintain temperature at 130-150 degrees for 2 hours. Sparge. Bring to boil. Add extract, and Talisman hops. In last 20 minutes add Irish moss. In last 10 minutes add Hallertauer hops. Strain wort and cool. Add Willamette pellets for aroma. Pitch yeast

* Ale: American amber, brown ale, porter, strong, sour and wild ales are also common American beers. Also falling under the category of “Ales” are Chile Beer, Pumpkin Ale, Belgian and French ales, English, German, Irish, Finnish, Scottish and Russian ales.

Bass Ale  

Category Pale Ale

Recipe Type All Grain

Fermentables

 6-7 lbs pale malt (2-row)

1 lbs crystal malt

1 lbs demarara or dark brown sugar

 

Hops

 1 oz Northern Brewer hops (boil)

1 oz Fuggles hops (boil 30 min.)

.5 oz Fuggles hops (finish)

 

Yeast ale yeast  

Procedure This is an all-grain recipe---follow the instructions for an infusion mash in Papazian, or another text. The Northern Brewer hops are boiled for a full hour, the Fuggles for 1/2 hour, and the Fuggles finishing hops after the wort is removed from the heat, it is then steeped 15 minutes.

* Cider: While not an official beer, cider is still enjoyed by many beer drinkers. Favorites include standard cider, New England cider and many specialty ciders.

* Hybrids: combining different beer styles or ingredients create this “experimental” beer. Berbed, smoked, fruit and vegetable beer and spiced beer are all types of hybrids.

* Mead: Mead is not a beer, rather a honey wine that has been adapted from centuries-old recipes. Melomel is a type of mead blended with fruit or vegetables. Braggot is concoction of beer and mead, while Metheglin is mead blended with spices.

Variety is the spice of life. If you’re a beer drinker, you’re likely loyal to a tried and true brand. But remember that variety is the spice of life. There is a world of options available to you, so try something new next time you’re ready to crack open a cold one.

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The Historical London Method of Brewing on or Around 1736

The Historical London Method of Brewing on or Around 1736

In a great Brewhouse that I was concern'd in, they wetted or used a considerable Quantity of Malt in one Week in Brewing Stout-beer, common Butt-beer, Ale and small Beer, for which purpose they have River and Well Waters, which they take in several degrees of Heat, as the Malt, Goods and Grain are in a condition to receive them, and according to the Practice there I shall relate the following Particulars, viz.

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For Stout Butt Beer.

This is the strongest Butt-Beer that is Brewed from brown Malt, and often sold for forty Shillings the Barrel, or six Pound the Butt out of the wholesale Cellars: The Liquor (for it is Sixpence forfeit in the London Brewhouse if the word Water is named) in the Copper designed for the first Mash, has a two Bushel Basket, or more, of the most hully Malt throw'd over it, to cover its Top and forward its Boiling; this must be made very hot, almost ready to boil, yet not so as to blister, for then it will be in too high a Heat; but as an indication of this, the foul part of the Liquor will ascend, and the Malt swell up, and then it must be parted, look'd into and felt with the Finger or back of the Hand, and if the Liquor is clear and can but be just endured, it is then enough, and the Stoker must damp his fire as soon as possible by throwing in a good Parcel of fresh Coals, and shutting his Iron vent Doors, if there are any; immediately on this they let as much cold Liquor or Water run into the Copper as will make it all of a Heat, somewhat more than Blood-warm, this they Pump over, or let it pass by a Cock into an upright wooden square Spout or Trunk, and it directly rises thro' the Holes of a false Bottom into the Malt, which is work'd by several Men with Oars for about half an Hour, and is called the first and stiff Mash: While this is doing, there is more Liquor heating in the Copper that must not be let into the mash Tun till it is very sharp, almost ready to boil, with this they Mash again, then cover it with several Baskets of Malt, and let it stand an Hour before it runs into the Under-back, which when boiled an Hour and a half with a good quantity of Hops makes this Stout. The next is Mash'd with a cooler Liquor, then a sharper, and the next Blood-warm or quite Cold; by which alternate degrees of Heat, a Quantity of small Beer is made after the Stout.

For Brewing strong brown Ale called Stitch.

This is most of it the first running of the Malt, but yet of a longer Length than is drawn for the Stout; It has but few Hops boiled in it, and is sold for Eight-pence per Gallon at the Brewhouse out of the Tun, and is generally made to amend the common brown Ale with, on particular Occasions. This Ale I remember was made use of by Medlicot Esq; in the beginning of a Consumption, and I heard him say, it did him very great Service, for he lived many Years afterwards.

