MESSRS KEAST AND MCCARTHY'S BREWERY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1160, 21 February 1874, Page 11

MESSRS KEAST AND MCCARTHY'S BREWERY.

I The brewery of Messrs Keast and M'Carfchy, af most of our readers will I doubtless be aware, is situate in Filleul street, near Hanover street, and has also a frontage to London street. Enlargements have been made to the premises from time to time since the firm commenced business, about four years ago, and old buildings pulled down, so that now there i 3 nothing whatever remaining of the humble shingle building in which the firm began. The buildiug has its back to London street — this street being at a higher level than the floors of the building, and the water used in the brewery (specially conveyed from a spring) being brought in at a high pressure, enables the brewery to be worked economically in regard to the saving of labour, with convenience to the hands employed, and also dispensing with the necessity for a steam engine. In our description we will commence at the top storey, in which the hot-water boiler, the mash tub, and the wort boiler are situate. "Everything," said our guide, standing on the highest floor in the building, and pointing to London street, on the bank above him, "everything used in the manufacturing comes down from there." Coal, malt, hops, etc., are delivered into the top storey from London street, and are shot down into their respective places, saving machinery and labour for raising. The water used is brought in by pipes from a special reservoir some distance from the brewery, and at a good pressure. The water is let into the hot water boiler, being the boiler in the building at the greatest elevation, and which has a holding capacity of 800 gallons ; from there, by turning a tap, it descends into the mash tub, in which the malt is ; and thence, by turning a tap, through a pipe into the wort boiler. In the wort boiler 30 hogsheads of liquor can be treated at a brew. The wort boiler is bricked in. The furnace to it has a double flue, an invention by which the smoke and flame from the furnace have to travel twice round the boiler before getting to the chimney. This double flue is not only economical and turns the heat produced to good account, but distributes the heat regularly and causes the wort to boil more evenly than it would if the boiler were fitted with a common flue. The height of the chimney, it may here be mentioned, is 55 feet. The hot water boiler and the brick furnace surrounding it are supported on five brickwork pillars, which rise from a steep hill side to a height about 18 feet above the foundation. The rubble foundation of the brickwork of the furnace of the wort boiler goes right down to the rock, and is very deep. To resume the story of the flow of the liquor. From the bottom of the wort boiler the liquor is conducted by a pipe to the refrigerator. The refrigerator in use at this brewery was manufactured by Messrs A. and T. Burt, and that firm has, during the past few months, turned out many more of the same description. Under the old system of cooling, a great deal of space was taken up, and the liquor could not often in summer be cooled in the proper time, turned sour, and became useless ; but with the new refrigerator manufactured by Messrs Burt, it can be quickly cooled in all weathers, and to the exact degree of coolness required. The new refrigerator is a most useful one, and it is not at all strange thtit it is being rapidly adopted in breweries in this Colony. The liquor having been cooled to the degree required, runs, on a valve being opened, into the fermenting tuns. One monster tun holds about 45 hogsheads, and two smaller ones about 10 hogsheads each. By turning a tap the liquor runs through a pipe into the cellars, where it is led into " cleansing" casks, and afterwards into "travellers" — that is to say, the casks in which it is delivered. All the articles used in the manufacture come in by the back entrance, London street. The manufactured article goes out by the front entrance to Filloul street. The copper room, tun-room, granary, and store-room, are all of a large size. The present cellar is GGft by 30ft, but when an extension, 1 which is now bemg proceeded with, is completed, it will be more than as large again, namely, GGft. by C3ft. Above the new cellar extension is to be a malt floor 6Gft. by 33ft., formed of cement laid on. concrete. The grain will be brought from London street to the store, thence, as ' wanted, to the malt steep. From the malt steep, the water having been drawn off, the grain, by opening a flood-gate, will fall on the malt floor, over which it will be spread, to germinate until fit for the kiln. A malt kiln is also being erected, the drying chamber of which is to be on the level of the malt floor, and a door is to open from one into the other, on an exact level, saving the labour of lifting. Tho floor of the drying chamber of the jaalfc kiln will bo coveretj with, patent

' tiles, perforated with very small holes, through which the heat can rise from the [ slow fire in the furnace below. These patent tiles are supposed to be the best floor for giving the malt a good flavour. It may be mentioned in regard to the water with which the brewery is supplied, that it formerly ran in a creek down through Mr Logan's property, but now is carried in pipes from that part of the hill where the spring first appears to a reservoir, where the surplus water escapes, and thence by a line of pipes to the brewery. The water, in fact, never see 3 daylight till it enters the boiler at the brewery. It is said to be the best water to be found about Dunedin ; but whether this is the case or not, the Distillery Company had it analysed, and were so pleased with it that they had it laid on to their premises in Cumberland street, where it is used in the more important operations in distilling. The brewery has an acre of ground, so that there is ample room for extension. The greater part of the present buildings of the brewery consist of substantial rubble and brickwork. .All the building now going on is of bluestone, and some is finished in a superior style. Could the old Bhingle building of a short four years ago, in which the farm commenced business, be placed side by side with the present building, the contrast would be striking ; and it should be remembered that the firm is still extending its premises to keep pace with its growing trade.