RETURNED BEER.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 993, 18 March 1909, Page 22

RETURNED BEER.

There are probably no breweries that are free from this evil, although there are a large number that have comparatively a great deal of returned beer, while other breweries again very seldom have beer returned. The reason for this must be sought more or less in local conditions, whether the beer is consumed at once and on the spot, or shipped and only drawn from the lapse of a considerable period; whether, in itself, it is

durable, and whether it is treated in a proper manner by the customer. The brewer certainly has it in his power to produce a durable beer; but as soon as it is placed in the customer’s hands, it passes beyond his control, and is often subjected to treatment that is certainly not conductive to its wellbeing. If it undergoes a change in consequence, the retailer is only too willing to push it off on the brewer. Thqs it happens that the hotelkeeper or his assistants deposit the new consignment of beer on top of the old and tap the new lot first, while the old is left stading, and, as a result, the beer, which does not possess unlimited durability, is spoiled. With the aid of the impressed date in the stamp cancellation, the blame can often be placed back to the hotelkeeper. It may also be advisable, to

ensure proper control, to inscribe the date of racking, with chalk, on the bottom head of the package.

How often we are able to trace a deterioration in the flavour of a beer to the supply pipes and cooling coils in the hotel we all know to our sorrow- In such cases only systematic cleaning can provide a remedy. But even the cleaning of beer pipes, if not properly done may prove disastrous to the beer. We may especially mention the employment of too strong lye solutions, which lay bare the tin in the pipes and cause “tin cloudiness.”

Another cause of damage to the flavour of the beer may be sought in the air that enters the air-pressure apparatus. Beer under pressure is very prone to absorb flavouring influencesIt is therefore of the greatest importance whether the pressure air is drawn from the sour-smelling, tobacco smoke-laden atmosphere of a bar-room or from a dustless and odourless place.

It is also remarkable that not infrequently complaints and returned beer come regularly from one source while other customers make no complaints.

In paic, this may be ascribed to the fact that it is always the same customers who make the above described mistakes, and also that some of the customers are diffident about making complaints at the brewery, either because they do not believe they have good enough grounds, or that they are ton “easy,” or that they are dependent too much on the brewer. In great part, these complaints are wholly unfounded, and are only preferred in order to extort allowances from the brewery- Some hotelkeepers even go so far as to collect drippings, stale beer, rests, &c., in a cask, in order to return it to the brewer and claim a new barrel for it. It is advisable in all these complaints to determine the true cause in order, in the case in justifiable complaints, to apply a remedy, and in the case of those that are not well founded, to direct the retailer’s attention to his own shortcomings. If the retailer complains of his beer on draught an expert should be sent to him- If return beer is received that is suspected of being a mixture of stale rests, drippings, etc., a microscopic and chemical examination will furnish unmistakable evidence of the fact.

It is a mistaken policy, on receipt of a complaint from a customer, to send to adjust it a collector, who will seek, by means of much talk and the expenditure of money, to hush it upIn such cases the complaints are likely to be repeated again and againHere the only remedy is to discover the cause and remove it, and eventually to confront the customer with claims,, even at the risk of losing his trade: for it is better to have one customer less than to run the risk of the beer being given a bad nanm.

With all this, it is not intended to assert that there are no rational complaints- In most instances, the brewer well knows if the complaints are justifiable, and can distinguish them from the other kind- When his beer has to be shipped to distant points, is placed young on the market, &c., he must make up his mind to expect more returned beer.

On the other hand, a good, durable beer may be spoiled by causes that must be sought in the shipping package. For instance, by sources of infection occurring in blisters in the pitch coating, or in splintered keg staves and cracks in them, which latter may be caused by a high pitching temperature or by the hoop-driving machine. Again, another cause may be the souring of the cleansed shipping packages, owing to their being allowed to stand too long in rhe summer time. Where a cleansed shipping package is not refilled on the same day it should be sprayed out -.gain before being filled; at least, in summer Ume, this precaution should not b-. neglected.

Sometimes we may observe that fragments of paper, c’gar butts, etc., are in the returned beer- All such substances readily cause turbidity in beer. Returned beer, for which there is no other reason, should be investigated for such fore gm bodies. The beer pipes and the racking bench, in the event of much beer being returned, should receive carful attention; the water tank, from which the water for spraying the packages is drawn, should also be examined as to its cleanliness, etc. These are the chief causes of the returned beer evii. Those who suffer much from It will And them worthy of consideration. —“ Pure Food Products,” U.S.A.

A vendor of plaster statuettes saw a chance for a sale in a well-dressed, bibulous man who was tacking down the street- “ You buy-a de statuette?” he asked, alluringly holding out his choicest offering., “Gar Fr-ribaldi —I sell-ahim verra cheap- De gr-reat-a Gar-r-ribaldi —only thirta cents!” “Oh t-ell with Garibaldi,” said the bibulous one making a swipe with his arms that sent Garibaldi crashing to the sidewalk. For a moment the Italian (regarded the fragments. Then this eyes flashing fire, he seized from his stock a statuette of George Washington. “You t’ell-a with my Gar-r ribaldi?” he hissed between his teeth. “So,” He raised the immortal George high above his head and —crash! it flew into fragments alongside of the ill-rated Garibaldi. “Ha! I to hell-a wid your George Wash! Ha, ha’”

A reporter of the Cincinnati “ Enquirer ” —John R. McLean’s newspaper —was once sent into a small town in south-western Ohio to get the story of a woman evangelist who had been greatly talked about. The reporter attended one of her meetings and occupied a front seat. When those who wished to be saved were asked to rise, he kept his seat and used his ' note-book. The woman approached, and taking him by the hand, said: “ Come to Jesus.” “ Madam,” said the newspaper man, “ I’m here solely on business to report your work.” “ Brother,” said she, “ there is no business so important as God’s.” “ Well, maybe not,’, said the reporter; “ but you don’t know John McLean.”

The hungry Frenchman was in an English restaurant, and wanted eggs for breakfast, but had forgotten the English word- So he got over the difficulty in the following way: — “ Vaiterre, vat is dat walking in de yard?” “ A cock, sir.” “Ah! And vat you call ze cock’s wife?” “ The hen, sir.” “ And vat you call be children of ze cock and his wife?” “ Chickens, sir.” “ But vat you call ze chickens before zey are chicken??” “ Eggs, sir.” “Ah, e’est ca! Bring me two.”