For Brewing common brown Ale and Starting Beer.

They take the Liquors from the brown Ale as for the Stout, but draw a greater Quantity from the Malt, than for Stout or Stitch, and after the fifth and second Mash they Cap the Goods with fresh Malt to keep in the Spirit and Boil it an Hour; after this, small Beer is made of the same Goods. Thus also the common brown Starting Butt-Beer is Brewed, only boiled with more Hops an Hour and a half, and work'd cooler and longer than the brown Ale, and a shorter Length drawn from the Malt. But it is often practised after the brown Ale, and where a Quantity of small Beer is wanted, or that it is to be Brewed better than ordinary, to put so much fresh Malt on the Goods as will answer that purpose.

For Brewing Pale and Amber Ales and Beers.

As the brown Malts are Brewed with River, these are Brewed with Well or Spring Liquors. The Liquors are by some taken sharper for pale than brown Malts, and after the first scalding Liquor is put over, some lower the rest by degrees to the last which is quite Cold, for their small Beer; so also for Butt-Beers there is no other difference than the addition of more Hops, and boiling, and the method of working. But the reasons for Brewing pale Malts with Spring or hard Well waters, I have mentioned in my second Book of Brewing.

For Brewing Entire Guile Small Beer.

On the first Liquor they throw some hully Malt to shew the break of it, and when it is very sharp, they let in some cold Liquor, and run it into the Tun milk warm; this is mash'd with thirty or forty pulls of the Oar, and let stand till the second Liquor is ready, which must be almost scalding hot to the back of the Hand, then run it by the Cock into the Tun, mash it up and let it stand an Hour before it is spended off into the Under-back: These two pieces of Liquor will make one Copper of the first wort, without putting any fresh Malt on the Goods; the next Liquor to be Blood-warm, the next sharp, and the next cool or cold; for the general way in great Brewhouses is to let a cool Liquor precede a sharp one, because it gradually opens the Pores of the Malt and Goods, and prepares the way for the hotter Liquor that is to follow.

The several Lengths or Quantities of Drinks that have been made from Malt, and their several Prices, as they have been sold at a common Brewhouse.

For Stout-Beer, is commonly drawn one Barrel off a quarter of Malt, and sold for thirty Shillings per Barrel from the Tun. For Stitch or strong brown Ale, one Barrel and a Firkin, at one and twenty Shillings and Fourpence per Barrel from the Tun. For common brown Ale, one Barrel and a half or more, at sixteen Shillings per Barrel, that holds thirty two Gallons, from the Tun. For Intire small Beer, five or six Barrels off a Quarter, at seven or eight Shillings per Barrel from the Tun. For Pale and Amber Ale, one Barrel and a Firkin, at one Shilling per Gallon from the Tun.

Of the Nature of several Waters and their use in Brewing. And first of Well-waters.

Of the Nature of several Waters and their use in Brewing. And first of Well-waters.

Water next to Malt is what by course comes here under Consideration as a Matter of great Importance in Brewing of wholsome fine Malt-liquors, and is of such Consequence that it concerns every one to know the nature of the water he Brews with, because it is the Vehicle by which the nutritious and pleasant Particles of the Malt and Hop are conveyed into our Bodies, and there becomes a diluter of our Food: Now the more simple and freer every water is from foreign Particles, the better it will answer those Ends and Purposes; for, as Dr.Mead observes, some waters are so loaded with stony Corpuscles, that even the Pipes thro' which they are carried, in time are incrusted and stopt up by them, and is of that petrifying nature as to breed the Stone in the Bladder, which many of the Parisians have been instances of, by using this sort of water out of the River Seine. And of this Nature is another at Rowel in Northamptonshire, which in no great distance of time so clogs the Wheel of an overshot Mill there, that they are forced with, convenient Instruments to cut way for its Motion; and what makes it still more evident, is the sight of those incrusted Sides of the Tea-kettles, that the hard Well-waters are the occasion of, by being often boiled in them: And it is further related by the same Doctor, that a Gentlewoman afflicted with frequent returns of violent Colick Pains was cured by the Advice of Van Helmont, only by leaving off drinking Beer brewed with Well-water; It's true, such a fluid has a greater force and aptness to extract the tincture out of Malt, than is to be had in the more innocent and soft Liquor of Rivers: But for this very reason it ought not, unless upon meer necessity, to be made use of; this Quality being owing to the mineral Particles and alluminous Salts with which it is impregnated. For these waters thus saturated, will by their various gravities in circulation, deposit themselves in one part of the animal Body or other, which has made some prove the goodness of Water by the lightness of its body in the Water Scales, now sold in several of the London Shops, in order to avoid the Scorbutick, Colicky, Hypochondriack, and other ill Effects of the Clayey and other gross Particles of stagnating Well-waters, and the calculous Concretions of others; and therefore such waters ought to be mistrusted more than any, where they are not pure clear and soft or that don't arise from good Chalks or stony Rocks, that are generally allowed to afford the best of all the Well sorts.

