HOME BREW FAD

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3482, 21 June 1934, Page 2

HOME BREW FAD

POPULARITY INCREASING. INGREDIENT SALES INCREASE AT NEW PLYMOUTH. The washing coppers of New Plymouth housewives will continue to be diverted from their proper purpose to the preparation of home-brew, if the sales of its ingredients are any criterion, states the Taranaki Herald. New Plymouth grocers, judging from the sales of malt and hops in recent months, have noticed a substantial increase in the popularity of homebrew compared with last year. One grocer stated that the sale of hops and malt in his shop had been greater than for any period since the

fad for home-brew began, two years ago. He put the increase at fully 30 per cent., and anticipated that next year's sales would be even greater, he said.

The New Plymouth experience is in direct contrast with 'that in Auckland and Wellington. There inquiries revealed that grocers were of the opinion that the fashion of homebrewing had definitely gone out of favour and was not likely to return.

With the coming of cold weather, however, home-brew has suffered a temporary eclipse. During the last few weeks sales of malt and hops have fallen steadily away, until they are now at zero. They are expected to rise again in the spring and will reach their greatest quantity during the Christmas period. At least this has been the experience in former years.

Another grocer had noted the same thing. He attributed home-brew's popularity to two things—its cheapness and a desire to experiment. "Every home-brewer believes he can make a drink as good as the commercial beer," he said. However, the name home-brew covers a multitude of qualities and tastes." An interesting result of the homebrew craze has been the disappearance of empty bottles from vacant sections in the town. A few years ago small boys were enabled to_ reap a rich harvest from the sale of bottles found in these places or handed over to them by kind-hearted housewives. Now bottles have largely gone out of circulation.