The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-06-30
LAGER BEER.
The Manufacture of the Beverage-Its
Chemical COnstituents-Its Effects,

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The Manufacture of the Beverage-Its
Chemical Constituents-Its Effects.
There is a capital of SlO000O,O 600 in
vested in the manufacture of lager
beer in this country. Lager beer, as
it lis manufactured by the German
brewers, is fermented beverage, and
consists of the extracts of malt (bar-
ley germinated by a watering process,
and then dried in kim and hops and
water, in which both of the first
named Ingredients are boiled. 1t de-
riYes its name from the custom in
Germany of brewing it only in win
ter and storing it away, or laying back
that part of it which is destined to be
consumed during the summer months,
in large, cool yaalts Or cellars, the
German name lager having the def
milton of ".stoek," " "store,p and
"stand." There are three kinds of
beverage, viz: winter beer, which is
brewed and consumed during the win.
ter, the lager beer proper, and book.
beer, which contains more malt ex-
tract than lager beer, and is therefore
the strongest of the three The chem
ical constituents of lager beer, are ae-
cording to Prof. Justus Won, Leibig,
the renowned German chemist, as fol-
lows: Alcohol ftom 2 g. to 5 per
cent; solid substances, as starch gum,
sugar and vegetable. albumen, from 4.
to Sper cent; carbonic acid from O15
to y Ii per cent, ); water from SS 5 to
92 per cent. The proportion of alco-
hol contained in it is small, as ap-,
pears from the analysis, aud i'll this
respect it widely differs from distilled
liquors. Lager beer is a spirituousi
beverage, and is intoxicating if taken
in excessive quantities. According to
'Leibig's doctrine it produces in the
human body nothing but fat. Notes
chott, the well known German natu-
ralist,, says that, good. lager beer, is
just as nutritious as fruits are. The
hop bitter contained in lager beer, ae-
cording. to some authorities, imparts
to it tonic properties, which makes it
in inyigorating beverage. Lager beer
these authorities assert, favors the
process of digestion by increasing the
quantity of digestive secretions in
the stomach, and strengthens the mus
cular activity, when relaxed by! sick
ness or long assertion. Good lager
beer is considered by prominent Ger
niphysielogistss quite as healthful
to the human body as tea and coffee.
On the, other hop bitter has somno-
lent effect. 1t prevents the beverage
from getting sour. Lager beer seems
to be almost altogether German in
vention, and even in this country its
is almost exclusively in |
the hands of Germans. Large guam
titles of it are, ,brewed every winter
and even to some extent during the
summer, in some places where there
lsta large German population-for in
stance, in this city, in Newark, New
Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Gin
cinnah, st. Louis, Chicago, and Mil
waukee, Wisconsin, is considered the |
best. and cheapest. of this country. 1t I
is the opinion of experienced brewers
that the quality and taste of lager
beer depend to some degree upon the
water used for it. The sensible Ger
man of the old country as well as of
this, like those of all other nations,
consider fresh water the best and
healthiest of all drinks. If they feel
inclined to take something stronger,
when exhausted by hard work or as
matter of social custom, they prefer
wine to lagerbeer. But the wine is
more expensive. AS rule, however,
they prefer fermented lager beer to
whisky and other distilled liquors.