The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-08
JAPANESE BEER.
Another Industry Which May Hurt
Foreign Producers.

Foreign PrOduI SrS.
At a farewell banquet dinner in the
Seiyoken, Uyeno, held recently in honor
of Mr.. Uyeno Kintaro, brewer of the
Nihon Beer Co., who is being sent to
Germany for three years to study there
the art of making malt, Mr.. Umakoshi
Kyohei, Director of that Company,
made a speech which throws much
light on the future of the beer brewing
trade in Japan. The Japan Gazette
gives the gist of the speech:
The beer brewing trade in Japan has
made such rapid strides, that the inn
port of beer has now been entirely
stopped, and Japanese beer is exported
to Singapore, Bombay and other places.
The sale can be extended more and
more, but in spite of the excellent out
look the supply is quite insufficient to
meet the increasing demand. Our
''Ebisu Beer for instance, cannot meet
the large orders from customers both
at home and abroad, and it is a regret
able fact that we disappoint our pa
tronizers at this season when beer is
most wanted. Many regard beer brew
ing as an uncertain trade which does
not benefit the country in any way.
Such belief arises from the ignorance
of the trade. Besides supplying a ne
! cessary beverage, few trades have been
! so effective as beer brewing in check
! ing imports and expanding exports.
! Can such a trade be called beneftless
in these days of keen commercial COM
/ petition? At present, only four sorts
of beer including Ebisu, Kirin, Asahi
and Saporo, are brewed in the proper
way in this country. Adding to these
various other sorts of more or less
crude nature, the total output of beer
| is less than $4,000 ''koku'' per annum.
Comparing this with 100000 'koku'
of sake" it is only $50 in quantity
Estimated according to the quantity OF
alcohol contained in each of the two
beverages, beer, which contains only
Ais of the alcohol contained in sake,
cannot exceed 1900 of sake" in pro
duction. AS sake" which is only con.
sumed at home can be profitably brew
ed in so large a quantity, beer which
is consumed in all countries of the
world ought to find good sales if brew
ed ten or twenty times as much as a
present. The establishment of new
beer breweries being under cOntempla
ton in Tokyo and various other places
some allege that the existing brewerie:
will in the future suffer considerably
But there is really no ground for sucl
fears. One of two new breweries can
not in the least affect the profit of thu
older breweries, seeing the large de
mand for beer, and the trade is IA
from being uncertain. The profit o
the trade being so large and certain
even at present, when all the malt i
imported from distant countries, it i
not difficult for any one to see hoV
much more profit it will yield if gooC
malt can be made of Japanese barley
Our Company recently opened NAL
factory and tried Matchmaking with
Garland machine of the latest inven
ton, and also tried the cultivation o
German barley. 1t is owing to tn
result of our careful Investigations. af
ter having ascertained the results o
our trials. that we now send Mr. Uyen,
to Germany TO study the art of malt
making there. IF this be simply 70
Mr.. Uyeno's private study ] have no
much to say Bit the object of hi
study having an important bearing Of
the trade of the country, must reques
his special attention to the matter.