The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-02-16

ties result. The product is beer The
beer is then placed in watts that it may
properly age and undergo slow after
fermentation and ripening. Finally it
is filtered, placed in barrels or bottles
Bottled beer is generally pasteurized
for the reason | have already stated.
American beer usually contains from
5 to per cent Of extract-that means
soluble food products. 1t contains from
3 to per cent Of alcohol.
One of the most interesting constitu-
ents that has been found in beer lately
is a peculiar substance called lecithin.
1t has long been known that the phos-
pilates were always present in beer.
and the last discovery shows that they,
are absolutely essential to the process
of fermentation. But the discovery
Of lecithin is especially interesting be-
cause lecithin is a substance which was
found some time ago as a constituent
of the brain. 1t is a very interesting
compound of fatty constituents and
phosphorus, and when its presence in
the brain was first discovered it at
tracted a great deal of attention. 1t
was thought, even, that it might be
the SOUL e of mental action. and some
suggested the proper name for it would
be "denkstoff or thinking stuff.
They tell good story about this dis
covery. When they first discovered
the phosphorus in the brain somebody
phorus in the fish, and they started
for the brain. And so a young stu
dent wrote to Oliver Wendell Holmes
and wanted to know if that story was
true and if so what would be the prop
er dose. And SO DR.. Holmes wrote
him back as follows: "My son, it is quite
true that the brain contains phosphor-
us, and it is also true that fish con-
tain phosphorus, and after carefully
perusing your letter would say thai
whale on toast
How Beer Resembles Bread.
When we come to consider the rela-
ton of beer to food we are struck by
the analogy of beer and bread Bread
is made from cereals; so is beer. The
bread with little water is solid. the
beer with more water is liquid The
yeast is employed in both. 1t produces
alcoholic fermentation in both 1t con-
verts both into palatable and readily
digested food. Both contain alcohol
and carbon dioXide Beer contains
from 3 to per cent alcohol and is not
intoxicating when taken in ordinary
quantities. Beer also has bitter and
aromatic bodies derived from hops.
which give it an acceptable flavor and
produce tonic effects. Further, beer is
one of the foods free from bacteria.
You might be afraid of water of milk.
but the method of making beer, dry
ing, heating. pasteurizing and filtering
it completely free beer from bacteria.
Beer is food and wholesome 1t con
tains carbohydrates and albuminoids
and mineral materials required by our
system. 1t is appetizing. 1t aids di-
gestion, has engines.
/ myself have been familiar with the
use of beer as an article of food from
my childhood. | remember the barrel
of ale in my fathers cellar. When |
L
study and learned to use beer as an
article of food at the University of
GOettingen. My first experience really
came soon after | reached Goettingen
when | made walking tour through
the Harz mountains with three other
Americans, and / remember to this
day with satisfaction how | enjoyed
of Ci6 do fhoI lint
terbrod, schweizerkase and bier
have taken beer or ale pretty regularly
all my life with my lunch. | have en-
joyed the most perfect health, able to
do a hard days work every day, and
as l was born in 1886, l think | am
pretty good specimen of it's food value.
Aduteration Talk Is Nonsense.
You know we read in the papers
great deal about adulterations OF
course most of it is nonsense. | have
had occasion to investigate. the ques-
ton, and | find that adulteration in
beer is gross eXaggeration. There may
be misbrandings. but there is no adul-
teration.
Beer does not make drunkards. The
effect of prohibition would drive beer
out of the household. 1t would deprive
large percentage of our population of
a perfectly honest, wholesome, nutri-
tious article Of food. There is drunk
enness, there is intemperance, but it
does not come from beer. If we are
to have laws let those laws be intelli-
gent laws, laws that will discriminate
between what does harm and what
does net do harm. | think | have CIV
en- reasons enough why beer has be-
come a national beverage in this coun-
try.