The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-05-18
WHERE GOOD BEER is MADE.
A visit to Portner's Big Brewing Estab-
Iishment i'm Alexandria.

being exchanged among perspiring citizens to
'come and have beer" A SUNDAY HERALD
reporter accepted one of these invitations, then
another, and found the amber fluid so cooling |
and refreshing to his parched palate that he |
asked who made the delicious beverage "The |
Robert Portner Brewing Company, Alexandria" |
said the white-aproned man behind the bar.
'What ~ said the enthusiastic reporter; "they |
make such delicious beer as this so near Wash
ington! How do they do t?'
"Go down to Alexandria and see," said the
barkeeper.
The reporter decided on the spot to do it, and
to give the benefit of his experiences to the read
ing public. Accordingly passage for one was
contracted for fleet steamer plying between
the city and Alexandria, and the curious one
soon stood without the portals of the magnifi-
cent big brewery of the r. Portner Brewing Com
pany, which is located in the typical Southern
city down the Potomac. train of cars stood
within few feet of the great buildings, and
from these cars throng of busy colored men
were engaged in removing an endless quantity
of malt in huge cloth Sacks which were rapidly
pened and their contents poured into greedy
receptacle, gaping hungriy from the brewery's
side. Anapplication to the foreman to be shown
through the big establishment was readily
granted by that obliging official. First was en-
plants of machinery were humming and whirl-
ing. They were the ice-making machines, with
a capacity of one hundred and fifty tons of ice
per day. One has drve-wheel fifteen feet in
diameter that weighs two tons. Large pipes run
from the machinery to the floors above, where
beer is stored, and these pipes are covered with
white substance. The reporter inquired what
it was.
sPut your hand upon it, replied the fore
man, smiling.
Cautiously the reporter did so.
"Why, it's cold ~ he exclaimed, for he had
expected the reverse, the room was so warm
with the heat from the steaming mash-tubs in
the next room.
"Now remove some of the white matter and
taste it, said the foreman.
Again the reporter obeyed.
'Why, it's snow!'
"Yes, snow. Winter and summer you will
find the pipes covered with snow Now come
with me and we will look at the mash-tubs."
In another room two immense 'tubs,' about
the size of an ordinary room, are placed, and it
is in these that the first steps toward the concoc
ton of beer are taken. In them the barley, or
malt, is placed and water poured upon it, The
machinery within beats and whrls the mash
about at rapid rate, while the fluid drops
through tiny apertures in the first or false bot
tom of the tub down to the second or actual,
thus leaving the solid in the upper portion.
This fluid is forced up to the floor above into
tremendous copper kettle, where the malt and
hops are boiled together preparatory to fermen-
tation. The reporter was next led to the base
ment of the main building, where are the watts
containing the beer. Here were found room af-
ter room filled with these great tuns that hold
sixty barrels each. The temperature in these
rooms is kept at two degrees above freezing
point by many snow-encrusted pipes. Then
floor
porter's attention was called to some gigantic
round wooden structures that had the appear
ance of shot towers.
"What are these % he asked
''Those," replied the foreman, "are storage
vats, and each will hold 800 barrels of beer"
These, as well as the other vats containing
beer for immediate disposal, were placed in
cold storage, the temperature being a trte
lower than of that of the others. AS they en-
tered the Mushroom again the eye OF the re-
porter caught sight of many copper pipes placed
high in the rooms and also upon the roof OF the
main building, and in answer to his query he
was informed that through them passed the
beer in its process fermenting. Ammonia was
might occur occur from the high combustibility of
this substance cold water is kept constantly
running upon the outside of the metal.
"Now," said the foreman, ''let us see how
the beer is prepared for the market"
So the main building was left for smaller
one standing opposite, and to the right as you
enter train of cars, all bearing the name of the
Robert POrtDer Brewing company, were StanQ-
ing upon the tracks in the space between the
buildings. Here in hall groups of men
were busily bringing and removing heavy kegs
from the size of an eighth keg to a barrel Two
or three men stood with heavy mallets driving
round pieces of wood, intended to receive the
purchasers fawcet, in the sides of the kegs.
AS fast as finished the kegs were sent spinning
across to others, who placed them under spigots
from whence beer was obtained. The Kegs
when filled were rolled down incline to
where two men stood to receive and place
them aboard the cars. Above the shipping de-
partment was the ice-depositing room. Here
the floor was covered with oblong pieces of
wood about eight by twelve inches in size.
Beneath these pieces were long zinc vessels con-
tanning ice. Two perspiring negroes were busy
with block and tackle in hauling the cans of ice
up from the floor. movable beam running
the length of the room and working on wheels
assisted in the manipulation of the metal cans.
AS fast as one was taken upit was plunged into
hot-water bath to loosen the ice within, filled
with fresh water, and returned to its bed
beneath the floor, where the freezing apparatus
CONCEALED the water into another cake of ice.
The cakes removed were slid along an iron
track into the ice-house to be taken and placed
on the cars for the preservation of the beer.
Then the bottllng establishment was visited.
Here pile after pile of yarious-colored bottles
We're being cleansed, SO that drinkers OF beer
might be sure their beverage would be sweet
and pure. A large barrel of beer hung in one
portion of the room, and from this long tube
issued, having terminus pecular-looking
machine, from which projected several copper
hollow pieces in a row. through which the beer
flowed. The bottles were placed over them