The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-19
A Condition of Affairs That IL Calcu-
lated to Make PrOhihitiOnists
Stand Aghast.
BEER INDUSTRY IN THIS CITY
AN ARMY OF MEN EMPLOYED IN
KIN THE BEVERAGE.
Some Points About the Manufacture
of "Suds"-Brewery Employees
Drink Much Beer.


tai abstinence if somebody should publish a
city directory in which a star was placed
after the name of every habitual beer
drinker in town. Indianapolis is a city
of beer drinkers declared a travelling
man, who makes a complete tour Of the
principal cities of the United States every
year and who should know what he is
talking about. 1T is about the poorest
wine market 1 know of for a city of its
size, and according to the ratio of popula-
ton it is mot what could be called a
whisky-drihking place. But everybody
drinks beer" And an investigation of the
matter proves that the observant traveller
is right in his estimate of the Hoosier
capital In regard to its liquid r~efreshment.
Not only is Indianapolis a beer-drinking
city, but the industry of brewing the pop
ular beverage is fast taking a most prom
inent position among the productions OF
the city. In far-away San Francisco-a
city of breweries, by the way-the leading
department store of the city recently adver-
tised. as the special big feature of a bar
gain day in its liquor department.: THE
brand of beer that is making Indianapolis
famous" Milwaukee had better look out
for her laurels!
The Prohibitionists may stand aghast at
this disclosure, but, after all, in treating of
the important industries of a city, it needs
no apology TO take up the making of beer,
which employs large capital and many
men in its manufacture. The great in
crease in the beer output of Indianapo-
lis during the last ten years has meant
employment at excellent wages for a good
many men. and If a colony of the local
brewery workers was to be gathered to-
gether at the present time it would prove
to be quite a formidable little community
in itself. The average wages of the brew
cry workers are accordingly higher than
in almost any other industry, as are. in
fact, the actual wages. The brewing inter-
est of indianapolis is excellently organized
and there is every indication that the in
dustry will continue In its growth here as
elsewhere The local brewers claim-and
they have statistics with which to back
up their assertions-that beer-drinking is
the best preventive of overindulgence in
ardent spirits. and also that insanity aris-
ing from intemperance is significantly less
where beer is drunk than where the con-
sumption of distilled liquors predominates.
BREWING OF BEER.
The brewing of beer nowadays calls for
the highest perfection and the develop
ment of the latest resources In scientific
discovery. and a visit to any one of the In
dianapolis breweries is among the most in
teresting sightseeing excursions about the
city that one can take. A brewery is near
ly always an enormous building, showing
in those portions where the beer is cooled
great Slated windows like those of belfries,
but given up In large part to the cellars
where the beer is fermented and stored,
often several floors below ground. Good
beer demands good water, and as Indian
apolis water is notably much better in
every way than the water of some of our
larger neighboring cities it is the fault of
the local brewers if they fail to take ad-
vantage of this all-important factor in the
brewing Of the beverage. Good beer also
requires good malt for body, good hops for
flavor. good yeast for fermentation, a good
head on the part of the head brewer, and
sufficient sime to lie in store, or Lager"
With good materials-and the indianapolis
brewers all assert that they secure the best
obtainable-the skill of the brewer con-
sists for the most part in the use of the
two indispensable elements of heat and
cold, and to judge when and how to put
cdCH L luc DcSt advantage anu also 10
what extreme they are to be carried. The
processes are, essentially, the making Of an
extract of malt. or wort by heating the
malt in water, the addition of the bitter
principle of the hop by boiling the hops In
the wort. the cooling of the unfermented
product, the fermentation by the addition
of the yeast in cool cellars until the
saccharine matter of the malt has become
-,
it's storage until ready for use.
A GIGANTIC KITCHEN.
A brewery is really nothing more than a
gigantic kitchen and cellar. with modern
improvements. and the entire process of
making the beer is a simple culinary pro-
ceeding--that is. 1t is simple enough to
those who understand it thoroughly. The
brewers first work is to clean and grind
his malt, this being accomplished by screen
ing and blowing until the dried germs and
other chaff arc disposed of, much as wheat
is treated in the making of flour. and in
the grinding itself the same methods hold
good as in the manufacture Of the best
flour. IL imperfectly performed much of
the strength will be left in the grain, while,
on the other hand. If done to excess, the
grain will become pasty and the quality of
the beer impaired. From the mill room the
visitor. II following the different stages of
manufacture, will be taken to the mash
tubs where the malt is mixed with the
water at a proper temperature to extract
the saccharine matter from the malt and
change the still unconyerted starch into
grape-sugar. This is where the head
brewer gets in his fine work, for every
thing depends upon his Judgment as TO just
how long his malt must remain 'in soak"
An error at this stage OF the game would
cause all sorts of trouble. There is a me-
chanical continuance which mixes the water
thoroughly with the ground malt. In the
next process. the wort" or extract of
malt. with which may be mixed a proper
ton of rice or other starchy grain. is
drained off into great boilers below. leav-
ing the worthless malt in the mash-tub.
Enormous coppers spotlessly clean-for
cleanliness Is a goddess that is worshiped
at a brewery-receive the wort, and a stout
fire. or a steam coil, heats the liquid to a
boiling point.
Next comes the hops. Great barrels OF
them are always ready to hand. and they