Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-01
A HISTORIC BREWERY
A Former Michigan University Pro-
fessOr Descants on the
MUNICH COURTS FAMOUS BREW.
General Grants Admiration for the Beer
of Bavaria.
SOME FAR.FAMED GERMAN BEVERAGES
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH, (,

M UN1CH, November ZU.-When Genera
Grant on his famous tour round the world
arrived in Munich the American Consul il
obedience to instructions from the Depart
ment of State, received him at the station
accompanied him to the hotel, and placed
himself at the disposal of the ex-President
during his stay in the Bavarian capital. As
conscientious cicerone, the Consul first
proposed visit to the galleries of painting
and sculpture and the treasures of the Ma.
tional Museum, but the General declared
that he had been already sufficiently bored
by the works of the dead and living master:
and had, since landing, become tolerably
familiar with the contents of old curiosity
shops in England and on the Continent, and
would much prefer change of programme.
The Consul then suggested that if he wished
to confne his observations to things of a dis
tinctively local character, they would do
well to begin with the Court Brewery. A
two minutes walk brought them to this
Mecca Of all thirsty Munichers.
After having selected and rinsed their
mugs (the tapster would disdain to fill a
smaller,measure) they took their places in
a long file of equally ardent devotees of the
goddess Cerevisia, and in due time were
able to retire with their portion of the
brown foaming beverage to such seats as
they were fortunate enough to find vacant
The General lifted the stone mug to his lips,
and having drawn off about half its con-
tents at single draught, sat it down again
with the laconic remark, ''That's good"
Tradition is silent as to the number Of
hours they tarried over their beer, and no
injudicious chronicler has kept an exact
tale of the mugs they quafed, but it is on
record that when the Consul called at the
hotel the next day and inquired what the
General wished to do, the latter replied:
well, suppose We go to that place again"
What is here related of General Grant is
the common experience of tourists. Not long
since the correspondent of an Australian
newspaper visited Munich and devoted sew
eral letters to description of the city and
his impressions of the same. He was evil
IDENTIFY in bad mood and nothing pleased
him. The so-called Athens on the Iser
seemed to him to have been greatly over
rated as an art center and not to be entitled
to any consideration whatever as an en-
porium of trade He described the archi-
tectural creations of King Ludwig I. as
clumsy limitations bordering on caricatures
Of famous edifces and the public monu-
ments as poor efforts to iInmortalize provin-
clal celebrities, whose names were never
heard of outside of Bavaria.
A CHANGE OF HEART.
By a happy chance our Australian
finally drifted into the precincts of the
Court Brewery, which struck him at first
sight as a very nasty and disgusting place;
but no sooner had he taken a good swig of
the famous brewage than he turned to his
fair spouse and exclaimed with enthusiasm:
Sally, this stuff is genuine, in fact it is
about the only genuine thing that have as
yet found in Munich" From that moment
3 complete change came over the spirits of
the man. Raw winds, rainy weather, rude
sham architecture, weary pill
yrimages to worthless works of art, and the
like inamenities of the tourists life were all
forgotten in the intense enjoyment Of this
most exquisite OF conceivable extracts of
malt and hops.
Last summer an American professor visit
ed Munich for the first time. He arrived
with his family late in the afternoon, suffer-
ing from the fatigue of long railroad jour-
ney, and took furnished rooms for two
weeks. AS he sat down to the frugal sup
per which had been prepared in anticipation
Of his arrival and tasted the delicious beer
which his landlady had placed before him,
be turned to her and said: "I'l take the
rooms for month"
After another and still deeper draught he
to his wife that there was really
no reason why they should not stay six
weeks. AS matter of fact he remained in
Munich over two months, and it was not the
desire to extend his knowledge OF the fine
arts by diligent Reorganization of the gal
leries of painting and sculpture that kept
lim here.
Beer is the solace Of the Bavarian from
he cradle to the grave. The Munich infant
mas the sucking bottle filed with it instead
If milk, and the dying octogenarian passes
lway with its foam on his lips. The late
Archbishop of the diocese, DR.. Won Steichel,
asked his attendants in his last moments for
glass of beer, and after drinking it and ex-
pressing his thanks for it, turned his face to
he wall and gave up the ghost. He could
lot wish for a more refreshing and soul
Viaticum.
It is now 300 years since the establishment
,f the institution from which all these bless
ngs flow. Beer has been breved in Bavaria
rom time immemorial, and was, at least
Is early as the ninth century, an important
Ind quite indispensable article of consump-
ion. It is recorded that Hitto, Bishop of
Treising, received in 815 from Huvezzi, dea-
'on in Oberfoehring, the customary annual
ribute of one goat two hens. one goose, and
cartload of beer. According to all ac-
counts, Munich beer was even as late as the
ixteenth century rather poor stuff, and is
described as muddy, insipid and sour.
EINBEcK's FAMOUS BREW.
Duke Albrecht ", surnamed the Magnan-
nous, imported his beer fran Einbeck, in
Hanover, and his son Wilhelm v, the |
oious, followed the paternal example in this |
espect. In the Royal Archives at Munich |
here is still preserved an official document |
ssued by the Court Chamberlain OF Al |
'recht ", and dated March 2, 1868, author
zing Cornelius Gotwalt, of Erfurt, to pro-
ure 'two wagon loads of Einbeck beer,
uch as the Nurembergers were won't to
ring to His Grace" Usually it was sup
lied by Nuremberg merchants, who were
he great commission agents of that time,
nd purveyors to ruling families. Einbeck
eer was then famous throughout all Ger
many.
AS Luther was about to enter the hall in
7hich the Diet of Worms was held on jan
ary %, 1921, one of the common people
rho thropged the streets, offered him a glass
Einbeck beer, saying: "Drink that, it
NIL give you courage and strength" The
eformer uuaffed it and went forward with
enewed yigor to meet his assembled adj
ersaries. Perhaps, but for the refreshment
f that timely draught, he might have
roved faint-hearted and recanted, instead
t uEtering the grand historic words: "Here
stand. 1 cannot do otherwise. Gold help
lie. Amen"
The pious Duke Wilhelm ", of Bavaria,
'as an arch-foe of the Reformation, but an
rdent friend of Einbeck beer. The ex-
enses of Transportation were, however, very
reat, and the heavy bills of the, Nurem-
ergers never failed to cloud the otherwise
heerlul countenanee of his Dukeship, and