Nantwich, Sandbach & Crewe Star — 1890-04-26 ()

HOW BEER IS BREWED.  Mr. .Shaw-Lefevre presided over a meeting .of the Select siommittee upon the Hop Industry on Tuesday. when the examination of Mr. Alfred Gordon Salamon, brewers' consulting chemist, was resumed. In the course of his evidence the witness stated that beer was no longer only an infusion of malt and hops. If an inspletor went into a public-house,. asked for a sample of beer, and received liquor containing other materials besides malt and 'hops he would have no cause for complaint, inasmuch as there was no .definition of beer which would bring it within- the Act relating to food adulteration. Brewers frequently labelled their beer as "made from malt and hops only," but the beer so made would bear no comparisan with that which was produced in accordance with exact scientific methods. Ono brewer of his acquaintance, who had labelled his barrels "made from melt and hops only," in deference to the outcry of the farmers, subsequently took a prize for beer 'produced with gelatinised,rice. He knew.of no large brewers who used malt and hops exclusively—in fact, now that beer was required to be a light rather than a heavy drink it was impossible to prepare it from malt and hops alone.--In reply to Mr. .1-4orton, Mr, Salmon said he was of opinion that hop substitutes were used to supply the bitter element alone, and did not affect the sale of malty peckete of bops. These substitutes could impert neither preservative properties nor aroma.—Mr. Norton : Is it your opinion that the public should lee-, the option, as .they have in the case of Initterine, of knowing whether they buy beer made from in or not ?-111.r. Salesmen : In my opeiiei, the he Le reie ease does not apply at all.—Do you think that any brewer would sell his beer unless it were to' be made from hops? I do not.—Then surely thie is a traud en the public? It may be in the nature of deceiving the public, but the public do not knew what i niaile of. TO legislate on this matter e-'--if i were carried to its logical conclusion—enactments as to -every other food production.— At ae into, you wi II admit that when the public drink beer levy. believe it is made from hops, and that they ob iiet drink it if they knew it was made of other ,• es f vei take the e,iiiplicated pi ocess of brewtue publie of all the scientific names of the materials used in that process you would lead them to believe that they were drinking an injurious beverage, whereas. as a matter of fact, they are doing nothing of •-i. to he makes a fine and healthy pro. (live I do not. see why the brewer should be more fetter ed than nn 7 other food manufacturer. In answer to questions put by other members of the committee, witre,e, -aid tile diminished consumption of hops was mt.:ALI:La:I;r 1.,,rt1y to the advance in the science of brewing and partly to the change in the public taste, ict; :n favour of light beers.—Mr. Brookfield : A few years ago we should have thought "leitterimi "uo "eiergarine " very absurd names. De you thick it would be equally absurd to speak oc " beerine" as a sidistitute for genuine beer? (Laughter.; —Witness : I s::ou'd first of all want a definition ei geneo, beet. My oleoien is that serious frauds exist in the Borough i eonnection with hops with detrimenta' !ess growers. Bisulphite of lime plays a legitimate part in the exact science of brewing and in the production of other food stuffs.—The committee adjourned.  A strangl r c•unmitted suicide on Tuesday at Willow Brook, New York. Tire body has been removed to the morgue. It is supposed by some officials that the corpse may prove ta be that of Eyraud, the French murderer, as the features and general appearance of the dead man answer minutely to the printed description placarded at all the police stations. The French authorities have been communicated with.