A STUDY OF AMERICAN BEERS AND ALES. 



17 



bulletin. For this reason the figures for total phosphoric acid given 

 by him are not at all comparable with those determined by the 

 moist combustion method, by the uranium acetate method, or by 

 the method of ashing with calcium acetate. 1 



The same fact observed by Race, namely, that foreign beers are of 

 low protein content, is shown very clearly in the published literature 

 on European beers in general. Konig 2 gives the following results of 

 analyses made by himself and H.Weigmann of two all-malt beers, 

 calculated to the basis of a wort containing 15 per cent of solids: 



Beer and percentage of wort. 



Protein. 



Ash. 



Per cent. 



0.548 

 .457 



Per cent. 



0. 259 

 .214 



Phos- 

 phoric 

 acid. 



Pure malt beer: 



12 percent wort.. 

 14 percent wort.. 



Percent. 



0.098 

 .076 



From these results of Konig it will be seen that the protein content 

 of these beers is considerably less than that of the beers examined by 

 the writers. As the phosphoric acid and ash results, however, are 

 practically the same as in American beers, it might be expected that 

 the use of substitutes in place of the low-protein malt would not show 

 so sharp a reduction of the protein as was found by the authors, 

 although one would expect a reduction in phosphoric acid and ash 

 similar to that found in American beers. This is confirmed by the 

 results obtained by Race. 



Robert Wahl 3 made parallel brewings of a high-protein barley and 

 a low-protein barley, and from these obtained two beers which, when 

 calculated to a uniform wort with 1 5 per cent of solids, showed a total 

 protein in the beer made from the low-protein malt of 0.734 per cent, 

 and in the beer made from the high-protein malt 1 .041 per cent. This 

 clearly indicates that where a beer is made from high-protein barley, 

 as is the case with practically all of the beers made in this country, 4 

 the reduction in protein by the use of substitutes will be a valuable 

 index to the true nature of the product. This, when taken in connec- 

 tion with the reduction of phosphoric acid brought about by the use 

 of substitutes, gives two factors of value in judging American beers, 

 to determine whether or not substitutes have been used ; while in the 

 case of beers made from low-protein barley there is practically only 

 one factor, namely, the reduction of phosphoric acid. 



1 Riley, in his report to the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists for the year 1913, showed that 

 a large proportion of the phosphoric acid was ordinarily lost when the beer was directly ashed (J. Assoc. 

 Off. Agr. Chemists, 1 (1915), 138-143). For this reason, in comparing the amount of phosphoric acid given 

 in the literature on beers, it is very essential to know the method used for determining the phosphoric acid. 



2 Konig, P. J., Chemie der Menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel, 4th ed., v. 1, p. 1154. Berlin, 1903. 

 * Am. Brewers' Rev., 18 (1904), 339. 



3 Wahl, Robert. In Am. Brewers' Rev., 29 (1915), 316-317. 



