From the inclination of the coolers or backs to the place, where the worts run off, from their largeness, or from the wind and air warping them, a wort seldom, perhaps never, lays every where at an equal depth, and cannot therefore become uniformly cold in the same space of time. This renders the use of the thermometer difficult, though not impracticable. To supply the want of this instrument with some degree of certainty, the hand intended to feel the worts, is brought to the heat of the body, by placing it in the bosom, until it has fully received it. Then dipping the fingers into the liquor, we judge, by the sensation it occasions, whether it is come to a proper degree of coolness to be fermented. As the external parts of our bodies are generally of about 90 degrees of heat, some degree of cold must be felt, before the worts are ready for the purpose of fermentation. But that degree varies for different drinks, and in different seasons. I will endeavour to point out the rules to form a judgment for the heat of small beer worts. A greater precision, both for that and for other drinks, will be found in the following table. In July and August, no other rule can be given, than that the worts be got as cold as possible. The same rule holds good in June and September, except the season is unnaturally cold. In May and October, worts should be let down nearly thirty degrees colder than the hand; in April, November, and March, the worts should be about twenty degrees colder than the hand, and only ten in January, February and December. It may perhaps be thought that the heats here specified are great, but worts cool as they run from the backs to the working tuns, they are also affected by the coldness of the tuns themselves, and perhaps these circumstances are not so trivial, but that an allowance should be made for them. In general, the heat of no must should exceed 60 degrees, because fermentation increases this or any other degree, in proportion to that, under which this particular part of the process begins. To render the thermometer more useful, and to suit it to our conveniency, we have before supposed every first mash for common small beer to be made at four o’clock in the morning: in this case, and where the worts are not laid to cool at more than one inch in depth, the following table may be said to be a measure of time, the first and last worts for this drink should be let down at. A TABLE, _shewing nearly the times the first and last worts of common small beers should be let down in the working tuns, supposing the first mash of the brewing to be made at four o’clock in the morning, and no uncommon change happens in the heat of the air_. Vertical headings-- A: Heat of the air at 8 o’clock in the morning. B: Hours in the afternoon, same day as brewing began. C: Hours in the afternoon. D: Hours of the next morning.