The American Practical Brewer and Tanner | Page 5

two, or three horse power,
according to the length of the lever, and the diameter of the mill. Sky,
or water coolers, in general, are square vessels, made of the best two
inch pine plank, properly jointed, from twenty to twenty-five feet
square, laid on strong joists sufficiently close, and trunneled down
(after pressing) with wooden trunnels from end to end, to prevent
starting or warping; the joists are supported by a couple of strong
beams, equally spaced; the sides of these coolers are generally raised
from eighteen inches to two feet; in Europe they are generally leaded
on their inside, but this expense may be saved, if they are properly
made at first, and afterwards kept constantly full of water. In
constructing these coolers, all the joints should be paid with white paint
before laying, and the sides bolted, and screwed down; the better and
easier to effect which, the thickness of the sides may be three inches
after the saw; there should be a roofing all round the sides, to protect
them from the weather; the bottom of the sky cooler should command
the copper back, which should be made to form the cover of the copper,

and to hold a complete charge of the same. These vessels, when
properly constructed, are extremely useful in preventing waste and
accidents by boiling over, also affording to the brewer, the opportunity
of boiling his wort as fiercely as he pleases--a very important advantage
in brewing porter and strong beer. A description of this back is not
necessary, as every set cooper, who knows his business, is well
acquainted with the proper construction of this vessel. The stuff it is
made of should be two inches thick, well seasoned, and of the best pine
plank. Thus placed on the copper, it should form a complete cover,
water and steam tight, so that when the copper boils over, it will run
into the back, and return again by a plug hole into the copper. The
copper cock should be sufficiently elevated to command the hop cooler;
the latter the wort coolers, No. 1 and 2. By thus running the worts from
one cooler to another, you afford them the opportunity of depositing in
each their feculencies, and coming nearly fine to the fermenting tuns,
which should be sufficiently elevated above the troughs and casks to be
filled, so that the operation of cleansing may be easily performed by
one or more leaders, to communicate with a two or three piped tun dish,
capable of filling two or three casks at a time. The mill stones, or metal
rollers, should be sufficiently elevated to grind into the malt bin, placed
over the mash tun, which bin should be sufficiently capacious to hold
the whole grist of malt when ground; this bin is generally constructed
in the form of a hopper, with a slide at the bottom, to let the malt into
the mash tun when the water is ready, by being cooled down to its
proper temperature. I would recommend making the mash tun shallow,
so that the diameter shall be three times as long as the staff of the sides,
above the false bottom. To the mash tun there should be a cover, in two
or more pieces, according to size. The receiver, or underbank, which is
placed under the mash tun, should be sufficiently elevated above
ground, so as to enable the dirty or washing water to run off from its
bottom by a plug hole. The fermenting tuns should be placed in a room
where there is a fireplace, so as to raise the temperature in cold weather;
each tun should be cribbed on its sides, with a stationary cover on the
top. The cribs should be made to answer the sweep of the vessel, and to
be put on or off as occasion, or the temperature of the season, may
require. In one corner of the working store, I would recommend to have
placed a set of drains, two in number, one over the other; the lower

drain should be sufficiently elevated to get a bucket under it, so as to
draw off its contents by a plug hole, placed at one corner of each drain.
These drains will soon pay for themselves, by the quantity of yest that
will be deposited on them, at each time of drawing them off, while the
liquor will get fine, and may be applied in a variety of ways, to answer
the purposes of the brewer, what in filling, starting in the tun, vatting,
&c.

Malt House, the best construction of, with proper Barley Lofts,
Dropping Room, and Flooring, how, and in what manner made, and
best likely to last.
Malt houses intended to be annexed to breweries, should not be on a