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Spring-waters are in general liable to partake of those minerals thro' which they pass, and are salubrious or mischievous accordingly. At Uppingham in Rutland, their water is said to come off an Allum-rock, and so tints their Beer with its saline Quality, that it is easily tasted at the first Draught. And at Dean in Northamptonshire, I have seen the very Stones colour the rusty Iron by the constant running of a Spring-water; but that which will Lather with Soap, or such soft water that percolates through Chalk, or a Grey Fire-stone, is generally accounted best, for Chalks in this respect excell all other Earths, in that it administers nothing unwholsome to the perfluent waters, but undoubtedly absorps by its drying spungy Quality any ill minerals that may accompany the water that runs thro' them. For which reason they throw in, great Quantities of Chalk into their Wells at Ailsbury to soften their water, which coming off a black Sand-stone, is so hard and sharp that it will often turn their Beer sour in a Week's time, so that in its Original State it's neither fit to Wash nor Brew with, but so long as the Alcalous soft Particles of the Chalk holds good, they put it to both uses.

River-waters are less liable to be loaded with metallick, petrifying, saline and other insanous Particles of the Earth, than the Well or Spring sorts are, especially at some distance from the Spring-head, because the Rain water mixes with and softens it, and are also much cured by the Sun's heat and the Air's power, for which reason I have known several so strict, that they won't let their Horses drink near the first rise of some of them; this I have seen the sad Effects of, and which has obliged me to avoid two that run cross a Road in Bucks and Hertfordshire: But in their runnings they often collect gross Particles from ouzy muddy mixtures, particularly near Town, that make the Beersubject to new fermentations, and grow foul upon alteration of weather as the Thames water generlly does; yet is this for its softness much better than the hard sort, however both these waters are used by some Brewers as I shall hereafter observe; but where a River-water can be had clear in a dry time, when no great Rain has lately fell out of Rivulets or Rivers that have a Gravelly, Chalky, Sandy or Stone-bottom free from the Disturbance of Cattle, &c. and in good Air, as that of Barkhamstead St. Peters in Hertfordshire is; it may then justly claim the name of a most excellent water for Brewing, and will make a stronger Drink with the same quantity of Malt than any of the Well-waters; insomuch that that of the Thames has been proved to make as strong Beer with seven Bushels of Malt, as Well-water with eight; and so are all River-waters in a proportionable degree, and where they can be obtain'd clean and pure, Drink may be drawn fine in a few Days after Tunning.

Rain-water is very soft, of a most simple and pure nature, and the best Diluter of any, especially if received free from Dirt, and the Salt of Mortar that often mixes with it as it runs off tyled Roofs; this is very agreeable for brewing of Ales that are not to be kept a great while, but for Beers that are to remain some time in the Casks, it is not so, well, as being apt to putrify the soonest of any.

Pond-waters; this includes all standing waters chiefly from Rain, and are good or bad as they happen; for where there is a clean bottom, and the water lies undisturbed from the tread of Cattle, or too many Fish, in an open sound Air, in a large quantity, and where the Sun has free access; it then comes near, if not quite as good as Rain or River-waters, as is that of Blew-pot Pond on the high Green at Gaddesden in Hertfordshire and many others, which are often prefer'd for Brewing, even beyond many of the soft Well-waters about them. But where it is in a small quantity, or full of Fish (especially the sling Tench) or is so disturbed by Cattle as to force up Mud and Filth; it is then the most foul and disagreeable of all others: So is it likewise in long dry Seasons when our Pond-waters are so low as obliges us to strain it thro' Sieves before we can use it, to take out the small red Worms and other Corruptions, that our stagnant waters are generally then too full of. The latest and best Doctors have so far scrutinized into the prime Cause of our British malady the Scurvy, as to affirm its first rise is from our unwholesome stagnating waters, and especially those that come off a clayey surface, as there are about Londonderry and Amsterdam, for that where the waters are worst, there this Distemper is most common, so that in their Writings they have put it out of all doubt, that most of our complicated symptoms that are rank'd under this general Name, if they don't take their beginning from such water, do own it to be their chief Cause.

