Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-03-29
BOOK BEER DAY
CELEBRATED YESTERDAY, AND AGAIN To-
MORROW.
Something Of the Origin and Observance Of th'
Custom-The Excellence Of Wheeling
Beer.

Drinking In the nlLeu oldISS - Inc thS
population. cosmopolitan in Its character.
All tastes and all preferences can be graft
fed in the matter of beverages and stlmu,
lants at any well-regulated bar. Plain ana
mixed drinks put up by the expert COM
pounder of eye-Openers and nlght-caps are
TO be had on demand by those whose tastes
require being catered 10, but there IS one
drink that in the rapidity of its growth in
popular form is rapidly supplantng many
that have hithertofOre stood in favor. In
fact. the increase in the sale of beer within
the past few years have been little short OF
marvellous. 1t has worked its way into the
favor of the representatives OF all nation
alities and has become essentially
an American beverage. The Ger
mans. over whom King Gambrinus
first obtained a mild and genial sway, are
not more lOyal in their devotion TO their ma
tional beverage than are the native Amerl-
cans themselves. Even John Chinaman-
he Of the slanting optics and OF the ways
that are dark and the tricks that are vain"
is fast learning TO guam the foamlng
lager "allee same mclean man" The pop
ularity of beer is owing TO the fact That the
brewers have Wed with each other in their
efforts to produce not only good beer, but
the best beer, while the production OF very
bad whisky has been the rule rather than the
exception. Summer is the beer-drinK1ng
season, OF which Book beer day is supposed
to be the opening day. On this day, which
used 10 be celebrated about the middle OF
April or the first of May, but which, of
late wears, has come earlier in the season
through the competition OF manufacturers
the brewers send out their "bOck, nut
brown beverage brewed without an extra
allowance of malt in December or before,
! III. i ~ tho Re until the
arrival Of the season. always period OF
short duration. This season was opened
yesterday in Wheeling in due and ancient
form by the placing of Schmuloach beer
on tap, and tomorrow the book Of the Key
mann Company will be available in the
city and vicinity The Wheeling beer is
widely known as being of exceptional
quality, and connisseurs say it is fully the
equal Of any book brewed in this country
something confirmed by the ever increas-
ing demand.
The story of the origin of Book Beer day
has been told so often that il can but be
familiar to the general reader. In the
fatherland, where the worship OF King
Gambrinus had its origin, the Bavarian
brewers brewed their beverage in winter
for their refreshment during the sultry
DAYS Of summer. This was necessary, be
cause the use Of ice, now essential TO the
brewing business, was unknown, and the
brewing had to be done when the weather
was cool, in order that the beer might be
properly refined. Now the breweries can
work the year round, the product being
kept at proper temperature by means OF
ice-natural or manufactured-in cooling
cellars. When, in those olden days, the
winters product was ready for the sum
mer's drinking, a festival of rejoicing en-
sued and the day selected for its celebra-
tion has come down TO the later times as
Book Beer day.
Beer drinking, unlike the imbibing of al
cohOlic fluids, is not confined to the saloons.
A large percentage of il is done in the
homes and families of all classes. The rich
buy it bottled by the case; the working
classes rush the grOwler," and in the cool
OF the evening refresh themselves with the
foaming beverage, deriving thereby max
imum of such pleasure as it affords at
minimum of cost. The Germans are the
only people however, who thoroughly I'M
derstand the drinking of beer With them
il is a truly social custom, and they derive
more real enjoyment from a glass of beer
leisurely put where it will do them the
most good than do Americans, who rush up
to bar and gulp down glass at break.
But it may be said that as people we are
gradually falling into the German method
Of drinking, and are thus advancing not
little toward temperance, since so reckless
and ill-adviSed drinking is due much OF the
evil against which the Prohibitionists have
been carrying on their crusade.