Increased Beer Duty A Fillip To Home Brewing

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28701, 26 September 1958, Page 8

Increased Beer Duty A Fillip To Home Brewing

Bottled beer production in New Zealand has been reported as being down by 40 per cent., and draught beer by 15 per cent since prices were increased by the Budget but beer consumption will not have dropped by the same percentages—it may even have increased.

The difference is that more New Zealanders are brewing their own beer; and they are having it made a lot easier for them.

An Auckland firm was quick to take advantage of the reawakened interest in home brewing It produced a “beer essence” to which only yeast and water need to be added:

Now a Christchurch manufacturing company has entered the field and has a beer mixture ready to go on the market. All the home brewer will need to do will be to add a given quantity of water and yeast to the mixture, wait for the mixture to work out, add finings and bottle. The new popularity of home brew is shown by:— The Nelson Hop Marketing Committee’s stocks have been exhausted.

A Dunedin malt extract company—the major source of malt extract for New Zealand —has been working overtime recently to cope with the demand. The Auckland firm has marketed enough “beer essence” to make 43,000 gallons of beer, all

since Mr Nordmeyer announced the new duty on beer. Wholesale chemists have a steady stream of inquiries for carboys; and slightly-damaged washing machine-bowls seem unpro. curable. Hop Supplies .Once the present hop stocks held by wholesalers and retailers are exhausted, there will be no more available until the new crop comes on the market In a normal season the industry, which is confined to the Nelson province, has an export surplus of up to 25 per cent, after meeting local demands, the bulk of which is naturally for the breweries. The next crop is estimated to, be between one million and 1.2 million pounds, of which about 800,0001 b will be taken by the breweries. No shortage of malt is likely. With the new “essence” meet- . ing the requirements of hops, sugar, malt and-other ingredients, the home brewer seems assured of a continuous supply. The only thing be need fear to block his cheap beer is that the taxgatherers may cast envious eyes on so much duty-free liquor and impose a tax on hops, for the smaller consumption of brewery-brewed beer is reflected in lower revenue tor the Government. Circulating freely among the increasing band of Christchurch people interested in brewing was a rumour that bottle tops were scarce, but they also seem to be sufficient to meet the demand.