It is generally held that porter to be good must be brewed in large quantities - this is a great error. Excellent porter may be brewed in private families, and by proper management so ordered, that ample time between each brewing may be allowed for it to refine for use; those families who are in the habit of brewing strong beers may also add porter to their stock.

The brewing of porter is nearly by the same process as brewing ale, the mash must be made of a fine high dried sweet full malt which is cheaper than the pale malt used for brewing the strong ale and beer - and full fine sweet brown hops. It is not necessary for a porter brewer to give a high price per hundred weight for colour and appearance in hops, when in actual strength they may be thirty per cent, inferior for his purpose, such bright hops being only for delicate ales.

A species of hop well adapted for this purpose is met with in Kent, it is produced by the plant, Humulus Germanicus; these hops are best for this purpose, because time should be given them to mellow, and the full bitter requisite will belong to them, if kept. The necessary bitter cannot be extracted from.the new hop without a harsh unpleasantness; good brewers - those who brew on a large scale - give their hops eight or twelve months' age, and then they work eight or ten pounds of hops per quarter of malt.

When the wort and hops are boiling, for every hogshead have ready to put to it one pound of bruised liquorice root cut short, a quarter of a pound of Spanish liquorice, and six pounds of coarse brown sugar, or the same in treacle, and the same in proportion for every cask, be careful to put in these ingredients when the wort and bops are boiling, and let them boil gently for two hours keeping the liquor well stirred from the sides and bottom the whole time, then strain the hops off and put it in the coolers, the same as for other beers. Put into some of the wort while warm half a pound of moist sugar, boil this in an iron pot till it becomes a thick black liquid, and then add before it is cold a pint of the warm porter, with a spoonful of salt of steel, and mix them well together, this is what the porter brewers call colour, and it is in quality between a bitter and sweet which gives to the liquor a fine mellow taste and colour so much admired in good porter; in six months it is fit for use, and will have a fine head, as no table beer is required from this eight bushels of malt eight pounds of hops will be sufficient.