The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-24
BREWING INDUSTRY 1897,
Comparative Production OF beer and
Ale in the Several states.

TWO interesting supplements are pub
lished with the February number of the
Brewers Journal; the first, a broad
side. showing the sales of malt liquors
in the United States for the year 1897
and the ten preceding years, and show
ing also the sales in the principal cities
for the same eleven years: the second,
an official directory of brewers and
maltsters in the United States and
Canada.
From the broadside, as condensed in
the Sun, it appears that during the
revenue year ending June 3O 1897, the
sales of beer and ale amounted to a.
423,094 barrels, a decrease, inspite of
this great amount, of 1,402, 1893 barrels
from the sales in the revenue year 1896.
New York stands at the head of the
states as a brewing state. During 1897,
from her breweries 9.49O,132 barrels of
ale and beer were Sold a decrease of
551,217 barrels from the output of 1896.
Pennsylvania stood second with an
output of 3,902, ,2S0 barrels; Illinois. with
3,244,S S96 barrels, came third. Wiscon-
sin, which has the largest single brew
cry, stands fourth with 2662, ,019 bar
rels; and then come Ohio. with 2,631,-
669: Missouri, with 2,246,4 Az; New Jer-
sey, with 2,OO1 ,029, and Massachusetts,
with 1,670,556 barrels.
study of the figures for eleven
years shows some rather interesting
changes in the outputs of the various
states. In 1887 seven states sold more
than 100000 barrels of malt liquors
each; New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and New
Jersey. Massachusetts Joined the list in
l.. l.
until 1890 when the last conner dropped
out, to come back to stay in 1892 In
1898 the order was changed to this:
New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois. Wis
consin, Missouri, New Jersey, Massa-
chusetts, and so it has remained, ex-
cept in 1896 when Ohio and Wisconsin
changed places, but only for that year.
Alaska, which brewed Ala barrels in
1887, brewed 2,221 in 1897: Arizona
brews only one-eighth as much now as
she did in 1887; Florida took up brew
ing for the first time last year and
produced 2,4S0 barrels. None of the
large brewing states increased it's out
put last year except Massachusetts,
which brewed 10000 barrels more than
in 1896; the others decreased their pro-
duction by from $50, 900 barrels in Penn
In the twenty-five cities whose beer
thirst is tabulated. only Boston and
New Orleans drank more beer in 1897
than in 1896; the thirst of the other
twenty was satisfied with from $500
fewer barrels to 2SO.O0O fewer-the larg-
est decrease being in this city, the
smallest in San Francisco. In spite
Of these losses the beer thirst of the
cities remains very constant or grows
as the population grows. For instance,
in 1887 Albany drank 376,0OO barrels of
beer; in 1897, S22S73 barrels: Detroit.
252,S31 in 1887 and 3S4,90l in 1897; Mil
waukec disposed Of 1.21S,OOO barrels
eleven years ago and 100000 last year:
New York put away" 4,003000 in 1887
and 4,639, 600 in 1897.
1t may be noted here that the sales
Of malt liquors in Great Britain and
Ireland amounted to 47,472, ,4G5 Ameri-
can barrels a decrease of $3.50 bar
rels These two countries still surpass
US in brewing.
The second supplement, the Brewers
Directory, gives the names and ad-
dresses of the brewers and brewing
companies of the United States, with
the sales of each. Some interesting
ldClS are 10 ne Sleaneu from tnlS un-
pretentious little book. In the first
place, no brewery sold more than 1,OOO,-
600 barrels last year; only one brewery,
situated in Milwaukee, sold more than
100000 barrels, and only one brewery,
in st. Louis, sold between 100000 and
500, 900 barrels The largest brewery in
this city sold between 100000 and 600,-
600 barrels. The largest brewery in
Massachusetts was not III Boston, but
in Worcester. There ara seven brow
cries in Alaska, one of which was
started during the revenue year 1896;
four in Alabama, and two in Arizona.
The largest single brewery in Califor-
mia was in Sacramento; bur brewing
company in San Francisco, operating
eight breweries, did Il larger business.
Five breweries in Chicago, with one
brewery in Milwaukee; and three 9TH
er Chicago companies, united, sold be-
tN cen 100000 and 100000, Two brewer
les in Kansas sold about 5000 barrels
between them. Kentucky made a good
showing in the brewing business, in
spite of its distilling interests, twenty
seven firms selling from 1000 barrels
to 10000 during the year. Nebraska
boasted twenty one breweries, but none
Of in I 10 ho,