The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-07
From the New York Herald.

From the New York Herald.
This is the sixtieth anniversary of the
brewing OF. lager beer In the United
States. Everybody knows that beer and
ale have been brewed in New York ever
since the Dutchman came over from Hol-
land and founded the colony of New
that the brewing of lager beer in the
United States is so recent that at least ten
of the original brewers are still living.
The first brewery in New York was es-
tablished more than $50 years ago, when
old Governor Van Twiler built brewery
on the West Indies eompany's farm,
which was on the west side of town, near
Hudson street. Another brewery was
started in Albany about the same time,
which has continued brewing ever since
These breweries and others ran along for
two hundred years before lager beer was
made. They brewed, table beer-or small
beer-and what is now known as barely
wine. but they did not brew lager beer, or
hoped malt beer, which is the kind Of
beer now commonly used. 1t is pretty well
settled that the brewing of lager beer In
the United States began In 1S43 and about
phia. The Philadelphia brewery was a
small building in the suburbs. while the
New York brewery was at Broadway and
Nineteenth street, opposite the old Goelet
house, where a big carpet store stands
now.
The books of this original New York
lager beer brewery are still in existence.
and they tell a number of interesting
things about the early methods and sales
If han Ca1xo c..
{ the brewery. where he made ale and
small beer, but not lager beer. He sold
the brewery before lager beer was
brewed j. f. Luther was the first GUS
toner, on September 3, 1913. He bought
five gallons of beer and paid so cents for
II, at rate of 10 cents a gallon. At that
time a brewery did retail business, and
the customer would call for his beer and
take 1t home with him In a pail or tub.
Peter Stoltz was the second customer.
He bought dollars worth, or ten gall
Ions. Daniel F. Tiedmann and William F.
Havemeyer, each of them afterward
mayor of New York city, were among the
first customers Lager beer was novel;
ty and. 1t soon became fashionable
drink, as the names on the books of the
old brewery show. The swell families
would bring a bucketful to serve with
their Sunday dinner on state occasions.
that it is now. Whiskey sold at so low a
price then that 1t and other hard liquors
were more in common use.
1t took some time for lager beer to be-
come popular, and the early sales of the
brewery were not large The owners
worked with their two or three men to
turn out $40 or SIS worth Of beer a day,
which was sold to customers who called
for 1t. In a sfew years the business grew
and the brewery moved over to Seventh
avenue. near Seventeenth street, where
the first lager beer saloon was opened in
connection with the brewery. Seventh av
enue and Seventeenth streets were in the
suburbs then and there was no other sa-
loon for some distance People would
make an excursion there to taste the new
drink.
Lager beer did not become popular until
the introduction of ice to keep 1T cool. Be-
fore the use of ice the beer was kept in
vaults under ground until 1t was sold.
More brewing was done In the winter and
more beer was sold then than in the sum-
mer. The use of ice caused the abandon
ment of the old vaults and enabled the
brewing of a big summer supply. which
has been growing rapidly every year. The
American taste demands beer colder
than the German taste In Germany the
beer is rarely put on ice, and 1t is drunk
at the temperature at which it comes from
the vaults.
The old account books, besides telling