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Of Brewing in General.

Of Brewing in general.

Brewing, like several other Arts is prostituted to the opinionated Ignorance of many conceited Pretenders, who if they have but seen or been concern'd in but one Brewing, and that only one Bushel of Malt, assume the Name of a Brewer and dare venture on several afterwards, as believing it no other Task, than more Labour, to Brew a great deal as well as a little; from hence it partly is, that we meet with such hodge-podge Ales and Beers, as are not only disagreeable in Taste and Foulness, but indeed unwholsome to the Body of Man, for as it is often drank thick and voided thin, the Feces or gross part must in my Opinion remain behind in some degree. 

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Now what the Effects of that may be, I must own I am not Physician enough to explain, but shrewdly suspect it may be the Cause of Stones, Colicks, Obstructions, and several other Chronical Distempers; for if we consider that the sediments of Malt-liquors are the refuse of a corrupted Grain, loaded with the igneous acid Particles of the Malt, and then again with the corrosive sharp Particles of the Yeast, it must consequently be very pernicious to the British human Body especially, which certainly suffers much from the animal Salts of the great Quantities of Flesh that we Eat more than People of any other Nation whatsoever; and therefore are more then ordinarily obligated not to add the scorbutick mucilaginous Qualities of such gross unwholsome Particles, that every one makes a lodgment of in their Bodies, as the Liquors they drink are more or less thick; for in plain Truth, no Malt-liquor can be good without it's fine. 

The late Curious Simon Harcourt Esq; of Penly, whom I have had the honour to drink some of his famous October with, thought the true Art of Brewing of such Importance, that it is said to Cost him near twenty Pounds to have an old Days-man taught it by a Welch Brewer, and sure it was this very Man exceeded all others in these Parts afterwards in the Brewing of that which he called his October Beer. 

So likewise in London they lay such stress on this Art, that many have thought it worth their while to give one or two hundred Guineas with an Apprentice: This Consideration also made an Ambassador give an extraordinary Encouragement to one of my Acquaintance to go over with him, that was a great Master of this Science. But notwithstanding all that can be said that relates to this Subject, there are so many Incidents attending Malt-liquors, that it has puzled several expert Men to account for their difference, though brewed by the same Brewer, with the same Malt, Hops and Water, and in the same Month and Town, and tapp'd at the same time: The Beer of one being fine, strong and well Tasted, while the others have not had any worth drinking, now this may be owing to the different Weather in the same Month, that might cause an Alteration in the working of the Liquors, or that the Cellar may not be so convenient, or that the Water was more disturbed by Winds or Rains, &c. 

But it has been observed that where a Gentleman has imployed one Brewer constantly, and uses the same sort of Ingredients, and the Beer kept in dry Vaults or Cellars that have two or three Doors; the Drink has been generally good. And where such Malt-liquors are kept in Butts, more time is required to ripen, meliorate and fine them, than those kept in Hogsheads, because the greater quantity must have the longer time; so also a greater quantity will preserve itself better than a lesser one, and on this account the Butt and Hogshead are the two best sized Casks of all others; but all under a Hogshead hold rather too small a quantity to keep their Bodies. 

The Butt is certainly a most noble Cask for this use, as being generally set upright, whereby it maintains a large Cover of Yeast, that greatly contributes to the keeping in the Spirits of the Beer, admits of a most convenient broaching in the middle and its lower part, and by its broad level Bottom, gives a better lodgment to the fining and preserving Ingredients, than any other Cask whatsoever that lyes in, the long Cross-form. Hence it partly is, that the common Butt-beer is at this time in greater Reputation than ever in London, and the Home-brew'd Drinks out of Credit; because the first is better cured in its Brewing, in its Quantity, in its Cask, and in its Age; when the latter has been loaded with the pernicious Particles of great Quantities of Yeast, of a short Age, and kept in small Casks, that confines its Owner, only to Winter Brewing and Sale, as not being capable of sustaining the Heat of the Weather, for that the acidity of the Yeast brings on a sudden hardness and staleness of the Ale, which to preserve in its mild Aley Taste, will not admit of any great Quantity of Hops; and this is partly the reason that the handful of Salt which the Plymouth Brewers put into their Hogshead, hinders their Ale from keeping, as I shall hereafter take notice of.