BEER AND EXCISE

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1945, Page 6

BEER AND EXCISE

EVIDENCE BY EXPERT. WELLINGTON, September 18. “Getting the yeast into a healthy, active condition before the worts are made up to final measure is a general practice and is done for sound practical reasons,” said . Gilbert Alexander Lawrence, analytical, industrial, and consulting chemist, in evidence before the Royal Commission on Licensing to-day. Mr. Lawrence, whose services are retained by New Zealand Breweries, ■Ltd., for certain of their breweries, referred to previous evidence given by Mr. K. M. Griffin, of Auckland, who had said: “During the time the vessels are filling, fermentatiorf is going on and can be accelerated by increased temperature, so that by taking every advantage of this period of six hours, one or more degrees of gravity could be lost before the excise 'readings were taken. An increase in temperature of 9 degrees Fahrenheit, doubles the rate of fermentation.”. It was in the interests of the quality of the beer and also of the quality of the residual yeast, that no steep rises or sudden changes in temperature should occur, said Mr. Lawrence, in the course of a technical explanation. The health, purity and vigour of the newly-formed yeast and the flavour of the beer were much more important than great rapidity of fermentation. It’ was important in the interests of preventing foreign infection of the wort to pitch with yeast before the tun was full, said Mr. Lawrence, and there would be some production of alcohol before measurements ol quantity and specific gravity lor Customs purposes were made. I here were no fundamental differences between the methods employed in New Zealand and in Great Britain. “The facts are that, apart from the reason that no brewer would take such a risk ol' spoiling Ins brew, fermentation vessels are not equipped with apparatus to obtain sudden changes in temperature," said the witness. “That the brewer is not taking advantage of the six-hour perioct allowed by the Finance Act to secure undue loss of gravity is shown by the fact that in some breweries the running in is accomplished in two hours and rarely exceeds lour hours. Mr. Lawrence added his reasons why it would be impracticable to assess duty at the point of sale from the brewery. ~ There was no question that me present gravity of 1036 was too low as an all-round strength lor brewing all tvnes of beer, said, the witness. Beer of much better flavour and superior keeping quality could be brewed were a higher gravity used. The 1036 beers lacked body, and it was more difficult to brew beds ol satisfactory stability at this tVavu.y than at the higher gravities The gravity of the beer to be biewed should be considered in. relation to the tvne of trade for whicn it was destined, and he considered the lour divisions should be: For on the brewery premises, transport m bulk to be bottleci in other centres, draught consumption at hotels neai the brewery, and draught consumption in more distant places. EVIDENCE COMPLETED

WELLINGTON, Sept. 20. The hearing of evidence by the Royal Commission on Licensing was completed in Wellington to-day, and the Commission adjourned until October 15, when counsel will begin their final addresses. Five counsel will speak, and they are expected to take at least a week. They are Mr. J. D. Willis, assisting the Commission, Mr H. F. O’Leary K.C., and Mr. P. B. Cooke, K.C., for the National Council of the New Zealand Licensed Trade, and Mr. F. C. Spratt and Mr. R. Hardie Boys for the New Zealand Alliance. The commission was originally to report by September 1. Subsequently the date was extended to December 31, and it now appears probably that a further extension may be obtained. Since it opened on March 6 the Commission has sat on nearly 100 days, and has visited Auckland, Rotorua, Te Kuiti, Christchurch. Invercargill, and Dunedin. The evidence amounts to more than 45 volumes of typewritten foolscap pages, each volume about an inch thick.