The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-09-18
Deeper Than Price

Deeper Than Price
But the tracers Of why the city
prefers bottled beer to the keg vari-
ETY. go deeper than the price.
Take, as an example, one place
in the city where scent beer is ad-
vertised.
The proprietor has twelve-ounce
stems. You can fill one Of those
stems with water and they'll meas
ure twelve ounces.
But go in and order a stein at 5
cents and, as you lift the beer to
your lips, you'll notice a high collar.
Let that stein settle and what was
purported tWelve-ounce stein
turns out TO be only slightly more
than eight ounces Of actual beer.
The rest in suds. The beer is
wild
The seller Of that draught beer
could make but so cents a gallon
gross profit. at present prices, if he
gave the buyer full twelve ounce
stein for 5 cents.
He says he pays a certain price
for that beer. If he makes more
than so cents profit, then he's re-
ceiving either a cut on the beer sold
to him. or he's giving the public an
eight to ten-ounce stein for 5 cents
and the public wipes the suds from
a figurative mustache and leaves
believing it got twelve ounces of
beer.
Some Substitute
But the honest beer seller meets
with another trick of the trade with
which he must compete and that is
the retailer, and there's but a few
of them, who sell cheaper beers
for higher-priced brands.
If the customer is not acquainted
with the particular taste of his
favorite brew he drinks it, satisfied
or dissatisfied, whichever the case
may be.
No labels are on the taps. The
customer has only the bartender'S
word and his own sense of taste to
tell him whether he's getting the
brew he purchased.
One wholesaler proposes an
amendment to the state law which
requires that each beer tap have a
label showing the brand Of beer in
that tap
But other critics Of this method
say that the "cheater" could switch
the brands Of beer kegs on the pub
lie and that only a state inspector
could locate the duplicity while
making the rounds of beer sellers.
Need Bartenders
The lack of good bartenders and
inexperience Of many at the beer
spigots also is said to be one Of the
reasons that a full measure for
ones money is not forthcoming.
In the old days. a good bar
tender would get practically every
ounce out of his key of beer and
the customer would get nearly
every ounce coming to him. The
oId-timer never wasted the collar,
for if it was too high. it was Topped
into a glass beside a spigot to be
used to fill up other stems" one for
mer saloon keeper said.
Then. too" he continued. beer
was sold-that is brands-exclu-
sively in saloons owned by brewer
les. The brewery agent always could
throw in extra half-kegs for treats
on the house and to take care OF
any waste that might accrue through
high collars or wildneSS OF the
foam"
Groceries selling beer to take
home also are said to be responsible
for the large sale of bottled beer in
indianapolis.
Handling Cost Higher
Bottled beer has cut inroads
into the ranks of the home brewers
and keg beer. if reduced in price.
would swing the final punch. one
retailer asserts.
The cost of handling bottled beer
from brewery to retailer is higher
than key beer.
The ony possibility for more for
your money from bottled beer would
be a hike of two ounces in the brew
under glass with a fourteen-ounce
bottle or a reduction in the case
cost.
And so when a consumer calls for
a bottle of "Foamy Brew instead of
a stein. he knows that he's getting
full weight in beer and not merely
air bubbles.
He is content with that, only
hoping and praying for the day
when he can quaff nickel stems of
beer with an honest ten to twelve
onuce measure.
THE End