The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-30
BIG SHORTAGE OF BEER.
THE BREwRRIEs REFUSING OR
DERs FOR NEW TRADE.

1rcreased Demand, insufficient Coop
eraee and Scarcity of Ice Combine TO
ceuse the Trouble - Hundreds OF
Western Towns Without Beer.
From the 81. Louis Republic.
Thu recent ''original package" decision OF
A., s,,nreue court has not been any sub
s+o,+ial benefit to the thirsty inhabitants OF
A., country towns of Iowa and Kansas.
IT,, have not been able to get the original
oi.a,a The brewers Of this city,
Frs;oa-o and Milwaukee could not furnish
:. Each of the brewers is refusing every
- fIl a large number of orders from
Now customers. Many or these orders are
e., tna two states that allow the flaming
havarsge to be handed about only in the
..original PACKAGE but majority are
- +ha small towns In states where beer is
bouobt and sold without regard to whether
the Dackage is broken or not. Ihere Is
shortage of beer in the country. 1t Is not
a slight shortage either. Hundreds OF
country towns in the west are unable TO get
a single keg.
Two causes led to this dehclency IN tne
beer supply. 1t has been an unusual season.
viewed from the demand upon tne orewers;
Hot weather increases the consumption OF
baa- ona-tbird to one-half. The not spell
bos baen prolonged and the consumption OF
haar has therefore, been very large
larger. perhaps, than any previous year IN
Sha history of the brewery business in the
,vesr But the increase in consumption was
only one cause of the shortage IN supply.
Scores of the little country hrewerles nave
been closed They were unable TO get Ice
could afford To hIV
and rup their breweries. AS soon as IL was
discovered last winter that the ice crop
would be- short there was rush for re-
frigerating machines. There are seven or
eipht large factories In the country
manufacturing these machines, but
thew could not supply the de-
mand. The Observation-Disclosures Brewery
Company got their order in as early as the
LIST of February for one machine, and it is
heine put in now. Many of the orders could
no. be filed this season. and at the present
price of ice the manufacture of beer by
small country breweries is not profitable.
The country brewery supplies the town In
which il is operated, and few neighboring
towns and villages. But all its customers
are nov sending orders to the large brew
cries in St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee.
Only a few of these have been filled. The
breweries say they have enough beer on
hand to fill all orders if they had the bar
rels. But none of them are prepared for
tnat character of trade. 1t takes weeks TO
get the barrels back from some of the cOun-
try towns, and as a result the brewers
would be unable to supply their old custom
ers if they sent their barrels out to these
towns.
I'VE have refused to fill all orders from
strangers said Mr.. f w. Nolker last even
ing, because Of q lack Of cooperage. We
would have to disappont our Old patrons if
we took the new trade, and we will not do
that In fact, all the breweries in the city
are refusing new buslneSs-lots of 1t. But
there is no shortage of beer. We have a
large quantity of beer five months old, and
all tine breweries in the association have an
abundant supply, IL they could get the
c3operage Anheuser-Busch are refusing
new business 1 understand, but they have a
storage Of 1904 900 barrels or more to draw
on. In short, they are in the same condi-
tion rs the other breweries. They have the
stock but not enough barrels.
"Ihe demand from the towns in Kansas
and Iowa has been considerable, but the
principal cause Of the present situation in
our business Is the increase of consumption
caused by the hot weather and the closing
of the country breweries because Of scar
city of ice, The coOpers have been turning
out all the barrels they can, but what they
have manufactured this season has, of
course, made no appreciate increase in the
brewers stock of barrels"
NV hat effect will the closing have upon
the country breweriesp
We'll when ice is plentiful again they
may resume work, but many of the smaller
concerns could not afford to put in refriger-
ating machines if they could get them. The
smallest machine costs about $50, 900, which
is too large n SUN for a small country
brewery These machines seem almost
essential now, however, in our business
They are however, cheaper, when once in,
than ice, and the barrels can be kept dry
with them, while, if ice is used, the barrels
are constantly soaked. The cooperage will
last probably three times as long where
These refrigerating machines are used.
These items may have the effect of stopping
permanently some of the small breweries
throughout the country"