THE DUNEDIN BREWERY COMPANY.

Evening Star, Issue 7340, 12 October 1887, Page 2

THE DUNEDIN BREWERY COMPANY.

We have before us a circular intimating that the brewing business established by Messrs Keast and M'Carthy, and latterly carried on as a joint stock company, has passed into other hands, and that it will in future be carried on under the title of " The Dunedin Brewery Company." Through the courtesy of Mr Julius Hyman, the manager, we have been allowed to inspect the premises and appliances, which arc, through position and arrangement, exceptionally adapted to the manufacture. Many circumstances combine to render Southern New Zealand favorably stanced for brewing malt liquors. Barley yields abundant crops of excellent quality ; the climate, through its comparatively even temperature, is favorable for malting purposes for a considerable portion of tho year, on properly arranged plant; water of suitable purity is abundant, though not always readily available ; and hops are grown in Nelson and elsewhere within easy distance, fully equal to those of Kent, Sussex, or the North Clays. And all these raw materials are obtainable at prices that would yield a profit were they, instead of being used here, sent to England. With these advantages, there seems no good reason why Dunedin ale and porter should not compete in the world's market with the best of Great Britain's brews. Possibly it may be suggested that because of the vast capital invested in this industry at Home, more complete appliances and labor - saving machinery can be utilised. But this is true only to a certain extent, and does not apply to factories where the plant bears a like proportion to the cost of production in a smaller as in a large business, and this we apprehend is the case with the Dunedin Brewery Company. In the first instance, comparatively incomplete buildings and machinery were constructed. Thece have been added to at a large outlet, and very complete arrangements have been made for successfully conducting every process. There are extensive floors for malting the barley, as well as for drying the malt. On our visit we noticed a large area on which barley of excellent quality and color was undergoing this preliminary process. Equally convenient, with the assistance of steam power, were the arrangements for crushing the malt and boiling the wort, for cooling and fermenting the liquor. The vats are of large capacity, and the floor space allotted to the barrels, when filled, for what we may term ripening, would be room enough for more than one thousand., The samples of ale we were shown were of very fine qualities—pale, bitter, and table. Years ago, when we hoped that Dunedin. would command a large trade in beer and porter, we inspected one of the early breweries, into which only a few scientific processes had been introduced. Since then improved methods and machinery have been introduced, and it has become necessary to ensure purity of quality, to be able to test the materials employed in the manufacture. A special chemical department is therefore a necessary adjunct, and we were much interested in the delicate instruments with which it was supplied. . One very great advantage to this brewery, is the spring of very fine water suitable for brewing purposes that flows almost upon the premises. This is utilised in different ways, supplying not only the worts but the steam boilers and engines, and keeping the concrete floors of the cellars at a cool and even temperature. Next comes the bottling and warehouse de*. partment, in which arrangements are made for> an export as well as a local trade. Packingcases for bottles are made on the premises, and every department of the business dovetails conveniently one into the other:

Were it not that the curse of; tradf, Protection, interferes with export ' to. tho neighboring colonies, the natural advantages New* Zealand possesses would'enable our brewers to supply them with an article that' would compete both in quality and price with the best brews of Great Britain; and be very superior t.o anything, except Tasmanian, that the'other Australian colonies could produce. ~