The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-11-11
WHAT TO DRINK
The Liquids Ihat We should Use at
the Table

the Table
As / understand the purpose of
your paper, it is designed TO promote
not only gastatory pleasure, but
health. Ii it not, therefore, import
ant to give your readers the best adj
vice you can upon what 10 drink,
as well as what to eat? Many per
sons are in the habit of using mild
stimulants in moderation with their
meals. This is especially true of
European extraction or education.
Experience has confirmed them in
the belief that they are benefited by
the habit But, as things are now,
what shall they drink? l do not
speak of spirituous liquors. for l am
opposed TO their use, except medic
inally and under certain conditions.
But to what mildly stimulant drink
suitable to the table, should we re-
sort? Pure wine? Every body knows
that there is very little pure wine
obtainable, except at such prices as
comparatively few can afford. Malt
liquors? Well, that no doubt de-
pends upon whether they are pure
or not, and frequent publications in
the press compel very serious ques-
tions of the purity and healthfulness
of our malt liquors, particularly of
the one in commonest use-beer.
What do you advise?
Pure wine would be best, and
there is now great deal of wine
produced in this country that is
honestly made and healthful, though
perhaps deficient in delicacy of fla
yor. Unfortunately. however, we
are not yet wine-drinking people.
American wine producers are not
satisfied with such profits as are suf-
ficient for other agriculturists, and
the margin of profit demanded by
dealers is larger than should be i'm
posed upon any article of food
consequently, the prices at which
our American wines are retailed are
even higher than those demanded
for imported fraudulent wines, and
are bigh enough to put them out of
common table use. Let US, there
fore, for the present, at least, leave
wine out OF the question.
As for malt liquors Excellent ale,
pure and healthful, is imported from
England and Scotland, and some
very good beer from continental
Europe. OF American ale, some is
good, and much--especially of the
brands that have built up saloon
reputation-is bad. American beer,
particularly that made in and near
New York, must be viewed with
grave suspicion. The business Of
manufacturing 1t here has grown in
g short time to vast proportions,
and. tempting many to engage in 1t
by the excessive profits it affords,
has engendered the keenest rivalry.
Unfortunately, that rivalry has led,
not to the perfection OF the product,
but to the cheapening of production
by employment of rice, glucose, corn
and other substitutes for good bar
ley malt the use of various drugs
to take the place of hops, or to give
supposedly desirable effects of fla
vor, color and readiness, or to COM
pei the thirst of the drinker, and
the evil abbreviation of the time nee
essary for honest brewing.
The latter wickedness is perhaps
the worst, as it is the one most gem
orally practiced Four months at
least should elapse after beer is
brewed before it is drunk. to give
time for the proper fermentation and
clearing from the baleful yeast
germs 9nd impure matter that in
its earlier processes it necessarily
But in our local beer fer
mentation is artiicially stopped and
the stuff is yended when it is no
more than from fourteen days to two
months old: At best, very new beer
is blended with that slightly older.
Brewers claim that 80 per cent of
properly fermented beer six months
old. and 30 per cent of two months
old, and but half fermented, gives
100 per cent of beer four months
old, which is on par with the af-
firmation that one fresh egg and one
rotten egg mixed, gives two good
eggs The universal practice Of add
ing half a pound OF bicarbonate OF
sodo to each barrel Of beer, Is a very
bad one for the drinkers.
We get some fairly good beer from
Cincinnati and other
Western cities, and in Philadelphia
there is one notably good beer made
by an honest and eccentric old Ger
man, but good beer made in or near
New York, even by brewers who in
times past have most loudly claim
ed honesty for their product. can
only be hoped for as thing of the
future. when it shall be necessary
to keep intelligent people from dis
carding beer altogether.