Year: 1872

The great German analytical chemist,


Baron Liebig, entertains high opinion


of America, but poor opinion of beer.


In conversation with correspondent


of the New York Tribune he is reported


to have said: at tisa a peculiarly of Ameri


cans that they make everything better


than we (the Germans) do. | am con-


vinced that American beer will in time


be better than the German. With us


everything remains as it was. The worst


beer brewers are in Bavaria, though it


was earlier the best. And why? Look
into our brewery system. The brewers
are only ignorant people, who brew good


beer from routine alone. They are in
capable of helping themselves. But as
soon as the Americans adopt anything


from US they improve upon it, and we get
it back again as an American discovery.
Look at the sewing machine. 1t was be-
gun in Germany, but it was first perfect
ed in America. Everything is improved
with you. Look at our German eugi-
neers; they are different men when they
come to America" The testimony thus
borne by the learned philosopher to the
faculty for improving upon everything,
which distinguishes our nation, is sup
ported by the fact of the great demand
for American implements of every kind
from all parts of Europe.


That the American brewers produce
such good beer as to supersede the desire
for importing it is further evidence of the
truth of the Baron's remarks. He thinks,
however, that, as an article of food, beer
takes very inferior rank as stimulant
it is better than brandy, but nutriment
it is no better than potatoes. "Man,"
says Liebig, "must have a stimulant of
some sort, and brandy is a great evil
We find that the consumption of beer is
making headway even in the wine dis
tricts, for instance in Stuttgart, and in
no city is there such an amount of meat
consumed as in Munich, where the great
est quantity of beer is also consumed. Be
fore every beer cellar in Munich you will
find a cheese stand Why? Because in
cheese you will find that albumen which
Stacking in beer. There fore you see that
beer and cheese 60 together like law Of
nature. But as an article of nourishment
beer is very subordinate. Schnapps is a
great misfortune, and destroys the work
ing power" With this last remark every
body, except those who are addicted to
drinking it, will agree but it may be
questioned whether the same number of
persons will agree in condemning beer
The consumption of it in this country is
enormous. a Cincinnati paper asserts
that nearly S7,000,000 are spens annual
ly in that city on beer And some of the
great lager beer brewers Of Philadelphia
turn out over half million of barrels
year.


Thirty years ago brewing was compare
lively in its infancy in this country, but
about 1910 it began to assume an impor-
tance which has steadily increased, and
the use of the liqnid has spread from one
end of the continent to the the other
This fact, however, is mainly due to the
large number of German emigrants
who a0W have their lager wherever
they go, and carry their worship of Gam
brlnus to as great extent as mortals can
well do. Strange inconsistency, for ac
cording to the legend Of that famous king,
larger beer was the invention of Satan
Thus it happened-Gambrinus was fd
der, who lived in Brabant, in the time
of Charlemagnc ca. ID. 5000. Having
been Tilted by his sweetheart, he went in.
to wood to hang himself. As he was
sitting on a bough, with the rope about
his neck, preparatory to taking the final
plunge, suddenly tall man in green
coat appeared before him, and offered to
make him as rich as he pleased, aud to
cause his sweet heart to burst with vexa-
ton at her folly in rejecting him, provid
ed he would give up his soul to Beel- |
zebub, at the eud of thirty years. Gam
brnus struck the bargain, and, aided by
Satan, he invented Ginning bells and la
ger beer. As soon as the Emperor Char
emagne had drunk gallon or two of the
beer, he was so pleased that he made
Gambrinus Duke of Brabant and Count
1f Flanders, and thus gave him the salts.
faction of being able to laugh at his old
'weetheart. When the thirty years ex.
pired, Beelzebub sent one Of his imps
with orders to bring Gambrinus back be-
7ore midnight, but that jolly hero made
he imp so drunk with the beer that he
vas unable to do as he had been com
handed so, as is usual in all such le-
,ends, the devil was cheated in his bar.
gain, and Gambrnus lived long enough |
% drink SO much beer that he turned in
o beer barrel.