RWD_p018

RT04212016

18 times • APRIL 21, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com How Ridgewood kept brewing during Prohibition We’ve said before in this space how encouraging it is to see the rise of breweries in Our Neighborhood over the last several years. Beer, after all, had been a hallmark of the Greater Ridgewood area for much of the 20th century, before a cocktail of hard economic times, rising costs, limited land and other factors led many neighborhood breweries to seek greater pastures in other parts of the nation. To this day, some of our older residents lament the loss of the Rheingolds and Schaefers of the world, and swear that the modern recreations that hit the market in recent years just aren’t the same, largely because they aren’t brewed here. But once upon a time, you couldn’t find a good beer in Ridgewood if you were willing to pay for it. Difficult as that might be for many of our readers to comprehend, Ridgewood and the rest of the nation went dry for an infamous 14-year period known as Prohibition — an almost complete ban on the sale and production of alcohol in this country. Much like the intrepid folks who brought beermaking back to Ridgewood in this century, beer lovers found a way to enjoy their favorite beverage in spite of Prohibition. Empowered by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, Prohibition took effect on Jan. 17, 1920, through the Volstead Act, legislation enacted that barred the sale, manufacture, distribution or warehousing of alcoholic beverages. The Volstead Act defined an alcoholic beverage as any drink containing more than 1/2 of 1 percent of alcohol by volume. There were a number of items exempt from this act, such as medicines and vinegar. The legislation spelled the end of beer as drinkers knew it, as it allowed only the manufacture of “near beer,” real beer containing less than 1/2 of 1 percent of alcohol by volume. Despite the protest of large brewers across the city, this provision was upheld by the courts. What the Volstead Act did permit was the production of beer and wine at home, provided that the producers made it for personal use, not personal profit through sale. This gave local beer lovers the opportunity to This 1912 photo shows the Frank Brewery that once stood on Cypress Avenue near Hancock Street in Ridgewood. Prohibition forced the brewery to cease operations in 1920. Once Prohibition ended in 1933, the City Brewing Company reactivated the brewery. However, the brewery was eventually shuttered in 1950. continue enjoy the beverage they loved by making it themselves. Home brewing, hence, became popular in the beer-happy Ridgewood area. Numerous retail stores opened up or began stocking up on items needed to make home brew such as malt extract. No fewer than 11 malt suppliers sprang up in Ridgewood and Glendale during the 1920s, according to information previously listed in this paper. The stores sold the malt extract in one quart to one gallon cans. Home brewers emptied the extract — which generally contained barley malt, starch, hops and sugar — into a big pot. Brewers would add water, stir and bring it to a boil for about five minutes. The incomplete beer, called wort, was allowed to cool for a while, then poured into large stone croks in a cool place in a person’s basement. Cakes of crumbled yeast were then added, and a cheesecloth was placed over the crock to prevent impurities from contaminating the liquid. The beer was left to ferment for a week to 10 days. Home brewers then skimmed off the yeast foam from the top of the beer, then poured the beer into bottles through a siphon. Each batch of beer was about five to six gallons, or enough to fill two to three cases containing 24 12-ounce bottles of suds. The most ambitious home brewers bought Crown cap machines to seal the bottles, while others used ceramic stoppers. Once filled and sealed, the bottles were left in a cool, dark place to age. After about four to six weeks, when properly produced, the beer was ready to drink. In those days, drinking out of the bottle wasn’t advised due to sediment that accumulated at the bottom. Instead, drinkers poured their beer into glasses and enjoyed. As with anything else, there were mishaps for many home brewers. In some cases, brewers accidentally put too much yeast into the beer, and the gases created caused the bottles to explode on the shelf. These instances would often wipe out entire batches of beer, with the flying glass shattering other aging bottles nearby. During Prohibition, one home brewer had anywhere between 700 and 800 26-ounce bottles of beer in various stages of aging. They brewed all types of beers from amber lagers popular around Oktoberfest to pilseners and even stouts. The ratification of the 21st Amendment in 1933 repealed the 18th Amendment and ended Prohibition, and brewers were allowed to reopen. Ironically, for some Ridgewood residents who mastered the art of home brewing, they found themselves continuing to brew their own brand, preferring it over mass-produced beverages. That spirit of self-industry lives on in Ridgewood today in all those who’ve opened breweries and other specialty businesses in Our Neighborhood, many of whom undoubtedly believe, as the home brewers once did, that if you want something done right, you’ve got to make it yourself! OLD TIMER If you have any memories and photos that you’d like to share about “Our Neighborhood: The Way it Was,” write to The Old Timer, c/o Ridgewood Times, 62-70 Fresh Pond Rd., Ridgewood, NY 11385, or send an email to editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com. All mailed pictures will be carefully returned upon request.


RT04212016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above