To take two ounces of isinglass

The Experienced English Housekeeper · Elizabeth Raffald · 1784

Source: The Experienced English Housekeeper
Status: success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe: No

Ingredients (10)

two ounces of isinglass
two quarts of new ale
two pounds of coarse brown sugar ↝ Sugars, brown [Sweets]
a quart of new wort
two gallons of new ale out of the kear
one pound of plaster of Paris
new ale
a large handful of spent hops

For re-fermentation if malt is suspected to be not good

two gallons of wort
half a pint of barm

Instructions (22)

Dissolve two ounces of isinglass in two quarts of new ale and let it beat all night by the fire.
Boil two pounds of coarse brown sugar in a quart of new wort for a quarter of an hour.
Put the boiled sugar into a pail with two gallons of new ale out of the kear.
Whisk the isinglass mixture and the sugar mixture very well for an hour or more, until it is all of a white froth.
Beat very fine one pound of plaster of Paris.
Put the fine plaster of Paris into your cask with the fermentation.
Whisk it very well for half an hour in your cask with a strong hand, until you have brought all the filth and sediments from the bottom of your cask; it will look white.
If your cask be not full, fill it up with new ale. The acid part of the ale will rise to the top immediately and issue out at the bung-hole.
Be sure you do not fail filling up your cask four or five times a day until it has done working and all the sourness or white muddy part is gone.
When it begins to look like new tunned ale, put in a large handful of spent hops.
Close it up and let it stand six weeks.
If it be not fine and cream like bottled ale, let it stand a month longer.
It will drink brisk like bottled ale.

For re-fermentation if malt is suspected to be not good

Save out two gallons of wort.
A few hours before you want it, add to the saved wort half a pint of barm.
When you have tunned your drink into the barrel and it hath quite done working, make the above fermentation (using the saved wort and barm mixture).
When you have put it in the barrel, whisk it very well for half an hour.
It will set your ale on working afresh.
When the two gallons of wort mixture has worked quite over, keep filling up your barrel with it four or five times a day.
Let it work four or five days.
When it has done working close it up.
This will take off any bad smack or taste, or fluid nature from the malt.

Original Text

TO take two ounces of isinglass, dissolve it in two quarts of new ale, and let it beat all night by the fire, then take two pounds of coarse brown sugar, and boil it in a quart of new wort a quarter of an hour, then put it into a pail, with two gallons of new ale out of the kear, whisk the above ingredients very well for an hour or more, till it be all of a white froth, beat very fine one pound of plaster of Paris, and put it into your cask, with the fermentation, and whisk it very well for half an hour in your cask with a strong hand, until you have brought all the filth and sediments from the bottom of your cask, and it will look white; if your cask be not full, fill it up with new ale, and the fermentation will have this good effect; the acid part of the ale will rise to the top immediately, and issue out at the bung-hole, but if the cask be not full, the part that should fly out will continue in, and weaken the body of the ale, be sure you do not fail filling up your cask four or five times a day, until it has done working, and all the sourness or white muddy part is gone, and when it begins to look like new tunned ale put in a large handful of spent hops, close it up, and let it stand six weeks; if it be not fine, and cream like bottled ale, let it stand a month longer, and it will drink brisk like bottled ale; this is an excellent method, and I have used it to ale that has been both white and sour, and never found it to fail. If you have any malt that you suspect is not good, save out two gallons of wort, and a few hours before you want it, add to it half a pint of barm, and when you have tunned your drink into the barrel, and it hath quite done working, make the above fermentation, and when you have put it in the barrel whisk it very well for half an hour, and it will set your ale on working afresh, and when the two gallons is worked quite over, keep filling up your barrel with it four or five times a day, and let it work four or five days, when it has done working close it up: if the malt has got any bad smack or taste, or be of a fluid nature, this will take it off.

Notes

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