A synonym for imperial gallon.
See GALLON.
The empty space at the top of a bottle, cask, or barrel between the liquid and the seal or top of the container. Also referred to as headspace.
A nonhopped malt.
This now-defunct organization was in high gear in 1941, when it was establishing committees to deal with the legislative issues of concern to smaller brewers in the United States. For the next 35 years it championed the idea that brewers under a certain size be taxed on a smaller scale than larger brewers. A bill proposing an excise tax differential for smaller brewers was signed into law in October 1976. This was the association’s crowning achievement, after which it unofficially merged with the Brewers’ Association of America, an organization that continues to function as the voice of small brewers in the United States.
Delegates to the 17th Annual Convention of the United States Brewers’ Association
Fred Lance, honorary president of the United States Brewers’ Association
See BREWERS’ ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA.
The United States brewing industry is one of the most productive in the world. Although American per capita consumption of beer is not especially high, the sheer size of the United States population makes this the world’s largest beer market (although China will likely assume this status in the near future). United States beer sales in 1994 were 197,190,000 barrels, up 0.9 percent over 1993 figures. Exports also rose to an estimated 7,000,000 barrels.
The United States brewing industry dates to colonial times. By the early 20th century, thousands of breweries were operating in the United States. Most were fairly small by today’s standards, but many large regional plants also thrived.
Legal beer brewing in the United States came to an abrupt halt with the enactment of Prohibition in 1919. During Prohibition, some brewers subsisted by producing near beer (nonalcoholic beer), malt extract, and brewer’s yeast. Most breweries went out of business.
The repeal of Prohibition in 1933 triggered a brewery boom, and in 1938 more than 500 breweries were in operation. Some post-Prohibition breweries were short-lived efforts undertaken by profit-minded businessmen, but many old brewing families also returned to the trade.
In the post-World War II era, mass marketing changed the face of the United States brewing industry. Some brewers transcended regional status and became national in scope. Scale and cost-efficiency favored these larger producers, and consolidation of the brewing industry began in earnest.
By the 1970s, small regional brewers were going out of business in droves, and larger brewers dominated the market. That dominance continues today, with three brewers (Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors) dominating the brewing industry. In 1994, this first tier held 81 percent of the market share. A second tier of relatively large regional brewers (Stroh, G. Heileman, Pabst, and others) held another 14 percent. Imports accounted for about 5 percent of sales and microbrewers 0.3 percent.
See MARKET SHARE.
An enclosed stainless steel vessel with a conical bottom used for fermenting and lagering beer. A 70-degree-angle bottom is normally favored because it allows compacting of yeast in the cone. Once compacted, the yeast can be gently run off, leaving the beer relatively yeast-free and allowing for lagering to occur in the vessel.
The benefits of this type of system are as follows:
1. Reduced number of tanks require less space than other systems
2. Reduced beer loss due to fewer beer transfers
3. Increased speed of operation
4. Efficient vessel utilization
Vessels are fitted with glycol cooling jackets, a pressure relief/antivacuum valve, a thermometer, a sample cock, and a C.I.P. (clean in place) system.
See GLYCOL JACKETS.
A piece of equipment used to unload empty bottles from cases and load them onto a bottle washer (if dirty) or a bottle rinser (if clean). Cases are either discarded or reused depending on their condition.
Ur means “original of type.” Pilsner Urquell, for example, means original Pilzen beer. Many German brewers use the prefix to indicate their original brew type: Spaten Ur-Märzen is their original Märzenbier, and Ayinger Ur-Weisse Dunkeles is their original dark wheat beer.
A unit of liquid measurement.
See GALLON.
A capacity measure of 57.75 cubic inches or 32 fluid ounces (0.9463 L).
