The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-01
BEER MAKERS
BEFORE BOARD
Uncle Sam Wants to Know All
About the ingredients and
Submits Questions.
LONG STATEMENT is
OFFERED BY BREWERS
DR.. Wiley Qualities as Expert
by 0biecting to Buying
Foam When Thirsty.

WASHINGTON, July 3l.-Entering
the illustrious names Of Herodotus'
Caesar, Plato and other ancients ms
earnest drinkers Of beer, barley grow
ers and brewers from throughout 'the
country today began testimony before
the board of food and drug inspection
to determine the long.disputed ques'
tion fWhat is beer!''
DR.. Harvey w. Wiley, chief chem
ist, who heads that board, shared hon
ors with the ancient convivla!ists ny
announcing early that his chief com
plant was that too little beer was
found in the ordinary glass of commerce
sold to the thirsty.
81 m tired of buying foam" said
the pure food expert hotly. ''There
should be line on glasses indicating
where solid beer ends
DR.. Wiley looked thirstily on the
pitcher that adorned the speaker Is
table 1t contained only water.
View of Consumers.
John R. Mnuff representing the
National Consumers league and the
Wisconsin board of the American So
ciety Of Equity. argued that most peo.
pie were under the impression that all
the beer was made of barley malt.
hops and water, when in reality inferior
grades, or chemist preservatives
were substituted. He asserted that the
brewers could lose nothing by labelling
their product and that the consumer
soon would indicate his preference for
the various kinds of beer manufactured.
Mr.. Mauff told the board that Egypt
holds the record for continuous beer
drinking, having quaffed the liquor for
5000 years.
He exploited the merits of beer, but
alleged that the public did rot get
enough for its money.
Five Quarts to Gallon,
He referred to the fact that the con
sumer when sold pint or
''quart'' in reality was given what
is known as brewers invoices as q
: small" or 'tlarge" and that since
the Spanish American var the "five
quarts TO gallon measure had never
been changed.
The United States Brew rs associa
ton, represented by Louis B. Schramm Of
New York, offered long statement in
reply TO the set OF questions PROFOUND.
ed by the department as to what in.
gradients were contained in beer 1t
was claimed that the process and in ,
gradients used in making beer were sub.
'tantially the same now as before tha
pure food law was passed, /,
Against Labelling.
In giving detailed information as to !
heir methods the brewers declared
heir willingness to co-operat~ with the
department. In investigating the manu- r
'acture of malt nquors. The brewers G
declared, however, that the government .
.ye supervised the manufacture Of beer :
through the United States internal
evenue act. Furthermore, they sug-
,ested that inasmuch as the principal
Inference in beers was in "the destinies .
before and after fermentation, there
would seem to be no reason for compul. r
ory adoption of specific labelling"
John Fl. Mauff of Crawford, n. j.,
epresenting the Consumers league, Q
cad statement charging that "since :
lursing mothers and invalids' use beer 4
or ''tonic properties.'' labels should c
designate the ingredients, so that users 5
nay know whether they are getting u
rain extracts or chemical preserva. T
ives
That any chemical preservatives n
we're used in the making Of beer was
quickly denied by the brewers. 7
Object Of Inquiry.
The object Of the board s INQUIRY is
o bring malt liquors within the scope
+ the pure food and drug act and to 4,
etermine Just what shall and what II
hall not be contained in liquids sold
nder the labels "lager beer,' "bock
eer, "ale.' porter, - Stout and
malt extract" The board has pro.
ounded series of questions as to fer.
1entipg, coloring, carbonating, etc. y
he application Of foreign names to do. 3
nestle products also is to be inquired n
nto. n
Barley raisers and maltsters are re Ia
ponsible for this effort to determine
what is beer, :" The Consumers Ma i,s
lonal league Of Chicago and the Hso. y
iety Of Equity" the latter composed 5,
argely Of farmers. are aiding in the N
Movement. e!
1t Is claimed that much of the beer ',
old IN this country is made of corn :,
r rice and that some of the malt. ex- q
ract and other beverages are not
that their names lead consumers 10 y
hink them. e