Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-21
VIRGINIA BREWER|Es
MAY DIVIDE PRODUCT
Suggestion Made That Beer Can BE
Separated by Use Of New
Process.
CHANCE TO SAVE BIG PLANTS
brewers Of State Seek Legal Opinion
as to Manufacture of Soft Drink,
With Alcohol for Commercial Pur-
poses.

Win AlcOhoi Tor Commercial FUR
poses.
Stimulated b. the hope that Los
ANGELES process for separating ordin-
AIRY lager Deer into two products that
would be marketable in this State az
Ter prohibition goes into effect. may
save from destruction the valuable
brewery properties in Virginia. counsel
Tor brewery interests have applied to
A'torney-General Pollard for a ruling
on the legality of carrying on an cx-
rurgated brewing business of this
character after November l.
To the pressing requests for advice
on this point. MIR. Pollard has replied
that he can express no opinion TO
the legality OF any business unless re-
quested to do so by the governmental
department affected. Only the Gov
'e.nor and the Commissioner of Pro-
hibftton have the right to call on the
Attorney-General for opinions az to
the effect OF any section OF tho prohibit
ton law. and neither OF these have
applied for advice. Prohibition Com
missioner Peters will not take Office
until September /. and has. therefore.
Tor tho present no Official standing, al
though request for a ruling from Mr.
prompt answer from the Attorney
Generals Office
f. MAY SAVE BREwERIEs
FROM ANSIHILATlOS
Even should a proper State officer
request ruling on the legality Of the
denatured brewing business. said Mr
Pollard, he would have to make de-
tailed study OF the processes involved
before he could render an opinion
Those who applied 10 him for advice
on this subject have vcntured no de-
tails as TO the plans for decomposing
ordinary beer into two legally market
able products. except to say that tho
|, products would he specics OF sof,
drink and commercial alcohol.
Aside from the question of it's
legality. the plan suggests interesting
possibilities. If it is held TO be legal
to manufacture beer FOR the purpose OF
decomposition into soft drink con-
tanning no alcohol n all. and pure
commercial alcohol. millions of dollars
Invested in expensive brewery plants
in Richmond. Norfolk Alexandria,
Roanoke and other points in the State.
now doomed under the prohibition law.
may be spared humiliation and even
made more profitable than ever
The Mapp prohibition bill expressly
prohibits the manufacture or sale 81
beer or malt liquors. It is apparent.
therefore. that brewery product re-
ducible from orthodox beer viii have
to be peculiarly innocent 20 come with
IN the la~. The inhibition against
malt liquors was expressly aimed at
the rear-bser industry 1t is claimed
for the Los Angeles process. however.
that IL extracts from ordinary beer
every ingredient which Is outlawed By
the prohibition hill. leaving the taste.
the color and the smcll--cveryt!Iing
but the jag.
PROCESS INAuGURATED
IN Los ANGELES
While The prohibition law interd!cis
the manufacture OF NAL, licTors. it
negatively legalizes the manufacture
and sale Of any drink that does rot
contain alcohol in excess OF one half OF
per cent by volume. 4 prominent
local lawyer has been asked by :. Rich
mond brewery to rule on the question
OF whether a spiritless. jaeless. !nmo-
cent beer-colored drink could be legally
manufactured after November i.
Section OF tho act provides hat no
section OF the law shall. have .pplica-
tio,. to "denatured alcohol ar dcnatured
rum intended for use only in the in
dustrial or mechanical arts" Dena-
tured alcohol intended for these uses,
said 10 be numerous enough TO provide
f. an outlet for a vast quantity. may be
manufactured after November l In the
same manner as now.
The new process for separating beer
into a beerlike soft drink and denatured
alcohol. both OF which comm odittes II
is assumed. can be legally manufac-
,ured and sold in Virginia after Noven-
be. i. comes from Los Angeles. where.
Il is stated. II has demonstrated It's
praoticability. An agent representing
tho interests that control the process
Is now in Richmond for the purpose of
Interesting the local and State brew
cries in its adoption. Some Of those
have taken tho proposition under ad-
,sement. and as the first step toward
testing II have. through their represen-
tatives, applied to the Attorney General
for his opinion as to the legal ques-
ton involved.
Manufacturers OF soft drinks have for
months been engaged In experimenting
with beer Substitutes. which will fall
within the law. Some of them have
already completed arrangements for
placing various products on the market
as soon as tho prohibition law goes into
effect. 1t is we'll recognized that a
product coming from brewery with an
established reputation would go into the
market with a decided advantage over
competing connections put out by con-
Germs that have no good will or repu-
.stlon to protect