Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-05-27
THE BREWING TRADE.
History of Bcer--Enormous Proper
lions of the Trade.

| Durlng inc laSu HcncTal elcctlOH tHe
liquor trade received considerable at
tention from newspaper men and poll
| ticians, and since then the feverish
activity of revivalists and temperance
people has kept it constantly before the
public. The brewers in particular
have attracted great deal of notice,
and the clippings from the New York
papers alone for the last twelve months
would make a good-sized volume, but
it would read more like fairy tales than
facts to those who understand the sub
ject. The official trade journals wrig-
gle themselves in a perspiration in
every issue over the wicked stories of
the temperance cranks and the callous-
ness of the public. The brewers GER
tainly are very often misrepresented,
and of their general character and
business methods most people are en-
tirely ignorant.
The history of beer in this country is
very interesting. The pioneers in the
business were William Penn and Jaco-
bus. Jacobus built his brewery in 1914,
on what is now the corner of Pearl
street and Old slip, where he also
established a beer garden. He after
ward became the first burgomaster, and
his beer and justice gave equal satisfac-
ton to the citizens of New Amsterdam.
Penn's brewery was at Pennsburg,
Bucks county, Pa, where the excellence
of his brew was considered by no means
the least of his virtues. A hundred
years that doughty soldier Gen. Israel
Putnam was running brewery and
tavern at Brooklyn, Conn.
The manufacture of lager beer in
America only dates back about forty
years, but it has gone ahead and spread
itself like the mustard seed in the para
bic. There are now about 2, 200 brew
ers in this country, and they sold last
year over 100000 barrels of malt
liquors. OF this New York and Brook
Ign alone contributed near quarter.
The next largest producers are Milwau-
kee, st. Louis, Cincinnati, Chicago,
Boston, and Newark, in the order
named. An estimate of the capital in
vested in the trade would probably
reach at least $3.50, 900. Ninety
| five per cent. of the brewers are Ger
mans, and more enterprsing and
public spirited class of men it would be
very hard to find.
The twcnty-fifth annual convention
of the United States Brewing associa-
| ton, which was held in this city last
year, served to remind New Workers
what a powerful body of men the brew
crs are. Their influence in politics is
necessarily very great, and they know
| how to turn it to the best account Be-
sides this association there are
some twenty subsidiary organizations
throughout the country, of which the
United States Brewers and Masters
, association is the best known, the cleo
ton of Mr.. Cook, Rochester brewer,
as secretary of state of New York hay
ing been largely the result of its efforts.
The Association of the United Lager
Beer Brewers of New York city and
vicinity confines itself strictly to trade
affairs, such as regulating the credit
system with saloon-keepers. The sa-
| loOn-kccpers, rs n rule, are men OF
small capital, but as their business is
for spot cash, they ought to be able to
pay their bills every week. Under the
, rules of this association brewer must
be satisfied that new customer has
paid his debts to other brewers before
supplying him with beer. Before this
rule was made 500 was the maximum
credit brewer could safely give,
whereas now he can give credit to -four
times that amount with comparatively
little risk. Unfortunately the associa-
ton has not been able to regulate
prices, and competition is so intensely
keen that the market is practically de.
mOralizcd. In the early history of this
industry well-cstablished brewer con
sidered his name as his principal stock
in trade, but the business nowadays is
entirely in the hands of collectors, tC
whose caprice the brewers must submit.
The trouble is that the great number Of
new brcweries which. have sprung up
in and around New York during the
last few years, and the extensive growth
of the old establishments, have not beer
met by sufficient increase in the con
sumption of beer. The expectation o.
a large increase in the demand have
been considerably checked by tn,
general depression in trade, ant
there are probably few local brew
cries working up to anything lik'
their full capacity. Consequently
the brewers have to tax all their re
sources to retain their trade, and the,
offer so many inducements that thei
margin for profit is reduced to yer,
narrow limits. The regular price o
lager beer is SO barrel, but the major
ity of the brewers have adopted slid
ing scale of discounts, varying from
to % per cent, making the price equa
to Sc barrel. Besides this they hav
got into the way of giving their Gus
toners ice.boXes to keep their beer in
putting in plate glass windows, fittin!
up their bars, etc, and the man VIII
makes the most presents gets the trade
The percentage of profit in the bushes
is much less than is generally suppose
at the best of times, and these and othe
items cot into brewers earnings en-
ormously. The retailers are the me
who make the big money. They bu
their beer for Sc barrel and squeez
; five hundred glasses out of it, which 6
5 cents glass amounts to S25.
| The only wonder is that this compc
tition among the brewers has not bee
, at the expense of the quality of the
beer, which is better to-day than it eve
was.
: An attempt was recently made /
1 some of the larger brewers of New Yor