THE VICTORIA BREWERY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4174, 5 July 1875, Page 7

THE VICTORIA BREWERY.

This establishment, which is situate at the • corner of Pitt and Elder streets, is one of the - old -established breweries, of the Colony, and its ale and porter have'long been held in high repute. The Victoria Brewery was started by the present proprietor, Mr Straohan, 19 years iigo, in Sawyer's Bay. Mr Strachan afterwards removed his business to Dunedin, . and tho buildings were in course of erection on the present~brewery site when the first rush to tho Province broke out. Nearly all the present buildings are new, part being about twelve months old, and the remainder • of the new portion having been re-erected since the fire on the premises some months ago. The older poitiona of the building, • which aro of wood, it is intended to replace by more permanent and substantial material; -as soon as convenient. Not having ever previously referred at any length ta the building, we will now give a short description of it. We will first refer to the malting floor and kiln. The malting floor, is 92 feet long, including the steep, and 38 feet ■wide. The steep is capable of-holding 180 •bushels at a time ; and, taking the average • of the year round, 300 bushels of malt per •week are made. At 'this seaaon of the year "there is generally a quantity of grain,"equal to 700 bushels at a time, in process of being Diad« into malt. The kiln has a perforated -tile floor for heating the grain, and the inferior, with tho exception of a do r which is ■of wood, is wholly of iron. The kiln is capable of .drying off 170 bushels at a time Thecowl whichsurmouuts it is a local "idea," and it is claimed that itdraws muohbetterthan -the cowl of the ordinary design. Cert linly, it looks more shapely. " In the store, for; holding barley and malt, there is a bin which is ■ capable of containing 1800 bushels of malt. From this large bin. the malt descends and ■■leeds itself into the malt mill. .From the malt mill it v taken by elevators to a bin 48 feet above ground, from which it descends into f c mash tub. Steam-power and the rapid fall of the ground at the brewery, are taken advantage of, so that as little as possible is done by hand; : We will now refer to the brewery projaor. Tho brewery is entirely on what is HjKiisiiown as the gravitating principle —that is ijjpo s.iy, that the brewing process begins at •^the top of the building, and the wort at each successive sta^e passes into a vat lower than that in which it last was. By having the -vats on different levels simply turning a tap is all that ha« to be done to pass the wort from one vat to another. All the boiling re- • quired in the brewing process is done by steam coils. The coils in use at the Victoria Brewery are different to most, if not all, of the others in use here—-beLig placed only a •couple of inches above the bottoms of the vats. A3 hf.at rises upwards, they are on the true principle. There are, however, : some slight disadvantages in using this coil, but it is considered that the extra benefit more than compensates. With steampipes aad hot and cold water pij-es, the brew houoe is quite a nest of piping. By the use of the steam coil and hot water pipes, one fire does the work for merly done by four or five. This is an advantage, not only in the. way .of economy, but also conduces to efficiency, and cleanliness. 30 hogsheads are brewed at a time, "tut the plant can turn out 33 or 34 hogsiieads at a brew. Usually 200 hogsheads a ■week are brewed, but, if wanted, tht> brewery is capable of doing double ai much as thit. The refrigerator has oval tubes, which give a larger amount of cooling surface than the Tound tubes of ordinary refrigerators, the result being that the wori cools in about one ■third less time. This refrigerator was made by Messrs A. and T. Bnrt, and Mr Strachan is well satisfied with the way in which it acts. AH the copper wttrk • required in the brewery was made by the same firm. The •■whole of the vats and other brewing plant are new. hi the engine house there is n, new and powerful boiler, also a seven-horse power horizontal engine. The boiler supplies the steam and hot water for brewing, . and also the engine. The brewery, excluding the malt house and kiln, is 127 feet long, . and 37 feet wide. The cellar is 98 feet by ■37 feet, and has storage space for 190 casks, • each of which holds 90 gallons. The cellar is almost entirely below the level ■ of the ground. Beside the storage accommodation afforded by . the cellar, -there is a brick building 50ft by 10ft, which is used for; storing stock beer. Over the • cellar-is a flqor 98ft by 37ft, partly used for general storage purposes, the remainder of. it being taken up by bottling and packing rooms. Behind the buildings is a good-sized •■yard space, which is being daily enlarged by . excavation. The offices occupy the part of the building at the corner of Pitt and Elder -streets, and are very convenient. Nearly all tho buildings are how of brick, with bluo--stone foundations, and the plant and fittings are of the 1 e3t description. Tiiken alto- . gether, the Victoria Brewery is an establishment which speaks well for the brewing industry of the Province, and it is a credit :to its enterprising proprietor.