Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-10-15

was built by Ferdinand Selva, in 1885,
and two years later the Southwestern
Brewery & Ice company was organized
and incorporated to succeed to the
business. In 1889 and 1890, respective
ly, Jacob and Henry Loebs, formerly
of the great breweries of ST. Louis,
came to Albuquerque and purchased
the local brewery.
The plant was originally small, but
it's capacity was adequate to every de-
mand, and it was not until after the
Loabs became interested in the bust
ness that it grew to proportions de-
manding an expansion of facilities. In
1898, less than ten years after they
purchased the original plant, the Loebs
laid the foundations for their present
imposing buildings, n the old brew
cry and ice plant were abandoned inn
mediately upon completing and equip
ping the buildings.
AS it stands today, the brewery is
the finest in the southwest. 1t has a
capacity of 40, 1000 barrels of beer per
annum, and the ice plant has a capac-
ity of thirty tons a day, besides refrig-
Grating the company's cellars, etc. The
buildings are handsome brick struct-
ures, resembling the great breweries
of the east, and the equipment is mod
ern throughout. A bottling plant is
maintained in connection, and has a
capacity of a thousand bottles per
hour. A feature of this plant is the
new automatic bottle washer, by
means of which 10000 bottles a day
may be thoroughly cleansed. This ma
chine washes sixteen bottles at q
time, and was installed at a cost of
$500.
The brewery and ice plant, with the
grounds, cover more than half a block,
and, being Immediately on the railroad
track, are advantageously situated for
forwarding. The company receives
patronage from all over New Mexico
and Arizona, and the item of transfer
salvage is an important consideration.
Beer and ice are shipped as far as
Kingman, Ariz., on the west, south to
Ell Paso, Deming, Silver City and Tue
SOu, anu uOItu lutO SOlOIduO.
In view of the fact thai many brew
ers, owing to the high price of malt,
substitute inferior ingredients, it is
well to state that the Southwestern
Brewery & Ice company does use malt
and rarely has less than 1,500 bushels
on hand. No adulterants are used,
and the result is apparent in the brew,
which is of clear amber color, of SUI
perior flavor and of the highest grade
of excellence.
The process of brewing is no less in
teresting than instructive, and, as the
subject, it may be well to present an
explanation herewith. The process be-
gins in the brew house, which, in the
instance of the Southwestern Brewery
& Ice company, is a three-story struct-
ure. On the top floor is a mill for
grinding the malt; Immediately under
this is the malt hopper, beside which
is a hot water tank, and below these
is the masn tub, which has a capacity
of 126 barrels. The mash tub is on the
ground floor, where are also the engine
and a large kettle.
After the malt has been ground, the
water in the hot water tank is heated
and a certain portion turned into the
mash tub. The mash machine is then
started and the proper amount of
ground malt Is let in through the hop
per, which communicates with the
mash tub. After about a half an hour
of stirring with the great steam rake,
which is the feature of the mash ma
chine, the mash is allowed to settle.
After an hour more water, of a higher
temperature than that first admitted,
is let into the mash tub, ana the mash
machine is started again. This time
it runs only a quarter of an hour, after
its final temperature. The mash ma
chine is then put in motion for another
twenty minutes, after which the mash
has a rest of an hour. The malt
wort" or extract, is then pumped
into the brew kettle, in which there
is a steam coil, and after being boiled
for two hours and a half, hops are
added in three different portions.
After the boiling is finished the mash
tub is cleaned out, and the hop wort
is drawn off into that receptacle, from
which it is pumped up to the surface
cooler, in an adjoining structure, and
thence to what is known as a baudelot
cooler.
From the coolers the liquid passes
to the settling vat, which is on the
fourth floor of the main structure.
When it has thoroughly settled it is
drawn off to the fermentation watts on
the floor below. where the temperature
is a few degrees lower than on the
fourth floor, which is kept at about Al
degrees f. There are a great many
watts in the fermentation room, filled
WIN beer in the various stages of fer
m%entation, and as rapidly as the liquid
is thoroughly fermented it is drawn off
-- A.