(Analyses by M. Wallerstein.)
+------------------------+----------+------------+-------------+
| | Original | | Extractives |
| Description. | Gravity. | Alcohol %. | (Solids) %. |
+------------------------+----------+------------+-------------+
| Bottom \ 1. | 1046.7 | 3.48 | 5.08 |
| Fermentation | 2. | 1055.6 | 3.56 | 6.50 |
| Beers | 3. | 1063.4 | 4.12 | 7.43 |
| (Lager Type). / 4. | 1046.0 | 2.68 | 5.96 |
| 5. | 1051.7 | 3.42 | 5.86 |
+------------------------+----------+------------+-------------+
| Top Fermentation \ 1. | 1084.2 | 5.89 | 8.60 |
| Ales | 2. | 1073.5 | 6.46 | 5.69 |
| (British Type) / 3. | 1068.0 | 5.50 | 5.53 |
+------------------------+----------+------------+-------------+
It will be noted that the American _beers_ (i.e. bottom fermentation
products of the lager type) are very similar in composition to the
German beers, but that the ales are very much heavier than the general
run of the corresponding British products.
_Production and Consumption._--(For manufacture of beer, see BREWING.)
Germany is the greatest beer-producing nation, if liquid bulk be taken
as a criterion; the United States comes next, and the United Kingdom
occupies the third place in this regard. The consumption per head,
however, is slightly greater in the United Kingdom than in Germany, and
very much greater than is the case in the United States. The 1905
figures with regard to the total production and consumption of the three
great beer-producing countries, together with those for 1885, are as
under:--
+----------------+--------------------------------+---------------------+
| | | Consumption per |
| Country. | Total Production (Gallons). | Head of Population |
| | | (Gallons) |
+----------------+------------------+-------------+----------+----------+
| | 1905. | 1885. | 1905. | 1885 |
| +------------------+-------------+----------+----------+
| German Empire | 1,538,240,000 | 932,228,000 | 23.3 | 19.8 |
| United States | 1,434,114,180 | 494,854,000 | 19.9 | 8.8 |
| United Kingdom | 1,227,933,468[10]| 993,759,000 | 27.90[10]| 27.1 |
+----------------+------------------+-------------+----------+----------+
The chief point of interest in the preceding table is the enormous
increase in the United States. In considering the figures, the character
of the beer produced must be taken into consideration. Thus, although
Germany produces roughly 25% more beer in liquid measurement than the
United Kingdom, the latter actually uses about 50% more malt than is the
case in the German breweries. According to a Viennese technical journal,
the quantities of malt employed for the production of one hectolitre (22
gallons) of beer in the respective countries is 0.40 cwt. in the German
empire, 0.72 cwt. in the United States, and 0.81 cwt. in the United
Kingdom. In a sense, therefore, England may still claim pre-eminence as
a beer-producing nation. Large as the _per capita_ consumption in the
United Kingdom may seem, it is considerably less than is the case in
Bavaria, which stands at the head of the list with over 50 gallons, and
in Belgium, which comes second with 47.7 gallons. In the city of Munich
the consumption is actually over 70 gallons, that is to say, about 1-1/2
pints a day for every man, woman and child. It is curious to note that
in Germany, which is usually regarded as a beer-drinking country _par
excellence_, the consumption per head of this article is slightly less
than in England, and that inversely the average German consumes more
alcohol in the shape of spirits than does the inhabitant of the British
Islands (consumption of spirits per head: Germany, 1.76 gallons; United
Kingdom, 0.99 gallons). This is accounted for by the fact that the
peasantry of the northern and eastern portions of the German empire
consume spirits almost exclusively. In the British colonies beer is
generally one of the staple drinks, but if we except Western Australia,
where about 25 gallons per head of population are consumed, the demand
is much smaller than in the United Kingdom. In Australia generally, the
_per capita_ consumption amounts to about 12 gallons, in New Zealand to
10 gallons, and in Canada to 5 gallons. (P. S.)