It is not my opinion, however, that you should interrupt the regular presentation of the process at Younger, which you have today begun unless there was something very strange to mention anticipando.- The small mashing machines interest me very much but I have not easily detached myself from the idea that a continued processing of the mashing in the vessel must contribute to the formation of sugars penetrating better into the interior of the small grains, of which the crushed malt partly consists. Incidentally, is the malt not crushed into flour much by the arrangement of the rolling mill, that one roller alone is driven around and the other is dragged along by the friction? and is not the malt grist heated up greatly thereby? Does the wort run off easily and clearly?
Not sure what he means by a small mashing machine. I initially though of a Steel's masher. But that wasn't something that continued after the water and grains entered the mash tun.
I doubt very much that the malt was crushed to flour. That isn't how UK brewers wanted the malt to be in the mash tun.
As for the arrangement of the mash vats in a room by themselves, and the boilers in another, this is very commendable when the boilers are to be open; but with me, where the boilers are closed steam-tight, it is not necessary. And since I have this year put a cover over the hop-strainer - which can be easily raised by a counterweight - there is no steam to be seen in my brewery and it can be kept as white and clean as a living room. You know that both my boilers are now heated by steam in an envelope with only 5-6 (pound signs) pressure per square inch. Do they not use steam boiling in England? I am extremely satisfied with it and think that my beer on the whole approaches very closely to Vienna beer when it has the proper age.
It was fairly common to have the mash tuns and kettles in different rooms in UK breweries. Well, at least the larger ones. Why was Jacobsen so against steam in his brewery? And yes, many brewers did use steam for boiling.
Finally today, barley and malting.
I would like to make a soak (Støb) or two of the best Scottish barley; if it is not too late. Do you think that you could buy 40 or 80 quarters of this barley (according to your sample no. 1) from Theilmann or Stegmann and send it here by steamer at the beginning of April, then you are welcome to make this deal. If it cannot be done now, it can also be postponed until the autumn. I have received a beautiful sample of barley from Proprietor Hvidt near Slagelse, with whom I spoke the other day about Scottish barley. I will buy a couple of soaks (Støb) from him and will send you a sample of the barley so that you can show your Scottish brewers beautiful Danish barley. It is not as round, tender, as the Scottish and far from the heaviest barley that I have received this year. But even my heaviest barley of 118-120 pounds of Dutch has not had the tender form as the Scottish - probably Chevalier barley and there are a few grains in it that have become shell-ripened by the sun. Hvidt said, by the way, that there were only a few places on Zealand by the coast and on the smaller islands where the heavy, Scottish barley could retain its character. Further inland, as with him, it changed immediately and became more long-like.-
It sounds like Jacobsen is quite impressed with Scottish barley. It's worth noting that, at this time, William Younger used large quantities of "foreign" barley in addition to Scottish. The brewing records don't specify exactly where this foreign barley came from. Most likely origins were Chile, California and the Middle East.
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