The tables here given have been prepared with great care after a thorough examination and comparison of authorities. The discrepancies and errors discovered in various published statements of a similar nature have made the task a difficult one, but it is believed that the present results will be found substantially accurate. Table A gives a list of the chief beer producing countries, with the population of each, its annual product in hectoliters and gallons, the number of its breweries and the production per head of population. The countries are arranged in the order of product per capita. Table B gives the same countries arranged in the order of total production, and for convenience of reference repeats the product per capita.

TABLE A.

TABLE B.

It will be seen from the above table that Germany, exclusive of German Austria, brews the enormous quantity of 885,646,782 gallons of beer, or about 20.7 to each individual in a population of 42,727,360. Most of this is consumed at home, and great quantities are imported from Christiana, Norway, and Copenhagen, Denmark, while ale and porter are largely brought from England.

It is worthy of notice that Bavaria, which has been known for centuries as the cradle of men of arts and sciences, stands at the head of the list of beer producing countries. With a population of only about five millions, it brews three hundred and twenty-nine million gallons or 65.5 gallons to every individual; and next in rank is the little kingdom of Wurtemberg, the native state of the great Schiller. Munich, the capital of Bavaria is especially celebrated for the long array of men of arts, letters and science who have either been born there or adopted it as a residence. But it is, at the same time, the greatest beer-drinking city in the world. It produced in the year 1876 no less than 1,198,951 hectoliters = 31,772,201 gallons, and its actual home consumption in that year was 956,455 hectoliters = 25,346,057 gallons, which, in a population of 198,000, gives 128 gallons a year for every individual, costing in all $6,216,955, or about $31 per head. The amount paid for beer is less by $1,363,800 than the amount paid for house rent. In the years 1877 and 1878 the amount paid for beer fell off, but for the current year (1879) it will, according to statistics thus far received, be larger than ever before. The taxes for the municipal government and city taxes are less than a tenth of the amount expended for beer—and yet there is not a more orderly and well behaved city in the world than this same Munich. All this is indirect evidence of great importance as to the social and intellectual effect that may be expected to follow a free and even a very large use of beer.

Vienna stands in a similar category though it offers a less striking illustration of the case than Munich does. It has, however, one brewer whose operations are extensive enough to deserve special mention. This is the well-known Anton Dreher, whose business, begun at Schwechat in 1836, now comprises large establishments in four Austrian cities, with an annual product of 500,000 barrels, paying a government tax of $750,000.00 or more. The business employs combined water and steam engines of 100 horse power, 400 brewers, 200 teamsters and common laborers, 150 horses, and no less than 250 draught oxen.

Karlsruhe, the capital of Baden is also an important brewing city. Its product is 4,884,350 gallons, and of this amount something over one million gallons is contributed by the Albert Printz brewery alone.

It is, however, useless to attempt any mention of the cities or districts that are distinguished for the quantity or quality of their beer. We can only say that they are very numerous, and add that their character is such as to corroborate all that has been said in this book touching the beneficial effects of a free use of beer in the community.