The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-02-16
WHEELING BEER TRADE.
NEARLY OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
OF she Beyerage Manufactured An
nualIy-How Ii Is Made. OF
What IL Is Made, and
How II Is Taxed.

peer ana II nhs peen ptaSou, Spa h"S
and trothing, into your hand, have you
ever had sufficient curiosity to ask how
it is made and how much of it is con-
sumedH As we think that you
have never made this inquiry, we pro-
pose to tell you how it is done.
The chief ingredient of beer Is malt
and malt Is made of barley, so that grain
figures largely in the process. The bar
ley which Is used in the Wheeling
breweries mainly comes from Minnesota
and from Washington county, Pc, but
small quantity also is bought from farm
ers in the immediate neighborhood. The
grain from Minnesota and from Penn
sylvanis is used in equal proportions.
The former contains more sugar, but the
latter has a thicker and larger covering
which keeps the grain well separated when
dsmpened and allows 1t to dry, sooner.
During the past year Reymann's brewery
used 80 600 and the Nail City Company
10000 bushels OF barley, two bushels and
half of which are required for barrel
of beer. The barley Is placed in large
tubs, where it sosks IN water from one to
three DAYS, according to the temperature
of the water. 1t is then taken into q
large dsrkened growing room" where
it is spread on stone floor IN layer
about six inches deep. Everything about
the room is as clean rs any New England
a L. hn IN
grain wear rubber boots which are
kept for that especial purpose. The tenn
perature is from 50 10 80 degrees, and
the grain remains here from five TO ten
DAYS, according to the weather. While
the barley is here it sprouts and throws
out little delicate roots, which causes the
room to be called the growing ROOM"
An iron elevator carries the damp grain
into the drying kllns with closely woven
wire floors, with furnace under them,
which furnishes the required heat. The
temperature here is about ninety de-
grees, and the barley is spresd out IN
shallow layer on the floor. A
patent stirring machiEe (Which is
small cylinder with projecting
"fngers" or bars, turns slowly over and
over and stirs the grain evenly and
thoroughly. When it is sufficiently dry
it Is stored away in bins for future use
and is then called "malt." The NAL. Is
taken to crushing machine where 1t
passes between rollers AMI is mashed up.
The finest OF clean, snow white rice Is
ground into -four and is mixed with
the crushed malt in q proportion OF one
fifth. The rice is used on account OF the
carbonic acid gas which 1t con-
tains. The mixture then goes into
hopper and passes into the "mash tub"
on the floor below. As the malt is
poured into the tub, stream OF cold
water enters, and they are thoroughly
mixed. Hot water is then introduced
into the tub until temperature is pro-
duced sufficient to convert the sugar In
the malt into starch. The hot liquid is
then strained through q false bottom.ot
the tub, and runs into q receiver. From
this, it is pumped into enormous kettles,
where il is boiled from three TO four
hours. When i. first comes into the
kettle the hops are put In;
from pound and halt
to two pounds of hops TO thirty-one gal
Ions of beer The liquid then is allowed
to run back into the mash tub for the
purpose ofstralning of the hop leaves,
and from the receiver the beer is forced
through pipes in An iron cooler IN the
top floor OF the building. The cooler is
an immense iron pan fourteen inches
deep, and the beer remains in it for two
hours 20 settle. 1t next passes through
series OF copper tubes resembling 81
most exactly the arrangement OF hori-
zontal pipes used tor heating
rooms, with strainers. A temperature
of 40 degrees is maintained in these tubes
and the beer Is entirely cooled IN them,
and runs through tubes INTO tuDs or large
tubs holding 65 gallons in the fermentlng
cellar, where the thermometer stands at
40 degrees, and where the beer Is kept
two or three weeks until 1t is entirely
over fermentlng. The "store cellar,
great caves in the solid rock, containing
immense tuns, then receives the beer and
retains it for from two and q half TO
three months in the same casks. Then 1t
is pumped into clean, fresh casks so
that al settings will be lett out
and IN case i. is not already
settled, beech shavings, which have been
steamed, are thrown in to quicken tho
settling. From the store room the beer
goes into kegs and is ready for market.
The principal points at which Wheel
ing beer is sold outside OF this city, are
the adjacent towns of Steubenvillc, Bel
lsirc, Cambridge, Washington, &c. The
product last year of ReYmann's brewery
was 1855 barrels, which gave
to the Government revenue |
OF Sl2,S85. The Nail City Brewery's |
product was 5000 barrels, the revenue
on which was $4,000. The manufacture
of the first named brewery WAS worth |
Sl03, $50, and the latter S6S,00O. Ac.
cording to this the total product was
20,sS5 barrels, valued at Sl7l,CSO,
and giving the government So
$50 revenue. The 20,SS5 barrels
would contain calculating three
glasses to the quartz 1879 220 glasses of
beer, which, it retaied at fvs cents per
glass, would amount to 1898 16l. BY
this 1t will be seen that our beer trade is
in hourishing condition, and if the
American people would drink more beer
and less whisky they would do well.