Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1894-09-19
MAKING LAGER BEER.
The Popular Idea is a Mistaken
One.
GREAT CLEANLINESS OBSERVED.
How Malt Is Prepared - Hurried From
Fiery Heat to Icy Cold in Minute
Tho Dark Cellar.
GREAT CLEANLINESS 0BSER


iron tank. Into this tank the raw bar
ley is thrown anu stepped in hot water
for twenty flour hours. 1t Is then spread
over the floor in heaps, and men are
kept turning it continually with wooden
shovels As soon as the germ develops,
and Just before the leaf is ready to
burst out, it is shoveled into an eleya-
tor, by which it is taken to the drying
room.
This is the drying room. You see
the floor is made of wire netting with
fine meshes just under this are fur-
naces. and in the center OF the square
ceiling arises a square tower through
which the steam and hot air escapes.
This is the square tower seen on every
brewery where they make their own
malt. It is necessary that the malt be
dried in order that it may not sour, as
it is only made during the winter sea-
son, and enough must be stored Tor
summer use. The process of mating
develops ferment III the barley, called
distaste, which has the power OF chang
ing starch into sugar. The dry malt
HIS u plcttStlO OdotS, anu J o's h'"
fill your pockets for future munchlng.
The next scene is hot furnace room,
containing several huge mash kettles.
These are of copper surrounded by
steam jackets through which steam is
introduced for heating. Here the brew
ing takes place. Malt is put into kettles
with pure hydrant water, and kept at a
80 for a fpNy
hours. Here the so-called adulteration
is introduced. In the process OF malt
ing, more distaste is developed than is
necessary for the conversion OF the
starch contained in the barley, and as
it will convert much additional starch,
raw starch, rice and raw cereals con-
tanning the substance are here mixed
with the malt. As all starch is the
same, and as it is all converted into the
same kind of sugar, there is no reason
why the use of these materials is not
perfectly right The popular idea that
poisonous compounds, canal WATER etc.,
are used is all mistake. Great clean
illness is observed throughout the whole
brewery, and on that score there is
nothing cleaner than beer. When the
brewing process has continued the
proper length Of time (Which must be
learned by long practice), the liquid is
turned into the tubs having double bot
toms. the upper of which is perforated
copper, and serves to strain all the malt
from the liquid, which now has a pleas
ant, sweet taste. After being strained,
it is pumped back into the mash kettle
and the hops are added Before it was
almost white, now the yellowish
tinge is impaired to it, along with the
bitter taste. The hops used come from
California, Washington and New Y DIRK,
in America, and Bavaria and Bohemia
in Europe. The European hops have a
much stronger flavor than the Ameri-
can ones.
Now this is the first cooling room.
The beer is brewed, but contains no al
cohol, that is, it is unfermented. A
large pan forty feet square and eight
inches deep, receives the strength fluid
from the tubs, where the hops are
strained out. 1t is pumped into this
pan at one end and passes out as rap
idly at the other the object being to
expose to large surface for evapora-
ton and lowering the temperature
slightly before the more rapid cooling
is given it.
Just below the pan in another room
are series of copper pipes placed hori
zontally one ON top of the other, some
what in the manner of huge steam
heater. Through the upper rows of
these pipes cold water is run, through
the lower ones freezing mixture of
brine. The beer is allowed to trickle
down the outside of these pipes, and by
the time it reaches the pan at the bot
tom has been lowered to 40 degrees
Fahrenheit.
1t is now ready for fermentation and
disappears into the cellar through a
copper pipe. Now we enter the ship
ping department Here are wagons
bringing in empty kegs and hauling off
full ones. An empty keg is partially
filed with water placed on machine
where it is rotated rapidly against
large brush, while stream of water is
kept playing over it. From here it is
taken to machine which rinses it al
ternately with hot and cold water A
lighted taper is then introduced, while
the interior is examined to see if any
pitching is needed. Thus tested, they
are ready for use again.
The furnaces make this room uncom-
fortably warm, but button up your
coat. for you will soon freeze. Yes,
this is miniature Iceland If Millions !
vivid description of hades is accurate,
the habit of temperance people of APP
plying that term to breweries is very
appropriate, for here one is hurried
from fiery heat to icy cold in minute.
The cellar is forty feet deep and dark
as coal mine. The feeble rays from
the candles glance over casks of beer
and pierce endless galleries, which re-
mind one of the old dungeons of the
Middle Ages. Under two whole blocks
this subterranean storehouse extends.
L. L