Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-05-30
An ESsNv on Reer.

An Essay on Beer.
The great German analytical chemist,
Baron Licbig, entertains a high opin-
ion Of America, but poor opinion of
beer. In u conversation with Il corre-
spondent of the New York Tribune he
is reported to have said: ''It is Il pc
culiarity of Americans that they make
everything better than We 1.-THE Ger
mans) 40. I am c, .nvinced that Amcri-
can beer will in time be better than the
German. With us everything remains
as it was. The worst beer-brewcrs arc
in Bavaria, though it was earlier tho
best. And why2 Look into our brew
cry system. The brewers are only ig-
norant people, who brew good beer
from routine alone. They are in
capable of helping themselves. But
rs soon as the Americans adopt any.
thing from us they improve upon it,
and We get it back again as al Amer
lean discovery. Look Mt the sewing
machine. 1t was begun i'll Germany,
but it was first perfected in America.
Everything is improved with You. Look
ut our German engineers; they are diff
ferent men when they como to Amer
ica." The testimony thus borne by
the learned philosopher to the faculty
for improving upon everything, which
distinguishes our nation, is supported
by the fact Of the great demand Tor
American implements Of every kind
from all parts of Europe.
That the American brewers produce
such good beer as to supersede the de-
sire for importing it is further evidence
of the truth of the Baron's remarks. He
thinks, however, that, as an article of
food, beer takes very inferior rank {;
as stimulant it Is better than brandy,
but rs a nutr,ment it is no better than
potatoes. "Man, says Liebig, "must
have stimulant OF some sort, and
brandyis great evil. We find that
the consumption of beer is making
Roadway even in the wine districts, for
instance III Stuttgart, and in no city is
there such an amount of meat con
sumed as in Munich, where the greatest
quantity of beer is also consumed. Be-
fore every beer cellar in Munich
you will fluid cheese stand.
Why2 Because in cheese You will
find that albumen which is lacking
in beer. Therefore You see that beel
and cheese 60 together like law OF
nature. But as an article of nourish.
ment beer is very subordinate.
Schnapps is a great misfortune, and
destroys the working power" With
this last remark, everybody excep,
those WHO are addicted to drinking It
will agree; but it may be questioned
whether the same number of person.
will agree in condemning beer. Thu
consumption of it in this country il
enormous. A Cincinnati paper assert:
that nearly $1,000, 900 are spent annu
ally in that city on beer. And some o.
the great lager beer brewers of Phila
delphia turn out over half million Of
barrels of beer.
Thirty years ago brewing was com.
paratively in it's infancy in this country,
but about 1910 it began to assume an
Importance which has steadily in.
creased, and the use of the liquid has
spread from one end of the continent
to the other. This fact, however, is
mainly due to the large number CT Ger.
man emigrants who wiU have thei,
lager wherever they go, and carry thei,
worship of Gambrinus to as great an
extent as mortals can we'll do. Strange
inconsistency, for according to the L.
gend of that famous king, lager bee,
was the invention of Satan. Thus il
happened-Gambrinus was a fiddler,
who lived in the time of Charlemanee
"a. D: 500. Having been Tilted by his
sweetheart, he went into a wood tc
hang himself. As he was sitting on Q
bough, with the rope about his neck
preparatory to making the final plunge
suddenly q tall man in a green Goa
appeared before him, and offered
to make him as rich as Ii.
pleased, and to cause his sweet
heart to burst with vexation ut her foil,
in rejecting him, provided he woult
give up his soul to Beelzebub, at tn,
end of thirty years. Gambrlnus struc1
the bargain, and, aided by Satan, h
invented Ginning bells and lager beer
As soon as the Emperor Charlemagn
had drunk a gallon or two of the beer
he was SO pleased that he made Gam
brinus Duke of Brabant and Count o
Flanders, and thus give him the salts
faction of being able to laugh at hi
old sweetheart. When the thirty year
expired, Beelzebub sent one of hi
imps with orders to bring Gambrinu
back before midnight, but that ioll,
hero made the imp so drunk with tn
beer that he was unable to do as he ha,
been commanded; so, as is usual in al
such legends, the devil was cheated il
his bargain, and Gambrinus lived lon,
enough to drink SO much beer that b
turned into q beer barrel.